Lionel Messi plays football as though he is not from this planet while Cristiano Ronaldo is an incredible worker who was born to win trophies, according to Miralem Pjanic.
Midfielder Pjanic swapped Juventus for Barcelona ahead of the 2020-21 campaign and is among a small group to have played alongside both superstars.
Messi and Ronaldo have won six and five Ballons d Or respectively and may face each other next Wednesday when Juve host Barcelona in the Champions League, though the Portuguese must first be cleared for action after being diagnosed with coronavirus.
The pair have previously met in five Champions League encounters, with Messi 3-0 up on Ronaldo in terms of goals scored.
Asked to outline the differences between the two players a…
Leeds climbed back into the automatic promotion places after winning 2-0 at Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday.
Patrick Bamford struck in first-half stoppage time and Willy Gnonto added a second after the break as Leeds extended their unbeaten league run in 2024 to 12 matches.
Daniel Farke’s side are two points behind Sky Bet Championship leaders Leicester after leap-frogging Ipswich, with their promotion rivals, including Southampton, due to play on Saturday.
Wednesday missed the chance to climb out of the bottom three for the first time since August, having won five of their previous six league matches, and their four-game winning run was halted.
The Owls were eight points adrift of safety after losing 4-0 at Huddersfield at the start of February, w…
The Well Society is pressing ahead with plans for a new supporter-driven era at Motherwell despite uncertainty over the ownership model.
American TV executive Erik Barmack outlined his vision for the Steelmen on Thursday after arriving in Scotland to hold further talks with the club board over proposed investment.
Barmack, a former Netflix vice president who runs his own film production company, is aiming to take a majority shareholding over time, despite saying he does not want to “disempower” the Well Society.
The fan group has only had a majority of representatives on the club board for the past few weeks despite assuming its 71 per cent stake in 2016.
The club are at a major crossroads, with chief executive Brian Caldwell in his second week in the…
Germany manager Hansi Flick’s position looks uncertain after an embarrassing 4-1 home friendly defeat to Japan on Saturday.
The former Bayern Munich boss has now overseen four defeats in the last five games, which comes on the back of a group-stage exit at last year’s World Cup.
The pressure is increasing on the 58-year-old, with director of the Germany national team Rudi Voller noticeably evasive when asked about his manager’s future.
Voller said in a television interview, reported by German newspaper De Bild: “We should collect ourselves first. There will be a bit of training tomorrow. Then we play against France. Afterwards, we should first reflect and think about what happens next. Let’s see.”
Japan, whose 2-1 victory in Qatar sent Germany…
Celtic should bring Brendan Rodgers back “in a heartbeat” if their old manager is keen on a return to Glasgow, according to former Hoops full-back Mark Wilson.
Rodgers is favourite to replace Ange Postecoglou as Celtic boss following the Greek-born Australian’s departure to Tottenham.
The former Liverpool manager has previously stated he would be open to a return to Celtic Park if the timing was right, but accepted he might not be welcomed by fans who were hurt by the manner of his sudden exit to Leicester in February 2019 after winning seven domestic trophies out of seven.
There are reports that Rodgers would prefer a longer break after losing his job as Foxes manager in early April but talk of a return is lingering.
“If Celtic have got the optio…
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says it still “hurts deeply” to have missed out on the Premier League title, but he is happy with the progress he has made after taking over a club that had lost its “soul”.
The Gunners led the Premier League title race for 248 days last season before they were eventually chased down by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who went on to win the treble, leaving the Gunners trophyless for a third straight season.
Arteta admits it still pains him that his side fell short but feels there were plenty of positives to take from last term, and from his tenure overall.
Mikel Arteta: En muchos momentos, sí me vi ganador de la Premier consigue la entrevista más buscada de toda la Premier League
— MARCA (@marca)
In an …
Manchester City are interested in signing Adam Wharton from Crystal Palace in 2025, according to . The report has claimed that defending Premier League champions City are on the hunt for a replacement for Rodri, and that Wharton is on their radar.
Rodri suffered a serious injury against Arsenal and is likely to be out for the rest of the season. The Spain international is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world and has been superb for City over the years, helping them win the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
Wharton is one of the best young midfielders in the Premier League and has been very good for Palace since his move from Blackburn Rovers in January 2024. The 20-year-old has given three assists in 21 appearances in the Premier League so far …
Liverpool have agreed a British record transfer fee with Brighton for Moises Caicedo, but the Reds face a battle to land the Ecuadorian amid fierce competition from Chelsea.
Jurgen Klopp confirmed on Friday morning a deal has been struck which could see Liverpool pay in the region of £110million for the midfielder, who has attracted intense interest from Chelsea this summer.
Chelsea’s third and most recent offer for Caicedo was £80m, substantially below Brighton’s valuation of a player who they signed for £4m from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle in February 2021.
However, while Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi is resigned to losing Caicedo, Chelsea are not yet out of the running and will be mulling over whether to make a fresh bid as it is understood…
Didier Deschamps has agreed to stay on as France coach until June 2026.
The French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed the news on Saturday.
France reached the World Cup final in Qatar, losing to Argentina on penalties following a remarkable 3-3 draw at Lusail Stadium.
Deschamps was appointed France coach in July 2012, succeeding Laurent Blanc.
France reached the final of Euro 2016 on home soil under Deschamps tutelage, though lost to Portugal in extra time. However, they had no such trouble in Russia two years later as they went on to win the World Cup for the second time.
A disappointing showing at last year s delayed Euro 2020 perhaps suggested the beginning of the end for Deschamps, yet France – despite suffering from injuries to key players…
Antonio Conte insists he is 100 per cent and more committed to Tottenham as speculation persists over his future next season.
Conte was appointed as Nuno Espirito Santo s successor in November and has transformed Spurs fortunes, lifting them from ninth to fifth in the Premier League with two games to play.
Tottenham sit just a point behind fierce rivals Arsenal after winning 3-0 against Mikel Arteta s side on Thursday, their biggest league win over the Gunners since April 1983 (5-0).
However, questions continue to surround the future of Conte, who has been linked with the Paris Saint-German job should Mauricio Pochettino be dismissed for his Champions League failures.
But the Italian appears set on staying put at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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