Ritabrata Banerjee

Former England midfielder Karen Carney made history on Saturday night as she won Strictly Come Dancing and lifted the iconic glitter-ball trophy. The ex-Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder put an end to stereotypes surrounding footballers and their ability to perform on the dance floor with some fantastic performances throughout the season, which received widespread praise.

Liverpool's star forward Hugo Ekitike insisted that he did not foul Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero before scoring the winner for Liverpool in a crazy Spurs clash in the Premier League on Saturday. Alexander Isak opened the scoring for the champions before Ekitike doubled the team's lead. Towards the end of the game, Richarlison pulled one back for the hosts but the Reds eventually walked away with a win.

Chelsea and England legend Frank Lampard sparked a Championship melee after celebrating Coventry City's hard-fought draw against Southampton on Saturday. The Sky Blues were reduced to 10 men at the start of the second half, but they managed to hold Southampton to a draw to extend their unbeaten run to nine matches, with their last loss coming in November against Wrexham.

Serie A side Fiorentina are eyeing a shock deal to appoint Spurs' director of football Fabio Paratici. Following a change in their ownership, Tottenham announced the arrival of Italian transfer guru Paratici, who formed part of a new leadership group alongside Johan Lange. Since then, the pair has been working together across the club's transfer strategy, with Paratici's 30-month ban coming to an end.

Brazil international Thiago Silva is a free agent again at the age of 41, with the defender agreeing to the early termination of his contract at Fluminense. Having spent 18 months back at his boyhood club, the centre-half is reportedly eyeing a return to Europe - where he has previously represented AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

Unhappy Hansi Flick spoke out after losing key Barcelona star Pedri to injury ahead of their crucial La Liga clash with Villarreal on Sunday. The Spain international has had fitness issues since suffering a left hamstring injury in El Clasico against Real Madrid on October 26. He had earlier remained sidelined for five matches across all competitions last month and had missed the November international break.

Furious Celtic fans called for manager Wilfried Nancy to be sacked as the new head coach suffered a fourth consecutive defeat following a dire loss at Dundee United. Nancy replaced Brendan Rodgers as Celtic's permanent manager earlier this month, but supporters have already seen enough of the former Columbus Crew boss to demand his exit from Celtic Park.

Manchester City suffered an injury blow during their Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Brentford as youngster Oscar Bobb was forced off early with a knock. Bobb missed the majority of the 2024-25 campaign after being sidelined with a broken leg. The Norwegian winger only returned to action this March but in the current season, he has experienced limited game time under Pep Guardiola.

In-form Manchester City star Rayan Cherki scored an absolute piledriver against Brentford from the edge of the box to hand his team a first-half lead in their Carabao Cup quarter-final clash. After converting the world-class strike, the Frenchman emulated team-mate Erling Haaland's signature 'meditation' pose to celebrate the goal at Etihad Stadium.

United States men's national team star Christian Pulisic is set to be joined by Premier League flop at AC Milan in a shock transfer as the Rossoneri's desperate search for a new striker nears conclusion. The German forward has failed to settle in London since joining from Borussia Dortmund and is understood to be keen on an immediate exit in the next window.

Former Manchester City star Scott Sinclair has been labelled as a "piece of sh*t" by ex-partner and Coronation Street actor Helen Flanagan after the 36-year-old missed their son's nativity to attend the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Flanagan took to social media to slam the footballer, whom she has since unfollowed on Instagram, for his insensitivity.

Brazil superstar Neymar donned a balaclava as he jetted off on a wintery New York holiday with partner Bruna Biancardi amid his uncertain future at Santos. The 33-year-old returned to his boyhood club in January 2025, following an injury-plagued spell in Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal, but has been linked with an exit as his current contract expires at the end of the month.

Cristiano Ronaldo's son showed off finishing prowess as he scored the only goal for Al-Nassr Under-16s in a draw with Al-Ittihad on Tuesday. Cristiano Jr's football career continues to progress in the Middle East after he followed in his legendary father's footsteps and joined the Saudi giants' youth system in 2023.

Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland dressed up as Santa Claus to spread Christmas joy among the kids in Manchester amid his fine festive form for the Cityzens. After an injury-laden 2024-25 campaign, the Norwegian striker is back to his very best as he has already scored 23 goals in 22 matches across all competitions and has kept his side at the top of the table heading into the New Year.

Andreas Christensen and Marcus Rashford were on target for Barcelona in the second half as the La Liga champions secured a hard-fought 2-0 win over third-tier Spanish side CD Guadalajara in a Copa del Rey round of 32 clash on Tuesday. The minnows fought tooth and nail throughout the match and had successfully kept a clean sheet until the 76th minute but Hansi Flick's side eventually prevailed.

Liverpool are set to lose their wonderkid for free as Leeds United are ready to snap up 15-year-old attacker Kai Morrall. The youngster joined Liverpool's U-9 side in 2017 and has since then progressed through the ranks. But now, after eight years, the Morall has parted ways with the Reds mutually and is on his way to join Leeds' youth team.

New Chelsea signing Geovany Quenda is all set to undergo surgery ahead of his Chelsea move. The Blues secured a transfer for the Sporting CP wonderkid earlier this year and an agreement was reached between the two clubs where Quenda will formally complete his move to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2026. Now, just months before the move, the teenager has picked up a serious injury.

England and Spain stars dominate FIFA Women's Best XI as Hannah Hampton, Leah Williamson, Lucy Bronze and Alessia Russo have been picked from the reigning European champions' squad. From Spain, Barcelona stars like Aitana Bonmati, Alexia Putellas and Patricia Guijarro were named in the team after the players reached the finals of Women's Champions League and Euro 2025.