Santiago Solari shared the credit for Real Madrid s record-breaking Club World Cup triumph with former head coach Zinedine Zidane.

Solari, the replacement for Zidane s short-lived successor Julen Lopetegui, led Madrid to their first title under his stewardship with a 4-1 win over Al Ain in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Victory means Madrid have won the tournament three years in a row and their fourth triumph in the competition moves them clear of rivals Barcelona as the Club World Cup s most successful team.

Solari, though, was quick to pile praise on Zidane, who surprisingly stood down in the wake of winning Madrid s third consecutive Champions League crown at the end of the 2017-18 season.

We are happy, these players deserve it, they have come here after a lo…

Germany head coach Joachim Low insists Brazil will be contenders for the 2018 World Cup in Russia despite the humiliation his team inflicted upon them in 2014.

Low s men are competing in the Confederations Cup in Russia, where they are set to defend their title as world champions next year.

Mario Gotze s extra-time strike sealed a 1-0 win over Argentina in the 2014 final, but the enduring image of the tournament in Brazil was their 7-1 evisceration of the hosts in the semi-final.

Brazil have subsequently dispensed with Luiz Felipe Scolari s successor Dunga, but became the first team to reach Russia 2018 thanks to a dominant performance in the ongoing CONMEBOL qualifiers.

Ahead of facing Cameroon in Sochi, Low said he expects Brazil s scars to have long si…

While no timetable was provided for Dembele s recovery, reports in the Spanish media suggest he could be sidelined for three to four months.

He took to social media on Tuesday to thank well-wishers and vowed to come back stronger from his latest injury lay-off.

Hi all, as you may have read or heard here and there, it is time for me to leave the France team, he posted on Instagram.

It s just a goodbye as they say! I will come back even stronger as I always have. The challenges make me grow.

The weeks we spent training and surpassing ourselves have united us like never before. This group is strong and I know it. We all know each other!

So I join you and become a supporter of Les Bleus!

We must follow through on what we have started and…

Leeds United are interested in signing Ryan Sessegnon from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window, according to . It has been reported that Leeds have made contact with Spurs about signing the 20-year-old, who can operate as a left-back or as a left-winger, and so have Brighton and Hove Albion and Southampton.

Dutch giants Ajax and German club Hertha Berlin are also interested in the former Fulham youngster, according to the report, which has added that Scottish Premiership giants Celtic believe that they can convince the England Under-21 international to move to Celtic Park before the window closes this month.

Sessegnon joined Tottenham from Fulham in the summer of 2019 and was expected to be a success at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Howeve…

Napoli say they find it “astonishing” that Italy defender Francesco Acerbi was not sanctioned over allegations of racism against their player Juan Jesus.

Inter Milan’s Acerbi was implicated by his opponent in the closing stages of a 1-1 draw earlier this month, with Jesus briefly pausing the match to report the matter to the referee.

But Acerbi will face no further action after defender Jesus’ claims were dismissed by a Serie A sports judge due to a lack of evidence.

– I m with JJ

SSC Napoli statement:

— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli)

In a statement, Napoli said: “The principle of the greatest likelihood of an event, which exists in sports justice and which appears clear from the dynamics of the incident and the apol…

Manchester City have secured the long-term futures of key squad players Adam Johnson and Pablo Zabaleta.

Both have found themselves on the fringes of the starting line-up this season with just five Premier League starts between them, but manager Roberto Mancini is keen to maintain a strong squad with City competing in the Champions League this term.

Johnson joined City from Middlesbrough in January 2010, and has since gone on to win nine England caps, scoring two goals, and the 24-year-old believes he is in the right place to challenge for trophies and medals.

I wouldn t have signed if I didn t see a big future here, Johnson told the club s website.

This is such an exciting time to be at the club, things are moving so fast and there s been something ne…

Netherlands winger Dirk Kuyt said Louis van Gaal is destined for success, after leading the Dutch to the FIFA World Cup semi-finals.

Van Gaal s men were eliminated by Argentina 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out after normal and extra time had ended scoreless in Sao Paulo on Wednesday.

The 2010 finalists failed to match their effort from South Africa, as Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder had their spot kicks saved, sending the Argentines through to Sunday s final.

Kuyt said despite their failure, Van Gaal will take a winning culture to the Premier League as he prepares to join United for the 2014-15 season.

There was only one thing for this coach and he just wanted to win this cup. That is the type of coach he is, he just wants to win things, the Fenerbahce man said…

New Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal is likely to be busy in the transfer market this summer

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal looks set for a busy summer at Old Trafford attempting to reshape his squad ahead of the new season.

The Red Devils have already added full-back Luke Shaw and playmaker Ander Herrera to their squad, but the strengthening is very unlikely to finish there.

Confirmed

United chief executive Ed Woodward has confirmed there will be new arrivals by telling MUTV: There is no fixed budget. Financially we are extremely strong, we have funds available,

Louis is the boss and is assessing what s going on but we have been in dialogue for some time about targets so there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes we re conti…

Jese Rodriguez explained that his decision to leave boyhood club Real Madrid for Paris Saint-Germain was motivated by a desire for more playing time, but he wished his former employees well except in the Champions League.

The 23-year-old penned a five-year deal at the Parc des Princes on Monday after the Ligue 1 champions agreed a reported €25million deal with Madrid.

Jese won two Champions League medals and a La Liga title during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, but a serious knee injury sustained in March 2013 hindered his progress.

With Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema occupying Madrid s forward positions, playing time has been hard to come by for Jese in recent seasons and he is now focused on helping his new club replicate their domestic …

Emmanuel Adebayor is keen to put the disappointment of not being allowed to leave Tottenham Hotspur on loan behind him and progress at White Hart Lane,.

The former Arsenal and Manchester City man had been set to move to West Ham United on a temporary basis, but saw the deal blocked by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

Spurs manager Maurico Pochettino has used the 30 year old sparingly this season, with the striker playing just fifteen times in all competitions, scoring just twice.

In total, he has bagged forty-one goals for the club since signing from City initially on loan in 2011, after a brief spell in Spain with Real Madrid.

He has played second fiddle to star man Harry Kane this year, but is now keen to succeed at Spurs, with the club set host fierce …