GLOBAL NEWS

AP   It was only ever going to be a matter of time before Lionel Messi beat the 59-year-old La Liga goalscoring record held by Telmo Zarra. Unfortunately, what should have been one of his finest hours has been clouded by all manner of   stories circulating , including one from  Marca 's Jose Felix Diaz, that all is not well with the Argentine maestro. The talk among the chattering classes is that he is not as committed and as dedicated to Barcelona as he has been in the past. That he doesn’t run as much, that his vomiting suggest a bigger problem, that he seems taciturn, that he shouldn’t be considered for the Ballon d’Or. Notice how little emphasis is in the positive. Has the world got tired of Messi? David Ramos/Getty Images But dedication and commitment is a two-way street. So when he says that while he would like to spend all his career at Barcelona but things don’t always work out the way you want them to, you sense that goals or no ...

Gregorio Borgia/Associated Press   Carlo Ancelotti's plans to add some power to a Real Madrid midfield overloaded with playmakers may have to wait after Paul Pogba has reportedly turned down a move to the Spanish capital.  Website  Football-Italia.net  carried  quotes  from Pogba given after current club Juventus beat Lazio 3-0 in Serie A: "I am happy at Juventus and hope to stay for a long time. This was my best game of the season and I hope to continue like this. I just want to learn and improve so that I can become the best one day." Pogba was on the scoresheet twice in Rome, evidence of his growing stature since leaving the Premier League for Turin in 2012.  Mail Online reporter Nicholas Gooden  described how Pogba dominated Lazio: Paul Pogba enhanced his growing reputation as one of Europe's best young players by scoring a classy double against Lazio as Juventus maintained their three-point cushion at the top of...

We still have no idea when HTC phones will be getting Google's Lollipop update for Android, but one developer has posted some screenshots that give us a hint at what it might look like. An Android developer that goes by the nickname and Twitter handle  LlabTooFeR  has posted a handful of screenshots that show Android 5.0 Lollipop running on HTC's One M8. Although the update comes with a new user interface called Material Design, there aren't that many physical changes present in HTC's take on Lollipop beyond a few subtle differences. The quick settings drawer, for example, has a grayish tone to it. The app switcher also looks similar to that of Google's stock version of Android,  as blog Android Police points out. Here's the new quick settings menu: And here's the app switcher. In Android 5.0, you'll also see your open tabs in Chrome here, although it's not visible in this screenshot. The home screen doesn't seem to look much differ...

You saved up and snagged great tickets to go see your favorite team. The anticipation has been building for weeks and when you arrive at your seats you realize that you are stuck sitting next to the worst fan. We’ve all been there. It just takes one special person to ruin your experience. Here are the stadium neighbors who can single handedly ruin your game day experience.

Chelsea have reportedly agreed to sell goalkeeper Petr Cech to Premier League rivals Arsenal. The Czech international has lost his starting spot to Thibaut Courtois after the Belgian returned to Stamford Bridge earlier this summer following three seasons on loan with La Liga champions Atletico Madrid. Several publications have suggested the Cech is unhappy with his current situation at the club and has been repeatedly linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge. According to reports, Arsenal are interested in snapping up the 32-year-old, who joined the Blues in 2004. Arseanl manager, Arsene Wenger, is eager to strengthen his options between the sticks in January and is allegedly willing to offer Chelsea £7m to acquire Cech's services. It's believed Wenger has already held talks with the Blues and according to some reports, he has agreed a deal to sign the veteran goalkeeper. The news of Wenger's deal for Cech could cast major doubts over the future of cur...

Real Madrid winger, Cristiano Ronaldo, revealed it will be a special occasion when he returns to Old Trafford with Portugal on Tuesday. Ronaldo and Portugal are set lock horns with Lionel Messi and Argentina in an international friendly on Tuesday night. However, the Los Blancos star has played down the significance of clash. "If it was the World Cup it would be a really special match." Ronaldo said after Portugal's win over Armenia. "It's just a friendly though, but it will be very special to go back to Old Trafford". Ronaldo became the record goalscorer in European Championship football following his goal on Friday night but he says he is not bothered by those records. "I've won titles, beaten records, but I am not going to be blinded by all this. I did what I had to do. I am perfectly calm." he added.

Ronaldo de Lima believes Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to win the Ballon d’Or after a memorable 2014, while he insisted Messi’s year wasn’t special. The double Ballon d’Or winner believes Ronaldo deserves this year’s accolade ahead of Messi and the other contenders. “I think we’ll see a repeat and he’ll win it again this year,” he told  Sky Italia . “He’s scoring lots of goals and is a big part of the way Real Madrid are playing. “Messi is also in good form but Cristiano’s year has been memorable. Messi’s year hasn't been that memorable for him.” Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or last year for a second time after Messi won the personal accolade four years in a row. The Portuguese is favoured to defend his title after he broke the Champions League goal record for a single campaign, helping his side to the famous La Decima. Do you agree with the Brazil legend that Ronaldo’s year was more memorable than Messi’s? Have your say in the comment section below.

Real Madrid winger, Cristiano Ronaldo, revealed it will be a special occasion when he returns to Old Trafford with Portugal on Tuesday. Ronaldo and Portugal are set lock horns with Lionel Messi and Argentina in an international friendly on Tuesday night. However, the Los Blancos star has played down the significance of clash. "If it was the World Cup it would be a really special match." Ronaldo said after Portugal's win over Armenia. "It's just a friendly though, but it will be very special to go back to Old Trafford". Ronaldo became the record goalscorer in European Championship football following his goal on Friday night but he says he is not bothered by those records. "I've won titles, beaten records, but I am not going to be blinded by all this. I did what I had to do. I am perfectly calm." he added.

Real Madrid superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, has scored his 450 th  career goal in Portugal’s 1-0 victory over Armenia on Friday. The 29-year-old scored the only goal of the game and has now taken his tally to 450 goals in 703 official matches for club and country. The goal against Armenia was his 52 nd  in 117 appearances for Portugal and he is now only ten caps short of Luis Figo’s all-time record of 127 games for the national team. Out of his 450 goals, Ronaldo has scored 275 for Real Madrid, 118 for Manchester United, 52 for Portugal and five for Sporting. Ronaldo has scored 297 goals with his right foot, 83 with his left foot, 68 with his head and two with other body parts. 371 goals came from inside the box and 79 from the outside. In addition, 70 were penalties and 43 came from free-kicks. Friday’s goal was also Ronaldo’s 23 rd  goal in European Championships and qualifiers, more than any other player ever scored. In 2014, Ronaldo has scored 52 goa...

Real Madrid’s Portuguese star, Cristiano Ronaldo is set for a record-breaking season if his current form continues, but can he continue scoring like this until May? In 2014/15, Ronaldo has played 10 matches in La Liga this season, scoring 18 goals in the process, at an average of 1.8 goals per game. Given that there are 27 more games to go in the La Liga season (and given that Ronaldo plays in all of them), if the Portuguese continues to score at his current rate, Ronaldo will score 66 goals by the time the League campaign finishes in May, which is exactly the all-time record in world football, set by Hungarian striker, Ferenc Deák way back in 1945/46. Naturally, that may be a difficult feat to match, but even if his form falters a bit, he will definitely have Lionel Messi’s record La Liga tally in 2011/12 of 50 strikes in his sights. So what do the statistics say about Ronaldo’s form over the course of the season? In 2012/13 he had scored 12 goals after 11 matches, after a...

Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are all keen on signing Santos star, Gabriel Barbosa, who has been dubbed the 'new Neymar' in Brazil. The striker's contract is set to expire in 18 months and there are reports claiming that the Premier League trio are keen on lining up summer moves the youngster. The Brazil U20 international, who has nine goals in 37 senior appearances for Santos, has a release clause of £40million, but it is understood that a bid of around £24m would be enough to secure his signature. Bundesliga outfit, Wolfsburg, have also been showing interest in Barbosa, but it is Barcelona who apparently leading the race for the 18-year-old . The Catalan giants purchased flamboyant forward Neymar from Santos over a year ago and managed to include a 'first-rights' clause for Gabriel in the deal. This means that Jose Mourinho, Louis Van Gaal and Arsene Wenger will have their work cut out at the end of the season. Do you think Barcelona sho...

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, believes Cristiano Ronaldo's great run of form for Real Madrid might demoralise Lionel Messi at Barcelona. The Portuguese captain has scored 23 goals in all competitions so far this season as Carlo Ancelotti's side sit two points clear at the top of the La Liga table. The Argentina captain has scored 11 for the Catalan club, which is less than half of his rival's total and Wenger believes Messi will eventually become unhappy playing on the wing at Camp Nou. "When Messi sees that Ronaldo has scored so many more goals than him, it will play on his morale," the Frenchman told  BeIn Sport. "On the wings, he cannot maintain his goal average. In the long term, he won't be happy. "The best player in the team has a power within the club. He can make the coach better if there is chemistry between them. "So, if his position doesn't suit him, it weakens the team as whole." Barcelona return to act...

Pep Guardiola is 'a bit crazy' but a joy to work with according to Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer. The 47-year-old signed a three-year contract extension at the club this week and he admits it is 'great fun' to work alongside the former Barcelona boss. "He's a genius of a coach and a bit crazy in a positive way," he told  ESPN. "All I can say is its great fun pursuing our targets alongside him. It's a pleasure working with him." Sammer called on Bayern's fringe players to stake a claim for the starting XI while the likes of Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger recover from injuries. "I was shocked when I first heard about it because Philipp has a huge influence on this team as captain," he added. "We wish Philipp all the best and we’re crossing our fingers,” he added. “Now's not the time for sadness and sentimentality, we need to get a grip and look forwards. "We've got...

Sources at  Starsport  understand that the Arsenal board is starting to lose patience with Arsene Wenger at the Emirates. Everton manager, Roberto Martinez, has been identified as having the potential to take over from the 66-year-old Frenchman. The Gunners are prepared to dream big and go for ex-Barcelona boss, Pep Guardiola, currently at Bayern Munich, if the club's slump continues, and the former Spanish midfielder has made no secret of his desire to manage in England. "As a player, I couldn't realise my dream to play there,” he said in a filmed message to the FA "But I hope in the future I have a challenge to be a coach or a manager there and feel the experience of all the coaches and players that have been there. "It is unique, to play in that league. I want to feel the supporters, the environment, the media and the style of the players." Despite Pep helping Bayern retain their title last season, there have been constant suggestions of...

Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has assured Catalan supports that "there is no problem with Leo Messi" and that the Argentine has not asked for another renewal of his contract. The explicit statement was made as a result of the player's comments that although he would like to finish his career at Barcelona "sometimes things don't turn out how you want them to." Bartomeu has confirmed that he has spoken with Jorge Messi, the player's father and from that conversation he understood that the problem might be the external pressure that the player has had to suffer recently. "He is the best in the world and he is happy here, He has to put up with a lot of pressure, a lot of it from the Tax Agency investigation,” Bartomeu told  8TV. “More is said about his vomiting than his records. They want to beat him off the pitch. On it, he is the number one.” The Catalan president, revealed that the club also has "no problem" wit...

Despite being set to earn his 100 th  cap for England in an European Championship qualifier match against Slovenia on Saturday, Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney says his international career is a long way from over. Rooney will become the ninth player to amass 100 caps for England when he leads the side out at Wembley on Saturday, but he is by far the youngest to reach the milestone and says he plans on earning a lot more. “It is something I have really enjoyed doing,” said Rooney. “It has always been a great honour to play for England and something I want to carry on doing for a lot more years.” Looking back at his 100 caps, Rooney admits there have been some difficult moments and his main goal is to lift silverware for his country. “There have been some good moments and some bad moments,” added Rooney. “I think the ultimate goal, which I've always said, is to win trophies and it something which we are working towards doing. “To get 100 caps and join the ...

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, claims that Arsenal nearly signed Barcelona’s Lionel Messi when the Argentine was 16-years-old. The Frenchman claims that he was interested in the four-time Ballon D’Or winner and that a deal was close to being agreed but that Messi wanted to remain at the Catalan club. Cesc Fabregas joined Arsenal from Barcelona’s youth academy at the time, but Messi joined the list of players who were close to a move to London, including Paul Pogba, Eden Hazard, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Yaya Toure, after fending off interest in 2003. "It's true, it's just that he [Messi] didn't want to move," Wenger told reporters. "In the end, he was comfortable at Barcelona." Recently, Messi has been the subject of a lot of media attention after stating that a move away from the club is “possible”, but Josep Maria Bartomeu has publicly insisted that the player is happy at Camp Nou. You can follow all of the action in Barcelona’s match a...

Cesc Fabrgeas, believes Eden Hazard is Chelsea’s Lionel Messi and revealed he decided to join the Blues after a face-to-face meeting with Jose Mourinho. Fabregas, who started his Chelsea stint with seven assists in seven Premier League  games , compared Hazard's ability to change a game with the of Barcelona superstar. "He is the link between midfield and attack for us; he is our Messi because he makes the difference," he told radio station  Cope . "We have a young team but we are very positive about the future." Fabregas revealed Jose Mourinho convinced him ‘quickly’ to join Chelsea and he snubbed two other English clubs, most likely Arsenal and Manchester United. "I've always played in clubs where I wanted to play. At the end of last season, I saw Chelsea as the best option," the Spaniard. "I always thought about a return to England and I talked to Mourinho and realised this was the best option. "It was arranged t...