Eto’o voted top star at Club World Cup

James Rodriguez has not been treated correctly by Real Madrid this season and the player misses the presence of Carlo Ancelotti, according to Carlos Valderrama.

Colombia s record cap-holder is baffled by the fall from grace of his country s current star man at Santiago Bernabeu.

After joining Madrid for €80 million in July 2014, James scored 17 goals in all competitions during his debut campaign.

However, he has been heavily criticised in 2015-16 for his form as well issues off the pitch and has only started 13 of his team s 30 La Liga games.

Valderrama, though, does not feel the player should be blamed for what has happened since Anlceotti s sacking at the end of last season.

I do not understand the model [of Real Madrid] now, he told reporter…

Leicester City full-back Danny Simpson has described the Foxes squad as his second family as they close in on the Premier League title.

Wes Morgan scored the only goal of the game as Leicester beat Southampton on Sunday to move seven points clear at the top of the table, and Simpson believes his side showed their spirit in the narrow win.

Four more victories would secure glory for Claudio Ranieri s side and Simpson pinpointed captain Morgan as a driving force in their remarkable campaign.

Wes does feel like a big brother. We are so close it is like your second family, he told the Mirror.

You will probably see how we were at the full-time whistle, we knew it was a big moment.

Every single one of us is giving 100 per cent for each other and the…

Portuguese giants FC Porto have been handed an opportunity to sign Brazilian striker Leandro Damiao from Santos, reports Folha de Sao Paulo.

The Brazilian forward was purchased by Doyen investment company for a fee of €13 million in January 2014 and the player s new owners hope to cash in on the Brazilian as early as next summer.

As a result, they have offered the highly rated forward to Primeira Liga giants FC Porto, who are reportedly seriously considering the proposal.

Everything suggests the Dragons will stay without star player Jackson Martinez at the end of the current campaign and Damiao is seen as a good long-term replacement for the Colombian.

After impressing at Internacional, the 24-year-old joined Santos in December 2012 and has since bagge…

Paulo Dybala says he is back to fitness and ready to help Juventus finish their bid for a fifth consecutive Scudetto, starting with Sunday s clash with his old side Palermo in Turin.

The 22-year-old has missed Juve s last two matches – narrow victories against Empoli and AC Milan – with a calf problem but is set to return against the relegation candidates.

The champions are six points clear of Napoli at the top of Serie A with six matches remaining as Massimiliano Allegri s men relish their astonishing run of 21 wins and one draw from their last 22 league outings, which has put them on the brink of glory.

They are strongly expected to continue that charge towards what would be Dybala s first title having won each of their last seven league games against Paler…

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho insists that he is a good loser.

The Portuguese is regarded by many as the finest coach in the world but has caused controversy wherever he has worked because of his outspoken nature.

However, Mourinho insists that he is nearly always gracious in defeat, citing Madrid s Champions League semi-final shoot-out heartbreak against Bayern Munich as a case in point.

I am a good loser, the two-time Champions League winner told NTV on Thursday.

We were sad when we lost the Champions League, but nothing happened. I just went to the Bayern dressing room to see their happiness, and shared in it.

What s different is when we lose by something unjust. I cannot stand that.

It was then put to Mourinho that there appears…

An aggressive run and gun style that excited spectators but may have cost a championship in Uruguay for Club Atletico River Plate, continued on its wild path past Universidad Católica (Chile) 2-0 in their first leg of the Copa Sudamerica Preliminary Round fixture to kick start the tournament.

Winners of the 2008 Clausura in the Primera División Uruguaya, River consistently attempted quick give-and-go plays and sent attackers on aggressive runs but could not find a clean look until striker Sergio Souza finished a wild scramble in Católica s penalty area to put away a partially deflected shot past goalkeeper José María Buljubasich right before halftime and give River the 1-0 lead.

River manager Juan Ramón Carrasco, the former head…

Pep Guardiola vowed Manchester City would not surrender in the Premier League title race despite falling 14 points behind leaders Liverpool.

A 2-1 home defeat to neighbours Manchester United leaves City not only adrift of Jurgen Klopp s pace-setters but also three points shy of second-placed Leicester City, who have a game in hand.

City must string together victory after victory and hope for a Liverpool collapse to stand any hope of defending their crown.

Although a City charge to glory is unlikely, manager Guardiola is not giving up hope  but nor does he want to become overly occupied by the situation.

It s not time to think about [the title race], Guardiola told Sky Sports.

We have to think about what we have to do and think about the next ga…

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Valencia know they need a win the stronger, the better if they want to clinch a UEFA Champions League berth for the 2019/20 season. They won t have an easy challenge in their season finale, since they ll go up against a strong Valladolid side that has been on the rise in recent weeks. Kick-off for this pivotal match at Estadio José Zorrilla is slated at 15:15 BST.

Valladolid

Real Valladolid have saved their best form for last. La Pucela were threatened by relegation during most of the 2018/19 season, but a recent two-game winning streak has pulled them away towards the safety zone for good. Now with only one match left on the Liga campaign, Valladolid can breathe and begin to play their new se…

Walter Mazzarri has warned that Napoli cannot afford to solely focus on Andrea Pirlo in Friday night s Serie A match against Juventus.

Walter Mazzarri has warned that Napoli cannot afford to solely focus on Andrea Pirlo in Friday night s Serie A match against Juventus.

The influential midfielder has developed into Juve s undisputed star player since joining the club from AC Milan in the summer of 2011.

But Mazzarri feels Pirlo is not the Serie A leaders only threat, and feels the Bianconeri have numerous great players.

Stopping Pirlo isn’t the problem, because Juventus aren t just about Pirlo, Mazzarri said.

They ve also got (Claudio) Marchisio, (Arturo) Vidal, the wingers, the strikers. They have plenty of options and so we need to stay al…

Joleon Lescott has hailed Manchester City team-mate Carlos Tevez s consistency and believes he is unplayable when at his best.

Tevez grabbed three goals in City s 5-0 FA Cup win over Championship side Barnsley on Saturday in his first appearances since he was arrested on suspicion of driving while disqualified.

And Lescott is unsurprised by the ex-Manchester United striker s ability to perform on the pitch, despite off-field issues.

His performance doesn t surprise me, to be honest. He has been our most consistent player since I joined the club, Lescott said.

In his first two years he carried the team on his back. We won a lot of games by one goal, and that was down to Carlos when he plays like that he is unplayable.

The England international …