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  Sevilla shocked Jose Mourinho’s Roma to win their seventh Europa League title in 17 years, on penalties, as they ended the 'Special One's' undefeated record in European finals. Despite goals from Paulo Dybala and an own goal from Gianluca Mancini it was a poor 120 minutes of football on display from both teams. After a period of extra time that would have put many to sleep, the game went to penalties as May became June in front of the players and fans eyes. Mancini and Roger Ibanez both failed to score their spot kicks, giving Gonzalo Montiel the chance to wrap up the trophy for the Spanish side. Montiel had scored the winning penalty in the World Cup final last December but had his effort in Budapest saved, only for the referee to order a re-take with the goalkeeper off his line. Montiel made no mistake the second time and won the game. It was never expected to be a classic final between two teams who needed to win in order to qualify for next season's Champions Leag...

Lionel Messi’s future has been the subject of intense discussion over the last few months, with the Argentine set to become a free agent this summer, as a renewal at Paris Saint-Germain will not come to fruition. Barcelona want to re-sign Messi, two years after he left to join PSG, although their pursuit has been complicated because they are still waiting to receive approval from LaLiga over the viability plan. The situation has reportedly left Messi frustrated, and Guillem Balague, writing in his BBC Sport column, believes that Messi has decided against returning to Catalonia this summer. “Lionel Messi is expected to decide in the coming hours where he will be playing his football next season – the only thing that seems certain is that it will not be at Barcelona. “His camp has told Barcelona the decision on his future is imminent and they cannot wait any longer for a proposal from them that has not arrived, despite promises the Catalan club would have something in place by now.” Bala...

Sevilla are preparing for the biggest game of their season on Wednesday night, as they take on Roma in the final of the Europa League. While their full focus in on matters in Budapest, they have taken the opportunity to stand in solidarity with former player Sergio Rico, who was teammates with several members of Jose Luis Mendilibar’s squad. During their pre-match warm-up for Wednesday’s match, Sevilla wore t-shirts with the message “Come on Sergio, we are with you!” Rico, who currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain, is currently in intensive care in a Seville hospital, having suffered a severe head injury following a horse-riding accident on Sunday morning. He had returned home to Andalusia having been granted days off, following PSG’s Ligue 1 triumph on Saturday evening. Rico is very much in the thoughts of everyone associated with Sevilla, and it’s safe to say that they will hope to win the Europa League in his honour.

Julian Nagelsmann has been linked with a move to Tottenham as their next manager this summer "We have quite big squad. Whoever is in charge in pre-season, there are a lot of players and decisions to make.  Ultimately I think we need to get back to who we want to be, who our fans want us to be and then going forward we will have better results on a more consistent basis." The manager being a key decision in all of that, there have been some blows along the way, with Arne Slot deciding to commit his future to Feyenoord rather than join Spurs. Julian Nagelsmann was another linked following his dismissal from Bayern Munich, but that move hit a block. Whether Levy will u-turn on that decision remains to be seen, though he would have to move quickly if he does want to land the German.  That's because, according to TMW, Napoli have made contact with Nagelsmann over a potential move to success Luciano Spaletti following his exit in a Scudetto triumph.

Benzema would earn more than €100m per year. Karim Benzema’s future could be at Saudi club Al Ittihad. According to sources at the club, the agreement with the French striker is close to being finalised. It is now up to Benzema and Real Madrid to make the move official. Al Ittihad are the current champions of the Saudi league and are coached by Nuno Espirito Santo, who played at Deportivo, Osasuna and Merida and also coached Valencia. Benzema talks to Cristiano For months, the Saudi Arabian government has been working on signing Benzema and everything appears to indicate that they have finally managed to convince him. Benzema has even spoken to Cristiano Ronaldo about the league and life in the country. Benzema would, in principle, sign a two-year contract and his salary would be in excess of €100m tax-free per season. The Madrid No 9 met with his agent in Madrid this afternoon. As soon as his departure is confirmed, he will put an end to 14 seasons as a Real Madrid player. He has play...

Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster thinks all 20 Premier League goalkeepers would have "struggled" if they played in the National League this season. The 40-year-old former Manchester United, Watford and West Brom shot-stopper, who came out of retirement in March, helped Phil Parkinson's side achieve automatic promotion to League Two. In total, Foster made seven National League appearances for the Dragons – a stint that featured a dramatic 96th-minute penalty save in their title showdown clash against runners-up Notts County. Wrexham would finish the National League campaign with 111 points, smashing the previous record for a 46-game season. Foster, meanwhile, has recently made a bold statement on why top flight goalkeepers from the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool would struggle at National League level. Speaking on The Fellas podcast with British YouTube personalities Calfreezy and Chip, former Premier League player Foster explained his reasoning. He said: "Listen...

The agent of Sporting Lisbon star Manuel Ugarte has already stated his client is 'almost certain' to move clubs this summer amid interest from Chelsea and Manchester United. Ugarte has been linked with a move away from Sporting for several months - and the club's manager, Ruben Amorim, stated that it would be difficult to keep the Uruguayan after their failure to reach the Champions League. The 22-year-old midfielder has caught the attention of Europe's elite through his star performances this season, although he was sent off in his only visit to England this season when Sporting took on Arsenal in the Europa League. That is one of very few blots on Ugarte's copybook, however, and he could rival Bruno Fernandes as Sporting's club-record sale if he does depart this summer. Fernandes' United are attempting to hijack Chelsea's move for the midfielder, according to Portuguese outlet A Bola. Earlier this week, Sky Sports reported that the Uruguayan was a prim...

The Top 7 Most Valuable Football Teams/club in the World in 2023 Football is the most popular sport in the world, and it is also a very lucrative business. The top football teams in the world generate billions of dollars in revenue each year, and they are worth billions of dollars. According to Forbes, the top 7 most valuable football teams/club in the world in 2023 are: Real Madrid - $6.07 billion Manchester United - $6 billion Barcelona - $5.51 billion Liverpool - $5.29 billion Manchester City - $4.99 billion Bayern Munich - $4.86 billion Chelsea - $3.1 billion These teams are valued based on a number of factors, including revenue, fan base, and brand recognition. Real Madrid is the most valuable team in the world due to its long history of success, large fan base, and global brand recognition. Manchester United is the second most valuable team due to its large fan base and global brand recognition. Barcelona is the third most valuable team due to its long history of success, large f...

  Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele and RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku are among the players recalled to the France squad named on Thursday by coach Didier Deschamps ahead of two Euro 2024 qualifiers in for June. Fitness problems meant both players missed France's opening qualifying matches in March, when they beat the Netherlands 4-0 at home and won 1-0 away to the Republic of Ireland. They now go into a match against minnows Gibraltar in Faro, Portugal on June 16, and a home clash with Greece three days later, on top of qualifying Group B with six points. "You will say I am very pragmatic, but the three points that are available against Gibraltar have the same value as those we took against the Netherlands or in Ireland," Deschamps told reporters in Paris. "He was supposed to be in the squad for the World Cup but was ruled out by injury, but now he is back on top form," added Deschamps of Nkunku, who scored four goals in the last five Bundesliga games of ...

  Beth Mead has been left out of the England squad for this year's Women's World Cup, but Bethany England returns for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. England boss Sarina Wiegman has recalled England after the striker scored 12 goals for Tottenham in the Women's Super League since joining from Chelsea in January. England was an unused squad member when Wiegman's team won the Women's European Championship last year and has not featured on the international stage since September. In a blow to England's hopes of a first World Cup triumph in the women's game, there is no place for Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner Mead. The Arsenal forward lost her battle to recover in time for the World Cup after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in November. Chelsea centre-back Millie Bright and Barcelona defender Lucy Bronze, also sidelined of late, do feature in a 23-player list. Leah Williamson and Fran Kirby had already been ruled out due to injury. Jo...

Jose Mourinho has reportedly "banned staff" from Roma training ahead of the Europa League final with Sevilla on Wednesday. Mourinho is vying to win the competition for the competition for the third time at the Puskas Arena in Budapest and follow up Roma's Conference League success last season. The Giallorossi beat Feyenoord 1-0 in the final in Tirana to claim a first trophy since 2008, which secured qualification to UEFA's secondary club competition this season. Even at 60 Mourinho is desperate to add another trophy to his collection and a new report claims the lengths he is going to achieve success. Corriere Dello Sport say Mourinho took the decision to completely lock down Roma training sessions at the club's Trigoria training base. It means that only technical and medical staff deemed to be essential were allowed access, with no other eyes allowed this week as Mourinho and the squad completed final preparations. Mourinho did the same before the Conference Leagu...

Manchester United YouTuber Mark Goldbridge claimed Manchester United would need to spend another £250million this summer. United have enjoyed a reasonably successful first campaign under Erik ten Hag. The Old Trafford qualified for next season’s Champions League, claimed the Carabao Cup - their first silverware of any kind since 2017 - and have made it to the FA Cup final, which takes place on Saturday. However, United were still some way off the quality and consistency of Premier League rivals Manchester City and Arsenal, and have been tipped to be active in the transfer market to close that gap. While United will be looking for upgrades across the pitch, the club are particularly looking to sign a striker, with Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen having both been linked. Goldbridge on United’s summer spend Speaking on TalkSPORT, Goldbridge heaped praise on Ten Hag for his first season at United but added that the club would need to spend a further £250million just to compete wi...

Arsenal legend Tony Adams fears the team may have already peaked under Mikel Arteta. Arsenal had looked like favourites to win the Premier League for much of the season before falling away in the final weeks of the campaign, with Manchester City going on to claim a third successive title instead. Their capitulation in the league means Arsenal will end the campaign without a piece of major silverware for the third season in a row under Arteta. Arsenal are expected to back the Spaniard with significant transfer funds this summer to ensure this season's title challenge was not just a one-off. But former Arsenal captain Adams, who won four league titles with the north London club, fears they may have missed their only opportunity to be crowned champions under Arteta. Adams fears for Arsenal Writing in his column for The Sun, Adams said: "I do fear that this could be as good as it gets for them. "Talk of Arsenal bottling the title race was nonsense because they played to their...

  Brentford signed Netherlands goalkeeper Mark Flekken in a deal worth a reported £11 million ($13 million) on Wednesday. Flekken agreed a four-year contract with the Premier League club, who will complete the transfer subject to international clearance and a work permit being granted. The 29-year-old, capped four times by the Netherlands, could replace Brentford's current first choice keeper David Raya, who has been linked with a close-season move. "We're very happy to have signed Mark. He's a player with a lot of quality who will strengthen our goalkeeper group," Brentford manager Thomas Frank said. "He has big experience and joins us after two great seasons with Freiburg, who have just had a top season in the Bundesliga, finishing fifth and qualifying for the Europa League. "He was a big part of the team there and now he's coming to us and will hopefully make the group better and the team better. "He's a very good shot-stopper and comfort...

Roy Keane aimed a brutal comment at Sir Alex Ferguson during a Manchester United vs Manchester City quiz. Keane was a guest on a quiz on former teammate Gary Neville's 'The Overlap' channel, competing against pundit pal Micah Richards and former City and England women's star Jill Scott. Both teams had to answer some seriously difficult questions about Manchester derbies ahead of the FA Cup final showdown between the two sides at Wembley on Saturday. One question for Keane and Neville was to correctly name the score for the first derby they started together, in the 1995/1996 season. The two got a little mixed up and thought the game was at Maine Road, with Neville believing it was the game where David Beckham scored a free-kick winner and Sir Alex Ferguson was not in attendance back in 2000. Scott was curious as to why Ferguson wasn't in the dug-out, and Keane, who he was on top form throughout, had a dig at the Scot. “His son was getting married,” Keane explained Ob...

Lionel Messi could be set for a sensational joint transfer in the summer, reports claim. Messi, who scored the goal that clinched the Ligue One title for Paris Saint-Germain, is expected to leave the club once his contract at the Parc des Princes on 30 June. He has heavily linked with both Barcelona and Inter Miami, while there is talk of an astronomical offer from Saudi Arabia side Al Hilal. Messi will soon become a free agent but L'Equipe say that Barca and Inter have discussed a unique arrangement for the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner's services. The deal would essentially be a buy-and-loan exchange. The scenario would see Messi sign for David Beckham's MLS franchise but immediately be loaned out to his beloved Barcelona, where he has scored a staggering 672 goals. The 35-year-old would then spend between six and 18 months back in Catalonia and ensure he is playing at the highest level going into the 2024 Copa America - which could well be his final tournament for Ar...

  Former Manchester United and Portugal winger Nani has left Melbourne Victory after just 10 league appearances, the Australian club said on Wednesday. The 36-year-old was hailed as one of the A-League's biggest coups in years when he signed last year. But he did not live up to the hype, failing to score before a serious knee injury ruled him out of the rest of the season. "The club would like to thank Nani for his contribution and wishes him the best for the future," Victory said in a statement. Nani joined from Italian club Venezia, following stints in the United States, Spain and Turkey, having left United in 2015. Nani was capped 112 times for Portugal and won the Premier League four times with United. Melbourne Victory finished the A-League season 11th in the 12-team table.

  The numbers have been crunched to determine how much Joao Felix cost for Chelsea and it's an eye-watering amount. Felix joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid in January for £15 million and got off to the worst possible start. He was sent off on his debut as he was shown a straight red card against Fulham at Craven Cottage. While he showed glimpses of his ability after returning to action, his time in England ultimately proved to be a failure. Felix, who scored four goals in 20 matches in all competitions for Chelsea, is said to have cost the club a total of £15 million for the second half of the season, working out at £6 million in wages and a loan fee of £9 million. So, he cost Chelsea almost £4 million for every goal he scored and £750,000 for each of his 20 appearances this season. The Portuguese forward only steered the Blues to four wins, which equates to £3.75 million per victory. And he also cost the Premier League outfit a whopping £12,000 for every 60 seconds he spent on t...

  Ukrainian football fans on Twitter took issue with Arsenal paying a birthday tribute to their former winger Andrey Arshavin after the Russian's alleged support for the Ukraine war. Arsenal have deleted a tweet wishing former player Andrey Arshavin a happy birthday. The Gunners on Monday posted a tweet celebrating the 42-year-old, who made 144 appearances for the north London club between 2009 and 2013. Their tweet included a video of the Russian winger’s greatest game for Arsenal in which he scored four goals against Liverpool in an epic 4-4 draw at Anfield. “Wishing you a great day, Andrey,” the caption read. But the post was immediately met with backlash by Ukrainians on the social media platform, who criticised Arsenal for sending well wishes to a Russian. One user claimed Arshavin regularly works for Russian state TV and has pledged to fight for his country against Ukraine if conscripted. Another had written: “28 may: russian army attacked Zhytomyr region, home region of Alex...

  Mauro Icardi scored twice as Galatasaray sealed the Turkish league title for a 23rd time with a 4-1 win at Ankaragucu on Tuesday. The Istanbul club have 82 points with one game to play and cannot be caught by their great city rivals Fenerbahce, who have 77. Galatasaray reclaim the title they last won in 2019, having slumped to a historic low of 13th last season. Argentine striker Icardi, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain this season, has scored 21 goals with Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira also influential as Galatasaray clinched a return to the Champions League. Okan Buruk's side will celebrate their title Sunday during a much-anticipated derby against Fenerbahce, who have not won the title since 2014. The arrival of Icardi and Torreira last summer gave the club a boost. They also acquired Belgian forward Dries Mertens, Portuguese midfielder Sergio Oliveira and Italian midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo.

Top scorers and assist-makers for Real Madrid in the 2023-2024 season Real Madrid finished second in La Liga in the 2022-2023 season, behind Barcelona. They were also eliminated in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League by Manchester City. Real Madrid had a strong start to the season, but they struggled in the second half of the season. They lost several key players to injuries, and they also had some disciplinary problems. As a result, they were unable to keep up with Barcelona in La Liga. In the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid had a good run until they met Manchester City in the semi-finals. City were the better team on the day, and they won the tie 5-1 on aggregate. Overall, it was a disappointing season for Real Madrid. They will be hoping to do better in the 2023-2024 season. Rank Player Goals 1 Karim Benzema 30 2 Vinicius Junior 18 3 Rodrygo Goes ...

VAR decisions had a mixed impact on Premier League clubs in 2022/23 A study has shown how Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decisions affected every Premier League club in the 2022/23 season. The study, conducted by ESPN, found that VAR had a mixed impact on clubs, with some benefiting from the technology and others being negatively affected. The biggest winners from VAR were Brentford, who were six decisions better off thanks to the technology. Fulham, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, and Newcastle United also benefited from VAR decisions. At the other end of the scale, Manchester City were the biggest losers from VAR, with four key decisions going against them. Brighton, Leeds United, Leicester City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Wolves, West Ham United, Southampton, and Crystal Palace were also in the negatives in terms of VAR decisions. Manchester United, Chelsea, and Everton were the only clubs to be level in the VAR equation, with neither benefiting nor being negatively ...

Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has been ruled out of the FA Cup final against Manchester City in a serious blow for Erik ten Hag. The club confirmed the news via their website, explaining that he would not feature after picking up a hamstring injury during the Red Devils' 2-1 win over Fulham on Sunday. The Frenchman only played 23 minutes against the Cottagers, but it was enough to rule him out of their mouth-watering final against Pep Guardiola's treble-chasing City team. It is the latest setback of many for the injury-prone 27-year-old, whose season has been hindered by five separate issues, ruling him out of a total of 27 matches. His absence will leave Ten Hag scrambling for alternatives, having relied on the forward for goals in recent weeks. Indeed, when fit, he has been United's first-choice striker. While Wout Weghorst, who has only scored twice since arriving on loan in January and has not found the net in his last 15 games, is the other option available...

The Spanish goalkeeper remains hospitalized after suffering a traumatic brain injury in a horseback riding accident in El Rocio Sergio Rico, Sevillian goalkeeper of PSG, remains hospitalized at the Virgen del Rocio in Seville in serious condition after he suffered a traumatic brain injury last Sunday after falling from a horse in El Rocio, in Huelva. His family issued a statement on Monday in which they said that the footballer was "in good hands", but that they should "act with caution, especially in the next 48 hours". View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alba Silva (@albasilvat) Now it has been his wife, Alba Silva, who has used her social media profiles to share an emotional message to the footballer:  "Don't leave me alone, my love, because I swear I can't and don't know how to live without you. We are waiting for you, my life, we love you so much...".   Those few sentences accompanied by a black and white phot...

Lukaku has stirred up a conversation on social media as a video of him making a public appearance with Megan Thee Stallion at Lautaro Martinez's wedding surfaces. Belgium and Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku became the centre of attraction on social media after the football star was spotted alongside the Grammy award-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion at the wedding of his Inter Milan teammate Lautaro Martinez. It is uncertain the status of their relationship as Megan has not confirmed or denied if her relationship with Pardison Fontaine has ended.  The video only shows the two stars who are signed to the management outfit of Roc Nation sitting side by side at the wedding it is however uncertain if they came together or had just met at the wedding. Speculations of the two stars dating have, however, surfaced on social media as Lukaku recently ended his five-year relationship with Sarah Mens. Found another video of Lukaku and Megan Thee Stallion at Lautaro's wedding 🫡 pic.twitter....

  Lionel Messi's future remains uncertain despite the Argentine magician playing his final game for PSG on Saturday, with one outlet claiming he has already agreed a move to Saudi Arabia. Lionel Messi's camp have reportedly accepted a £1billion offer to join Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal. The 35-year-old is set to play the final game of his two-season long spell at Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday. Messi’s appearance at the Parc des Princes comes after he was briefly suspended by PSG for making an unsanctioned trip to Saudi. That gave rise to increased speculation about Messi agreeing a move to the Middle-East once his contract runs out at the end of this season, which the Argentine’s dad and agent Jorge categorically denied. But a new report from Foot Mercato suggests Al-Hilal have overcome a major hurdle by coming to an agreement with the player’s entourage. The French outlet claims Messi’s camp have accepted a deal which would see him earn an eye-watering sum of nearly £1bn (€...

  Maurico Pochettino does not want Chelsea to make Joao Felix's move to Stamford Bridge permanent as he makes his first big call as their new manager. Pochettino, who was finally confirmed as the new Chelsea boss on Monday, has decided he does not want to keep Felix beyond the end of his loan deal with the Blues. The Portuguese star showed flashes of what he is capable of after recovering from a red card just 60 minutes into his debut but has ultimately failed to do enough to impress the incoming manager. After Marca broke the news, Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo confirmed the Portuguese attacker would be returning to Spain. He said: "The truth is that I can't tell you the plan with Joao. It's the news we had yesterday, that the new coach doesn't have him for Chelsea. We don't have anything planned yet, Joao is an Atletico player now." The attacker scored four goals across 16 appearances for Chelsea as the Blues slumped to an all-time low points...

  Five men in the UK who illegally streamed English Premier League football matches to tens of thousands of people were jailed on Tuesday, the league announced. Members of the gang received prison terms ranging from three to 11 years each after the Premier League brought what it said was "the world's largest-ever prosecution of an illegal streaming network". The defendants, aged between 30 and 46, raked in more than £7 million ($8.7 million) selling subscriptions to three illegal platforms streaming to over 50,000 customers and resellers. "The organisations offered illegal access to watch Premier League matches, hundreds of channels from around the world and tens of thousands of on-demand films and TV shows," the Premier League said in a statement. The gang's "mastermind", Mark Gould, 36, was sentenced to 11 years in jail at Chesterfield Justice Centre, in central England. The remaining four received sentences ranging from three to more than five y...

  Jose Mourinho said Tuesday that "history does not play" as he prepares his Roma team to face Europa League specialists Sevilla in Wednesday's final in Budapest. The Italian side, who can finish no higher than fifth in Serie A, meet the six-time winners at the Puskas Arena, just 12 months after they won the inaugural Europa Conference League. The Portuguese manager said his team deserved to be in the showpiece match in the Hungarian capital after an arduous journey. "We deserve to play this final, we have been saying that for a long time," he said at his pre-match press conference. "It has been a long journey, different from our opponent, who came from the Champions League. "In the last two months we have played quarter-finals, semi-finals, league, injuries and we have not had much time to work. We tried to recover and stay as good as possible. In the last few days we have been working." Mourinho said he was aware of the Spanish team's perfec...

  B.J. Callaghan, an assistant coach for the United States national team the past four years, was elevated to interim head coach on Tuesday by US Soccer after Anthony Hudson departed. Matt Crocker, US Soccer's sporting director, appointed Callaghan to take charge of the American squad through title defenses in the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup and Nations League tournaments. Hudson, who had been serving on an interim basis, is leaving for an unspecified new opportunity. The search continues for a permanent head coach to replace Gregg Berhalter, whose contract expired at the end of last year. "B.J. has been an integral part of the USMNT staff during the last four years as this young team has grown and developed," Crocker said. "Working alongside Anthony Hudson these last five months, we are confident he is prepared and ready to lead this group in the summer tournaments." Hudson, a US assistant coach since 2021, took over as interim coach in January, guiding the team...

  Coventry have hit out at the online racist abuse directed towards Fankaty Dabo after his decisive penalty miss in the Championship play-off final against Luton at Wembley on Saturday. Luton won promotion to the Premier League by prevailing 6-5 in the shootout after the sides were tied at 1-1 after 120 minutes. Financial experts estimate promotion to world football's most watched league to be worth around £170 million ($210 million), making 27-year-old defender Dabo's missed spot-kick one of the costliest errors in the game. Coventry said they would work with football authorities and the police to ban and prosecute anyone found to have sent racist messages to Dabo, who received a sympathetic hand from many Sky Blues fans at Wembley. "The messages sent to Fankaty were disgusting and there is no place for any person who sent such vile abuse at any of our games, and social media is not a hiding place to make these comments," Coventry owner and executive chairman Doug Ki...