Sports

Antoine Griezmann is relishing his return home after Atletico Madrid rescued him from Barcelona, with Diego Simeone set to be a big winner if the Frenchman rediscovers his best form.

The transfer window was closing when Atletico dashed in to snatch Griezmann, as Saul Niguez s move to Chelsea cleared space in coach Simeone s squad for a major arrival.

Griezmann said he was sad not to play regularly in front of a packed Camp Nou during his time at Barcelona, with the pandemic putting paid to that prospect.

That message came in a goodbye note to Barcelona supporters on Wednesday, but on Thursday he had his eye on the challenge ahead.

Looking forward to coming home, Griezmann wrote on Twitter, replying after Atletico announced he would inherit Saul s number…

The first exciting, intriguing weekend of the Premier League season is out of the way, with a number of themes consistent with the last campaign.

Manchester City remain dominant, as rivals Manchester United continue to struggle.

Both teams have a different look this term, however, and there were several interesting new developments across the first 10 matches.

With Bournemouth in the Champions League places and Liverpool winless, it is a little too early for firm 2022-23 conclusions.

But where is the fun in that?
 

Haaland takes City to another level

There were doubts after a Community Shield bow in which Erling Haaland did not find the net and City lost to Liverpool.

But Haaland answered any critics in a dominant Premier League …

Luis Enrique believes it would be unfair for Lionel Messi to end his glittering career without winning the World Cup, and would like Argentina to triumph in Qatar if his Spain team fall short.

Messi will begin his fifth World Cup campaign when Argentina face Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, with the Albiceleste s 2014 final defeat the closest he has come to landing the trophy.

Despite scoring six goals at the World Cup (four in 2014), Messi has failed to find the net in 756 minutes of knockout action at the competition.

However, Messi approaches the tournament in fine form after a period of adaptation at Paris Saint-Germain, and if Luis Enrique is unable to lead Spain to glory in Qatar, he hopes his former Barcelona attacker emerges victorious.

If Spain doesn t …

Edinson Cavani has signed a new contract at Paris Saint-Germain, extending his current deal by a further two seasons to commit to the Ligue 1 champions until 2020.

Cavani who has been linked with moves to Manchester United and Arsenal has thrived following the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, becoming the first player in Europe s top five leagues to reach 30 league goals this season.

He was on target with his 31st Ligue 1 goal of the campaign as PSG beat Montpellier 2-0 on Saturday to put pressure on Monaco at the top of the table.

The Uruguay international has hit 125 goals in 192 matches since joining PSG in July 2013 from Napoli and is closing in on Ibrahimovic s club record of 156 goals.

Paris Saint-Germain are delighted to announce that has signed a…

Manuel Neuer has signed a one-year extension to his deal with Bayern Munich, tying him to the Bundesliga champions until 2024.

The Germany international goalkeeper has won 10 Bundesliga titles with Bayern, as well as five DFB-Pokals and two Champions Leagues.

Neuer has made 472 appearances since signing from Schalke in 2011, and when his new deal was announced on Monday, expressed his delight at committing to another year in Bavaria.

I m very pleased that my journey continues at FC Bayern, he told the club s website. We ll have a very good team again with which we can play for every title.

As a goalkeeper, captain and leader, I want to be the support and a key factor in our big goals. We want to extend our title record and compete again for the DFB Cu…

Paulo Bento has thanked South Korea s players for providing him with one of the most beautiful experiences of his life in their run to the knockout stage of Qatar 2022.

South Korea pulled off a late 2-1 win over Portugal in their final group game to reach the last 16, where they were heavily beaten 4-1 by Brazil.

Bento, appointed in 2018 as Shin Tae-yong s successor, announced immediately after that match he would not be renewing his contract with South Korea.

The Portuguese coach said a final farewell to supporters on Tuesday before flying back to his homeland.

I am thankful to all the players, due to their professionalism, work ethic and their behaviour, Bento said.

They gave me the opportunity to have one of the most beautiful experiences of …

Hansi Flick believes the philosophy and principles of Barcelona closely resemble his own and is excited to get started after succeeding Xavi at Camp Nou.

On Wednesday, Barca confirmed former Bayern Munich boss Flick had signed a two-year contract to take over as head coach following Xavi s surprise dismissal.

Xavi had initially announced his departure in January, only for president Joan Laporta to convince him to conduct a U-turn and commit his future to the club. Amid reports of unrest behind the scenes, Barca then decided to part ways with the former midfielder.

Flick, who won two Bundesliga titles and the Champions League during a two-year spell with Bayern, is committed to conforming to Barca s traditions.

It s a big honour and a dream for me to sig…

Ousmane Dembele s double helped move Paris Saint-Germain back to the top of Ligue 1 with a 3-1 home win over Brest.

Fabian Ruiz s brilliant strike was sandwiched between those two goals as the French champions remained perfect, leapfrogging back above Marseille and Monaco after their wins earlier on Saturday.

Romain Del Castillo had put Brest in front with a penalty just before the half-hour mark after a foul by Nuno Mendes on Ludovic Ajorque.

PSG then equalised in the 42nd minute with a header from the unmarked Dembele off Marco Asensio s pinpoint cross.

Brest offered little in the second half despite PSG taking their foot off the gas, but Fabian put the hosts in front in the 73rd minute with a superb long-range effort.

Just 80 seconds later, Dem…

Watching the European Championship qualifiers make their return on Thursday, Group B promises us another action-packed fortnight of drama.

With two separate European icons going head-to-head in their bid to book an automatic route out of Group B, we also have a string of intriguing European Championship betting markets that are worth taking note of.

Ahead of what could be a defining fortnight of action from Group B, we have created your ultimate guide for the next two weeks and have taken a glance at some of the EURO 24 betting tips that are available this month.

Who is leading the chase in Group B?

While France might have suffered major World Cup final heartbreak at the hands of Argentina out in Qatar over the winter, Les Bleus certainly haven’t shown any si…

Barcelona are interested in signing Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi in the summer transfer window, according to . Ndidi is out of contract at Leicester at the end of the season, and Barcelona are keen on snapping up the Nigeria international defensive midfielder on a free transfer.

Ndidi has been on the books of Leicester since 2017. The 27-year-old has established himself as one of the best and most important players for the Foxes and is a key player in the team. The 27-year-old has made 20 starts and six substitute appearances in the Championship for Leicester this season, scoring two goals and providing three assists in those games.

Barcelona are second in the La Liga table at the moment. The defending Spanish champions have picked up 67 points from 30 games,…