Cristiano Ronaldo feels Manchester United have significant work to do if they are to return to the same level they were at during his time at the club.

The Portugal international enjoyed a successful spell at Old Trafford between 2003 and 2009, winning three Premier League titles and the Champions League in his final three years before joining Real Madrid.

Ronaldo has nothing but fond memories of his time at United, but has found it tough to see them struggling in recent years after the retirement of his mentor Sir Alex Ferguson.

For me it is hard to see that Manchester United are not at the same level as before because it is a club that I love, the 30-year-old told BBC Sport.

Of course I want to see Manchester United at the level that it was in the p…

Antonio Conte has met with the Tottenham hierarchy to discuss January transfer plans, but also appreciates he must also focus on coaching and improving the players he already has.

The Spurs boss also appeared to deny speculation that Dutch forward Steven Bergwijn could be about to depart the club.

Speaking at a media conference ahead of Wednesday s EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea, with Spurs trailing 2-0 after the first leg, Conte confirmed he has met the club s owners and the managing director Fabio Paratici to talk over plans for the current transfer window.

It was a good meeting, the former Inter manager confirmed.  The owner and Paratici they started together at the start of this season and I came in halfway. A good meeting to speak and to …

New Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink will have a great impact on the dressing room, according to Derby County boss Paul Clement.

Clement coached at Chelsea for four years between 2007 and 2011 under both boss Jose Mourinho and Hiddink, who has been brought in until the end of the season at Stamford Bridge.

The experienced Dutchman has a home game against Watford on Saturday for his first match back in charge of the Blues after leading them to FA Cup success in 2009.

Clement was always hugely impressed with Hiddink s work and is in no doubt his methods will make a difference to Chelsea s struggling players.

He is someone of great experience, Clement told Sky Sports about 69-year-old Hiddink. 

In the period I worked with him at Chelsea I saw someo…

Kingsley Coman has urged Bayern Munich not to let standards slip in the second half of the season despite boasting a commanding lead at the top as the champions return to Bundesliga action at Hamburg on Friday.

Bayern are seeking a fourth consecutive Bundesliga title and are eight points ahead of nearest challengers Borussia Dortmund going into the trip to the Volksparkstadion.

The Bavarians will not be lacking motivation to clinch the Bundesliga as well as the DFB-Pokal and Champions League in what will be coach Pep Guardiola s final few months at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern announced Guardiola will depart at the end of the campaign last month, with the Spaniard widely expected to take up a managerial role in England. Carlo Ancelotti will take charge of Bayern…

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 8/11 @

Two sides who are looking to book their FAI Cup quarter-final spot on Friday night, Drogheda will welcome Dundalk to Weavers Park.

Starting with the hosts, while Drogheda might have just about clung to their Premier Division status last season, Kevin Doherty’s men have continued on a nightmare rut since opening up the 2024 campaign. Last seen putting in another worrying performance as they suffered an action-packed 4-2 defeat at the hands of Friday’s FAI Cup opponents, the County Louth-based outfit are limping their way to a First Division return. Sat rock-bottom of the table and already nine points adrift of top-flight safety, the Drogs have failed to claim a single victory from any of their previous 10 consecutive a…

Bernardo Silva is motivated by the tantalising prospect of helping Manchester City to wrap up the Premier League title by beating Manchester United on April 7.

With a 16-point lead at the summit, it is a matter of when and not if Pep Guardiola s men secure their status as champions, and next month s derby day at the Etihad Stadium could provide the decisive moment.

It is a possibility that excites Silva, who would love to provide such a memorable occasion for the supporters.

It would be special for the fans, because there s a big rivalry between the two clubs, said the midfielder, who will expect to be involved when the league leaders travel to Stoke City on Monday. 

We just want to win the competition because it means a lot, and if you can win it agai…

Spain will have been unsettled by Julen Lopetegui s shock departure on the eve of the World Cup – but only for a couple of hours, according to Morocco boss Herve Renard.

Lopetegui s decision to accept a dream job at Real Madrid put paid to his World Cup ambitions, with the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) reacting furiously to being left in the dark over the negotiations and sacking the ex-Porto head coach.

It means Spain enter Friday s opener against Portugal in Sochi on a particularly uneven keel, but, as Morocco prepare to take on Iran in the other Group B fixture, well-travelled French tactician Renard expects the enduring quality in the ranks of the 2010 winners to shine through.

When you have as much talent as the Spanish national team has it ma…

Hosts France recovered from a slow start to ease to a 3-0 opening win over the United States at Paris 2024 on Wednesday.

There has been plenty of excitement around the home nation heading into the men s Olympic tournament, with coach Thierry Henry selecting a strong squad even with superstars like Kylian Mbappe absent.

Yet it took more than an hour for the match in Marseille to spark into life, and even then France were reliant on a moment of magic from captain Alexandre Lacazette.

The United States were the better side up until Lacazette s breakthrough goal, with Djordje Mihailovic thundering against the crossbar shortly before the veteran striker went up the other end and picked out the bottom-left corner.

A frantic spell followed in which France twice …

In the football supporters playbook for riling an opposing team, being unruly outside their hotel is the first thing to be taught and it can be effective – just ask Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Iran fans spent the night making a racket right outside Portugal s lodgings in Saransk on Sunday night, so much so that Ronaldo eventually appeared at a window pleading with them to calm down.

Unsurprisingly it failed to heed much of a response – the Iran party continuing most of the night and Portugal looked jaded less than 24 hours later in their 1-1 draw.

On the eve of the vital Group B encounter, Portugal needed their talisman at his sharpest, while he would ve been eager to send Iran packing for more personal reasons.

The contest saw him come up against…

Players have been shown a range of armbands highlighting social issues which could be worn at this summer’s Women’s World Cup.

FIFA is consulting with players and national associations over the bands in a bid to avoid a repeat of the row over the rainbow-coloured ‘OneLove’ armbands which dominated the early stages of the men’s World Cup in Qatar last year.

The PA news agency understands there are different bands highlighting a range of issues and causes, including support for the rights of indigenous peoples, inclusion, gender equality, education for all and ending violence against women.

Other bands carry the slogan ‘Unite For Peace’ and ‘Football Is Joy, Peace, Hope, Love, Passion’.

The only bands set to feature something resembling a …