In front of hordes of watching cameras Euro 2008 finalists Spain underwent a light training session here on Friday morning just hours after knocking out Russia on Thursday.
Luis Aragones title contenders were in relaxed mood at the Franz Horr stadium ahead of Sunday s date with Germany.
But striker David Villa s hopes of lining up against Michael Ballack and company look non existent as the competition s leading goalscorer underwent tests in a Vienna hospital on the calf injury he picked up in the 3-0 win over the Russians.
David s a very important player for us, hopefully we can win the trophy and celebrate it with him, said Xabi Alonso of the forward whose four goals have helped lift Spain to their first final since 1984.
Villa came off in the 34th…
Lionel Messi said Argentina wanted to win a very special match against Chile in World Cup qualifying as Diego Maradona was honoured with a statue prior to kick-off on Thursday.
Argentina and Napoli great Maradona – widely considered to be one of football s greatest ever players – died at the age of 60 after suffering heart failure in November last year.
A World Cup winner with Argentina and two-time Serie A champion during his time at Napoli, Maradona was at the centre of a touching tribute as Messi and the La Albiceleste players gathered outside Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades to unveil a statue of the country icon before the 1-1 draw with Chile.
Messi s 24th-minute penalty was cancelled out by Alexis Sanchez 12 minutes later in Argentina s first match since…
For months now various reports have been naming Liverpool among the front-runners for the signature of Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham this summer, along with Manchester City and Real Madrid. On Monday, David Ornstein of The Athletic expressed his view that the transfer of the 19-year-old midfielder to Anfield looks unlikely at the moment, not believing the Merseysiders capable of beating such financially powerful opposition in a potential bidding war.
With no release clause in Bellingham s contract, Dortmund would, of course, hold the key to the situation, being in the position to choose an offer to accept or reject them all, but according to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have no intention of giving up. Their hope, unlike that of their rivals on this particular front, rest…
“It would be a dream to return to Madrid as soon as possible. I would be lying if I said something else”.
Those are the words of Achraf Hakimi, who has admitted that he is interested in returning to Real Madird during the summer transfer window. The 20 year old has been with Real for well over a decade now since singing onto their youth setup, and has even made a few appearances for their first team. However, the Morocco international, who featured at the 2018 FIFA World Cup for his nation, has been on loan with Borussia Dortmund since last year. He has another year on his current loan deal, but seems to prefer the idea of an early return to the Bernabeu.
Zinedine Zidane has made it clear that he wants to make some big changes during the summer, but it’s not yet k…