Lionel Messi has admitted he had "other offers" from "various clubs" after leaving Barcelona last summer before opting to join Paris Saint-Germain. Messi, 34, was available on a free transfer when his Barcelona contract expired on June 30, after the LaLiga club's precarious financial situation meant they were unable to register a new deal. Weeks of uncertainty followed before PSG announced Mes...Full Story »

Gareth Southgate believes it is “fabulously exciting” to see what Phil Foden can do in an England shirt after he starred in the comfortable World Cup qualifying win over Andorra.The Manchester City forward may not have got on the scoresheet in the 5-0 victory but put in an eye-catching display at the Estadi Nacional.Ben Chilwell’s first England goal got the ball rolling, with B...Full Story »

There was a horrible sense of deja vu for Northern Ireland as a controversial refereeing decision contributed to a pivotal World Cup qualifying defeat by Switzerland.A depleted Northern Ireland stood up to early pressure, but after Jamal Lewis was shown an extremely harsh second yellow card for taking too long over a throw-in, they cracked as goals from Steven Zuber and Christian Fassnacht seale...Full Story »

Steve Clarke admits he prayed that referee Szymon Marciniak would use VAR to give Lyndon Dykes the goal that helped Scotland to a dramatic 3-2 World Cup qualifying win over Israel.Eran Zahavi put the visitors ahead at a sold-out Hampden Park with a curling free-kick in the fifth minute before midfielder John McGinn levelled in the 29th minute with a drive.Munas Dabbur restored Israel’s lea...Full Story »

Alex Revell urged his Stevenage side to have more belief in themselves and become “unplayable” following their 2-2 draw with Exeter at the Lamex Stadium.Elliott List’s brace saw the hosts twice fight back from behind in an entertaining contest which could have gone either way in an end-to-end finale.Revell’s men are now unbeaten in three league matches but the Boro boss h...Full Story »

Plymouth boss Ryan Lowe believes his side are progressing in the right direction as they hit the top of League One with a 2-1 home win over Burton.First-half goals from Conor Grant and fellow midfielder Ryan Broom enabled Argyle to extend their unbeaten league run to 11 games despite a second-half reply from Lucas Akins.Lowe said: “It feels good to be top of the league whether it’s f...Full Story »

A relieved Joey Barton insists there is plenty of hard work ahead for Bristol Rovers despite powering to a 3-0 win over Carlisle on Saturday.Antony Evans broke the deadlock before half-time with a superb turn and finish, and Sam Nicholson and Harvey Saunders gave the scoreline a handsome look with late goals to seal victory for Rovers and their under-pressure boss.The three points propelled the ...Full Story »

Delighted Sutton boss Matt Gray praised his side’s attitude after they clinched a famous 4-3 comeback win against in-form Port Vale.The hosts did not lead until the bitter end as Coby Rowe rifled home a dramatic stoppage-time winner to secure a fifth straight win at Gander Green Lane.“The response and the attitude of these players has never been in question since I’ve come to t...Full Story »

Newport County were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Bradford in an entertaining stalemate at Rodney Parade.Newport goalkeeper Joe Day saved with his feet from striker Andy Cook in the fifth minute as Bradford began brightly.But Newport soon got on top and defender James Clarke saw his header clawed away by goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell before Matty Dolan’s fierce drive on the rebound wa...Full Story »

Altrincham returned to winning ways in the Vanarama National League with a 2-0 victory over struggling Maidenhead.The opening goal came in the 56th minute from Matty Kosylo, who was teed up by Shaun Densmore and Dan Mooney, and produced a fine finish.Maidenhead responded well and almost equalised shortly afterwards through Reece Smith but it was Altrincham who finished the stronger and Tom Peers...Full Story »

Second-placed Boreham Wood maintained their strong form at the top of the Vanarama National League with a 2-0 victory over fellow high-flyers Dagenham and Redbridge.Only two points separated the sides at the start of the game but that is now five, with the Daggers suffering a third straight defeat.After a goalless first half, Boreham Wood opened the scoring four minutes after half-time, Gus Mafu...Full Story »

Paddy Madden’s third goal in as many games saw Stockport beat Aldershot 1-0 at Edgeley Park to climb into the top 10 of the Vanarama National League.Stockport started brightly but were denied a penalty after seven minutes when Mark Kitching went down in the area before John Rooney went close from a free-kick for the hosts.Tommy Willard fired into the side-netting as Aldershot managed to re...Full Story »

A full-blooded Manchester derby ended all square as United and 10-woman City drew 2-2 in the Women’s Super League.City were looking for victory over their neighbours to halt a run of three straight losses but were hampered by Georgia Stanway’s first-half dismissal for a shocking challenge on Leah Galton.That did not stop Khadija Shaw opening the scoring shortly afterwards but United ...Full Story »

Swindon boss Ben Garner admitted he nearly substituted Harry McKirdy before the maverick forward set up the goal that secured his side’s 2-0 win over league leaders Forest Green.McKirdy had given Swindon the lead with a volley before Ipswich loanee Tyreece Simpson put the game beyond Rovers.Garner said: “We were talking about taking him (McKirdy) off and then he popped up with a bit ...Full Story »

Swindon gained the derby day West Country bragging rights after they beat league leaders Forest Green 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Harry McKirdy and Tyreece Simpson.Swindon, who were missing five players on international duty, started brightly and thought they had nosed ahead on 15 minutes when Luke McGee spilled McKirdy’s strike and Simpson put the loose ball into the net – ...Full Story »

The blaze is thought to have started when sparks from welders, working on the gantry for TV coverage, caused the structure to go up in flames. A blaze broke out at Andorra's stadium on Friday afternoon Huge flames engulfed the TV gantry and dugout Emergency services quickly put the blaze out But not before substantial damage was caused Credit: PA The fire spread to the home dugout and artif...Full Story »

He took part in a session with Grand Master Tsu and learnt more about the centuries-old Chinese martial art in Singapore Beckham - Performing Tai Chi is important for my family's 'mental awareness'AP Former Manchester United, Real Madrid and England midfielder David Beckham embraced the calming, physical and mental well-being side of Tai Chi, as he took part in a session with Grand Master Tsu ...Full Story »

The partners of the England teammates are close friends and attended Hawkins' lavish bridal party in Manchester on Friday as she chose her bridesmaids for the wedding Harry Maguire's fiancee Fern Hawkins has asked Jordan Pickford's wife Megan Davison to be one of her bridesmaids at her wedding in June next year. Davison was one of a group of bridesmaid who were asked to take on the role at a l...Full Story »

Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante returned to training on Friday. Kante has served his government imposed period of isolation and was back in training. He worked away from the main group today, working on his fitness with a number of individual drills, with the aim to integrate him back into things after the international break. With many of Thomas Tuchel's squad currently away on internation...Full Story »

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman is targeting Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek. The Dutchman is fighting for his future at Nou Camp after some miserable results, including a 3-0 defeat Benfica in the Champions League and a 2-0 loss at Atletico Madrid. However, he still has his sights on the transfer window and has several targets he would like to bring to Catalonia. The main prio...Full Story »