Lionel Messi is expected to make his first appearance for Paris Saint-Germain since his World Cup triumph in a Ligue 1 clash at home against Angers on Wednesday, as the Qatar-owned club look to tie the Argentine down to a new contract.

Juventus have joined Milan in second place after a poor start to the season. The Bianconeri collected 13 points in the opening nine Serie A games and faced Champions League elimination in the group stage in November.

Australian club Melbourne Victory were hit Tuesday with an A-League record Aus$550,000 (US$380,000) fine and the threat of a 10-point deduction over a violent pitch invasion that left a goalkeeper injured.

English Premier League clubs Manchester United Plc MANU.N, Tottenham Hotspur, or Liverpool FC are being targeted by Qatar Sports Investments over a potential acquisition, Bloomberg News reported on Monday.Nasser Al-Khelaifi, chairman of Qatar Sports Investments, recently held talks with Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy over a possible purchase of a stake in the club, the report said, citing a person with knowledge of the matter.

Eddie Nketiah scored twice as Arsenal set up an FA Cup fourth-round clash away to Manchester City after seeing off third-tier Oxford United 3-0 on Monday.

France captain Hugo Lloris has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 36, three weeks after his country lost the World Cup final on penalties to Argentina in Doha.

Nicolas Tagliafico was a key component of the 2022 World Cup-winning squad and the Argentina defender recently revealed bits of his experience of being part of a historic campaign in Qatar.  

Gareth Bale announced his retirement from club and international football at the age of 33 on Monday, bringing to an end one of the most decorated careers in British football history.

Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo will earn 200 million euros to promote Saudi Arabia's joint 2030 World Cup bid in addition to his club salary, a source close to his club told AFP Monday.

Bayern Munich and Germany forward Thomas Mueller has shot down rumours of a pending international retirement, saying on Monday he will "always be available" for selection.

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president Kazi Salahuddin said the board is exploring options to have Lionel Messi’s Argentina play a friendly game in Bangladesh this year. 

Former Belgium coach Roberto Martinez has been named the new manager of Portugal's national squad, the country's football federation (FPF) said on Monday.

France Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet apologised to Zinedine Zidane on Monday after his comments on the former Real Madrid coach drew the ire of players, politicians and even the Spanish club.

Cristiano Ronaldo will serve his suspension before making his league debut for his new Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr but he could play against Paris St Germain in a friendly this month, coach Rudi Garcia has said.

Pep Guardiola told Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly to back under-fire boss Graham Potter after Manchester City thrashed the Blues 4-0 in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.

Chelsea boss Graham Potter said Sunday's 4-0 FA Cup loss to Manchester City was "painful" and he understood the supporters' reaction as the London side suffered a sixth loss in nine games to pile on more misery in the Englishman's short tenure.

Cristiano Ronaldo's new club coach Rudi Garcia on Sunday compared the Portuguese star's arrival at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia to Pele's signing with the New York Cosmos in 1975.

Kylian Mbappe on Sunday blasted as "disrespectful" comments made by the head of the French football federation (FFF) concerning former international Zinedine Zidane with the PSG superstar describing his fellow World Cup winner as a "legend".

Ousmane Dembele's strike sent Barcelona three points clear at the top of La Liga with a tense 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

Napoli moved seven points clear at the top of Serie A after Sunday's 2-0 win at 10-man Sampdoria, who paid tribute to deceased greats Gianluca Vialli and Sinisa Mihajlovic.