Speaking to reporters ahead of the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Zurich on Monday, Lionel Messi fueled speculation that he would consider a move away from Barcelona just one day afterclaiming he had “no intention” of leaving the Camp Nou. “Well, I’m not sure what’s going to happen — if one day I’ll go back to […]
Section 2 Around the Net
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Totti's 'Inappropriate' Selfie
Lazio President Claudio Lotito described Francesco Totti’s selfie, which he took after scoring the second of his two goals in the Rome derby, which ended 2-2, on Sunday, as“inappropriate.” Totti’s goals came in the second half after Lazio jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. “The selfie was an inappropriate gesture that […]
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David Luiz the Surprise in FIFA's Team of the Year
Perhaps the most surprising inclusion in FIFA’s 2014 Team of the Year was Paris Saint-Germain defender David Luiz. The Brazil international was widely criticized for his performancesat the 2014 World Cup, and prior to that, spent much of the first half of 2014 on the bench at Chelsea. After transferring to PSG over the summer […]
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Enrique: Barca Pressure Will Return
Luis Enrique said he was delighted with Barcelona’s 3-1 win against Atletico Madrid on Sunday, but was quick to add that he is not certain the “tidal wave” of criticism andspeculation about his future as head coach is over yet. “Certainly a victory was all that could stop this tidal wave, but I’m not optimistic […]
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Blanc Blasts Mentally Weak PSG
Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc blasted his players’ lack of mental strength following his team’s 4-2 loss at Bastia on Saturday. Though PSG jumped to a 2-0 lead inside20 minutes, the host pulled back four unanswered goals to hand the defending Ligue 1 champ its second loss of the season. After the game, Blanc criticized […]
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Report: Lampard Finally Signs NYCFC Contract
Frank Lampard has finally signed a Major League Soccer contract to play for New York City FC after months of misleading information from the club as well as its sister club Manchester City,which are both part of the Abu Dhabi holding company, City Football Group, the AP reported on Monday, claiming that Lampard had originally […]
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Arsenal Set to Welcome Back Ozil and Ramsey
Midfielders Mesut Ozil, out since early October with a knee ligament injury, and Aaron Ramsey, out with hamstring problems since December, returned to Arsenalpractices and are could play in Sunday’s game against Stoke City. “Aaron Ramsey, Ozil and Mathieu Flamini are back in training. (Danny)Welbeck is not available, (Olivier) Giroud is back from suspension,” said Arsenal […]
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Rodgers Done Debating Gerrard Move to L.A.
Liverpool coach Brendan Rodgers is trying to hush the debate over whether the club did enough to keep Steven Gerrard: “Everything is saidon the situation that needs to be said. His concentration is now on football, he has announced where he is going so you have all the information and he has done all his […]
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Barca Celebrates Big Win After Turbulent Days
Following a week in which Barcelona fired sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta, former club captain Carlos Puyol resigned as assistant sports director, and reportsof a falling out between Coach Luis Enrique and Lionel Messi, Barcelona thumped Elche, 5-0, in a Copa del Rey round of 16 game. Messi andNeymar returned to the starting lineup after being […]
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French league will mourn terrorist attack victims
All French Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 games this weekend will hold a minute’s silence in respect for the journalists and police officers who were killed in the shocking terrorist attack on Wednesday at theParis office of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Twelve people died when the office was attacked by three gunmen believed to be […]