..::Football IV::..

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Ramos rates Madrid target Neymar among world's top three


Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos said Neymar is among the "top three in the world" amid the Paris Saint-Germain star's links to the La Liga giants. Neymar wants to leave PSG two years on from his world-record transfer and talk of a Barcelona return has been touted, as well as a blockbuster move to Madrid.

Both side are reportedly in talks with PSG over Neymar, and while Ramos rated the Brazilian among the best players in the world, he was quick to add that Los Blancos are ready to move forward with the players already in the side.

"Neymar is a top player, among the top three in the world," Ramos told reporters."Talking about signings is a lack of respect for this great team. "These things are always talked about at Real Madrid and even more so when the transfer window is open. "Players must be cold with these things."

Madrid have been busy in the transfer market, signing Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo Goes, while seemingly keeping Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez. "We're going to move forward with those that we have," Ramos said. "We all need to be connected.

"Reactivating players like [Gareth] Bale or James [Rodriguez] is another solution." Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas, however, is reportedly set to leave the Santiago Bernabeu as he seeks regular football.

Navas has been linked to Ligue 1 champions PSG after being told he will be back-up to Thibaut Courtois. "He's one of the best goalkeepers in the world," Ramos added.

"The debate about the goalkeeper's spot has always existed, but Real Madrid need two great goalkeepers and Courtois and Navas are two amazing goalkeepers. "I would like [Navas] to stay because he's also a great player, team-mate and he's a friend."



Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Real Valladolid saw Madrid suffer their first minor setback of the new season, with the club having taken a 3-1 win over Celta Vigo to open the campaign. Just one club, league leaders Sevilla, remain perfect through two rounds of La Liga action.

Madrid return to the pitch on September 1 to face off with Villarreal.

 

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Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2019.08.25

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2019.08.25

Bournemouth Vs Manchester City

Tottenham Vs Newcastle

Wolves Vs Burnley

 

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La Liga Fixtures 2019.08.25

La Liga Fixtures 2019.08.25

Alaves Vs Espanyol

Real Mallorca Vs Real Sociedad

Leganes Vs Atletico Madrid

Barcelona Vs Real Betis
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Serie A Fixtures 2019.08.25

Serie A Fixtures 2019.08.25

Udinese Vs AC Milan

Cagliari Vs Brescia

Roma Vs Genoa

Sampdoria Vs Lazio

Spal Vs Atalanta

Torino Vs Sassuolo

Verona Vs Bologna
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Juventus 4-3 Napoli: Koulibaly own goal ruins stunning comeback


Napoli roared back from 3-0 down against Juventus only for Kalidou Koulibaly's injury-time own goal to hand the Serie A champions a dramatic 4-3 victory on Saturday.

Juve, whose coach Maurizio Sarri was again absent from the Allianz Stadium due to a bout of pneumonia, produced a commanding performance for the first hour to open up a sizeable lead over Carlo Ancelotti's side.

Danilo broke the deadlock with his first touch just 29 seconds into his debut as a substitute for Mattia De Sciglio, before Gonzalo Higuain doubled the lead against his old club and Cristiano Ronaldo struck a third.

Napoli were allowed back into the match through quick-fire goals from Kostas Manolas and Hirving Lozano, another man in his first Serie A outing, before Giovanni Di Lorenzo thought he had earned a dramatic draw.However, in the second minute of injury time, Koulibaly put through his own net to gift Juve an early boost in the Scudetto race.

Wojciech Szczesny saved superbly from Allan and Juve struck within seconds of the resulting corner being cleared, as Douglas Costa raced into the box and pulled the ball back for Danilo to finish.

It was 2-0 three minutes later, Higuain spinning away from Koulibaly and firing into the top-right corner in fine style.

Victory for a commanding Juve was seemingly assured 62 minutes in, when Ronaldo met Costa's cut-back and placed a left-foot shot beyond the attempted block of Koulibaly and dive of Alex Meret for his first goal of the season.

Suddenly, though, they seemed to crumble. Manolas met Mario Rui's cross with a fine header and, barely two minutes later, Lozano slotted past Szczesny after being picked out by Piotr Zielinski from the left.

Costa's shot was brilliantly tipped onto the bar by Meret and, as anxiety seemed to build within the stands, Napoli snatched an equaliser when Di Lorenzo diverted Jose Callejon's delivery into the net from inside the six-yard box.

Yet with barely 90 seconds remaining, a hopeful free-kick was lofted into the Napoli area and Koulibaly sliced a clearance high into his own net with no Juve player nearby.

 

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AC Milan 1-0 Brescia: Early Calhanoglu goal gets Giampaolo off the mark

Hakan Calhanoglu's early header was enough for AC Milan as they held off Brescia 1-0 at San Siro to collect their first victory under head coach Marco Giampaolo.

After failing to register a shot on target in their 1-0 loss to Udinese on the opening weekend of the Serie A season, Giampaolo responded by leaving out prolific scorer Krzysztof Piatek and changing Milan's system.The Rossoneri again struggled to get going in Saturday's clash, but Calhanoglu's 12th-minute goal got them off the mark under their new boss.

Brescia, without the suspended Mario Balotelli, were unable to respond as they were joined on three points by their opponents.

Looking to avoid back-to-back losses to begin a Serie A season for just the third time in their history, Milan were ahead early on.An unmarked Calhanoglu sent a downward header into the bottom-left corner after being left unmarked on the edge of the six-yard, profiting from Suso's impressive play down the right.

A good chance went begging for Dimitri Bisoli to equalise eight minutes later, prodding over from close range, and Gianluigi Donnarumma produced a good save to keep out Stefano Sabelli's deflected strike.Milan struggled to build on their early goal, with Samu Castillejo wayward from a rare attempt early in the second half.

But the hosts rallied late on and should have added to their tally, substitute Piatek twice being denied by Jesse Joronen in the final 10 minutes, either side of firing against the post

 

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Southampton 1-1 Manchester United: Vestergaard cancels out stunning James strike

Manchester United were held to a third successive Premier League match without a win as Jannik Vestergaard earned 10-man Southampton a 1-1 home draw on Saturday.

Danish defender Vestergaard broke his duck for the club with a towering 58th-minute header to cancel out Daniel James' opener.

The latter had secured United an early lead with a well-taken third goal in four games but United were unable to add a second, even after Kevin Danso's dismissal in the 73rd minute.

Another frustrating result for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side comes in the wake of a deflating 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace and sends them into the international break on a sour note.

Wales international James needed 10 minutes of his fourth top-flight appearance to draw level with Alexis Sanchez's three-goal Premier League haul for United.

The Chilean, loaned out to Inter on Thursday, would have been envious of the room gifted to James, who darted in from the left and lashed beyond Angus Gunn.

Saints goalkeeper Gunn parried the 21-year-old's next well-struck attempt, which followed an awkward Aaron Wan-Bissaka volley, and thwarted Marcus Rashford shortly after the interval.

Southampton eventually mounted a period of pressure and were rewarded when Vestergaard climbed above Victor Lindelof and nodded in Danso's cross.
The odds swung back in United's favour when, 18 minutes from time, defender Danso dived in on Scott McTominay and received a second booking.

Gunn had to produce a smart save with his legs from Rashford as the away side became increasingly desperate for a winner but, aside from half-hearted appeals for a penalty when Mason Greenwood went to ground, there was little real concern for Ralph Hasenhuttl's men.

 

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Osasuna 2-2 Barcelona: Fati makes history but champions fall short

Ansu Fati became Barcelona's youngest LaLiga goalscorer as they came from behind but could only draw 2-2 with Osasuna in Saturday's clash at El Sadar.

The 16-year-old cancelled out Roberto Torres' opener just six minutes after coming off the bench, before fellow substitute Arthur buried a well-taken second goal for the defending league champions.

Torres sealed a point from the penalty spot after a Gerard Pique handball, though, with the result likely to add further pressure to Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde.

Valverde was again unable to call upon the injured Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez or Ousmane Dembele and left Ivan Rakitic on the bench.

The match was preceded by a minute's silence for Luis Enrique's daughter Xana, who died this week after a five-month battle with bone cancer.

Torres put Osasuna ahead in the seventh minute with the first shot of the match, thumping a volley past Marc-Andre ter Stegen at the left-hand post after being left completely unmarked.

It proved to be the only effort on target of the first half, as Barca produced next to nothing of note with their dominance of possession, although Jordi Alba felt he should have won a penalty.

Fati came on for Nelson Semedo at the break and Valverde's reshuffle paid dividends, the 16-year-old converting Carles Perez's cross with a fine header.
Barcelona were suddenly galvanised and it was 2-1 13 minutes later, Arthur cutting back onto his right foot and drilling past goalkeeper Ruben Martinez from just inside the area.

Brandon wasted a glorious chance to level when he made a mess of a free header, but Torres made no such mistake from 12 yards after Pique was penalised for blocking a cross with a raised arm.

 

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Bayern Munich 6-1 Mainz: Alaba nets stunner as champions run riot

David Alaba scored a superb free-kick as Benjamin Pavard and Ivan Perisic opened their Bayern Munich accounts in a 6-1 Bundesliga win over Mainz.
Mainz were thrashed 6-0 in the corresponding fixture last season, and although Jean-Paul Boetius' sixth-minute header put them ahead at Allianz Arena, they were again dismantled.

Bayern were in a ruthless mood, and after Perisic atoned for a poor miss by teeing up Pavard's equaliser, Alaba's pinpoint strike put Niko Kovac's side in control.

Perisic marked his full debut with a powerful header shortly after the restart, with Kingsley Coman then prodding in from a corner.

In-form Robert Lewandowski got in on the act with 12 minutes remaining, with substitute Alphonso Davies then adding further gloss to an emphatic victory.Bayern started well, but it was the visitors who took the lead when Boetius nodded home from Ronael Pierre-Gabriel's cross.

Perisic could have grabbed an equaliser, only to slice into the side netting when one-on-one with Florian Muller, who then made an exceptional save to prevent Danny Latza scoring an own goal.Muller should have done better with Bayern's leveller a minute later, but he misjudged Pavard's volley.

Bayern hit the front on the stroke of half-time - Alaba giving Muller no chance with a sublime free-kick which curled into the top-right corner.Thiago Alcantara squandered a great chance to double Bayern's advantage, but Perisic made no such mistake nine minutes after the restart.

Muller got a hand to the Croatian's thumping header but only pushed it up onto the underside of the crossbar, unable to prevent it crossing the line, and Bayern had their fourth when Coman met Joshua Kimmich's delivery.Lewandowksi bundled in from close range soon after, with the rout completed when Davies tapped into an empty net.

 

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Manchester City 4-0 Brighton and Hove Albion: Aguero brace soured by Laporte injury

Sergio Aguero scored twice but a suspected knee injury for Aymeric Laporte cast a shadow over Manchester City's comfortable 4-0 home win over Brighton and Hove Albion.

Laporte's celebrations of a long-awaited France call-up this week appear likely to be short-lived after he was taken off on a stretcher in the first half.
The 25-year-old went down in discomfort following a collision with Adam Webster, an incident that is sure to give Pep Guardiola several sleepless nights over the international break.

City were leading courtesy of Kevin De Bruyne's second-minute opener and Aguero added two more either side of the interval before teeing up Bernardo Silva to add the icing 17 seconds after his introduction.

The champions started in the manner expected of them as David Silva darted in behind and delivered a perfect cut-back for De Bruyne to apply a simple finish.

Provider should have turned goalscorer on the half-hour mark but David Silva poked across the face after Raheem Sterling wriggled free in the box.
A subdued atmosphere gave way to concern when centre-back Laporte was forced off after attempting a challenge that earned him a booking.

But striker Aguero lifted the mood in the 42nd minute, cushioning De Bruyne's pass and emphatically capping a classy team move.Fernandinho had replaced Laporte in City's defence and positioned himself well to nod away Leandro Trossard's scuffed, close-range finish shortly after the restart.

Aguero offered no such mercy, brilliantly curling beyond an outstretched Mat Ryan to complete his brace in the 55th minute.

City moved back down the gears after wrapping up three points but there was time left for the two-goal Argentina star to add an assist to his impressive outing.

Aguero gathered Martin Montoya's poor header and spotted Bernardo Silva, who picked out the bottom-right corner to complete the scoring in the 79th minute.

 

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Serbia 2-4 Portugal: Ronaldo scores but Semedo injured in Group B win

Bruno Fernandes created two goals while Cristiano Ronaldo and Bernardo Silva both struck late as Portugal, who lost Nelson Semedo to injury, won 4-2 away to Serbia in Euro 2020 qualifying on Saturday.

After taking two draws from their first two games, including being held at home by Serbia in March, Euro 2016 winners Portugal collected their first Group B victory at Rajko Mitic Stadium.

Goals from William Carvalho and Goncalo Guedes put Portugal in control but an injury to Barcelona full-back Semedo, who left the field after a heavy Aleksandar Kolarov challenge, appeared to disrupt their rhythm.

Nikola Milenkovic's first international goal prompted hope of a Serbia fightback but Ronaldo and Silva scored either side of Aleksandar Mitrovic's rocket with the result ensuring the visitors move up to second in the section.

Serbia skipper Kolarov rifled wide from an early warning shot, but a goalkeeping error from Marko Dmitrovic handed the visitors an easy opener three minutes before the break.

Fernandes floated in a right-wing cross with Dmitrovic clattering into defender Milenkovic and the ball squirting loose for Carvalho to slot into the gaping goal.Ronaldo fired off target twice in quick succession following the restart, but the Juventus superstar combined with Fernandes to create Portugal's second goal in the 58th minute.

There was work to do for Guedes, who had recovered from an injury scare, but the Valencia forward cleverly jinked into space before lashing a superb drive across Dmitrovic.Serbia hit back shortly after Semedo's injury, Milenkovic losing Danilo Pereira in the box to crash home a towering header from Dusan Tadic's left-wing corner.

Silva fed Ronaldo to beat Dmitrovic with a dinked finish - although replays showed had strayed offside - before Mitrovic's hammer of a finish, with Tadic again the creator, seemed to have set up a frantic finale.However, Manchester City star Silva wrapped up the scoring with a low finish four minutes from time.

 

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France 4-1 Albania: Griezmann penalty miss matters little as Coman leads the way in Paris



Kingsley Coman scored twice as France's march towards Euro 2020 qualification continued with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Albania.
Antoine Griezmann's penalty miss was all that marred a dominant display from the world champions, who were without Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba in Paris.

Coman's second international goal got France up and running in the eighth minute, with Olivier Giroud doubling the hosts' lead prior to the half-hour.

Griezmann failed to convert an international spot-kick for the first time soon after, but made amends with a sublime assist for Coman to double his tally midway through the second half.

Substitute Jonathan Ikone helped himself to a debut goal late on, as Didier Deschamp's side – who conceded through Sokol Cikalleshi's penalty late on – moved back to the top Group H in style.

Albania's dismal night began before a kick-off, with the Andorran anthem aired on the Stade de France tannoy instead of that of the visitors.France were quick to compound Albania's frustration – Coman prodding in after latching onto Raphael Varane's exceptional throughball.


Giroud should have made it two with a close-range header four minutes later, but he made no mistake with his next chance, sweeping home from Lucas Hernandez's cross.Mergim Mavraj's foul on Hernandez handed France a chance to make it 3-0, but Griezmann's spot-kick crashed off the crossbar.

Ardian Ismajli made a last-ditch block from Thomas Lemar's effort after the restart, while Thomas Strakosha frustrated Griezmann.But Griezmann found a way through Albania's defence again in the 68th minute – drilling an exquisite cross into Coman, who finished excellently on the turn.

 

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England 4-0 Bulgaria: Kane hat-trick helps keep Three Lions perfect

England continued their 100 per cent start in Euro 2020 qualifying as Harry Kane's hat-trick helped them to a resounding 4-0 win over Bulgaria at Wembley on Saturday.

Gareth Southgate's side were far from their fluid best in the opening stages, but a third straight win in Group A never looked in doubt after Kane's opener in the 24th minute.

The Three Lions captain added a second from the penalty spot three minutes into the second half, before teeing up Raheem Sterling for a third.

Kane added another from the spot in the 73rd minute as England warmed up for Tuesday's visit of the group's surprise package, Kosovo, in style.

After a subdued start, Kane thought he had given the hosts a 19th-minute lead. The Tottenham striker had strayed into an offside position, however, before tucking away Raheem Sterling's pass from close range.

He was not to be denied five minutes later, though, taking full advantage of slapstick goalkeeping from Plamen Iliev to score his 23rd international goal.
After a short goal-kick, Iliev's attempted pass to Vasil Bozhikov was cut out by Sterling, who teed up Kane to stroke home from six yards.Kane went close again shortly before the interval, heading straight at Iliev from Kieran Trippier's teasing right-wing cross.

Jordan Pickford kept out Wanderson's close-range effort a few moments after the restart, before a surging run from Marcus Rashford led to England's second.The Manchester United forward was brought down in the area by Nikolay Bodurov, with Kane coolly stroking home the resulting spot-kick.

Kane turned provider for England's third in the 55th minute, crossing for Sterling to bundle home his ninth international goal from point-blank range.
The 26-year-old added gloss to a superb individual display 17 minutes from time, whipping in from the penalty spot after he had been clumsily brought down in the area by Kristian Dimitrov.

 

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Spain 4-0 Faroe Islands: Rodrigo and Alcacer at the double

Rodrigo Moreno and Paco Alcacer scored two goals each as Spain claimed a 4-0 win over the Faroe Islands to maintain their 100 per cent record in Euro 2020 qualifying.

After a less than convincing performance in their 2-1 victory over Romania, Spain arrived at El Molinon hoping for a morale-boosting result on a night when Sergio Ramos made his 167th appearance and equalled Iker Casillas' caps record for the national team.

Rodrigo's goals - one in each half - and a late double from substitute Alcacer made sure the Euro 2012 winners avoided embarassment against Group F's stragglers, but the visitors deserved credit for stifling Spain's strikers for long periods.

Head coach Robert Moreno, taking charge of Spain for the second time since he was appointed on a full-time basis, will be glad to have claimed another three points but will see room for improvement ahead of the next round of matches.

Thiago Alcantara's skill and ingenuity caused the visitors problems early on and his flick into the box allowed Mikel Oyarzabal to square to Rodrigo, who stroked calmly into the empty net with goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen stranded.Thiago was denied a wonder-goal when his immaculate volley from the edge of the box at a corner was saved by Nielsen at full stretch, and Rodrigo sent a free header over the crossbar from point-blank range as the Faroe Islands left the field relieved to be trailing by just one goal at half-time.

The second half was four minutes old when Rodrigo broke clear down the right flank, cut into the box and unleashed a left-footed shot that took a wicked deflection off Heini Vatnsdal's thigh on its way into the net.Spain survived a scare when Joannes Bjartalid burst forward and fired a shot that David de Gea saved with his legs, but Alcacer side-footed Thiago's cross into the net from close range to make it 3-0 with a minute left.

Borussia Dortmund frontman Alcacer, who has scored in every game he has played for club and country this season, then nodded home Jose Gaya's cross at the near post to make it 4-0 in second-half stoppage-time.

 

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Congratulations Spain!
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Finland 1-2 Italy: Jorginho keeps Mancini's men perfect

Italy continued their 100 per cent record in Euro 2020 qualifying as Jorginho's late penalty secured a 2-1 win over Finland at Tammela Stadion on Sunday.The hosts had looked like they would gain a vital point after Teemu Pukki cancelled out Ciro Immobile's header from the penalty spot in the 72nd minute.

Chelsea midfielder Jorginho had the final say, though, slotting home from 12 yards with 11 minutes remaining.

The goal means Italy have won all six of their Group J qualifiers and sit six points ahead of second-placed Finland and nine above Armenia in third.Finland started in positive fashion and almost went ahead in the fourth minute when Joona Toivio scooped narrowly over at the back post from a corner.

The hosts kept their more illustrious opponents at arm's length in the opening 30 minutes, although they were indebted to a wonderful save from Lukas Hradecky to keep out Stefano Sensi's 18-yard volley.

Immobile then went close for the visitors, glancing a header wide of Hradecky's far post from Federico Chiesa's teasing right-wing cross.
Italy continued to crank up the pressure as half-time approached, with Sensi flashing wide from distance and Hradecky blocking Chiesa's effort from an acute angle.

Mancini's men started the second half as they finished the first but had to wait until the 59th minute to break the deadlock.Chiesa's cross from the right found Immobile at the back post and the Lazio striker made no mistake, thumping a header in off the underside of the crossbar.

Finland improbably found a way back into the game 18 minutes from time when Pukki clipped home from the spot after he had been tripped in the area by Sensi.

Italy responded well, though, and secured all three points when Jorginho beat Hradecky from 12 yards after Sauli Vaisanen was adjudged to have blocked Nicolo Barella's shot with his arm.

 

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Sanchez: You won't find anyone like Lukaku anywhere in the world


Inter forward Alexis Sanchez said there is no one like Romelu Lukaku in the world as he hailed the Serie A club's most expensive player.Lukaku joined Inter in a club-record deal after leaving Premier League giants Manchester United last month.

The 26-year-old has already scored two goals in two games for Antonio Conte's Inter, who are looking to dethrone Italian champions Juventus this term.

Sanchez followed Lukaku to Inter from United on loan and the Chilean heaped praise on his star team-mate."You won't find anyone else like him, anywhere in the world," Sanchez told ESPN FC .

The pair had their struggles at Manchester United, with Lukaku claiming he was a scapegoat for the club , but Sanchez doesn’t think they were given a real chance to show their best. "Lukaku and I trained very well. But we needed to play more in games to get to our best.

"It wasn't the right time for us to be at Manchester. Too many changes. When you change that much, it's tough. "Lukaku and I trained very well.”

The move to Inter has opened up a new set of chances for both players.

Inter finished fourth in Serie A last season, but a rebuild of the squad over the summer has Conte’s men looking like real challengers to Juve’s crown, and the Chilean claims that’s why he and the Belgian star both made the move to Milan.“I can feel the will here to achieve. This is why I'm here,” he said. "That's why Romelu is here. Will it work? We will have a lot more to say about that at the end of the season."



Lukaku scored 42 goals for United across all competitions following his move to Old Trafford from Everton in 2017. Sanchez swapped Arsenal for United in a high-profile transfer in January last year, however, form and injuries limited the 30-year-old to just five goals.

Inter host Udinese on Saturday, with Sanchez looking to make his debut for the Nerazzurri as they look to keep up their perfect start to the new season and hold onto their place at the top of the table.

 

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'I asked for us to be included in the Eastern Conference' - Perez wants Real Madrid in the NBA


Real Madrid president Florentino Perez dreams of seeing the club's basketball team playing in the NBA and has suggested a move to the league's Eastern Conference would be a good way to test their quality.

Madrid are one of the dominant forces in European basketball, winning a record 10 EuroLeague titles. Their most recent success was in the 2017-2018 season, while they were defeated in the semi-finalists earlier this year by CSKA Moscow.

They have also won the Spanish league four years out of the last five, and have conquered their domestic league 35 times, more than any other Spanish club, including the previous two campaigns.

With their massive run of success in Europe, Perez is now suggesting Madrid's players deserve to test themselves against the best by joining the NBA's Eastern Conference, which features the league's reigning champion, the Toronto Raptors.

However, he concedes that is not an option the NBA is willing to accept at the current time. "In basketball we play many insignificant games," Perez said. "It's better to play less, but better.

"We have explored the option of a European League and I have the dream of seeing Madrid in the NBA."I have asked us to be included in the Eastern Conference, but they say that's far away."

The distance between Madrid and New York is over 3,500 miles - greater than the area between New York and Los Angeles, which is approximately 2,450 miles, rendering travel difficult.To get around those travel issues, Perez suggested an alternative option could be to include Real Madrid in a new European Conference that would be part of the NBA with some of Europe's other big club teams.

And Perez suggested it could be a boon for the league's popularity, noting how widely followed his own club is on social media. "The other teams in Spain don't have as much interest," Perez added."But there are Greek and Turkish clubs with which we could have a European Conference.

"There are only two teams in the NBA with more followers than us on social networks."

 

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Real Madrid keen to host Federer-Nadal blockbuster at the Bernabeu


Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu could play host to a record-breaking tennis match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, says club president Florentino Perez.

The Spanish side’s head honcho revealed he had been trying to organise the match at the 81,044 capacity stadium for several years but it had been derailed because of injuries or logistical issues.

Perez believes that the star duo's projected longevity in the game means there will be an opportunity in the future to host the match, which would likely achieve a world record attendance for a tennis match.

"We tried many times to beat the Guinness World Record for the most spectators at a game of tennis between Nadal and Federer at the Bernabéu but one of them was either injured or it didn't suit," Perez was quoted as saying by AS. "The good thing is that it seems they will last a lot longer, so there's time."

The current record tennis crowd is the 35,681 supporters who saw Kim Clijsters defeat Serena Williams at a 2010 exhibition match in Brussels. A contest between Federer-Nadal at the Bernabeu would likely break that mark with the stadium's 80,000-plus capacity likely to be tested by the two tennis superstars.

There is a charity meeting 'Match in Africa' scheduled between the duo in February that will likely surpass the previous record with the Cape Town Stadium venue holding 55,000 people.

Spaniard Nadal, who was born in Mallorca, is a long-time supporter of Real Madrid despite his uncle Miguel Angel playing for Barcelona, while Federer played football as a junior and is an avid fan of Swiss side FC Basel. Nadal won his 19th grand slam with triumph in the U.S. Open final over Daniil Medvedev on Sunday - leaving him one short of Federer's record 20 majors.

Nadal's Real Madrid have started the season inconsistently with five points from three matches as they sit fifth in the La Liga table behind leaders Atletico Madrid (nine points) but ahead of rivals Barcelona (four). They will attempt to get their La Liga campaign back on track as they host Levante at the Bernabeu on Saturday.

 

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Man Utd still ‘years away’ from title challenge, says 1999 Treble winner Cole


Manchester United remain “years away” from piecing together a Premier League title challenge, admits Andy Cole.The Red Devils have failed to get their hands on the English top-flight crown since Sir Alex Ferguson headed into retirement on the back of his 13th success in 2013.

David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho have been unable to reclaim a standing at the summit, with the latter getting as close as anybody with a runner-up finish in 2017-18.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is now charged with the task of forcing United back into contention, but he has taken on a big job.

Cole, who formed part of the Red Devils’ historic Treble triumph in 1999, concedes that the rebuilding project at Old Trafford remains a work in progress.
He is not expecting that to change any time soon, telling Sky Sports: "I genuinely believe we're still a few years away."We've just got to keep improving, keep bringing in better players and just try and improve season by season, because the two teams at the top - Liverpool and Manchester City - they're pulling away from everyone.

"I was in a team at Manchester United where we were doing exactly the same thing and in the end, everyone else closed the gap."It's a case of just keep persevering, keep improving season by season and closing the gap."

United finished 32 points adrift of arch-rivals Manchester City last season as Pep Guardiola’s side enjoyed back-to-back title wins.If the Red Devils are to close that gap, then they need to find inspiration from somewhere.They have boasted those qualities in abundance down the years, on and off the field, with two iconic figures from their recent past having made plenty of headlines of late.



Former captain Roy Keane has been speaking his mind again, with the Irishman suggesting that United legend Ferguson did not always have the best interests of the club at heart.

Cole hopes any differences between two men he holds in the highest regard can be ironed out, saying: "It's disappointing but I'm just hoping that both of them can address the situation and work it out because I've got a lot of time for the pair of them.

"I spoke to Roy the other day and I've always had a great relationship with Sir Alex, so fingers crossed they will be able to sort it out."