Football

The Portuguese will lend his voice to the character of Pope Francis in an animated film due for release in 2017 for the centenary of the apparition of the Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal.

"I didn't know anything," Messi said while testifying in his tax fraud trial. "I only worried about playing football."

The company's Sports Business Group said in its 25th annual review of football finance that England's top 92 professional football clubs had generated more than four billion pounds in revenues for the first time.

Argentinian-born striker Messi and his father Jorge Horacio Messi, who have both denied the allegations, were due to appear in the Barcelona court on Thursday, according to a judicial document.

"I'm sure that United's fans and players will be delighted with that because, as I've said many times before, he's the best manager I've worked under," said Terry.

Cristiano Ronaldo added the finishing touches as Real Madrid were crowned kings of Europe for an 11th time with a 5-3 penalties victory over Atletico Madrid, after a 1-1 draw in the Champions League final.

FIFA says its disciplinary committee also fined the Croatian soccer federation 150,000 Swiss francs ($151,000). The stadium bans will take effect when Croatia host Turkey on September 5 and Finland on October 9.

The Argentina Football Association said Messi, 28, and his Barcelona teammate midfielder Javier Mascherano had joined the squad, in a Twitter message on Wednesday morning.

"Four years ago I wasn't happy here but now I am and I can't think of a better club to be at than Real Madrid, there's no team like it. The other clubs can forget it," said Ronaldo.

The former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager has agreed personal terms on a three-year deal with a likely annual salary of over £10 million but issues remain over image rights.

Finishing the season with the Dutch national team, added Depay, would be a chance "to train at a high level and hopefully play some internationals, a fine way to end the season".

Manchester United's main stock market listing is in New York, although it has a secondary, and less widely traded, share listing in Frankfurt. Its New York-listed shares were up 2.4 percent in early session trading on Monday.

David Beckham believes that Zinedine Zidane was born to be a coach and that Real should persist with him and give him time even if he fails to inspire the team to a victory in the Champions League final.

Four lucky competition winners are set to be the first people in history to use the Eiffel Tower as a vacation home next month.

El Mundo Deportivo newspaper reported on Thursday that months of negotiations will come to a happy conclusion for both parties with the 24-year-old penning a deal to keep him at Barcelona until the end of June 2022.

Introduced to the crowd for a post-match address, the Dutchman was booed by pockets of the home support, before declaring, somewhat ironically: "I want to thank you for your unconditional support."