England draw France, Spain to face Italy at Euro 2012

With one sumptuous swing of his right foot against Liechtenstein on Friday, David Villa moved to within one goal of Raul s all-time goalscoring record for Spain.

Villa s 25-yard strike in the 4-0 rout was his 43rd in Spain s colours and, having already inspired his country to victory at Euro 2008 and the World Cup, a goal in the friendly with Argentina on Tuesday will further strengthen his claim to the mantle of Spain s greatest ever striker.

The Barcelona new boy could even have drawn level with Raul in Vaduz after hitting the crossbar in the last minute, but he says he is not preoccupied by his pursuit of the record.

It will come, said Villa. It s a shame (not to score) because it was the final minutes but the goals will arrive. I hope that I stay in the nat…

Massimiliano Allegri insists he is not worried by Juventus poor record in major European finals ahead of facing Real Madrid in a Champions League showdown in Cardiff on Saturday.

Juve have won only two of their eight final appearances in the premier continental showpiece, losing their last four most recently against Barcelona in 2015.

But Allegri feels not enough has been made of the achievement in reaching the final and does not want to worry about such negative thoughts.

It s an important match and we must simply do what we ve produced all season long, he told a news conference.

Negativity is infectious. When I took over there was an air of negativity which was frightening and I can sense a touch of that now too when I hear people talking about the …

Manchester United and Manchester City were the major contributing clubs as Premier League teams set a new record for revenues in the 2015-16 season, earning a total of £3.6billion.

The report from business advisory firm Deloitte showed combined revenues were up by nine per cent from figures in 2014-15, but clubs recorded collective pre-tax losses of £110million, while operating profits were stable at £0.5billion.

United s return to the Champions League, coupled with City reaching the semi-finals of the competition, were among the main reasons for Premier League clubs setting record revenues, while wage costs were highlighted as one of the biggest driving factors in the return to an overall loss after two years in the black.

Dan Jones, partner and head of the S…

Ross Barkley was once regarded as a potential Everton legend in the making. It is the old story of a young kid breaking through at his boyhood club and living the dream. However, Barkley’s dream turned rather sour at Everton.

The midfielder had undoubted potential. However, his career seemed to stall in his early 20’s. His decision-making was atrocious and the Everton fans let him know about it.

The manner of his exit left a bitter taste

Everton fans have had to accept in recent years that they will have to sell their best players. The Toffees are not unique in that sense, as every club will sell virtually every player at the right price.

Barkley chose to run down his contract rather than sign a renewal with the Toffees, which was his prerogative. However, …

Everton have sacked manager Marco Silva in the wake of their Merseyside derby loss to Liverpool on Wednesday.

The Toffees dropped into the Premier League relegation zone after suffering a 5-2 defeat to their neighbours at Anfield.

The club announced the sacking of Silva on Thursday, ending the Portuguese tactician s 18-month stay at Goodison Park.

Owner Farhad Moshiri travelled to Liverpool to be at the club on Thursday, an indication that Silva s time was up.

In a statement, Everton said: Everton Football Club can confirm that manager Marco Silva has left the club.

Majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, chairman Bill Kenwright and the board of directors would like to thank Marco for his service over the last 18 months and wish him well for the fut…

Liverpool have finalised the signing of Uruguay striker Luis Suarez from Dutch giants Ajax for a fee of 26.5 million Euros.

The two clubs agreed a fee on Friday for the 24-year-old forward but the transfer was not completed until Monday, after the player passed a medical and was granted a work permit.

Suarez has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with the Merseyside club.

The club agreed a fee of up to 26.5 million Euros with Ajax for the transfer of the Uruguayan international on Friday, a Liverpool statement read.

The deal was subject to the completion of a medical, which the player has now passed. Luis Suarez will wear the No.7 shirt for Liverpool.

After signing from Groningen in 2007, Suarez scored an incredible 81 goals in 110 Eredivisie …

Sir Alex Ferguson blasted Blackburn Rovers decision to sack manager Sam Allardyce on Monday, saying it was stupid and confounded common sense .

Allardyce, in charge for nearly two years, was fired despite Rovers being relatively well placed at 13th in the English Premier League table, five points above the relegation zone.

But that was not enough to persuade Venky s, the Indian poultry group that bought Rovers for some 23 million pounds (36 million dollars) less than a month ago, to keep the 56-year-old Englishman at Ewood Park.

Ferguson, who will eclipse Sir Matt Busby as Manchester United s longest-serving manager when he takes the league leaders to champions Chelsea on Sunday a match that will mark 24 years, one month and 14 days at the helm was bewildered by…

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has given his vote of confidence to manager Louis van Gaal, saying he hopes the board allows him to see out the third and final year of his contract at Old Trafford, though there is a distinct lack of character within the team.

Keane said United are still in transition following the departure of their most successful manager Alex Ferguson in 2013, with Van Gaal struggling to restore the club s status as the Premier League s dominant force amid reports link Jose Mourinho with a move to Manchester.

Ferguson oversaw United s most successful period in which Keane proved a vital player and the former Republic of Ireland international said winning the FA Cup ahead of Crystal Palace would represent a successful season for Van Gaal and…

Napoli have announced the signing of Netherlands international Jonathan de Guzman from Villarreal.

The attacking midfielder has spent the past two seasons on loan at Premier League side Swansea City, becoming an integral part of their first-team squad.

However, it has now been confirmed that De Guzman has joined former Swansea team-mate Michu in making the move to Stadio San Paolo.

De Guzman, who signed for Villarreal in 2011, was brought to Swansea by then-manager Michael Laudrup during the 2012 close-season and made 37 league appearances during his first season in south Wales.

He made a further 34 outings last term, taking his total goal tally to nine in the English top flight, and was linked with a return to the Liberty Stadium for a third season earli…

According to Sky Sports, Chelsea have agreed loan deals in principle for Michy Batshuayi – with two different clubs. Real Betis and West Ham United are both said to be in the running, although as the minutes tick by until deadline day, it seems as if they’ll have to make a decision sooner rather than later. The Belgian international has been at Stamford Bridge since 2016, when he made the jump over from Marseille. He hasn’t quite been able to find the success he desired with the Blues, and now, it seems like his move away is inevitable.

Chelsea are said to prefer the idea of selling him to Everton, although their top four rivals Tottenham Hotspur are also said to be interested in making a bid.

The 25 year old hasn’t exactly been a prolific goalscorer as of late,…