Sports

Real Madrid star Gareth Bale has laughed off suggestions he does not get on with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Reports have suggested that the two have had a frosty relationship since the Welshman arrived in Spain in 2013, with Ronaldo apparently angered by the fact Madrid paid a world-record fee to sign Bale from Tottenham.

Ronaldo recently fuelled that speculation when he stated he does not need to be friends with his team-mates in order to perform.

But, speaking ahead of Madrid s Champions League semi-final first leg against Manchester City on Tuesday, Bale addressed the issue.

He speaks English which helped me when I first came here, Bale told The Times. We also have that link from the Premier League. We get on really well. The press make a lot of things that…

Joachim Low believes Germany have the right mix in attack to cause France problems as the two heavyweight nations prepare to do battle at Euro 2020.

Tuesday s huge clash pits the previous two World Cup winners against each other in Munich, with reigning European champions Portugal and Hungary the other nations in Group F.

France have been boosted by the international return of Karim Benzema, the Real Madrid striker joining Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud who is five goals shy of Thierry Henry s record of 51 goals for Les Bleus as attacking options for head coach Didier Deschamps to utilise.

However, on the eve of the contest, Low has made clear he is not short of talent in his own squad, meaning defenders for both sides will have to be on high…

Bernardo Silva acknowledged Manchester City s 14-point gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool is a really bad situation after Friday s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Wolves.

Liverpool – who have a game in hand on City – thrashed Leicester City 4-0 on Thursday to increase their lead at the top and Pep Guardiola s men were unable to make a dent in that at Molineux.

Despite having Ederson sent off in the 12th minute, City found themselves two up early in the second half thanks to a Raheem Sterling brace.

But Adama Traore inspired Wolves, scoring from 25 yards before setting up Raul Jimenez s equaliser in the 82nd minute – picking the Mexican out after capitalising on a woeful Benjamin Mendy error.

Matt Doherty clinched the win following a clever interchange …

Pep Guardiola admitted he will face a nervous wait to see if all of his Manchester City players come through the international window unscathed ahead of a crucial run of games.

City kept alive the possibility of a second treble as they beat Newcastle 2-0 on Saturday to become the first team in the history of the FA Cup to reach the semi-finals in six consecutive seasons.

But the majority of Guardiola’s squad will now be heading off to play international football before the crunch Premier League fixture against title rivals Arsenal on March 31.

A Bernardo brace sends us to the semi-finals of the FA Cup!

Highlights

— Manchester City (@ManCity)

“I will not watch the (international) games, I will rest, and when they arrive on Thursday…

Barcelona s Gerard Pique is among those to have shown his support to A-League player Josh Cavallo, who has come out as the first openly gay top-flight footballer in the world.

Adelaide United defender Cavallo made the announcement in a video and open letter on social media on Wednesday.

The news is a historic moment for sporting community and one Cavallo hopes will help others find the courage to follow in his steps.

I want to help change this, he said. I want to show that everyone is welcome in the game of football and deserves the right to be their authentic self.

It is astonishing to know that there are currently no gay professional footballers who are out and actively playing, not only in Australia, but around the world. 

Hopefully this …

Birmingham City have announced the appointment of former Newcastle United boss Chris Hughton as the club s new manager.

A statement on the Birmingham website said Hughton agreed to terms with the club on Wednesday with the 52-year-old to begin work immediately.

Acting chairman Peter Pannu felt that Hughton was the perfect candidate to take charge at St Andrew s and he is now looking forward to sharing the new man s ambition, the statement read.

Pannu was particularly impressed by Hughton s vision and footballing theories of garnering youth and playing attractive and effective football.

Hughton began his coaching career at Tottenham Hotspur, with stints as an assistant manager and caretaker coach at the club between 1993 and 2007, before moving to beco…

Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott has backed the club s pursuit of England midfielder Owen Hargreaves.

Hargreaves, 30, barely played for former club Manchester United since 2008, with persistent knee and hamstring problems meaning he was released by the Old Trafford outfit when his contract expired at the end of last season.

But his career might still lie in Manchester, with City keen to take on the midfielder after the off-season departure of Patrick Vieira and the fact that Yaya Toure will be away at the African Nations Cup right throughout January.

City are hopeful of signing Hargreaves to provide back-up to Nigel de Jong in the defensive midfield position, and Lescott feels it would be a good acquisition to what is an already talent-packed squad.

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Frank de Boer has told his Ajax side to show no fear when they come up against a star-studded Barcelona attack on Wednesday.

The Dutch champions welcome the Spanish giants to the Amsterdam Arena in the UEFA Champions League knowing a defeat could see them eliminated from Group F.

Barcelona won the reverse clash 3-1 a fortnight ago and boast a stellar forward line of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.

However, coach De Boer believes his team should take confidence from a 2-1 victory over the Catalans in Amsterdam in last season s group stages.

You always have to show respect [to your opponents] but that doesn t mean you need to fear them, he said.

We showed last year [against Barcelona] that we can play against top teams. I want to see confid…

Uruguay s president Jose Mujica has branded FIFA s four-month ban on Luis Suarez as an assault on the poor .

Suarez was handed the sanction banning him from all football-related activity, as well as a nine-match international suspension for biting Italy s Giorgio Chiellini.

The incident, which has cast a shadow over the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, occurred during Uruguay s 1-0 win on Tuesday, a result which saw them qualify from Group D in second place behind Costa Rica.

It is the third time Suarez has been found guilty of biting an opponent, after similar incidents involving Ajax s Otman Bakkal in 2010 and Chelsea s Branislav Ivanovic last year.

Former Argentina captain Diego Maradona has come out in support of the Liverpool forward and, on his television …

Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim s return to the Estadio Jose Alvalade ended in a 2-1 friendly defeat to former club Sporting CP.

Jardim swapped Lisbon for Monaco in 2014 and his Ligue 1 champions were beaten by first-half goals from Bruno Fernandes and Bas Dost in the Portuguese capital.

Monaco named a strong line-up that included starts for in-demand teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe and promising midfielder Thomas Lemar, but Benjamin Mendy – linked with a move to Manchester City – was left out of the squad along with former Sporting player Joao Moutinho.

Dost, the subject of interest from Newcastle United earlier in the transfer window, set up Fernandes opener before adding a towering header, with substitute Guido Carrillo s stoppage-time strike providing the …