Ballon d´Or 2019: Barcelona superstar Messi wins for record sixth time

West Ham United have opened talks with Sevilla over the possibility of signing striker Youssef En-Nesyri, according to Sky Sports. The negotiations are at an early stage and there has been no concrete bid from the Hammers for Sevilla to consider as of yet.

Having risen through the youth ranks and reached the senior level at Malaga, En-Nesyri spent two years with Leganes before signing for Sevilla in a €20 million deal in 2020. Since then, he s gone on to make 158 appearances for his current club in all competitions, scoring 55 goals and producing five assists. The 26-year-old Morocco international is under contract at Sevilla until the summer of 2025.

Meanwhile, Michail Antonio has been linked with West Ham exit, which would explain the Hammers desire to add a new str…

Eden Hazard has undergone the surgery that could clear the way for the Real Madrid star to find his best form in LaLiga.

The 31-year-old Belgian, who was a Premier League superstar with Chelsea, has had major issues with his right ankle in recent years.

Madrid will be hoping that the best is still to come from Hazard, who has endured a torrid three seasons in LaLiga to date, struggling to do himself justice since a big-money transfer.

It is envisaged that the successful removal on Tuesday of an osteosynthesis plate in his right fibula might afford Hazard greater comfort, freeing him up to have a greater on-pitch impact.

Hazard broke the ankle while on international duty with Belgium in 2017 and required a small metal plate to be implanted as a healing a…

Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel has revealed N Golo Kante will miss Wednesday s Champions League clash with Juventus after testing positive for coronavirus.

The France international made his sixth appearance of the season on Saturday when playing an hour of Chelsea s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League.

However, Kante has since contracted COVID-19 and will serve a period of isolation, ruling him out of the Blues European tie with Juve and league clash with Southampton ahead of the international break.

Speaking at a pre-match news conference on Tuesday, Tuchel also confirmed Christian Pulisic, Reece James and Mason Mount will not make the trip to Turin because of injury problems.

Juventus will also be without some key players at the Allianz St…

Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Borussia Moenchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram in the summer transfer window, according to . The France international is out of contract at Bundesliga club Moenchengladbach at the end of the season, and former La Liga champions Atletico want to secure his services on a free transfer in the summer of 2023.

Thuram has been on the books of Moenchengladbach since 2019 when he joined from French club Guingamp. The forward has established himself as one of best forwards in the Bundesliga, and there is no surprise that UEFA Champions League regulars Atletico are keen on signing him.

The 25-year-old, who played for France at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, made 19 starts and two substitute appearances in the Bundesliga for Moenchengladbach s…

Gareth Southgate feels privileged to be anywhere near a century of matches at the England helm as he prepares for a repeat of the fixture where it all began for him seven years ago.

Having rebuffed the Football Association’s initial approach after Euro 2016, the then Under-21s boss was parachuted into the hotseat after Sam Allardyce’s swift, ignominious exit.

Southgate’s first game in temporary charge was a World Cup qualifier against Malta, with Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli securing a 2-0 win in October 2016.

Keeping standards high

The boss speaks ahead of tomorrow s qualifier against Malta…

— England (@England)

Friday sees the Mediterranean minnows return to Wembley for the first time since then – a night when the Engl…

When Thomas Tuchel arrived at Chelsea in January 2021, there were some raised eyebrows and curiosity as to whether the German could succeed where his predecessor, club legend Frank Lampard, had arguably failed.

It did not take long for Tuchel to do as another German coach had done on arrival in England and turn doubters into believers, leading the Blues to a top four finish (just), an FA Cup final and a Champions League triumph.

However, with the 48-year-old set to celebrate a year in charge at Stamford Bridge next week, he is experiencing perhaps his first rocky period in England, having won just one of his last seven Premier League games and sitting 12 points behind leaders Manchester City having played a game more.

Before Tuchel blows out the candles on his an…

Liam Manning promised that his Bristol City side will get even better after their 4-1 victory at Watford.

The Robins thoroughly deserved their triumph, their third straight win under former Oxford boss Manning, who arrived at Ashton Gate last month.

It was also their first on the road under Manning, and City’s first back-to-back triple since November 2020.

Manning said: “We’re going in the right direction but I told the players afterwards that we can play better than that.

“That’s what excites me about the group. The challenge is to strive every day to improve, but there were so many positives today.

“Three or four weeks ago, I was giving interviews saying how it would come together for us, and it would happen.

“I’m delight…

Team identity is a huge part of football and arguably valued more than ever before by the average fan – but that importance reaches an altogether different level for the Netherlands.

Total Football remains synonymous with the Oranje despite the concept – which essentially relates to every player being able to fulfil any out-field role in the team – having its roots in the 1970s. Or at least that s when the Netherlands adopted the philosophy.

Ever since, the Dutch have been associated with on-pitch intelligence, fluidity and technical ability, which has often manifested in proactive and attack-minded football.

Boring has rarely been an accusation one could level at the Dutch, but it was a term that came up with increasing regularity towards the end of Louis…

Spain remain among the favourites to win the Women s Euros despite losing Ballon d Or winner Alexia Putellas to injury, according to former European champion Hege Riise, who also expects England to impress.

Putellas, who has scored 27 goals in 100 caps for Spain, was ruled out of the tournament after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in training, leaving La Roja without one of their star players.

The 28-year-old top-scored in the Champions League with Barcelona last term, scoring 11 goals in continental competition as well as 18 on the domestic front as the Catalan giants won all 30 of their league games.

Her injury is just the latest blow to befall Spain ahead of their opening match against Finland on Friday, with record goalscorer Jennifer Hermoso …

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has ruled out a move for Sergio Aguero due to the soon-to-be free agent s long association with fierce rivals Manchester City.

City confirmed on Monday that Aguero is to bring an end to his decade-long spell at the Etihad Stadium when his contract expires at the end of the campaign.

He will bow out as City s all-time leading scorer, with a current tally of 257 goals in 385 games, the most recent of those appearances coming against Leicester City on Saturday.

The 32-year-old has won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup and five EFL Cups, a tally he can add to before leaving as City remain on course for a quadruple this term, including a first Champions League triumph.

But despite the Premier League s fourth-hig…