8 h. ago I won the Champions League five times but snubbed Man United for Spurs – this is why

Gareth Bale could have been lining up for Manchester United as a younger player, but he decided to go to Tottenham, where he established himself as one of the most explosive forwards around

Sport

9 h. ago Premier League icon who won Champions League five times turned down Man Utd for Spurs

Gareth Bale once had the option to move to a dominant Manchester United side during the early stages of his career, but the Welsh talisman ended up turning down the great Sir Alex Ferguson

Politics

10 h. ago Manchester United and the £726m issue that Europa League loss could impact

Manchester United face a challenging financial time of it without Champions League football next season

Economics

15 h. ago Is Arsenal vs Barcelona on TV? How to watch Women’s Champions League final

Arsenal are through to their first final since 2007 as Barcelona target a hat-trick of titles

Sport

16 h. ago Jerzy Dudek: ‘Carra said to do the spaghetti legs like Grobbelaar but I needed to study my book’

Liverpool’s penalty shootout hero in the 2005 Champions League final against Milan reflects on the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ and how it changed his lifeTwenty years on from that double save, those spaghetti legs and the miracle of Liverpool’s fifth European Cup triumph and Turkey has not lost the capacity to make a champion out of Jerzy Dudek. “I won the Turkish Open golf last week and it reminded me a bit of Istanbul,” the former Liverpool goalkeeper says. “It is my favourite place, my lucky place, and it stays with me all the time. If I go on holiday to Turkey I always go with a big smile.”Sunday promises to have the same effect on everyone associated with Liverpool. The presentation of the Premier League trophy to Arne Slot’s champions at Anfield coincides with the 20th anniversary of the “Miracle of Istanbul”, when Liverpool overcame a 3-0 half-time deficit to defeat Milan on penalties in the Champions League final. Not that any Liverpool fan needs reminding of the details. The sigh...

Events

25 h. ago Van Gerwen crashes out of Premier League after loss to Aspinall as Littler sets record

Dutch dartist fails to make playoffs after 6-2 defeatLuke Littler sets points record by seeing off HumphriesMichael van Gerwen was knocked out of the Premier League after failing in his win-or-bust mission in Sheffield as a record-breaking Luke Littler won a sixth night. The seven-times Premier League champion has had a miserable campaign and came into the final weekly night having to win to stay in contention for the playoffs.But Van Gerwen fell at the first hurdle, losing 6-2 to Nathan Aspinall, whose victory guaranteed him a top-four spot and completed the lineup for next week’s playoffs at the O2 in London. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Liverpool 'make Milos Kerkez move' after Jeremie Frimpong deal as Rayan Cherki boost revealed

Premier League champions are not wasting any time ahead of the first instalment of a split summer transfer window

Economics

8 d. ago Bologna’s unlikely Coppa Italia triumph ends long wait for silverware

Dan Ndoye’s goal secures a 1-0 win over Milan and sparks scenes of joy in the Piazza Maggiore once againVincenzo Italiano knew there was a little bit of poison in the chalice offered to him last summer but accepted it anyway. The opportunity to manage Bologna was a chance to lead a Champions League team for the first time in his career. It was also an invitation to become the public face of a project that had nowhere to go but backwards.What could he possibly do to improve on the work of the previous manager, Thiago Motta, who led Bologna back into Europe’s top club competition for the first time in 60 years? Italiano would not even have the same group of players to work with. Joshua Zirkzee, the top scorer, was on his way to Manchester United and the newly capped Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal. Lewis Ferguson would be out for months with a cruciate ligament tear. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago ‘Boring horrific’: Erling Haaland on Manchester City’s season of defeats

Striker puts focus on FA Cup final against Crystal Palace‘We need to finish well and get a trophy,’ he saysErling Haaland has described Manchester City’s season as “horrific” and “boring” owing to the champions losing many games, and said that makes winning Saturday’s FA Cup final against Crystal Palace even more vital.City, the Premier League title winners of the past four years, are fourth, 18 points behind the champions, Liverpool, having lost nine times. They were eliminated by Real Madrid in the Champions League playoff stage and by Tottenham in the Carabao Cup in the last 16. Continue reading...

Sport

1 week ago Southampton claim point to avoid ‘worst team in Premier League history’ tag

Pep Guardiola has an extremely fond memory of St Mary’s Stadium. It was here on the final day of the 2017-18 season that he watched Gabriel Jesus score a stoppage-time winner to ensure Manchester City finished as the Premier League champions with a record 100-point haul. It was a number at the opposite end of the spectrum that provided a prominent subplot this time.Southampton kicked off on 11 points, level with the lowest haul in the competition – that collected with apologies by Derby in 2007-08. Could Southampton, who had suffered so much, get something to lift them clear of the unwanted association? Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘We’ll be back stronger’: Merino insists Arsenal will learn from Champions League exit

Midfielder says season is ‘a huge learning curve’Arsenal need seven points to finish second in leagueMikel Merino has vowed Arsenal’s young squad will learn from being eliminated in the Champions League semi-finals and is convinced they will “be back stronger” next season.Paris Saint-Germain booked their place in the final against Inter with a 2-1 win in the second leg, meaning Arsenal will end another campaign without a trophy. They saw off PSV and Real Madrid to reach the last four in the Champions League for the first time since 2009, having been knocked out by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals last year. Continue reading...

Sport

2 w. ago Arsenal transfer news: Mikel Arteta eyes swoop for £17m star as William Saliba plan emerges

Arsenal could be in for another big summer in the transfer market after Mikel Arteta's men came uup short in their bid to win the Champions League for the first time

Politics

2 w. ago What PSG bench told Mikel Arteta seconds after full time as Arsenal boss delivers unflinching Champions League verdict

Arteta spoke to TNT Sports at full-time as the Gunners suffered semi-final heartache by losing 3-1 on aggregate

Sport

2 w. ago Timeline: How Inter stunned Barcelona in Champions League semi

The Champions League semi-final produced a night of astonishing drama full of twists and turns as Inter knocked out Barcelona

Sport

2 w. ago Inter Milan beat Barcelona after one of best ever ties to reach Champions League final

INTER MILAN 4-3 BARCELONA AET (7-6 ON AGGREGATE): After one of the greatest Champions League ties of all time, the Italians have now secured their place in the final to be played in Munich later this month

Sport

2 w. ago Inter vs Barcelona LIVE: Champions League thriller goes to extra time and takes another epic twist

Inter and Barcelona delivered again after their enthralling 3-3 draw in the first leg

Sport

2 w. ago Liverpool keep or sell as Roy Keane tells Arne Slot three positions champions MUST improve on

Liverpool have only just been confirmed as Premier League champions for the second time but boss Arne Slot might already be putting thought into how his squad might look next season

Politics

2 w. ago Saudi domination of Asian Champions League a concern after Al

Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino starred in tournament but unbalanced format reflects political power in continentIt’s been quite a journey for Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez and Al-Ahli, who lifted the AFC Champions League Elite trophy for the first time just before midnight on Saturday in front of 60,000 fans in Jeddah after a 2-0 win over Kawasaki Frontale of Japan.Firmino has not been registered in the Saudi Pro League (SPL), where teams are allowed only 10 foreign players, this year. The former Liverpool man’s spot was taken by Galeno, his fellow Brazilian signed from Porto in January for around £45m. In Asia, however, there are no such restrictions and “Bobby” has come back into the fold and played so well that he was named tournament’s MVP. Continue reading...

Sport

2 w. ago Chelsea clicking back into gear at perfect time as Cole Palmer factor raises Champions League hopes

Nicolas Jackson goals and Romeo Lavia return a positive but it is Palmer’s form that gives Chelsea best chance of securing top-five finish

Sport

2 w. ago Liverpool given guard of honour by Chelsea after winning Premier League title amid boos

Liverpool have been handed a guard of honour by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge as the Reds play for the first time since being confirmed as the Premier League champions

Politics