Xavi acknowledged a Barcelona return for Lionel Messi is impossible at present but refused to rule out a reunion in future, as he rejected comparisons between himself and two legendary Blaugrana coaches.
Messi s 21-year association with Barcelona came to an end last August when he joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer amid the Catalan club s financial woes.
However, the seven-time Ballon d Or winner s six league goals during his debut campaign in Paris represented his worst such tally since he netted the same amount in LaLiga as an 18-year-old in 2005-06.
Messi has just one year remaining on his contract in the French capital – though an option exists for a further 12 months with PSG – and Barcelona president Joan Laporta said on Sunday he did not …
Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann is at the same level as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to David Villa.
France international Griezmann has enjoyed his best season to date in 2015-16, scoring 29 goals in all competitions to keep Atletico in the hunt for a league and Champions League double.
And Villa, who left Atletico to join New York City just prior to Griezmann s arrival from Real Sociedad in 2014, has no doubt that 25-year-old must now be considered among the very best players in the world.
Asked by Marca if he were at Messi and Ronaldo s level, Villa said: Yes. At the highest level you have to analyse things in a certain way, with all the different players, but Griezmann is one of the best players right now in world football. For the th…
Championship high-flyers Brentford have completed the signing of Rangers midfielder Lewis MacLeod for an undisclosed fee.
The 20-year-old midfielder has put pen-to-paper on a three-and-a-half year deal, which will take effect when the transfer window opens on Saturday, at Griffin Park.
MacLeod, who earlier this year earned his first call up to the Scotland national team but has yet to make his debut, has made 20 appearances in all competitions for Rangers this season, scoring eight goals.
He is a player who can play in all midfield positions, he has two excellent feet and an eye for goal, manager Mark Warburton told Brentford s official website.
He will be an excellent addition to the playing squad and I am sure he will play a key role in the secon…
At Wembley yesterday afternoon Manchester United started this season in the exact same fashion as they ended last season. They did it by winning silverware courtesy of a penalty shoot-out. OK, the Community Shield might not have quite the importance of the Champions League, but the win will have sent a few messages out to their title rivals.
The first few minutes at Wembley were largely forgettable but United looked the more dangerous side. They played some lovely short passing football but lacked the killer instinct in the final third. One of the reasons for that was that they didn’t seem to be playing anyone up front! With Nani, Giggs and Tevez all turning up in midfield and on the wings, there were often no strikers visible at all.
The game went into…
Dutch midfielder Evander Sno has moved from Celtic to Ajax, the club where he started his career, on a three-year-contract, the Dutch club said on its website Thursday.
The 21-year-old trained at the Amsterdam club before transfering to Feyenoord then moved to Scotland in 2006. He played 49 times and scored one goal in his two seasons in Scotland.
Sno was in the Dutch squad for the Euro 2008 football championships last June.
It was Ajax s fifth acquisition recently, after Dario Cvitanich (Banfield), Miralem Sulejmani (Heerenveen), Ismail Aissati (PSV Eindhoven) and Oleguer Presas (Barcelona).
…
Arsene Wenger is confident midfield duo Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey can be tied down to new deals at Arsenal.
Much of the uncertainty regarding contracts at the Emirates Stadium over the past year has finally been resolved, with Alexis Sanchez sold to Manchester United and Mesut Ozil committing his long-term future to the Gunners.
The saga of those two high-earning stars, who were out of contract at the end of this season, followed the club s contentious decision to award Wenger a two-year extension at the end of the 2016-17 campaign.
Wilshere is into the final six months of his Arsenal deal but has enjoyed an impressive resurgence of late, having spent last term on loan at Bournemouth following an injury-ravaged spell.
The Daily Telegraph reports t…
Competition: FA Cup
Market: Manchester United to beat Huddersfield
Odds:
The FA Cup continues this weekend as even more incredibly exciting and unpredictable action will surely accompany the most shocking competition in football. With this in mind, Huddersfield host Manchester United on Saturday.
Huddersfield have been very poor this season and they will be desperate to clinch a win that would boost their morale massively. In the league they have struggled after 27 games, they have won seven, drawn six and lost 14 games, while they have scored 23 times and conceded 47 goals. In their last five they have won just once, losing their other four games which has seen them onto 27 points. The newly-promoted side are just a single point clear of the r…
Stoke City manager Mark Hughes will look to strike a delicate balancing act as he conducts his close-season transfer business.
The Welshman guided Stoke to their highest Premier League finish and points total last season as City scaled the heights of ninth.
Hughes is eager to build on those foundations but wants to make sure he does not upset dressing-room harmony, having learnt the hard way at former club QPR.
It s good for the group if you bring in new faces, but you must get the balance right, Hughes told The Stoke Sentinel.
Sometimes I ve found to my detriment that if you make too many changes too quickly it can go against you, and I m mindful of that.
We know from the season we had last year that we ve got a strong group, so we do not need…
Premier League leaders Manchester United have reportedly offered up to 55 million euros to lure Radamel Falcao to Old Trafford next season.
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Alex Ferguson s side have emerged as front-runners in the race sign to the star Atletico Madrid striker.
Falcao is on course to record his best season in La Liga, having notched 22 goals in 27 league appearances this campaign.
The 2012 FIFA Ballon d Or contender s performances have also attracted attentions of former UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea, as well as domestic rivals Real Madrid.
Still, Spanish media suggests that United are in advanced negotiations with the Colombian, with Marca reporting a down payment has reportedly been made and that Falcao is just a step away …
Lazio have condemned anti-Semitic behaviour by a number of their supporters during Sunday s Rome derby after Italy s sports minister expressed concerns.
As well as chanting from fans that sparked a complaint from the Jewish Community of Rome, one fan was seen to be wearing a shirt with the name Hitlerson on its back, along with the number 88, which is used by neo-Nazis as numerical code for Heil Hitler .
Efforts are under way to identify that Lazio fan, with the club recognising there is a problem. They indicated progress had already been made and said news of investigations would come within hours.
In January, Lazio were moved to condemned despicable, shameful and anachronistic racist abuse aimed at Lecce players Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda in a Serie A match…