Kevin De Bruyne netted a stunning equaliser with a rasping low strike to give Manchester City a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid
Having left it late to earn a 3-2 win in the first leg, City took a while to hit their stride at The Etihad on Tuesday but when they did Guardiola's team produced a magnificent attacking display that will ring alarm bells around Europe.
The winner will be named on August 26, along with UEFA's women's player of the year and Champions League positional award winners, at the Champions League group stage draw in Istanbul.
Messi has been linked with a move away from the Camp Nou at the end of the season after he caused a stir by criticising the club's sporting director Eric Abidal
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, who won the 2022 Ballon d'Or award, is also in the shortlist.
Goals from Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne secured a comfortable win at the Etihad
European champions Bayern Munich have strengthened their midfield by agreeing to buy sought-after Spain Under-21 international Thiago Alcantara from Barcelona for a fee of 25 million euros.
IMAGES from the Premier League matches played on Saturday.
After the reigning English Premier League champions suffered a shocking 0-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth on Saturday, will Jose Mourinho continue to lead the defending champions for the second half of the season? Here's a look the men who could take over at Stamford Bridge.
Spain's Nolito clueless about British referendum moniker
Roger Federer has joined the list of sports stars helping out the needy during the coronavirus pandemic, with the former world number one and his wife donating one million Swiss Francs ($1.02 million) to vulnerable families in his native Switzerland. Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had each donated one million euros ($1.08 million) to help clinics and medical centres fight the outbreak.
Manchester City climbed back into the Premier League's top four as second-half goals by Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez and Bernardo Silva sealed a comeback 3-1 victory at Everton on Wednesday.
Liverpool ripped apart Manchester City with three goals inside the opening 31 minutes as they won their Champions League quarter-final, first leg tie 3-0 on Wednesday.
City Football Group will be a 65 per cent majority stakeholder of the club, alongside existing shareholders, actor Ranbir Kapoor and Bimal Parekh, who will keep the remaining 35 per cent.
An in-form Bayern Munich will be looking to notch up their fourth straight win in the Champions League group stage and seal a spot in the final 16 when the Bundesliga champions face Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday.
Rediff.com brings a preview of the main matches coming up this weekend in the English Premier League.
Manchester City struck an early blow for the forthcoming Premier League campaign as they beat Liverpool on penalties to win the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday after an absorbing contest had finished 1-1.
Real Madrid beat holders Manchester City in an edge-of-your-seat 4-3 shootout victory to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
After bagging the League Cup, being locked in a titanic battle with Liverpool for the Premier League title and in the Champions League quarter-finals, Pep Guardiola's side remain on course for an unprecedented clean sweep.
ManchesterCity could be without playmaker David Silva for Saturday's home game against Bournemouth while midfielder Ilkay Guendogan may make his Premier League debut.
Yaya Toure has been left out of Manchester City's Champions League squad by coach Pep Guardiola, further undermining the Ivorian's position at the club. Toure, a mainstay of the City midfield since joining from Guardiola's Barcelona in 2010, has failed to start any of the club's opening three Premier League matches. He has only played once this season, in the second leg of the Champions League playoff tie against Steaua Bucharest, when they already had a 5-0 lead from the first encounter.
Liverpool climbed to the top of the Premier League table with a 2-1 victory over struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Erling Haaland fired his fourth Premier League hat-trick of a remarkable season to earn Manchester City a comfortable 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.
Liverpool's new striker Darwin Nunez scored a late goal on his debut as they drew first blood in this season's rivalry with Manchester City after a 3-1 win in Saturday's Community Shield.
The measure would apply to this season and next season plus all international matches until December 31 next year,
Manchester City face Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday.
English clubs took their spending on players for the season soaring past 1 billion pounds on Monday, but the biggest signing on transfer deadline day was that of a manager as Manchester City confirmed Pep Guardiola will take over this summer.
Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is doubtful for their Super Cup game against Chelsea on Friday in Prague after straining his ankle in a 1-1 Bundesliga draw at Freiburg on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old missed the last three ManchesterCity games and both of Argentina's World Cup qualifiers earlier this month following his road traffic accident in the Netherlands.
Leroy Sane struck the winner as Manchester City beat Liverpool 2-1 in a gripping English Premier League clash.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
'It's not easy to handle a team at a big, big club... always demanding to win competitions and every manager needs time. I have the feeling United started to play the way he wants'
Manchester City's Abu Dhabi-controlled owner has agreed to sell a $500 million stake to US private equity firm Silver Lake, making it the world's most valuable soccer group with a $4.8 billion price tag.
Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara will be out of action until early November after having surgery on Monday for damaged ligaments, the club said.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's brace guided Arsenal to beat an injury-plagued ten-man Chelsea 2-1 at the Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Arsenal came up short as their hopes of a first league title since 2004 suffered a setback.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique is ready for surprises when he comes up against Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich on Wednesday in what he believes will be an open and attractive game.
Champions Manchester City will expect to get back to winning ways at home to Newcastle United in a match which pits Pep Guardiola against his fellow Spaniard Rafa Benitez.
The Champions League will resume in August after being halted in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic with a 'Final Eight' tournament being held in Lisbon after the remaining second-leg games from the last 16 ties are decided.
The following is a look back on key moments in the thrilling Premier League title race, won by Manchester City on Sunday:
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