Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech returned to full training on Tuesday after a knee ligament injury, handing the Premier League club a boost before their Champions League opener against Bayer Leverkusen next week.
Rediff.com takes a look at the footballers who are making an impact recently despite a protective gear.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain became the second England international to leave Arsenal in two days when he joined Premier League rivals Liverpool for a reported 40 million pounds on Thursday.
Lionel Messi gave a new meaning to the phrase 'Hand of God' when he netted a Champions League record five goals in Barcelona's 7-1 demolition of Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi at his breathtaking best tore Bayer Leverkusen apart with a record five-goal Champions League haul on Wednesday as Barcelona swept into the quarter-finals 7-1 on the night and 10-2 on aggregate.
The Londoners have lost three of their last four English Premier League matches including two in a row at home against Arsenal and Liverpool.
Two goals by Alexis Sanchez -- his first in the Champions League -- led Barcelona to a 3-1 first-leg win at Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday to put the holders in the driving seat in their round of 16 tie.
Borussia Dortmund's Ciro Immobile struck twice in the second half to secure a 2-0 victory.
Robert Lewandowski and Arjen Robben struck twice apiece as champions Bayern Munich annihilated promoted Paderborn 6-0 on Saturday to open an 11-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga.
Kevin-Prince Boateng scored his first goal for Schalke 04 on Saturday to earn his team a 1-0 win at Mainz 05 and champions Bayern Munich beat Hanover 96 2-0.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Bayern Munich slumped to a shock home defeat by Borussia Moenchengladbach in their opening Bundesliga match on Sunday following a blunder by their most expensive new signings.
La Liga champions Real Madrid beat Getafe 3-1 on Saturday with a goal from Gareth Bale and two strikes from Cristiano Ronaldo to go 12 points behind leaders Barcelona and warm up for next week's Champions League game at Paris St Germain.
A number of football leagues around the globe will resume after the COVID-19 stoppage in the coming weeks but the matches will be played without fans.
Arsenal and Chelsea were among seven teams to reach the Europa League knockout stage on Thursday, while last year's runners-up Olympique de Marseille were eliminated at the group phase.
Marco Ruben's header put Villarreal up to third in La Liga with a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, after Valencia fell to a solitary Ivan Rakitic strike in a pulsating encounter with Sevilla.
Former captain Michael Ballack has described as a 'farce' an offer to end his Germany career with a friendly against Brazil in August, saying on Friday he was not being treated with respect by coach Joachim Loew.
The result also means second-placed Real Sociedad can reclaim top spot if they beat Eibar on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Hertha Berlin snatched their first Bundesliga victory of 2016 on Friday, edging past Cologne 1-0 thanks to a Vedad Ibisevic goal as the visitors tightened their grip on third place.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben sparkled on his comeback from injury after almost two months, scoring the champions' first goal in a 4-0 demolition of Cologne on Saturday for their 1,000th victory in the Bundesliga that put them 10 points clear at the top.
With sports events around the world suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, football clubs and leagues have been discussing pay cuts with players to help them make it through the crisis.
Yet Milan's defensive frailty was punished when Konstantinos Fortounis scored from the penalty spot in the 81st minute to give his side the win that left them second in Group F on 10 points.
Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar was called up by Brazil for the first time since the 2010 World Cup on Tuesday for next month's friendly away to France. The 23-man squad picked by coach Mano Menezes includes uncapped midfielders Jadson of Shakhtar Donetsk and Renato Augusto of Bayer Leverkusen.
Germany midfielder Marco Reus scored one goal and set up another in three minutes as Borussia Dortmund survived a late comeback to beat Augsburg 3-2 on Friday and bounce back from an opening Bundesliga defeat last week.
Atletico Madrid's players are hoping coach Diego Simeone can become the club's equivalent of Alex Ferguson.
Paris St Germain suffered their first defeat of the season when they were beaten 2-0 at Stade Rennais on Sunday to drop their first Ligue 1 points of the season.
Steve McCLaren's VfL Wolfsburg slumped to another Bundesliga defeat on Saturday with a 2-0 loss at Borussia Dortmund while Michael Ballack was injured in Bayer Leverkusen's 2-2 draw at Hanover 96.
Bayern Munich's party was wrecked by Borussia Moenchengladbach who hit back for a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, forcing the Bavarians to wait at least a week to clinch a fourth straight Bundesliga title.
Arsenal will face manager Arsene Wenger's former club Monaco with defending champions Real Madrid pitted against German club Schalke.
Manchester United and Liverpool, English football's two most decorated clubs, were drawn together in the last 16 of the Europa League on Friday.
Napoli recovered from three goals down to draw 3-3 at Steaua Bucharest in the Europa League on Thursday as holders Atletico Madrid were held 1-1 by Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayern Munich climbed to the top of the Bundesliga on Saturday after an Arjen Robben goal 12 minutes from time secured a thrilling 3-2 win at Werder Bremen.
Borussia Dortmund reached the German Cup semi-finals with a 3-1 win at VfB Stuttgart on Tuesday as fans protested against high ticket prices by staying away at the start and throwing tennis balls on to the pitch.
Michael Ballack hit back at Philipp Lahm's wish to stay as German captain after his stint in charge during the World Cup when regular skipper Ballack was ruled out with injury.
Lionel Messi has passed a kidney stone which ruled him out of their Club World Cup semi-final and Barcelona will now decide whether he will be fit for the final, the Spanish sports daily AS said on Friday.
Lightning struck twice for Marc-Andre ter Stegen on Saturday when the Borussia Moenchengladbach goalkeeper scored a bizarre own goal in a 1-1 draw at Eintracht Braunschweig and his opposite number also put through his own net.
Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal came under stinging attack from club bosses on Thursday ahead of their clash against Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Manchester United's plane had to abort its landing seconds from touchdown as the squad flew to Germany for Wednesday's Champions League match with Bayer Leverkusen, British media reported.
