And, since, pictures speak more than words, Rediff.com brings you images from these sporting events and others that made headlines in the week gone by.
Former Argentina boss Marcelo Bielsa resigned as manager of Lazio after just two days in charge, the Italian Serie A club said in a statement on Friday.
Chile defender Gonzalo Jara's ban for provoking Edinson Cavani has been cut from three games to two, the governing body of South American football has said.
Brazil return to winning ways with dreary win over Ecuador in their World Cup qualifiers.
Queens Park Rangers striker Eduardo Vargas will be out of action for six weeks due to a knee ligament injury, the player's agent said on Monday.
Brazil midfielder Fred, no relation to the veteran striker of the same name who used to play for the same country, has been suspended from South American football for a year for failing a drugs test.
"To say I'll be happy for Argentina (if they win), that will not be true, it would be a lie, I will not be a hypocrite," Ronaldo said in an interview with the Spanish daily Marca.
Between trying to compose himself, wiping away tears and facing a long standing ovation, it took Lionel Messi more than a minute to start his farewell news conference on Sunday at FC Barcelona, where the Argentine has spent all of his playing career.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The vanishing spray used by referees to mark the 10 yards distance between a free kick and the defensive wall of players made its debut at World Cup level in Thursday's opening game between Brazil and Croatia.
Alexis Sanchez shrugged off an ankle injury and continued his resurgent form at the Copa America. The Chile striker fired his side to a 2-1 victory over Ecuador on Friday which took the holders into the quarter-finals of the competition.
A factbox on Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo-led Euro 2016 champions, Portugal inched closer to the top-five after climbing two places to 6th in the FIFA world rankings released on Thursday.
Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi took great pride in steering his country to victory in Sunday's Copa America final against a team he believes to be the best side in the world with the best player in history.
The 34-year-old Argentine joined PSG on a two-year contract with the option of extending it by another year after Barcelona made it clear they could not afford to keep him because of LaLiga's financial fair play rules.
A fan invasion in the opening match of the Olympic football tournament between Argentina and Morocco on Wednesday caused chaos, with Argentina eventually beaten 2-1 following a VAR review after play was suspended with the score tied at 2-2.
Argentina's Lionel Messi is used to being hacked down by desperate defenders but his statue in Buenos Aires has suffered even rougher treatment for the second time this year.
The US men's national soccer team will play their first friendly against Cuba in 69 years when they meet in Havana's Estadio Pedro Marrero on October 7, US Soccer said on Thursday.
Argentina coach Gerardo Martino expects Lionel Messi to be fit for his team's second Copa America Centenario fixture this week -- even if he is satisfied that the two-time world champions are adjusting to life without their injured superstar.
The defenders signed contracts on Tuesday from Bayern Munich making United their third team together, and they could both feature in the squad's season opener on Friday against Fulham at Old Trafford.
Philippe Coutinho scored a second half double and Everton added a cracking third as Brazil recovered from a sleepy start to beat Bolivia 3-0 in their Copa America opener on Friday.
Lionel Messi is still the best player in the world despite never winning a major international trophy for Argentina, former Barcelona team mate and Brazil great Ronaldinho said on Sunday. The 29-year-old Messi, who retired from internationals last month after Argentina lost to Chile in the Copa America final, is his country's top scorer with 55 goals. The five times World Player of the Year has played in three Copa America finals and the 2014 World Cup final, but lost them all.
Arsenal trio Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck and Tomas Rosicky will miss next week's Premier League Asia Trophy.
PSG's big buy has been left out squad for the Ligue 1 match against Brest.
Lionel Messi struggled in the thin air of La Paz, fluffing a gilt-edged chance to end his goal drought against Bolivia, while Colombia marksman Radamel Falcao was kept scoreless in Venezuela on Tuesday.
'Trust me, the comeback of Leo Messi only depends on him.'
Now, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo venturing into smaller leagues as they near the end of their brilliant careers, 2024 may finally be the year for the next in line in football royalty.
Brazil coach Dunga launched a stinging attack on referee Enrique Osses after the Chilean whistler sent Neymar off.
Argentina president Mauricio Macri has personally contacted star striker Lionel Messi and urged him not to call it quits to the national team.
Brazil have decided not to appeal against the four-game ban that will keep Neymar out of the Copa America but the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) hit out at CONMEBOL for their harsh treatment of the forward.
Brazil's failure to claim an Olympic soccer gold medal, the one major tournament they have never won, is all because Pele never played in the competition, the soccer great joked on Thursday.
A week before they kick off their Copa America campaign against Peru, Brazil dominated a poor warm up match though there was a moment of brilliant by Philippe Coutino when they opened the scoring after 27 minutes.
Media reports suggest Sevilla's Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli, who has never disguised his ambition to take charge of the national team and steered neighbouring Chile to the Copa America title in 2015, will step into the vacancy.
The first edition of FIFA's new 32-team Club World Cup will be held in the United States in 2025, world soccer's governing body said on Friday.
Luis Suarez scored an equaliser and was just wide with what could have been a spectacular winner as Uruguay were held to a 3-3 draw by Costa Rica in a friendly.
Argentina's new coach Edgardo Bauza has set his mind to wooing Lionel Messi back from international retirement as he ponders his squad for next month's South American 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Bauza was named on Monday to replace Gerardo Martino, who resigned a month ago after steering Messi's side to two successive Copa America finals which ended in penalty shootout defeats to Chile.
Paris is, and will continue to be, dogged by the usual gripes about staging the greatest show on earth.
Kaka and Ronaldinho were included in the squad for Brazil's friendlies against England and Turkey next month even though they asked not to be picked for the Copa America.
Argentina coach Gerardo Martino resigned on Tuesday citing a leadership vacuum at the Argentine FA (AFA) and problems trying to pick an 18-man squad for the Olympic soccer tournament in Rio de Janeiro in August, the AFA said.
Brazil shocked and other big upsets at World Cup qualifiers played on Tuesday
