The Best FIFA Football Awards 2021 will be held as a virtual event from Zurich on January 17 next year.
FIFA s alternative to the Ballon d Or has been held consecutively every year since 2017, with Cristiano Ronaldo scooping the first award as Best Men s Player.
Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski took that accolade for the 2020 awards and will be hoping his record-breaking efforts in the Bundesliga last season will be enough to defend that title.
Competition is likely to come from Liverpool s Mohamed Salah, who came third in 2018 and has enjoyed a remarkable start to 2021-22, while France duo Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema seem set to be in the running too. Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, of course, cannot be discounted.
The Best Men s Goalkeeper and Best…
Serie A leaders Inter Milan earned their fourth straight league win after beating Lecce 2-0 at San Siro, ensuring they would remain four points clear of Juventus until after Christmas.
The hosts had plenty of chances to go in front in the first half and Yann Aurel Bisseck finally made the breakthrough just before half-time.
Hamza Rafia had a header saved as Lecce searched for an equaliser, but Nicolo Barella doubled Inter’s lead and the visitors were reduced to 10 in the final stages when Lameck Banda was sent off.
Juventus kept pace thanks to substitute Dusan Vlahovic’s towering header in the 81st minute to hand the visitors a 2-1 victory over Frosinone.
Juve teenager Kenan Yildiz had opened the scoring 12 minutes into his full Serie A debut, but saw…
Jurgen Klopp slammed referee Paul Tierney after he made a series of contentious decisions in Liverpool s dramatic 4-3 win over Tottenham, saying: I really don t know what this man has against us.
Having looked set for a routine win when they scored three times inside the first 15 minutes, Liverpool squandered their commanding lead before clinching a remarkable victory in stoppage time.
Diogo Jota latched onto Lucas Moura s mistake to fire home the winner, prompting an emotional Klopp to celebrate in front of the fourth official – an act that saw the Reds boss both injure his leg and receive a yellow card from Tierney.
Klopp was angered by Tierney s decision to award a foul against Mohamed Salah in the build-up to Tottenham s equaliser, though his opposite num…
Aaron Ramsey quipped that he might get back on penalty duty for Wales after Gareth Bale s miss in the 2-0 win over Turkey.
Wales put themselves onto the verge of the last 16 at Euro 2020 thanks to goals from Ramsey and Connor Roberts in Baku on Wednesday.
Bale set up both goals and turned in a supreme performance overall, crafting a game-high five chances (a Euro record in a single game since at least 1980) and having five attempts himself – in total, there were 34 efforts throughout the match, the most of any game in the tournament so far.
However, the Wales captain did have some making up to do after his 61st-minute spot-kick woe, with Bale slicing his attempt way over.
Indeed, he became the first player to miss the goal frame entirely with a penalty …
. taps home on his second debut for against Sunderland back in 2008
— Manchester City (@ManCity)
15.08.09 – Blackburn Rovers 0 Manchester City 2 (Adebayor 3, Ireland 90+1)
Given; Richards, Bridge, Dunne, K Toure; Wright-Phillips, Ireland, Barry, Robinho (Tevez 69); Adebayor, Bellamy
After two transfer windows of hasty reshaping under Mark Hughes, City began the 2009-10 as an altogether more imposing outfit and flew out of the blocks with four consecutive wins. Gareth Barry and Carlos Tevez, debutants at Blackburn, would become Premier League champions with their new club but too many of Hughes buys – opening goalscorer Emmanuel Adebayor, for example – were erratic performers. Mixed results on the field and in terms of recruitment saw the Welshman …
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Real Sociedad will aim to get back on track as they kick off their 2024 campaign with a La Liga clash against Alaves, a fellow Basque team, on Tuesday evening.
In their last league match before the winter break, Real Sociedad managed a goalless draw against Cadiz. Meanwhile, Alaves faced a 1-0 defeat against Real Madrid, the current leaders of the division, in their most recent outing.
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad showcased their prowess in the first leg of the 2023/24 Champions League campaign by topping Group D ahead of Inter Milan. Their impressive display has earned them a spot in the last-16 stage of the tournament, where they are set to face Paris Saint-Germain. Additionally, their progress in the Copa del Rey was secure…
Paul Pogba is not yet prepared to commit to Manchester United, insisting let s see what happens when it comes to his future.
The midfielder impressed on Thursday as France came from 2-0 down to beat Belgium 3-2 in a gripping Nations League semi-final at the Allianz Stadium, his old Juventus stomping ground.
Pogba has been linked persistently with a move away from United, with a return to Juve or a switch to Real Madrid deemed the most likely.
Recent reports in France had suggested he could extend his Red Devils contract, which expires at the end of the season, after the signings of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho left him more convinced of the club s ambition.
However, speaking after the thrilling victory over Belgium, Pogba told Sport Mediaset: I al…
Manchester City bolstered their options in midfield by making Rodri their record signing.
Rodri has joined the Premier League champions from Atletico Madrid on a five-year deal after the club triggered his reported €70million (£63m) release clause, launching him to the top of the pile in City s spending list.
Riyad Mahrez became their record signing in July 2018 but his £60m arrival from Leicester City has now been surpassed the seventh time the club has set a new benchmark since Sheikh Mansour s 2008 takeover.
We take a look at the players who City splashed the most cash on and how they fared at the Etihad Stadium.
Robinho £32.5m from Real Madrid, September 2008
September 1, 2008 was a breathless affair at Manchester City. It began with br…
Fulham are interested in signing former Chelsea defender Ola Aina in the summer transfer window, according to . Aina is out of contract at Torino this summer, and the Cottagers are keen on securing the services of the Nigeria international on a free transfer.
Aina, who can operate as a wing-back or as a right-back spent the 2020-21 season on loan at Fulham from Torino. The Nigeria international scored two goals and gave one assist in 31 Premier League appearances during his loan spell at Fulham.
Last season, Aina made nine starts and 10 substitute appearances in Serie A for Torino, scoring one goal and providing one assist in the process. The 26-year-old made 17 starts and four substitute appearances in the league for the Turon club in the 2021-22 campaign. Torino finis…
Manchester United signed Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina on loan for this season with an option to turn the deal permanent at the end of June. However, the 27-year-old midfielder has only started seven Premier League games so far, and at the moment, according to , the 20-time English champions have no intention of triggering the option.
The situation has attracted the attention of Juventus, whose plans for 2024/25 are believed to be ripening. The Bianconeri missed out on European football this season, but they re almost certain to qualify for the Champions League the next time around. With that in mind, their need for reinforcements is obvious, and it seems sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli is currently devising possibilities of strengthening the midfield section of the squad…