Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla hailed his team-mates for making his return to the national side a seamless one as they beat Faroe Islands 4-1 on Friday.

The 34-year-old won his first cap for three and a half years following a remarkable return to prominence at Villarreal.

Cazorla was told he might never be able to walk properly again after having reconstructive surgery and a skin graft to address the effects of two bouts of Achilles tendonitis towards the end of his five-year spell at Arsenal.

He missed the 2017-18 season before signing for Villarreal, where he completed a stunning return to fitness and made 35 appearances in LaLiga in 2018-19.

So impressive were his performances that Luis Enrique handed Cazorla his first call-up since November 2015, and …

At the age of 40, Maxi Rodriguez has called time on his career as a professional football player.

The winger played a total of 611 matches, scoring a total of 173 goals complemented by 51 assists, through spells with Newell s Old Boys, Espanyol, Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, and CA Penarol. In 2019, he returned to Newell s to finish the illustrious career at the same place where it started.

Rodriguez started the last match of his career, played at home against Banfield in the early hours of Tuesday morning European time, and played 58 minutes before receiving a truly superb send-off as he walked off to be substituted.

Gigante . Jugó acá, le fue bárbaro allá. Volvió a tiempo para disfrutar de su tierra. Y de yapa metió 3 Mundiales. Enorme!
Felicitaciones Fie…

Jan Oblak has signed a new contract with Atletico Madrid, the Spanish club have .

The deal is set to keep the 26-year-old at the Wanda Metropolitano for four more years.

The Slovenia international is one of the most coveted goalkeepers in the world at the moment, and in the last season or two various rumours appeared, linking him with a number of top clubs across Europe. However, Oblak himself has never hinted at wanting to leave the Spanish capital, and he has now committed his future to Atletico again.

The shot-stopper has so far kept 115 clean sheets in 203 appearances (fifth most-capped in Atletico s history) between the posts for the club in all competitions since his arrival in 2014; a truly remarkable achievement. At the club they believe that his huge qu…

Alvaro Morata has admitted that improving on Spain s last two showings at the European Championship is  impossible .

Juventus striker Morata was not involved in the history-making Spain squads that won both Euro 2008 and 2012, but is heading to France with Vicente del Bosque s party this time around.

And the 23-year-old is hopeful of making it an historic hat-trick for the 2010 world champions.

To do better than Spain have already done in recent years will be difficult, because surpassing what that team achieved is impossible, Morata told AS. But we can try to equal it.

With regard to how Spain can retain their crown once again despite the retirements of key men such as Xavi and Xabi Alonso since their triumph in Poland and Ukraine four years ago, Mora…

Scott Parker s first game in permanent game in charge of Fulham ended in a disappointing 4-0 Premier League defeat to Newcastle United on Sunday.

The Cottagers immediate return to the Championship was confirmed on April 2 but Parker had restored pride in recent weeks, overseeing a run of three wins in four games before the Magpies visit to Craven Cottage.

The woeful defending that has characterised their season was on full display again, though, as Jonjo Shelvey and Ayoze Perez scored within the space of just over two first-half minutes to put the visitors ahead before Fabian Schar netted a third in the second half and Salomon Rondon added late gloss to a comprehensive scoreline.

Parker will now turn his attention to masterminding a swift return to the Prem…

Will Mauro Icardi sign a new Inter contract or not?

That remains to be seen after star striker Icardi was stripped of the Inter captaincy.

Icardi s relationship with Inter and their fans has been far from rosy since arriving from Sampdoria in 2013.

With Icardi facing an uncertain future, Omnisport looks at the timeline of the events that have transpired in Milan.

 | : It s a step towards fairness in terms of Inter and the squad. It was not a decision taken against Icardi, but rather a decision in favour of Inter. Fairness for the team goes before anything else.

— Inter (@Inter_en)

October 7, 2016  Icardi signs a new deal following interest from rivals Napoli.

October 16, 2016  Curva Nord want Icardi stripped of…

Arsenal head to Wembley on Sunday chasing their remaining prospect of domestic silverware this season in the EFL Cup final against Manchester City.

It is the only major prize in English football Arsene Wenger has not lifted in his acclaimed career.

However, the veteran Frenchman has enjoyed numerous moments to remember at the national stadium, especially over recent seasons to partially placate fan frustrations over Arsenal fading from the Premier League title picture.

Here, we look at five of Wenger s most satisfying Wembley outings, spanning three decades.

12 – Outside of Highbury/Emirates, Arsene Wenger has won more games in charge of Arsenal at Wembley Stadium than any other ground. Haven.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)

1998 FA …

RB Leipzig and Manchester United face off on Tuesday for a place in the Champions League knockout rounds.

This is a straight shoot-out in Germany, a match that could have huge implications for manager goals, transfer targets and financial predictions for 2021.

In a way, the permutations are quite simple: Leipzig must win to qualify for the next round, while United will be through with a win or a draw.

Beyond those facts, this is a difficult game to call, as each side is well-suited and yet pointedly vulnerable to the strengths of the other. But United, it would appear, have the edge.

from the boss

— Manchester United (@ManUtd)

ROAD WARRIORS

Leipzig have won all seven home games in all competitions in 2020-21, scoring 18 goals…

Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead at Watford in Quique Sanchez Flores first match in charge of the Hornets since returning, while Bournemouth confidently dispatched Everton at the Vitality Stadium.

Sanchez Flores was back in the Watford dugout having been appointed as Javi Gracia s replacement during the international break.

The former Espanyol coach spent the 2015-16 campaign at the club before being surprisingly dismissed and he appeared to have a decent impact on the team for the visit of Arsenal, though he was unable to inspire a win in the 2-2 draw.

Bournemouth did claim all three points, however, beating Everton 3-1 to stop a difficult run.

The reaction of the players is the most important thing, because at 2-0 your heads can go down. We never gav…

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has taken a shot at some of Europe s heaviest spenders by saying you can t buy the Champions League .

Holders Madrid take on Bayern Munich in the semi-final first leg on Wednesday, in the third last-four encounter between the teams since the 2011-12 season.

The fixture is the most-played match in European Cup or Champions League history, with the teams having met 24 times previously, each winning 11 times.

Madrid knocked out Paris Saint-Germain, who smashed the world transfer record to sign Neymar in a bid to bring them closer to the title, in the last 16, while Manchester City, the most expensively assembled team in history, lost 5-1 on aggregate to Liverpool in the last round.

Kroos has won back-to-back tournaments with…