A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Friday
Images from Tuesday night's UEFA Champions League group stage matches.
Bayern Munich and Real Madrid were the major winners following the resumption of European soccer's big leagues in the wake of the novel coronavirus shutdown but some clubs may wish the season had been declared null and void. Bundesliga champion Bayern were the only club across the continent to post a 100% record since the restart, winning all nine of their games, scoring 27 goals in the process.
Cristiano Ronaldo studiously avoided talk of Real Madrid after Manchester United booked their place in Sunday's Club World Cup final.
Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo's knee problem is getting better but he still might have to sit out their Champions League match at home to Atletico Madrid, coach Maurizio Sarri said on Monday.
Atletico Madrid were given a big boost ahead of Saturday's Champions League final against Real Madrid in Milan with the news that coach Diego Simeone will be staying on next season. President Enrique Cerezo said on Thursday that the former Atletico player would remain at the club until at least June 2017, when his contract expires. "Simeone will stay next season," Cerezo told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser.
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez will be worried at how easily his side were prised open
Wales will just want to land a blow on their old rivals, snap a run of six consecutive defeats against them and claim a first win over England since 1984.
But Saturday's Champions League final against his former club Juventus is a reminder that the Frenchman hasn't quite had it all his own way.
Now only Inter stand in the way of a treble that would match Manchester United's still unique feat of 1999.
Ronaldo was kept largely at bay by South Korea's defence in the Asians' last-gasp victory over Portugal that sent Uruguay out of the World Cup. But he was involved in the South Korean equalizer in the 27th minute when a corner struck him on the back and fell for Kim Young-gwon to score.
Manchester City failed with the most audacious transfer bid in years but despite Kaka's refusal to move from AC Milan the world's richest club still left their fingerprints all over the January transfer window.
On Saturday he made the difference yet again with two goals to help Real Madrid secure a third Champions League title in four years as they crushed Juventus 4-1 in a riveting final.
It was the Portuguese who emphatically came out on top, scoring two penalties as Juventus triumphed 3-0 to claim top spot in Group G.
Lionel Messi requires two more goals to reach 500 for Barcelona and will have his sights set on achieving the milestone against great rivals Real Madrid in Sunday's Clasico.
Spain coach Luis Enrique promised evolution rather than revolution when he took charge of the national side following their disastrous World Cup campaign this year when they were eliminated in the round of 16.
Key head-to-head battles in Saturday's "Clasico" between Real Madrid and Barcelona at the Bernabeu stadium (1600 GMT)
Liverpool coach Juergen Klopp had praised Spanish clubs on the eve of the match, saying they had better scouting, coaches and player development than their English, German and Italian equivalents.
Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale answered his critics in emphatic style.
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.
Eight years is a long time in the life of an athlete. But just like Messi, Di Maria has preserved and persisted towards his childhood dream, points out Deepti Patwardhan.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has mastered the art of the "double-edged compliment" and his praise for Juventus, after Tuesday's 1-0 defeat by the Italians, will have made uncomfortable listening for executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.
Sevilla drew level on points with Barcelona at the top of La Liga when they snatched a 2-1 comeback victory at home to Villarreal, while champions Atletico Madrid won 1-0 in a bad-tempered clash at Getafe on Sunday.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu's remarks come amid severe speculation around Messi's future at the club.
It will be virgin territory for Wales when they face Portugal in the Euro 2016 semi-finals yet their opponents could be forgiven a sense of deja vu as they step on to the pitch in Lyon on Wednesday.
Atletico Madrid's players are hoping coach Diego Simeone can become the club's equivalent of Alex Ferguson.
La Liga leaders Barcelona drew 0-0 at Huesca on Saturday and are nine points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid, who cut the gap by beating Celta Vigo 2-0.
Napoli kept alive their hopes of advancing from Group C after Lorenzo Insigne, Victor Osimhen and Matteo Politano secured a 3-0 home win over Legia Warsaw.
Ronaldinho has not played a competitive match since 2015 but had avoided calling a definitive halt to his career until now.
Erling Haaland became the third player in Champions League history to score five goals in a game as he led Manchester City to an unrelenting 7-0 rout of RB Leipzig in the second leg of their last-16 tie.
Koeman grateful for Messi support in transitional season for Barca.
If history ultimately judges the finest talents by their achievements on the international stage, where neither player has tasted success, then the Portuguese captain could use Sunday's Euro 2016 final to land a haymaker blow in one of football's great rivalries.
Barcelona leapfrogged Atletico Madrid to go top of La Liga after Lionel Messi's acrobatic volley secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory against tenacious Malaga on Saturday.
All non-professional leagues have been cancelled although clubs in the top two divisions have resumed training in groups of up to 10 players.
Lionel Messi will be working "full time" to shake off the hamstring injury sustained on Sunday that will sideline him for six to eight weeks, Barcelona's Argentine World Player of the Year said on Tuesday.
The policy of buying players cheap and selling them for a higher price a few years on is a business model that worked well for clubs like Atletico Madrid and FC Porto. With the transfer window open for the next few weeks, Rediff.com takes a look at clubs that made smart deals over the years.
Guardiola is on track to lead Bayern to a third consecutive Bundesliga title but his three-year spell there will ultimately be judged on whether he can win Europe's elite club competition with them.
Runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City beat champions Chelsea 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday to extend their lead to 18 points and leave the London side further adrift from the Champions League qualification spots.
It is too early to say who has got the best of the most frenetic transfer market.
The victory takes Barcelona up to fourth with 10 points after six games, one point behind surprise leaders Granada, Athletic Bilbao, who visit Leganes on Wednesday, and Real Madrid ahead of their game at home to Osasuna the same night.
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