Cristiano Ronaldo and Atletico Madrid would make a good pairing despite his Real Madrid past, according to Los Blancos great Guti.

Ronaldo began Manchester United s Premier League opener against Brighton and Hove Albion on the bench on Sunday, having missed the majority of the Red Devils pre-season campaign after reportedly expressing his desire to join a Champions League side.

With the likes of Bayern Munich quickly ruling out a move for the 37-year-old, Atletico were touted as a potential destination for Ronaldo, who leads Madrid s all-time goalscoring charts after netting 450 times for Los Blancos between 2009 and 2018.

Those reports were not well received by Atletico supporters, however, some of whom unveiled a banner reading CR7 not welcome during a pre-se…

Germany captain Michael Ballack has been dropped by national coach Joachim Loew for next month s Euro 2012 qualifiers.

The 33-year-old midifelder s name was conspicuous by its absence from Loew s squad released Friday for the games against Belgium in Brussels on September 3 and Azerbaijan in Cologne four days later.

Ballack is still working his way back to fitness after suffering an ankle injury in May which ruled him out of last month s World Cup.

Loew said in a statement: Michael is going the right way after his injury and everyone is satisfied with the healing process. The important thing is that he rediscovers his best form at Leverkusen.

According to the German Football Association Loew told Ballack of his decision by telephone.

With Ballac…

Connor Roberts hopes the “power of the tash” can help Wales to Euro 2024 play-off glory against Poland.

Roberts has embarked on long unbeaten Championship runs at Burnley and Leeds over the last two seasons after putting his razor away and growing a moustache.

The 28-year-old wing-back is now determined to avoid a close shave on the international stage and show off his new look in Germany this summer as Wales host Poland on Tuesday for a place at Euro 2024.

Creating moments as a country

…

Italy were unconvincing as they moved to within a win of Euro 2012 qualification, with a 1-0 victory over the Faroe Islands in Torshavn.

Antonio Cassano s 11th-minute goal proved enough for Cesare Prandelli s side to take another great leap towards the Euro finals in Poland and Ukraine next summer, but it was far from plain sailing for the 1968 champions.

The four-time World Cup winners kept an unchanged side from that which beat Spain in a friendly in Bari last month, but had plenty of trouble breaking down the stubborn minnows, who largely looked to sit tight and hit them on the break.

Cassano scored when he raced onto Andrea Pirlo’s chipped pass to chest down and somehow smuggle the ball past Islands goalkeeper Rene Torgard before tapping home into an empty…

Competition: Euro 2016
Market: Portugal to win against Austria
Odds:

Portugal lock horns with Austria at the Parc des Princes in Paris for tonight’s Euro 2016 Group F clash, and manager Fernando Santos is hoping his side can bounce back after their opening game stalemate to finally get their bid for qualification back on track.

Portugal are third in Group F with one point from one game, having drawn their opener to Iceland, of whom they are now one point adrift of in third. Portugal are three points off first-placed Hungary, and can’t afford any more slip-ups if they are to make the knockouts.

Boasting an attack featuring the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Luis Nani (Fenerbahce) and Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas), Portugal should take som…

England claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over World Champions Spain yesterday.

It was a victory which was achieved by Capello’s defensive tactics.

Fabio Capello achieved results as a club boss by using defensive tactics in the past and they worked a treat against Vicente Del Bosque’s men.

Change

Apart from the noticeable change in the tactics Capello had brought some younger players into the squad for the Spain game. The likes of Danny Welbeck and Jack Rodwell were both brought of the bench and impressed against the World Champions.

Established

It has taken Fabio Capello a long time to give younger players their chance in the full international team. Capello took over and has stuck with the established order through thick and thicker. Now…

The Brazilian Serie A also known as Brasileirao is arguably the best league in the CONMEBOL region.

It features some of the best players in South America, although the local product is quite good in comparison to other countries. But there a few players that stand out above the rest. Here are four Brazilian talents that are worth keeping an eye during 2018. They could easily make the jump and start thriving on a bigger stage.

Arthur

Arthur is one of the hottest names in the transfer rumour mill at the moment. The 21-year-old holding midfielder plays for Gremio, and several experts have raved about him. In fact, several South American experts have dubbed him as the new Xavi , and both FC Barcelona and Chelsea are interested in signing him. Gremio plan to hold on to him,…

Harry Kane dreams of winning a major tournament with England to mark the pinnacle of anyone s career , with the Three Lions star hoping to end his trophy drought at Euro 2024.

Bayern Munich striker Kane will lead his country out once more when Gareth Southgate s side open their European Championship campaign against Serbia on Sunday.

Having fallen short in the delayed Euro 2020 final against Italy, as well as World Clup semi-final elimination to Croatia in 2018, Kane is without international glory – and his lack of club success is much discussed, too.

Kane acknowledged his own shortcomings as the England captain aims for national success in Germany.

I love playing for my country, he said at Saturday s pre-match press conference. It means the world to m…

Liverpool are in talks with defender Ibrahima Konate over a new contract, according to . Konate has two more years left on his current deal, and the player and the club are in discussions over extending to.

Konate has been on the books of Liverpool since 2021 when he joined from RB Leipzig for £36 million. The 25-year-old centre-back has not always had the best of times at Liverpool, but he has been an important player under former Reds manager Jurgen Klopp and is now a regular under boss Arne Slot.

The France international centre-back has scored one goal and given one assist in six starts and one substitute appearance in the Premier League for Liverpool so far this season. Konate has scored one goal in two UEFA Champions League for the Merseyside club so far this camp…

Borussia Dortmund are determined to replicate the heroics of their remarkable Champions League campaign last season, head coach Nuri Sahin said ahead of Wednesday s opener at Club Brugge.

The 36-year-old Sahin will lead Dortmund in Europe s elite club competition for the first time when the Bundesliga side visit Bruges.

Dortmund announced Sahin, their former assistant coach, in June as their new manager to replace Edin Terzic, who led the German club to the Champions League final last term.

Terzic s men subsequently lost to LaLiga giants Real Madrid 2-0 in the Wembley showpiece, though Sahin is desperate for another deep run in Europe.

After two or three matchdays, you will see how it s going, Sahin told reporters on Tuesday. As a finalist last year, we …