Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos will retire from football after representing Germany at Euro 2024.
The 34-year-old was thought likely to sign a new contract with Los Blancos, but he announced on Tuesday that he will hang up his boots after representing his country on home soil at the Euros.
Kroos has enjoyed a distinguished 10-year spell with Madrid, who he joined from Bayern Munich in 2014, winning LaLiga and the Champions League four times apiece with the Spanish giants.
He played a crucial role as Carlo Ancelotti s men regained their domestic title in 2023-24, but next week s Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund will be the final game of his club career before his Euros swansong.
He initially quit international football after the delaye…
Former Wolves and Cardiff forward Jay Bothroyd has revealed some of the risks he took during his career while hiding epilepsy and wishes he had been open about his condition.
Bothroyd made a solitary England appearance in 2010, but concealed the fact he had seizures for the majority of his two decades in the game.
The ex-Arsenal trainee also believes there other players who are suffering from the condition but are keeping it secret.
During a wide-ranging interview with the Mail on Sunday, the 41-year-old disclosed an incident where he blacked out while driving and crashed his car in Elstree before he ended up in a prison cell “covered in all this blood” after he had another episode where he banged his head against a wall.
“I wish I’d have spoken a…
Competition: Euro 2016
Market: Portugal to win against Poland
Odds:
Poland and Portugal lock horns at the Stade Vélodrome for the Euro 2016 quarter-final clash tonight, in a game that sees Portugal favourites to progress.
A place in the last four awaits the winner this evening, but it could be A Selecção’s experience that proves to be the difference.
Poland made the quarter-finals in this summer’s European Championships after finishing second in Group C with seven points. Despite having the likes of Germany and Ukraine in their group, Poland didn’t concede a goal. However, they haven’t been scoring many with their chief striker Robert Lewandowski still firing blanks.
As for their opponents, Portugal scraped through Group F with th…
Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill understands the excitement around teenage striker Callum Marshall but is eager not to put pressure on the West Ham prospect.
Marshall is expected to feature in Saturday’s Euro 2024 qualifier against San Marino after returning to O’Neill’s squad this month, and fans are keen to get another glimpse of a player who has already drawn comparisons to Northern Ireland’s record goalscorer David Healy.
Marshall was denied a dream international debut in June when his late equaliser against Denmark in Copenhagen was ruled out by the VAR for offside, but the 18-year-old will hope for another opportunity against San Marino and in Tuesday’s match against Slovenia.
“I don’t want to put any added pressure on a young lad wh…
As the countdown to the 2018 World Cup in Russia continues the is reaching its peak.
After a piece detailing in on the you should watch during the showpiece tournament in Russia now is time to rank the best strikers that we believe will keep us all entertained.
Kicking it off in style albeit an unusual one here is a tribute to two of world’s greatest football stars at the moment. Without any intention to fuel the ever-going Messi vs Ronaldo debate, here is a compromise to start with.
Leo Messi + Cristiano Ronaldo
Barcelona and Real Madrid superstars Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have scored the total of 93 goals across all competitions combined during the 2017/18 season. The La Liga champion and Champions League winner are the absolute best the world has …
Harry Kane acknowledged England have fallen short of expectations so far at Euro 2024 but insisted there is no need for panic as he likened their start to that of a boxer or major golfer.
Gareth Southgate s side edged past Serbia in their Group C opener before being held to a disappointing 1-1 draw with Denmark on Thursday.
The Three Lions are still top of their pool and in pole position to qualify as group winners, so long as Southgate s men overcome Slovenia in Cologne on Tuesday.
Yet frustration has been growing from some quarters of supporters and pundits, with Gary Lineker and a host of former players questioning England s underwhelming performances and line-up selection.
England captain Kane understands parts of the scrutiny, though sees no need for…
Best Odds: 7/10
Bookmaker:
Turning their attention back to Premier League duties on Saturday afternoon, Manchester City will welcome Fulham to the Etihad.
Manchester City
Starting with the hosts, while Manchester City might have still not suffered a single defeat across any competition so far this season, it does feel that Pep Guardiola’s squad are seeking a recent domestic boost. Left frustrated last weekend as they eventually had to settle for a 1-1 stalemate away at Newcastle, the former Barcelona boss has seen his superstar squad drop back-to-back points. Nevertheless, putting in a rampant Champions League performance earlier in the week as they stormed their way to a 4-0 romp away at Slovan Bratislava, the Sky Blues are looking to smash more domestic rec…
Sven-Goran Eriksson heaped praise on perfectionist Roberto Mancini as the Italy head coach continues to oversee the stunning transformation of the Azzurri at Euro 2020.
Italy will face Belgium in the quarter-finals on Friday after setting a new national record by extending their unbeaten streak to 31 games thanks to a last-16 triumph over Austria.
A proud football country but a national team on their knees after failing to qualify for Russia 2018, their first World Cup absence since 1958, Mancini is the mastermind behind a drastic recovery following his appointment more than three years ago.
Banishing the nightmares of Gian Piero Ventura s dismal tenure, Italy have only conceded more than once in one of their past 18 matches at major tournaments, dating back to t…
I witnessed two of the best saves I ve ever seen in my career, were the words of Mikel Arteta following David Raya s heroics in Arsenal s 1-1 draw with Atalanta.
The Gunners kickstarted their Champions League campaign with a point, but the result could have been much different if not for Raya s stunning intervention.
Atalanta had the opportunity to take the lead six minutes into the second half when Ederson was brought down by Thomas Partey inside the area.
Mateo Retegui assumed responsibility from 12 yards, only to see Raya dive to his right to save before springing back to his feet to deny the Italian s header on the follow-up.
I witnessed two of the best saves I ve ever seen in my career from David in that moment, Arteta said.
If you can t…
Can Paris Saint-Germain get back on track? Are champions Lille in contention again? Could any top French sides face the drop?
Stats Perform aims to answer all of these questions and more as the new Ligue 1 season gets under way.
The Stats Perform League Prediction Model, created by Stats Perform AI using Opta data, has analysed the division ahead of the new season to assign percentages to potential outcomes for each club.
The model estimates the probability of each match outcome (win, draw or loss) based on teams attacking and defensive qualities, which considers four years worth of results, with weighting based on recency and the quality of opposition. The season is then simulated 10,000 times to calculate the likelihood of each outcome.
What does that …