Real Madrid have signed Argentina midfielder Angel di Maria from Benfica on a six-year contract, the Spanish club said on their website on Monday. The 22-year-old, who has helped Argentina reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup in South Africa, is the first signing the club have made since Jose Mourinho replaced Manuel Pellegrini as coach last month.
Real Madrid's Welsh winger Gareth Bale has joined Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for FIFA's Ballon d'Or award.
Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne is facing a potentially lengthy spell on the sidelines after he was carried off on a stretcher with a suspected knee ligament injury in Wednesday's League Cup semi-final win over Everton.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
While the signing of a hard-working player who won two Premier League titles at City in five years since joining from Aston Villa is a coup for Liverpool, it also signifies the start of a squad makeover at City.
Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm will captain Germany in place of injured Michael Ballack and Manuel Neuer will be the starting goalkeeper at next month's World Cup, coach Joachim Loew said.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Saturday.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has praised Italian rookie Vito Mannone for his impact during the Premier League club's goalkeeping crisis.
Manchester United has reportedly identified French defender Eliaquim Mangala as the ideal replacement for Rio Ferdinand, who will be leaving Old Trafford at the end of the season.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain scored in a 2-0 victory away to Racing Santander on Sunday to ensure Real Madrid hold top spot in La Liga before next weekend's visit of title rivals Barcelona.
Pravin Jamnadas Gordhan, commissioner of South Africa Revenue Service since November 1999, is the frontrunner to succeed Finance Minister Trevor Manuel.
Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic made his debut for Barcelona in the second half of their 1-0 defeat by Manchester City in the Joan Gamper Trophy on Wednesday.
Arjen Robben's superb strike sent Bayern Munich through to the Champions League quarter-finals on away goals on Tuesday despite a 3-2 defeat by Fiorentina in a thrilling last 16 second leg.
An injury time goal from Lukas Podolski rescued a 2-2 friendly draw for Germany against Ivory Coast on Wednesday, the home team's first game since last week's suicide of keeper Robert Enke.
ATK now have 33 points as they remained firm in contention for the top-spot.
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has been charged with misconduct for his comments about the referee after his side's 2-0 Champions League home defeat by Barcelona, UEFA said on Friday.
Success in sports stems mostly from teamwork. Now and then there comes a captain, on whose singular strength an entire squad makes huge strides. One such titan, now departed for the Elysian Fields, was The Hindu's Sports Editor Srinivasaraghavan Krishnan.
France wants to deport almost 50 Russian soccer fans, Alexander Shprygin, the head of a Russian supporters' group, said on Tuesday, saying French riot police had stopped a bus carrying fans in Cannes who were on their way to Lille.
Bayer Leverkusen needed a second-half goal from defender Manuel Friedrich to earn a 1-1 draw with visitors Borussia Dortmund on Friday and move a point clear at the top of the Bundesliga.
Gonzalo Higuain came off the bench to settle Real Madrid's jitters with a superb lob that completed a 4-2 home victory over Real Valladolid in La Liga on Saturday.
German midfielder Ilkay Guendogan has joined Manchester City from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund on a four-year deal, the Premier League club announced on Thursday.
Arsenal right back Hector Bellerin will be in Spain's Euro 2016 squad, the country's football federation said on Tuesday. The 21-year-old Bellerin and the other 18 players named to face South Korea in a friendly in Wals-Siezenheim, Austria on Wednesday, have been guaranteed spots in the European Championship squad. Bellerin was included after Real Madrid right back Dani Carvajal sustained a leg muscle injury in Saturday's Champions League final victory over Atletico Madrid. The Real Madrid and Atletico players in the squad will be named later on Tuesday when Spain coach Vicente del Bosque announces his final list.
A rocket launcher and a huge cache of weapons were seized in Lyon.
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich stumbled to a 1-1 home draw against Hoffenheim on Saturday but stayed three points clear at the top as Borussia Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fired four goals past Hamburg SV following his midweek ban. Bayern fell a goal behind when Kerem Demirbay's thundering shot in the 16th minute left keeper Manuel Neuer rooted on the spot.
Real Madrid squandered a chance to climb above Barcelona to the top of La Liga when they were held to a 0-0 draw at mid-table Osasuna on Sunday. A win would have put Real first in the standings on goal difference after Barca dropped their first home points of the season in a 1-1 draw with Villarreal on Saturday.
The new managers of Manchester United and Manchester City will face an early confrontation when the teams meet in a friendly in Beijing on July 25. Jose Mourinho, officially confirmed as United boss on Friday, and old adversary Pep Guardiola, who is replacing Manuel Pellegrini at City, will renew hostilities in the pre-season International Champions Cup. There was little love lost between the pair when Mourinho was in charge at Real Madrid and Guardiola led Barcelona. The rivalry is likely to be just as fierce when United attempt to make up ground on their neighbours, who have finished above them in the Premier League for the past three seasons.
Germany's Toni Kroos emerged as the world champions' natural leader on Saturday, stepping up to guide them to a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Sweden kept them on course for the World Cup last 16.
Arsenal striker Robin van Persie will miss the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Manchester United with a groin strain.
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.
Indian hockey coach Jose Manuel Brasa has expressed confidence about the team winning the Champions Challenge Tournament in Argentina next month.
Bayern Munich, already crowned Bundesliga champions last week, lifted the league trophy in an empty stadium on Saturday after crushing hosts VfL Wolfsburg 4-0 on the final matchday. Bayern can win more silverware next week with the German Cup final against Bayer Leverkusen. They are also still in the Champions League.
Third-tier Alcorcon lost 1-0 to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Tuesday but dumped the nine-times European champions out of the King's Cup 4-1 on aggregate. Alcorcon operate on a budget of just over one million euros ($1.50 million), some 400 times smaller than Real's.
ManchesterCity's Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure said he was the victim of racist abuse from the stands during his side's 2-1 Champions League victory away at CSKA Moscow on Wednesday.
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Wednesday
Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain scored twice for 10-man Real Madrid in a 2-0 home win over Getafe on Saturday that eased the pressure on coach Manuel Pellegrini. Real have 22 points from nine games and are one point behind La Liga leaders Barcelona after the champions were held to a 1-1 draw at Osasuna, Gerard Pique scoring in his own net in the last minute.
Manuel Pellegrini's future as Real Madrid coach was called into question on Wednesday after the big-spending side's 4-0 thrashing at third-tier Alcorcon in the first leg of their King's Cup tie.
Real Madrid suffered an astonishing 4-0 defeat at third-tier side Alcorcon in the King's Cup on Tuesday, humiliated in the first leg by a club with a budget more than 400 times smaller than the La Liga giants.
Gareth Bale again came to Real Madrid's rescue by heading home the winner in a 1-0 win at Real Sociedad on Saturday that keeps their title hopes alive.
Depleted Real Madrid ended a disappointing week with a 0-0 draw at Sporting Gijon on Saturday, handing champions Barcelona the chance to open a three-point lead at the top of La Liga.
Schalke 04 won 2-1 at struggling VfB Stuttgart to stay on the heels of the Bundesliga leaders on Saturday while Bayern Munich notched their first victory in three games with a 2-1 triumph at Freiburg.
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