Sceptical Pele wishes Maradona well

Pele has wished Diego Maradona well in his new job as Argentina coach but the Brazil legend warned that great footballers rarely become great managers.

I hope that everything goes well for him and that he ll be able to overcome what s happened in the past and that he ll know how to manage the Argentine players well, Pele, making reference to Maradona s past problems with drugs and health, said.

According to Pele if Maradona is to succeed he must listen to his director of football Carlos Bilardo who led the Maradona-inspired Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title.

He has at his side an experienced manager who knows football really well.

If Maradona listens to Bilardo he can go far. He can learn a lot if he wants to.

But often a great player do…

Ochoa claims Liverpool interest; Russian clubs keen on Max Gradel

AC Ajaccio goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa has claimed Liverpool are one of the many clubs including AC Milan, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Internazionale, Liverpool and Real Madrid  to have shown an interest in acquiring his services, .

Ochoa, 27, joined French Ligue 1 side AC Ajaccio on a three-year deal from Liga MX giants Club América in July 2011.

The Mexico international helped keep L ours in France s top flight despite conceding 61 goals in 2011-12. Only Dijon FCO who were relegated after finishing 19th in the table conceded more, 63.

This season, the Corsica-based club have significantly improved their defence, thanks in large part to the in-form Ochoa.

The 27-year-old Mexico international s form has not gone unnoti…

Germany 2 Finland 0: Meyer shines as emotional Schweinsteiger bows out

Max Meyer stole the show in Bastian Schweinsteiger s final international appearance with his first Germany goal and an eye-catching performance in a 2-0 friendly win against Finland.

On a night when one of Germany s finest players picked up his 121st and final cap, Schalke midfielder Meyer – making only his second senior international appearance – emerged as a potential star of the future with a confident display and a well-taken goal.

Borussia Park in Monchengladbach was almost half empty as the curtain fell on an international career that saw Schweinsteiger become a World Cup winner in 2014, but the 32-year-old was nonetheless in tears when he gave a farewell speech to the crowd before kick-off.

Schweinsteiger s team-mates conspired for 68 minutes to crea…

Rangers sign Zelalem on loan from Arsenal

Scottish Championship side Rangers have completed the loan signing of Arsenal midfielder Gedion Zelalem until January.

Zelalem, 18, becomes Rangers 11th signing since Mark Warbuton replaced Stuart McCall as manager in June, with the club eager to win promotion back to the Scottish Premier League.

The USA youth international s decision to move to the Ibrox Stadium provides him a great opportunity to play regular first-team football for one of Europe s most infamous clubs. At the age of 18, Zelalem could not ask for much more.

This is a great opportunity for me at a massive club. I was at the Hibernian game and the fans were incredible, so I m looking forward to playing here, Zelalem told RangersTV.

Playing in front of 50,000 fans will replic…

I thought I could drink my pee, it looks like apple juice! Dazed Pogba uploads post-operation video

A dazed Paul Pogba said his operation on an ankle injury left him unsure if he was drunk or high – but he did at least confirm: I m still alive .

Manchester United midfielder Pogba has had a difficult time with injury problems this season, with his fitness issues restricting him to only seven appearances in the Premier League.

He made his return after almost three months out on December 22, playing a part in two matches before being laid low once again, with specialists determining surgery was required.

The France international went under the knife on Tuesday and came out the other side unsurprisingly feeling a little discombobulated, so much so he says he almost made a terrible mistake with a urine sample.

I don t even know if I m okay or if I m high …

´I´ve always liked this club´ – Haaland happy to have picked Dortmund over Man Utd

Erling Haaland said an immediate good feeling about Borussia Dortmund persuaded him to join the Bundesliga club instead of Manchester United.

Premier League giants United and Serie A champions Juventus – along with Dortmund s Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig – were interested in the 19-year-old.

However, the striker, who scored 28 goals in 22 appearances across all competitions for Salzburg in the first half of 2019-20, decided to sign for Dortmund, who had activated a release clause in his contract.

Presented to the media at Dortmund s training camp in Marbella on Friday, Haaland outlined the reasons for his decision, adding his belief that the Bundesliga is a perfect league for him to continue his development.

It s been good, great guys, great staff. …

Prediction: Cagliari vs Torino

Best odds: 5/2

Bookmaker:

In their Serie A matchup on Friday evening, struggling Cagliari are set to face Torino, with the potential for a victory to lift the Sardinian side four points clear of the relegation zone.

After their recent loss to Frosinone, Claudio Ranieri s team currently occupy the 17th position in the standings. On the other hand, Torino, positioned in the middle of the table, enter the match unbeaten since the turn of the year.

Cagliari

After the recent passing of Cagliari legend Gigi Riva, the Rossoblu will pay tribute to one of Italy s greatest players on Friday as they aim to strengthen their position in the Serie A survival race.

Riva played a crucial role in Cagliari s historic Scudetto win in 1970, marking the first time a…

Bayern let off by Lewandowski as Barcelona pay the price in familiar tale

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

So that proved in Tuesday s Champions League clash at the Allianz Arena, a match billed as Robert Lewandowski s reunion with Bayern Munich, the club he left for Barcelona in a €50million deal just two months ago.

Yet in the end, the Poland international failed to make the impact many had predicted on his return to Bavaria, on a night of disappointment for Barca against opponents they must simply hate the sight of.

Two goals in the space of four minutes early in the second half from Lucas Hernandez and Leroy Sane proved the difference between the sides as Bayern made it five wins in a row against the Catalans by an aggregate 19-4 scoreline.

Going further back, this was Barca s ninth Champions League …

Who will win the Championship play-off final?

Crystal Palace and Watford face each other later today in the Championship play-off final

Crystal Palace and Watford face each other in the Championship final later today at Wembley.

The game is one of the most lucrative in football with a place in the Premier League and big money at stake.

Route

The two teams took very different routes to the final. Crystal Palace won 2-0 at bitter-rivals Brighton, after a stalemate in the first leg.

Highly-rated attacker Wilfried Zaha scored twice in what was his penultimate game for Palace.

The youngster is moving to Premier League champions Manchester United for £15million this summer.

Eagles boss Ian Holloway has stated that he hopes that Zaha can produce a fairytale end to his Palace career…

Bayern Munich v Eintracht Braunschweig: ´Self-critical´ holders in no mood to ease off, says Muller

Bayern Munich s hunt for a record third consecutive DFB-Pokal triumph sees them take on Eintracht Braunschweig in the last 16 on Wednesday.

Thomas Muller insists Bayern Munich are in no mood to ease off against Eintracht Braunschweig in the last 16 of the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday.

Bayern are seeking to become the first club to win the competition three years in a row, having not lost in it since the 2012 final.

But if second-tier Braunschweig were hoping the hosts who have scored 18 goals in their last three Bundesliga games might allow complacency to creep in, Muller had a stark warning.

It will never happen that we do not go with the right attitude in a game, he said. We have to start from the first minute, what I expect from us. 

We have bee…