These sides played out a 3-3 thriller at Stamford Bridge and were still the top two in this group. Kostas Manolas was only fit for the bench, while Bruno Peres, Rick Karsdorp, Gregoire Defrel and Emerson Palmieri missed out. Antonio Conte was without Victor Moses and N’Golo Kante.


The Blues had lost the last three visits to Italian soil, winning only one out of nine attempts, 4-0 over Lazio in 2003-04.

It was the perfect possible start for the hosts, as in the opening minute Edin Dzeko knocked down an Aleksandar Kolarov assist for Stephan El Sharaawy to smash it into the near top corner from the D. At 44 seconds, it was Roma’s fastest ever Champions League goal.

Eden Hazard tested Alisson twice at the near post after mazy runs down the left, then Kolarov’s terrible pass was intercepted to send Alvaro Morata clear, the ex-Juventus striker ballooning over from point-blank range.

A David Luiz error sparked a counter, resulting in Thibaut Courtois using his legs to parry El Shaarawy’s angled drive.

It was only a warning, as moments later Antonio Rudiger against his old club let a long Radja Nainggolan ball bounce in front of him and El Shaarawy wasted no time, getting in front of his marker to flick it past Courtois into the far bottom corner.

Alisson flew to palm away a trademark Marcos Alonso curler from just inside the box.

Dzeko blasted over from a difficult angle after great work from Diego Perotti, but Chelsea switched to four at the back with Willian replacing Gary Cahill.

It made little difference, as Roma added a third when Diego Perotti cut inside past three defenders and picked his spot to droll into the near bottom corner with both power and precision.

Perotti should’ve made it 4-0 five minutes later, as Dzeko drew three defenders away and pulled it back only for unmarked Perotti to incredibly balloon over an empty net.

It was still all Roma, as Nainggolan’s snapshot stung the gloves of Courtois, as did a Dzeko free header from the resulting corner.

Remarkably, Atletico Madrid were held to a 1-1 home draw by Qarabag, so the Giallorossi are on the verge of qualification for the Round of 16.

.Manchester United striker Rashford turns 20 today, with the youngster now regarded as one of English football's brightest hopes.

Many expected his potential to be stifled when Mourinho took charge of the Red Devils in May 2016, replacing Louis van Gaal.
But Rashford is now a regular under the 54-year-old, and made 53 appearances across all competitions as the club won the EFL Cup and Europa League last term.

And the Daily Mail say that, so strong is Mourinho's faith in the 20-year-old, it was behind his reasons to end Memphis and Rooney's Manchester United careers.

Memphis was, at one point, tipped to be the new darling of Old Trafford.

The Holland international was signed by Van Gaal from PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2015, with his performances in his homeland drawing comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo.

But he toiled during his only full season at the club and Mourinho consequently sold him to Lyon in January this year.
Mourinho was torn over the decision to let him go, knowing that as a club legend his stock in Manchester is extremely high.

However, the Daily Mail say Rashford's form ultimately prompted Mourinho to accept the veteran's decision to rejoin Everton.

It is not just his prowess in front of goal that has endeared him to his manager.

.The Catalan giants have had a sensational start to the campaign, winning nine of their ten La Liga matches so far this season.

Barcelona already hold an eight-point lead over rivals Real Madrid.

However, despite their strong start, Ernesto Valverde's men haven't been offering the usual standard of high-quality football for fans at the Camp Nou.
And Balague believes this is down to Lionel Messi.

"Barcelona have been very impressive defensively. Everybody is working very hard without the ball and they have only shipped three goals so far,"


"But their football is not spectacular and there's a couple of reasons why.

"They are playing without wingers, which tightens everything up in the central areas. With little space to work, their play becomes more industrial and Luis Suarez suffers.

"Now that Lionel Messi is working more through the middle, Suarez has to move wider.
"That's not his natural habitat."

However, as Valverde is preparing to take his table-topping side to former club Olympiakos in the Champions League, Balague admits everyone is happy with his work.

"These factors mean Barcelona's football has shifted but everyone is happy with Ernesto Valverde and especially with his results."

.Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has issued warnings to Premier League leaders Manchester City insisting that they shouldn’t be carried away with their recent form.

Manchester United is second on the Premiership log five points behind Manchester City after 10 league games.

"It's hard to say after 10 games that someone is going to be the champion. In two games everything can change," he said.

"I think there are five teams who will challenge for the title and if I say something now I will be wrong for sure.

"You have Manchester City, us, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool Tottenham so with five or six teams it is going to be a big fight until the end and we will see in May.

"This is only 10 games but I'm happy that we are now in the second position, that we are there. We have a chance but we still have to improve."

Manchester United defeated Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at the Old Trafford on Saturday, the Red Devils will entertain Benfica on Tuesday for their Champions League match.

.- Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo wants Gareth Bale sold

- The Fifa best player wants Madrid to go for PSG forward Goncalo Guedes

- Guedes is currently on loan at La Liga outfit Valencia and he has been in fine form

Fifa World Best footballer Cristiano Ronaldo wants to see the back of Welsh international Gareth Bale.

The injury-prone winger has been out of action for a few months at the Bernabeu, and the Portuguese captain is now keen to see him offloaded so they can source a more reliable replacement.

Marcus Rashford, Paulo Dybala and Harry Kane, are all on the Spanish Champions radar as they plan for life without Bale.

Ronaldo, however, apparently has other plans, according to Spanish newspaper Don Balon, he’s keen for PSG ace Goncalo Guedes to join Real’s ranks.

Guedes is currently on loan from the French heavyweights at Valencia and has been the shinning light for Valencia and in the La Liga this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo ready to push Gareth Bale out of Real Madrid
Ronaldo wants Guedes as Bale's replacement at Madrid. Source: Fourfourtwo
The 20-year-old has bagged three goals in seven games to help Valencia to second in the league, If Madrid eventually sells Bale to accommodate Guedes, they won’t be short of potential suitors.

N’Golo Kante could be in contention for Chelsea against Bournemouth this weekend after returning to training on Thursday.
The France international has been out of action since the international break after sustaining a hamstring strain in the 2018 World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria on October 7.

That means the midfielder has missed the Blues’ last four outings, which included a Champions League win, two Premier League successes and a Carabao Cup scalp, and was in doubt for the titanic clash against Manchester United next weekend.

However, the playmaker could return even sooner than that, with Chelsea fans hoping to see him in the matchday squad for tomorrow’s visit to Bournemouth [18h30 kickoff]..

Marcos Rojo is set to make his Manchester United comeback after the international break but Jose Mourinho has 'no idea' when Paul Pogba will be back.

Rojo is training with the first-team as he continues his rehabilitation from the cruciate ligament injury he suffered in the Europa League quarter-final victory over Anderlecht in April, while Pogba returned to United's Carrington training complex earlier last week after spending most of the month recovering from a hamstring injury in Miami, Florida.

Pogba has not played since limping off in the win against Basel on September 12 and is training separately from the senior squad at United's training base. The France midfielder seems unlikely to feature in United's fixtures with Benfica on Tuesday and Chelsea on Sunday before the November international fortnight begins.

United return to domestic action with the visit of Newcastle on November 18 and it is possible Rojo could return for the Under-23s in their derby against City the following day.

"Again, I have no idea, honestly, I have no idea," Mourinho said of a return date for Pogba. "I have no idea, I'm not in control of his recovery process, he's not training with me, he's on individual work and not in my group.

"Even under certain conditions, for example Marcos Rojo is working with me, with certain conditions, but he's working with me. But I would expect Marcos Rojo to be ready to play after the international break. I can predict that because he's training with me.

"But Paul, I have no idea."
Mourinho was asked how pleased he was with how United had coped without Pogba and mistakenly suggested they had only failed to win one match during that period.
"We won every match, except one, no?" he replied. "Which one was the second? Liverpool?"

Alvaro Morata says he cannot see himself living in London very long, admitting he finds England’s capital “stressful”, ahead of returning to Italy for Chelsea’s clash with Roma.

The striker left Juventus in 2016 to re-join Real Madrid after the Spanish club activated a buy-back clause in his contract, having won two Serie A titles and helped Juve reach the Champions League final in his two years in Turin.

Despite struggling to earn regular first-team opportunities at Real Madrid, Morata has quickly got up to speed with the Premier League since moving to Chelsea – scoring six goals in nine appearances – but it is the pace of life off the pitch which is taking its toll on the forward.

“I’m fine,” Morata told Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I live in downtown Chelsea. London fascinates me with its multi-ethnicity, the coexistence of cultures and religions, but I do not see myself living here for very long. Too much, too much stress, too many metropolises.”

Morata, whose wife is Italian, felt he arrived at Juventus “a boy” but left as “a real player”, admitting the environment was perfectly suited for him – and not one he wanted to leave in order to return to Madrid.

N’Golo Kante, who has not played in a month, trained on Monday ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League tie against Roma on Tuesday

“Italy for a Spaniard is the best country to live,” he said. “You have everything: beauty, history, art, cooking, fashion. I would never have left Italy and Juve.

“The disappointment [of leaving Juventus] was enormous, I found myself back to the starting point. They [Real Madrid] treated me like the guy I was before the two Italian seasons.”


Antonio Conte says Chelsea must fight to transform their season in a pivotal week ahead.

Morata missed out on the chance to work with Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte at Juventus as the player’s arrival in 2014 came shortly before the Italian’s exit, but the lure of playing under Conte was the decisive factor in moving to Stamford Bridge.

“I came here because there was a coach like Antonio Conte,” Morata added. “We started talking about my eventual transfer last spring and finally I really landed in London. “

Real Madrid was ahead in the 12 minute but two second-half goals from Cristian Stuani and Portu turned the game against the La Liga Champions,

Ronaldo thinks Zidane’s tactics are becoming predictable for opponents to play against.

According to the report, Real Madrid President Florentino Perez agrees with the opinion of Ronaldo on Zidane
And the bigwig has already made a shortlist of candidates who could replace him should results not improve.

The defeat to Girona has left Real Madrid a massive eight points behind rivals Barcelona after 10 matches in the top flight.

Zidane will know he is under pressure to get results fast and turn things around for Los Blancos, his first test will be on Wednesday against Tottenham Hotspur.

After the defeat to Girona, Zidane said: “We did well in the first half but football is about details and the first goal was from a throw-in and we weren't focused

"I don't think we played badly, we didn't lack intensity or effort, we just lost focus at the most important moments and that's why I'm annoyed.

"We're eight points behind but it won't change anything, we can pick ourselves up, we'll have better days than this and our rivals are going to drop points."

After the Tottenham Hotspur game, Real Madrid will be up against Las Palmas at the Santiago Bernabeu in the La Liga.

Ashley Young told Dele Alli 'let me know when you win the Prem' after the Tottenham playmaker told him to 'retire with a zimmer frame'.

Young and Alli were involved in a 30th minute spat during Manchester United's win over Tottenham after Young claimed he was caught in the face by Spurs right-back Serge Aurier. Alli got involved and went head-to-head with Young before players from both sides intervened during the first-half melee.

The verbals between Young and Alli continued after referee Jon Moss attempted to defuse the situation and M.E.N. Sport understands Alli informed the 32-year-old he should 'retire with a zimmer frame'. Young, who has won the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League with United, is believed to have responded by advising Alli not to speak to him so disrespectfully until he has won something.
Young mocked Alli's lip after the game with a tweet which read: "Great Team Spirit. Very Good Result. Talk is Cheap."

Former United captain Gary Neville thought Young was trying to provoke the tempestuous Alli - who received a retrospective ban for punching West Brom's Claudio Yacob two seasons ago and was sent off for a vicious foul against Gent earlier this year - into lashing out and receiving a red card.

"Ashley Young knows exactly what he is doing and there might have been a time when Dele Allii would have reacted and thrown his head forward, but he hasn't," Neville said on commentary for Sky Sports.

        Eden Hazard's 51st-minute winner at Bournemouth was a source of great delight for the Chelsea winger but also came as welcome relief for his struggling team-mate, Alvaro Morata.
Had the brilliant Belgian not made the breakthrough at the Vitality Stadium, Morata would doubtless have come in for strong criticism for a wasteful evening in front of goal.

Brighton 11/5 to beat Southampton


The Spain international has been very effective since arriving at Stamford Bridge but the hamstring injury he suffered against Manchester City has disrupted his rhythm and he was grateful to Hazard for delivering the goods against a dogged Bournemouth side.

Hazard was putting chances on a plate for Chelsea's No.9 but ultimately had to take matters into his own hands and earn the visitors three precious points, which have propelled the Blues up to fourth in the Premier League standings, just a point behind Tottenham.

Indeed, the 26-year-old's virtuoso performance only made it even clearer that Chelsea simply have to persuade Hazard to renew his contract at the club. He was head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch.

Morata may be Chelsea's record signing but Hazard remains the club's most valuable player and he has recovered his form quickly despite breaking his ankle during the summer, which resulted in him missing pre-season.
Hazard's fifth strike in five games against the Cherries - who must be sick of the sight of him - was also his 75th goal the club since signing from Lille in 2012. The Belgium captain also now has three goals in his past three matches for Chelsea - which is as many as he had managed in his previous 17 outings.

 Morata, meanwhile, isn't the finished article yet and his recent hamstring injury has led to this dip in form. He has no goal in five games but it was the drop in the quality of his build-up play at Bournemouth that might prompt Michy Batshuayi to ask questions of Conte and his team selection.

Morata lost the ball 15 times and his pass accuracy of 69.6 per cent was lower than any other player to have started the game - bar Bournemouth goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. Batshuayi eventually replaced him up front and has been in good form of late, matching Morata's eight-goal return with less minutes on the pitch.

Admittedly, Morata was wrongly flagged offside after converting a David Luiz shot and perhaps it will only take a slice of luck to help him rediscover his fine form at the start of the season.
However, there's never any room for sympathy at Chelsea, with the harshest criticism coming even at the slightest sight of a drop in quality.

Zinedine Zidane could be forced to pick Real Madrid team's without Cristiano Ronaldo for the second time this season.

Best FIFA winner Ronaldo missed the first five games of Real's campaign after he was sent off for diving and then pushed the referee during his side's Spanish Super Cup victory over Barcelona.

Winger Ronaldo has struggled since, as the hit man has only netted a single La Liga goal.
 But to make matters worse for the Portuguese megastar he could now be watching from the stands.

Ronaldo was caught grappling with Girona midfielder Pere Pons at a corner. So far so normal.

But as the ball heads towards him, he realises he has lost the battle for the ball, and starts grabbing Pons' head.
With another defender winning the header, Ronaldo palms his rival off in the face leaving him on the floor.

Real are now eight points behind leaders Barcelona in the title race, and are set to be without Ronaldo for a few games.

Manchester United ended their recent run of poor results by claiming a 1-0 victory over title rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Saturday and the win could prove to be vital in the Red Devils’ hopes of claiming the English crown during the current campaign.

United clearly did not put up a scintillating performance during the clash but they were certainly strong at the back and it was the combination of Romelu Lukaku and substitute Anthony Martial that helped the Premier League side claim the three points from the encounter.

Lukaku had a key role to play in the build-up to Martial’s goal as he expertly flicked a header on into the path of the Frenchman but despite his contribution, many Manchester United fans were not overly impressed with the Belgian international’s performance.

.The La Liga champions have overtaken their El-Clasico rivals, Barcelona, who previously held the title with their many trophies including 24 La Liga titles, 29 Copa Del Reys and five European Cups. But after FIFA said it officially recognised the winners of the Intercontinental Cup, which was staged between 1960 and 2004 as club world champions, Real overtook the Catalans. The Santiago Bernabeu side won the now defunct tournament in 1960, 1998 and 2002, beating Penarol, Vasco De Gama and Olimpia respectively. Los Blancos have 33 Spanish league titles, 19 Copa Del Rey crowns and 12 European Cup championships to go along side their world titles. Earlier this week, Manchester United were retrospectively named world club champions for their 1-0 victory over Palmeiras in 1999.

       Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar and Barcelona star Lionel Messi have been depicted in new Islamic State (ISIS) propaganda threatening the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

As noted by AS, the latest threat includes a photoshopped image of Neymar awaiting execution by a jihadist. Messi can be seen lying on the ground next to an ISIS flag. The caption on the image reads "you will not enjoy security until we live it in Muslim countries."

The image is the latest in a line of threats made against the competition in Russia. A picture of Messi crying blood was released by the Wafa Media Foundation, a pro-ISIS organisation, earlier in the week with the tagline "Just Terrorism," per Marissa Payne of the Washington Post.

Neymar and Messi are both set to be two of the stars of the tournament, having qualified with Brazil and Argentina, respectively.

The threats against Messi have been taken seriously by the Argentina Football Association, with Andrew Gilpin of the Daily Mirror reporting that the organisation’s president, Claudio Tapia, has met with the Russian ambassador to discuss safety measures.

As noted by Gilpin, France manager Didier Deschamps was also included in a mocked-up image, with a jihadist holding a gun to his head. "We will continue to terrorise you and ruin your life," read the accompanying message, while Deschamps was labelled an "enemy of Allah."

In the previous report, it’s noted that a string of threats has been made by the terrorist organisation against the competition, including images of the competition logo exploding. Rita Katz of SITE relayed some of them:

The competition is set to start on June 14 next summer and run until July 15, when the final will be held in Moscow at the Luzhniki Stadium. There are 11 host cities in Russia, with matches to be played at 12 different stadiums.

Eden Hazard has declared himself ready to hit top form ahead of a pivotal week for Chelsea's season.

The Belgium playmaker struck the winner in Saturday's 1-0 victory at Bournemouth, where Chelsea kept themselves within nine points of Premier League leaders Manchester City.

Hazard missed the start of the season after ankle surgery but has now claimed three goals in as many Chelsea games in all competitions.


Eden Hazard has declared himself fully fit and insisted that his ankle injury troubles are over
The Blues travel to Roma in Europe on Tuesday, before hosting Manchester United in the League on Sunday - and Hazard hopes now to kick himself and his side into a new gear.

Asked if he is now at full throttle after his injury, Hazard replied: 'Yeah for sure, definitely. I'm training hard, the injury is the past.

'I'm fully ready for the next game, I just want to play.

'A big week is coming, so it was important also for the confidence to stay high, after the game against Watford, to win at Bournemouth.

.Coaching staff are reportedly concerned about his recovery from the calf-injury he is suffering with.

And believe he may not even feature in the first-team until mid-November, after the next international break.
His season has been blighted by injury, with this particular niggle picked up after scoring a screamer in Real Madrid‘s group stage fixture against Borussia Dortmund.

Bale has been sidelined since the 3-1 win against the Germans and was instructed to rest for a month which has resulted in him training away from the rest of the squad.

The reigning European champions are likely to face Girona, Tottenham and Las Palmas without Bale.

Bale’s boss has already shared doubts over the return of the winger, Zinedine Zidane said: “Bale is already on the field, almost ready to train with the team, but I can’t give you a date for when he’s back.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes his Manchester United comeback is easier and less pressured thanks to the form of team-mate Romelu Lukaku.

Lukaku has hit the ground running at United following his £75million arrival from Everton, scoring 11 goals in 14 matches in all competitions - seven of those in the Premier League.
Ibrahimovic - back at Old Trafford after becoming a free agent temporarily following a serious knee injury suffered in April - scored 28 goals during his debut season in Manchester having shouldered much of the goalscoring burden as United won the Community Shield, EFL Cup and Europa League.

The 36-year-old Swede, who is tipped to return to action in December, knows he faces a battle to win a place in Jose Mourinho's starting XI but the former Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Barcelona star is relishing the presence of Lukaku.
"I'm part of the team, I bring my qualities the day I come back and am able to play. I bring my spirit, my mental part, my experience, and my qualities," Ibrahimovic told Sky Sports.
"The team is stronger this season. Lukaku is in the team scoring a lot of goals, and he is making the job easier for me, because last year when we were playing we could not change that role.

"We had one scoring the goals, and doing that job, and there were no variations for the coach. This season it is easier. Lukaku is only positive, because he makes my 'comeback' less pressured, it gives me a lot of time, and I'm happy for that.
"The more time I get, the better it gets. He's scoring his goals and doing what he needs to do. When I come back, the coach is there, we will see how things go.
"I think I have a lot to bring. Now I have been off for six months, how much more it will be we don't know, but trust me when I come back I will be motivated. Very hungry."
United welcome high-flying Tottenham to Old Trafford on Saturday, with both teams level on 20 points and five adrift of Premier League leaders Manchester City.

The Chelsea boss insists he is happy with the forward's performances, stressing the 25-year-old is not yet fully fit

Alvaro Morata is still recovering from injury and needs more time to return to top form after his missed chances against Bournemouth, according to Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.
Chelsea striker Morata missed the target on a glorious one-on-one opportunity, had a goal controversially disallowed for offside and saw another effort impressively saved by Asmir Begovic in the first half of his side's 1-0 away Premier League victory on Saturday.

         The Portuguese gaffer in an exclusive interview with Soccer AM's Tubes revealed that the next challenge he would love to take after his time at Old Trafford is to go into international football.

Mourinho's success at club level has seen him linked with the top international jobs throughout his career, namely England and his native Portugal but the manager was mum on where would be his preferred destination on the international stage.

When asked if he would like to move into international football, the United boss refused to be drawn on his preferred destination but confirmed the lure of major tournaments would be too good to resist.

He said: "There will be a moment in my career where I would prefer that nature of the job, being more analytical and preparing a team inside doors but competes less," he told Tubes in an interview that will air on Soccer AM on Saturday.

"The experience of living a World Cup or European Championship from the inside is an experience I want to have after so many years I've had in football," he added.

Before embarking on the new chapter of his managerial career, Mourinho has been tasked with rekindling the success seen in Sir Alex Ferguson's trophy-laden tenure at Manchester United.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were reportedly spotted speaking to each other at the FIFA awards gala on Monday, and what was said is now believed to have been revealed.

Despite the fact that they are rivals for two of the biggest clubs in Spanish football, many claim that Messi and Ronaldo's relationship off the field is not as hostile as it has often been made out to be.
The Argentine watched on as the Portuguese international equalled his record of five FIFA Best Men’s Player awards on Monday night in London.



Messi and Ronaldo were seen in friendly conversation on the night, with the Barca forward reportedly admitting to the Real star he was the deserved winner of the accolade.

Ronaldo also reserved some subtle praise for his counterpart on the night, insisting his triumph did not mean the end of the "Messi era" because the Argentine is in the same era as he is.

On the football front, Messi has so far outshone the Portuguese in La Liga this season, scoring 11 times already compared to Ronaldo's one strike, although the Portugal captain was suspended for Real's first four league games of the campaign.


Do you think Messi and Ronaldo get on better than most fans reckon? Let us know in the comments section below.

           Barcelona led at half-time thanks to Lionel Messi's 12th League goal of the season. Barcelona led at half-time thanks to Lionel Messi's 12th League goal of the season. Messi might have scored 11 goals in his last 13 Liga games against Athletic, but in his last three visits to the new San Mamés, he had only netted once.

The Catalans' summer arrival from China Paulinho added Barcelona's second in added time right footed Suarez's deflected from close range to hand the visitors a well-deserved win.

Andre Gomes started for Barcelona on Ernesto Valverde’s return to San Mames. Jordi Alba recovered from a thigh injury to displace Lucas Digne at left-back.

Valverde coached Athletic over two spells, guiding them to the Supercopa in 2015 – their first piece of silverware in 31 years – and becoming the Leones Coach with the most appearances under his belt (306).

A sudden fever prevented Javier Mascherano from traveling to Athletic, the Argentine joining Thomas Vermaelen, Arda Turan, Aleix Vidal, Rafinha, Ousmane Dembele and Andres Iniesta on the treatment table.

Athletic, on the other hand, could not call on key trio Mikel Balenziaga, Oscar De

Marcos
and Iker Muniain – all of whom are suffering setbacks – while Yeray Alvarez was still on the mend from his cancer treatment.

Jose Angel Ziganda, Valverde’s successor, was feeling the heat after just five wins in his first 15 games at the helm. Worse yet, the Basques have beaten Barca only twice in La Liga since 2003, although both of those victories came at home.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunning last season saw him win the 2017 Best FIFA Men’s Player of the Year trophy as Real Madrid dominated a star-studded awards ceremony in London on Monday, AFP reports.

The Portuguese ace, who has scored 44 goals in just 48 games for club and country so far this calendar year, played a major role in Real winning both La Liga and the Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunning last season saw him win the 2017 Best FIFA Men’s Player of the Year trophy as Real Madrid dominated a star-studded awards ceremony in London on Monday, AFP reports.

The Portuguese ace, who has scored 44 goals in just 48 games for club and country so far this calendar year, played a major role in Real winning both La Liga and the Champions League.

He scored twice in a 4-1 win over Juventus in the continental final at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on June 3.

Real boss Zinedine Zidane took the corresponding manager of the year award, with the Spanish giants providing five players in the FIFA team of the year.

Ronaldo won the inaugural Best FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award last year following the end of a six-year merger between the FIFA honour and the Ballon d’ Or.

This year he saw off competition from longstanding Barcelona rival Lionel Messi and PSG’s Neymar, with former Manchester United favourite Ronaldo receiving his trophy from Argentina great Diego Maradona and Brazil’s Ronaldo in a star-studded ceremony at the London Palladium theatre.

“Thanks a lot for voting for me,” said the Portuguese superstar.

“I mention Leo and Neymar, great to be here. Real Madrid supporters, my team-mates, my coach, they all support me all year.”

Zidane won out ahead of Chelsea’s Antonio Conte and Juventus’s Massimiliano Allegri to be crowned men’s coach of the year after becoming the first man to oversee a successful defence of the European Cup in the Champions League era.

Real’s superb campaign was recognised in a FIFA XI that featured Ronaldo and club-mates Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Marcelo and Sergio Ramos.

The team was completed by goalkeeper of the year Gianluigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci, Dani Alves, Andres Iniesta, Messi and Neymar.


Veteran Juventus and Italy shot-stopper Buffon topped a three-strong shortlist for the goalkeeper award ahead of Real’s Keylor Navas and Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer.

Monday also saw the Puskas Award for the best goal of 2017 go to Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud.

The France striker received the award named in honour of Hungary great Ferenc Puskas for a spectacular ‘scorpion-kick’ against Crystal Palace in January.

The Frenchman’s flicked volley with his left foot that went in off the crossbar won ahead of goals from Venezuela’s Deyna Castellanos, 18, and South African goalkeeper Oscarine Masuluke.

Meanwhile tournament hosts the Netherlands’ achievement in winning their first major female football title, the 2017 Women’s European Championship, was recognised with Women’s Coach of the Year and Player of the Year awards for Sarina Wiegman and Lieke Martens respectively.

Wiegman and Martens were unable to receive their awards in London as the Netherlands are playing Norway on Tuesday.

.Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti believes he would have lost it much earlier than Neymar did against Marseille.

The Brazil international was sent off late in the 2-2 Le Classique draw on Sunday after clashing with Lucas Ocampos.


It was Neymar's second yellow card in three minutes, but Edinson Cavani managed to earn Ligue 1 leaders PSG a point with a late free-kick.

Verratti said his team-mate did well to control himself for so long, having earlier delayed taking a corner as objects thrown from the stands rained down near him.

"If I had been in Neymar's shoes I would have lost it 15, 20 minutes before he did," the Italy international said.

Neymar, who had earlier cancelled out Luiz Gustavo's opener, was fouled five times – more than any other player during the encounter.

Like head coach Unai Emery, Verratti called for greater protection of the 25-year-old.

"Some players need to be protected," he said.

"When I play against Barcelona the second foul I commit on [Lionel] Messi will earn me a yellow card. That's how it works in Europe.


"You can't kill these players for a whole game.

"I was right near him. He lost it, he didn't even touch him, the referee was two metres away, but he decided that he'd hit Ocampos. It's a call I don't get."

Speaking ahead of Genoa’s trip to the San Siro today, the former QPR star claims he didn’t enjoy his time with the Rossoneri.

This chimes with what Carlos Bacca recently said about the Milan sides he played for, claiming they were “the worst in the club’s history”.

Taarabt had shined at QPR, scoring nineteen league goals in the 2010-2011 season and earning interest from big spenders PSG, among others.

He ended up at the Rossoneri in 2014 when he’d lost some of his lustre, and looked to bounce back. He managed four Serie A goals in 14 appearances, but wasn’t good enough to earn an extended stay.

“That experience destroyed my psychologically,” Taarabt told the Gazzetta.
“I had done well with the Rossoneri and we were on the verge of signing the contract, then Pippo Inzaghi arrived and made other choices. Returning to QPR after playing in the Champions League alongside stars like Kaka really hurt.”

Taarabt looks to have turned over a new leaf over the summer, claiming at the start of the season that he had worked very hard, finally realising in his own words that football was a job, not just a passion.


He wasn’t completely negative about the Rossoneri, however:

“I made friends there too, as Mario Balotelli was here three weeks ago in Genoa to see me, while I went to see him in Monaco. He is like me, we both need affection. He has an enormous heart and has found a President at Nice who cares for him, so he’ll become great again.

“Taking on Milan is emotional for me now, as I had six wonderful months there at a fantastic club.”

.United were condemned to their first defeat of the season by David Wagner’s newly promoted side with Aaron Mooy and Laurent Depoitre scoring the goals which secured a famous 2-1 win.

Huddersfield scored both of their goals almost immediately after Phil Jones exited the field following an injury to be replaced by summer signing Victor Lindelof, who continued a miserable start to his Premier League career.

Mourinho, however, opted not to single out the Sweden international for criticism and was rendered livid when he learned midfielder Herrera conceded the visitors had been outfought.




‘Herrera is in the interviews saying the attitude and desire was poor, my God. They should all go to the press conference,’ said Mourinho.


‘They played with everything I like, desire, motivation, sacrifice, and we didn’t. So the team that deserved to win won.

‘If I was a Manchester United fan I would be disappointed. You can lose games because the oppo has more quality than you but not lack of attitude

‘I don’t even remember a friendly match when our attitude was so poor.’

As well as playing in Argentina's recent World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Ecuador, the 30-year-old has helped Barcelona reach the top of La Liga with 11 goals and two assists.

Because of his recent busy schedule, Messi has reportedly asked manager Ernesto Valverde to leave him out of a number of Barcelona games in the near future,

The report states that Messi feels like a rest in the upcoming Copa del Rey round of 32 games against Real Murcia on Tuesday evening.

To be fair, Messi has been at his scintillating best in recent months, and realistically, the club will be able to rest the five time Ballon d'Or winner against the Segunda División B side.


Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde': will be eager to get Messi back on the field though. In an interview via ESPN, he said that he hopes Messi 'reaches 200 goals this season'. No pressure, then:

"I hope he reaches 200 goals this season. "His numbers validate what we see every day, he's beating statistics that seemed impossible. He's been doing it for a long time now, constantly breaking down barriers."


During Barcelona's Champions League tie against Olympiakos, Messi was spotted taking a tablet from his sock, but Valverde is not worried about the incident, saying:

"I don't know if he took a glucose tablet. If it made him score a goal, then he should take a load of them... But I do know the players do take glucose.
"I don't know if the fans are enamoured with me just yet. It's true the results are good. We are top of La Liga, top of our Champions League group... But tomorrow's another day, Saturday's another game. The dynamic can change, football's fanciful like that.

"In August, after the Super Cup [defeat to Real Madrid], we were no good, now we are... So we are going to cross our fingers and keep working hard."