Lionel Messi said he never expected to have such a successful career after receiving his fifth Golden Shoe, on Tuesday, for being the top goalscorer in Europe last season.
Several players across the continent are poised to make a name for themselves on the international stage.
Former European champions Steaua Bucharest and English Premier League Southampton suffered shock defeats by Scandinavian teams in Europa League qualifiers on Thursday.
IMAGES from Champions League matches played on Wednesday.
Real, Barca topple United off perch to become top earning clubs
Teenager Curtis Jones grabbed a 58th-minute winner as an injury-hit Liverpool qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Ajax Amsterdam at Anfield on Tuesday.
Arsenal can sustain a Europa League challenge but a top-four finish in the Premier League would be the best way to reach next season's Champions League, manager Arsene Wenger has said.
Did you know Dev Anand worked as a clerk at a salary of Rs 85 before he became an actor?
Bundesliga teams will be allowed up to five substitutions per match when it restarts on Saturday after the coronavirus stoppage, while teams will be relegated provided the season is completed, the German Football League (DFL) said on Thursday. Short-term venue changes will also be permitted if health reasons dictate such a need and the season will continue beyond its re-scheduled finish date of June 30 and into July if necessary, the DFL said following a general assembly.
Barring a monumental collapse Manchester City will win at least two trophies this season, but former England captain Alan Shearer believes European bragging rights are what the club's Abu Dhabi owners crave most.
Southgate said England had been forced to give players extra days' recovery and also tapered their training schedules as the country's hopes of qualifying for the Nations League finals were dashed after Sunday's 2-0 defeat by Belgium.
The group is seeking support in England, Spain, Italy, France and Germany by promising more places in an enlarged tournament and higher revenues from broadcasting rights, Marco Bogarelli, the strategic director of Wanda Sports Holding, the Chinese group's sports arm, told the newspaper.
Portugal became the first team to qualify for the Nations League semi-finals when they held Italy 0-0 on Saturday, the second time in a year that the hosts have been knocked out of a competition following a goalless draw at the San Siro.
Roberto Mancini has resigned as head coach of the Italian national team.
Bobby Charlton, an England World Cup winner and one of Manchester United's greatest players, died on Saturday at the age of 86
In a big blow to Real Madrid's title hopes, Real Betis held them to a goalless draw in their La Liga encounter on Sunday.
A player in Sevilla's first team squad has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of their Europa League last-16 tie against AS Roma, the La Liga club announced on Wednesday. The Spanish club said they conducted tests on Sunday on players, coaches and staff. The player, who was not named, is asymptomatic and is self-isolating at home.
Sevilla in semis as Wolves miss penalty.
Included in Barcelona squad to face Dortmund
London sides Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal made winning starts as did fellow Premier League club Leicester City.
The top three places in the Premier League table look secure for Liverpool, Manchester City and Leicester City, but the fourth spot, currently occupied by Chelsea, remains tantalisingly within reach for several clubs including Carlo Ancelotti's Everton and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United.
'It would be very difficult to relegate somebody, particularly from the Premier League, if the season hasn't played out'
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said he expected matches to be played without fans, although there was a small chance that could change.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
If England win the Nations League this year it will be a greater achievement than reaching the 2018 World Cup semi-finals in Russia
Former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said bitter rivals Real Madrid were a 'spectacular' side after they won a record 13th European title in Kiev on Saturday.
Images from the Europa League semi-final first leg matches on Thursday.
England government says no elite sport in country at least until June 1. Cricket and rugby authorities in England have said their sports will not resume until July.
Nani, who was recently crowned European champion with Portugal, wants to help bring the good times back to new club Valencia.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
England, who are gunning for their second World Cup title, have the most valuable squad in Qatar with Jude Bellingham topping a list of over 800 players.
Sheffield United's David McGoldrick scored twice as they stunned Chelsea with a 3-0 win at Bramall Lane on Saturday, loosening the visitors' grip on a Premier League top-four place. Raheem Sterling struck a hat-trick as Manchester City crushed Brighton 5-0 at the AmEx Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday.
Former England forward Trevor Francis, Britain's first one million pound ($1.28 million) player, has died at the age of 69 after suffering a heart attack, his family said on Monday.
Kiev's Olympic stadium will host the final of the 2018 Champions League, the first final of Europe's top club competition to be held in Ukraine, UEFA said on Thursday.
Triple European champions Manchester United and their under-fire coach Louis van Gaal face a tricky task against little-known Midtjylland in the last 32 of the Europa League following Monday's draw.
Leeds United's Premier League relegation fears heightened as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa on Friday, leaving Jesse Marsch's side without a win in their last seven games in all competitions.
Spain ended European champions Italy's world record 37-match unbeaten run as Ferran Torres scored twice in a 2-1 win at the San Siro stadium in an entertaining Nations League semi-final on Wednesday.
Men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh on Saturday admitted India will have to focus on conceding fewer goals from the touchline and create more scoring opportunities.
Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt headed a late goal to send the five-times European champions into the last 16 of the Europa League with a 1-0 victory over a defiant Sparta Prague at Anfield on Thursday.
