A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday.
AC Milan and Brazil playmaker Kaka was awarded the 2007 Ballon d'Or on Sunday.
Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano accepted a one-year prison sentence for tax evasion on Thursday as part of a plea bargain, Spanish media reported, although he is unlikely to serve time in jail. The 31-year-old Argentina international, who joined Barca in August 2010, pleaded guilty last year to defrauding the Spanish tax authorities of more than 1.5 million euros by concealing earnings from his image rights by using companies set up in the United States and Portugal.
Yet for all of his 451 goals in all competitions and the silverware he helped amass, Ronaldo's time at the Bernabeu was fraught with moments of high tension leading to Tuesday's announcement that he was joining the Italian champions.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Uruguay, with 3.3 million people, are into a quarter-final with Argentina's conquerors France after four straight wins including a stunning 2-1 knockout victory over Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.
The Spanish football federation (RFEF) said on Twitter that the news conference would take place at the team's World Cup base in Krasnodar at 0930 GMT (1230 local time).
Former Portugal star Luis Figo has announced his intentions to challenge Sepp Blatter in the FIFA presidential elections.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
France earned a rollercoaster 4-2 home win over Croatia in an entertaining top-tier Nations League Group 3 match, while England were held to a 0-0 draw by Denmark in an uninspiring game.
The FIFA 2022 World Cup will kick-off in Qatar on Sunday, November 20. Here is a list of the 26-man squads playing in the quadrennial global football extravaganza.
In Mumbai to launch a business venture, Portuguese football legend Luis Figo, winner of the Ballon d'Or in 2000 and the FIFA World Player of 2001, discusses Barcelona, Real Madrid...
Luis Figo was one of the most talented, successful and exciting players of his generation, leading Portugal to a series of impressive performances which put many bigger countries to shame.
The Indian cricketer presented Hakan Yakin with the man of the match trophy after the Euro 2008 game between Switzerland and Portugal.
Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard, also tipped for the job, has been appointed vice-captain.
>The World Cup captain was a remarkable species: Always trying, pushing, lifting, harassing, delivering; the kind who would unhesitatingly jump into the deep end to save the day. They're all gone now, says Dhruv Munjal.
Organisers of the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix have bowed to local sensitivities by banning the traditional champagne podium celebration.
I am not the best person to judge, I cannot separate sentiment from my objective decision. Whatever season Messi has had on footballing grounds, I would still vote for him.
Switzerland will be among the eight seeded teams at the World Cup draw in December after they leapt to seventh in the latest FIFA rankings announced on Thursday, while Italy were edged out.
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for the second year running and the third overall on Monday after a prolific, trophy-filled year with Real Madrid.
Football's law-making body the International FA Board (IFAB) will meet on Saturday and discuss VAR and the off-side law, although no proposal has been tabled for a concrete law change.
Players at Serie A champions Juventus were among those who returned to training following the coronavirus stoppage on Tuesday. The Italian government on Sunday confirmed that professional athletes in both individual and team sports could start training.
France substitute Kylian Mbappe engineered two late goals to rescue a 2-2 draw against Iceland and spare the blushes of the world champions in their friendly.
A brief history of previous World Cup semi-final appearances by England and Croatia, ahead of their last four match at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Wednesday.
A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
CONCACAF's congress witnessed an outburst of support for incumbent Sepp Blatter.
Wayne Rooney of England and the Netherlands' Ruud van Nistelrooy continue to lead the goal scorers' list with four goals each at the Euro 2004 football tournament in Portugal after Friday's quarter-final between Greece and France.
Morocco and Iran's hopes of making a mark at the World Cup before a ball has been kicked, and they head into their opening match in St Petersburg on Friday knowing defeat could likely mean an early exit.
Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has plotted England's downfall in their last two tournaments
Teams involved in racial incidents should suffer more severe punishment like the docking of league points, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Wednesday.
'This award is not just mine.' 'It is my team mates' from Real Madrid and Croatia.' 'Without my coaches, I would not have won this and without my family I would not be the player I am today.'
Manchester City's eight point advantage after 11 games is leading to talk of the Premier League title race being over in November, but as Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho noted - English football has a habit of throwing up surprises.
From the planet's costliest player Neymar to 'tiki-taka' kings Xavi and Iniesta to the ultimate sorcerer Ronaldinho, the FIFA Under-17 World Cup has been the cradle for many of world football's household names.
A summary of Sunday's action in the Premier League.
Olympic champions among athletes accused of cheating.
Factbox on Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who announced his retirement from international football on Friday.
Football's Carli Lloyd seen as marketing darling, analysts say.
