Lionel Messi could retire from international football if Argentina crash out of the World Cup, according to his former team-mate Pablo Zabaleta.

Messi cut an isolated figure as Argentina fell to a humbling 3-0 defeat to Croatia in their Group D clash on Thursday, making a premature exit a distinct possibility for the two-time champions.

Zabaleta, who was part of the team that reached the 2014 final, believes the Barcelona star could call time on his international career should they fail to progress to the last 16.

I just feel so sorry for Lionel Messi,  he told the BBC.

This was his last chance to win something with Argentina so I wouldn t be surprised to see him retire from international football after this.

He ll be so disappointed and it s�…

According to as relayed by Chelsea and Manchester City are interested in signing Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan in the summer transfer window. The report in the Italian publication has claimed that newly-crowned Italian champions are willing to sell the former Manchester United, but only for €120 million.

Lukaku joined Inter from United in the summer of 2019 and has been a big player for the Nerazzurri. The 27-year-old Belgium international played a key role in Inter reaching the UEFA Europa League final last season and has been instrumental in the club winning Serie A this campaign.

According to , Lukaku has scored 21 goals and provided 10 assists in 33 Serie A games and scored four goals in five Champions League games for Inter this season. During the 2019-20 campa…

Christian Ziege believes Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp can rightly be considered the best coach in world football.

Klopp led Liverpool to their sixth European Cup last season, as they beat Tottenham 2-0 in the Champions League final in Madrid.

Their success in Europe came on the back of a 3-1 defeat in the showpiece event in 2017-18, while Klopp s side also finished just one point behind Premier League champions Manchester City last term.

Former Tottenham defender Ziege stressed Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino, along with Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac, should all be considered, though he places Klopp just above the pack.

I think you have to be careful with that. To rate the Best coach in the world you have to count in all coaches, even the ones wor…

Manchester City and Chelsea were both in the market for a striker ahead of the 2021-22 season.

Although Chelsea sealed Romelu Lukaku s return – for a club-record fee reported to be £97.5million – City were unable to break Tottenham s resolve and sign Harry Kane.

For a brief time towards the end of August, it seemed Cristiano Ronaldo would be heading to the Etihad Stadium. Yet City again came away empty-handed – Ronaldo, like Lukaku, returning to a former club as he joined rivals Manchester United.

Indeed, City were once linked with Lukaku, with the forward himself claiming he had turned down an approach in 2020. But Pep Guardiola s team have, so far, cast aside any doubts that a lack of an out-and-out striker would cost them dearly.

City looked se…

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde says the first Clasico of the season against Real Madrid should go ahead as planned at Camp Nou on October 26.

LaLiga has proposed moving the match to the Santiago Bernabeu amid the political unrest in Catalonia, and a reported alternative would be to set the fixture back to December.

Nine Catalan political leaders were given prison sentences ranging from nine to 13 years on Monday for their roles in the region s 2017 referendum and subsequent unilateral declaration of independence.

The ruling sparked a huge backlash and clashes between police and protestors, with Barcelona s main airport briefly closed the following day due to the tension.

A city rally has been called by pro-independence politicians for October 26, the day…

Manchester United have made a bid for Atletico Madrid right-back Kieran Trippier, according to . United are interested in signing the former Tottenham Hotspur star in the summer transfer window and have made a formal move for the defender.

The former Premier League and European champions have submitted an offer of £10 million. However, according to the report, Atletico, who won the La Liga title this past season, have turned down the opening bid from the Red Devils.

Trippier joined Atletico from Tottenham in the summer of 2019. The 30-year-old has done well for the Spanish club and helped them win the La Liga title in 2020-21. However, the right-back reportedly wants to go back to the Premier League. Trippier is with the England squad for the Euro 2020 finals at the mo…

Wayne Rooney is determined to enjoy his final performance for England on Thursday after admitting it was not always fun to play for his country.

The former Manchester United and Three Lions captain is due to come on as a second-half substitute when Gareth Southgate s side play the United States at Wembley.

Rooney scored a record 53 goals in his first 119 international appearances as the spearhead of the so-called Golden Generation , which included the likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham and was criticised for failing to challenge at World Cups and European Championships.

Now 33, Rooney concedes that the pressure to succeed for England meant playing for his country was not always enjoyable – something he does not expect to be the case this …

Brazil s 7-1 humbling at the hands of Germany in the FIFA World Cup semi-final is a source of deep embarrassment for the hosts.

However, football fans in the country can take solace from the fact that they are not the first and will not be the last to suffer heartbreaking capitulation in the sporting arena.

Jana Novotna Wimbledon, 1993

Czech Novotna had one hand on what would have been her first Wimbledon crown when she went 4–1 up and 40-30 ahead in the deciding set against Steffi Graf in the 1993 final.

What followed led to one of sport s greatest collapses, as Novotna double faulted and then Graf reeled off the final five games to clinch the win although Novotna did eventually make up for her disappointment when she won the grand slam five years lat…

Claudio Ranieri has been unveiled as the new coach of Cagliari, with the former Leicester City manager returning to his former club for a second stint.

The 71-year-old was previously in charge of the Serie B side between 1988 and 1991, guiding them from the third to the first tier with consecutive promotions.

Ranieri, who was dismissed by Watford in January after just three months in charge, reunites with his old team three decades after his previous spell, with the team down in the bottom half of the second tier.

He succeeds Fabio Liverani, who was sacked following a 2-1 defeat to Palermo last week, and will take charge on January 1 on a contract that runs to June 2025.

Cagliari is pleased to announce it has reached an agreement with Claudio Ranieri who…

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has been dropped from Gareth Southgate s England squad, while Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi has been handed his first senior call-up.

Fellow Red Devils attacker Jadon Sancho has also been omitted from the 25-man squad, having also been left out of Southgate s last party in November 2021.

Rashford has endured an underwhelming season at Old Trafford, registering a paltry four goals and two assists in 19 Premier League appearances as his team fights for a top-four finish.

The 24-year-old s frustrating campaign has led to suggestions he could leave Old Trafford, and he described himself as upset and disappointed after being heckled by his own fans following Tuesday s Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid.

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