Philippe Coutinho hopes Xavi can achieve success with the existing group of players at Barcelona. 

Xavi was presented as Barca s new head coach on Monday, returning to the club that formed him as a player and with whom we won 25 trophies during an illustrious 17 years.

The former midfielder is the permanent successor to Ronald Koeman, who was sacked following the 1-0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano on October 27. 

Sergi Barjuan stepped in for the interim and took charge of a win and two draws, the last of which saw Barca throw away a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Celta Vigo. They now sit ninth in LaLiga after 12 games, 11 points adrift of leaders Real Sociedad. 

However, Coutinho believes Xavi could well be the man to turn things around at Barca followin…

When Cristiano Ronaldo limped out of the Euro 2016 final, Portugal had to bide their time and turn towards an unlikely hero.

Eder, a flop in the Premier League with Swansea City who had been sent out on loan to Lille, enjoyed the most memorable moment of his time in France – and, indeed, his career – when he drove home a brilliant winner to down the hosts 1-0 in extra time at the Stade de France.

It felt like an entirely fitting way for Fernando Santos team to win a tournament they slogged their way through.

Quickfire goals from Ronaldo and Nani early in the second half of a 2-0 semi-final win over Wales accounted for Portugal s only victory inside 90 minutes.

There were three draws during the group stage, including a 0-0 scoreline remaining intact w…

Antonio Conte insisted he never doubted Harry Kane during the striker s dry spell of goals for Tottenham.

Kane, who has won the Premier League Golden Boot award on three occasions, managed just one goal in his opening 13 league games in the 2021-22 campaign, but new head coach Conte remained enthusiastic over his forward s qualities.

The England international has responded to that support by finding the net twice in his past two league games against Liverpool and Crystal Palace respectively.

Kane struck against Jurgen Klopp s side with his first home league goal since May and just his second of the season, before he again netted the opener against Palace on Sunday.

The latter strike was Kane s sixth consecutive Boxing Day appearance with a goal as he eq…

Carlo Ancelotti recognised Real Madrid had no answer to Kylian Mbappe in Tuesday s defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, acknowledging the match-winner was unstoppable .

PSG claimed a slender 1-0 win over Madrid at the Parc des Princes to take a first-leg lead to the Santiago Bernabeu next month.

Mbappe got the decisive goal right at the end, skipping between a couple of defenders before firing through Thibaut Courtois legs.

But Mbappe had terrorised the Madrid defence throughout, managing seven shots in total, drawing some vital saves from Courtois.

Mbappe also won the penalty that Lionel Messi had saved, with the France striker rising to the occasion against the club many expect him to join at the end of the season.

Ancelotti has rarely shied away fro…

Most people may assume England s World Cup opener against Iran will be a relatively routine one.

The Three Lions reached the semi-finals in 2018 before making it all the way to the final of last year s rearranged Euro 2020 tournament, and breezed through qualifying for Qatar 2022 with the best goal difference in the group stage of European qualifiers, scoring 39 and conceding only three.

Confidence will be high that Gareth Southgate s team can get going with three points, but a potentially tricky obstacle stands in their way on Monday.

Iran had an impressive qualifying campaign of their own, winning eight of 10 games in the third round of Asian qualifying and conceding just four goals.

They also sit 20th in the latest FIFA rankings, putting them above the…

Fran Kirby has joined Brighton and Hove Albion on a free transfer following her departure from Chelsea.

The England international won five Women s Super League titles during her nine-year stint with the Blues, for whom she scored 108 goals in 195 appearances.

Brighton finished ninth in the WSL last season, and will certainly be boosted by Kirby s vast experience, having also been part of the triumphant Lionesses side at Euro 2022.

The 31-year-old is the Seagulls third signing ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, after Japan striker Kiko Seike and Netherlands defender Marisa Olislagers.

I m a competitive person and I wanted to come to a club that matched my ambitions, to set high standards on and off the pitch, and to use my experience to help the young players…

Marseille are interested in signing Hwang Hee-chan from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Ligue 1 club Marseille have made a bid for Hwang.

TalkSPORT has reported that Marseille have offered Wolves a transfer fee of £21 million for Hwang. The Wanderers have turned it down. The Premier League club do not have any interest in selling the 28-year-old forward. Wolves head coach Gary O’Neil views the South Korea international as a key player.

 Hwang has been on the books of Wolves on a permanent deal since 2022 following a loan spell from RB Leipzig. The forward scored 12 goals and gave three assists in 25 starts and four substitute appearances in the Premier League last season. The South Korea international…

Ivan Toney has sealed a permanent switch to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli, ending his four-year spell with Brentford.

Toney, who scored 72 goals in 141 appearances for the Bees, departs the club for a reported £40million transfer fee on a three-year contract.

The 28-year-old made three substitute appearances for England at Euro 2024 but has not featured for Brentford this season amid rumours linking him with a move away.

Toney enjoyed his most prolific season for the Bees in the 2020-21 season, scoring 31 goals and helping Thomas Frank s side secure promotion to the Premier League.

He netted 36 times in 85 Premier League outings, scoring four times in his first five matches last year after returning from suspension for breaching FA betting rules.

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June 30, 2002, Yokohama. Ronaldo pounces on Rivaldo s dummy to side-foot past Germany s Oliver Kahn, becoming just the ninth man to score twice in a World Cup final and making Brazil champions of the world.

That moment, the pinnacle of the legendary forward s career, remains unmatched to this day for the Selecao, with Brazil failing to add to their five World Cup crowns in the subsequent two decades.

Should Brazil fall short of glory in Qatar later this year, that drought will stretch to at least 24 years, matching their longest wait for World Cup glory since their maiden title in 1958 (also between 1970 and 1994).

For a country whose hopes have been entrusted to such footballing icons as Ronaldinho, Kaka and Neymar in subsequent years, such a drought seems inexp…

Harry Kane is not ruling out scoring 100 goals for England after becoming his country s all-time leading goalscorer this international window.

The Tottenham striker s penalty in last week s 2-1 Euro 2024 qualifying victory over Italy moved him in front of Wayne Rooney outright on 54 goals for the Three Lions.

He added to that tally with another strike in Sunday s 2-0 win over Ukraine at Wembley to make it 55 goals in 82 appearances since making his debut in 2015.

Only Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo (122) and Iran great Ali Daei (109) have reached triple figures for men s international goals, while Argentina s Lionel Messi is one short.

But Kane, who will only turn 30 in July, is looking to chase down that big milestone ahead of qualifiers with Malta a…