The treachery, the betrayal, the nerve; how could Mats Hummels do it? Well, there had been those two other guys.
Historically, transfers between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich rarely pass off without controversy – Hummels low-key 2008 switch from Bavaria to the Ruhr region ironically standing as an exception – and the Germany centre-back s April transfer request prompted a familiar combination of dread and rage among the Dortmund faithful.
The club captain was booed by a significant section of the home crowd during the 5-1 win over Wolfsburg after his intentions became clear.
Bayern prising Dortmund stars Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski from their rivals in 2013 and 2014 brought a shuddering end to BVB s magnificent irritation of German football s pre…
Norwich have signed Republic of Ireland defender Shane Duffy from Fulham on a three-year contract.
The 31-year-old, capped 55 times by his country, made five Premier League appearances for Fulham during the 2022-23 season.
Norwich boss David Wagner told the club’s official website: “We’re delighted to welcome Shane to the club. He’s a player with a vast amount of experience, both domestically and on the international stage.
“I’m confident that he’ll be a great fit for our squad and brings not only the on-field qualities that we have been looking for, but leadership and desire to help drive our club forward.
“From my conversations with Shane, his vision was clear. You can feel that determination and hunger to play and win football games.”…
Inter Milan are interested in signing Rodrigo De Paul from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2023, according to . The report has claimed Inter manager Simone Inzaghi is a fan of the Argentina international midfielder who has experience of playing in Serie A and can play in a number of roles in the middle of the park.
De Paul has been on the books of Atletico since the summer of 2021 when he joined from Italian club Udinese. The 28-year-old has failed to make a huge impact at the former La Liga winners, who are willing to cash in on him and want to recoup the €35 million they paid for him.
The Argentine star has made four starts and two substitute appearances in La Liga for Atletico so far this season, scoring one goal and providing one assist in the process. De Paul ha…
Brazil legend Dani Alves is dreaming of winning the World Cup for the first time in Qatar to leave a legacy in the twilight of his career.
Alves turned 39 on Friday but the veteran Barcelona full-back is still going strong at the highest level.
The veteran has won an incredible haul of medals during his illustrious club career, while he helped his country win the Copa America twice and captained Brazil to Olympic glory in Tokyo last year.
It is 20 years since the Selecao last won the World Cup and Alves missed the 2018 tournament in Russia due to injury.
The Barca great says he has given plenty of thought to what might happen if he lifts the World Cup and hopes to realise that ambition this year.
¡Hooooooooooooooola!
— FC Barcelona (@…
Market: Watford win
Odds: 27/20 @
Two sides who find themselves battling it out at opposite ends of the Championship table, Watford will make the trip to Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoon when they meet Bristol City.
Starting with the hosts, crashing out of the EFL Cup earlier in the week thanks to a nightmare display on home soil, Bristol City find themselves in the midst of an extended rut. Eventually getting hit with a 3-1 loss at the hands of League One outfit Lincoln, Nigel Pearson once again has real pressure on his shoulders. Now holding just a three-point buffer from slipping into the drop zone, the Robins have failed to win any of their last five matchups across all formats. Despite picking up a much-needed 2-0 win away at West Brom last month, it appea…
Mauricio Pochettino believes Liverpool were awarded a soft penalty in their 2-1 Premier League victory against Tottenham but accepted the referee s decision to point to the spot.
Sunday s clash at Anfield was poised at 1-1 when referee Anthony Taylor adjudged that Spurs full-back Serge Aurier had fouled Sadio Mane inside the box.
Mohamed Salah converted the subsequent spot-kick 15 minutes from time to complete Liverpool s comeback win after Jordan Henderson had cancelled out Harry Kane s 47-second opener.
Tottenham manager Pochettino feels the call was a little harsh on his side, who end the weekend in 11th place following their fourth league defeat of the campaign.
I don t want to complain I need to accept the decision of the referee and the VAR, he sai…
Robert Lewandowski continued his extraordinary form with a four-goal haul as Bayern Munich secured top spot in Champions League Group B with a 6-0 thrashing of Red Star Belgrade.
Leon Goretzka put Bayern – rejuvenated under Hans-Dieter Flick – in front, but it was Lewandowski who was the star of the show at Rajko Mitic Stadium on Tuesday.
Having been denied a goal by VAR earlier on, Lewandowski tore Red Star to shreds with four goals in 14 second-half minutes – the quickest quadruple in Champions League history.
After doubling Bayern s lead with a composed penalty, Lewandowski tucked in a close-range second before completing an 11-minute hat-trick with a header.
14 Robert Lewandowski has scored in 14 minutes 31 seconds the fastest ever quadruple i…
Former Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso revealed he almost joined Barcelona before he made the move to the Spanish capital.
Alonso, 35, left Premier League side Liverpool for Madrid in 2009, going on to win LaLiga, the Champions League, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana before linking up with Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich five years later.
But it could have been a lot different for Alonso who is set to retire at the end of the season had it not been for the emergence of fellow Spaniard Sergio Busquets at Barca.
It happened not long before I left for Real Madrid, Alonso told El Pais.
Liverpool told me that they wanted to sell me, [manager at that time, Rafael] Benitez too, and Pep showed an interest in my situation.
He wanted to sign me b…
The European Club Association (ECA) has elected Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to the UEFA Executive Committee.
Al-Khelaifi, who has been at PSG since 2011, joins Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli as the two ECA representatives on the committee, replacing Ivan Gazidis who left Arsenal for AC Milan last year.
The decision to elect Al-Khelaifi must now be ratified by the UEFA Congress at a meeting on February 7 in Rome.
Al-Khelaifi said of the decision: I am deeply honoured to have been elected by my fellow ECA Executive Board members to join the UEFA Executive Committee.
I look forward to working alongside members of the UEFA Executive Committee to enhance and develop European football, while ensuring that the interests of all the clubs a…
Manchester United completed the greatest Champions League escape after stunning Paris Saint-Germain at the death in their dramatic last-16 fixture.
Marcus Rashford converted a 94th-minute penalty following VAR drama to give a depleted United a stunning 3-1 victory in Paris, which levelled the tie at 3-3 on aggregate but sent the Red Devils through on away goals.
Rashford s goal made history for United, who became the first team in the Champions League to progress having lost by two or more goals at home in the first leg of a knockout match, after last month s 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford.
Here, with the help of Opta, we look at some of the key stats behind United s incredible victory on Wednesday en route to the quarter-finals.
1 Marcus Rashford s …