Once hailed as Chelsea’s undisputed star striker, Diego Costa had been enjoying a stellar season, netting 14 Premier League goals so far and sharing the top scorer spot with Alexis Sanchez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. In the first half of the season, Costa seemed to transform from villain to hero, winning back fans with his sharp finishing and relentless work rate. But as the saying goes, old habits die hard. Trouble found its way back, and the fiery forward couldn’t stay out of the headlines for long. Tensions boiled over when…

South American footballers often share a deep-rooted longing to return home, a sentiment seen in legends like Zico, Romário, Maradona, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Riquelme. Carlos Tevez is no exception. For him, home has always been on his mind and on his lips. Before the season even began, his homesickness drove him to push for a transfer from Manchester City back to Argentina. That decision quickly changed his status at the club. Stripped of the captain’s armband and frozen out by coach Roberto Mancini, Tevez found himself on the margins. While…

After José Mourinho’s reported attempt to lure Mesut Özil to Old Trafford next summer, Arsène Wenger has seemingly prepared a countermeasure. While he has not offered Özil a pay rise, the Arsenal manager is now eyeing a surprise target from Manchester United—winger Jesse Lingard—as a potential response to United’s interest in his playmaker. In recent months, Arsenal’s two key stars, Özil and Alexis Sánchez, have been locked in a contract standoff, both seeking higher wages. Wenger, however, has been reluctant to break the club’s wage structure. Lingard’s contract with Manchester…

At a pre-match press conference ahead of Manchester United’s clash with Burnley, José Mourinho was asked about Michael Carrick’s limited 12 minutes of Premier League action this season. Out of nowhere, the United boss mentioned Lionel Messi: “Five years from now, Messi will be 34, and we’ll all be crying because he’ll already be 34.” As imaginative as ever, Mourinho wasn’t making a deep tactical point—only that even the greatest, like Messi, cannot outrun time forever. Yet his comment raises an intriguing question: when Messi does turn 34, will we…

In Real Madrid’s clash against Athletic Bilbao, Cristiano Ronaldo endured a frustrating night — or perhaps just a string of bad luck. He took 11 shots but managed only two on target. Most painfully, in the dying minutes, he squandered a golden one-on-one chance, extending his goal drought. Yet after the final whistle, Ronaldo still grabbed headlines, though for reasons far from flattering. In the 83rd minute, Real Madrid took the lead. Gareth Bale crossed from the left, Álvaro Morata’s volley from the edge of the six-yard box was parried…

In Round 26 of the Chinese Super League, Shanghai Shenhua claimed their first win in three matches with a 3-1 away victory over Tianjin Teda. With this result, they now sit nine points clear of fifth-placed Hebei China Fortune, making next season’s AFC Champions League qualification almost certain. Shenhua’s strong league position this late in the season owes much to their formidable home record. With nine wins and four draws, they remain unbeaten at Hongkou Stadium, turning it into a nightmare venue for visiting teams. In contrast, their away form…