Spain head coach Luis Enrique continues to be amazed by the exploits of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as he prepares his side to face the Portugal star.
La Roja travel to Lisbon this week to face Portugal on Wednesday in the first meeting between the sides since the 2018 World Cup group stages.
Ronaldo scored a hat-trick, which included a stunning late free-kick, on that occasion to earn a 3-3 draw with Spain in Sochi.
Former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has previously sided with Messi in the debate over who is the greatest modern player, describing the Blaugrana number 10 as the best in the world in every position and the best in the history of football .
However, he has huge admiration for the way Juventus forward Ronaldo continues to strive for suc…
Raheem Sterling pinpointed the arrival of Bernardo Silva as a massive turning point in his Manchester City career.
The England international has a combined 56 goals and assists in the Premier League over the past two campaigns, compared to 21 during his first two seasons at the Etihad Stadium.
Sterling puts his improvement down to the signing of Silva from Monaco in May 2017 for a reported £43million, admitting the addition of another wide player forced him to raise his game.
He told The Mirror: I went back to north-west London. I went to see my friend and he said, They ve just bought Bernardo Silva. He was worried for me. And I was saying, That s sick, man. He was really surprised but I thought, It s good, it s competition and it brings out the best in me.
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In what is a real heavyweight showdown as the group stage of this year s Champions League draws to a close, Real Madrid will welcome Inter Milan to the Bernabéu on Tuesday night.
Real Madrid
Starting with the hosts, while Real Madrid might have seen their crosstown rivals snatch the La Liga title last season, Los Blancos have really come flying out the traps this time around. Managing to find their feet after bringing back returning boss Carlo Ancelotti over the summer, the Spanish heavyweights find themselves enjoying a real purple patch. Picking up some perfect momentum over the weekend as they landed an eye-catching 2-0 win away at Real Sociedad, they are currently enjoying an extended 11-match unbeaten run across all formats, a ru…
Barcelona have finally managed to offload Miralem Pjanic as the Bosnia-Herzegovina international joined Besiktas on loan after one poor season in LaLiga.
Pjanic arrived at Camp Nou in 2020 for a reported initial fee of €60million in a peculiar swap deal that saw Arthur go the other way to Juventus for an estimated €72m.
While most saw the exchange as bizarre on Barca s part, even with Arthur becoming an unpopular figure among supporters, football finance experts at the time outlined that the deal would potentially benefit both clubs in terms of their accounting.
But ultimately that proved to be about as far as the positives went for Barca, as Pjanic failed to convince and fell behind youth player Ilaix Moriba in the pecking order in the second half of 2020-21…
Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara has been offered to Juventus and Inter Milan, according to TuttoJuve. The report in the Italian news outlet has claimed that Italian giants Inter and Juventus have been offered the chance to sign Thiago in the summer transfer window.
TuttoJuve has added that Juventus are “cold” on the prospect of signing Thiago. Inter Milan, who have won the Serie A title this season, are considering the possibility of bringing the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich midfielder to San Siro in the summer of 2024.
Thiago did well at Bayer, but the Spanish midfielder has failed to make a huge impact at Liverpool. The former Barcelona star has had injury problems, and when he has played, he has not been at his best. The 33-year-old has played only fi…
James Maddison has joined team training with England for the first time since the World Cup began, having missed the Three Lions first two fixtures in Qatar due to a knee injury.
Three years after winning his only senior cap to date, Maddison claimed a place in Gareth Southgate s World Cup squad after enjoying a fine run of form with Leicester City.
Maddison s tally of 11 Premier League goal contributions this season (seven goals, four assists) is only bettered by four players – Erling Haaland (21), Harry Kane (13), Kevin De Bruyne and Ivan Toney (both 12).
However, the attacking midfielder sat out England s first two Group B games – a 6-2 win over Iran and a goalless draw with the United States – after sustaining a knee injury in Leicester s most recent ma…
Table-toppers Lyon will be tested by big-spending PSG on Sunday in the most anticipated Ligue 1 match of the season.
With 10 wins, four draws and two losses this season, Lyon hold a two-point lead over PSG at the summit of French football, while they also have one game in hand.
Remi Garde s side are on a superb run of form and have lost just one of their past 10 matches in all competitions but know taking all three points on the road at Parc des Princes will not be easy.
If they can beat the Parisian giants though, in addition to their match in hand, Lyon could have an eight-point advantage at the top of the table. That would be a massive boost to their chances of winning a first league title since 2008.
After a lavish summer spending spree that saw the …
Lionel Messi had a hand in all six goals while Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick as Inter Miami overcame the New York Red Bulls 6-2 at Chase Stadium.
The Eastern Conference leaders were on a three-match winning streak in MLS, but fell behind to Dante Vanzeir s opener in the 30th minute.
However, the hosts turned the match on its head after the break, with Messi assisting a brace for half-time substitute Matias Rojas either side of getting on the scoresheet himself.
Suarez then took centre stage with a hat-trick inside 13 minutes all assisted by his former Barcelona team-mate while Emil Forsberg s stoppage-time penalty was a mere consolation for the visitors, who are now without a win in four.
Lionel Messi s six goal contributions for tonight set a record fo…
Jose Mourinho is set to return to Real Madrid having left Chelsea, according to the club s former president Ramon Calderon.
The Portuguese coach parted company with the Premier League champions by mutual consent on Thursday after a dismal first half of a season that has left them just a point above the relegation zone after 16 games.
Following news of the former Madrid coach s departure, Calderon has suggested it is a matter of time until he replaces under-fire Rafael Benitez back at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Mou is closer to Madrid, he posted via his official Twitter account, before later adding: Only a few things to sort out and he ll be here.
Without a doubt the best news for [Florentino] Perez in the most difficult situation he has had as president. …
Yohan Cabaye believes Lassana Diarra will bring a healthy competition to the France squad following his return to international football.
The Marseille midfielder, who has not played for his country since 2010, was handed a spot for the upcoming friendly games with Armenia and Denmark by head coach Didier Deschamps.
The 30-year-old admitted he is relishing the chance to turn out for France again but Cabaye has insisted Diarra s return does not leave him feel threatened over his own place.
Lassana is a great player, he s shown that, especially since he was out for so long. He has great qualities which will only improve the level of the team, Cabaye said on Tuesday.
The France team isn t me, it s everyone. Again, if Lass can bring his qualities and his ex…