Rumour Has It: Barcelona and Atletico Madrid weigh up shock moves for Di Maria

Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola admits he was saddened to see Barcelona star Lionel Messi sustain a serious knee injury.

Messi suffered a knee ligament tear in the 2-1 win over Las Palmas and is set to be out for up to two months as a result.

The Argentina captain flourished into one of the greatest footballers in the modern game during Guardiola s time as head coach at Camp Nou between 2008 and 2012, and the latter is keen to see him get back into action quickly.

I hope he will return as soon as possible, said Guardiola.  I did not like [hearing] the news about his injury at all. I know he is one of those players who always wants to play. It is a pity that he cannot play for the next seven to eight weeks.

Guardiola has been a supporter of the Catalon…

Gareth Southgate believes nobody will care about the group stage if England enjoy a good run in the Euro 2024 knockout stages, starting with Slovakia on Sunday.

Despite topping Group C, England came under fire for their below-par performances in the group stage after edging past Serbia in the opener before playing out draws with Denmark and Slovenia.

First place in the group means the Three Lions avoided the side of the draw including a lot of the favourites, but even that has not raised morale among the fans.

While Southgate accepted the criticism the team received, he was adamant that the real jeopardy of the tournament starts in the round of 16.

Reality is that nobody will care about the group stage if you get it right? That is the reality, and of cou…

Nemanja Matic and goalscoring hero Aleksandar Prijovic revelled in Serbia s successful World Cup qualifying campaign after the Balkan nation booked their spot at Russia 2018 with a 1-0 win over Georgia.

Belgrade was in party mode on Monday as substitute Prijovic s 74th-minute goal sealed victory for the hosts, ensuring they made it back to the biggest stage in international football after missing out in 2010.

Manchester United star Matic had earlier seen his volley cleared off the line before Prijovic calmed any remaining nerves, with Ireland s win in Wales meaning a draw would ultimately have been enough for Slavoljub Muslin s men.

We had a lot of pressure before this game, said Matic. We wanted to play patiently, we knew that we would have a chance.

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The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has issued a strong rebuttal to claims in an Argentinian newspaper that Republic of Ireland players were paid $10,000 each to not injure Lionel Messi during a 2010 friendly against Argentina.

A story in La Nacion claimed that former head of the Argentina Football Association Julio Grondona who died in July 2014 suggested making payments to the Irish players as they could not afford to stump up the Barcelona superstar s insurance should he have picked up an injury.

It is also alleged that Argentina suggested playing the match to FIFA as a way of alleviating Ireland s grievances over losing a World Cup play-off to France, in which Thierry Henry famously handballed in the build-up to William Gallas winner.

Messi played 58 …

Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro insists they will not surrender La Liga just yet as they prepare to host Sevilla on Sunday.

Zinedine Zidane s side battled to a 2-1 victory away to Las Palmas last week – with Casemiro heading in a late winner – but they remain 12 points behind leaders Barcelona with nine games to play.

Madrid were criticised for a lacklustre display in Gran Canaria, but the Brazilian insists maximum points are all that matter as they aim to keep their slim title hopes alive.

We know we didn t do well, but I ll take the points, Casemiro said. There are days when we re not able to do that.

We re criticised when we play badly because we re the best team in the world.

Of course La Liga isn t over. We ll fight to the end, eve…

The final member of Brazil s last World Cup-winning squad hung up his boots on Sunday.

Former Sao Paulo, AC Milan, Real Madrid and Orlando City playmaker Kaka enjoyed a decorated career, winning Serie A, LaLiga and the Champions League.

Kaka also won the World Cup, the 35-year-old a member of the Brazil squad who reigned supreme at the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.

After dazzling in his homeland in 2001, Kaka earned a ticket to the World Cup the following year with Luiz Felipe Scolari and the Selecao – the attacking midfielder going on to win 92 caps and score 29 international goals.

He only made one appearance off the bench at the 2002 showpiece, however, the superstar trio of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo sidelining Kaka as Brazil celeb…

Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has been ruled out for a “several weeks” with a hamstring injury.

After missing three matches, the 31-year-old captained Erik ten Hag’s side on his return against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

Casemiro was replaced at half-time of the 3-0 defeat and United have now confirmed he will miss a key run of fixtures.

has been ruled out for several weeks.

— Manchester United (@ManUtd)

The club said in a statement: “Casemiro will be out for several weeks due to a hamstring injury suffered during our Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle United on Wednesday.

“The Brazilian midfielder was withdrawn at half-time due to the issue, and subsequent assessment has revealed a strain that will keep …

Phil Neville admitted his England players have destroyed him at the Women s World Cup as he opened up about his new-found sensitivity and the importance of creating a positive environment for the Lionesses to thrive in.

The former Manchester United and Everton midfielder said England s journey to the semi-finals, where they lost 2-1 to the United States, had left him more prone to teary moments and with a tendency to smile and relax, while describing his squad as an unbelievable set of girls .

England lost 2-1 to Sweden in Saturday s third-place play-off – a game Neville wrote off as a nonsense but he spoke about his pride in his players and his determination to reflect deeply on their performance.

They destroyed me, Neville told 90min.com.

They turn…

Uruguay have nailed the third place in this year s edition of the Copa America, beating Canada on penalties after a lively affair in the consolation prize showdown.

Uruguay were ahead less than eight minutes in through Rodrigo Bentacur. Ismael Kone equalized in the 22nd and Jonathan David turned the game around with around 10 minutes left to go, but a late goal from Luis Suarez took the match into a penalty shootout, where misses from Canada s Kone and Alphonso Davies helped Marcelo Bielsa s team land the bronze.

The teams

Unlike in the semifinal loss to Argentina, Canada manager Jesse Marsch went with a 4-2-3-1 setup for this historic clash. With Dayne St. Clair in goal, the back-four line comprised of Alistair Johnson, Luc de Fougerolles, Moise Bombito and Richie Lar…

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Hoping to make an immediate return to winning ways on Friday night, Genoa will welcome Verona to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

Genoa

Starting with the hosts, missing out on what they had billed as a potential opportunity last weekend as they eventually slumped to a 2-1 loss at the hands of Cagliari, Genoa are seeking an immediate response here. Currently holding a three-point buffer over the drop zone heading into Friday’s showdown, Alberto Gilardino’s side should be smelling a golden chance here. Simply looking to avoid getting dragged into a relegation scrap after making their Serie A return this season, the Griffins will be excited by the prospect of making a return to home soil. Last seen at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris extending on …