Sports

Neymar says Vinicius Junior will obviously win the Ballon d Or after he helped Real Madrid win their 15th Champions League title on Saturday.

Vinicius scored the second goal in Madrid s 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund and was their top scorer in the competition this campaign with six overall. He was also named the Champions League Player of the Season on Monday.

Indeed, the Brazilian became just the fifth player to score in both of their first two Champions League final appearances, after Samuel Eto o, Sergio Ramos, Lionel Messi and Mario Mandzukic.

Vinicius was an integral part of Los Blancos title charge too, with only Jude Bellingham (19) scoring more goals than him (15) as they won LaLiga for the 36th time.

His name regularly features in conversati…

Jose Mourinho is not the problem at Roma and the club and fans must stick with him, according to Giallorossi legend Francesco Totti. 

Roma appointed Mourinho last May and invested around €130million on new players – the biggest close-season outlay of any Serie A team. 

Things started positively with Roma winning their first six competitive games of a season for just the third time in their history, but they have been victorious in just four of their subsequent 12 outings. 

Mourinho became the first Giallorossi boss since Luis Enrique in 2011 to lose their maiden top-flight Derby della Capitale in September, while the following month he suffered the heaviest loss of his managerial career when Roma were hit for six by Bodo/Glimt in the Europa Conference…

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Two sides who will be desperate to lay down an early Group E marker on Tuesday night, Lazio will welcome Atletico Madrid to the Stadio Olimpico.

Lazio

Starting with the hosts, while Lazio might have gained a string of plaudits last season as they claimed a silver medal finish among Italy’s elite, the Eagles have drastically failed to find a similar level this time around. Although Maurizio Sarri’s side might have entered September’s international break with a stellar 2-1 victory away at reigning Serie A champions Napoli, the former Chelsea boss saw his inconsistent squad put in another downbeat display over the weekend. Making an immediate return to losing ways as they eventually slumped a 3-1 drumming at the hands of Juventus, …

Europa League finalists Rangers will have to negotiate past Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League third qualifying round, where PSV meet Monaco.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst s side entered the qualifying stages through their second-place finish in last season s Scottish Premiership, where winners progress to the play-off stage and losers go automatically into the Europa League group stage.

Rangers also embarked on an impressive run to the Europa League final last season, getting past Borussia Dortmund, Braga and RB Leipzig before being defeated on penalties by Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville.

Union finished second in Belgium s First Division A after a 48-year top-flight absence and will pose a tough task in the two-legged clash, with the first meeting …

AC Milan head coach Paulo Fonseca has confirmed that Youssouf Fofana is the club s primary target this transfer window.

Since taking over the Rossoneri last month, the 51-year-old has made three signings, welcoming Alvaro Morata, Strahinja Pavlovic and Emerson Royal to the club. However, they have yet to bring in a midfielder.

Milan have reportedly been in talks with Monaco as they aim to come to an agreement for the Frenchman, who has impressed since joining them in 2020.

He played 32 games in Ligue 1 last season, creating the second-most chances (40) among midfielders while also completing the most passes (1444).

And when asked about Milan s transfer plans in midfield, Fonseca gave a very succinct answer: It s Fofana, we all know that.

Pre-seas…

Everton secured a 1-0 victory against Sheffield United at Goodison Park thanks to Abdoulaye Doucoure’s seventh Premier League goal of the season.

The Toffees were already assured of safety heading into Saturday’s contest, but they kept their positive run of form going against their already-relegated opponents.

Doucoure enjoyed a host of chances in the first half before his breakthrough arrived in the 31st minute after good play from Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Ben Brereton Diaz looked bright for the away side in the second half, but he couldn’t help mount a comeback for Chris Wilder’s men, who will finish the season in 20th place.

FT. Signing off at home with the win!

1-0

— Everton (@Everton)

Dwight McNeil’s floated d…

Cristiano Ronaldo claimed a piece of Saudi Pro League history after scoring twice in Al-Nassr s 4-2 final-day victory over 10-man Al-Ittihad on Monday.

The five-time Ballon d Or winner was on target in either half at Al Awal Park, moving to 35 goals across the 2023-24 league campaign in Saudi Arabia.

Ronaldo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time after receiving a long ball from Mohammed Al-Fatil, before doubling his tally – and Al-Nassr s lead – with a header from Marcelo Brozovic s corner.

That second finish after Suwailem Al Manhali was dismissed for the visitors saw Ronaldo eclipse Abderrazak Hamdallah s 34-goal tally – in the 2018-19 season – for the most strikes in a single campaign.

Abdulrahman Ghareeb then added another from the pen…

LaLiga has called for Kylian Mbappe s contract at Paris Saint-Germain to be ripped up, demanding French government officials act and league chiefs take a closer look at the capital club s spending.

France striker Mbappe signed a new three-year deal with PSG in May, turning down Real Madrid who had been courting him for the past year.

The terms of the contract have not been officially disclosed, but Mbappe is widely reported to have received a staggering signing-on fee as well as extraordinary wages. Figures of €100million for signing and €50m per season have been suggested.

Lawyer Juan Branco, representing LaLiga, told a news conference in France on Friday that Spanish league chiefs are ready to go to court to challenge PSG s finances.

Ligue 1 ch…

Sevilla have confirmed the signing of Adnan Januzaj on a free transfer, with the winger signing a four-year contract.

Januzaj, who came through the ranks at Manchester United, left Real Sociedad at the expiration of his contract at the end of last season.

The Belgium international spent five seasons at La Real, having joined from United in 2017.

Januzaj enjoyed a fine breakthrough season at Old Trafford in the 2013-14 season but never quite lived up to expectations.

However, at 27, he has the chance to play in the Champions League with Sevilla, who had been in need of a winger as they expected to sell Lucas Ocampos to Ajax, though that move broke down unexpectedly.

Januzaj made 132 LaLiga appearances for La Real, scoring 14 goals and assisting a …

Arsenal took advantage of their game in hand to pull five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, and now for the top two the Premier League title race is a straight fight to the finish.

Mikel Arteta s Arsenal host second-bottom Bournemouth on Saturday, after City get the day under way when they tackle Newcastle United.

The standout game of the weekend is Liverpool s home clash with EFL Cup winners Manchester United, as Jurgen Klopp s Anfield side look to keep closing in on the Champions League places.

Can struggling Chelsea find a rare win on Saturday, or will Leeds United pour on more misery for Graham Potter?

Ahead of the fixtures, you can test your knowledge with our Opta-powered quiz. The answers are at the bottom.

3/4 Three of the fou…