News of all that transpired on and off the field.
Andre Ooijer and Arjen Robben scored to earn the Netherlands a 2-0 home victory over Norway and maintain their perfect record in World Cup qualifying Group Nine on Wednesday.
Real's Cristiano Ronaldo will be going in search of his third consecutive World Player of the Year award
An early goal from Gonzalo Higuain earned Juande Ramos his first Spanish Primera Liga win as Real Madrid coach when the champions beat Valencia 1-0 on Saturday. Ramos, who replaced Bernd Schuster last week, watched Argentine striker Higuain score after only three minutes and Dutch winger Arjen Robben run riot but it needed several saves from Iker Casillas to make sure of victory for the home team.
Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has claimed that star forward Cristiano Ronaldo could make a return to Manchester United because he is disillusioned at the La Liga side.
Klaas Jan Huntelaar struck twice to help Real Madrid register a 5-2 win at 10-man Athletic Bilbao on Saturday and cut Barcelona's lead at the top of the Primera Liga to three points.
Real Madrid celebrated their league title triumph in style by crushing arch-rivals Barcelona 4-1 at the Bernabeu on Wednesday and helping deprive the Catalans of an automatic place in the Champions League. First-half goals from Raul and Arjen Robben, a classy strike from Gonzalo Higuain and a Ruud van Nistelrooy penalty earned Bernd Schuster's side an emphatic win that delighted the home fans packed into the rain-soaked stadium.
Juventus clinched a place in the Champions League knockout stages when a brilliant Cristiano Ronaldo assist set up Mario Mandzukic to give them a 1-0 win over Valencia on Tuesday.
The nine-times European champions finished second on goal difference in Group H of the Champions League behind Juventus, who were held 0-0 at home by BATE Borisov.
Renato scored a late winner for Sevilla at the Bernabeu as they survived a spirited fightback from champions Real Madrid to win 4-3 in the Spanish Primera Liga on Sunday. Adriano Correia gave Sevilla a third-minute lead and although Raul pulled one back in the 19th minute, Ndri Romaric and Frederic Kanoute had the visitors 3-1 up at halftime.
Lionel Messi scored twice in the second half to help Barcelona to a 2-0 win over Arsenal in their UEFA Champions League round of 16, first leg match at the Emirates Stadium in London on Tuesday.
Real Madrid new boy Rafael van der Vaart scored a hat-trick to help the champions thrash promoted Sporting Gijon 7-1.
World Cup winners Italy and runners-up France were in danger of tumbling out of Euro 2008 at the group stage.
Netherlands qualified for the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 with a 4-1 win over France which left the hopes of the World Cup runners-up hanging by a thread on Friday.
Barcelona closed to within two points of leaders Real Madrid after thumping Levante 5-1.
Undefeated Bayern Munich stumbled to a 0-0 draw at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Sunday that ended a four-game winning streak in the league but they remain four points clear at the top.
Newcastle United are set to make a £5-million (about R66-million) bid for Alan Smith but allow the England striker to stay at crisis club leeds United to the end of the season.
Holders Bayern Munich recovered from the shock of a stunning Patrice Evra goal to score three times in quick succession to beat Manchester United 3-1 and reach the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday.
A superbly taken last-gasp strike by midfielder Guti earned Real Madrid a 2-1 win at home to third division Alicante that took them into the last 16 of the King's Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann appear among the 55 nominees for the FIFPro 2016 World 11 released on Friday but England forward Wayne Rooney failed to make the shortlist for the first time. Portugal captain Ronaldo, led his country to victory at Euro 2016, while France forward Griezmann was the top player at the tournament. It is the first time that 25-year-old Griezmann has made the cut, but England captain Rooney is absent for the first time in the competition's 12-year history, after England crashed out of Euro 2016 to lowly Iceland.
Bayern Munich eased into the German Cup semi-finals with a 3-0 victory over 10-man VfL Bochum on Wednesday with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice to keep their treble hopes on track.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said that plans were afoot for the two players to be reunited.
The English champions beat Porto 3-2 on aggregate in the Champions League.
German champions Bayern Munich sacked coach Carlo Ancelotti on Thursday, a day after they suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat to Paris St Germain in the Champions League.
A list of the top 50 sportspeople as they stand at the end of 2003.
When Netherlands striker Robin van Persie put away a spectacular diving header against world champions Spain on a balmy afternoon at last year's World Cup it set them on the way to a 5-1 win and the promise of glory.
Manchester United beat Aston Villa 3-1 to maintain their six-point Premier League lead.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has much to ponder as he prepares his side for Saturday's local derby against Fulham at Stamford Bridge.
Jose Mourinho said Father Christmas must be a Chelsea fan after his side grabbed a last-gasp 3-2 win at Wigan Athletic on Saturday.
Substitute Didier Drogba bent in a free kick to give Chelsea a 1-0 win at Newcastle United in the League Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich face Borussia Dortmund on Saturday with relations between the German heavyweights seemingly at an all-time low.
Chelsea beat Portsmouth 2-0 while Arsenal's Champions League hopes for next season suffered a bodyblow with a 1-0 defeat at Blackburn Rovers.
Sixth-placed Arsenal slumped to a 3-2 home defeat by West Ham United.\n
Arjen Robben, Hernan Crespo and Didier Drogba will turn foes once the World Cup kicks off in Germany
Veterans Arjen Robben (21) and Wesley Sneijder (34) laid the groundwork for a Dutch victory in coach Dick Advocaat's first game in charge.
Football news from Ligue 1, Bundesliga and La liga.
Manchester United beat AC Milan 5-4 on penalties after their International Champions Cup match in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium ended 2-2 in regulation time on Saturday.
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