Author: James Brooks

The story of the greatest rivalry in football history began with an awkward moment at a Zurich ceremony in 2007, when Pele mistakenly handed Cristiano Ronaldo the wrong trophy. Kaka had just won the Fifa Player of the Year award, but it was Lionel Messi and Ronaldo flanking him on stage that would prove most significant for the decades ahead. Fifa president Sepp Blatter had to intervene and ask the pair to swap trophies, with both players visibly unimpressed by the confusion on stage. For the following ten years, Messi or Ronaldo won every Ballon d’Or and Fifa award going,…

Shakira will take centre stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony, performing at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Thursday, 11 June. The Colombian pop star will perform Dai Dai, the official song of the 2026 World Cup, alongside Nigerian Afrobeats artist Burna Boy at the high-profile event. The ceremony is scheduled to begin before Mexico and South Africa kick off the tournament’s 104 games at 20:00 BST. Dai Dai is an Italian phrase meaning “let’s go” or “come on”, serving as an energetic anthem for the global competition. Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin and South…

Liverpool have stepped up their pursuit of Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande by making direct contact with German club RB Leipzig over a potential transfer. RB Leipzig are determined not to sell the 19-year-old, who has attracted significant interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs this window. Paris St-Germain are also firmly in the running for Diomande, and the teenager has reportedly suggested he would prefer a move to the French club over Liverpool. The battle for Diomande’s signature adds to what is shaping up to be a fiercely competitive summer transfer window across the Premier League and beyond. Arsenal…

A significant bloc of Celtic supporters clubs has publicly declared opposition to the potential appointment of Robbie Keane as the club’s next manager. The groups have cited Keane’s previous role as Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach as the central reason for their objections to his appointment. Recent reports indicate that Keane, 45, has already held talks with Celtic’s principal shareholder Dermot Desmond over the vacant managerial position. A statement from a group calling itself Celtic Fans for the Liberation of Palestine warned that the appointment “would be deeply divisive among the support.” The North Curve Celtic account on X subsequently…

Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada has insisted the club will not overpay in the transfer market as they plan their summer recruitment drive. The warning comes as United continue to deal with the financial fallout from expensive signings such as Casemiro, Antony, Jadon Sancho, and Donny van de Beek in previous windows. United believe their data-driven approach to transfers last summer was close to perfect, moving swiftly to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolves and Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford early in the window. The club then added striker Benjamin Sesko and goalkeeper Senne Lammens before the window closed, completing what…

England defender Lucy Bronze believes the Women’s Super League continues to grow in stature, giving it the power to attract the continent’s top players. Bronze’s comments come as several high-profile Spanish players have been linked with moves to the WSL ahead of the summer transfer window. BBC Sport reported that Mapi Leon, who left Barcelona last month after nine years at the club, has a verbal agreement in place to join London City Lionesses. Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas is also departing Barcelona after 14 years, with London City Lionesses understood to be in pursuit of her signature. Those…

Scotland’s relationship with World Cup heartbreak is one of football’s most enduring and painful stories, stretching back over seventy years. Their failure to progress beyond the group stage has taken many forms, from poor management to cruel luck and catastrophic psychological collapse on the biggest stage. Along the way, several unlikely figures have emerged to shatter Scottish hopes, men few in Scotland had ever heard of before they became immortalised for all the wrong reasons. Carlos Borges was the first of those bogeymen, a dynamic winger and prolific goalscorer who had been playing senior football in Uruguay from the age…

Manchester City are considering taking legal action after a candidate in Real Madrid’s presidential election made a public promise to sign striker Erling Haaland. Enrique Riquelme, a renewable energy magnate challenging current president Florentino Perez, unveiled a Real Madrid shirt bearing Haaland’s name during a television appearance on Wednesday. Riquelme made the bold claim live on air, stating: “He has a release clause and would like to join Real Madrid.” The comments immediately sparked a furious response from those closest to the Norwegian striker, with a joint denial issued swiftly by Haaland’s father and agent. Manchester City then moved to…

Wales’ preparations for their crucial Women’s World Cup qualifier have been thrown into disarray after their squad flight was forced to divert to Italy due to severe weather conditions. Rhian Wilkinson’s squad departed Cardiff at 16:30 BST on Wednesday, with an expected arrival in Montenegro roughly three hours into the journey. Electrical storms over Podgorica made landing in the Montenegrin capital impossible, forcing the aircraft to seek an alternative destination further west. The plane eventually touched down in Brindisi, the southern Italian port city, leaving the Welsh squad stranded far from their intended destination. Wales spent more than three hours…

AC Milan have joined the battle to sign Crysencio Summerville from West Ham, with the Italian giants competing against Tottenham and Aston Villa for the 24-year-old Dutch winger. The Serie A club’s interest signals a potential continental move for Summerville, who has established himself as one of the most coveted wide players in the Premier League this season. Real Madrid are widely expected to trigger the £17.3m release clause that would secure Inter Milan and Netherlands right-back Denzel Dumfries, with the 30-year-old bound for the Bernabeu. Newcastle United have made their move for the highly-rated Nigerian teenager Zadok Yohanna, submitting…