Luka Modric will leave Real Madrid after the Club World Cup, the Croatian midfielder said on Thursday as the club's most successful player and the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner prepares to end a trophy-laden stint in Spain.
Modric, who arrived at the club from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012, has played almost 600 games for Real and won nearly 30 trophies including a record six Champions League titles and four LaLiga trophies.
Manchester United's Harry Maguire received rave reviews for his masterful performance as a makeshift forward in their Europa League victory on Thursday with many comparing the team's oft-maligned center-back to Brazil great Ronaldinho.
Maguire set up Casemiro's header with some brilliant dribbling skills and a pinpoint cross that opened scoring in United's 3-0 victory at Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their semi-final tie.
Harry Maguire winger play
Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Nemanja Matic has hit back at comments from Manchester United's André Onana, describing the Cameroonian as "one of the worst goalkeepers" in the club's history ahead of Thursday's Europa League quarter-final.
United are having their worst season in the Premier League, where they are 13th in the standings, and winning the Europa League is potentially their only ticket to the Champions League next season.
Two unbelievable Declan Rice free kicks vs Real Madrid stunned the Spanish giants and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois as Arsenal soared to a 3-0 victory in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal.
After a relatively quiet first half, Rice sent the crowd inside Emirates Stadium into a frenzy with a marvelous bending free kick in the 58th minute. The ball bent so far around the wall it was reminiscent of Roberto Carlos’ free kick vs. France in 1997.
Declan Rice free kicks vs Real Madrid
FIFA president Gianni Infantino is building the hype around next year’s World Cup promising that the tournament will be equivalent to “104 Super Bowls” in a month.
The expanded 48-team tournament will be the biggest World Cup in history. In the previous 32-team editions there were a total of 64 games played. In 2026 there will be 104 different games played in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Infantino appeared on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” and explained how the viewership numbers of the World Cup will be that of “104 Super Bowls.”
Real Madrid overturned a two-goal deficit against Real Sociedad to reach the Copa del Rey final after an extra-time header by substitute Antonio Rüdiger secured a barnstorming 4-4 draw on Tuesday for a 5-4 aggregate win.
Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad highlights
The visitors gave Real Madrid a scare as they grabbed the lead through Ander Barrenetxea in the 16th minute but a lovely dinked effort by Endrick levelled the score 15 minutes later.
Dutch star Memphis Depay was the catalyst for a huge fight during Thursday’s Campeonato Paulista final after the Corinthians star stood on the ball in the final seconds of the game.
Corinthians led Palmeiras 1-0 on aggregate and needed to bleed a few more minutes off the clock to lift their first trophy in six years. In the 90th minute Depay had the ball in the corner and cheekily stood on top of it.
The Palmeiras players weren’t impressed with Depay’s showboating.
Depay stands on ball resulting in brawl
MADRID — The top court in Spain's Catalonia region on Friday overturned Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves' rape conviction, saying the case against him had inconsistencies and contradictions.
The 41-year-old defender was convicted last year of raping a woman in the restroom of a Barcelona nightclub in 2022 and sentenced to 4-1/2 years in prison.
Dani Alves rape conviction overturned
Vinícius Jr. went from hero to villain in a matter of minutes amongst his Brazil teammates during their 2-1 victory vs. Colombia in World Cup qualifying on Thursday.
The Brazil star scored a superb long distance goal in the 99th minute to secure the much-needed three points. However three minutes later the Real Madrid star rubbed his teammates the wrong way when he was wasting too much time being substituted.
MADRID — Real Madrid's Brahim Diaz scored a second-half winner as the hosts edged out neighbors Atletico Madrid 2-1 in a scrappy first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie on Tuesday after Julian Alvarez had cancelled out Rodrygo's opener.
Real started on fire when Rodrygo scored a fine opener four minutes after kick-off but Atletico slowly got into the game and Alvarez equalized with a stunning strike in the 32nd minute.
Julian Alvarez goal vs Real Madrid