Steve Nicol and Shaka Hislop are at odds to whether Ernesto Valverde or the Barcelona players were at fault for their Champions League exit. BARCELONA, Spain — Ernesto Valverde said he doesn’t see Saturday’s Copa del Rey final as a chance for him to strengthen his position as Barcelona coach amid doubts over his future.
Stade de Reims jumped on Kylian Mbappe and company early and they couldn’t recover, ending their Ligue 1 season with a 3-1 defeat. Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel joked about his future with the French champions after their season-ending 3-1 loss away at Reims in Ligue 1 on Friday. Baba Rahman, Mathieu Cafaro and Pablo
Cristiano Ronaldo was presented with Serie A’s inaugural MVP award last weekend. The decision to create a new set of prizes — recognising the best goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and attacker — was officially part of the league’s latest rebrand but the timing felt likes more than a coincidence: Was it an initiative they’d have launched
Mark Ogden says Kylian Mbappe deserves to be treated and compensated the same as Neymar, after the young PSG star voiced his desire for more responsibility. Dani Alves recalls what it’s like to play for Pep Guardiola and reminisces on his time playing alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar. ESPN FC’s Shaka Hislop and Ale Moreno
Derby County beat Leeds United 4-2 at Elland Road in a sensational match to reach the playoff final at Wembley where they’ll meet Aston Villa. Aston Villa will get another crack at the Championship play-offs final after last year’s disappointment thanks to a win over West Brom on penalties. It is the most lucrative one-off
Craig Burley makes his very premature prediction of Premier League’s top six next season one day after Manchester City secured the 2018-19 title. Do Bayern have their sights set on Leroy Sane? Is Kieran Trippier on his way to Juventus? Plus, the latest on Lorenzo Insigne and Nicolas Otamendi. Real Madrid have denied Tottenham Hotspur
9:37 PM ET After failing to capitalize against two of the weaker teams in Major League Soccer, the Montreal Impact now face the daunting challenge of visiting league-leading Los Angeles FC on Friday. In the Impact’s past two matches, Montreal collected just one of six possible points against the bottom two teams in the Eastern
Frank Leboeuf joins ESPN FC to talk Paul Pogba and Manchester United, explaining why the France star might be ill-suited for the United captaincy. Paul Mariner says Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s wealth of experience and knowledge will be an asset for Marcus Rashford to find consistency at Man United. ESPN FC’s Shaka Hislop looks at a
Craig Burley makes his very premature prediction of Premier League’s top six next season one day after Manchester City secured the 2018-19 title. Do Bayern have their sights set on Leroy Sane? Is Kieran Trippier on his way to Juventus? Plus, the latest on Lorenzo Insigne and Nicolas Otamendi. Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has said
The FC guys mention Manchester United’s ’99 treble winners and Arsenal’s ’98 side when questioning if Man City are the best team of the Premier League era. ESPN FC’s Alexis Nunes joins the party in Manchester to get the fans’ thoughts on City’s treble-winning season and Vincent Kompany’s departure. Manchester City are ready for a
Shaka Hislop says Gareth Bale is not getting back into Zinedine Zidane or Real Madrid’s good graces by commenting on the sacrifices footballers make. ESPN FC’s Gab Marcotti shares his best solution for both Real Madrid and Gareth Bale to part ways following his underwhelming season. Real Madrid’s season ended with a fizzle, allowing Real
Paris Saint-Germain defender Dani Alves has told ESPN FC he would like to play in the Premier League before retirement. Alves, 36, has won 40 senior honours in his career after PSG won both Ligue 1 and the Trophee des Champions this season. He said he wanted to play in England but there are still
4:38 PM ET Bundesliga side Stuttgart were held to a 2-2 draw by second division Union Berlin who twice came from a goal down in the first leg of their relegation/promotion playoff on Thursday. Stuttgart, who finished third from bottom in the top flight, will travel to Berlin for the return on Monday. The hosts
Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe picked up two awards while Neymar was elsewhere. The Toe Poke is here every day to bring you all the weirdest stories, quirkiest viral content and top trolling that the internet has to offer, all in one place. Jump to: Ronaldo accidentally hits son with trophy While Kylian Mbappe was claiming
The Premier League transfer window is open. You can click here to review all the latest transfers and keep up to date with all the latest gossip below. - When does the window open in Europe?- QUIZ: Which club should you join? TOP STORY: United turn to Donnarumma as De Gea ‘rejects final offer’ With Paris Saint-Germain preparing
Bruce Arena says the USMNT’s World Cup qualifying failure in 2017 did not factor into his decision to take the head coaching job with New England. ESPN FC’s Jeff Carlisle reports from the FIFA council meeting in Miami, which opened the door for a 48-team World Cup in Qatar in 2022. FIFA has given up
Tim Howard has experienced the highs and lows of goalkeeping, but it’s the lows that really stick in the memory. “You have to go to some dark places as a goalkeeper,” the former United States and Manchester United No. 1 told ESPN FC. Howard was feted by President Barack Obama and became a national hero
The FC guys mention Manchester United’s ’99 treble winners and Arsenal’s ’98 side when questioning if Man City are the best team of the Premier League era. ESPN FC’s Alexis Nunes joins the party in Manchester to get the fans’ thoughts on City’s treble-winning season and Vincent Kompany’s departure. Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling has
ESPN FC’s Alejandro Moreno assesses the big summer transfer rumours, including Paul Pogba joining Zinedine Zidane and Leroy Sane parting ways with Pep Guardiola. ESPN FC’s Gab Marcotti shares his best solution for both Real Madrid and Gareth Bale to part ways following his underwhelming season. Real Madrid’s season ended with a fizzle, allowing Real
Steve Nicol says he feels guilty for doubting Liverpool could pull off a comeback against Barcelona and reach the Champions League final. With 11 days to go until the Champions League final, Liverpool have swapped their Melwood training ground for Marbella where they are currently limbering up for their season finale. Unsurprisingly, the squad seem