"Winning is hard but staying up there is even harder. We had to bounce back after drawing at Genoa and we managed to do that," said Darmian to Sky Sport.

"The numbers are ridiculous," Guardiola told reporters. "He can compete in terms of goals with Cristiano and Messi. The numbers are unbelievable at his age. He's an incredible threat, hopefully he can be here for many years."

Robert Lewandowski shrugged off a string of missed opportunities to earn Barcelona a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday in La Liga.

Leandro Trossard scored with his first touch after coming off the bench as the Arsenal substitute inspired a 2-0 win against Aston Villa on Saturday.

Manchester City scored a flurry of three goals in less than four minutes to beat newly-promoted Ipswich Town 4-1 in the Premier League on Saturday, roaring back from a shock start at Etihad Stadium.

Under-fire Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag blamed his side's defending for a 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Saturday after Joao Pedro headed in a 95th minute winner.

Table toppers Brighton & Hove Albion beat Manchester United 2-1 on Saturday to stay perfect in the Premier League after Joao Pedro scored a late winner in the fifth minute of added time to give new manager Fabian Huerzeler a victory on his home debut.

Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera has expressed his optimism about getting Leicester City’s Hamza Choudhury in the Bangladesh camp soon, after the midfielder received his Bangladesh passport on Friday and sent a letter to the Bangladesh Football Federation expressing his desire to represent the Red and Greens.

Messi, 37, has been away from the team since he suffered a high-ankle injury on July 14 playing for Argentina against Colombia in the Copa America final.

A verdict expected in coming months on Manchester City's alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations will not affect the players' performance, manager Pep Guardiola said ahead of Saturday's home game against Ipswich Town.

Bangladesh football team captain Jamal Bhuiyan said that he had signed a contract with a local club on Friday but the midfielder was among the ones who were excluded from the list of players registered by the clubs for the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Granit Xhaka praised his side's "pure mentality" as Florian Wirtz's goal in the 11th minute of stoppage time snatched a 3-2 win for reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen at Borussia Moenchengladbach in Friday's Bundesliga opener.

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said his side had achieved "perfection" after thrashing Montpellier 6-0 on Friday to continue their strong start to life without Kylian Mbappe.

Chelsea-bound teenager Estevao Willian received his first Brazil call-up on Friday as the 17-year-old was named in the squad for next month's 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot said on Friday he was relaxed about his new club's lack of transfer activity after inheriting a "very good team" at Anfield.

Bangladeshi-born English footballer Hamza Choudhury has finally received a Bangladesh passport, confirmed Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) general secretary Emran Hossain after speaking to Hamza’s mother Rafia Choudhury today.

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham sustained a muscle injury during training, the Spanish club said on Friday, and will miss key games for club and country.

The former German international won five Premier League titles and the Champions League among 12 major trophies during his first spell at City between 2016 and 2023.

Ronaldo's latest goal places him just two goals shy of achieving 900 career goals.

It remains unclear whether he was not offered any contracts or if he declined the offers as he has been abroad.