Schweinsteiger: I was close to leaving Bayern

The Cristiano Ronaldo transfer saga has been blown out of proportion so much that fans have begun to tire of reading the same stories every day. Now, that saga looks to reach a conclusion which would not upset too many Manchester United fans.

According to The Sun, the Portuguese winger has called the authorities at Old Trafford to announce them that he will be returning to Carrington the club s training facility after his holiday.

Reports in the Spanish media suggested that Ronaldo would go on strike and refuse to show up for training in a bid to facilitate his move to Madrid. So sure was the English media of the impending departure of Ronaldo to Real Madrid that they reported the date that the club had set to announce the signing of the impressive winger.

Now, …

Fabio Quagliarella has signed a new contract with Juventus that will keep him in Turin until the end of the 2014/15 season.

The striker still had two years to run on his previous deal with the club but has now put pen to paper on a 12-month extension.

Quagliarella joined the club on loan from Napoli in August 2010.

He made a blistering start to his Juve career, scoring nine goals in his first 17 Serie A appearances before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament midway through the season.

Juventus still opted to sign the forward on a permanent basis, a decision that has been vindicated by the Italian s impressive form this season.

Antonio Conte s Juventus top the Serie A table and are three points clear of second-placed AC Milan with three games r…

Robert Lewandowski feels like he has been at Barcelona for months after making his first appearance for the Blaugrana in Saturday s El Clasico win against Real Madrid.

The exhibition game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas was decided by a wonderful goal from another new man, Raphinha, as Xavi s side ran out 1-0 winners.

Lewandowski could not find the net on debut but saw a fierce strike at goal pushed away by Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the first half.

The Polish striker only officially became a Barca player last week, but explained after the game to Barca TV and TV3 how settled he is already feeling.

Although it was a friendly, the Clasico is the Clasico and it is always different and special, and we are very happy with the quality and inte…

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has effectively retired from international football, unwilling to be a bit-part England player.

England manager Roy Hodgson hinted he had preferred to select Gareth Barry, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Scott Parker and as such could not promise Carrick a prominent role.

I wouldn t dream of putting Michael on a standby list after he has made it clear in the past he doesn t want to be involved like that, Hodgson said.

I d have to be convinced he was better than the four I ve selected and that he d be happy to come out of retirement.

Carrick has won only 22 England caps despite having made his debut for the national team as a 20-year-old while at West Ham in 2001.

He was included in the England squ…

It looks like Real Madrid have got themselves a new striker! According to AS, the Spanish giants have signed Luka Jovic from Eintracht Frankfurt! The Serbia international has signed a six-year deal with Real Madrid in a €60m deal and will be their player until June 2025.

AS also claim Eintracht Frankfurt will get €48m from this transfer, as Benfica are due to earn 20 percent of the transfer which the Portuguese club negotiated when they were selling Jovic to Bundesliga club and that amounts to €12m.

It is noted in the report that Madrid had accelerated talks with the player and the club in order to sign him before other clubs enter the race and drive his price up. Real Madrid were especially eager to ward of interest from teams like Paris Saint-Germain.…

Rudi Voller accepts Bayer Leverkusen will struggle to keep hold of Leon Bailey if he continues progressing and believes only Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga have the power to retain star players as long as they want.

Bailey joined Leverkusen in January 2017 from Genk for a reported €13.5million and initially struggled to make a consistent impact, making just eight substitute appearances in the Bundesliga.

But it has been a different story this season, with the 20-year-old Jamaican scoring six goals and setting up another four in 14 games, establishing himself as a key player in their dynamic frontline.

That form has not gone unnoticed, with Chelsea and Manchester United reportedly keeping tabs on the rapid winger and sporting director Voller is well aware that …

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots is yet to sign an extension to his contract, but believes it is only a matter of time until the deal is done.

Wilmots took the top job in 2012 and leads an exciting generation of Belgian talent into the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, starting later this month.

The 45-year-old has agreed to sign new terms which will take him up to 2018, but revealed in a press conference on Monday that he is yet to make the deal official.

I have not yet signed, he said.

I do not think there will be problems, and my signature will follow, but the deal is not yet quite official.

As you know, there is an agreement for four years, but in football you never know.

Following friendly wins over Luxembourg and Sweden in the past week, Belgium have one mor…

Italy midfielder Claudio Marchisio said he is expecting a tough match against England when the two teams meet in their FIFA World Cup opener.

Cesare Prandelli s Italy will go head-to-head with England in their Group D opener in Manaus on Saturday a repeat of their Euro 2012 quarter-final tie.

Italy prevailed on that occasion, winning 4-2 on penalties en route to the final.

The four-time World Cup winners will be up against a completely different England side to that which took to the field in Kiev two years ago, with Ashley Cole, John Terry, Ashley Young, Scott Parker, Andy Carroll and Theo Walcott amongst the absentees from their squad in Brazil.

It will be a very difficult match, but just as they have changed since the Euros, so have we, Marchisio told reporter…

Zinedine Zidane joked he would never be Real Madrid s Alex Ferguson amid the pressure he has faced at the helm.

Madrid managed to ease the pressure on their coach with a 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach that sent them into the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday.

Zidane is in his second stint at the helm of the Spanish giants, and has already won three Champions League titles and two LaLiga crowns among other trophies as a coach.

The 48-year-old ruled out becoming to Madrid what Ferguson was at Manchester United, where the Scot spent 27 trophy-laden years.

I don t think I ll ever be the Alex Ferguson of Madrid, for sure, Zidane told a news conference.

I want to enjoy what I m doing. I don t know how long I m going to stay here, I don t …

An injury-time goal from substitute Ronald Hernandez earned Venezuela a 2-2 draw with Ecuador in a dramatic finish to the Copa America clash on Sunday.

Jose Peseiro s men looked to be heading for a second defeat in three games after Gonzalo Plata joined Ayrton Preciado on the scoresheet for Ecuador, those goals coming either side of Edson Castillo netting for Venezuela.

However, Hernandez headed in at the death in Rio de Janeiro to boost his side s hopes of progressing to the knockout stages of the tournament.

That allowed Venezuela to add to the point they earned when holding Colombia to a 0-0 draw.

 ¡Empate agónico! Ronald Hernández llegó sin marca y metió un buen cabezazo para que la iguale el encuentro

 Venezuela  Ecuador…