Cristiano Ronaldo hailed 2018-19 as an unforgettable season after he set records and lifted trophies with both Juventus and Portugal.
Ronaldo ended his nine-year stay at LaLiga giants Real Madrid in July 2018, moving to Italian champions Juve for €120million.
The 34-year-old more than repaid his transfer fee, scoring 21 Serie A goals as Massimiliano Allegri s Juventus cruised to an eighth successive Scudetto.
Ronaldo also became the first player to reach 100 wins and 125 goals in the Champions League, though Juve were eliminated by Ajax in the quarter-finals – a defeat which ultimately may have been the reason for Allegri s departure at the end of the campaign.
But Ronaldo was not done there, and after his success with his new club, led Portugal to a…
The hacker group Fancy Bears has published a list of players who were allegedly allowed to use banned substances at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Argentina s Diego Milito, Carlos Tevez, Juan Sebastian Veron and Gabriel Heinze are among the 25 footballers who, according to the leaked document, were granted Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) during the tournament.
Netherlands forward Dirk Kuyt and Germany striker Mario Gomez are also named on the list, which details substances that certain players were granted permission to use for medical reasons.
There is no suggestion in the leaked document that any of the players named had breached anti-doping regulations.
The list was published as part of a Fancy Bears release that includes claims that 160 unnam…
Sunday night is capped off with a classic NFC South battle between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints. The Saints (6-7) are clinging to their playoff hopes and will be thin on the O-line while the Bucs (10-3) are hunting for the no. 1 spot and a first-round bye.
Can Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara generate any offense against Tampa Bay? Can the Buccaneers pick up their first regular-season win vs. NOLA in seven attempts? Find out in our free player props and predictions for Saints vs. Buccaneers.
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NFL Week 10 throws a little bit of everything at teams, including an early morning game in Germany. Football bettors need to be conscious of not just which clubs are clashing on that schedule but how the sked itself could impact the outcome.
Situational handicapping — AKA spot bets — is a great layer of analysis to add to your process of picking the best NFL bets each week, going beyond the metrics and matchups, and finding some underlying edges and booby traps hiding in the schedule.
Here are my NFL spot bets to watch for in Week 10.
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SNF odds serve up a big game this week as the Baltimore Ravens travel to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Ravens came into the Week 15 odds slate leading the race to be the No. 1 seed in the AFC but will need to finish strong to lock it up.
All eyes will be on Lamar Jackson’s odds here and I’m going to dig deep into the former Louisville man to find the best prop to bet on him. Join me as I provide my best free NFL picks surrounding Jackson.
Be sure to also check out our Ravens vs. Jaguars betting preview and SNF player props!
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The Philadelphia Eagles host the Minnesota Vikings at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday afternoon to get ready for the regular season in just two weeks.
Given that it’s the final preseason game and neither team is expected to play many notable players our Eagles vs. Vikings predictions have still found an edge on the total.
Read on for my NFL picks for Saturday, August 24th.
Vikings vs Eagles prediction
My best betOver 33.5 (-105 at BetMGM)
My analysis
The Minnesota Vikings have had no trouble moving the ball and finding the end zone so far in the preseason. They’ve put up 24 and 27 points against the Raiders and Browns, and we have a total set just above that here in the preseason finale.
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Michel Platini has been re-elected as UEFA president until 2015, vowing to battle the scourges of violence in stadiums and match-fixing.
The 55-year-old former France captain, who has been in the post since 2007, was re-elected unopposed at the UEFA Congress in Switzerland on Tuesday.
His policies of opening up European club competitions to lower-ranked teams and toughening financial rules on clubs to crack down on reckless spending have made him popular amongst member nations, and Platini vowed to continue to fight to reduce crowd violence.
There is no place in football for those who transform passion into violence and pride into sectarianism, Platini said.
Every country should establish a whole battery of legal measures enabling them to ban hooligans…
Spain s tactical flexibility under Luis de la Fuente has been the key to their emergence as the outstanding team at Euro 2024, believes Rodri.
Some felt Spain could struggle after being drawn with Italy, Croatia and Albania in Group B, but they won all three group games and have continued to impress since then.
They thrashed Georgia 4-1 in the last 16 before overcoming hosts Germany 2-1 in extra time in the quarter-finals, teeing up Tuesday s semi-final meeting with France.
The Opta supercomputer makes France (30%) and Spain (30%) favourites to lift the trophy on Sunday, ahead of England (23%) and the Netherlands (16%) on the other side of the draw.
Many believe Spain have played the best football at the tournament, and they lead all teams in Germany for …
Barcelona have approved their largest ever budget of €897million for 2017-18, following a record revenue in 2016-17.
The LaLiga giants earnings of €708m for 2016-17 were presented at the club s General Assembly on Saturday, with club members then approving next year s record budget with 391 votes for and 49 against.
The huge revenues did not include the €222m received from Paris Saint-Germain for Neymar, which should prompt another record-breaking set of figures in a year s time.
It is the first time Barca have surpassed the €700m barrier in terms of revenue for a fiscal year, and the club have now accumulated a profit of €175m since 2010.
Barca plan to have earned €1billion in revenues by 2021, though that strategy could be threatened by th…
1) Barcelona
Pep Guardiola, one of the Nou Camp’s favourite sons, returned to the club over the summer to take the Barcelona hot set. That despite his lack of managerial experience.
Having endured the humiliation of finishing a massive 18 points behind old rivals Real Madrid last season, Barca will be looking to bounce back by capturing the La Liga title this time around.
The club has significantly bolstered their squad over the summer, signing Sevilla pair Seydou Keita and Daniel Alves, Gerard Pique, Martin Caceres, Jose Manuel Pinto, Alexsandr Hleb and Henrique.
The hurt of last season should spur Barcelona to towards their 19 La Liga title in 2008-2009, with a much improved side to select from in 2008-2009.
2) Real Madrid
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