Liverpool forward Sadio Mane set his sights on winning the Ballon d Or after finishing fourth in the voting in 2019.
Barcelona captain Lionel Messi claimed the award for a record sixth time at Monday s ceremony in Paris.
Mane s club team-mate Virgil van Dijk was named runner-up and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo ranked third, some 210 points behind his Argentine rival.
Mane was further back but the Senegal international suggested more success with European champions Liverpool could help him compete for France Football s prestigious prize.
The Reds, now a force at home and abroad, had four players in the top 10 and six in the top 20.
That means we are a great team with great players and great quality, Mane told his club s website.
The bo…
Chile have the chance to claim back-to-back Copa America titles after sealing their passage to the decider of the Centenario tournament with a 2-0 win over a 10-man Colombia.
The defending champions raced out into a 2-0 lead after 11 minutes in Chicago courtesy of early goals from Charles Aranguiz and Jose Fuenzalida.
Colombia winger Juan Cuadrado headed a cross down to Aranguiz, who had the simple task of slotting it past David Ospina, before Fuenzalida tapped home from close range after an Alexis Sanchez shot came off the post.
However, as a severe storm made its way to Soldier Field, the second half of the contest was delayed for over two hours due to the threat of lightning.
The skies finally cleared and action resumed at almost 22:30 local t…
Dani Alves is aiming to bring Champions League glory to Juventus after completing his switch from Barcelona.
Alves free transfer from Camp Nou to Turin on a two-year deal was completed on Monday, with the Brazilian opting against renewing his Barca contract.
The right-back was part of the Barca side that denied Juve a treble by beating them in the 2015 Champions League final in Berlin.
However, Alves is hoping to help bring the European trophy back to Turin for the first time since 1995-96.
It s a great honour to be her. Juve have a great dream and I want to make it a reality, said the Brazilian when presented to the media.
The club s dream is to win the Champions League and I hope to help them achieve this.
I can t say exactly what Juv…
England boss Gareth Southgate confirmed Manchester City’s treble winners are available to face Malta, but he is yet to decide if they will play.
Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, John Stones and Kalvin Phillips only linked up with the squad on Tuesday after Manchester City completed the treble by beating Inter Milan 1-0 in the Champions League final on Saturday.
Grealish’s celebrations have made the headlines, but Southgate is happy to consider the group for selection for Friday’s Euro 2024 qualifier.
“We are going to have to take it bit by bit and see how they are,” he said. “They are all available for tomorrow but I’ve yet to decide if that’s a good decision.
“I spoke to them when they arrived, firstly to say what an incredible a…
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England and North Macedonia will face each other in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Group C this week. The match between the Three Lions and the Risovi will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester and is scheduled to kick off at 7:45pm UK time on Monday.
England
England are one of best and strongest teams in world football and have been doing extremity well under head coach Gareth Southgate. While the Three Lions have not won the World Cup or the European Championship under Southgate, the team have progressed a lot and are clearly getting better under him.
The Three Lions are expected to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2024 finals with ease. England will be expected to be one of the favourite to win th…
A knockout tie in the Champions League, in front of a packed house at the Santiago Bernabeu, pitting Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale against Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, is an occasion the football world is relishing.
But it is easy to see how Wednesday s last-16 first leg between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain may fill coaching counterparts Zinedine Zidane and Unai Emery with a degree of dread, as both head into the Valentine s Day clash knowing the tie could serve as their last act for the respective clubs on the European stage.
It was tough to envision Zidane being in such a position when Madrid cantered to a third Champions League triumph in four seasons, becoming the first team to successfully defend the title in its current guise, with a 4-1 win over Juventus i…
The Mirror understands that Tottenham Hotspur defender Davinson Sanchez has dismissed claims that he could be set for a summer move to Real Madrid.
The European Champions are planning a major overhaul of their squad when the transfer open reopens and have been linked with a move for the Colombia international, who only signed for the North London club from Ajax back in August.
He has impressed under manager Mauricio Pochettino thus far helping to keep clean sheets in recent wins over both Arsenal and Manchester United with his form keeping fit-again Toby Alderweireld out of the side.
In total, the twenty-one year old has racked up eighteen appearances for Spurs in all competitions having played forty-seven times for his former club for whom he was named Play…
Fiorentina defender Gonzalo Rodriguez is set to remain at the club until 2017 after signing a contract extension.
The Argentine, who arrived at Stadio Artemio Franchi from Villarreal in 2012, has made 68 Serie A appearances during his two seasons at the club, contributing 10 goals.
Rodriguez s deal was set to run out in 2015, but he has now declared his delight at having resolved his future.
I am very happy and there were never problems negotiating the renewal, so it was easy to sign the new contract, he said.
We need to improve, even if other teams have great players, as we want to win something this season. We’ve got important players too.
What are my objectives? I always say to win a trophy, whether it’s the Coppa Italia or the Europa Le…
Arsene Wenger has admitted he is afraid of Chelsea s possible spending power in the transfer market.
The European champions have splashed the cash in recent seasons, spending over 160 million pounds since 2011 on the likes of Fernando Torres, Eden Hazard, Oscar, David Luiz and Juan Mata.
That sort of spending is something the Frenchman can only dream of with Arsenal still operating on a restricted budget, and thanks to the backing of mega-rich owner Roman Abramovich, Chelsea are likely to be heavily involved in the transfer window again this off-season.
Wenger feels that Chelsea will be very busy in their attempts to add to their squad but said that he knew nothing about reports they were set to sign Atletico Madrid s Colombian striker Radamel Falcao.
I m afraid of what Chelsea…
Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone takes full responsibility for Luis Suarez s disappointing form after suggesting he rushed the striker back from his coronavirus-enforced lay-off.
Suarez missed four matches for Atleti, including a reunion with former side Barcelona, after contracting COVID-19 while away on international duty with Uruguay last month.
The 33-year-old marked his return to action with a goal in the 4-0 win over Cadiz but has since failed to find the net in his last three appearances, totalling 200 minutes on the pitch.
He failed to test Thibaut Courtois from his only shot in last weekend s 2-0 loss to Real Madrid and his 10 completed passes was the fewest of any Atletico player on the day.
Going further back, Suarez has scored just onc…