Cristiano Ronaldo expressed his thanks to Manchester United s supporters after receiving a warm welcome upon his return to the club on Tuesday.
Former United star Ronaldo was back in Manchester as Juventus outclassed the Red Devils 1-0 in the Champions League.
Ronaldo and Juventus silenced the home crowd but the United fans still gave the five-time Ballon d Or winner an ovation post-match.
And it was appreciated by Ronaldo, who won three Premier League titles and the Champions League among other trophies in six years before moving to Real Madrid in 2009.
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The Serie A title has gone for both last season s champions Juventus and 2020-21 pace-setters Milan, but they still have plenty to play for on Sunday.
The two Italian giants are third and fourth heading into the weekend but neither are yet assured of Champions League qualification.
The losers when the sides meet in Turin – or both teams in the event of a draw – could soon be caught by those below them.
And Milan s preparations have been impacted by speculation around regular goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, as Stats Perform explains.
Concentrati, determinati e pronti. Vogliamo e possiamo raggiungere il nostro obiettivo. Daremo tutto Forza Milan
— Gianluigi Donnarumma (@gigiodonna1)
What s happened with Donnarumma?
The It…
Former Manchester United youngster Ravel Morrison has taken the latest step in his nomadic career by signing for Eredivisie side ADO Den Haag.
Morrison, an ex-England Under-21 international, was praised by Alex Ferguson as one of the finest talents he had ever seen.
But struggles for form and fitness, along with off-field issues, mean the 27-year-old is now set to play for his 11th professional club in a sixth country.
After briefly suggesting he might realise his considerable promise at West Ham during the 2013-14 season, loan spells at Birmingham City, Queens Park Rangers and Cardiff City followed.
Morrison then took his talents outside the UK, briefly turning out for Lazio, Mexican club Atlas and Swedish outfit Ostersunds.
Sheffield United brou…
Alessio Romagnoli feels ready to step up for Italy in attempt to replace the injured Giorgio Chiellini.
Romagnoli featured alongside Leonardo Bonucci at the centre of Italy s defence on Thursday, as Roberto Mancini s side overcame Armenia 3-1 in a Euro 2020 qualifier.
However, the 24-year-old was caught out when Armenia took the lead through Aleksandre Karapetyan, who was later sent off.
With Chiellini set to miss the majority of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury, Romagnoli seems likely to be Mancini s first choice to stand in for the Juventus stalwart.
We always have to improve and be ready when called upon, Romagnoli told Rai Sport.
Giorgio is a fantastic player and a great man. He helped me a great deal on intern…
Brazil have recent history on their side as they take on Chile on Friday, with a place in the Copa America semi-finals up for grabs.
The tournament hosts – and defending champions – won their opening three fixtures before a second-string team drew 1-1 with Ecuador last time out.
Their place at the top of Group B pitted them against Chile, who finished fourth in Group A.
Champions in 2015 and 2016, Chile won only one game in the group stage, beating Bolivia 1-0. They recorded two draws either side of that victory before a disappointing 2-0 reverse to Paraguay.
Tite s team have won their previous four Copa America clashes with Chile, and what would appear an easier passage to the final awaits them should they extend that run in Rio de Janeiro.
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Edwin van der Sar says he and Marc Overmars are not ready yet to leave their roles at Ajax and believe they can help take the club to the next level.
Van der Sar has been Ajax s chief executive since 2016, while Overmars took on the role of director of football in 2012.
The Dutch giants have claimed two Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cup triumphs in the five years since the former goalkeeper was appointed, also appearing in a Champions League semi-final.
However, the 51-year-old claimed he is not satisfied with his achievements at the club he started his professional career with, as he expressed his desire to achieve even more success.
I think Marc and myself are enjoying it very much here at Ajax, Van der Sar told Stats Perform. The freedom and rewa…
A Liverpool defence marshalled by freshly crowned PFA Players Player of the Year Virgil van Dijk has proved a miserly proposition for all opponents this season.
The challenge helmed by Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in the Barcelona forward line might be their most significant yet in Wednesday s mouthwatering semi-final first leg at Camp Nou.
If Barca do find the breakthrough, it will be a landmark moment.
Four-time winners during the Champions League era, the Blaugrana are currently on 499 goals in the competition.
With many more surely still to come, here are some of their very best.
Rivaldo v Manchester United, 1998
United and Barca have shared many memorable Champions League tussles and, on the ground where A…
Borussia Dortmund boss Marco Rose has welcomed Gareth Southgate s decision to leave Jude Bellingham out of England s latest squad.
Teenage midfielder Bellingham was a surprise omission from Southgate s 23-man group on Thursday after impressing for Dortmund in his second campaign at the club.
Southgate explained he left out the 18-year-old due to fears of burnout, with Manchester United s Mason Greenwood overlooked for the same reason.
Bellingham s 802 minutes of playing time this term is the most of any England-qualified player in Europe s top five leagues when taking all competitions into account.
Since making his Dortmund debut on September 14 last year, the Birmingham City academy product has played 56 matches, 43 of those coming from the start.
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Louis van Gaal is worried about Georginio Wijnaldum s lack of playing time with Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the Netherlands next batch of World Cup qualifiers.
The 30-year-old joined the Ligue 1 giants on a free transfer in June after failing to agree a new contract with Liverpool, where he had spent the previous five seasons.
Having been a regular under Mauricio Pochettino at the start of the season, Wijnaldum has since lost his place in the side to Idrissa Gueye.
He has started just half of PSG s 12 matches since arriving and has featured a further five times from the substitutes bench.
Wijnaldum s tally of 502 minutes is only the 12th most among PSG players in all competitions this term, with Gueye and Ander Herrera featuring more frequently in midfie…
Jesse Marsch vowed his Leeds United side will fight for our lives after dropping into the Premier League relegation zone with a 2-1 loss to Arsenal on Sunday.
Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier gifted Eddie Nketiah an early opener, and the Arsenal striker, who spent 2019-20 on loan at Elland Road, added a second with just 10 minutes played.
The visitors inflicted more damage on themselves after 27 minutes when Luke Ayling, making the 500th appearance of his career, was sent off for lunging in on Gabriel Martinelli.
Diego Llorente did manage to pull one back through Leeds first effort on target in the 66th minute, but they were ultimately left with too much to do.
A second loss in a row for Leeds, coupled with Everton s 2-1 win at Leicester City, means they wi…