With Real Madrid aiming to wrestle the Spanish title back from champions Barcelona, AFP Sport looks at five talking points as the La Liga season begins on Friday. Alonso’s challenge Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid were dismantled on a regular basis by rivals Barcelona last season, who triumphed in all four meetings between the sides as…
As the 2024-25 La Liga season concluded with new stars rising and new storylines written, an unexpected figure has stolen the spotlight — a player who hasn’t kicked a ball in the league for four years. While the likes of Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe dazzled on the pitch, a global icon currently plying his trade in the United States quietly…
With the European transfer window in full swing, it’s time for decisions among football’s biggest stars. After the Club World Cup, Thomas Müller has officially said goodbye to Bayern Munich and is now ready to embark on a new adventure in the final stage of his career. The 35-year-old attacking midfielder played his final minutes…
EAST RUTHERFORD, N,J. (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea square off in the final of the Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium on Sunday with the chance to become the first winner of the newly expanded tournament. Kickoff is 3 p.m. Eastern time. Thirty-two teams from around the world entered the competition but it ends…
The renovation of Camp Nou is entering its final phase, with FC Barcelona preparing to unveil what is set to become one of the most advanced and iconic soccer stadiums in the world. For such a monumental occasion, reports suggest the club is eager to honor Lionel Messi with a special tribute with the legend…
In a dramatic turn of events, Carlo Ancelotti, one of soccer’s most respected coaches and the current manager of the Brazil national team, has faced a defining legal verdict in Spain — one that distinguishes him from other high-profile figures such as Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Cristiano Ronaldo. The outcome stems from an investigation into tax fraud accusations dating back to his…
Lionel Messi scored two brilliant goals to lift Inter Miami to a 4-1 victory over Montreal in Miami’s return to Major League Soccer action on Saturday in the wake of their elimination from the Club World Cup. Miami were playing their first MLS game in more than a month. They had advanced past the first…
LIONEL MESSI’S World Cup dream might finally send him into the Premier League – aged 38. The legend is tipped to consider a loan switch to a more competitive league ahead of Argentina’s WC title defence next summer. 3 Lionel Messi will ponder a short-term return to European footballCredit: Getty 3 The Argentine ace saw his…
Hong Kong authorities are seeking proposals from interested parties to run a two-year pilot programme for sports dispute resolution, a move experts have said is a key step in establishing a neutral third-party intervention mechanism for the growing sector. Observers said on Monday that such a programme would enhance the city’s reputation as a leading…
One of the outstanding young Hong Kong leaders chosen to visit Manchester United next month has set himself the long-term goal of unearthing talent for the city the way Barcelona discovered Lionel Messi. Jacky Cheung Lok-hei was one of six ecstatic teenagers who discovered they were bound for the UK at the 10th Jockey Club…