⚽Football News

Brazil legend Ronaldo urges Madrid to go after Neymar

Real Madrid need the best players and should sign Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar, according to Brazil great Ronaldo.

Neymar made a world-record €222million move from Barcelona to PSG last year, signing a deal until 2022 with the Ligue 1 giants.

Despite that contract, the 26-year-old continues to be linked with a shock switch to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ronaldo, who spent more than four seasons at Madrid, said his former club were always looking to sign the best, and that included Neymar.

"Neymar is a superb player, maybe he will be the best in the world in a few years, and Real Madrid need the best," he said on Wednesday, via Marca .

Despite the speculation, Ronaldo played down how close a potential Madrid move was for Neymar.

"I haven't heard any official representative of Real Madrid say anything about Neymar," Ronaldo said. 

Evra completes West Ham move

West Ham have completed the signing of former Manchester United full-back Patrice Evra.

The France international joins the Irons on a free transfer having been released by Marseille in November after he attacked a supporter ahead of his side's Europa League match with Vitoria.

Evra has signed a deal that will keep him at the London Stadium until the end of the current campaign as David Moyes's side look to fend off the threat of relegation.

The 36-year-old will wear the No.27 shirt and becomes Moyes' third signing since taking over from Slaven Bilic after the arrivals of Joao Mario and Jordan Hugill in the January window.

"I’m really happy to be a Hammer, to be back in the Premier League and I love this game!" Evra, who has won seven league titles and the Champions League during a career that has also seen him represent Monaco and Juventus, told the club's official website.

Nigeria Unveil 2018 FIFA World Cup Kits

Nigeria's new kits for the 2018 World Cup in Russia have been revealed as the Super Eagles gear up for this summer's tournament in Russia.

The Nigerian Football Federation launched the country's kits for the championship in London on Wednesday.

The jerseys designed by Nike, feature the home kits that pay tribute to Nigeria '94 shirt which was worn by the first Nigerian team to qualify for the World Cup - with eagle wing-inspired black-and-white sleeve and green torso while the away kits boast of the full green strip in a classic fashion.

Gernot Rohr's men will wear the shirts for the first time on March 23 when they face Poland in a friendly in Warsaw before the commencement of their World Cup campaign against Croatia at the Kaliningrad Stadium on June 16.

What do you think about these new kits that feature Fast Fit Vaporknit kits to facilitate speed through performance and aesthetic?

'Fred will join Man City, not Utd' - Guardiola backed to exact transfer revenge on Red Devils

Manchester City may have missed out on Alexis Sanchez to arch-rivals United, but they are being backed to win the battle for Fred.

Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho look set to lock horns once again in that particular pursuit, with the former this time being tipped to emerge victorious and add another Samba star alongside Fernandinho in the Etihad Stadium engine room.

Former Shakhtar boss Mircea Lucescu, who is now in charge of the Turkish national side, told reporters on the Fred fight: "Shakhtar Donetsk's best player is Fred in the centre of midfield.

“He was a bit anarchic on the left. I moved him in front of the defence.

“He will go to City like Fernandinho before him.”

Fred has contributed 12 goals to the Shakhtar cause in 142 appearances, having been acquired from Internacional in 2013.

He revealed to Gazzetta dello Sport in January that he is now waiting on a call from City, with there a desire on his part to test himself in England.

"A friend gave me the news saying that City and Guardiola were interested in me. I'm happy to be so well known in Europe.”

Russian team reveals it passed on chance to sign Neymar... for just €10 million!

Neymar’s career, which has made him a €222 million asset at Paris Saint-Germain, could have been markedly different had Lokomotiv Moscow not decided against a move in 2008.

After seeing the Brazilian forward star for Santos during the Mediterranean Cup youth tournament, the Russian giants mulled over a €10m approach.

They were, however, to reach the conclusion that the required transfer package was too costly and a risk not worth taking on the precocious teenager.

Instead, Lokomotiv placed trust in a promising youngster on their own books, Alan Gatagov – a decision which has been made to look rather foolish in hindsight.

"We thought about whether or not it was worth buying Neymar,” former Lokomotiv president Nikolai Naumov told Sport-Express .

“We wanted to buy him. Our scouts watched the Brazilian.

"There were quite big doubts. First, he was too young. Second, it was unclear how he'd adapt to Russia... so we decided against getting him."

Alexis Sanchez escapes jail for tax fraud but Man Utd star's agent blasts 'nightmare' witch-hunt

Manchester United’s Alexis Sanchez will not go to prison after admitting to tax fraud in Spain, but his agent has hit out at an “unfair” system making scapegoats of high-profile foreign figures.

The Chilean forward has been handed a 16-month suspended sentence after entering into a plea bargain with the relevant authorities.

His charges relate to a spell on the books at Barcelona between 2012 and 2013 and the defrauding of €1 million on image rights.

Fernando Felicevich said in a lengthy statement posted on his social media accounts: “Today the Spanish tax agency has once again leaked details of an agreement between our representative Alexis Sanchez and Spanish prosecutors.

“Almost every member of the Real Madrid and Barcelona squad have been placed in this situation, even though these clubs use a standard pay formula for their first team which has been accepted by the Spanish treasury in the past.

“On some occasions, there has been no other way out but to surrender to the pressure, and to avoid worst injustices, accept unfair agreements like this one.

“Many players and managers have had to do the same thing, and many others will continue to do so.”