New Schalke 04 coach Huub Stevens rekindled memories of leading the Germans to 1997 UEFA Cup glory with an easy 3-1 win over Maccabi Haifa in the second round of Europa League group matches on Thursday but favourites Paris St Germain lost.
Bayer Leverkusen beat Freiburg 3-2 to edge closer to a first ever Bundesliga title.
Paris St Germain went to the top of Ligue 1 on Saturday after a Kevin Gameiro header clinched a hard-fought 1-0 home victory over Stade Reims.
Paris St Germain continued their irrepressible march towards a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title with a 5-1 home win against Olympique Lyonnais to move 17 points clear at the top.
Real Madrid coach Mourinho surprised many by including Kaka in the starting lineup for Wednesday's 4-1 Champions League win at Ajax and he responded with a performance full of verve and creativity that suggests he may be working his way back into contention.
Lionel Messi does not deserve to win the next FIFA Ballon d'Or as he has only won one minor trophy this year, his former Barcelona team mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic said on Tuesday.
Argentina skipper Lionel Messi has said that "in principle" last year's World Cup would be his fifth and final appearance.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will become the first player since Jean-Pierre Papin to score at least 30 goals in a French league season, the former France striker predicted on Tuesday.
Messi announced to take his talents to South Beach after his contract with PSG expires at the end of this month.
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich powered past third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 with an impressive display of high-pressing football on Sunday.
Nicolas Anelka's arrival at Chelsea in January last year hardly had the fans buzzing amid all the big-money signings since Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich transformed the fortunes of the west London club.
A summary of Wednesday's Champions League Round of 16, Second Leg, matches.
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
Nine players from the Premier League have been called up including Ruben Dias, Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Diogo Jota. Goncalo Inacio is the only Sporting player in the squad.
France and Spain will step up security ahead of the Champions League quarter-finals in Madrid and Paris on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, top officials said, as Islamic State threats cast a shadow over Europe's top club soccer tournament.
Hamburg SV and Werder Bremen stayed on course for an all-German UEFA Cup semi-final clash with 3-1 victories over Manchester City and Udinese respectively in their quarter-final, first legs on Thursday. Shakhtar Donetsk beat visitors Olympique Marseille 2-0 while Dynamo Kiev drew at Paris St Germain in a lacklustre goalless affair leaving open the possibility of a Ukrainian semi-final if the French clubs fail to put in improved performances.
A summary of the concluding day's action in the German Cup, French Cup and La Liga.
David Beckham's decision to spurn lucrative club offers in Europe and return to the LA Galaxy on a fresh two-year contract was an easy one to make, the former England captain said on Thursday.
Schalke 04, Lokomotiv Moscow and Stoke City sealed places in the last 32 of the Europa League but a 2-0 defeat at Salzburg left Paris St Germain coach Antoine Kombouare looking over his shoulder on Thursday.
Manchester United were mistakenly drawn with Villarreal, even though both teams faced each other in the group stage while the Premier League side's ball was not added to the bowl as a potential opponent for Atletico Madrid.
The message of support from Newell's was posted on social media hours before Saturday's home game against Barracas Central in the Argentine league.
IMAGES from UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
Monaco beat Paris St Germain 2-0 and they are now third in the standings with 42 points from 23 games.
A round-up of the UEFA Champions League last-16 first leg matches played on Tuesday.
Spanish media reports said Ronaldinho was due to arrive in Spain later on Saturday to close the deal.
Paris St Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic escaped a ban on Thursday for mimicking pointing a gun at the opposition bench in a Ligue 1 game against Toulouse last month.
'I am not going to try and set up any particular tactical plan to counter Kylian'
Olympique Marseille and Paris St Germain supporters clashed on Sunday after their Ligue 1 game was postponed and the whole PSG team quarantined when three players were diagnosed with H1N1 flu.
Modest Braga, who have never won a Portuguese league title, stunned five-times European champions Liverpool 1-0 with a first-half penalty in the Europa League on Thursday.
Copa American champions Argentina are unbeaten in 35 games and if this is to be Messi's final World Cup, they are in the form to deliver the title.
France teenage sensation Mbappe joins PSG from Monaco
Arsenal were 2-1 winners over Paris St Germain and Valencia beat Inter Milan 2-0 on the first day of the pre-season Emirates Cup tournament on Saturday.
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Messi played a key role in guiding Argentina to their first World Cup title in 36 years when they beat defending champions France in the final in December last year.
Olympique Lyon's hopes of clinching an eighth consecutive Ligue 1 title suffered another blow when they were held to a goalless draw at home to Paris St Germain on Friday.
Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said the German champions would never spend anywhere near the 222 million euros ($261 million) that Paris St Germain paid for Brazilian forward Neymar this month, saying he would prefer a stadium with that money.
The French taxman is delighted about the prospect of Brazilian soccer star Neymar joining Paris St Germain, the minister in charge of France's public accounts said on Thursday.
With Mbappe on the left flank of France's attack, he will cross paths with right-back Hakimi, the player he took under his wing when the Moroccan joined PSG from Inter Milan in 2021.
Twice UEFA Cup winners Sevilla failed to reach the knockout phase after a 1-0 defeat at Sampdoria eliminated the Spaniards. Sampdoria's victory sent them through from Group C along with VfB Stuttgart, who thumped Standard Liege 3-0 to progress to Friday's last 32 draw. Paris St Germain, twice winners Tottenham Hotspur, NEC Nijmegen and Olympiakos Piraeus also sealed places in the first knockout round.
