Raphael Varane hopes to stay at Real Madrid for the remainder of his career.
The France international joined Madrid from Lens in June 2011 and has since developed into an important first-team member at the Santiago Bernabeu, making over 150 appearances in all competitions.
The 23-year-old has been linked with a number of Premier League sides in recent years, but he has made it clear he is not interested in a move elsewhere.
Right now, I would like to stay at Real Madrid until the end of my career, Varane told Le Figaro.
Things are going very fast in this industry, but why would I not want to retire at Madrid? There is no reason for me to leave.
I am feeling very well at Madrid. It is obviously very difficult to predict what the future looks lik…
Mouth-watering derbies await FC Halifax Town and Shildon if they can book their places in the FA Cup first round.
Monday s draw paired Halifax with Yorkshire neighbours and 2013 League Cup finalists Bradford City if they can overcome fellow non-league outfit Chorley.
Halifax reformed in 2008 and are currently riding high in the Conference Premier along with Gateshead, who could meet the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition.
Shildon will make the short trip north from County Durham if they can beat Norton United in a replay.
Non-league counterparts AFC Fylde face a long haul to take on Plymouth Argyle, while Exeter City are another League Two team who must guard against a potential upset when they travel to Warrington Town.
The chairman…
Libertad clinched the Apertura-Clausura double after edging Nacional Asuncion 1-0 on the final matchday.
Pedro Sarabia s Libertad held a two-point buffer on Cerro Porteno heading into the 22nd and final round of the 2014 Clausura campaign.
And Libertad preserved that lead thanks to Rodrigo Lopez at the Estadio Manuel Ferreira on Saturday.
Lopez s goal two minutes into the second half gave Libertad the Apertura-Clausura double for the second time since the format was introduced in 2008.
Cerro were 2-0 winners at Sol de America also on Saturday.
Jose Ortigoza s second-half brace ensured Cerro finished runners-up ahead of Guarani, who routed hosts 3 de Febrero 4-0 on Friday.
Guarani had four different goalscorers, with Federico Santander, Jor…
Boca Juniors and River Plate have agreed to prohibit away fans from attending both legs of the Copa Libertadores final.
Argentina president Mauricio Macri last week declared he wanted visiting supporters to be able to attend the Superclasico, with only home fans having been present for matches between the two arch-rivals in Buenos Aires since 2014.
The city s security minister Martin Ocampo subsequently stated 4,000 opposition spectators would be present at each leg.
However, Boca and River have reached an agreement contrary to that to avoid restricting the seats available to their followers.
Boca Juniors and River Plate have reached an agreement for the Copa Libertadores final to be played without the presence of away fans, read a statement released by …
Real Madrid could well end the season with a third consecutive Champions League crown, but it is a sign of the remarkable expectations they face that questions will likely still be asked of Zinedine Zidane and his side.
The Frenchman takes his charges to Barcelona on Sunday for what many would have assumed, back when the fixtures were confirmed, would be a titanic tussle for the title between the two great rivals.
Instead, Ernesto Valverde s team have already wrapped up LaLiga and are looking to complete an unbeaten top-flight campaign, having also won the Copa del Rey.
Madridistas will argue the Champions League is a bigger prize than a domestic double, but rumours over Zidane s future have intensified despite Los Blancos continuing to dominate in Europe, al…
Yaya Toure could be approaching the end of his time at Manchester City – a spell in which he wanted to help turn the club into a winning machine like Barcelona and Manchester United.
The 33-year-old midfielder is out of contract at the end of this season, having won two Premier League titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup over the six previous campaigns at the Etihad Stadium.
This does not amount to quite the period of dominance Toure envisaged but he believes City are on the right track under his former Barca boss Pep Guardiola.
I think we are moving forward because we have a great manager, he told the Times of India.
I believe in future we can be a perfect team. But step by step you have to do it. I think we are getting nearer to what the manager wa…
Bruno Fernandes is convinced the signing of Alex Telles is the key component behind Luke Shaw s dramatic improvement at Manchester United after the left-back won the club s Player of the Month award.
It was not so long ago that Shaw s United career appeared to be petering out to an underwhelming conclusion, particularly during Jose Mourinho s ill-fated reign.
In two-and-a-half years playing for the Portuguese coach, Shaw only made 33 Premier League appearances. While he did have injury and fitness problems, the manager s attitude seemingly did little to endear himself to the player.
Mourinho criticised Shaw publicly on several occasions, yet the left-back kept his head down and – to the surprise of very few – ultimately outlasted the Special One , kicking on …
Former Champions League and Serie A referee Paolo Tagliavento has been appointed team manager of Serie C club Ternana.
Tagliavento, who was born in Terni, retired from officiating in May after 14 years in Italy s top flight, during which time he spent a decade as a FIFA and UEFA referee.
He infamously disallowed a goal by Sulley Muntari in AC Milan s 1-1 draw with Juventus in February 2012 that proved to be a defining moment in the Scudetto race that year – a decision he described as his most obvious mistake .
The 45-year old, who previously worked as a hairdresser, oversaw 28 Champions League matches and 32 in the Europa League, but will remain in football with his hometown club.
La ha il suo Club Manager
— Ternana Official (@TernanaO…
Steve Bruce revelled in Hull City s 3-1 win at Sunderland and backed his side to surpass the 16th-place finish they managed last season.
Hull travelled to the Stadium of Light in the Premier League relegation zone and seeking a first victory in 11 top-flight games.
That run had put pressure on Bruce, who was up against the team he managed between 2009-11, and despite falling behind just 29 seconds into the contest, goals from Gaston Ramirez, James Chester and substitute Nikica Jelavic secured a deserved win.
We could have buckled after conceding an early goal, but the players have showed great spirit, Bruce said. Our second-half display was arguably as good as we ve seen this season.
We re a newly promoted team that s been in the Premier League for …
Want to impress your mates with must-have trivia ahead of this weekend s Premier League action?
Well, we have it covered with our third-round quiz.
See how many of these posers they can guess correctly safe in the knowledge you have all the answers (at the bottom of the page)!
1. Manchester City travel to Wolves on Saturday. How many times have they lost in their last 29 matches with promoted teams?
Stop it right now, !
— Manchester City (@ManCity)
2. Arsenal lost their first two matches of the season. When was the last time they lost their opening three league games?
2 Arsenal have scored more goals in the first half against Chelsea than in their last six Premier League visits to Stamford Bridge. Revolution.
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