Europe

The prevailing wisdom is to never look too far into preseason matches, but when those matches are repeatedly beating you over the head with the obvious, you should probably take notice.

Last year, under the guidance of Steve McClaren, Newcastle recorded just two victories in seven matches. They were defeated by Club Atlas, the Portland Timbers reserve squad and League Two side York City F.C. 

That disastrous preseason form led to an opening run of eight Premier League games without a victory. In hindsight, the club was doomed for relegation as early as October 3rd. 

Pro Evolution Soccer, Konami’s rival to the EA Sports FIFA franchise, will be celebrating its 16th edition this year, and PES 2017 looks set to give FIFA a run for its money.

After watching the official launch trailer, I can confirm that I close my eyes and see Andres Iniesta’s 3D photo scanned face. I’m equal parts impressed and horrified.

Leicester City are looking to seal a deal for Polish star Bartosz Kapustka as they seek to strengthen their side in the wake of uncertainty surrounding the futures of their star players. 

N'Golo Kante has already left for Chelsea, and now it appears as if Riyad Mahrez wants to leave the club as well, with Arsenal said to be close to sealing a deal for the Algerian. 

It's the offseason, which means the soccer news cycle is dominated by unsubstantiated transfer rumors and pictures of players on boats. As little as most people care about how everyone's vacation is going, we feel compelled to report it anyway because we're a soccer website and our rent isn't going to pay itself. That's why we're going to tell you about Cristiano Ronaldo going to a Jennifer Lopez concert.

Yes, Ronaldo went to a Jennifer Lopez concert in Las Vegas. Kim Kardashian was there too. And Calvin Harris.

Liverpool spent the last few days training in Palo Alto, California, as part of their USA tour, and during that time Liverpool's training staff found time to take on that of Stanford University in a friendly.

What happened next will shock and outrage you.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino looks set to continue the work of his predecessor, Sepp Blatter, and disgraced UEFA president Michel Platini in expanding the World Cup to 40 teams.

The 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will each feature the current format of 32 teams, which came into use for the 1998 edition of the tournament, but Infantino believes the 2026 World Cup will feature 40 national sides. 

Juventus and Serie A have confirmed the transfer of Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli to Serie A rivals Juventus, making him the third most expensive footballer of all-time.

The reported fee of £75.3 million (€94m) makes Higuain the most expensive signing in the history of Serie A. Higuain’s 36 Serie A goals last campaign enabled Napoli to finish second in the division.

33-year-old Franck Ribery is aiming to recapture the form that saw him named UEFA’s Best Player in Europe for 2012-13. The following three seasons for the Frenchman, all under Pep Guardiola, have seen his appearances and goalscoring totals dwindle.

Ribery was plagued by injuries last year, and he only managed to score two goals in 22 games for Bayern Munich. Ribery, who’d finished third in the 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or voting, is desperate to get back to his brilliant best. 

Lionel Messi has had enough of sitting on his yacht in Ibiza presumably replaying his Copa America penalty miss over and over. Messi wasn’t due to join his Barcelona teammates in preseason training until August 1st, but the former Argentine international has forgone his extended break in favor of returning to training.

Wayne Rooney’s preseason has been priceless. After captaining England to a disastrous showing at Euro 2016, Rooney took a brief vacation before joining Manchester United’s preseason training under new manager Jose Mourinho. His first viral sensation of the new campaign occurred after he was double nutmegged by Memphis Depay and Daley Blind. 

Wayne Rooney gets megged twice in training, by Depay and Blind.pic.twitter.com/qmFT5XYevY