Argentina s squad is the worst in history, according to 1978 World Cup winner Ossie Ardiles.

The defeated 2014 finalists opened their campaign with a draw against debutants Iceland that saw Lionel Messi miss a penalty before Thursday s 3-0 defeat to Croatia left Argentina at risk of a first group stage exit in 16 years.

Ardiles, in a lengthy social media rant, did not hold back in his criticism of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and coach Jorge Sampaoli.

From world champion to being the worst national team in Argentine history. Where to start? From the top,  the former midfielder wrote on Twitter.

AFA from botch to botch, three coaches in a year and a president elected in the spur of the moment.

Players. Many, too many of them whos…

Real Madrid moved top of LaLiga for the first time since November as goals from Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos sealed a 2-1 win over Barcelona in El Clasico. 

Fresh from their Champions League quarter-final first-leg triumph over Liverpool, Zinedine Zidane s side started in blistering fashion on Saturday and were two up inside the opening 30 minutes thanks to a sublime Benzema flick and deflected Kroos free-kick. 

Oscar Mingueza set up a dramatic final half-hour with his second goal of the season and Casemiro was sent off in the 90th minute, but Madrid held on at a sodden Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium to seal a third consecutive win against Barca in all competitions for the first time since 1978.

The result means Los Blancos leapfrog Ronald Koeman s side and neighb…

David Silva has been left surprised by Lazio sporting director Igli Tare s outburst after finalising a move to Real Sociedad, according to the midfielder s father Fernando Jimenez.

The 34-year-old looked certain to join Lazio on a free transfer following this week s exit from Manchester City, only to sign a two-year deal with LaLiga club Sociedad on Monday.

The move provoked an angry response from Tare on the club s official website, with media reports claiming a medical had been arranged with Lazio and a deal all but agreed. 

I learn about David Silva s transfer to Real Sociedad. I have great respect for the player, but not for the man, Tare said on Tuesday.

However, Silva s father has insisted an agreement was never in place and has hit back at the B…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came in for just a smattering of criticism during his final weeks in charge of Manchester United. The fact that his team had apparently forgotten how to play professional football matches was quite the talking point.

But few things put quite so many noses out of joint as his comments about Marcus Rashford some weeks before his departure.

In October, as Rashford prepared to make his first appearance since shoulder surgery two months earlier, Solskjaer suggested the forward needed to maybe prioritise his football after 18 months of dominating headlines for philanthropy rather than finishing.

Later, Solskjaer was forced to clarify his remarks as some felt he was criticising Rashford for tallying up free school meals instead of goals. That felt…

Barcelona have proposed rearranging the first Clasico of the season to December 18 after it was announced it will not take place next Saturday as planned.

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed on Friday that it had postponed the match at Camp Nou due to safety concerns amid the ongoing political tensions and protests in Catalonia.

Violent scenes broke out in Barcelona after nine Catalan political leaders received long prison sentences for their roles in the region s 2017 referendum and subsequent unilateral declaration of independence.

A rally in the city has been called by pro-independence politicians for October 26, the day Barca were due to host Madrid, prompting the RFEF to intervene.

The Competition Committee has told the two clubs t…

The life and career of any top player are made of ups and downs, Cristiano wrote on Instagram. Year after year, we face fantastic teams, with extraordinary players and ambitious goals, so we always have to give our best to keep ourselves at excellence levels.

This year we couldn t win Serie A, congratulations to Inter for the well deserved title. However, I have to value everything that we achieved this season at Juventus, both in collective and individual terms. The Italian Super Cup, the Italian Cup and the Serie A Top Scorer trophy fill me with happiness, mainly due to the difficulty they carry with them, in a country where nothing is easy to win.

With these achievements, I reached a goal that I had set myself since the first day I arrived in Italy: to win the Cham…

Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera that he doesn t believe the club needs to make any more signings in order to challenge for the Premier League title this season. Whilst he did say that whatever happens with the summer transfer window is between the club and the manager, he did mention that manager Jose Mourinho is happy with the squad and is confident of what they can do this season.

Herrera, 28, has been with United since 2014, with many considering him to be one of the club s most underrated players. If he s given a chance to show what he can do over the course of the upcoming season, perhaps another big move could be on the cards for him.

With that being said United certainly have the pieces in place to become a top club in European football themselves, bu…

New Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick is keen on Joao Cancelo for next season and beyond, according to . Cancelo spent last season on loan at Barcelona from Manchester City, and Flick wants the La Liga club to make sure that the full-back signs a permanent contract.

Cancelo was a regular for Barcelona last season. The 30-year-old Portugal international full-back made 29 starts and three substitute appearances in La Liga for the Blaugrana, scoring two goals and providing four assists in the process. Cancelo also scored two goals and gave one assist in nine starts and one substitute appearance in the UEFA Champions League. Fichajes has claimed that the full-back does not have a future at Manchester City under manager Pep Guardiola.

Barcelona finished second in the La Liga …

Jordan Pickford and Anthony Gordon are very close to committing their future to Everton amid transfer speculation, manager Frank Lampard claimed on Friday.

The Everton goalkeeper was again an integral figure as England reached the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar, while Gordon was repeatedly linked to Chelsea in the last transfer window.

A Stamford Bridge move never materialised for the 21-year-old winger, who has scored three times in 14 Premier League appearances this season.

Tottenham are reportedly interested in Pickford, but Lampard does not expect the pair – along with the rejuvenated Alex Iwobi – to leave Goodison Park in the near future.

We re in a situation where we want them to stay, and they want to stay – that s always been the feeling…

While Sunday s European Championship final between England and Italy might steal most of the headlines this weekend, we still have a handful of eye-catching meetings from across the footballing world. On that note, for those of you looking to stick on a Sunday acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Saturday 10th July

BST 19:30 Longford Town vs Drogheda United

For our opening Tip of the Day, we turn our attention to the Irish Premier Division and a Drogheda side who will be looking to build off of last week s impressive display. Despite a sluggish end to June, Saturday s guests were last seen picking up a thumping 3-1 win against the Finn Harps on home soil. Managing to find a way to build off of their rugged point …