When Real Madrid host Barcelona at Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, two of the best players the game has ever seen will be looking to lead their respective teams to victory.
Cristiano Ronaldo is without doubt Madrid s go-to guy when it matters most, while Lionel Messi has developed into the Catalans undisputed star man since making his senior debut in 2004-05.
The two have dominated the sport like no others before them, winning nine Ballons d Or between them since 2008. Who is the better player of the two, though?
Fans of the Argentine will point to his five Ballon d Or awards and his numerous trophies with Barcelona.
Those in favour of the Portuguese will highlight the fact he has not only done it in LaLiga with Madrid, but has also enjoyed success�…
Manchester United great Paul Scholes returned to action for his local non-league team on Saturday – but he was unable to prevent Royton Town from losing 1-0 to Stockport Georgians.
Scholes donned the number eight jersey for Royton, whom his son Arron plays for, when they found themselves without a raft of senior players.
Word of the 11-time Premier League winner stepping out in the 11th tier of English football soon got out, with plenty of fans in attendance to see him roll back the years.
Usually these sort of games attract 40 or 50 people but there were a lot more there when word got out that he was playing, Royton chairman Gary Leeming told BBC Sport.
I can t imagine Stockport Georgians have ever had so many people on their car park.
Good …
Bayern Munich attacker Arjen Robben insists a return to PSV at the end of the season is not on his mind at this stage.
The Netherlands international rose to prominence at PSV after making his professional debut at Groningen, eventually earning a move to Chelsea in 2004, before joining Bayern in 2009 after a two-year spell with Real Madrid.
Robben s contract with Bayern is due to expire in June 2017 and he is yet to open talks over a new deal.
Nevertheless, the 32-year-old is not looking too far ahead and is focused on remaining fit for the time being.
I am not thinking about a return to PSV right now, Robben said at a news conference ahead of Tuesday s Champions League clash against his former team.
You always have be very careful with such co…
Prediction: Match to end in 1-1 draw
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The Seattle Sounders and the Vancouver Whitecaps will face each other in Major League Soccer this week. The match will be held at Lumen Field and is scheduled to kick off at 3:30am UK time on Wednesday.
Seattle Sounders
The Seattle Sounders are 11th in Major League Soccer Western Conference at the moment with 16 points from 12 matches. They have made their worst start to a regular season since 2018, but there have been signs that things are improving for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League winners.
Team News:
Joao Paulo is injured and will not play.
Vancouver Whitecaps
The Vancouver Whitecaps are 10th in Major League Soccer Western Conference at the moment with 17 points f…
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has described his meeting with the Pope as a “life achievement”.
Rodgers was part of a delegation of Celtic coaches, players and directors who were granted a private audience with Pope Francis on Wednesday morning, following their Champions League defeat by Lazio in Rome the previous night.
Rodgers said: “It was obviously a real privilege for us all to have the invitation to go there.
“It was a really humbling experience and it felt like a life achievement to meet him. It was so nice, everyone that came out of the room that morning felt really privileged and really honoured.”
Today at the Vatican, the staff and players were honoured to be granted an audience with his Holy Father, Pope Francis.
— Celtic …
Leicester City are in talks to sign Boubacary Soumare from Lille OSC, according to .
The 22-year-old took his first football steps at the Paris Saint-Germain academy, and having passed through the youth ranks there, he joined Lille in 2017 as a free agent. Since then, he s gone on to represent the current Ligue 1 leaders on 109 occasions in all competitions, scoring only once and producing two assists from his role as a defensive midfielder. He represented France at all youth levels, but he is yet to earn a senior cap for either France or Senegal, being a citizen of the African country as well.
Last year, he was heavily linked with a switch to Newcastle and reportedly open to joining the Magpies, but nothing came of it.
Leicester, who consider Soumare their prim…
Dani Olmo claims a formal offer has been received from Barcelona ahead of a prospective transfer from Dinamo Zagreb.
Catalan forward Olmo spent six years in the youth ranks at Barca s famed La Masia before making the surprise switch to Croatia in 2014.
The 21-year-old was named man of the match after he scored the winner in Spain Under-21s European Championship final victory over Germany in 2019.
He brought that form into this season with a string of impressive displays during Dinamo s Champions League campaign, earning a first senior Spain cap in November – another occasion Olmo marked with a goal against Malta
Dinamo reportedly want €40million for Olmo, who hopes to arrive at Camp Nou in January rather than the end of the season if an agreement is…
Manchester United are interested in signing Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting from Bayern Munich in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that the former Premier League and UEFA Champions League winners are looking for a replacement for the departed Cristiano Ronaldo, and that Choupo-Moting is one of the players on their radar.
Choupo-Moting has been on the books of Bayern since the summer of 2020 when he joined on a free transfer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain. The 33-year-old Cameroon international forward has made six starts and four substitute appearances in the Bundesliga so far this season, scoring six goals and providing two assists in the process.
The former Stoke City forward has also made two starts and two substitute appearances in the …
Frenkie de Jong has a strong possibility of staying at Barcelona despite intense interest from Manchester United, according to Joan Laporta.
United have been chasing the Barca midfielder since hiring his former Ajax coach Erik ten Hag as their new manager, but De Jong is understood not to be keen on missing out on Champions League football by making the switch.
The Netherlands international is said to be owed €17million in deferred wages and being asked to sign a new contract with a salary reduction of around 40 per cent.
Selling De Jong would significantly improve Barcelona s hopes of successfully registering new arrivals like Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde and making further moves in the market.
Barcelona is your new home. Welc…
Edwin van der Sar says Donny van de Beek has no better place to flourish than at Manchester United and asked fans to take good care of the midfielder in an emotional open letter.
Netherlands international Van de Beek completed his move from Ajax to Old Trafford on Wednesday in a deal that could eventually reach £39.1million (€44m).
Van de Beek became an influential member of an exciting Ajax side after rising through the youth ranks to break into the first team as a teenager during the 2015-16 campaign.
The 23-year-old won Eredivisie and KNVB Beker medals with Ajax, while he was part of the team that finished runners-up to his new employers in the 2017 Europa League final and the side that reached the Champions League semi-finals in the 2018-19 campaign.
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