Guardiola hails record-breaking Messi

(GSM) Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola praised Lionel Messi after the Argentina superstar became the youngest player to score a hundred goals for the Catalan club.

The FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d Or 2009 winner reached the milestone after scoring his side s third goal as Barcelona clinched a 4-0 victory over Sevilla.

When asked about Messi after the conclusion of the match, Guardiola said, I congratulate him. It s outrageous to have done what he has at his age.

It only depends on him to break all possible records. He has some very, very high numbers.

What we like most is that his ambition has no limit. I feel that he wants more.

He is a wonderful example to the future generations.

Premier League Preview: West Brom v Swansea City

Swansea City will be looking to improve on a poor start to their Premier League season when they visit West Brom on Sunday.

Michael Laudrup s side, who sit bottom of the league, are one of just two teams without a point after successive defeats against Manchester United and Tottenham.

Swansea will enter the match on the back of a trip to Romania, with the Welsh outfit winning their UEFA Europa League play-off against Petrolul Ploiesti on Thursday, 6-3 on aggregate, as they booked a place in the group stages of the competition.

They did lose the second leg 2-1 though, and Laudrup bemoaned their failure to convert their opportunities, with Sunday s match on his mind.

He said afterwards: We wasted a lot of energy because we didn t score when we had the chance to. We…

Tottenham 3 Everton 2: Kane double cuts gap to Chelsea

Harry Kane s supreme run of form continued as his double gave Tottenham a 3-2 victory over Everton at White Hart Lane, strengthening their grip on second place.

Spurs moved within seven points of Premier League leaders Chelsea who play West Ham on Monday courtesy of a goal in each half from the in-form England international.

Kane now has 19 league goals and leads the golden boot race outright having scored with a brilliant strike in a first half that also saw Victor Wanyama hit the post.

Everton were not at the races and Kane s second – after a costly mistake from Morgan Schneiderlin – extended their advantage after the break, taking the England international s 2017 record to 14 goals in 12 matches.

Romelu Lukaku got one back late on to become the cl…

Man Utd join chase for Tiemoue Bakayoko

The Daily Record is reporting that Manchester United are the latest side to have joined the race for Monaco starlet Tiemoue Bakayoko.

The 22-year-old has caught the eye of top European clubs with his performances at Stade Louis II, with Juventus and Chelsea some of his suitors.

The Daily Record claims that Manchester United are keen on the talented footballer as well due to their well documented midfield problems.

It is believed that Monaco want just £22 million for their prized asset, which is well within Man Utd’s price range.

Bakayoko is the product of Rennes’ famous youth academy, but he only spent one season in the les Bretons senior squad before moving to the Principality in July 2014.

The €8 million Monaco paid for his services at t…

Empoli 1-3 Milan: Ballo-Toure and Leao strike late to get Rossoneri back on track

Milan claimed a dramatic 3-1 victory at Empoli as two injury time goals from Fode Ballo-Toure and Rafael Leao downed the Serie A champions stubborn opponents.

Nedim Bajrami s 92nd-minute free-kick looked to have earned a point for Empoli after Ante Rebic had put Milan ahead in the 79th minute.

But Ballo-Toure finished in the 94th minute to puncture Empoli s resolve.

With Empoli s hopes dashed, Leao added a third to ensure Milan returned to winning ways following their defeat to Napoli last time out.

Anyone else?

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN)

Leao could have opened the scoring in the early stages, but Guglielmo Vicario made a great save with his feet to turn away the Portugal international s low shot.

Alexis Saelemaekers dragged …

Ancelotti claims Madrid ´deserved to win´ against Osasuna and defends Hazard call

Carlo Ancelotti believes Real Madrid deserved to beat Osasuna in Sunday s draw, but called for a reaction from his players as he defended his decision to keep Eden Hazard benched.

The Belgium international was a spectator as Los Blancos slipped to a 1-1 draw against their visitors, with Karim Benzema fluffing a potential match-winning penalty to ensure the spoils were shared.

The club s first dropped points of the domestic season saw them surrender top spot to rivals Barcelona, with the pair s Clasico encounter – which takes place in just under a fortnight – set to represent a huge moment in the title race.

Speaking after Sunday s stalemate, Ancelotti acknowledged his team s frustrations after they dominated for long periods, but added that he anticipates a r…

Maverick Honda shaking up Japan at World Cup

Rising CSKA Moscow star Keisuke Honda says he does not mind upsetting Japan s order of seniority when it comes to boosting the side s badly needed firepower at the World Cup.

Honda said he would take free kicks if he feels fit and gets a nod from more established midfield maestros among the Blue Samurai former Celtic star Shunsuke Nakamura and Yasuhito Endo, the 2009 Asian Footballer of the Year.

It depends on where it is from. But if I feel fit and want to take it, I will ask them to let me do so, said Honda, who turns 24 Sunday on the eve of Japan s World Cup opener against Cameroon.

You know, they can say the same thing to me. We d better decide through discussion, added Honda, whose star has risen since he helped CSKA reach the Champions League quarter-fin…

Robben wants new players at Bayern München

(GSM) Netherlands forward Arjen Robben says Bayern München still need new players to make big impact next season.

Robben, 26, transferred from Real Madrid to Bayern Munich for a fee of around €25 million in August 2009 and he not only helped the Bavarians to win the Bundesliga and German Cup but also guided them to reach the Champions League final.

We still need reinforcements for next season,” the Oranje winger told Sport Bild magazine.

It is important for Bayern to raise the quality in the squad with new players but also increase competition inside the team, we have great aims for next season, he said.

Wenger: No doping in English football

Arsene Wenger is convinced there is no doping in English football and is ready to sit down with UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) after chief executive Nicole Sapstead stated earlier this week she would like to have a meeting with the Arsenal manager.

The Frenchman has long been an advocate for a deeper look into the scale of drugs in football and called for blood testing in 2013.

The subject came up again more recently, when Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Arijan Ademi tested positive after his side s Champions League win over Arsenal, with Ademi consequently banned from football for four years.

Wenger recently reiterated his desire to see blood tests used to detect drug cheats, but he does not think there is a structural problem in the Premier League.

Does doping happ…

Legal battle taking its toll, says Neymar

Barcelona star Neymar admits he has been affected by the ongoing legal battle surrounding his transfer to the Liga champions.

The 23-year-old is due in court on Tuesday to testify in a case broug
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ht forward by Brazilian investment company DIS, who claim they suffered financial damage when Barca allegedly withheld the true value of the player s transfer in 2013.

Neymar s parents are also due to give evidence, along with former Barca president Sandro Rosell and successor Josep Maria Bartomeu. All of them deny any wrongdoing.

The forward has confessed that the long-running legal investigations have made it difficult for him to focus entirely on football, telling Globo TV:  When this started to affect my family, it affected me a little. It bothers you.