Sports

Cristiano Ronaldo is confident the Saudi Pro League can become one of the world s best competitions in the years to come.

The Portugal captain joined Saudi Arabia s Al Nassr in the aftermath of the 2022 World Cup, with his second spell with Manchester United brought an abrupt end prior to the tournament in Qatar.

A free agent after the Selecao s quarter-final exit at the hands of Morocco, Ronaldo promptly moved to the Middle East and has quickly settled, scoring nine goals in eight Pro League appearances.

While widely considered a weaker league than those in Europe, Ronaldo believes those matches have prepared him for Portugal duty and expects the reputation of the Saudi top flight to improve in time.

I feel really good, he said ahead of Portugal s Euro …

Pep Guardiola s possession style of play has come under fire from former Bayern Munich boss Giovanni Trapattoni.

The former Italy and Republic of Ireland coach says Guardiola s tika-taka approach that he honed at Barcelona does not produce the rewards, despite the 45-year-old winning 19 trophies as a manager since taking over at Camp Nou in 2008.

Guardiola looks set to take that number to 20 with Bayern top of the Bundesliga with six games remaining, however Trapattoni is not impressed.

The veteran believes a more direct approach brings better results, and Guardiola who will take charge of Manchester City at the end of the season  would be wise to adapt his style going forward.

What I see in world football at the moment is true for Bayern especially, he…

Brian Brobbey has agreed to return to Ajax on a permanent deal from RB Leipzig, the Eredivisie champions have announced.

The young forward moved to the Bundesliga side on a free transfer ahead of the 2021-22 campaign but made just one top-flight start and a further eight off the bench in an unhappy spell.

Brobbey subsequently returned to Ajax, where he came through the youth ranks, on loan in January and scored seven goals in 13 games to help Erik ten Hag s team secure the title.

Ten Hag was reportedly keen to link up with the 20-year-old again at Old Trafford, but Ajax – who were in need of a forward after selling Sebastien Haller to Borussia Dortmund – have now agreed to pay Leipzig €16.35million up front to complete a full transfer, with the deal po…

Miguel Almiron starred on his full debut as Newcastle United moved four points clear of the Premier League relegation zone with a dominant 2-0 win over 10-man Huddersfield Town on Saturday.

After losing only one of their previous four league games, Newcastle were always favourites for victory against the division s bottom club, and their hopes were boosted by a first half in which they hit the post twice and Huddersfield s Tommy Smith was sent off.

Huddersfield clung on to reach the interval on level terms despite Smith s poor challenge on record signing Almiron, whose excellent performance was eventually rewarded as Newcastle cruised to victory in the second half.

Salomon Rondon broke the deadlock in the first minute of the second half and Ayoze Perez quick…

Kevin De Bruyne is right up there among the Premier League greats such as Steven Gerrard, Yaya Toure and Paul Scholes.

That was the message to Stats Perform from Kolo Toure, who also likened the De Bruyne and Erling Haaland pairing at Manchester City to former Arsenal combination Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.

The Belgium midfielder has been central to City s push for a third straight top-flight title this term, assisting 16 times and scoring seven of his own in the league.

Toure believes not many compare to De Bruyne as City remain competing for the treble, with an FA Cup final against Manchester United and a Champions League last-four meeting with Real Madrid also to come.

He said: [Kevin De Bruyne] is right up there with those top, legendary player…

Diego Simeone says things come naturally to Joao Felix after he starred in Atletico Madrid s season opener win over Getafe, though the Argentine admitted that Alvaro Morata s future is out of his hands.

The duo were the star performers for the Rojiblancos as they helped steer their side to a 3-0 win on Monday evening, with the former bagging all three assists and the latter netting a brace.

It marked an impressive return to the field in Atletico colours for both, with Felix having spent the end of last season sidelined through injury, and Morata spending the prior two campaigns on loan at Juventus.

Felix, in particular, delivered an assured performance that showcased his growth for Simeone, who said the Portuguese star s talent helps his game speak for itself.

Manchester United are interested in signing Moussa Dembele from Lyon in the summer transfer window, according to . The report in the French news outlet has claimed that United will send a scout to watch Dembele in action for Lyon against FC Porto in the Europa League on Thursday evening.

Dembele has been on the books of Lyon since 2018 when he joined from Scottish Premiership giants Celtic. The French striker spent the second half of last season on loan at Atletico Madrid. The 25-year-old has made 15 starts and five substitute appearances in Ligue 1 so far this season, scoring 10 goals and providing two assists in the process. Dembele has given one assist in three Europa League matches so far this campaign.

United are fifth in the Premier League table at the moment with…

FC Cincinnati assistant head coach Dominic Kinnear remains optimistic about their chances of topping the table despite suffering a third consecutive defeat.

Cincinnati lost 3-1 to the New York Red Bulls in MLS on Saturday, after two goals from Lewis Morgan on either side of Kyle Duncan s strike.

Corey Baird scored a consolation for the visitors but could not inspire a comeback as they slipped five points behind Eastern Conference leaders Inter Miami, who beat Chicago Fire 2-1.

Cincinnati have not won since a 6-1 thrashing of the Herons at the start of July, losing the following three by an aggregate score of 7-2, but Kinnear is unbothered by the team s recent form.

I think this is our second road loss of the year, which is remarkable, so I think we know …

According to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United sent scouts to watch the Lisbon Derby on Sunday in order to keep an eye and deliver a report on Joao Neves. Benfica beat Sporting by 2-1, and the three points have put them at the top of the Liga Portugal table, ahead of Sporting on goal-difference.

Neves is a 19-year-old midfielder, usually providing protection for the back line, but he is capable of performing other midfield roles as well. With reports suggesting United could be open to offers for Casemiro, linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, it appears they re seeking to replace the experienced Brazilian with a young talent with the majority of his career still ahead.

Neves rose through Benfica s youth ranks and was promoted to the club s senior ranks in January this ye…

RB Salzburg are set to sign Fernando from Shakhtar Donetsk this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano. This move appears to be a part of a chain of transfer events set to take place in a few months.

Salzburg are believed to be in for the the 23-year-old striker with the aim of replacing Karim Adeyemi, who in turn seems set to join Borussia Dortmund. That, of course, depends on Erling Haaland, who made the same transition himself just over two years ago and could now be on his way to Manchester City, though Real Madrid remain an option as well.

Fernando joined Shakhtar from Palmeiras in 2018, and having spent six months on loan at Sporting Lisbon, he has so far made a total of 69 appearances for the Ukrainian club, scoring 12 goals and providing six assists. Primarily a c…