Ilicic: How does Atalanta star compare to Messi and Ronaldo after four-goal haul?

Rafael Nadal says it is impossible to compare his tennis rivalry with Roger Federer to the clash of the football titans between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The similarity has often been suggested, based on the rationale that Federer and Messi are aesthetically extraordinary while Nadal and Ronaldo are machine-like in their winning nature and physically immense.

Ronaldo s Juventus club-mate, goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, floated the theory in October, saying the comparison is obvious and makes me smile .

The football rivalry was never greater when Ronaldo was at Real Madrid, as it put him and his club in direct opposition to Messi at Barcelona.

Messi recently went past Ronaldo s haul of Ballon d Or triumphs when he took his sixth award, crowning h…

Jurgen Klopp says Lazar Markovic still has time to prove himself worthy of a spot in Liverpool s squad ahead of the upcoming Premier League season.

Markovic, 22, spent last season on loan with Fenerbahce, but a hamstring injury curtailed his time at the Turkish club.

The Serbian who arrived from Benfica for £20million in 2014  was expected to be cleared out in the off-season, but Klopp insists no final decision has been made.

Everyone knows that Lazar is a very quick player but he was not at 100 per cent [in pre-season training] and there was some doubt as to how it would be, said the German manager.

Since then he became better and better and he is in much better shape.

He s a good boy and works hard. At the end we will have to see how w…

Nemanja Matic has urged Manchester United to back manager Jose Mourinho in the transfer market by stating a few more good players are required for a Premier League title push.

After being the closest challengers to Pep Guardiola s record-breaking Manchester City in the league, United were runners-up again as they lost the FA Cup final 1-0 to Chelsea on Saturday.

Eden Hazard converted a 22nd-minute penalty after he was sent to ground by a hapless Phil Jones tackle, with Thibaut Courtois impressing in the second half as the Red Devils were kept at bay.

Despite finishing the season without a trophy, Matic is confident United can compete for honours next term with some high-quality additions.

I think with a few more good players in the squad we can fight fo…

Paul Pogba is once again missing from the Manchester United squad for Saturday s trip to Burnley despite making substitute cameos in both of the club s two previous matches.

France international Pogba has been absent for most of the season due to a foot injury and illness, and he played for the first time in nearly three months when United were beaten 2-0 by Watford last weekend.

He was arguably United s best player after his introduction at Vicarage Road, though Ole Gunnar Solskjaer again kept him in reserve as they thrashed Newcastle United 4-1 on Boxing Day.

It was suggested Pogba s fitness was being carefully managed in order to avoid a recurrence, with the trip to Turf Moor seemingly the ideal opportunity to give him his first start since returning.

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Temuri Ketsbaia is sacked by Greek side Olympiakos just two matches into the new season.

The 41-year-old Georgian signed a three-year contract on May 25 but leaves the club following a 2-0 away victory over Larissa and a goalless home draw with Kavala.

Ketsbaia`s was heavily criticized by the fans and the media for a 5-0 friendly loss against Ergotelis in the pre-season.

The move is a surprise one given that it comes on the eve of the team s opening Champions League match against Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar.

Now, the fans hope current Villarreal boss Ernesto Valverde will return to the club. The Spanish coach won the title in his debut season 2008/09 but left the club after a financial disagreement.

Several Greek media report the possible return …

The latest episode in the fierce football rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana will be fought in Calabar Sunday with a place at the 2009 African Nations Championship on the line.

Ghana overcame a two-goal deficit to win a first-leg thriller 3-2 in the final regional qualifying round for the new competition to be hosted by the Ivory Coast over two weeks next February and March.

Restricted to footballers playing in their national league, the African Nations Championship will be staged biennially like its big brother , the African Nations Cup.

Nations Championship rules affect countries differently with Nigeria and Ghana among the hardest hit as their strongest national team consists almost exclusively of Europe-based stars.

But the absence of household na…

Spanish La Liga outfit Villarreal are set to complete two striker signings, according to the latest reports.

The Yellow Submarine have changed almost entire strike force this summer, with Luciano Vietto, Giovani dos Santos, Ikechukwu Uche and Gerard Moreno all leaving the club.

The good news is that Tottenham forward Roberto Soldado is set to arrive at El Madrigal, and he will not be the only attacking signing.

According to Eurosport, Bursaspor striker Cedric Bakambu will also join Villarreal for a fee of €7.5 million.

The 24-year-old only joined the Turkish side from Sochaux last summer, but he made an instant impact, bagging 13 goals in 27 league appearances.

Meanwhile, Roberto Soldado will be delighted to end a largely disappointing spell wi…

Thuso Phala kept South Africa s winning run going ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations with the only goal in a 1-0 win over Zambia on Sunday.

Having already beaten the Ivory Coast ahead of this month s tournament, Shakes Mashaba s side recorded another impressive win thanks to Phala s first international goal with nine minutes to play.

Mandla Masango had the game s first opportunity after 17 minutes, but the Kaiser Chiefs midfielder dragged his effort wide without testing Zambia goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene.

South Africa threatened again before the break with a flowing move involving Oupa Manyisa, who delivered a dangerous cross into the penalty area that Thabo Matlaba was unable to connect with.

Chisamba Lungu and Emmanuel Mayuka both threatened the South Af…

Portugal midfielder Adrien Silva is expecting a tough test against Morocco as he revealed coach Fernando Santos is constantly demanding more from the European champions.

Cristiano Ronaldo stole the show with a stunning hat-trick in Portugal s Group B opener with Spain on Friday, securing a share of the spoils from a fantastic encounter in Sochi.

Leicester City midfielder Silva did not make an appearance from the bench, although Santos could well rotate his players for Wednesday s meeting with Morocco, who slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Iran in their opening fixture.

And the 29-year-old insists Portugal will not take their opposition lightly, with Santos instilling a winning mentality. 

The coach is never satisfied, he wants evolution, Silva told reporters. …

Tottenham Hotspur have that Lucas Moura has signed a new deal, keeping him in north London until 2024.

It was apparently the hat-tricks scored by the 27-year-old winger during the UEFA Champions League (particularly the one in the semi-final against Ajax) that convinced the club to prolong the Brazilian’s contract, initially signed until 2023.

Moura joined Spurs in January 2018 from Paris Saint-Germain, where he had spent the previous six years. He made his debut for the club in the Champions League in February 2018 and scored his first goal for the club only several days later, playing against Rochdale in the FA Cup. Although he had a difficult half a season after coming to England, the beginning of his first full season was promising, particularly after the 3-0 vi…