The dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the Ballon d Or has finally ended, with Luka Modric taking home France Football s 2018 prize.
Starting in 2008, great rivals Messi and Ronaldo had combined to account for the honour in 10 consecutive years.
Yet Modric s role in guiding Croatia to the World Cup final and Real Madrid to Champions League glory saw him rewarded, breaking up the monopoly that began after Kaka s sole win.
Much has changed since AC Milan s Brazilian midfield star was victorious
KAKA S YEAR
Champions League triumphs have tended to heavily influence voters for this award and Kaka s role in the 2006-07 final made him the obvious candidate later that year. The midfielder played a role in both goals as Milan d…
Troy Deeney saw a penalty saved as Tottenham saw their Premier League winless run extend to four matches with an uninspiring 0-0 draw at Vicarage Road.
Jose Mourinho s men have suffered a significant drop in form in recent weeks, and now have just one win from their last six league games following a dour stalemate with Nigel Pearson s relegation-threatened side.
With Christian Eriksen not introduced until the 73rd minute as links with Inter persist and loan signing Gedson Fernandes left on the bench until the 80th minute, a Tottenham team missing the injured Harry Kane lacked the creativity to break Watford down.
They did, however, almost grab an underserved win in stoppage time with goalline technology ruling Ignacio Pussetto had managed by the smallest margi…
Jose Mourinho does not expect his next coaching position to be in Italy despite the phenomenal success he masterminded while at Inter.
The 56-year-old won five major honours during his two seasons at San Siro, including a historic treble in 2010 that culminated in a 2-0 win against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.
Mourinho hinted after that victory at the Santiago Bernabeu it would be his last match in charge and he officially departed less than a week later to take over at Real Madrid.
He lasted three years at Madrid and has since endured similarly mixed fortunes at Chelsea and Manchester United, being sacked by the latter last December.
48 Ole Gunnar Solskjær has won 48 points from his 27 league games as Manchester United manager so far (…
Antonio Cassano likened Cristiano Ronaldo to Rafael Nadal and Lionel Messi to Roger Federer as the former Real Madrid forward praised the two football superstars.
Ronaldo and Messi have dominated the sport over the past decade, splitting the last 10 Ballons d Or as former players, pundits and fans debate the pair s standing among the best ever.
And after Ronaldo swapped European champions Real Madrid for Italian giants Juventus in a sensational €112million transfer completed this week, Cassano used tennis greats Nadal and Federer to compare the 33-year-old Portugal captain and Barcelona icon Messi.
I love Messi not as a counter-point to Cristiano, but because in my view he s the best of all time and the emotions he gives me are unique, former Italy internation…
Algeria s Africa Cup of Nations title defence hangs in the balance following a 1-0 defeat by Equatorial Guinea.
Esteban Obiang struck 20 minutes from time at Stade omnisport de Douala to lift the National Thunder to second place in Group E.
The result also condemned Algeria to a first defeat in this competition since a 2-1 reverse against Tunisia in 2017, while they must now beat Ivory Coast in their final group game to have any chance of progressing to the knockout stages.
Despite only enjoying 33 per cent of the possession, Equatorial Guinea had the better first-half chances. Oscar Siafa drew a smart save out of Rais M Bolhi, while Iban Salvador s rasping long-range drive was just wide of the target.
Algeria had the ball in the net at the other end, but…
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Desperate to make up some ground at the top of the table, Real Madrid will make the trip to Balaídos when they face off against Celta Vigo on Saturday afternoon.
Celta Vigo
Starting with the hosts, while Celta Vigo might have dominated large spells of proceedings against Athletic Bilbao last weekend, The Sky Blues eventually had to settle for a 0-0 stalemate on home soil. Unable to build off of what was an action-packed 4-3 victory against Huesca earlier in the month, Eduardo Coudet s side have gained a reputation for their inconsistencies. With many criticising their 2-0 loss against Valencia on February 20th, Los Celestes have shown some real issues since opening 2021. Despite opening the New Year with some in their camp even dream…
Valencia have pulled a shocking upset and they have claimed the 2018/19 Copa del Rey title against all odds. First-half goals from Kevin Gameiro and Rodrigo were everything Los Che needed to win against a seriously-depleted Barcelona side. Lionel Messi scored for Los Blaugranas after the break, but it wasn t enough and Marcelino led Valencia to their first Copa del Rey title since 2008. Meanwhile, Barca couldn t win the Spanish Cup for the fifth straight season that would ve been a tournament record.
Gameiro and Rodrigo seal the deal for Valencia
Surprisingly, the Mestalla outfit looked much better right from the start and it was clear they had more hunger heading into this match. They were close to beat Jasper Cillessen in the sixth minute, but a goal-line clearance denied Ro…
Jamie Vardy will be remembered as Leicester City s greatest ever player, according to his former team-mate Andy King.
Vardy s goals fired Leicester to an unforgettable Premier League title triumph in 2015-16, when he was named the FWA Footballer of the Year and went on to play and score for England at Euro 2016.
While the likes of Riyad Mahrez and N Golo Kante went on to seek pastures new, Vardy remained as the Foxes talisman and on Saturday added the club s first FA Cup to their maiden top-flight title when Youri Tielemans thunderbolt sunk Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley.
The 34-year-old s fairy tale ascent from non-league football has been well documented and, with 116 goals, he lies 19th on the Premier League s all-time goalscorers list.
Vardy will have his eye…
Tottenham will face Rennes, Vitesse and NS Mura in the group stage of the inaugural Europa Conference League.
Spurs, with the help of a double from Harry Kane, secured qualification for UEFA s new third-tier club competition with a 3-0 win over Pacos de Ferreira on Thursday.
The presence of Kane, who will be staying at Tottenham despite Manchester City s long-standing interest, is sure to make Spurs one of the favourites to win the tournament.
Nuno Espirito Santo s side were placed into Group G, and have avoided too many arduous journeys, with a trip to Slovenia to face Mura – a team only formed in 2012 – the longest trip in store.
Roma, coached by former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho, are the tournament s other favourites. The Serie A club will face Z…
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer suggested Antonio Valencia s 10-year Manchester United stay could be coming to an end, with the club unlikely to trigger a one-year extension.
Valencia, 33, joined United in 2009 after a fine three-year spell at Wigan Athletic, essentially becoming Cristiano Ronaldo s replacement on the right flank at Old Trafford.
While the Ecuador international enjoyed a good first season, he missed the majority of his second campaign due to a broken ankle and many feel he has never been quite the same as an attacking presence.
Nevertheless, he has gone on to enjoy a solid career at United, becoming captain and successfully reinventing himself as a right-back under Jose Mourinho.
This season he has featured just five times in the Premier League due…