Pirlo targets international retirement after 2014 World Cup

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will bring a winning mentality back to Milan, according to Sampdoria coach Claudio Ranieri.

Ibrahimovic has returned to Milan for a second spell with the Serie A club after leaving Los Angeles Galaxy.

The 38-year-old spent 18 months with the Galaxy, scoring 53 Major League Soccer goals, and was linked to numerous clubs before settling on a return to San Siro, with Milan languishing in 11th place.

Having signed a deal until the end of the season, with an option for 2020-21, Ibrahimovic is likely to make his second Milan debut when the Rossoneri take on struggling Sampdoria on Monday, and Ranieri has no doubt the veteran forward will be a fantastic addition.

I hope to start 2020 with a great performance and some points, although facing …

RB Leipzig head coach Julian Nagelsmann dismissed talk about winning the Champions League title after his side upstaged Atletico Madrid to reach the semi-finals.

Tyler Adams deflected strike with two minutes of regulation remaining saw Leipzig top Atletico 2-1 in Lisbon on Thursday.

Dani Olmo s 50th-minute opener was cancelled out by Atletico star Joao Felix s penalty with 19 minutes remaining, but Adams 88th-minute effort proved the last word as Leipzig reached the last four of the competition for the first time.

Leipzig will face Ligue 1 powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain in Tuesday s semi after becoming the first German club outside of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund to make it to the semi-finals since Schalke in 2010-11.

Speaking post-match, Nagelsma…

Jordan fought back to beat 10-man Iraq 3-2 and clinch their place in the Asian Cup quarter-finals on Monday.

Iraq s Aymen Hussein turned from hero to zero as, moments after putting Iraq ahead, he was sent off, having received a second yellow card for excessive celebrations at Khalifa International Stadium.

Down to 10 men, Iraq could not withstand Jordan s fightback and conceded twice in stoppage time to end their hopes of winning the competition for a second time.

Hussein struck in the 76th minute to spark wild celebrations, including him sitting cross-legged on the field and mimicking eating.

Iraq s joy soon turned to frustration, though, when referee Alireza Faghani booked Hussein for a second time.

It got worse for the 2007 champions when Yazan…

Hugo Lloris is planning talks with Tottenham as he attempts to map out his future beyond next June – with a return to Ligue 1 not ruled out.

Lloris Spurs contract expires on June 30 and it remains unclear whether the 34-year-old, who joined Spurs in 2012, will extend his stay beyond a decade.

Should the goalkeeper choose to leave north London as a free agent, he could return to France, where he previously played for Nice and Lyon.

For now, Lloris is hoping to mark his time at Spurs with a trophy, with new head coach Antonio Conte seen as a catalyst as the club bid to end their 13-year silverware drought.

I do not close any doors, Lloris said on Sunday, when asked about a potential return to French football.

I give my priority to Spurs. We …

Jose Mourinho is the ideal coach to reunite the Inter dressing room following the damage caused by the Mauro Icardi affair, according to Luigi Simoni.

Icardi made his first appearance in almost two months on Wednesday to help lead Inter to a 4-0 win at Genoa that strengthened their grip on third place in Serie A.

It was the first time Icardi had been involved since being stripped of the club captaincy amid reports of problems with the club s hierarchy, which left him ostracised from Luciano Spalletti s squad.

Ivan Perisic is rumoured to have had a furious argument with the Argentina forward after his wife and agent, Wanda Nara, spoke on TV about personal problems between the team-mates.

Mourinho found his relationship with senior players at Manchester Uni…

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank confirmed striker Yoane Wissa will be sidelined for a couple of months after picking up an ankle injury against Manchester City.

Wissa, who netted the fastest ever goal that Brentford have scored in the Premier League against the champions on Saturday, hobbled off in first half injury time.

The DR Congo international was on the receiving end of a heavy challenge by City midfielder Mateo Kovacic and is expected to return to action in November.

It serves as a significant blow for Frank, with Wissa having been directly involved in 10 goals across his last nine appearances in the top-flight for the Bees.

Wissa is, unfortunately, not good news it looks like an injury that will be a couple of months, Frank said.

I…

Paul Pogba will leave Manchester United when his contract expires in June, according to the midfielder s personal trainer.

The France international, who turns 29 next week, has not agreed to a new deal with the Red Devils and will be available to leave on a free transfer after the end of the season.

It would be the second time Pogba has left United for nothing, the player having joined Juventus in 2012 before making his return four years later for a then-world-record fee of £89.3million.

Coach Meddy, a Dubai-based fitness coach who counts other elite footballers among his clientele, says Pogba is still enjoying himself at United, particularly since Cristiano Ronaldo s move back to England last year.

Still, he claims a parting of the ways could be mutuall…

Milan strengthened their grip on top spot in Serie A with a 2-1 win over Sampdoria on Sunday thanks to goals from Franck Kessie and Samu Castillejo.

Ivory Coast midfielder Kessie gave the Rossoneri the lead from the penalty spot after Jakub Jankto handled inside the area.

Spaniard Castillejo scored with his first touch of the game to notch Milan s second before Albin Ekdal ensured a tense finish when he bundled in from a corner.

Milan are now five points clear of second-placed Inter after 10 games, with Napoli and Juventus a further point behind in third and fourth.

9 AC Milan have won eight of the first 10 games played in Serie A 2020/21: over the previous 86 seasons in the competition, the Rossoneri had won more at this point of the season only in 19…

When Borussia Dortmund parted with a reported €20million to sign Erling Haaland from Salzburg a little over a year ago, they ll have been acutely aware of the coup they d just struck – but whether they expected him to be quite this good is another matter entirely.

Those explosive first few months of the 2019-20 season at Salzburg left most of Europe s biggest clubs clamouring for the Norwegian, but Bayern were seemingly not among them. At least, not in the final straight.

While you can t necessarily have too many great players, few at the time or since have decried Bayern s lack of interest in the striking sensation, and that purely comes down to the presence of Robert Lewandowski.

Eleven months on from Haaland s Dortmund debut, Lewandowski won the FIFA Best …

Sebastien Haller thanked well-wishers after the Borussia Dortmund striker had to leave the club s pre-season training camp due to a testicular tumour.

The Ivory Coast striker recently joined Dortmund on a four-year deal from Dutch champions Ajax, arriving as a replacement for Erling Haaland who moved on to Manchester City.

Haller was with his new club in Switzerland when he complained of feeling unwell at training on Monday. Subsequent medical tests revealed the tumour, and 28-year-old Haller has returned to Germany for further assessment.

Dortmund have said they will offer updates on Haller s condition when possible.

Haller wrote on Twitter on Tuesday: I want to thank you again from the bottom of my heart for all the many and warm messages received. I ve…