Raphael Varane seriously considering Real Madrid exit

Vinicius Junior apologised to Brazil s supporters following their defeat to Paraguay, acknowledging it is a difficult time for the Selecao.

The five-time world champions were beaten 1-0 in Asuncion, with Diego Gomez s 20th-minute strike condemning them to a fourth defeat in five qualifying games.

Dorival Junior s side occupy fifth place in the CONMEBOL section in which the top six nations automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup, with the team finishing seventh entering the Inter-confederation play-offs.

Already eight points adrift of leaders Argentina, Brazil are now just one ahead of eighth-place Bolivia, and Vinicius knows he and his team-mates must do better.

We apologise to the fans, who are always on our side, the Real Madrid forward told Sport…

Chiedozie Ogbene has admitted he feels sorry for under-fire Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny after his lingering hopes of Euro 2024 qualification were finally dashed.

Kenny’s reign seemingly reached the point of no return on Friday night when a 2-0 home defeat by Greece left his team with just three points from a possible 18 in Group B and mathematically unable to clinch a place in the top two.

Ireland head for Gibraltar on Monday evening with only pride at stake and while Kenny received assurances last week that he would remain in charge until after next month’s fixtures, discontent with the direction of travel under his charge has reached fever pitch.

Asked about the manager’s future, Luton striker Ogbene reflected on early chances which went beg…

There is an old saying in football that you should never go back .

It is not true in some cases. Zinedine Zidane s success as a head coach at Real Madrid after a glorious playing career is proof of that.

Unfortunately, for some it is advice that perhaps should have been heeded, and that is maybe how Santiago Solari will be feeling after his Los Blancos reign was brought to an end after just four months, with Zidane immediately installed as his successor.

Back-to-back Clasico defeats that effectively ended Madrid s hopes of domestic silverware were followed by an embarrassing Champions League last-16 exit to Ajax last week. And that meant the writing was on the wall for Solari, a LaLiga and Champions League winner with Madrid as a player.

Here, we loo…

Brian Schmetzer was under no illusion that the Seattle Sounders’ upcoming MLS fixture against Sporting Kansas City will be anything but easy.

The Sounders returned to winning ways in style, comfortably dispatching Leagues Cup winners Columbus Crew 4-0 away from home last time out.

Schmetzer’s side find themselves sitting fifth in the Western Conference table, with the advantage of having four of their remaining six MLS fixtures at Lumen Field.

And the Sounders head coach insisted their home form would be critical until the end of the season, but he acknowledged the task awaiting his players in their next game.

“It is critical. We need to tell the players the importance of home games because last year Sporting KC came here and beat us and it gave the…

Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds had “first day of school vibes” ahead of an emotional, long-awaited English Football League return that proved promoted Wrexham still have a lot to learn after a 5-3 defeat to MK Dons.

The Welsh club have become one of the most talked about teams in the world over the last 30 months thanks to their famous owners and the acclaimed docuseries charting their rise.

Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s backing helped Wrexham end their 15 years away from the EFL, with Saturday’s clash at the sold-out SToK Racecourse marking their first at this level in 5,572 days.

“More than anything, the one word I would use is emotional,” Reynolds told Sky Sports ahead of the Sky Bet League Two clash.

Finally snagged an invite. Thanks Wrex. …

World player of the year Ada Hegerberg has chosen to miss the party but the Women s World Cup will boast a plethora of global stars.

Hegerberg s principled protest, based on her perception of how the Norwegian federation treats women s football, means the Lyon striker will be sorely missed in France.

Lining up to dazzle, however, will be an array of players ready to become household names or enhance already lofty reputations.

Here is a look at 10 women who are ready to make a major impact for their countries.

Christine Sinclair, Canada, striker

After more than 19 years on Canada s national team, Sinclair could be entering her final World Cup. She is Canada s all-time leading scorer and sits second on the list for women s internation…

Pep Guardiola sees no reason why Raheem Sterling cannot break through the 30-goal barrier for Manchester City this season.

England winger Sterling has started the new campaign in sparkling form, opening the scoring against Liverpool in the Community Shield before netting a hat-trick in last weekend s 5-0 demolition of West Ham.

The 24-year-old hit 17 Premier League goals last season and 25 in all competitions as City won an unprecedented domestic treble.

Sterling s West Ham treble brought up 50 top-flight goals in City colours, 38 of which have come since the start of the 2017-18 campaign.

Guardiola has no desire to set targets for his forward line but has no doubt the ex-Liverpool man s numbers can improve further.

Yeah, hopefully. It will be go…

Carlo Ancelotti brushed aside criticism of Real Madrid s unattractive style, saying winning was more important than playing well.

Madrid are unbeaten with five victories across seven games in all competitions this season (two draws), and they got off to a winning start in their Champions League defence on Tuesday, beating Stuttgart 3-1.

In LaLiga, they have won their last two games 2-0 against Real Betis and Real Sociedad, but have still come under fire for their performances.

Ancelotti, however, defended his team s style ahead of their clash at home to mid-table Espanyol.

Real Madrid fans prefer winning over playing well, he said.

Ideally you want both, winning while playing an attractive style of football, but our main objective is pleasing ou…

Cristiano Ronaldo was destined to be at the centre of transfer speculation after Juventus were bundled out of the Champions League, according to head coach Andrea Pirlo.

The 36-year-old forward has been linked with a return to Real Madrid at the end of the season, three years after he moved to Italy.

Juventus were eliminated from the Champions League by Porto on Tuesday, with Ronaldo facing criticism from figures including Fabio Capello after the second leg.

He notably turned his back on Sergio Oliveira s free-kick that found the back of the net in extra time, which triggered much of the negative judgement.

Ronaldo also failed to score in either game against the Portuguese giants, in a tie that Juventus lost on away goals.

He s fine, it s norma…

Valencia are interested in signing Manchester United attacking midfielder Juan Mata in the summer of 2021, according to . It has been reported that Mata is out of contract at United at the end of the season, and no new deal is in place.

The former Chelsea star is set to become a free agent in the summer of 2021 and Spanish club Valencia reportedly want to snap up him. The 32-year-old was on the books of Los Che from 2007 until 2011 before making the move to Chelsea.

Mata won the Champions League, the Europa League and the FA Cup with Chelsea and was one of the best players during his time at Stamford Bridge. The Spain international switched to United in 2014 and has won the FA Cup and the Europa League with the Red Devils. According to , the 32-year-old has made four st…