Spain s FIFA World Cup defence begins on Friday against their final opponents from four years ago, the Netherlands.
Vicente del Bosque s side triumphed in a bruising encounter aganst the Dutch in Johannesburg to confirm their dominance over the world game, though both sides are now in starkly different eras.
While just seven of Netherlands 2010 vintage have retained their place ahead of their tournament opener at Salvador s Arena Fonte Nova, many of Spain s top stars have returned for a last tilt at glory.
The likes of Xavi, Iker Casillas and David Villa so crucial to their consecutive European Championship wins and World Cup success are likely playing in the competition for the final time.
One of the younger talents in the squad, Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke,…
Former Estudiantes boss Alejandro Sabella has been appointed head coach of the Argentina national team, replacing Sergio Batista.
Sabella, 56, was announced as Batista s replacement on Thursday.
He had been expected to take over United Arab Emirates team Al-Jazira, but failed to arrive in the country on schedule, sparking rumours now confirmed that he has abandoned the Gulf club in favour of Argentina.
The decision has been taken. Sabella is the choice, Argentina football federation general secretary Jose Luis Meiszner told news agency Telam.
After a playing career that included spells at River Plate, Sheffield United, Leeds United and Estudiantes, Sabella served regularly as an assistant coach to Daniel Passarella, head coach of Argentina between 1994…
Ricardo Rodriguez is eager to move to a bigger club in Europe and would love the chance to join Real Madrid, the Wolfsburg left-back s father has claimed.
Switzerland international Rodriguez has emerged as one of the most highly prized full-backs on the continent in recent seasons and opened the scoring from the penalty spot in Wolfsburg s shock 2-0 win over Madrid on Tuesday.
Jose Manuel Rodriguez, himself from Spain, has talked up the prospect of a future switch to La Liga for the 23-year-old and admits he met with Madrid president Florentino Perez and director Emilio Butragueno in Germany though he insists they did not discuss a transfer.
I met with Florentino Perez on Wednesday, and with Butragueno, too, he told Cadena Cope. We spoke a little, not much. We w…
Turin-based newspaper that AC Milan and Inter Milan are locked in the battle for Atalanta defender Davide Zappacosta.
The local rivals seem to be sharing quite a few of transfer targets at the moment, with the Italy Under-21 international the latest name on their wish list.
According to Tuttosport, AC Milan and Inter Milan are set to challenge Juventus for the signature of the talented defender.
Davide Zappacosta did not go through Atalanta s famous youth academy but rather joined in 2011 from Isola Liri, but he has developed into a high-quality player while in Bergamo.
Having spent three very successful years on loan with Avelino, the 22-year-old returned to Atalanta in the summer and has since made 10 Serie A appearances for the club.
He seems…
N Golo Kante dismissed talk of a move to Real Madrid as he insists his focus remains on success with Chelsea.
France international Kante won the Premier League with Leicester City in his first season in England and then repeated the feat with Chelsea in his second campaign in 2016-17.
But the Blues have struggled since, missing out on Champions League qualification last term and then slipping off the pace again this season.
Meanwhile, Zinedine Zidane s return to Madrid has seen speculation increase that Kante might be a close-season target, and Juventus have been linked, too.
Yet the Chelsea star will not discuss matters away from Stamford Bridge.
I am at Chelsea and I still have aims here, Kante told RTL. What is said elsewhere is not important.…
Wilfried Bony has effectively confirmed he has sealed a return to Swansea City in a since deleted post on Instagram.
Bony reportedly underwent a medical earlier on Thursday ahead of a reported £12million move, coming in with Fernando Llorente set to leave to join Tottenham.
The Ivory Coast international left Swansea for Manchester City in 2015 but failed to establish himself at the Etihad Stadium and spent an underwhelming season on loan at Stoke City last campaign.
And he will now look to recapture his best at the Liberty Stadium having posted a picture of himself signing a contract on Instagram.
He captioned the image: Thank you to the fans of @mancity @stoke city your support has helped me the last few years. Excited to be back home with @swansoffici…
That Football Association (FA) will appeal against the sanction imposed on Jurgen Klopp for his red card during Liverpool s win over Manchester City last month.
Klopp was shown a red card for furiously charging towards assistant referee Gary Beswick and berating the official late in a 1-0 Premier League win for the Reds at Anfield on October 16.
The Liverpool manager admitted he lost it after he also confronted referee Anthony Taylor for not awarding a foul for a challenge on Mohamed Salah by Bernardo Silva.
Klopp was fined £30,000 by an independent regulatory commission but avoided a touchline ban.
He apologised for his actions and accepted the initial FA charge before discovering what his punishment would be, but the governing body on Friday revealed i…
Ed Woodward revealed Manchester United are committed to playing a constructive role in helping the wider football pyramid as the club revealed the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
United announced results for the 2019-20 financial year on Wednesday, including a £70million drop in revenue as it counts the cost of the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis.
The club posted total revenue of £509m, a significant dip on the initial forecast of £560m-£580m.
It comes a year on from a record £627.1m figure, albeit a drop was always expected without Champions League football.
Net debt has risen to £474.1m, an increase of £270.5m over the course of the year, as broadcasting revenue dropped to £140.2m.
United s comme…
Cole Palmer insists he wants the responsibility of scoring penalties after he netted a hat-trick in Chelsea’s 4-3 thrilling victory over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer’s stunning season continued as he took his league tally to 16 goals on the night. After he scored from the spot on 19 minutes, he converted another spot-kick in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time after Diogo Dalot brought down Noni Madueke.
Palmer completed his treble just a minute later with a deflected strike off Scott McTominay following a short corner to seal a dramatic win in west London.
A first senior hat-trick for our Cole! |
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)
The 21-year-old, who joined from Manchester City for a reported fee of £42.5 million last …
Milan were held to a goalless draw after a wasteful display meant the champions picked up just a point away at winless Cremonese in Serie A on Tuesday.
Stefano Pioli s side dominated the first half, though a magnificent performance from Cremonese goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi kept out efforts from Divock Origi and Junior Messias.
Origi saw a goal disallowed in the second half and despite some late pressure, the hosts clung on to pick up just their seventh point of the season.
Milan cut Napoli s lead at the top to eight points, but just a draw against such a lowly side will be frustrating for Pioli s men as they lose pace on the table-toppers.
The Rossoneri controlled possession early on, but struggled to create anything clear-cut until Brahim Diaz poked Me…