Defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos is hopeful Greece can again prove a surprise package at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Greece begin only their third World Cup campaign against Colombia on Saturday, having qualified for the competition via the UEFA play-offs.
They secured their first win on the global stage in South Africa four years ago while they were crowned winners at UEFA Euro 2004.
Tasked with getting out of a group that also includes Japan and Ivory Coast, Sokratis is eager for Fernando Santos men to create another chapter in Greek football history.
Our national team has had some big successes, particularly in big tournaments such as the World Cup and the European Cup, he told FIFA.com.
I have fond memories of that tournament (2010). It was my fi…
Former Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz has warned the country could struggle at the FIFA World Cup if Cristiano Ronaldo is not on top form.
Ronaldo featured in Portugal s opener as they were comfortably dispatched 4-0 by Germany with the Real Madrid star having struggled with injuries in recent months.
Reports suggest Ronaldo is still suffering with a knee problem, casting doubt over his future participation, and Queiroz feels Portugal will suffer without him at his best.
The pair exchanged frank views about Portugal s exit in 2010 when Queiroz was in charge and the current Iran boss says Ronaldo needs to perform in Brazil.
The story of the world s great teams is always made by great players and stars. By this I mean that Portugal cannot think of having success wi…
There have been three seasons, 85 goals and eight trophies, but Neymar s contract extension with Barcelona may well provide him with a new lease of life at Camp Nou.
After months of speculation and protracted negotiations, Brazil captain Neymar was finally tied down to a new five-year contract on Friday, ending reports of an impending exit to the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United or even Barca s fierce rivals Real Madrid.
The 24-year-old only had two seasons left to run on the initial deal he signed upon moving from Santos in 2013, with his staggering impact since arriving key to earning a new contract.
Neymar struck 39 times, including efforts in the Champions League and Copa del Rey finals, as Barca secured a treble in Luis Enrique s first season …
Barcelona have expressed their relief to see the end of Neymar s legal battle in Spain after the Spanish High Court threw out a case that alleged fraud in his transfer from Santos.
Brazilian investment fund DIS claimed they suffered financial damage when Barca allegedly withheld the true value of the player s transfer in 2013, but the high court threw out the case on Friday.
Club spokesman Josep Vives held a news conference with Barcelona director of legal services Roman Gomez Ponti, and described the case as a chapter that has caused a lot of headaches … but everything is now over.
This decision, along with the agreement in accordance passed by the Board of Directors, brings the Neymar case to a definitive end.
Vives added: We knew that following the…
Paris Saint-Germain have the signing of Leandro Paredes from Zenit St Petersburg. The midfielder has signed a deal that is set to keep him at the Parc des Princes for four and a half years.
The Ligue 1 champions have been desperate to reinforce their midfield section with Adrien Rabiot set to leave the club, and Paredes should represent a move in the right direction. They are also keen to add Everton s Idrissa Gana Gueye to their ranks, but the Merseyside club have rejected their £21.5 million bid for the Senegalese international and reiterated their stance that the player is not for sale.
Paredes made 61 appearances for Zenit since his arrival to Russia in 2017, scored 10 goals and laid on 15 assists for his teammates. At the age of 24, he also has nine caps for Arg…
According to a recent report from SportBild, Borussia Dortmund verbally agreed to the sale of superstar Jadon Sancho way back in 2018 with the condition being that they received a suitable offer in 2020.
The youngster has been heavily linked with a move to both Chelsea and Manchester United over the course of the last few months, but with his contract being set to last until 2022, the English sides will have to pay quite the fee in order to bring him over to the Premier League.
There is believed to be no current release clause in the contract of Sancho, which should ensure some intriguing negotiations, but you have to wonder whether or not Dortmund will stick to their word. There s clearly a lot of weight behind the idea of him returning to English football, but both pa…
England midfielder Grace Clinton is excited to “hit the ground running” as the Lionesses start their European Championship qualifying campaign this week.
The defending European champions kick off against Sweden at Wembley on Friday before facing Republic of Ireland in Dublin four days later.
England then play France at St James’ Park in May and Tottenham loanee Clinton believes the side will need to be on “top form”.
“It was drawn right after the last camp, it’s a really competitive group but that’s always going to happen when you’re in such an amazing tournament,” Clinton told a press conference.
Day 1
— Lionesses (@Lionesses)
“I think we’re all really excited to get started to be honest and hit the ground runn…
Gareth Southgate acknowledged it was a gamble to bring on substitutes Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho to take penalties in the Euro 2020 final.
England suffered a 3-2 defeat to Italy in the shootout, after the match finished 1-1, with Rashford striking the post before Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma saved from Sancho and Bukayo Saka.
England have won just 22 per cent (two out of nine) of their major tournament shootouts, the lowest ratio of any European nation to have been involved in three or more.
When asked if Rashford and Sancho, both brought off the bench in extra-time a few minutes before the shootout, might have been cold , Southgate said the decision was one fraught with danger.
That is the risk you run but they have been the best in the…
Chelsea striker Fernando Torres wishes his team-mate David Luiz was a fellow Spain international.
The Brazilian defender arrived at Stamford Bridge from Benfica in January last year for a fee of around 30 million pounds.
Torres revealed that the 24-year-old would be his choice Chelsea player to join the Euro 2008 and 2010 World Cup winners squad.
He told the club s official website: If I could take one non-Spanish player from Chelsea to join the Spanish national team I would take David Luiz because I think he would be a very good player for us.
The striker has had a tough time finding the back of the net since his arrival at Chelsea last year but Torres insists he and other the Blues players have a great camaraderie, especially the Spanish team-mates.
Vincent Kompany has reportedly told Manchester City that he will sign a new four-year contract within weeks.
The playe s advisers have reached an agreement on a package that will double his pay to around 130,000 pounds a week and run until 2016, according to Goal.com.
Kompany was approached by City to begin informal talks on a new deal last summer but asked for them to be put on the backburner so he could concentrate on leading the club s title bid.
It is understood that the two parties have sat down at the negotiating table in recent weeks and have come to an agreement that will elevate the 25-year-old into the second tier of City earners, behind top bracket trio Yaya Toure, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero.
David Silva will open contract talks with City …