Month: December 2024

Captain, leader, legend is how one banner at Stamford Bridge describes John Terry s legacy at Chelsea.

The 36-year-old centre-back has been a central figure during the club s greatest period, winning 14 major trophies that include four Premier League titles and the 2011-12 Champions League.

Terry s 22-year association with Chelsea is at last set to come to an end, however, with the league leaders announcing on Monday that the club captain has taken the decision to leave at the end of the season.

With the help of Opta, we look at some of the standout statistics behind the career of a player who, while being far from untouched by controversy, will undoubtedly be remembered as a hero to Blues fans.

40 – John Terry has scored more Premier League goals than…

Netherlands great Marco van Basten has returned to the national team as assistant coach to Danny Blind.

Van Basten earned 54 caps for Netherlands during a distinguished playing career that took in stints with the likes of Ajax and Milan.

The 50-year-old also enjoyed a four-year spell as Netherlands head coach between 2004 and 2008, leading them to the semi-finals of Euro 2008.

He has now opted to leave his positions as assistant coach at Eredivisie side AZ to take on his new position.

I m really looking forward to this interesting job and also look forward to the renewed collaboration with Danny Blind, Van Basten said.

I had to make a difficult choice, because the role at AZ was to my liking. Blind convinced me of the challenge of the national t…

Celtic suffered their second successive Europa League defeat this season as they were comprehensively beaten 4-0 by Bayer Leverkusen.

First-half goals from Piero Hincapie and Florian Wirtz put the Bundesliga side in complete control against Ange Postecoglou s side in the Group G clash at Celtic Park.

Lucas Alario added a third from the penalty spot after the break as Gerardo Seoane s side followed up their opening victory over Ferencvaros, while substitute Amine Adli completed the rout with a thumping strike deep into stoppage time.

The result means Celtic were handed an 11th reverse in their last 18 home European matches, while this was the 16th time in 25 outings they have lost to German opposition.

Both sides had chances to break the deadlock during…

that Chelsea are lining up a shock move for Barcelona full-back Dani Alves.

The Blues are on the lookout for someone who can provide competition for Branislav Ivanovic who, despite a solid performance against Arsenal last weekend, has endured a shaky start to the season.

Alves was strongly linked with a move to the Premier League in the summer when his contract at Barca expired, with Manchester United linked with a move to secure his services though he eventually penned a new two-year deal at the Nou Camp.

The Brazil international is edging towards his three hundred and fiftieth club appearance since signing from Sevilla in 2008, while he has scored twenty goals for Barca alongside winning a host of major honours.

Chelsea travel to struggling Newcas…

Spain welcome England to Alicante for an international friendly on Friday, a match Raheem Sterling feels is the perfect opportunity for Roy Hodgson s side to prove how far they have come.

The defending European champions represent a tougher test than any of the Three Lions Euro 2016 qualifying opponents, who were dispatched comfortably as victories were picked up in all 10 matches.

Spain too had a smooth path through to the tournament in France next year, winning nine of their 10 qualifiers to ensure they will have the opportunity to defend their European title, having been dethroned at world level by Germany.

As well as taking on Vicente del Bosque s men, England have a game against hosts France this month and Sterling thinks the double-header is a great opportu…

Angel Di Maria has revealed his surprise at former club Paris Saint-Germain s decision to seemingly overlook Lionel Messi and give Kylian Mbappe all the power .

Mbappe looked destined to join Real Madrid on a lucrative free transfer ahead of the 2022-23 season, yet he decided to sign a new three-year deal to remain in the French capital.

It has been suggested the 24-year-old s contract allows him influence over the club s signings and team selections.

Di Maria, who played with Mbappe and Messi at PSG before his move to Juventus in July, understands Mbappe s profile in France, but believes his influence overshadows that of Messi.

…

A brutally honest Arjen Robben admits Netherlands have no chance of securing the miracle seven-goal victory over Sweden required to book a World Cup play-off berth.

The Oranje narrowly avoided elimination with a late 3-1 win in Belarus on Saturday, but the result means they remain little more than a mathematical chance of finishing second in Group A.

Sweden earlier romped to an 8-0 rout of Luxembourg to effectively kill off those chances, with Janne Andersson s side boasting a three-point buffer and vastly superior goal difference ahead of their trip to Amsterdam on Tuesday.

And Robben, who scored an 84th-minute penalty to restore his side s lead in Belarus, concedes the 2010 World Cup finalists are set to miss Russia 2018.

This hurts. It is unfortun…

QPR have handed a new one-year deal to Alejandro Faurlin.

The Argentine midfielder moved to Loftus Road in July 2009, but has been restricted to just nine league appearances over the past two seasons, having suffered three anterior cruciate knee ligament injuries.

Faurlin managed just two Premier League outings last season as QPR were relegated, but, having regained fitness towards the end of the campaign, the London club have opted to hand him a new deal that includes the option of a further 12 months.

I m extremely happy,  Faurlin told the club s official website.

I have to say thank you to everyone at the club for keeping me here and giving me the chance to prove a lot of people wrong. I just want to play football.

I contemplated giving u…

Barcelona legend Xavi has backed Luis Enrique s squad to make history and replicate last season s domestic and European treble.

Wednesday s 3-1 victory over Arsenal in the Champions League ensured Barca s place in the last eight of the competition, the Catalan giants progressing 5-1 on aggregate.

As they edge closer to becoming the first side to retain the Champions League, Luis Enrique s side are also eight points clear at the top of La Liga and into the final of the Copa del Rey – where they will face Sevilla on May 22.

As well as captaining the side to glory last season, Xavi was also part of Pep Guardiola s treble-winning squad in 2008-09 and believes they can go all the way again.

I saw both games against Arsenal. Barca is at a spectacular level, …

Javier Mascherano s Barcelona future will be sorted out soon according to director Guillermo Amor.

The Argentina international s contract at Camp Nou still has 18 months to run but he has suggested he could leave the Catalan giants after falling down the pecking order under Ernesto Valverde.

Mascherano, who has been struggling with injuries, has seen his playing time significantly reduced in 2017-18, making just 10 appearances in all competitions.

He has suggested a move back to Argentina could be on the cards at the end of the current campaign, while Valverde has stressed his desire to keep the 33-year-old.

Exactly what will happen with Mascherano remains uncertain as the transfer window prepares to open in January, but Amor says it will soon become clea…