Cristiano Ronaldo made a scoring return to the Manchester United team, netting a debut goal against Newcastle United on Saturday.
Ronaldo was thrust straight into the United XI at Old Trafford after sealing his move from Juventus shortly before the international break.
Twelve years and 118 days on from his previous Premier League appearance, it marked the longest gap between outings in the competition s history.
And Ronaldo was immediately involved in the final third, attempting a game-high five shots in the first half.
The fifth of those found the net to put United 1-0 up, profiting on Freddie Woodman s fumble from a deflected Mason Greenwood strike.
Only Matt Jackson (13 years and 187 days between May 1993 and November 2006) has gone longer betw…
´Our goal is to play seven games in Qatar´ – Spain coach Luis Enrique setting sights on World Cup gl
Luis Enrique wants his Spain side to go all the way to the World Cup final in Qatar after they cruised to a 3-1 victory over Jordan in their final warm-up match before the tournament.
Spain s young stars won the game, with Ansu Fati setting them on their way with a 13th-minute strike before Gavi and Nico Williams added second-half goals to make it eight wins from their last 11 matches, though Jordan did score a late consolation.
Spain have not made it past the round of 16 at a World Cup since winning the tournament in 2010, but Luis Enrique s sights are firmly set on the final on December 18.
We are seventh in the FIFA ranking, he told reporters at his post-match press conference. Our goal is to play seven games in Qatar.
I have seen the team play well…
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu denied Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar will return to the LaLiga champions.
Neymar left Barca for Ligue 1 giants PSG in a world-record €222million deal in 2017, but the Brazil international star has been linked with a sensational move back to Camp Nou.
A switch to Real Madrid appeared possible prior to the World Cup, while a return to Barca has hit the headlines with head coach Ernesto Valverde refusing to completely rule out a transfer.
However, Bartomeu insisted Barca have no interest in re-signing the 26-year-old, who has scored eight Ligue 1 goals this season and 11 in all competitions.
Training for two YUUUGE home matches this week: vs. ! !
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)
Neymar wi…
Real Madrid want to sign Erling Haaland from Manchester City in 2024, according to . The report has claimed that defending La Liga and UEFA Champions League winners Madrid will not sign a new striker to replace France international star Karim Benzema next summer and are keen on bringing Haaland to the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2024.
Madrid reportedly had Haaland on their radar in the summer of 2022, but the 22-year-old Norway international striker moved to last season’s Premier League champions Manchester City as well. Los Blancos plan to make a €180 million bid for Haaland in 2024.
Haaland has hit the ground running in the Premier League and has been brilliant for City in the UEFA Champions League as well. The 22-year-old has scored 11 goals and given one …
Robert Lewandowski has denied reports he could join Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce, also insisting he is not considering retirement as he approaches his 36th birthday.
Lewandowski scored 26 goals in 49 games across all competitions in 2023-24, though that was down on his total of 33 goals as Barcelona won LaLiga in his first season with the club in 2022-23.
With the Blaugrana finishing a distant second to Real Madrid in LaLiga and exiting the Champions League at the quarter-final stage, reports had suggested an attacking refresh could be in the offing.
Lewandowski – who is halfway through a four-year deal with the Catalan giants – was linked with a move to Fenerbahce, who appointed Mourinho as their head coach on Sunday.
— Fenerbahçe SK (@Fe…
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford preached trust the process after his penalty shootout heroics against Switzerland.
Pickford got down low to keep out Switzerland s first spot-kick, denying Manuel Akanji.
While the 30-year-old could not prevent the Swiss scoring from their next three attempts, England stayed perfect through the shootout, with Trent Alexander-Arnold holding his nerve to send Gareth Southgate s team into the Euro 2024 semi-finals.
Pickford has now saved four of the 14 penalties he has faced in shootouts at major tournaments, twice as many as all other England goalkeepers combined saved between 1990 and 2012 (two out of 36).
Images shared widely on social media showed Pickford s water bottle had a list of each of Switzerland s penalty take…
Tottenham have confirmed the signing of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth.
The 26-year-old joins in a deal reportedly worth up to £65million – a club-record sale for Bournemouth – and signed a six-year contract with Spurs.
Solanke joined the Cherries from Liverpool in 2019, going on to make 216 appearances in all competitions, netting 77 goals and providing 31 assists.
He enjoyed his most prolific campaign in 2023-24, netting a club-record 19 goals in the Premier League for Bournemouth as he played in every league game, only failing to start one.
We are delighted to announce the signing of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth.
Welcome to Tottenham, Dominic!
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial)
Solanke comes in to strengthen the …
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Arsenal will have the opportunity to briefly reclaim the top spot in the Premier League table if they can secure a win against Luton Town at home on Wednesday evening.
Mikel Arteta s team held out to earn a commendable point in a tough away fixture against Manchester City over the weekend. On the other hand, Luton couldn t hold on to their lead against Tottenham Hotspur in their most recent outing and ended up losing 2-1 in North London.
Arsenal
Arsenal managed to avoid the usual defeat at the Etihad Stadium, holding Manchester City to a goalless draw on Easter Sunday. Despite spending much of the game defending, theirs solid defensive display, with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes in main roles, ensured they left with…
Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka and defender Manuel Akanji have both been named in Murat Yakin s Euro 2024 squad.
Yakin named a preliminary 33-man group last month in the hopes of replicating their fine run at the last tournament, where they were beaten by Spain in the last eight after eliminating favourites France on penalties.
Notable absentees from the final party include Genk striker Andi Zaqiri, who scored nine goals in 37 appearances in 2023-24, as well as Kevin Mbabu, who has 24 caps and was part of the side that beat Didier Deschamps men three years ago.
Former Arsenal skipper Xhaka will lead his side for a third time at an international tournament, after helping Bayer Leverkusen win their first Bundesliga title this season.
Manchester City s …
Dominic Solanke missed Bournemouth s friendly with Rayo Vallecano due to injury, Cherries head coach Andoni Iraola insisted amid transfer links to Tottenham.
Ange Postecoglou has made clear his desire to sign a striker in this transfer window, with Solanke reportedly a target from Premier League rivals Bournemouth.
Speculation ramped up after the Cherries forward, who is said to have a £65million release clause, was not named in their squad for Sunday s pre-season friendly with LaLiga s Rayo.
Yet Iraola explained the 26-year-old was absent due to a training injury, rather than a progression in any transfer movement with Postecoglou s Spurs.
Someone stamped on his foot yesterday and we are not going to risk him in a pre-season friendly, and I hope he is …