Claudio Ranieri has revealed his pride at seeing Leicester City stars Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy nominated for the Ballon d Or.
After helping Leicester to a stunning Premier League title win in 2015-16, the attacking pair both made it onto a 30-man shortlist of the best players on the planet.
Vardy inspired their fine form with 24 top-flight goals and a record-breaking run that saw him find the net in 11 successive matches, while Mahrez contributed 17 goals and 11 assists.
Foxes manager Ranieri described the recognition of their contributions as something special for the players and the club.
This achievement is one of the best, he told a news conference ahead of Leicester s trip to Tottenham on Saturday.
To be nominated is something specia…
Rostov coach Ivan Daniliants lauded the character shown by his team in their heart-breaking Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid.
Daniliants and Rostov left Madrid empty handed after suffering a last-gasp 2-1 Group D defeat in the Spanish capital on Tuesday.
Sardar Azmoun cancelled out Antoine Griezmann s opener to become the first player to score against the 2015-16 runners-up in this season s Champions League but just as the match was headed for a draw, Griezmann produced a clever finish deep into stoppage time to sink the Russian visitors.
The result left Rostov with just one point from four fixtures, but Daniliants still praised his courageous players.
It was a tough game for my side. The opponents dominated possession, Atletico fight well, they…
Gabriel Jesus says Arsenal must raise their levels to remain on top of their Premier League title charge after dropping points for the second game in a row.
The Gunners blew a 2-0 lead against West Ham on Sunday, slipping to a 2-2 draw that has seen their gap at the summit shrink to just four points the second game in a row a two-goal advantage was let slip.
Jesus and Martin Odegaard had put the visitors in cruise control at London Stadium inside 10 minutes, before Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen clawed back equilibrium.
With Manchester City, who have a game in hand, hot on their heels, Jesus has called upon his team-mates to ensure their standards do not slip again this term.
Once again, the three points were in our hands, he told the club s website. Obv…
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery personally wants to bring Inter Milan right-back Denzel Dumfries to Villa Park in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that former Serie A and UEFA Champions League winners Inter are open to selling the Netherlands international at the end of the season, and that Premier League club Villa want to secure the services of the 26-year-old, who can also operate as a centre-back.
Dumfries has made 21 starts and six substitute appearances in Serie A for Villa so far this season, scoring one goal and providing three assists in the process. The 26-year-old has made six starts and two substitute appearances in the UEFA Champions League so far this campaign, scoring one goal in the process.
Villa are sixth in the Premier …
Before Rise of the Beasts, Transformers was an exceedingly white franchise, with white leads in every movie and a white guy in the director’s chair every time out. Rise of the Beasts represents a major break from that franchise tendency, though, with a Black director and two people of color in the lead roles. It’s a pleasantly surprising shift, and it began with the hiring of Creed 2 director Steven Caple Jr. to sit behind the camera.
“I’m trying to cast people who look like me, and who just don’t get the opportunity to be in this position and/or be on these platforms and showcase our talent,” Caple told GameSpot.
As it turns out, one of the people who had a hand in inspiring Caple to become a filmmaker in the first place was the white guy who directed fi…
Groningen defender Virgil van Dijk feels he is ready for a switch to English Premier League, according to his representative.
The 21-year-old has been in scintillating form this season and has caught the attention of some Premiership clubs in the process.
Top Eredivisie sides are also lining up for his signature, but his representative reveals a move to England is a priority.
“Eredivisie (move) would be great, but England seems to be the best option,” agent Henk-Maarten Chin .
“There are many clubs in the Championship following him, but also in the Premier League. He is ready for the next step.”
Virgil van Dijk came through the youth ranks at Willem II, but joined Groningen in 2010. He was handed a first team debut in May 2011, but quickl…
David Beckham has revealed his dream of playing for England in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was the motivation behind his desire to stay with AC Milan.
After weeks of negotiations, Beckham has extended his loan with Milan from Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy until the end of the Italian season in an attempt to prove to England coach Fabio Capello that he can still perform at the highest level.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star is desperate to have one last crack at winning the World Cup in next year s finals, but he had been reduced to a bit-part role for England since his move to America.
His switch to the San Siro has kept Beckham in Capello s thoughts and he made a record-equalling 108th England appearance in last month s friendly aga…
Carlos Tevez will use the mid-season break in the Primera Division to decide whether to accept a big-money offer from Shanghai Shenhua.
The Boca Juniors forward has been heavily linked with a switch to the Chinese Super League after Shanghai chairman Wu Xiaohui revealed there had been a breakthrough in talks for Tevez s services.
An annual figure of €40million has reportedly been offered to Tevez to move to China, with coach Gus Poyet saying it would be a pleasure to have the Argentina international in his squad.
Tevez remains unsure what his future will hold, though, and says he will use his time off to make a decision.
I do not know what I am going to do, he told a media conference.
I have many problems in my head to think about, [like] wh…
Alexandre Pato said there is no Brazilian striker better than him, with Dunga set to announce his next squad on Thursday.
The Sao Paulo forward struck his ninth goal of the season on Sunday in his team s 2-1 victory over Gremio, with Pato and Co. sitting fifth in the Campeonato Brasileiro with 12 wins from 25 matches in 2015.
Pato has scored seven goals in Sao Paulo s last 12 league games and said he deserves a Brazil recall, having not represented his country since a friendly against Zambia in October 2013.
Brazil will play Chile and Venezuela in World Cup qualifiers on October 8 and 13 respectively.
My goal is to return to the national team. There s a selection on Thursday, I have a lot of potential and I am prepared to be selected, he told TV Bandeir…
According to , Real Madrid are interested in acquiring the services of Vancouver Whitecaps youngster Alphonso Davies. The 17-year-old put himself on the map upon debuting in the MLS at the age of just 15 back in 2016, and now, he s attracting the attention of some of the biggest clubs in European football.
In addition to Real Madrid teams like Liverpool, PSV Eindhoven, Bayern Munich and Manchester United have all expressed their interest in making a move for Davies. The Vancouver Whitecaps currently find themselves in the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, although Davies has certainly played a big part in getting them there.
The rise of the MLS has been gradual, but stars like Alphonso could be key to ensuring that it continues to grow. On top of that, the y…