Media attention has focused on whether their most prized asset Neymar will eventually make a sensational move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Manchester City failed to fire in a frustrating 0-0 home draw with StokeCity on Wednesday that dealt a damaging blow to their Premier League title hopes and left them 10 points adrift of leaders Chelsea.
Sergio Aguero proved he is still vital to Manchester City's cause as the Argentine paved the way for a routine 2-0 victory at bottom club Sunderland on Sunday.
The former captain engineered a 3-0 win over Estonia and put them back in the race to qualify for Euro 2008.
The Frenchman won the 14th stage of the Tour de France, but Spaniard Oscar Pereiro retained his overall leader's yellow jersey.
The win allowed second-placed Liverpool to close the gap on league leaders Manchester City to two points.
Renault's Formula One world champion scored his fourth consecutive victory of the season.
Reigning champions Manchester City took the lead after 24 seconds but suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at Newcastle United.
India retained the No 1 spot in the latest Reliance ODI team rankings while Virat Kohli maintained the number two position with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni static at the seventh place in the batting chart released in Dubai.
Jose Mourinho was far from happy after his Manchester United side failed to beat struggling HullCity at Old Trafford on Wednesday, walking out of one interview and claiming in another that he was treated differently from other managers.
The meeting was convened after several parliamentarians opposed the common medical entrance test, saying NEET had created confusion among the students who have already applied for the state entrance exams.
The German, winner of the season's first two races, had been second before coming in for a fresh set of tyres while Hamilton won with one stop from pole position.
McLaren's Fernando Alonso is set to start Sunday's Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix from the back of the grid as he tries out an upgraded Honda power unit in practice on Friday.
The Indian ace drew with Wang Yue of China in the fifth round to maintain a half point lead in the Marx Gyorgy Memorial international chess tournament.
Chelsea's hopes of winning a third consecutive Premier League title have taken a knock with a third straight draw, their first match this season without scoring.
The teenage scored 6.5 points in the Andorra International Open Chess tournament, which was enough to earn him the Grandmaster's norm.
The two Indians were five strokes adrift of leader Prayad Marksaeng after the opening day of the Volvo Masters of Asia.
Following his return to form in the abruptly-ended West Indies series, Indian batsman Virat Kohli claimed the number two slot in the ICC rankings while swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar broke into the top-10 for the first time in his career.
Liverpool will seek a 10th successive EPL win when they conclude a memorable year at home to West Bromwich Albion
The victory after four qualifiers moved Ireland on to four points but they are still struggling in fifth place.
Torino came from behind to beat Serie A leaders Juventus 2-1 in a pulsating derby on Sunday.
Inter Milan's Mauro Icardi scored with two minutes remaining to hand them a 2-1 win over AS Roma.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is to stand down at the end of the season after a reign of almost 22 years that made him the most successful boss in the Premier League club's history.
The Indian ace shot a two-under 69 on the opening day to be sole second at the Coca-Cola Tokai Classic.
Swansea City sacked manager Bob Bradley on Tuesday less than three months after the American took charge, with the January transfer window looming and the Premier League's second-bottom club desperate to get out of relegation trouble.
Lydia Ko cantered to a nine-stroke victory at the LPGA Taiwan Championship on Sunday to take back the women's world number one spot from South Korean Park In-bee.
Here are five talking points from the weekend's action:
Against a background of supporter discontent over the form of Wenger's team as the Frenchman decides his future, with a protest outside the ground before kick-off urging the manager to leave his post, Arsenal were nervy from the start.
While their nearest chasers lost, Olympique Lyonnais succumbing 2-1 at home to struggling Lille and Monaco falling 1-0 at Nantes after a last-gasp Lucas Lima thunderbolt, PSG marched on without ever hitting top gear.
Juventus defeated second-placed Lazio 2-0 at home on Saturday to take another huge step towards their fourth straight Serie A title and boost their confidence for Wednesday's crunch Champions League clash in Monaco.
League leaders Chelsea and Liverpool however won their matches in the Premier League.
Luis Suarez played a part in all three of Barcelona's goals in a scrappy 3-1 victory at Granada.
Young Indian pro Ashok Kumar cruised into a four-stroke lead after the second round of the Asian Tour's Aamby Valley event on Friday.
Leonardo Bonucci and Alvaro Morata were on target as Juventus defeated Inter Milan 2-0 in the 'derby of Italy' to open a four-point lead at the top of Serie A on Sunday.
A stunning strike by midfielder Kevin Nolan earned Bolton Wanderers a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in Monday's Premier League match.
The Indian ace beat Vassily Ivanchuk in the blindfold game but drew the rapid, in the Amber tournament.
India's Geeta Rani and Simple Kaur Bumrah grabbed gold and silver medals in the +75 kg weightligting event
Dortmund's Mario Goetze has suffered with muscular problems in recent months, prompting a comprehensive internal investigation into the possible causes, the club said on Monday.
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