Aymeric Laporte has lifted the lid on his difficult exit from Al-Nassr, revealing the Saudi club's financial demands almost scuppered his dream return to Athletic Club. The Spain international admitted he felt "in the middle of nowhere" during protracted negotiations but insisted that coming back to Bilbao was always his primary objective.
Barcelona ran riot against Valencia as they defeated their domestic rivals 6-0 in La Liga on Sunday. Coach Hansi Flick praised the team's performance, highlighting winger Roony Bardghji's mentality as he dropped Raphinha and gave the Swedish winger a start ahead of Raphinha, who was reportedly dropped as a disciplinary measure after arriving late for a pre-match activation session.
Neymar was less than impressed with the artificial pitch used by rivals Atletico Mineiro following his latest appearance for Santos. The Brazil international has spoken out against such surfaces in the past and, after suffering another injury that forced him to play through the pain, the veteran forward claims to have delivered more proof that synthetic pitches are "sh*t".
That first international break of the season always comes at just the wrong time. With teams starting to get into the groove as they switch from pre-season to competitive action, and with the final new signings of the summer arriving on deadline day, that Premier League fans had to wait two weeks to see their teams in action was almost a travesty. Fortunately, that wait is now over.
Wayne Rooney has shown that you never lose it, with the Manchester United and England legend rolling back the years in an exhibition game. The Red Devilsā all-time leading goal-scorer lined up alongside and against a collection of international superstars in the Nexon Icons Match, with the target found with a spectacular strike.
Manchester City were forced to take action after a worker was spotted wearing a Manchester United shirt while serving pints at the Etihad Stadium on derby day. A fan on social media shared the image of the member of staff and brought it to the club's attention, and City swiftly 'removed' the person from their position. On the pitch, the Cityzens demolished their rivals 3-0 courtesy of a brace from Erling Haaland.
Erling Haaland helped Manchester City to cook arch-rivals Manchester United on derby day at the Etihad Stadium, with the Norwegian striker celebrating that success in style. The prolific frontman has revealed that he toasted picking up three precious points with a barbecue that included steak and his Man of the Match award, with Haaland apparently enjoying a "nice evening".
Just after Phil Foden had set Manchester City on their way to their damning 3-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday, fans could be heard chanting Ruben Amorim's name. At first it seemed that United's 3,000 visiting supporters were defiantly backing their coach, and yet it soon became clear that it was in fact City's fans who were doing the singing.
Pep Guardiola hailed Erling Haaland as ābetter than everā after the strikerās derby double inspired Manchester City to a 3-0 win over rivals Manchester United. Haalandās ruthless brace, alongside a crucial opener from Phil Foden, saw the Citizens dominate at the Etihad. Guardiola later labelled Foden as āthe heart of the clubā in a glowing tribute to the Englishman.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted he could not fully trust Milos Kerkez to avoid a red card after the Hungarianās early dive against Burnley. The left-back was hooked in the 38th minute following a yellow card, with Andy Robertson replacing him. The switch paid off as Liverpool held firm before sealing a 1-0 win thanks to Mohamed Salahās late penalty.
Fermin Lopez stole the day while Raphinha and Robert Lewandoswki struck a devastating brace off the bench each to brush aside Valencia 6-0, as Barcelona returned to winning ways in La Liga. La Blaugrana put on a true five-star display as the visitors were put to the sword.
Al-Nassr managed to keep their 100% Saudi Pro League record this season after beating Al-Kholood 2-0 at Al-Awwal Park with Sadio Mane and Inigo Martinez getting on the scoresheet. Cristiano Ronaldo failed to impress yet again for Faris Najd as he missed an open goal. Regardless, Al-Nassr managed to make it two wins from two.
Phil Foden dedicated victory to late boxing legend Ricky Hatton after Manchester City beat local rivals Manchester United 3-0 in the derby just hours after it was announced that the famous City fan had passed away aged just 46. Foden scored on his first start to the season and claimed the tragic news gave his side extra motivation to win the derby.
Manchester United loanee Andre Onana's Trabzonspor debut got off to the worst possible start after the Cameroonian produced yet another howler to hand Fenerbahce the opening goal. While the goalkeeper was able to impress through the game, his mistake allowed Youssef En-Nesyri's goal to stand as the match winner, handing Trabzonspor their first loss of the season.
Erling Haaland was ecstatic at full-time as his two goals drove Manchester City to a confident derby victory against local neighbours Manchester United. Haaland was a threat from the very start and struck twice in the second period to seal a deserved victory for Pep Guardiola's side, who returned to winning ways following successive defeats before the international break.
Marc Skinner has explained why Manchester United captain Maya Le Tissier is the āsame ilk of a playerā as fellow Lionesses hero Lucy Bronze. The Red Devilsā no-nonsense skipper was unaware that she reached a notable personal landmark in a WSL clash with the London City Lionesses that saw her find the target from the penalty spot in a crushing 5-1 victory.
Maya Jama led the Ruben Dias fan club when soaking up the atmosphere in Manchester Cityās derby date with arch-rivals United. The Love Island host is dating the Bluesā Portuguese defender, with there plenty for the happy couple to celebrate following another epic Premier League fixture that saw City claim a comfortable 3-0 win at the Etihad Stadium.
Benjamin Sesko had yet another night to forget in a Manchester United shirt during what was his first start for the Red Devils. The 20-time English champions lost 3-0 to their Manchester rivals, City, and their new striker has been ridiculed for being 'completely anonymous' at the Etihad as Ruben Amorim's side endured their second Premier League loss of the season.
Kylian Mbappe has been criticised for having āno private lifeā, with the Real Madrid superstar being urged to accept the āprice of fameā. It has been revealed that the France international, who recently claimed that the world of football is ādisgustingā, does not have a driverās licence. A fellow countryman has questioned the decision to become so reclusive.
Gio Reyna endured a difficult start to his Borussia Monchengladbach career Sunday afternoon, playing 75 minutes but ending up on the wrong end of a 4-0 loss to Werder Bremen. The USMNT midfielder played in a familiar No. 10 role for Gladbach, but was unable to affect the result as his side were outplayed at home. Still, Reyna showed some promise.
Manchester City returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion as Erling Haaland and Phil Foden struck the decisive blows in a 3-0 thumping of local rivals Manchester United in Sunday's derby. Foden opened the scoring in the first half before Haaland took the game away from the visitors with a brace in the second period.
Arne Slot has hinted at the timetable Liverpool have lined up for Alexander Isak, with the most expensive player in British football seeing his Reds debut delayed. The decision was taken not to include the Swedish striker in plans for a trip to Burnley, with the £125 million ($169m) frontman being eased into long-term plans by the reigning Premier League champions.
Manchester United were out-classed and over-powered by Manchester City in an embarrassing 3-0 defeat in Sunday's derby which compounded their poor start to the Premier League season. Luke Shaw was the worst of a terrible bunch of defenders while Benjamin Sekso's abject first start summed up the team's limp attack. United have just four points from their first four games and it could get worse before it gets better as they face Chelsea next.
Alisha Lehmann has scored her first goal for Como Women, allowing her iconic fishing celebration to be broken out. The Swiss took on a new challenge in Italy over the summer after severing ties with Serie A champions Juventus. She is up and running with her new employers, with the tricky forward all smiles after opening her account with a slightly fortuitous strike.
Arne Slot has defended his decision to delay Alexander Isakās Liverpool debut by pointing to Yoane Wissaās recent injury at Newcastle. The Redsā Ā£125 million ($170m) signing was left out of the squad against Burnley, with the Dutchman warning that rushing him back after a summer stand-off and no pre-season could risk long-term damage to the Swedish striker.
Christian Pulisic has been urged to take as many lessons as possible from legendary AC Milan team-mate Luka Modric. USMNT star Pulisic is now working alongside a Ballon dāOr winner at San Siro. That is considered to be a good thing for his ongoing development, both as a football player and one of the most marketable performers in the global game.
Rasmus Hojlund marked his Napoli debut in style as the Manchester United flop scored in a 3-1 Serie A victory over Fiorentina, before expressing his delight at joining what he described as an āincredibleā team. The Denmark striker joined on loan with a Ā£38 million obligation to buy and wasted no time in making an impact for Antonio Conteās side.
Lionel Messi has been defended by Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano after missing a penalty against Charlotte. Having been handed a golden opportunity to open the scoring in the Heronsā latest MLS fixture, their talismanic skipper saw a woeful Panenka attempt easily kept out by Kristijan Kahlina - who barely had to move in order to make a notable save.