Of all the promising talents like Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Mohamed Salah and Eden Hazard, it was the 33-year old Croatian Luka Modric who broke the decade-long monopoly of the Balon d’Or. Sharing 10 Ballon d’Or trophies amongst them, Ronaldo and Messi’s dominance was stopped by Luka Modric. The World Cup Golden Ball winner had an eventful season but was left upset by record Ballon d’Or holders for skipping his ceremony. Luka Modric won his first Ballon d’or in Paris earlier this month, and
With the Premier League race for the top four spots heating up arch-rivals Chelsea and Arsenal are looking for reinforcements to bolster their squads. Rumour mills are doing the rounds that the London based have identified Barcelona’s Denis Suarez as the ideal candidate. Suarez is set to leave Barcelona in January and is keen on a move to the Premier League and the attacking style of football at Arsenal and Chelsea is what Suarez is looking for. The Spaniard is struggling for game
Tottenham’s mid-week Champions League draw against Barcelona sealed a Round of 16 spot for them. But the crucial away game also meant that Mauricio Pochettino made another mark on his managerial career in North London. A mark that will garner heavy interest from his potential future suitors Real Madrid and Manchester United. And Spurs are bracing themselves to sustain any offers that may lure away the Argentine from White Hart Lane. It is quite open of the interest Real Madrid have in him.
Arsenal Robert Pires heaped praise on football icon Lionel Messi and placed him above his former teammates Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry, who themselves are one of the finest players to have blessed the game. According to the former Arsenal midfielder, the Barcelona skipper has 'something no one else has.' Robert Pires racked up an illustrious, largely successful career. From his time at Marseille, Arsenal and Villarreal to his exploits with the France national team, the 46-year-old played alongside and against one of the
Barcelona ace, Lionel Messi has revealed the secret behind his sensational free kicks over the years wearing Blaugrana jersey. The Argentine learned the craft at La Masia but only became the world’s most lethal dead ball specialist. The iconic forward helped his side earn a 4-0 victory over Espanyol on Saturday and achieving a feat he had never done before, I.e., scoring twice from free kicks. Just days after being criticized by Brazil great Pele, Messi produced a fine display, scoring twice and setting up
With five Balon d’Or awards apiece and numerous other individual and team recognition awards, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are no more at top of the pile. In fact, they are way ahead in a legendary pile. And while their rivalry in Spain lasted just a year short of a decade, Ronaldo has openly invited Lionel Messi to continue that rivalry. Cristiano Ronaldo joined Serie A front-runners Juventus in summer for $114 mn after spending nine trophy-laden seasons at Real Madrid. But what
As the January transfer window approaches, the transfer rumours just keep coming in. The top European clubs are trying their best to add more fire-power in the New Year, and the stories just keep popping up now. Whether these deals happen or not, only time will tell. Despite that, this upcoming transfer window will surely be an active one, and there will be a lot of expectations from it. Here are the top stories from the tabloids at present- Manchester United Target Alex Sandro To
It wasn’t only a dream season in terms of trophies for Manchester City last season, but also from a financial point of view. The defending Premier League champions netted a total of £3.9m from players to appear at the World Cup from the club’s squad, beating heavy-weights like Real Madrid and Barcelona. And while it is a proud moment for any player to get the national call-up, it is merrier for the player’s club as well. FIFA, the governing body of football, pays
Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale believes that he would have been a more deserving winner of this year's FIFA's Puskas goal of the year award than actual claimant Mo Salah. Bale believes his overhead kick in the 2018 Champions League final should have secured the award, rather than the Egyptian’s strike against Everton in the December 2017 Merseyside derby. On winning the FourFourTwo magazine's goal of the year award, Bale said that Salah's victory had "diminished" the status of the Puskas award. "Yeah,
Lionel Messi is having an absurd season and apparently, no one is talking about that. Midweek Champions League action saw Messi inspiring Barcelona to a 2-1 win over PSV Eindhoven with a goal and an assist. But it's not really headlining as the news as it is not new. We’re very much used to this level. But maybe we should not be so used to it. Messi has been the man of the match in all the last five matches he has played
Real Madrid midfielder Isco was left out of this week’s Champions League squad by interim manager Santiago Solari. Ex-Real player, Solari did not consider taking Isco to Rome. The Spaniard did make the trip to avoid controversy, but he was left in the stands as Real won 2-0 over Roma. Reports in the Spanish press have suggested that the relationship between the two is at an all-time low after Isco watched his team's champions league victory from the stands despite being fit to play.
Football Leaks Der Spiegel reported that Sergio Ramos failed a doping test immediately after Champions League final 2017 in Cardiff. Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos was selected randomly after UCL final in which Real Madrid defeated Juventus 3-1. A month on from the final, UEFA received a report on the tests carried out after the game and samples provided by Ramos contained traces of banned substance Dexamethasone, substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list. What is Dexamethasone? Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid. The steroid
La Liga returns this weekend from the international break with leaders Barcelona visiting third placed Atletico Madrid. Barcelona travel to the Wand Metropolitana with just one point ahead of Roji Blancos which is shaping up to be one of the tightest league race in decades. At this time in the 2017-18 season, Barcelona were four points off the table and 10 points ahead of Atletico Madrid. Well this time, the story is a bit different with small guns like Alaves and Espanyol blazing
In the constant revelations that the Football Leaks have been unearthing from the past couple of years, Sergio Ramos has now found himself in the middle of a controversy. According to latest reports by the Football Leaks, Sergio Ramos had tested positive for a banned substance in a routine doping test before the UEFA Champions League final in 2017. Real Madrid were on course to create history by becoming the first team ever to retain the Champions League title since its rebranding and
Atletico Madrid frontman, Diego Costa is suffering his longest goal drought in his career as his homecoming to the Roji Blancos has become a nightmare. Whatever one might have to say about Diego Costa's abrasive, borderline explosive character, there has seldom been doubt about his proficiency in and around the penalty area. But as his painful drought continues the question must be raised: what is going wrong for Costa? Costa made an instant impact coming back to Wanda Metropolitana at the start of 2018
The winter transfer window has always been a period of exciting drama for clubs around the world. Big players often change clubs mid-season in order for a better opportunity and playing time. Here is a look at the list of players who will be free agents in the coming transfer window. 10. Toby Alderweireld: Tottenham Belgium international Toby Alderweireld was heavily linked with Manchester United last summer as the red devils boss desperately needed a center back. The deal, however, failed to push
Spanish champions Barcelona cannot sign any player from Liverpool for the next two years. It relates to a clause in the contract of Phillipe Coutinho when he transferred from Liverpool to Barcelona last winter. Coutinho joined the Catalans departing from the Merseyside club following the path of Luis Suarez for a fee of around €160 million. Liverpool are well compensated for letting their star players go but wanted to ensure that they don’t become prey to the interests of a bigger club in
Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has tabled an offer for Real Madrid star Isco, according to reports from the Express. The proposal comes on the back of scenarios surrounding both the clubs at present. As far as Los Blancos are concerned, they have endured a somewhat disappointing campaign so far. Summer recruitment Julen Lopetegui saw himself axed on the wake of a 5-1 hammering at the hands of arch rivals Barcelona. Santiago Solari has been replaced as the new head coach following a string
Former Paris Saint-Germain president Charles Villeneuve claims Arsene Wenger met with Real Madrid while still in charge at Arsenal and believes he still has plenty to offer. ´"Two clubs always wanted him as a coach. One was Real Madrid because he could speak four languages. I also went to the gymnasium in Italy to the to attend the negotiations with Real Madrid, but he stayed at Arsenal.” said Charles Villeneuve, who is also a long time friend of former Arsenal manager. “The first
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot remains a target for Barcelona along with Ajax's Frenkie de Jong. The French international has rejected previous two lucrative deals offered by PSG in the last few months. With his contract expiring in June 2019, Rabiot is officially free from Jan 1 to talk with other clubs in the prospect of better offers. And just over a month for January, talks between Rabiot’s agent and PSG representatives have intensified. Aware of the situation, PSG have put all their