Riccardo Montolivo insists he holds no grudge with AC Milan even as he retires 18 months on from his final Serie A appearance.
The 34-year-old has been without a club since his Milan contract ran out at the end of the 2018-19 season and has now decided to call a halt to his career.
However, Montolivo had not played a professional match since a 1-1 draw at Atalanta on May 13, 2018, being named on the bench 17 times in Serie A last term without making a single appearance.
Discussing his retirement with Corriere dello Sport, Montolivo revealed he had accepted a fringe role for his final campaign at the club but was disappointed not to feature at all.
I last played in May 2018, at Atleti Azzurri d Italia, the same stadium where I had started sixteen year…
Liverpool s 2-0 victory at Southampton took Jurgen Klopp to 50 Premier League wins – making him the ninth-fastest manager to the landmark.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss has brought up his half-century in 95 matches, incidentally the same amount of Liverpool games it took Brendan Rodgers during his Anfield tenure.
Rodgers spell at Swansea City means he does not make an overall top 10 headed by his old mentor Jose Mourinho.
The Manchester United manager s sensational initial tenure at Chelsea saw him race to 50 wins in an astonishing 63 games. Ex-Manchester City Manuel Pellegrini, a Premier League champion in 2013-14, comes in next best with 50 in 75 outings.
Pellegrini s predecessor Roberto Mancini chalked up 50 wins in 83 attempts – one game fewer…
The Royal Spanish Football Federation says it is not responsible for security during El Clasico and warned it could impose sporting sanctions if political demonstrations lead to trouble at next week s Camp Nou match.
Barcelona are due to host bitter rivals Real Madrid on December 18 in the fixture that was initially due to take place in October.
The original contest was postponed due to political tension that led to violent scenes in Catalonia after nine Catalan political leaders received long prison sentences for their roles in the region s 2017 referendum and subsequent unilateral declaration of independence.
A rally had been called for October 26 – the first date set for the Clasico – and it was decided to rearrange the match for security reasons.
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Mario Balotelli made a flying start to life in Serie B with a debut strike after just four minutes for Monza against Salernitana.
Former Milan and Manchester City forward Balotelli signed for Monza owned by ex-Rossoneri chief Silvio Berlusconi earlier this month until the end of the season.
The 30-year-old made his second-tier bow on Wednesday, lining up alongside Kevin-Prince Boateng, another former Milan man, from the start at home to the league leaders.
And Balotelli needed just three minutes and 53 seconds to get on the scoresheet as he turned in Carlos Augusto s cross with the first shot of the match and his first touch.
Balotelli has played in the top flight in Italy, England and France but only in Ligue 1, with Nice in 2016, had he previously nette…
England manager Gareth Southgate says he would never risk Bukayo Saka’s long-term fitness by selecting him to play when he is not fit.
Saka was included in Southgate’s 26-man squad for forthcoming games against Australia and Italy, despite limping out of Arsenal’s last three games.
He is being assessed ahead of this Sunday’s Premier League clash with Manchester City before the squad is due to meet up early next week.
Here it is: your squad for October!
— England (@England)
Southgate says he wants his best players available for the biggest games, with a crunch European Championship clash against Italy at Wembley on October 17, but never to the detriment of their health.
“I can only go via what Mikel (Arteta) has said about th…
Marcus Rashford joined Erling Haaland in being nominated for the Premier League s Player of the Month award for November and December after a strong run of form for Manchester United.
With the 2022 World Cup necessitating a seven-week break for elite club football, performances from either side of the tournament contributed towards the nominations.
Having scored three times during England s campaign in Qatar, Rashford hit the ground running on his return to club football by claiming a goal and an assist against Nottingham Forest before netting the winner at Wolves in United s final game of 2022.
Rashford – who was named Player of the Month in September – will face fierce competition for the award from Haaland, who scored four goals in four games for rivals Ma…
Arsenal are interested in signing Pedro Neto from Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that the Gunners will undertake a medical assessment of the winger before deciding whether to bid for him or not.
Football Transfers has reported that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is a massive admirer of Neto. The Gunners wanted to sign the Portugal international in the January transfer window but were told to pay £80 million for him. The report has claimed that the Wanderers could now sell him for £43 million.
Neto, who is part of the Portugal squad at the UEFA Euro 2024 finals in Germany, has had injury problems in recent times, and Arsenal reportedly want to make sure that he will be fine in the long te…
With all of Europe s top-tiers fully back in the swing of things, Saturday promises to offer another stacked schedule from across the footballing globe. On that note, for those of you looking to stick on a weekend acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.
Saturday September 25th
BST 15:00 Leyton Orient vs Mansfield Town
Starting with Saturday s hosts, while Leyton Orient might have missed out on a play-off spot last season, they have really caught the eye since opening the 2021/22 campaign. With their sights set on mounting a real automatic charge this time around, Head Coach Kenny Jackett finds the mood in his camp at a real high. Enjoying an immediate boost since bringing in the former Portsmouth bos…
Napoli are interested in signing Angel Di Maria in the summer of 2023, according to . The report has claimed that the former Manchester United and Real Madrid winger does not plan to stay at Juventus beyond the end of the season, and that Napoli are among the clubs who are keen on securing the services of the 34-year-old Argentina international, who can also operate as an attacking midfielder and won the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Di Maria joined Juventus in the summer of 2022 on a free transfer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season. The former Real Madrid star has failed to make a massive impact at the Bianconeri. So far this season, Di Maria has made eight starts and four substitute appearances in Serie A, scoring three goals and providing two assists in the …
Giorgio Chiellini has confirmed he will join MLS side Los Angeles FC on a free transfer.
The Juventus great revealed his intentions to leave Turin at the end of the season, ending a 17-year spell with the Bianconeri in which he made 425 Serie A appearances.
Chiellini also retired from international football with Italy two weeks ago following the 3-0 Finalissima defeat to Argentina in a meeting between the Euro 2020 winners and Copa America champions.
The 37-year-old has expressed his desire to use his vast experience to go into management or a director role, once his playing career is finished.
Los Angeles will likely be his final club that he plays for, after Chiellini took to Twitter on Monday to confirm his move to the Black and Gold on a reported 1…