Ballon d´Or 2018: Alisson and Benzema among first five nominees

England s record goalscorer Wayne Rooney has conceded that his time playing under Fabio Capello s management for the national team ranked as a significant disappointment.

Rooney s 50th England goal against Switzerland in last month s Euro 2016 qualifier at Wembley lifted him above Bobby Charlton  the former Manchester United great who had held the record since 1968.

Speaking to the BBC in a documentary to mark the achievement, Rooney paid tribute to Sven-Goran Eriksson, under whom he made his debut for the Three Lions, and current boss Roy Hodgson.

But he reflected less fondly on his time under Capello  a towering figure of European club management from his decorated spells with AC Milan and Real Madrid.

Capello partially restored England’s fortunes a…

Jesse Marsch and his Canada team are not satisfied with their achievements so far after reaching the Copa America quarter-finals.

A goalless draw with 10-man Chile on Saturday was enough to send Marsch s side into the last eight.

Canada finished second in Group A behind Argentina, and will now face either Venezuela, Ecuador or Mexico in the quarters.

The Reds became the third team from outside CONMEBOL to reach the knockout rounds in their first Copa America appearance after Mexico (1993) and Honduras (2001), but former Leeds United boss Marsch is not done yet.

1st COPA AMERICA FOR CANADA QUARTERFINALISTS

— Concacaf (@Concacaf)

We are not satisfied. The group is not satisfied. They want to keep going, Marsch said.

They know, …

Wolves winger Chiquinho is facing a long spell on the sidelines after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury during a pre-season friendly.

The Portugal Under-21 international made a positive impression after arriving at Wolves from Estoril in the January transfer window.

He made nine appearances in all competitions for Wolves in the final three months of the 2021-22 season and assisted three goals in six Premier League outings.

Chiquinho had been expected to play a prominent role under Bruno Lage this coming season, but he may now miss the remainder of the year.

Wolves announced on Sunday that the 22-year-old suffered the injury during a collision with a Burnley player in a behind-closed-doors friendly the previous day.

Scans confirmed a…

Juan Mata has rejected a big money move to China and is now set to agree a new deal with Manchester United, according to the Mirror.

The Red Devils are ready to exercise a one-year extension clause in his current deal after the twenty-nine year old turned down the chance to move to the mega-rich Chinese Super League.

Mata was signed from Chelsea by former United boss David Moyes in January 2014 and he has since racked up one hundred and fifty-five appearances in all competitions, scoring thirty-seven goals and has tasted success in the FA Cup, League Cup and the Europa League.

He has been capped forty-one times for Spain and was part of the squads that won the 2010 World Cup finals and the 2012 European Champions though he hasn’t featured for them since pla…

Having dismantled Germany in stunning fashion, Rui Jorge s Portugal can write their name into UEFA European Under-21 Championship history against Sweden in Tuesday s final.

Portugal hit top gear to put five past 2009 winners Germany in Olomouc on Saturday as the likes of Bernardo Silva and William Carvalho showcased their huge potential.

Sweden also recorded a convincing victory  thumping Scandinavian neighbours Denmark 4-1  and, like Portugal, will contest their second final.

Portugal s sole previous final appearance came in 1994 when a side including future greats such as Luis Figo and Rui Costa fell to an Italian team that featured the likes of Fabio Cannavaro and Filippo Inzaghi.

However, Jorge is confident his side have what it takes t…

that Vincent Kompany will not be sold by Manchestetr City this summer.

The club captain has managed to rack up just thirteen league appearances so far this season having struggled with an ongoing calf problem and there are fears that he may never be able to fully shake it off.

Pep Guardiola will take charge at the Etihad Stadium in the summer a huge overhaul of the current squad is expected with Yaya Toure’s future also under question.

However Kompany, who signed from Hamburg in August 2008 is expected to stay put as his side look to bounce back from a what has by their standards been a dissapointing league campaign.

The Citizens are in fourth place, fifteen points behind leaders Leicester City and have West Ham United and rivals Manchester Unite…

Olympiacos coach Marco Silva said his side deserved more from their 3-0 home loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

The Greek club are bidding to reach the knockout stages in UEFA s prestigious club tournament for the first time since 2009-10, but began with what turned out to be a heavy defeat.

Trailing 1-0 late in regulation, Bayern topped off their trip to Piraeus via an effort from Mario Gotze, and Thomas Muller s injury-time penalty the latter s second goal of the game.

It was a disappointing end for us and it s left a bitter taste because we played well, Silva said via UEFA.com. 

We were unlucky with the first goal we conceded, and if we had taken our chances things would ve been different.

Muller s opener from long range appeare…

Jonas Eidevall admits Arsenal have a “problem” with the lack of diversity in their first-team squad – but believes it is an issue across all of women’s football in England.

The Gunners were heavily criticised last month after their squad photograph for the 2023/24 season contained no players from diverse backgrounds.

Having initially declined to comment on the issue, Arsenal later published a statement admitting it was a “key priority” to improve diversity.

“We acknowledge our current women’s first-team squad does not reflect the diversity that exists across the club and the communities we represent,” it read.

The Arsenal.

Our 2023/24 squad.

— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC)

“Increasing participation among young…

Arturo Vidal hailed spectacular two-goal hero Lionel Messi after the superstar helped Barcelona take a giant step towards the Champions League final with victory over Liverpool.

Barca captain Messi turned the blockbuster semi-final tie on its head courtesy of a memorable brace in Wednesday s 3-0 win at Camp Nou.

After ex-Liverpool forward Luis Suarez opened the scoring in the first half, Messi netted twice in the second period – including a stunning 82nd-minute free-kick – to bring up his 600th goal for Barca.

Vidal heaped praise on the five-time Ballon d Or winner post-game, saying: Messi is spectacular – it s amazing what he does on the pitch.

Today was the most important game of the year and I tried to enjoy it as much as possible.

The…

The 2024 Copa America final was delayed by 30 minutes after supporters without tickets breached security outside the Hard Rock Stadium.

Footage circulated on social media showing fans breaking through one of the stadium s main gates, with police making several arrests while attempting to stem the flow of people.

The gate was subsequently locked down, while supporters were seen receiving medical attention and asking for water in the stifling conditions.

The Copa America s climax between Argentina and Colombia was due to begin at 8pm local time (1am BST), but Copa America confirmed that kick-off had been pushed back.

We would like to inform you that individuals without tickets will not be allowed entry into the stadium, they wrote on X.

Only those…