Page 24 - Football

Birthday boy Ronaldo proclaims himself 'best footballer in history'

Ronaldo holds numerous records in men's international soccer, including the most appearances (217) and the most goals (135).

Why Marseille did not recruit Paul Pogba during winter transfer window?

There was a lot of speculation during the winter transfer window that Paul Pogba would relaunch his career at Marseille. The Ligue 1 club's president Pablo Longoria praised the former Juventus and Manchester United midfielder as an extraordinary player and others at the club, including France international Adrien Rabiot, lobbied for Pogba. But Marseille bought someone else. Once one of the world's top midfielders, Pogba's headlines in recent years have been more for his off-field problems than his on-field abilities. Juventus "mutually agreed" with Pogba last year to cancel his contract despite the 2018 World Cup winner having a ban for doping slashed. The Serie A club never seemed overly enthusiastic about welcoming him back after his four-year doping ban was reduced to 18 months following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Pogba will be free to resume his career in March. Asked on RMC radio why he did not make a move to hire Pogba, Longoria said his suspension unt

Cristiano Ronaldo prepare for Asian Champions League before 40th birthday

Cristiano Ronaldo turns 40 on Wednesday but is showing few signs of slowing down as he prepares to lead Saudi club Al-Nassr against Al-Wasl in the Asian Football Confederation's Champions League Elite. The Portuguese star, who signed for the Riyadh club in Dec. 2022, leads the Saudi Pro League scoring charts with 15 goals in 17 games. If Ronaldo can reproduce that form in the continental tournament -- there are two games remaining in the group stage, from which his team has already qualified -- then Al-Nassr has a chance to become Asian champion for the first time. The best birthday gift for Ronaldo is to achieve victory against Al-Wasl, Al-Nassr coach Stefano Pioli said ahead of the Monday meeting. It is an important match for us and we want the three points. After winning the UEFA Champions League five times with Manchester United and Real Madrid, Ronaldo's chances of winning a first Asian title have been bolstered with Al-Nassr's signing of Jhon Duran from English Premier League

Marcus Rashford to sign for Aston Villa on loan from Manchester United

Having spent his entire career at Manchester United, Rashford has recently found himself out of favor under manager Ruben Amorim.

Arsenal vs Manchester City Premier League live match time and streaming

Mikel Arteta's men sit in second place, but they know that anything less than a win on Sunday could see them slip further away in the title race, especially with Liverpool holding a game in hand.

ISL: Punjab FC notch first win after 7 games, beat Bengaluru FC 3-2

Punjab FC defeated Bengaluru FC 3-2 to snap their seven-game-long winless run in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Saturday. The home team made an emphatic comeback that saw them strike thrice in the second half to get all the three points from the match. They stay in ninth spot in the standings with 23 points to their kitty. Alberto Noguera pulled off a slick corner kick in the 23rd minute, well-directed to Sunil Chhetri on the far post that produced Bengaluru FC's first concrete chance of the game. Chhetri's headed effort was aimed on target but blocked in time to keep the scores level. Noguera replicated a similar delivery from another corner kick in the 36th minute, this time from the left side. He attempted a different route this time, giving the ball to Rahul Bheke who was placed at a distance down the centre. Bheke thundered his shot above the post though as he couldn't keep his effort on target. Muhammad Suhail came close to breaking the

Transfer news: Jhon Duran joins Ronaldo at Al-Nassr from Aston Villa

Forward Jhon Duran became the latest player from one of Europe's top leagues to move to Saudi Arabia after joining Al-Nassr from Aston Villa on Friday. The Colombia international's move was worth a reported 64 million pounds ($80 million). The 21-year-old Duran will team with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr and wear No. 9. His move represents a significant profit for Villa after joining from the Chicago Fire for 18 million pounds ($22 million) in 2023. Duran had 12 goals in 29 games this season including a memorable winner against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Everyone at Aston Villa would like to wish Jhon all the best in the next step of his professional career, his former club said.

UEFA Champions League: Manchester City vs Real Madrid live streaming

Despite their longstanding dominance, both teams have had their struggles in the competition's new format, which expanded to 36 teams this season.

UEFA Champions League playoff draw: Man City to take on Real Madrid

The draw took place at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland and involved teams that finished from ninth to 24th position in the new format of the UEFA Champions League group stage.

Kyle Walker not regretting leaving Man City for lackluster AC Milan

England defender Kyle Walker could be forgiven for having some regrets over leaving Manchester City for AC Milan. Especially after seeing close up how his new team is performing, with even Milan coach Srgio Conceio saying his players are lacking footballing basics. Walker joined Milan last week on loan, with the option to make the move permanent at the end of the season. He watched Milan's rollercoaster win over lowly Parma from the stands at San Siro last weekend. The Rossoneri were trailing 2-1 in injury time before two stoppage-time goals. Walker, who was cup tied, was also just an observer on Wednesday for Milan's Champions League match at Dinamo Zagreb, where the 10-man Rossoneri lost 2-1. But Walker, who won six Premier League titles and the Champions League in seven seasons at City, insists he hasn't had any second thoughts even when Milan was 2-0 down at home to Parma. Definitely not. It's football. Things happen in football, he said. But by the end of the game, we won 3

UEFA Europa League: Full list of qualified teams for knockout stages

Lazio, the only team to qualify for the round of 16 with a game to spare, suffered their first defeat of the campaign, losing 1-0 at Braga.

'Only Santos can give me the love I need', Neymar confirms return to Brazil

Neymar has confirmed he will sign what is expected to be a short-term contract with his boyhood club, Santos, as the Brazil striker aims to recharge his career ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The 32-year-old Neymar said on Thursday that he's returning to the Sao Paulo club, and local media reported that the deal will extend only to June 30. "Only Santos can give me the love that I need to prepare for the challenges I have in the next few years. All of you, no matter who you support, know well what I am talking about," Neymar said on his social media channels. "I hope you all follow me in this new phase of my life." Santos used its social media channels to respond Neymar's video: "Your home awaits. Your people awaits." Neymar left Santos nearly 12 years ago to join Barcelona. The striker's return follows the termination of his contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal. Neymar had returned in October from an ACL injury sustained while playing for Brazil only months after he joined ...

UEFA Europa League: Manchester United, Tottenham qualification scenarios

Both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have already ensured their places in the knockout play-offs with crucial victories.

UEFA Champions League sees more goals per game and more one-sided wins

After a frantic last round of action Wednesday, the inaugural 36-team league phase in Champions League history is over. Here's a look at some of the numbers that tell the story of how the first season in the new-look format has gone: 144: The number of games in the 36-team league phase, up from 96 last year in the old 32-team group format. 3.27: Goals per game in the new format, up from 3.09 per game in last season's group stage. 9: Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski and Borussia Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy are joint top scorers with nine goals each. 28: The number of goals scored by Barcelona, six more than any other team in the league phase. Manchester City led the way with last season with 28 goals in its entire Champions League campaign, including knockout games. 7: Liverpool's winning streak stopped at seven games with a 3-2 loss at PSV Eindhoven. That loss meant there were no unbeaten teams in the league phase. Six teams qualified unbeaten from their groups last season. 23: The

UEFA Champions League 2024/25: When will the playoffs draw take place?

For teams finishing in 9th to 16th place, they will enter the knockout round play-offs, where they are seeded and face unseeded teams from 17th to 24th in a two-legged encounter.

UEFA Champions League: List of qualified teams for knockout stages

Meanwhile, the teams that finished outside the automatic qualification spots have now confirmed their places in the knockout phase play-offs.

UCL 2025: All matchups for the final matchday and live streaming details

All 18 final matches of the Uefa Champions League will be available to live stream on the Sony LIV app and website in India

Leading goal scorers in Europe's top 5 football leagues this season

Premier League star Mohamed Salah is top goal scorer among all leagues with his 19-goal spell for Liverpool in the 2024-25 season

UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid, Man City, Bayern qualification scenario

If City fails to win, it will mark their first early elimination from the Champions League in 12 years, leaving fans wondering if their once-dominant European campaign is losing steam.

Transfer news: Arsenal new bid for Sesko, Barca eager to sign Rashford

Manchester United, keen on adding reinforcements before the window shuts, is reportedly looking to bring in Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku on loan.