Sports

(GSM) Barcelona forward Lionel Messi beat last year s winner Cristiano Ronaldo into second place in the poll for Europe s footballer of the year, organized by France Football magazine.

Messi, 22, the first Argentine to win the prestigious trophy, becomes the sixth Barcelona player to take the award but the first for four years since Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho.

Hailed by Argentina great Diego Maradona as his successor, Messi won an unprecedented treble in Spain last season, as the Catalan side swept the Champions League, the Spanish title and the Copa Del Rey. Messi was the top scorer in last year s Champions League with nine goals, including his superb header in the 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the final.

Messi, who tallied 473 of a possible 480 p…

Gianfranco Zola hailed the remarkable job done by Antonio Conte at Chelsea and believes the whole squad have embraced his methods.

The pressure mounted on Conte during the early stages of his tenure at Stamford Bridge following back-to-back defeats against Liverpool and Arsenal in September.

However, the Blues have responded in style by winning seven consecutive Premier League matches, conceding just once in that time, to storm to the top of the league.

Part of Chelsea s upturn in fortunes has been down to a tactical switch with Conte employing his favoured 3-4-3 formation.

And Zola, a legendary figure at Chelsea, is delighted to see his ex-Italy team-mate excelling at his former club.

He s done very well, very, very good. It wasn t an easy job b…

A UK parliament select committee has called for a zero-tolerance approach and lengthy bans to tackle homophobia in sport.

A report published by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee found that football clubs in particular are not doing enough to challenge homophobic abuse in stadiums.

It said that a survey found 72 per cent of people had heard homophobic abuse, while noting that there are no openly gay footballers in the professional leagues.

Those found guilty of chanting homophobic abuse should be banned for between one and two years, the report says, and added that football has failed to reflect the significant change in society s attitudes to homosexuality in the last 30 years .

The report also criticised the inclusion of former world heavyweight box…

Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo says the decision to undergo thigh surgery is not a matter of club versus country, with the centre-back set to miss the Qatar 2022 World Cup with Uruguay.

The 23-year-old had been widely expected to be a lock for Diego Alonso s side ahead of the end-of-year tournament.

But Barcelona s announcement that he will undergo thigh surgery for a tendon problem in Finland on Wednesday, with a likely three-month lay-off to follow, looks to have dashed those plans.

Taking to social media on Monday, however, Araujo was quick to shoot down suggestions he had chosen the Blaugrana over his country, instead stating he was merely following the best medical advice.

I want to make clear the reasons why I made my decision, to avoid speculati…

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has told his players their resounding Premier League victory over Brighton will count for nothing if they do not beat Leicester to clinch a place in the Champions League.

The Magpies survived a test of their top-four credentials at St James’ Park on Thursday evening when they defended a 2-1 lead in the face of a determined Seagulls backlash before eventually killing off the game to win 4-1.

As a result, they climbed four points clear of fifth-placed Liverpool with both clubs having two games left, and will play in the Champions League next season if either the Reds lose at home to Aston Villa on Saturday or they beat the Foxes on Tyneside two days later.

The boss on tonight s big win!

— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC)

A…

Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas has labelled Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger the most important person in his career.

The 26-year-old was signed by Wenger from the Barca youth team when he was 16, and worked his way through the Arsenal academy before making his first-team debut in 2003.

Fabregas made 303 appearances in eight years at the Premier League outfit before returning to Barca in 2011.

And the Spaniard s career has been littered with success he has won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, FA Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, the European Championships twice and the World Cup.

Despite only winning one major trophy during his time in England, Fabregas credits Wenger as the most important influence on his career to date.

I prefer not to talk too much about Arsenal beca…

Two tournament favourites in Napoli and Tottenham face tricky second legs as they look to progress to the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League.

Rafael Benitez s side host Swansea at the Stadio San Paolo after a goalless draw in Wales, knowing a score draw would eliminate them on away goals, as well as a defeat.

Tottenham face arguably a greater task in overturning a 1-0 deficit against Dnipro of Ukraine when the two sides meet at White Hart Lane.

Yevhen Konoplyanka s late penalty earned the Ukrainian side a slender advantage in the first leg as the English side s 100 per cent record in the competition was snapped.

Should Tim Sherwood s side progress, they are likely to face last year s runners-up Benfica, who hold a 1-0 lead going into their home leg with PAOK.

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Real Madrid are set to sign their former striker Mariano Diaz, who appears to have had a change of heart over a switch from Lyon to Sevilla.

Mariano left Madrid for Lyon last year in a reported €8million deal and the Ligue 1 side s president Jean-Michel Aulas denied reports the transfer included a buy-back option last November.

The striker made a great start to life in France, scoring 18 league goals in 2017-18, but he has not found the net since April.

Madrid, meanwhile, are yet to sign a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portugal captain joined Juventus in a deal worth €112million.

Sevilla president Jose Castro says his club were set to land Mariano, but will now miss out on the 25-year-old.

Real Madrid have a buy option the…

Radja Nainggolan scored on his Inter debut as Luciano Spalletti s men won 3-0 at Bologna to record their first Serie A victory of the new season.

After a slow start to 2018-19, Inter looked like being frustrated again on Saturday until Nainggolan produced a moment of quality in the 66th minute, netting with his side s first shot on target.

A muscular injury meant the former Roma midfielder s bow was delayed after his €38million move, but it proved worth the wait for fans of the Nerazzurri. 

Substitute Antonio Candreva and Ivan Perisic both struck inside the final eight minutes to wrap up a triumph that, while impressive, was not quite as comfortable as the scoreline suggests.

66 GL! IL NINJA !!! Controllo e destro di prima a incrociare imparabile 0-…

Paris Saint-Germain head coach Christophe Galtier believes his players will have to show they can play under pressure if they are to take three points from Wednesday s Champions League meeting with Benfica.

The fixture sees two sides with 100-per-cent records so far in Group H face off, with PSG top by virtue of scoring more goals than their Portuguese counterparts.

Both teams also lead their domestic leagues and are yet to lose a game so far this campaign, suggesting the match in Lisbon could be an exciting and tight affair between two sides in excellent form.

And Galtier acknowledged the challenge that faces his players, telling reporters at Tuesday s pre-match press conference: What we are going to have to do, to perform well and beat Benfica, is have this abi…