Captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck twice in a 2-0 friendly win over Estonia on Thursday to become Sweden's all-time leading scorer with 50 goals.
Neymar played 'cat-and-mouse' with Barcelona during the close-season before his move to Paris St Germain, Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre has said.
A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
Dejected French striker Nicolas Anelka is on the hunt for his 13th club after failing to guide Mumbai City into the knockout stage of the Indian Super League.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the two best players in the world right now but Neymar will eclipse them both next year, former Brazil striker Ronaldo told Reuters.
Argentina look set to keep Julian Alvarez in attack for Sunday's World Cup final
Harry Kane toppled Alan Shearer's 22-year-old record for the most Premier League goals in a calendar year by scoring a double for Tottenham Hotspur against Southampton, on Tuesday, also overtaking Lionel Messi as the top scorer in Europe.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Barcelona made a disappointing start to their Champions League campaign by losing 2-1 to AS Monaco on Thursday.
Manchester City look to take an important step in their transformation into one of the world's leading clubs on Tuesday by reaching the Champions League semi-finals for the first time.
Real Madrid opened a two-point lead over Villarreal at the top of La Liga when Cristiano Ronaldo set a club scoring record in a 3-0 stroll at home to Levante on Saturday.
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri believes Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to win the Ballon D'Or, following media reports that the forward has not been short-listed for the award's final three for the first time since 2010.
The team may be able to rely on Real Madrid's young trio of Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Eder Militao and Premier League rising stars Bruno Guimaraes, Antony and Gabriel Martinelli, among others.
An early own goal by Luke Shaw, who deflected in a header from Luis Suarez, decided a tight first leg and gave Barca their first victory at Old Trafford in five attempts in European competition.
Colombian James Rodriguez scored both goals in Monaco's 2-0 victory at Bastia on Saturday, keeping them in contention for the Ligue 1 title, five points behind leaders Paris St Germain.
Manchester City reached the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time after a superb curling shot from Kevin de Bruyne gave them a 1-0 second-leg win over Paris St Germain that sealed a 3-2 aggregate victory on Tuesday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Giroud, at 36, brings experience and guile to France's attack, while Mbappe, 23, is blessed with pace
Paraguayan prosecutors will not charge Ronaldinho Gaucho for possession of an altered passport, but the former Barcelona player has admitted guilt and agreed to face an alternative punishment, the lead official in the case said on Thursday. Ronaldinho and his brother and business manager Roberto Assis both entered Paraguay on Wednesday with false documents, officials said.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho sprung to the defence of new goalkeeper Asmir Begovic after the Bosnian conceded four goals against the New York Red Bulls.
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.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Lionel Messi drew level with Diego Maradona's number of World Cup goals and appearances on Saturday, but the current No. 10 knows that only winning the trophy at long last will earn him the same eternal love of his fellow Argentines.
It took Giroud, who owed his place in the starting lineup to Benzema's absence, 115 international appearances to score his 51 goals, while Henry needed 123 from 1997-2010.
Barcelona's 16-year-old forward Ansu Fati continued his explosive start to life in the first team by scoring and providing an assist as the La Liga champions thrashed Valencia 5-2 on Saturday.
Southampton's 15 million pound ($19.19 million) purchase of Lazio centre back Wesley Hoedt brought the overall spend by England's 20 elite clubs to a record 1.184.9 billion pounds.
Players who have been ruled out or are doubtful for the 2022 World Cup.
'There is no price limit to let him go or a price that we are ready to give in'
Bayern Munich put upstarts RB Leipzig firmly in their place by sweeping to an emphatic 3-0 home win, with all the goals coming in the first half, in a disappointingly one-sided top-of-the-table Bundesliga clash on Wednesday.
Holders Manchester City cruised into the Champions League quarter-finals for the seventh consecutive season with a 3-1 victory over FC Copenhagen.
Olympique de Marseille will lead Ligue 1 into the two-week break thanks to Michy Batshuayi's half-volleyed winner in a 2-1 home victory over Lille on Sunday.
Sporting director Leonardo Araujo, back for a second stint in the role, has said the Brazilian can leave if a buyer is found.
Jordan Ayew scored for Lorient against his former side Olympique de Marseille as the Ligue 1 leaders were held to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday.
IMAGRS from the soccer matches played across European leagues on Friday
Paris St Germain closed out the year on a high as they maintained their five-point advantage at the top of the table.
AS Roma's dramatic Champions League elimination by Porto, thanks to a late penalty awarded with a VAR review, was a 'terrible way to go out', their captain Daniele De Rossi said on Wednesday.
Kevin De Bruyne had to be replaced by Gabriel Jesus in the 60th minute on Saturday following a collision with Antonio Rudiger.
Paris St Germain will play Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona were pitted against an unpredictable Napoli, while Chelsea were drawn against Bayern Munich. City, who will be at home in the second leg, have yet to beat the Spanish side with two draws and two defeats in their previous four meetings.
A round-up of matches played in the Serie A and French Ligue 1 on Sunday
Lionel Messi scored twice to equal Raul's Champions League scoring record as Barcelona secured their place in the knockout stages by beating 10-man Ajax Amsterdam 2-0 on Wednesday.
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