Portugal

The last international break of the season gives those teams who fancy their chances of winning Euro 2024 a moment to assess their options

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Manchester United made “the right decision at the time” to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo, but admitted “it didn’t work out for me or him”. United signed Ronaldo from Juventus in the summer of 2021 for a fee of €15million, plus €8m in add-ons. Rivals Manchester City were believed to be holding talks with the player’s representatives before he made a return to Old Trafford, having initially joined from Sporting Lisbon in 2003. Ronaldo’s second spell, however, did not go to plan, with Solskjaer being sacked midway through the 2021-22 campaign and United...

With 100 days to go until Euro 2024 begins, our experts look at the state of the eight favourites - strengths, weaknesses and expectations

The Portuguese is one of the best footballers ever, yet in the twilight of his superb career, he still can't deal with light-hearted jibes

Erik ten Hag has called criticism of Bruno Fernandes “pathetic” and argued that Nottingham Forest’s players were deliberately trying to foul him in Manchester United’s FA Cup fifth-round victory at the City Ground. Fernandes produced an assist for Casemiro in United’s 1-0 win on the night. Fernandes has played 36 games in all competitions so far for United this season and was a doubt ahead of the fixture on Wednesday. Ten Hag confirmed that the 29-year-old is carrying “a serious injury” and argued that Forest’s players were...

England and the Republic of Ireland have been paired together in Group B2 of the 2024-25 Nations League. They have not played each other in a competitive match since 1991, but have played three friendly matches since 2013. The two nations will also face Finland and Greece during the initial stage of the tournament, which will get underway in September this year. England — who most recently defeated the Republic of Ireland 3-0 in a Wembley friendly in November 2020 — were relegated from League A in September 2022. England have not faced Finland since a 2-1 victory in a World Cup qualifier...

As the sport's two biggest stars take on challenges away from Europe, the scope of their rivalry expands

Cristiano Ronaldo will not participate in Al Nassr’s friendly against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on Thursday. The exhibition match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — where Ronaldo was anticipated to share the pitch with fellow multiple Ballon d’Or winner and longtime rival Messi — will no longer feature the Portugal international as he continues his recovery from injury. Al Nassr head coach Luis Castro confirmed the 38-year-old’s absence in a press conference on Wednesday, adding: “Ronaldo is in the final part of his recovery to join the group. We hope that in the next few days, he...

The Portuguese forward has turned into something of a supersub halfway through his loan spell - but that is not what Barca need

We speak to the former Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk manager, now doing an impressive job at Lille

Ronaldo has spent 2023 in pursuit of even more goals, even more wins, even more trophies and even more glory – has it worked?

Livramento spent 12 years at Chelsea's academy but ended up leaving, frustrated at the lack of a clear pathway into the first team

A dubious prankster, some soft football politics – and some Saudi PR. It was all present in Hamburg...

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson will miss his side’s next few matches, while forward Diogo Jota will be out “a little bit longer” after both sustained injuries during Saturday’s draw against Manchester City. Alisson pulled his hamstring in the final stages of the 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium and is now set for time out of the team. “We will have to see, not day by day because he cannot play tomorrow or Sunday, and probably not the week after, but then he should be kind of okay,” Liverpool manager Klopp said about Alisson’s injury. Klopp added...

Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect the position of Inter Miami following a club statement Inter Miami have denied their involvement in announced plans for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to meet in a friendly in Saudi Arabia in February. The game between Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami and Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr was announced by organisers as part of the Riyadh Season Cup and was, it was said, scheduled to take place at the Kingdom Arena.  A statement said that Miami had been confirmed as “the guest international side” for the three-team,...