Ben McAleer

Joao Palhinha scored his second overhead kick of the season as Tottenham ultimately fell to a late defeat at Bournemouth on Wednesday night. Palhinha thought he'd rescued a point with a superb strike at the Vitality Stadium in midweek only for Antoine Semenyo to win it late on for the Cherries on what is expected to be his final game for the south coast side ahead of his move to Manchester City.

Erling Haaland has linked up with UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov for an Instagram post that simply read 'Mentality'. However, eagle-eyed Manchester City fans were quick to spot the motivational message in the background of the image as the Cityzens look to chase down league leaders Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table. City went into the midweek fixtures six points behind the Gunners.

Barcelona dominated against Athletic Club on Wednesday as the La Liga leaders eased to a 5-0 win over the Basque side to book their spot in the Supercopa de Espana final. Barca boss Hansi Flick opted to start teenage star Lamine Yamal on the bench in Jeddah, but it didn't hinder the Blaugrana, who were ruthless in their semi-final showdown.

Mario Balotelli is set to complete a transfer to the 14th club of his career as he closes in on a switch to Al-Ittifaq FC of Dubai. The former Manchester City and Liverpool striker has been a free agent since he left Italian side Genoa over the summer. Balotelli signed for the Serie A outfit on a season-long deal last October but did not stay there long.

Real Madrid and Brazil legend Roberto Carlos has undergone emergency surgery after being diagnosed with a heart problem. The iconic former left-back underwent the procedure back in his homeland having returned to Brazil following a hectic month, which included jetting stateside for the 2026 World Cup draw. Carlos initially went to hospital due to a small blood clot in his leg and has delivered an update on the severity of his condition following the spread of unfounded rumours.

Como Women's star Alisha Lehmann showed off her impressive skills by recreating an iconic Ronaldinho advert to celebrate her partnership with Fanvue. Lehmann moved to Como over the summer after just one year with Juventus, during which time she scored two goals in 16 appearances. The Swiss star had spent three years with Aston Villa before securing a switch to Italy.

Luis de la Fuente says he has a "clear conscience" on Lamine Yamal after a long-running club vs country row. The Spain boss has previously been at loggerheads with Barcelona over his use of the 18-year-old, who was diagnosed with pubalgia after the first international break of the season in September. The teenager was forced to miss a number of games due to the chronic injury and has only played for Spain twice since the summer.

Rasmus Hojlund will not be returning to parent side Manchester United at the end of the season, according to a Napoli director. The young Danish striker completed a deadline day loan move to the Serie A giants in the summer after Ruben Amorim brought in Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to bolster his frontline. A fresh start in Italy has brought the best out of Hojlund, who is now scoring regularly under Antonio Conte.

Barcelona presidential candidate Marc Ciria is "sure that Lionel Messi wants to return" to the La Liga giants. Ciria will challenge current club president Joan Laporta in the 2026 elections and has admitted that he'd do everything in his power to bring the Argentine star back to Spotify Camp Nou. Messi tearfully left Barcelona at the end of his contract in 2021 before joining Paris Saint-Germain, and now plies his trade in MLS with Inter Miami.

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney and wife Coleen have swapped the bitter British weather for Barbados for New Year's. The ex-England international and his family were spotted on the idyllic island with Rooney's former United team-mates Michael Carrick, Jonny Evans and Darron Gibson as the quartet and their families jetted abroad for some much-needed Vitamin D.

Unai Emery has explained why he did not shake Mikel Arteta's hand following Aston Villa's 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal on Tuesday night. Villa made the trip to the Emirates on an 11-game winning run following their 2-1 victory at Chelsea on Saturday evening as the Villans sought to go level with the Gunners at the top of the Premier League table, but ended up being blown away by the hosts.

Victor Osimhen has sent his condolences to heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua after he was involved in a car crash that killed two people in Nigeria this week. Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, friends and trainers of Joshua, both tragically lost their lives in the accident after the car struck a stationary vehicle.

Cristiano Ronaldo has re-affirmed his ambition to reach a landmark 1000 goals at the 2025 Globe Soccer Awards. The iconic Portuguese forward was in attendance to collect the coveted Best Middle East Player award, pipping the likes of Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez and Salem Al-Dawsari to the individual accolade after the Al-Nassr striker bagged brace in a 3-0 win over Al-Akhdoud.

Manchester City made it six league wins on the spin when they travelled to Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon. City briefly went top as they claimed a 2-1 victory at the City Ground, with summer signing Rayan Cherki the star performer for Pep Guardiola's side. Cherki was directly involved in both City goals, scoring a sumptuous winner to spark jubilant scenes in the away end.

Rasmus Hojlund continued his impressive start to life with Napoli with a brace in Sunday's 2-0 win over Cremonense to remain on the coattails of league leaders AC Milan. The Dane departed Manchester United for the Scudetto winners on loan over the summer having struggled to adapt to the speed and physicality of the Premier League following his move to Old Trafford in 2023.

Kylian Mbappe is backing Africa Cup of Nations hosts Morocco to go the distance in front of their fans at the prestigious competition, according to national team captain Achraf Hakimi. Real Madrid star Mbappe was in attendance for Morocco's 1-1 group stage draw with Mali with the hosts tipped by many to win AFCON for the first time since their initial success in 1976.

Christopher Nkunku pulled off his trademark celebration after finally scoring his first goal in Serie A. The France international left Chelsea for AC Milan over the summer, penning a five-year contract in a deal worth £36m having failed to make an impact in west London. And while Nkunku has taken time to find his groove in Italy, celebrated his first league goal in style on Sunday.

Unai Emery insists that his Aston Villa side are not Premier League title contenders despite their record-equalling run of 11 straight wins. Villa came from behind to secure a 2-1 win at Chelsea on Saturday night to keep on the coattails of Premier League leaders Arsenal. Joao Pedro had flicked Reece James' corner past Emiliano Martinez to put the Blues ahead on home turf.