Diego Maradona feels Lionel Messi does not have to prove anything to Argentina as the Barcelona superstar prepares for what could be his last World Cup.
Argentina reached the final in Brazil four years ago but were narrowly defeated by Germany, with Mario Gotze scoring the only goal in extra time.
Maradona inspired Argentina to glory the last time they won the World Cup, in Mexico in 1986, while he captained the side as they lost in the final four years later.
But Messi has been unable to spark a comparable triumph, seeing his side beaten three times in major finals, the forward temporarily retiring from international duty after the Copa America Centenario defeat to Chile in 2016.
Messi s assessment is that Argentina are not one of the leading contenders …
Danny Rose, Vincent Janssen and Georges-Kevin Nkoudou look set to leave Tottenham after being allowed to skip the pre-season tour of Asia to pursue transfers.
Spurs confirmed their 26-man travelling squad for their International Champions Cup fixtures in Singapore and Shanghai on Wednesday.
Rose, Janssen and Nkoudou have been granted extra time off granted in order to explore prospective opportunities with other clubs .
Left-back Rose has battled Ben Davies for a place in Mauricio Pochettino s first team in recent seasons, although he still made 37 appearances last term and started the Champions League final defeat to Liverpool.
Spurs will reportedly seek a fee in the region of £25million for the 29-year-old.
Janssen had been frozen out of Pochet…
The Swiss football association on Monday banned Switzerland s highest-profile referee for three games after he gestured at the crowd with his middle finger.
Massimo Busacca, known as the country s best referee and a regular on the international circuit, was buttonholed by the SonntagsBlick newspaper which printed a photograph of the gesture.
Busacca apologised on Sunday saying he regretted his anti-sporting gesture at Saturday s first round Swiss cup tie between FC Baden and Young Boys.
But the association s referees committee on Monday announced an immediate three-game ban despite noting that the best Swiss referee had been provoked by the fans.
Busacca was on duty at last season s Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona, and also…
Substitute Gerald Asamoah scored his first goal in over 10 months on Friday to help Schalke beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0.
The victory moved Schalke into third place in the German first division, one point behind leaders Hamburg ahead of the rest of the weekend programme.
After losing their last two home games, Schalke were tense at the start but Asamoah eased his team s nerves in the 66th minute by opening the scoring eight minutes after coming off the bench.
The former German international found the target with a pinpoint header from a free-kick to register his first goal since December 2008.
Schalke made sure of the three points in injury-time when Jefferson Farfan scored from the penalty spot.
…
Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi said he is all too aware of what it takes to play at Roma s Stadio Olimpico.
Inzaghi plied his trade in Serie A from 1995-2012, including 11 straight seasons at the San Siro to complete a decorated career which featured three Serie A titles and two UEFA Champions League crowns.
The former striker, 41, said Roma second in the league, four points behind Juventus are a tough prospect, especially in the Italian capital.
I know what it means to play at the Olimpico, I know how the atmosphere will feel like, Inzaghi said.
We are ready, I can see that my players are very motivated to do well in this game and they are looking forward to it.
We are all aware of Roma s strength but I am very calm because I am confident tha…
Bologna president Albano Guaraldi has confirmed that he is trying to sell the club, just two years after saving them from bankruptcy.
Guaraldi took the helm at the Stadio Renato Dall Ara in 2011 following the resignation of predecessor Marco Pavignani.
The 53-year-old invested €11million in the club to become the majority shareholder, but has come in for criticism from fans after agreeing to sell Saphir Taider and allowing Alberto Gilardino to re-join Genoa.
Guardaldi admits he now regrets rescuing Bologna and is hoping to find a buyer for the Emilia-Romagna club.
The club is for sale if somebody serious and reliable presents an offer which would cover all of the money I and my partners have invested, my investment is around €11m, he told Radio International…
Emil Forsberg has added weight to speculation linking him with a transfer away from RB Leipzig by saying he wants to play for one of the strongest clubs in the world .
Speaking while in Russia on World Cup duty for his country, the Sweden winger indicated that he is ready to bring his four-year spell in Leipzig to an end and reports suggest Arsenal, Liverpool and Roma could be interested in signing the 26-year-old.
Forsberg scored two goals in 21 Bundesliga appearances in 2017-18 but he rose to prominence in the previous season, when he scored eight goals in 30 appearances as Leipzig finished second.
The former Malmo star told Swedish website Fotbollskanalen: I m ready for the next big step. That s going to be very interesting.
Three points in Nizhny Novg…
Real Madrid beat Mallorca by 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday to maintain their 100% record this season and stay at the top of the La Liga table, two points clear of arch-rivals Barcelona.
It didn t start too well for the 13-time European champions, with the visitors taking the lead through Vedat Muriqi in the 35th minute.
However, Fede Valverde equalized in the final seconds of the first half with this superb goal, before Vinicius Junior turned the game around completely in the 72nd, Rodrygo added the third in the 89th, and Antonio Rudiger set the final score deep in stoppage time.
What a goal from Valverde!! He just scored the goal of the season so far in La Liga, WHAT A GOAL!!!!
— Social Media Jagaban (@Iamkingchidex)
…
Inter striker Romelu Lukaku does not intend to leave a response to racism in football to the authorities, citing players protests in the Eredivisie as an example for Serie A stars.
A number of incidents of racist abuse in stadiums have marred Italian football in recent seasons, with Lukaku, Mario Balotelli and Miralem Pjanic among the targets.
Lukaku has repeatedly been outspoken on the issue, and the Belgium international is keen for players to lead a riposte to discrimination.
Eredivisie matches were paused for a minute in November in protest after Excelsior winger Ahmad Mendes Moreira was subjected to abuse at Den Bosch, giving Lukaku food for thought.
For me, Italy is a beautiful country to live in, the former Manchester United man told Sky Sports.<…
Real Madrid fans are tingling with excitement at the prospect of seeing Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and company strut their stuff as their new-look Galactico team host Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday in the curtain-raiser to the 2009/10 Spanish league season.
It has been an unforgettable summer with Real splashing around 250 million euros to build a star-studded team and there are likely to be a number of debutants against Depor with Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Karim Benzema, Raul Albiol all expected to start.
French striker Benzema has been firing in the goals in pre-season while Ronaldo has been installed as chief free-kick taker as he was at Manchester United.
It will also be Manuel Pellegrini s first competitive game in charge of Real and everyone will expect th…