Switzerland s remarkable run to the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 has captivated fans at the grounds and at home.
Still, there is only one member of Vladimir Petkovic s squad who consistently has his own song belted out in stands and living rooms.
Striker Breel Embolo epitomises the golden generation of Swiss players to have emerged in the last decade: talented, spirited, and with a story to tell. He is captivating as a player and person, so much so that his name is sung with gusto at every international match to the tune of The Lion Sleeps Tonight. Oh Embolo, oh Embolo
There s no denying his popularity, but where Embolo has so far fallen short is in matching early expectations. He made his Basel debut in March 2014 and scored minutes after coming on as a substit…
Benfica have parted company with head coach Jorge Jesus by mutual consent.
The decision follows a 3-0 defeat against rivals Porto in the Taca de Portugal round of 16, with a league clash against the same opponents coming up on Thursday.
Jesus rejoined Benfica in August 2020 but could only guide them to a third-place finish in his first season, with the club failing to secure any silverware for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign.
The team s performance in Europe was particularly disappointing, crashing out of the Champions League in qualifying and then going out of the Europa League in the round of 32.
Jesus leaves with Benfica third once more after 15 games of this season, having won 12, drawn one and lost two to sit four points behind leaders Por…
Antoine Griezmann looks set to be at the heart of 2019 s major transfer saga, having announced his intention to leave Atletico Madrid.
Griezmann has been Atletico s leading light since he joined from Real Sociedad five years ago, but he confirmed on Tuesday he will leave the Wanda Metropolitano at the end of the season, with Barcelona reportedly his preferred destination.
Atletico can reflect on a period of success for the club with Griezmann playing a key role, the France forward firing them to Europa League glory last year before winning the World Cup with his country.
Replacing Griezmann will prove a major challenge for Diego Simeone as the striker has scored 133 of their 463 goals in all competitions since 2014-15, 28.7 per cent of the club s total.
Xavi has once again expressed his desire to coach Barcelona as the former midfielder revealed returning to his former club is his goal and dream .
Barca great Xavi has managed Qatari side Al-Sadd since retiring in 2019 – leading them to five domestic cups and a league title – but has regularly admitted that he wants the top job with the Catalan giants.
The 41-year-old was linked to the role in August 2020 before Ronald Koeman s appointment and the Dutchman has seen his position come under scrutiny following a mixed start to the new term.
Barca currently sit seventh in LaLiga and suffered back-to-back Champions League group stage defeats for the first time since 2000-01, leading Xavi to once again be linked to Koeman s job.
While Koeman s position has …
Serbia head coach Dragan Stojkovic insisted there is no limit to what the country can achieve after they qualified for the 2022 World Cup in dramatic fashion.
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored in the 90th minute to break Portugal s hearts as Serbia reached next year s showpiece tournament in Qatar thanks to a last-gasp 2-1 victory in Group A on Sunday.
Portugal only required a draw to earn automatic qualification and Cristiano Ronaldo s men were on track after Renato Sanches and Dusan Tadic traded first-half goals in Lisbon.
However, Serbia dominated and were rewarded when substitute Mitrovic headed home late as Portugal were relegated to the play-offs.
ИСПИСАНА ЈЕ ИСТОРИЈА У ЛИСАБОНУ!
СРБИЈА ЈЕ НА СВЕТСК�…
Prominent opponents of the Glazer family s ownership of Manchester United have issued a list of reform demands after the club s part in the ill-fated European Super League.
The breakaway competition, which sought to establish a closed-shop competition featuring 12 of Europe s elite clubs, collapsed this week 48 hours after its launch, in the face of widespread opposition.
United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward announced he would step down from his post amid escalating and dramatic events on Tuesday and co-chairman Joel Glazer apologised to fans in an open letter – the family s first direct communication to supporters in 16 years.
Nevertheless, a fresh round of anger directed towards the American family has shown no sign of abating, with United great Gary Ne…
Gareth Southgate would love Kalvin Phillips to fight his way into England’s Euro 2024 squad but felt he had to drop the out-of-sorts midfielder this month as he was not confident about his performance levels.
The 28-year-old has established himself as a key figure in the national team set-up since winning the first of his 31 caps away to Denmark in September 2020.
Phillips was named England men’s player of the year for 2020-21 after shining in the run to the European Championship final, but pressure has mounted on his position since leaving Leeds for Manchester City in 2022.
The midfielder barely made an impact under Pep Guardiola and joined West Ham on loan in January, but a disastrous start there led to his omission from Southgate’s final squad before nam…
Lionel Messi is reportedly set to join Major League Soccer side Inter Miami with Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal understood to be out of the race.
The 35-year-old Argentina star had been strongly linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, a league which already features Cristiano Ronaldo and now Karim Benzema, with Messi’s two-year contract at Paris St Germain coming to an end this month.
However, the PA news agency understands a move to the Middle East is now no longer on the cards, placing Inter Miami in pole position for Messi.
The Major League Soccer side are co-owned by former England captain David Beckham and were founded in 2018, playing their first season two years later.
Miami recently sacked Beckham’s former Manchester United and England team-mate Phil…
Josip Ilicic is free to find another club after his contract with Serie A side Atalanta was terminated by mutual consent on Wednesday.
Ilicic joined Atalanta in July 2017 from Fiorentina and scored 60 goals in 173 appearances across all competitions.
His game time reduced over the past two seasons and he is now on the lookout for a new club, with Hellas Verona reported to be interested in signing the 34-year-old Slovenia international.
A statement on Atalanta s official website said: Atalanta announce that the contract between the club and the player Josip Ilicic has been terminated by mutual agreement.
He has enchanted Bergamo with his plays, his inventions and his pure class since 2017. He made us dream with his magic on the pitch and moved us with …
In what was another iconic Champions League showdown on Wednesday night, Real Madrid secured their spot in this season’s Champions League final as they snatched an astonishing 2-1 victory against Bayern Munich.
Although Los Blancos might have dominated large spells on either side of the half-time break, the home support were silenced as reported Madrid target Alphonso Davies produced a thunderous striker midway through the second-half.
However, while Munich might have been just seconds away from booking an all-German showdown for next month, it was Spanish international Joselu who spearhead an iconic comeback at the Bernabeu.
Pouncing on Manuel Neuer’s fumble in the 88th-minute and dragging Carlo Ancelotti’s side level, the former Newcastle striker then pr…