Jose Mourinho once remarked that even with one arm, Julio Cesar would be superior to Iker Casillas, according to the Brazilian goalkeeper.
Mourinho and Casillas endured a strained relationship during the Portuguese coach s time in charge of Real Madrid, with the club captain regularly relegated to the bench amid an unhappy 2012-13 campaign.
Cesar, however, had flourished during Mourinho s previous stint at Inter and, after his Brazil side beat Spain in the 2013 Confederations Cup final, he arranged a shirt swap with Casillas and wore his opposite number s kit during the trophy presentation.
But the tribute was apparently met with derision from his former manager.
When I got to the dressing room, I saw a message from Mourinho on my phone, Cesar told Braz…
Jose Mourinho s return to Stamford Bridge last October ended in a humiliating defeat, but the Manchester United manager heads back to his old stomping ground in the FA Cup with a side in impressive form.
Mourinho s United tenure got off to a rocky start with a series of inconsistent results, and a 4-0 thumping away at Chelsea provided him with his heaviest defeat since taking charge of the Premier League giants.
The Portuguese was noticeably irked by Chelsea counterpart and permanent Blues replacement Antonio Conte during the loss – the scars of an ignominious title defence in 2015-16 that brought his second spell in west London to an abrupt end seemingly still raw.
Conte whipping up the crowd after N Golo Kante struck Chelsea s fourth did not sit well with Mo…
According to Marca, Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini could be on the verge of signing for Arsenal as soon as this week. The Belgian, who has long since been seen as one of the most polarising players in European football, has been linked with a move to the Emirates over the course of the last few weeks. Now, however, things seem to be progressing quite quickly, as Unai Emery continues to act rapidly on securing his most desired transfer targets.
Fellaini, 30, hasn t been one to bounce around various clubs over the course of his career. After spending a total of four years with Standard Liege, which includes time in their youth system, Fellaini made the jump to Everton where he made a name for himself as a powerful and effective midfielder. Eventually, five years i…
Former Italy boss Cesare Prandelli is set for a return to coaching after being appointed by Al Nasr in the United Arab Emirates.
Without a job since resigning from his post as Valencia coach after just 10 matches in December 2016, Prandelli will take charge of the Dubai-based Arabian Gulf League side next season.
The 59-year-old – who guided Italy to a runner-up finish at Euro 2012 – will be presented to the media on Monday.
Prandelli replaces Dan Petrescu, whose seven-month reign ended with defeat to Al Wahda in the President s Cup final on Friday.
ستعقد شركة النصر لكرة القدم مؤتمراً صحفياً في الساعة 10:30 مساء الاثنين المقبل بفندق شانغريلا دبي لتقديم المدير ال…
Sergio Aguero will stay at Manchester City although no talks have begun over a possible contract extension, the forward s agent said.
The Argentina international s future at the Premier League giants has come into question, with City reportedly chasing teenage Monaco star Kylian Mbappe.
But Aguero s agent Hernan Reguera said the 29-year-old was definitely staying at the Etihad Stadium.
They [City fans] should not have any doubt or fear, he told Tuttomercatoweb.
Sergio remains at Manchester City. It is safe.
Aguero has been linked to the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Inter after scoring 33 goals in all competitions last season.
But Reguera said the Serie A giants had never made an offer for Aguero, who joined City from Atletico Madrid…
Dusan Tadic said Southampton s success in the Premier League has not come as a surprise to the south-coast club.
Midfielder Tadic arrived at Southampton in mid-2014, after the club continued its rise through the English football system by finishing eighth in the top flight in 2013-14 with 15 wins.
In 2009-10, the club placed seventh in League One meaning their achievement last season saw a climb of 43 spots in just four seasons.
While Tadic came through a door which each of Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Luke Shaw and manager Mauricio Pochettino exited in the close-season, Southampton s resurgence was not halted and they continueto compete for the European spots.
Ronald Koeman s men sit sixth on 53 points, one behind fifth-placed Liverpool in the UEFA E…
Son Heung-min returned to form in emphatic fashion as his double helped Tottenham to a 3-1 victory at West Ham to send Mauricio Pochettino s side into the EFL Cup quarter-finals.
Having opened the scoring with his first goal of the season 16 minutes in, Son, one of 10 changes and making his 150th Spurs appearance, doubled his tally with a composed finish early in the second half to set Tottenham on their way to a second victory at London Stadium in the space of 12 days.
Son s goals – his first since March – were Tottenham s only opportunities of note amid a barrage of West Ham attacks, though, and the hosts pressure paid off when Lucas Perez headed in with 19 minutes remaining.
However, West Ham s hopes of a comeback were dashed inside four minutes, Fernand…
John Terry says he hated playing against Didier Drogba in training for Chelsea after the striker confirmed his retirement at the age of 40.
Drogba has hung up his boots for good after Phoenix Rising, the club he co-owns, lost the USL Cup final to Louisville City.
The former Ivory Coast international will best be remembered for his time at Stamford Bridge, which brought four Premier League titles, four FA Cups and three EFL Cups.
Drogba also scored the decisive penalty against Bayern Munich to win Chelsea s first Champions League title, while he reached two Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Terry was Drogba s captain throughout his time at Chelsea and he offered a glowing tribute to his old team-mate on social media.
Didier Drogba the KING, Terry p…
Federico Chiesa s strike 17 minutes from time earned Fiorentina their first away win of the season as AC Milan s recent struggles continued in a 1-0 loss at San Siro.
The visitors barely threatened Gianluigi Donnarumma s goal but Chiesa jinked past Davide Calabria and fired home his first goal since September to settle the contest.
The Rossoneri have now won just one of their previous six contests in Serie A and have failed to score in any of their last three.
Milan also dropped out of the top four thanks to Lazio s win earlier in the day, with Fiorentina now just two points behind them in seventh.
72’ FEDERICO CHIESAAAAAAAAA 0-1
— ACF Fiorentina (@acffiorentina)
Milan entered this contest on the back of two 0-0 draws in Serie A a…
Uruguay players clashed with fans in the stands after their Copa America semi-final defeat to Colombia, with captain Jose Gimenez describing the situation as a disaster .
Marcelo Bielsa s team were beaten 1-0 as Jefferson Lerma s first-half header proved decisive for Colombia, who held on after Daniel Munoz was sent off on the stroke of half-time.
After the match, footage shared on social media showed Uruguay players climbing into the stands at the Bank of America Stadium and clashing with fans wearing Colombia shirts.
Players family members were caught up in the violence, leading Gimenez to lash out at tournament organisers on the official broadcast.
Let me say something before they cut you off because they won t let us speak into the microphone, they …