Germany legend Lothar Matthaus believes Lionel Messi will reclaim the FIFA Ballon d Or from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi was an integral figure as Barcelona went on to win the treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League in Luis Enrique s first season in 2014-15.

The Argentinian scored an incredible 58 goals in 57 games in another stunning campaign, also guiding Argentina to the final of the Copa America.

There s really only one player who can win the Ballon d Or this year: Lionel Messi, Matthaus who won the World Player of the Year award in 1991 said in an interview with FIFA.com.

He s had another exceptional year for Barcelona by winning not only the Champions League but also the double in Spain, and only just missed out on a trophy with Arge…

Chelsea are planning to deal with cases of anti-Semitism among the club s fans by sending them on educational courses, chairman Bruce Buck has said.

Blues owner Roman Abramovich, who is Jewish, is at the forefront of an initiative that aims to eradicate instances of anti-Semitism among supporters.

And Buck explained that the process will produce better long-term results than merely imposing banning orders on guilty parties.

If you just ban people, you will never change their behaviour, Buck told The Sun.

This policy gives them the chance to realise what they have done, to make them want to behave better.

In the past, we would take them from the crowd and ban them, for up to three years.

Now we say, you did something wrong. You have the…

Argentina great Diego Maradona has described Lionel Messi as a teddy bear and vowed to confront FIFA president Gianni Infantino over his four-game ban.

Messi will miss all but one of Argentina s remaining World Cup qualifiers after FIFA punished him for swearing at an assistant referee following their 1-0 victory over Chile on March 23.

Edgardo Bauza s side were beaten 2-0 by Bolivia in La Paz in the absence of their talisman and now face a real battle to earn a qualifying spot for the finals in Russia in two years time, especially as Messi will only return for the final match against Ecuador.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) intend to appeal the ban, with Messi insisting that his remarks were made to the air and not directly to the official, and Maradona…

Jorginho believes relentless Arsenal are approaching the Premier League title race with more maturity than last season.

The Gunners were top of the table for a total of 248 days last term before ultimately slipping behind Manchester City in the run-in.

Pep Guardiola’s men are again in the running this time, with the holders sandwiched between leaders Liverpool and Arsenal as the season enters the final straight.

Just two points separate the table-topping Reds and third-placed Gunners, who ran amok at sorry Sheffield United in a 6-0 Monday mauling.

Hitting six on the road

— Arsenal (@Arsenal)

“The performance of the squad (was great) and the mentality to start strong and carry on the momentum,” Jorginho said.

“It was rea…

Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Alan Varela from FC Porto in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that PSG are among the clubs who have been impressed with Varela. The midfielder’s release clause in his contract is worth €70 million, and Porto are not going to let him leave for anything less.

Varela can play as a defensive midfielder or as a central midfielder. The Argentine has made 19 starts and one substitute appearance in Liga Portugal so far this season, scoring two goals and providing two assists in those games. He has also played seven times in the UEFA Champions League this campaign.

PSG are at the top of the Ligue 1 table at the moment with 55 points from 24 matches, nine points ahead of second-placed Brest. Meanwh…

Alan Pardew admitted his Newcastle United side got exactly what they deserved after they were hammered 4-0 at his former club Southampton.

The 52-year-old, who managed Southampton for just over a year before being sacked in 2010, was able to deliver a team talk for the first time since serving a three-match stadium ban for headbutting Hull City midfielder David Meyler.

But his words clearly failed to inspire his players after they were on the end of their second heavy defeat of the week, having been beaten 3-0 by Everton on Tuesday.

Jay Rodriguez opened the scoring in first-half injury time after being frequently denied by the brilliance of Newcastle goalkeeper Rob Elliot, deputising in the absence of the injured Tim Krul.

Rickie Lambert then doubled the lead fou…

Arsene Wenger has not ruled out strengthening Arsenal s squad, but will exercise his customary caution in the January transfer window.

The 61-year-old Frenchman is noted for his reluctance to sign players mid-season, with the purchase of Andrei Arshavin from Zenit St Petersburg in 2009 one of few exceptions to the rule.

And this season appears no different, with Wenger making it clear that only a player who can genuinely improve the team will come under consideration.

It depends if somebody goes or not and whether we find on the market something that really gives us a plus then we will of course not turn it down, Wenger told Arsenal TV.

Don t expect miracles in January; you have a high number of players who have played already in Europe and couldn t h…

UEFA has confirmed RB Leipzig and Salzburg have both been admitted into the Champions League for 2017-18.

There were doubts over whether the pair, who are both owned by Red Bull, would be able to compete in European club football s elite competition due to a potential violation of Article 5, which relates to the integrity of the competition.

Salzburg earned their place by virtue of being crowned Austrian champions, while Leipzig finished a stunning debut Bundesliga season by finishing second behind Bayern Munich.

They will move directly into the group stages, while Salzburg will meet either Hibernians or Tallinn in the second qualifying round.

The Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) has decided to accept the admission o…

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has spoken to a number of transfer targets and said he noticed an increased desire to play at Anfield following the club s progress this season.

The Reds are in fourth place, one point ahead of Arsenal, as they prepare to face Middlesbrough in their final Premier League game of the season, and Klopp is aiming to guide the club into the Champions League for the first time since 2014-15 by finishing in the top four.

When asked whether the club s reputation had been restored, Klopp told the Telegraph that he had sensed a shift in players feelings towards Liverpool.

I feel we are already back on track, he said. It should not sound disrespectful to the past. I really feel we are already on the way – we started already. Of course it …

Cristiano Ronaldo once again scored a late winner as Manchester United overturned a two-goal deficit against Atalanta to win 3-2 and move top of Champions League Group F at the halfway point.

Mario Pasalic broke the deadlock after just 15 minutes at Old Trafford, with Merih Demiral heading home to double the blow before the half-hour mark on Wednesday.

Marcus Rashford pulled one back after the break as he scored the 300th goal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s tenure before Harry Maguire levelled with 15 minutes of normal time remaining.

Ronaldo, who scored a stoppage-time winner against Villarreal, then climbed the highest to cap a memorable comeback and move the Red Devils to the summit.

3 Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in three consecutive Champions League games…