Congratulations Cristiano!' - Ronaldo hailed by Man Utd boss after reaching 700-goal mark

After Anthony Martial suffered an early injury against Everton, Ronaldo was subbed on and scored both United's winner and his 700th goal in club football. The Red Devils triumphed by a 2-1 score line at Goodison Park, with summer signing Antony also finding the net.

 Asked if he thinks anyone else will break the 700-goal mark, Ten Hag told BBC Sport post-match: "It's difficult to say. It's clear to say it is a massive performance from the player. Congratulations to Cristiano. I'm happy for him. Also, that was his first goal this season in the Premier League so it will help him to score more goals in the coming weeks.

"All 11 players have to bring it on the pitch. Resilience. Winning attitude. You have to do it with 11. The spirit of the team is quite good. We have to keep improving that."

 Martial's injury could open the door for Ronaldo to seal a regular spot in Ten Hag's lineup. The 37-year-old has only started once for United in the Premier League so far this season, but has been ever-present in their opening three matches in the Europa League.

Valverde secure El Clasico victory over Xavi and Barca

Real Madrid welcomed Barcelona to the Bernabeu with plenty to lose at the top of the La Liga table, but Los Blancos emerged with all to gain as goals from Karim Benzema, Federico Valverde, and Rodrigo secured a 3-1 victory.

Instead, it’s Barcelona who leave Madrid with yet another black eye, following the midweek Champions League calamity that likely sees them out of Europe’s top competition. Xavi's sorrows are compounded after suffering through similar defensive mistakes to the ones made against Inter just days prior.

Barcelona continue to make same defensive mistakes

Xavi has a lot of work to do to organize his injury-riddled defense. Barcelona's back line, anchored by Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia in the middle, were undone by the same mistakes over and over again.

Real Madrid carved Barcelona to shreds with vertical through-balls that broke the defensive line and found runners who snuck in behind the full-backs. Kroos and Modric both created multiple chances via this method, continually unlocking the Barcelona defense.

Real Madrid ease past Barcelona in Clasico win to go top of LaLiga

Real Madrid overcame rivals Barcelona with a 3-1 win at the Bernabeu to go three points clear at the top of LaLiga on Sunday.

The LaLiga champions took an early 2-0 lead through Karim Benzema and Federico Valverde before a Ferran Torres goal started a Barca.

The result compounded a miserable week for Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez, who saw his side lose ground in the league title race after slipping to a disappointing Champions League draw in midweek.

Madrid remain unbeaten in LaLiga with 25 points, while Barca is in second place (22).

The hosts took the lead after 12 minutes through a swift counterattack that saw Benzema tap home after Marc-Andre ter Stegen blocked Vinicius Junior's effort.

Madrid doubled their lead 10 minutes before the break when Valverde found himself in space outside of the box and steered a fine finish past Ter Stegen.

Benzema thought he grabbed a second goal early in the second half, but it was ruled out for offside.

The visitors grabbed a goal back with 10 minutes remaining through substitute Torres after great work from Ansu Fati and Robert Lewandowski.

Madrid stepped up a gear and were awarded a penalty in the 90th minute when Sergio Busquets brought down Rodrygo.

Real Madrid beat Liverpool to win Champions League title thanks to Vinicius Junior and Thibaut Courtois

For the record 14th time in their rich, unmatched history, Real Madrid were crowned kings of the UEFA Champions League on Saturday at Stade de France in Saint-Denis. Carlo Ancelotti's side got a second half-goal from Vinicious Junior on one of their few chances to defeat Premier League giants Liverpool 1-0 in the final.

Jurgen Klopp's team dominated the ball and the chances, but the best opportunity for Los Blancos in the second half resulted in the lone goal of the match. Federico Valverde played a strong ball across the box that found Vinicius Jr. at the back post for a fairly easy finish in the 59th minute, leaving the Reds shell shocked.

Real Madrid finished the game with just four shots, while Liverpool had 24.

Wasteful. The Reds will feel proud of the chances created but disappointed with how they finished. Part of the reason was what Courtois was able to do in goal, but then I think back to Naby Keita's chance late on. The midfielder was alone at the top of the box when the ball fell to him, and he could have taken two touches before firing, yet he hit it first touch and sent the ball flying closer to the corner flag than the goal. It was the match of wasted chances for the Reds.

Real Madrid will come away feeling ...

Like they are back on their throne. Nobody does UCL better, and they've now won their last 10 European finals. You read that right. It might not always be pretty, but boy are they effective and nobody knows how to get the job done better than them. Early on, it looked like it would be the Reds' night with their flurry of chances, but once again they only bent and did not break, scoring and then holding on late. It was a top-tier performance by a team whose permanent residence is atop of the continent. On this night, Real Madrid weren't the strongest. But as always, they showed why they are the best. 

Game-changing moment:

It came in the 21st minute. Mane infiltrated the box, made a move to get across it, and he fired a low shot that had Courtois' momentum taking him the other way. But the goalkeeper was ready for it, getting a slight touch on the ball to send it off the post. 

Man of the match:

Nobody came close to what Courtois did. His impact single-handled kept his team in position to win it. He closed down well, he was a sure thing in the air and made no mistakes. It was as close to a perfect goalkeeper performance as you will find. 

A perfect five for five

Karim Benzema, Dani Carvajal and Luka Modric made history in this match, joining their former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to play in and win five Champions League titles. They did four of them together, with Ronaldo's other one being his first in 2008 when Manchester United beat Chelsea. 

Most players in Europe's top leagues never even get to play in the Champions League, but to go to five and win them all is the stuff of legends. On top of it, each made an impact in this one. Benzema was the creator, Modric the distributor, and Carvajal put in a stellar shift in defense to contain Luis Diaz.

UEFA announce new Champions League plan

           🏆 UEFA PLANS TO EXPANDS  CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TO 36 TEAM FROM                                        2024

UEFA have scrapped their controversial proposals for Champions League qualification, but have announced a new plan which could still benefit Premier League clubs.

European football’s governing body had looked set to implement new plans to reward two teams with places in the Champions League based on their 10-year coefficient. Proposals had also been tabled to extend the group stage to 10 matches, rather than the current six.

UEFA though have now confirmed the “Swiss system” will not be utilised from the start of the 2024/25 season following fresh talks with the ECA. A statement also confirmed plans to extend the group stage to 10 games have been shelved, with teams set to play eight instead.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said: “UEFA has clearly shown today that we are fully committed to respecting the fundamental values of sport and to defending the key principle of open competitions, with qualification based on sporting merit, fully in line with the values and solidarity-based European sports model.

“Today’s decisions conclude an extensive consultation process during which we listened to the ideas of fans, players, coaches, national associations, clubs and leagues to name but a few, with the aim to find the best solution for the development and success of European football, both domestically and on the international club stage."

Miracle = Magic Of Football ? Greatest Comeback in the History of champions League 🏆 Real Madrid stun Manchester City 🙌

Real Madrid produced one of the all-time great European comebacks to stun  Manchester City and book a most unlikely spot in the Champions League final against Liverpool 

A brace from Rodriygo and a Karim Benzama penalty, all scored from the 90th minute on, gave Carlo Ancelotti's side a 3-1 win after extra time at the Bernabeu on Wednesday to send them to Paris with a 6-5 aggregate triumph in a semifinal not soon to be forgotten.

Carlo Ancelotti said the "history of the club" helped his Real Madrid side stage another Champions League comeback and reach the final.

The 13-time European champions had also come from behind to beat Paris St-Germain in the last 16 and Chelsea in the quarter-finals.

"I cannot say we are used to living this kind of life, but what happened tonight it happened against Chelsea and also against PSG," Ancelotti told BT Sport.

"If you have to say why, it is the history of this club that helps us to keep going when it seems that we are gone. The game was close to finished and we managed to find the last energy we had."

Real have reached a record-extending 17th final, while Ancelotti has become the first coach to reach five finals in the competition and could set a new record of four titles as a coach. The Spanish giants will face six-time winners Liverpool on May 28 in a repeat of the 2018 final, which Real won 3-1.

"I am happy to be there in the final, in Paris against another great rival," added the 62-year-old Ancelotti. "We are used to it. It will be a fantastic game for football."

Another Fine night in Europe😎

Karim Benzema scored a second-half hat-trick in just 16 minutes to inspire Real Madrid to a 3-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain to see his side through to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals 3-2 on aggregate.

Karim Benzema scored a second-half hat-trick in just 16 minutes to inspire Real Madrid to a 3-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain to see his side through to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals 3-2 on aggregate.

All the pre-match talk centered on PSG striker Kylian Mbappe's likely summer move to Real Madrid, and the Frenchman's first-half goal put PSG 1-0 up on the night and 2-0 ahead on aggregate.

However, on the hour mark, Benzema took advantage of an error from PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who made a complete mess of a ball at his feet to gift Madrid a way back into the tie.

15 minutes later, Benzema leveled the aggregate score after neat work from Vinicius Jr and Luka Modric, slamming home from the right-hand side of the area.

VAR checked to see the second goal was onside, and just 12 seconds after the restart Benzema completed his hat-trick after PSG gifted Madrid the ball from the kick-off, allowing Vinicius again to feed Benzema to net the decisive goal, reports Xinhua.

Benzema had been magnificent, but PSG only had themselves to blame for a series of disastrous errors when they looked to have the tie completely under control

Real Madrid, with Toni Kroos, who passed fit to play, started strongly, creating a couple of half-chances, but PSG were able to weather the storm and after 15 minutes they began to take control.

Neymar Jr saw a shot saved by Thibaut Courtois, and the attacking trio of Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe began to combine well, although Donnarumma did well to tip away a curling effort from Benzema at the other end.

At the other end, Messi clipped the ball over Courtois, but it drifted just wide of the post, before Mbappe's low drive was correctly ruled out for a tight offside.

Benzema headed just wide and straight at Donnarumma before Mbappe put PSG ahead on the night after being set up by Neymar, who won a loose ball, before threading him through on goal. The French international then dummied Courtois, and will no doubt be delighted if he does join Real Madrid in the summer, which after the second half looks more likely than ever.

Fans rank the 25 best players of the 2000s

There were so many brilliant players in the 2000s.

Ronaldinho, Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo Nazario, Lionel Messi, Paolo Maldini… the list is endless.

25. Clarence Seedorf

The Dutch legend played a big role in an AC Milan side that won two Champions League’s in the 2000s (2003, 2007)

24. Alessandro Del Piero

Del Piero scored 290 times for Juventus and helped Italy to a World Cup triumph in 2006.

23. Samuel Eto’o

Eto’o established himself as one of the greatest African footballers of all-time during stints with Barcelona and Inter Milan. He won the Champions League three times.

22. Patrick Vieira

One of the greatest captains of the Premier League era, Vieira led Arsenal to an invincible season and also enjoyed successful spells with Juventus and Inter Milan.

21. Carles Puyol

Puyol possessed a competitive spirit like no other. He enjoyed great success with both Barcelona and Spain.

20. Andrea Pirlo

An elegant midfielder, Pirlo dictated the tempo of a game whenever he stepped on a football field.

19. Kaka

Kaka played at an extraordinarily high level for AC Milan before making a €67 million move to Real Madrid in 2009.

18. Roberto Carlos

Carlos is regarded as one of the best left-backs of all-time. He starred for Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Brazil during a terrific football career

17. Edgar Davids

A fearsome midfielder, Davids’ best spell arguably came at Juventus, where he won three Serie A titles.

16. Arjen Robben

Robben’s left-foot was pure magic. The amount of times he cut inside and bent in a curler with his left-foot was astonishing. Defenders knew what he was going to do but they couldn’t stop it.

15. Phillip Lahm

Lahm was a dependable full-back who very rarely had a bad game.

14. Iker Casillas

The legendary goalkeeper starred for Real Madrid and Spain in a glittering career. He isn’t the highest rated goalkeeper on the list, though…

13. Cafu

Cafu is arguably the greatest right-back that’s ever lived. He was assured in defence and great going forward.

12. Gianluigi Buffon

Buffon will go down in history as one of the greatest goalkeepers in football history. Now 44, he’s still going strong with Parma.

11. Alessandro Nesta

Nesta won the treble with Lazio in 2000 before going on to have great success in a 10-year stint with AC Milan.

10. Dennis Bergkamp

Bergkamp was a true genius with a ball at his feet. His exploits with Arsenal meant he was the 6th inductee to the Premier League Hall of Fame.

9. Thierry Henry

Bergkamp and Henry wreaked havoc at Arsenal together. Henry won two Premier League titles before being part of a historic Barcelona side that won six trophies in 2009.

8. Paolo Maldini

Maldini is one of the greatest defenders ever. A one club man, Maldini played 902 times for AC Milan and helped them win 15 trophies, including five Champions League’s.

7. Xavi

Xavi possessed unmatched technical ability. So many tried to get the ball off the Barcelona and Spain legend and failed miserably.

6. Andres Iniesta

It’s fitting that Iniesta and Xavi are separated by just one spot in the list. They were both quite extraordinary midfielders.

5. Zinedine Zidane

Zidane had everything you needed in a midfield player and more. He was a joy to watch.

4. Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho is arguably the most entertaining player of all-time. He possessed every trick in the book and always played the game with a smile on his face.

3. Lionel Messi

MESSI broke into Barcelona’s first-team in 2004 and wasn’t in his peak in the 2000s. Still, he begun to perform at an extraordinary level by the end of 2009 and is more than deserving of a spot on the podium.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

Like Messi Ronaldo wasn’t at his best until the 2010s. But he was already a Ballon d’Or winner and became the most expensive player ever when he signed for Real Madrid in a £80m move in 2009

 

1. Ronaldo Nazario

Anyone that had the pleasure of watching Ronaldo play will tell you how good he was at his peak. Sadly, injuries meant his time at the very top wasn’t as long as it should have been, but he was still an incredible talent who had everything needed of a top class striker