Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta says team-mate Mario Balotelli has a complex character that is difficult to deal with.
Zabaleta concedes Balotelli has had his fair share of controversy since his arrival in Manchester, but insists that, despite his problems, the forward is destined for great things.
The 27-year-old believes the Italy international has the potential to vie for football s most prestigious awards, and is adamant the striker has the right club and manager to help him achieve these feats.
Since Mario arrived he has done positive and negative things, Zabaleta told Omnisport.
He is a player, a person too, who is very difficult to understand because you never know what he is going to come up with next.
As a player sometimes not…
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has expressed his sympathy for Barcelona counterpart Tito Vilanova after his cancer relapse.
Vilanova, who had an operation to remove a tumour in a salivary gland last year, suffered a recurrence of his throat cancer which led to another bout of surgery on Thursday.
He will be in hospital until Sunday at least before needing up to six weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The news came as a shock to the football world and although Mourinho remained tight-lipped on what contact he had with Vilanova since the news, he offered his best wishes to the 44-year-old.
I do not like talking about what I do in my private life, said Mourinho.
Whether I call him (Vilanova) or not, or send a text or not, or talk to Vilanova …
Jose Mourinho is relishing the chance to lock horns with Sir Alex Ferguson when Real Madrid face Manchester United in the Champions League.
United travel to Santiago Bernabeu on February 13 for the first leg of the their last-16 clash as the veteran managers meet for the 15th time.
Mourinho has bettered Ferguson on seven occasions, losing just twice, but he has never won a Champions League tie at Old Trafford.
The Real boss is targeting a record 10th triumph in the tournament for the club after admitting retaining their La Liga crown is impossible .
The 10th Champions League is a target. But be aware that other teams may well win. We should work a lot for this, and especially this season because we are distanced in the league, Mourinho told RMC.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter and his UEFA counterpart Michel Platini have both been banned from all football-related activity for eight years with immediate effect, the Independent Ethics Committee of world football s governing body has confirmed.
Both men were provisionally suspended in October in relation to a payment of two million Swiss francs (£1.3million) made by FIFA, and authorised by Blatter, to Platini in February 2011.
Blatter and FIFA vice-president Platini claimed this related to work carried out by the former France captain for FIFA between 1999 and 2002, citing a gentleman s agreement .
However, in its ruling published on Monday, the adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee said that the payment had no legal basis in the written agreemen…
Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva says he is ready to deputise at centre-back ahead of Friday s FA Cup third-round clash with Exeter City.
The Brazilian was forced to drop into the back line during Tuesday s 1-0 League Cup semi-final win at Stoke City after Dejan Lovren was forced off with a hamstring injury.
It proved to be a costly outing for Liverpool at the Britannia Stadium, with Philippe Coutinho and Kolo Toure also sustaining injuries.
Hamstring problems for Lovren and Coutinho see them join Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi and Martin Skrtel in being sidelined by similar issues.
And, with Liverpool now down to the bare bones defensively, Lucas knows he may have to get used to playing in the back four until a suitable alternative can be found, but h…
Neymar, still of Paris Saint-Germain, appears to be unhappy about Barcelona s lack of effort to make his return to the Camp Nou a reality. That s according to , who claim that the Brazilian has issued a come and get me plea to the Catalan club.
Neymar controversially left Barcelona to join PSG in 2017, and having failed to win the Champions League with the French side, suffered several injuries and gotten into a spat with the club s hierarchy, he apparently regrets the move and is keen on going back. He would be happy to accept the same wages he was on before leaving, which is considerably less than what he s earning now at the Parc Des Princes.
At the same time, the 27-year-old forward believes that Barcelona could have done more to get the deal done by now. The Catala…
Atletico Madrid paid tribute to club legend Fernando Torres after the striker brought down the curtain on his Rojiblancos career with a double against Eibar.
Torres came through the ranks at Atleti in 2001, leaving the club for Liverpool in 2007 before returning to Vicente Calderon in 2015.
And, having captained the side and netting his 128th and 129th goals respectively on his final appearance in the 2-2 draw, Torres received a guard of honour from his team-mates and coaching staff at the culmination of Sunday s clash at Wanda Metropolitano.
An official farewell followed, with a highlight video of Torres best moments for Atleti preceding speeches from numerous club dignitaries, and the presentation of a commemorative shirt and shield celebrating the Spaniard s 4…
A police inquiry is under way following an incident outside a nightclub in which Newcastle club captain Jamaal Lascelles and his group were said to have been attacked.
According to reports, the player’s 19-year-old brother was elbowed in the head and another member of their group was knocked unconscious during what Northumbria Police called “disorder” at around 4am on Sunday August 20 in Newcastle city centre.
Newcastle had lost 1-0 away to Manchester City on August 19 and Lascelles travelled back to the North East and went out to Chinawhite nightclub, reports said.
Video of what was said to have happened outside the club, including the 29-year-old reportedly almost being hit by a bottle of vodka, has circulated online.
It was also reported that Las…
RB Leipzig have agreed a deal to sign Mohamed Simakan from RC Strasbourg this summer, according to Italian transfer specialist .
The 20-year-old is a versatile defender, primarily a centre-back but also very capable of playing on the right flank of the back line, or a defensive midfielder. He is a product of the academy at Strasbourg, promoted to the first team ahead of the 2019-20 season. At Leipzig, they see him as a replacement for Dayot Upamecano who is moving to Bayern Munich at the end of the season.
Simakan has only just recovered from an injury that kept him out of action for two months after making 19 Ligue 1 appearances in which he managed to get one goal and one assist to his name. Nonetheless, he has passed the medical with the Bundesliga side and received t…
Napoli s Serie A title defence has long since ended, and they must beat Fiorentina on Friday to have any hope of playing in Europe next season.
Napoli strolled to the Scudetto last year, clinching the title with five games to spare and finishing 16 points ahead of runners-up Lazio.
This time around, it was Inter who wrapped up the league with five games remaining, while Napoli sit ninth in the standings, 41 points adrift of the leaders with a Europa Conference League spot their only hope of playing in Europe.
Napoli are without a win in their last five games, though even if they can get back to winning ways, their European hopes would be out of their own hands due to having played a game more than Fiorentina.
— Official SSC Napoli (@…