LIONEL MESSI’S tears were not caused by his Barcelona exit and the club were right to let him go. That’s according to Barca’s financial guarantor Jose Elias, who made the claims in a series of bombshell comments on Spanish radio. Messi left the Nou Camp for Paris Saint-Germain back in August after financial turmoil at the Catalan giants meant they […]

A JOCKEY labelled the 'Muhammad Ali of racing' completed a mindblowing 212,500-1 double alongside his glamorous girlfriend. Melbourne Cup-winning rider James McDonald won Australia's biggest race on 16-1 shot Verry Elleegant earlier this month. But it was his next feat that truly beat the odds – as he landed a hole in one on the golf course. The odds of […]

GRANIT XHAKA could be set for a January move to Roma, according to reports. The Arsenal midfielder has long been on manager Jose Mourinho’s radar at the Stadio Olimpico. The Special One was reportedly lining up a Xhaka bid over the summer but that was axed when the 29-year-old signed a new long-term deal. Now though, reports in Italy suggest […]

Ronnie O’Sullivan has warned John Higgins that he will face a much bigger test against Yan Bingtao than he posed for him in their one-sided Champion of Champions clash. Higgins turned in a superb performance to demolish O’Sullivan 6-1 in the quarter-finals in Bolton, making breaks of 127, 94, 92, 86 and 63 along the way. The Rocket was far […]

NEW ZEALAND are looking to end their Autumn Internationals on a high note after things took a wrong turn away at Ireland last week. The All Blacks were soundly beaten 29-20 in Dublin and will need to up their game when they face the French. France have historically been a bogey team for the All Blacks, but haven't beaten them […]

EMMANUEL PETIT has urged Chelsea to extend Antonio Rudiger's contract by the end of the season to prevent him from leaving for free. The defender is said to be extremely unhappy with the club after they fell short of his wage demands by £60,000. Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich are all said to be interested in the Chelsea man, […]

KEVIN Sinfield admits running 101 miles in his latest physical challenge has pal and former team-mate Rob Burrow laughing. But even though he believes the Government will come good on its promise to add £50 million into research of motor neurone disease, he is ready to put himself in a ‘dark place.’ Monday sees Sinfield run from Leicester Tigers RU’s […]

MANCHESTER UNITED are back in Premier League action this weekend at Watford following the international break. But there is reportedly discontent behind the scenes, with eight players feeling they've been 'misled' over their first-team chances this season. And to make matters worse for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, one journalist has reported that Man Utd are in talks with Zinedine Zidane. The […]

ENGLAND have qualified for the World Cup after hammering San Marino 10-0 to finish top of Group I. The winners of each group advance to the Qatar World Cup, with the second-placed teams heading to the play-offs before fans can think about booking their tickets. And that means Italy and Portugal are not yet certain of their spot in the […]

BARCELONA boss Xavi appears to be in the market for yet another one of his former team-mates – this time Al Sadd goal-machine Baghdad Bounedjah. Spanish website Fichajes report Xavi has told the Nou Camp hierarchy the Algeria star would be the ideal reinforcement for his injury-blighted attack. Bounedjah has 126 goals in just 108 league appearances – more than […]