Belgium playmaker Eden Hazard hopes to seize on the early departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to become the star of the World Cup.
Argentina lost 4-3 to France in the first match of the round of 16 on Saturday, and Portugal joined them in making a swift exit when they were beaten 2-1 by Uruguay later the same day.
The absence of two players who have monopolised the Ballon d Or and dominated the headlines at club and international level for more than a decade has left room for a rival to grab the spotlight in Russia, where the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe loom as potential replacements.
Speaking ahead of his team s meeting with Japan in Rostov-on-Don, Hazard welcomed suggestions it could be his time to make an impact on the
00000B33
big stage.
Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks described it as special to play against Real Madrid s Luka Modric – a role model of his from the Croatian s time at Spurs.
England international Winks was a young prospect at White Hart Lane when Modric was turning out for the London club, before he left to join Madrid in 2012 – and went on to win three Champions League titles.
And it was in Europe s premier competition on Tuesday where the two went head-to-head, with Winks impressing before lauding his 32-year-old opponent.
When I was coming through the academy at a young age, he was someone I always used to watch at White Hart Lane, said Winks, who is 11 years Modric s junior.
I still admire him to this day – he s a fantastic, world-class player. To play agai…
Catalan media outlet Sport is reporting that Manchester United and Barcelona lead the chase for Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil.
The German midfielder has decided to leave the Gunners as his contract is due to expire and his agent is already speaking to interested sides.
Manchester United seem keen to bring Ozil to Old Trafford, but the player also wants to hear what Barcelona has to offer.
According to reports, Ozil’s agent Erkut Sogun recently met with Barca chief Pep Segura, which is enough to suggest the Catalans are ready to do business.
The 29-year-old has been at the Emirates since September 2013 and he produced 34 goals and 62 assists in 174 competitive outings for the club.
…
AC Milan are set to complete the signing of Argentine midfielder Jose Sosa from Besiktas, Sky Sports Italia can reveal.
The Rossoneri are believed to have agreed a €7.5 million deal for the 31-year-old footballer, who has arrived in Italy to undergo medical examination.
Sosa has moved to confirm that he will be joining Milan immediately upon touching down in Italy.
“I m ready to begin on this new path,” Sosa confessed to Sky Sports Italia.
The experienced footballer will sign a two-year contract with the Rossoneri, and he is expected to improve the team’s creative department.
Sosa has spent last two years in Turkish Super Lig with Besiktas, scoring 14 goals and producing 23 assists in 78 competitive appearances for the Black Eagles, helpi…
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta described the horrific head injury suffered by Wolves striker Raul Jimenez at Emirates Stadium in November 2020 as among the scariest moments of his career, ahead of the Mexican s first return to the ground since his recovery.
Jimenez suffered a fractured skull in a sickening collision with David Luiz just minutes into Wolves trip to Arsenal last season, which the visitors went on to win 2-1, returning to action with a protective headband eight months later.
Jimenez has hit five league goals for Bruno Lage s outfit since his comeback, and the Midlands club would go above Arsenal in the Premier League table with a repeat of last season s win, as the two clubs battle for European qualification.
On the eve of the Gunners crucial meeting…
Competition: European Championships play-off final
Market: Under 2.5 goals
Odds: 4/7 @
In what could prove to be another low-scoring encounter in Belfast on Thursday night, Northern Ireland will play host to Slovakia with a spot at EURO 2021 on the line.
Starting with the hosts, while Northern Ireland might have managed to come past Bosnia-Herzegovina on foreign soil thanks to a nail-biting penalties victory, the Greens failed to keep up that momentum when they turned their attention back to Nations League duties. Struggling to adjust to life under new boss Ian Baraclough who replaced Micheal O Neill earlier in the year, the 49-year-old saw his side hit with back-to-back 1-0 defeats against Norway and Austria. Now failing to win any of their last six st…
Watford welcomed Tottenham Hotspur in what, a bit surprisingly, looked like the derby of the fourth round of the 2018/19 Premier League season. The reason was simple both teams had won all three of their previous games bagging the maximum of nine points.
It may seem surprising when it comes to Watford, but the Hornets actually started last season in style too. They lost only one of their opening eight games in 2017/18 to the eventual league winners Manchester City, while walking away with a point against Liverpool and all three against Arsenal in that time. Spurs on the other hand came into this encounter fresh from the destruction of Old Trafford where they tore Manchester United apart last week, having already beaten Newcastle and Fulham.
The Teams
Javi Gracia, who h…
Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign striker David Datro Fofana from Molde on January 1, with the Blues reportedly paying £10.5million (€12m) for the Ivory Coast international.
Fofana will become Chelsea s first signing of the Graham Potter era when the January transfer window officially opens on Sunday, having agreed a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge.
A boyhood Chelsea fan, Fofana has the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his idol Didier Drogba, who won four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three EFL Cups and the Champions League across two spells with the club.
The 20-year-old – who has two senior international caps – top-scored for Molde with 15 goals last season as they regained the Norwegian Eliteserien title.
A statement relea…
Juventus legend David Trezeguet says nobody has been able to manage Cristiano Ronaldo in the same way as former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane.
Five-time Ballon d Or winner Ronaldo has spent the past three seasons at the Allianz Stadium after joining from Real Madrid in a €112million (£99.2m) deal.
The 36-year-old, who has another 12 months to run on his contract, is coming off the back of a campaign that saw him finish top of the Serie A scoring charts with 29 goals.
He has scored 81 times in 97 Serie A games since arriving in July 2018, a tally bettered only by Robert Lewandowski (93 goals in 97 Bundesliga games) and Lionel Messi (91 goals in 102 LaLiga games) in Europe s top five leagues.
That compares to 311 goals in 292 LaLiga appearances during…
Southampton are interested in signing Leicester City winger Demarai Gray on a free transfer in the summer of 2021, according to . It has been reported that Southampton have started exploiting the possibility of bringing Gray to St. Mary’s Stadium at the end of the season when he is out of contract at Premier League rivals Leicester.
However, Southampton are not the only club who are interested in signing the 24-year-old winger. Benfica, Marseille and AS Monaco are among a number of clubs in mainland Europe who want to hold talks with the Englishman this month and persuade him to sign a pre-contract agreement.
Gray has been on the books of Leicester since 2016 and has not been to make a huge impact. The winger is not guaranteed a place in the starting lineup at the Fox…