Lionel Messi s apparent hint at retirement was misunderstood , according to Barcelona team-mate Luis Suarez.
Messi, 32, said the moment of withdrawal is approaching after winning a record sixth Ballon d Or on Monday, leading to retirement talk.
However, Suarez believes the Argentina star s comments were misunderstood, backing the forward to play for years to come.
[Messi] amazes me because he is a one-off and is making history, Suarez told beIN SPORTS.
As a friend and team-mate, [the Ballon d Or] makes me happy and proud because it s a beautiful moment for him.
[His comments] were misinterpreted. When someone wins a Ballon d Or they are happy but also nervous.
Leo is a human being and gets nervous like the rest of us. He wanted to say …
The draw for the group stage of the Champions League will take place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Thursday evening.
Here the PA news agency explains how it will unfold.
When is the draw?
The draw is due to start at 5pm UK time on Thursday evening.
How will it work?
The 32 teams will be split into eight groups of four, with the four seeding pots not set to be confirmed until Thursday morning. The identity of the final qualifiers will not be known until Wednesday evening.
Pot 1 will feature European champions Manchester City, Europa League winners Sevilla and six domestic champions. Pots two to four will be based on the UEFA club coefficient rankings.
As usual, teams from the same country will be kept apart until at least the q…
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire was named on the bench for Wednesday s Europa League final with Villarreal.
The centre-back s participation in the final was put into significant doubt this month when he suffered ankle ligament damage during United s 3-1 win at Aston Villa.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had previously said he expected Maguire to miss the Gdansk showpiece.
But Maguire at least had a chance of being involved after earning a place among the substitutes as United eyed their first piece of silverware since winning the same competition back in 2017.
Eric Bailly partnered Victor Lindelof at the heart of United s defence, which David de Gea played behind after he was preferred to Dean Henderson in goal.
…
Aston Villa have named Craig Shakespeare as their new assistant head coach in a move that will prompt further questions about the future of John Terry.
The former Chelsea captain, who has been assistant to boss Dean Smith at Villa since October 2018, has been linked with the vacant manager job at relegated Bournemouth.
While Terry s future remains unclear, Villa have secured proven Premier League experience in Shakespeare, who was assistant to Claudio Ranieri when Leicester City won the title in 2015-16 before taking over as manager between February and October 2017.
I was keen to add some additional Premier League know-how onto my coaching team and Craig certainly has that in abundance, Smith said via Villa s website.
He s a vastly experienced coach wh…
Samir Handanovic has waited eight years for trophy success with Inter and is determined not to let the latest chance pass him by.
The goalkeeper and captain of Antonio Conte s team will be tasked with keeping Sevilla out in Friday s Europa League final.
He arrived from Udinese in 2012 with high hopes of being regularly in the hunt for silverware, but the Slovenian has endured a frustrating wait.
Inter s painfully barren run could come to an end in Cologne, and Handanovic says it could be the starting point for a bountiful era.
When I joined Inter it was to be involved in finals such as these, but unfortunately the situation that occurred in the last few years wasn t the best, Handanovic told a news conference.
But we ve now got to the stage whe…
Arsenal maintained their 100 per cent start to the Premier League season with a comfortable 3-0 victory at Bournemouth.
Captain Martin Odegaard struck twice inside the opening 11 minutes to put the Gunners in control on Saturday, with Bournemouth failing to register a single touch in the Arsenal box in the first half.
William Saliba netted his first goal for the club to extend that lead in the second half, while the influential Gabriel Jesus saw a strike ruled out for offside.
The win gives Arsenal the enviable record of being the only Premier League side so far to win their opening three matches of the season, although Manchester City can join them on nine points with victory at Newcastle United on Sunday.
05 | Martin Odegaard
11 | Martin Odegaard
…
Jurgen Klopp joked Pep Guardiola should take a four-year sabbatical when his Manchester City contract expires at the end of the season.
Guardiola has led City to four Premier League titles in the last five seasons, but his future at the Etihad Stadium is unclear with less than 12 months remaining on his deal.
On Friday, Guardiola said he was not considering his contract situation for the time being, declaring there would be plenty of time for talks after the Premier League breaks for the World Cup next month.
Liverpool have often suffered due to Guardiola s brilliance, finishing as Premier League runners-up to City on two occasions, and Klopp says there can be no questions over his rival manager s quality.
Asked whether he thought Guardiola would remain a…
Best Odds: 11/10
Bookmaker:
Two sides who have shocked many with their start to the New Year, Crystal Palace will welcome a new-look Everton to Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.
Crystal Palace
Starting with the hosts, while a torrid end to last year s interrupted campaign might have started to worry many around Selhurst Park, few across the Premier League expected Crystal Palace s recent improvements. Along with marking their return to action with a 1-0 win against Southampton in South London a fortnight ago, Roy Hodgson s men certainly laid down a clinical marker on their travels last weekend. Largely outplaying Manchester United at Old Trafford, the former England boss landed a deserved 3-1 romp away at the former champions and they re one of just five tea…
Verdict: Total goals under 2.5 and both teams to score No
Best odds: 12/5
Bookmaker:
Heading into their last Bundesliga match of December, Borussia Dortmund, yet to secure a win this month, seek to conclude 2023 with a triumph against the struggling Mainz 05 on Tuesday at the Signal Iduna Park.
As they approach the end of the calendar year, Dortmund find themselves trailing behind the top four in the German top flight, while Mainz continue to grapple within the relegation zone.
Borussia Dortmund
After a stretch of merely one victory in eight matches, Borussia Dortmund eagerly anticipates the upcoming winter break, despite their noteworthy performances in the Champions League this season.
Under Edin Terzic s guidance, the team triumphed …
Gabriel Jesus vowed Arsenal will fight until the end in pursuit of the Premier League title after handing the initiative to Manchester City with their 3-3 draw against Southampton.
Arsenal failed to win for a third game running in Friday s enthralling contest at Emirates Stadium, but they did at least salvage a point in a game they trailed 2-1 after 87 minutes.
The Gunners travel to City on Wednesday with a five-point lead on their rivals, though they have played two games more and therefore realistically have to win in Manchester.
Rather than rue two points dropped at home to the division s bottom side, Jesus is remaining upbeat ahead of the huge trip to the Etihad Stadium.
We don t want to come here and talk negative because we are very positive. What …