Ahead of his anticipated move to New York City, Andrea Pirlo was in attendance to watch his prospective team-mates on Sunday.
Italy midfielder Pirlo has been heavily linked with a move to the MLS from Juventus.
And the 36-year-old was among the interested observers at Yankee Stadium for City s derby clash with the New York Red Bulls.
A tweet from MLS official account showed Pirlo at the stadium, accompanied by the caption: Andrea Pirlo in the house #NYCvNY .
Pirlo has won the Serie A title in each of his four seasons with Juventus, having joined the club from Milan in 2011.
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Having masterminded the FA Cup victory over Manchester United back in 2010, Preston North End manager Simon Grayson will be hoping to lead his new side to the FA Cup quarter-finals at the expense of Louis van Gaal s side. The Red Devils struggled against both Yeovil and Cambridge, and they could face a tough task at Deepdale Stadium.
Preston North End were relegated to the League One in 2011 after a long run in the Championship and they have been trying to return to the second tier ever since. The appointment of former Leeds United manager Simon Grayson could prove decisive as he has led the Lilywhites to fourth in the league standings, with his side four points behind the promotion places at the moment, albeit with a game in hand. Meanwhile, Grayson is proving to be the FA Cup…
Atletico Madrid belatedly confirmed Jackson Martinez s switch from Porto to Spain s capital on Wednesday over a fortnight after the striker revealed the deal was done.
Martinez claimed at the Copa America on June 26 that he would be joining Atleti, confirming a deal that had been expected for a while, before Porto corroborated that on July 1 with the Colombia international following the path of compatriot and fellow striker Radamel Falcao.
Atletico sporting director Jose Luis Caminero was thrilled to secure Martinez s signature and cited the 28-year-old s record in the UEFA Champions League as critical to the transfer.
We are very pleased with the agreement, as Jackson Martinez is an extraordinary striker, capable of solving quickly within the area after any a…
New Zealand held on for a 1-0 victory over Fiji in their opening match of Oceania World Cup Qualifying Group B.
A poor goalkeeping error allowed captain Tommy Smith in to score the only goal of the game in the ninth minute at the Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara.
Fiji had several chances in the second half to equalise but were denied by some desperate defence from New Zealand.
The Kiwis were dealt a blow when goalkeeper Mark Paston was substituted following a knee to the head in the second half.
He was replaced by Jake Gleeson, who ensured New Zealand notched consecutive clean sheets for the first time since 2009.
In the other match in Group B, the Solomon Islands scored early through Benjamin Totori to get their campaign off to the perfect start …
Liverpool have announced that Philippe Coutinho has signed a new long-term contract at Anfield.
The 24-year-old has agreed to a revamped deal that will come into effect from July 1 and will see him earn a reported £150,000 per week, making him the club s top earner.
Coutinho, who had been linked with Barcelona, says he wants to repay the faith shown in him by Liverpool and its supporters during his four years in the Premier League.
I would like to thank everybody at the club, first of all, he told Liverpool s official website.
I am very happy to sign a new contract here. It is a club that I am very grateful to and this shows my happiness here. I will work much harder to repay the belief shown in me.
I signed this new contract to stay here for …
Guangzhou Evergrande coach Fabio Cannavaro is confident in his team s ability heading in the AFC Champions League (ACL) round of 16.
Evergrande – 2013 champions – will travel to two-time winners Seongnam (1995, 2010) for the first leg of their last-16 tie at Seongnam Tancheon Sports Complex on Wednesday.
Cannavaro s men earned a spot in the knockout rounds after topping Group H by one point ahead of FC Seoul, and the Italian boss is buoyant about the Chinese champions chances in their quest for a second Asian crown.
We were in a tough group and qualified with one round left and I am very happy with it, Cannavaro said via AFC s official website.
We ve been through lots of change this season and overcame many difficulties, but still we managed to qual…
Nathaniel Clyne has returned to training with Liverpool and has joined the squad for the Champions League last-16 first leg against Porto on Wednesday.
The full-back has missed all of the 2017-18 season owing to a back problem, with his last appearance coming in the 3-0 Premier League win over Middlesbrough on May 21.
The 26-year-old is back working with his team-mates, but Liverpool say he is still some way off being considered for selection and will therefore not be risked in Portugal.
Manager Jurgen Klopp told the club s official website: Clyney is back; of course, it is absolutely too early to think about him, but he is back in normal training, so that s cool.
He s been training for two days but after that long of a break, it will take time until he…
West Ham have reportedly rejected three bids from Chinese clubs for England striker Andy Carroll
According to reports from , West Ham have rejected bids from Chinese trio Tianjin Quanjian, Hebei China Fortune and Shandong Luneng for striker Andy Carroll.
The transfer window closes for Chinese clubs today. However, it seems that the Hammers are not interested in selling their star striker, well not today anyway.
The club from east London may well consider selling the England international in the near future.
Carroll is so injury-prone
Andy Carroll cost West Ham £17million in 2013 when he arrived from Liverpool, after a season on-loan at the London club. Even before he joined the Hammers Carroll had struggled with fitness and injury problems.
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According to , Manchester United and Tottenham are set to rival Leicester for the permanent signing of highly-rated Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans.
Tielemans spent the second half last season at Leicester, producing some eye-catching displays with his attacking abilities. The Foxes are understandably keen to tie the midfielder down on a permanent contract, but it seems they have heavyweight competition for the midfielder’s signature.
A highly promising midfielder
Tielemans broke into the Anderlecht first-team at 16 and is a familiar name to those who play the Football Manager series, as he became something of a household name amongst gamers.
In real life, Tielemans career took him to Monaco from Anderlecht in 2017 for a fee of around £21million. The sign…
He is the self-proclaimed Special One but has Jose Mourinho lost his touch?
Mourinho dazzled when he first set foot inside Stamford Bridge in 2004 – famously saying: I m European champion and I think I m a special one after guiding Porto to a remarkable Champions League triumph just weeks earlier.
That name stuck as former Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid boss Mourinho – the walking headline – re-wrote footballing heritage, establishing himself as a managerial juggernaut with trophies in England, Italy and Spain.
His success came with controversy. It was part of the baggage, which often captivated the English media in particular.
But fast forward to 2018 and Mourinho is no longer looking like the Special One in a world engrossed with arch-nemesis Pep …