Thibaut Courtois has commemorated his man-of-the-match performance in the Champions League final after unveiling a tattoo of a brick wall on his arm.
The Belgium international produced an inspired display between the sticks as Real Madrid edged out Liverpool 1-0 at Stade de France to claim their 14th continental crown.
Courtois nine saves during the match made up the highest tally in a single Champions League final since at least 2003-04, surpassing Liverpool s Allison (in 2019) and Manchester United s Edwin Van der Sar (in 2011), both with eight.
He also set a new benchmark with the number of saves he made during Madrid s run (59)
The Reds finished the final having attempted 24 shots, the most on record from a team who failed to score in European fo…
Joaquin matched a LaLiga record on Saturday, as he made an appearance in Spain s top flight for a 20th season.
The 41-year-old, who has spent 13 years of his long career at Real Betis and is the club captain, came on in the 71st minute of his side s 2-1 loss to Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu.
It marked Joaquin s first appearance of the season and, in the process, he matched a LaLiga record set by Miquel Soler, whose senior career in Spain also lasted 20 seasons.
Joaquin s feat is all the more remarkable as he spent two seasons playing outside Spain, enjoying time in Italy with Fiorentina from 2013 to 2015.
He could not influence the Madrid game significantly as Betis lost for the first time this campaign, having 14 touches and attempting 13 passes bu…
Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic said the question of Youssoufa Moukoko s age had never come up in their many discussions, after it was claimed the striker could be four years older than he attests to being.
German publication Bunte this week questioned whether Moukoko was 18 years old, or whether he was 22, citing as evidence a birth certificate.
That was reportedly issued after the birth of a Youssoufa Mohamadou in Yaounde, Cameroon, with the child s date of birth given as July 19, 2000, and the father named as taxi driver Ousman Mohamadou.
Moukoko s stated date of birth is November 20, 2004, and it has been repeatedly asserted during his career that he lived for around 10 years with grandparents in Cameroon before moving to Germany in 2014 to join his father…
Jurgen Klopp has signed a new two-year contract extension with Liverpool, keeping him on Merseyside until 2024, the club confirmed on Friday.
The German sees the agreement as an indicator of where the club is heading, convinced Liverpool s development will only continue.
For me, personally, this is a statement of intent, one which is built on my knowledge of what we as a partnership have achieved so far and what is still there for us to achieve, Klopp said.
When I see the development of the club and the collaborative work that continues to take place, I feel my contribution can only grow.
People see what happens on the pitch as a measure of our progress and, although it is the best measure, it s not the only measure. I have seen the commitment from own…
Takehiro Tomiyasu described his own performance as a disaster as Japan were knocked out of the World Cup by Croatia on Monday.
Takumi Minamino, Kaoru Mitoma and Maya Yoshida all missed their spot-kicks in a shoot-out following a 1-1 draw at Al Janoub Stadium, with Croatia advancing to a quarter-final against Brazil.
It meant Japan have been eliminated from all four of their round-of-16 appearances at the World Cup, while they have lost both of their penalty shoot-outs in the competition (also versus Paraguay in 2010).
Tomiyasu registered the worst pass completion rate of any outfield player to play the full 120 minutes (67.7 per cent), while he lost possession a game-high 27 times.
2 Croatia have won both of their previous World Cup penalty shootouts (vs …
Hungry and humble. That was how Mikel Arteta described Arsenal after October s north London derby victory at Emirates Stadium.
Tottenham have been less humble, more humbled, by their meetings with the Gunners this season, and Sunday s 2-0 home defeat made Spurs the victims of a first Gunners double in the north London derby since 2013-14.
With Arteta, Arsenal have a manager who understands his players, who draws the very best from them, and who might be just about halfway to a remarkable Premier League title.
In return, Arsenal s players get all the praise under the sun, but they are asked to stay focused, and duly they obey their Spanish leader.
When Arteta and captain Martin Odegaard demanded the players walk away from a post-match disturbance, away the…
Andoni Iraola has stressed the importance of avoiding a slow start to the new Premier League season as they travel to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The Cherries initially struggled to find their footing under the Spaniard last season, failing to win any of their first 10 games, but went on to record their highest points tally in the competition.
They did not lose during a strong pre-season but have since lost star man Dominic Solanke to Tottenham, leaving question marks over their chances of repeating their success.
Iraola s main aim, though, is to ensure they get three points on the board sooner rather than later.
We have to arrive straight away at the beginning of the season, Iraola told Sky Sports. We cannot control expectations, and I ve said a lot …
Republic of Ireland defender Louise Quinn has described what lies ahead as the fulfilment of a “life-long ambition” as the team prepare to make their major tournament debut at this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
History was secured for the Girls in Green last October when Vera Pauw’s side beat Scotland 1-0 in the qualifying play-offs, and their World Cup finals bow comes with a clash against Australia in Sydney next Thursday.
Quinn has made 105 appearances for the team, the 100th having come a month after the Scotland match in the next game – and the first back in 2008.
The 33-year-old Birmingham centre-half told the PA news agency: “Individually we know this has been that kind of life-long ambition.
“You watched the men in…
Best odds: 19/20
Bookmaker:
In a game likely to have great impact on the title race in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich will play host to RB Leipzig at the Allianz Arena on Saturday afternoon, within the round before last of the campaign.
Bayern Munich
Bayern s domination over the game in Germany has been of such magnitude that many people refuse to pay too much attention to the Bundesliga at all, citing a perceived lack of competitiveness as the reason. Indeed, the Bavarians won the title in ten consecutive seasons leading up to this one, and as things stand, they re likely to add another one.
At the moment, Bayern top the table with 68 points. That s just one more than their main rivals for the crown and the last team to have stolen it away from them in …
Best Odds: 6/5
Bookmaker:
Hoping to claim an immediate response late on Wednesday night, Union Santa Fe will host Rosario in midweek.
Union Santa Fe
Starting with the hosts, watching their extended flurry come to an abrupt end last weekend as they suffered a 2-1 loss away at Racing Club, Union Santa Fe are certainly seeking an immediate response here. Making a string of improvements since opening up the 2024 campaign and still battling it out at the top of the Primera Division table, Killy Gonzalez’s men have lost just one of their first seven top-flight appearances. Opening June with a 1-0 victory away at Independiente Rivadavia, the one-time Inter Milan star should find the mood in his camp at a real high. Hoping to lay down another Primera Division marker …