Bale enjoying return to form but warns: I´m not 21 anymore

Gareth Bale is not sure he can return to the consistent standard he set in his first Tottenham spell despite enjoying a rich vein of goalscoring form.

Bale has supplied six goals and three assists over his past six appearances in all competitions, having only appeared for 70 minutes or less in each of those outings.

Prior to this superb stretch, the on-loan Real Madrid winger had netted just four times while failing to register a single assist across 16 matches.

Bale s most recent goals came in Sunday s 4-1 win over Crystal Palace in which an outstanding all-round display also included four key passes.

But, asked at full-time if Spurs fans could expect him to replicate the output that saw him involved in 37 goals in 44 games in 2012-13, earning his mov…

How Beckham´s Galaxy career was saved by Arena

Bruce Arena has revealed how he convinced David Beckham to remain with the LA Galaxy in 2008.

Arena took charge during Beckham s second season in MLS and was aware the then-England international was considering a move away.

In his upcoming book What s Wrong with US?: A Coach s Blunt Take on the State of American Soccer After a Lifetime on the Touchline , the former Galaxy boss details the conversation that kept the former Real Madrid and Manchester United midfielder in Los Angeles.

Arena also confirms Beckham paid out of his own pocket to extend a loan deal at AC Milan in 2009, which he ultimately felt benefited all parties despite causing the Englishman to miss the start of the MLS campaign.

10 years ago today, David Beckham made his MLS debut.

Martinez salutes ´extraordinary´ Hazard ahead of 100th Belgium cap

Belgium coach Roberto Martinez paid tribute to Eden Hazard ahead of the Chelsea forward earning his 100th international cap.

Hazard, 28, made his international debut over 10 years ago in November 2008 after breaking onto the scene as a highly rated youngster at Lille.

He has since become an integral part of Belgium s team, helping them qualify for Euro 2016 after a 16-year absence and inspirational as they reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, their best performance in the tournament s history.

Should he feature against Cyprus in Euro 2020 qualifying on Sunday, Hazard will reach a centenary of Belgium caps and Martinez commended him for his dedication.

A hundred games is an impressive number for someone as young as 28, the Spanish coach told re…

Ronaldo hailed as ´future of Juventus´ as reported Real Madrid target hits first-half hat-trick

Cristiano Ronaldo remains the future of Juventus despite rumours of a possible return to Real Madrid, according to Bianconeri director Fabio Paratici.

Rumours have been building in Spain that Madrid would be prepared to re-sign the Portugal star in the next transfer window, three years on from his €112million move to Turin.

Those reports were largely fuelled by Juve s Champions League exit to Porto in the last 16, with Ronaldo criticised for his performance in the second leg, particularly when he turned his back in the wall for Sergio Oliveira s decisive free-kick.

Head coach Andrea Pirlo defended the 36-year-old ahead of Sunday s league match at Cagliari, insisting: He has 90 goals in a hundred games for Juventus and has always shown his worth. It can happen t…

England´s Bellingham becomes youngest European Championship star

Jude Bellingham became the youngest player to appear in a European Championship match as the 17-year-old England midfielder came off the bench against Croatia.

The Borussia Dortmund player replaced captain Harry Kane in the 82nd minute and earned a fifth senior cap.

He made history in the Euros with his appearance at the age of 17 years and 349 days, Opta said. Bellingham also became England s youngest player in any major tournament.

Previously, the youngest player from any nation to appear in a European Championship finals tournament was Jetro Willems, who featured for the Netherlands against Denmark at Euro 2012 at the age of 18 years and 71 days.

England were leading Croatia on Sunday by the time Bellingham made his appearance, thanks to Raheem Sterli…

Dorival: Vinicius suffering from same Brazil pressure as Neymar

Dorival Junior believes the pressure of being Brazil s main man can sometimes weigh Vinicius Junior down, just as it did Neymar in years gone by.

Brazil beat Ecuador 1-0 to end a three-match losing run in the CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Friday, though their performance was far from convincing.

Rodrygo s deflected first-half strike handed Brazil a crucial three points, yet they were indebted to goalkeeper Alisson for making a huge one-on-one save to deny Moises Caicedo on the stroke of half-time.

Having endured a torrid time at the Copa America earlier this year, Vinicius was quiet again on Friday, failing to complete any of his four dribbles and losing possession 14 times – more than any other Selecao player.

Brazil s recent performances have …

Gremio president hopes to tempt Cavani to Brazil

Gremio president Romildo Bolzan Junior hopes to hold talks with Edinson Cavani over a move to the Brazilian club.

Cavani is a free agent, having left Paris Saint-Germain at the end of his contract in June after seven successful seasons in Paris.

The club s all-time record goal-scorer with 200 in all competitions, Cavani has been linked with a host of European clubs including Inter, Bayern Munich and, more recently, Barcelona.

It has also been suggested the 33-year-old could choose to return to South America, with Gremio among the clubs said to be interested.

Vice-president Paulo Luz denied holding talks with Cavani s representative, but Romildo does not appear ready to abandon the dream of signing the Uruguay star.

He [Cavani s agent] didn t make…

Prediction: RB Leipzig vs PSG

Best Odds: 20/21

Bookmaker:

Two sides who grabbed dramatic late winners last week, RB Leipzig and PSG will meet out in Portugal on Tuesday night with a spot in the final of this year s Champions League up for grabs.

RB Leipzig

Starting with RB Leipzig, watching Tyler Adams bag his first strike for the Red Bulls in the 88th-minute last week, the German outfit managed to pick up a deserved 2-1 win against former Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid and some have branded them as a real dark horse this summer. Although the much-praised Julian Nagelsmann might have seen Timo Werner make the move to Premier League side Chelsea this summer, they have enjoyed a record-breaking European campaign just 11 years after the club was formed. Managing to secure another t…

Saka wants more after opening Arsenal account

Bukayo Saka scored his first Arsenal goal in Thursday s 3-0 Europa League victory over Eintracht Frankfurt and already has his sights set on more.

Saka, 18, came in as one of seven changes made by Unai Emery from the team that suffered a second-half collapse to draw 2-2 with Watford in the Premier League on Saturday.

The teenage winger, making just his second start for the club, set up Joe Willock for the first-half opener and drew a foul from Dominik Kohr that resulted in the Eintracht midfielder s second yellow card with 11 minutes remaining.

Saka was key to Arsenal capitalising on their numerical advantage, bending home a fine finish from the edge of the box and releasing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to cap an impressive victory at the Commerzbank-Arena.

Real Madrid open to offers for Isco

Real Madrid are willing to listen to offers for attacking midfielder Isco, according to It has been reported by the Spanish news outlet that Madrid are looking for a buyer for the Spain international, who is out of contract at the defending La Liga champions in the summer of 2022.

Premier League club Everton have been linked with Isco, with manager Carlo Ancelotti having worked with the 28-year-old attacking midfielder when he was in charge of Los Blancos. The report has added that Madrid are also hoping that Arsenal make a move for Isco.

Isco has been on the books of Madrid since 2013 and has won the La Liga title twice and the Champions League on four occasions with the Spanish and European powerhouse. However, the 28-year-old has fallen down the pecking order this s…