Suarez: PL the world's best league but Barcelona the best team

The Uruguay international says he is loving life in Catalunya but would like to return to Ajax or even move to MLS

Luis Suarez says that while the Premier League is the game's top championship, Barcelona are "the best team in the world".

The Uruguay international spent three-and-a-half years plying his trade in England with Liverpool, winning the 2013-14 PFA Players' Player of the Year award before moving to Catalunya last summer.

Suarez took some time to settle at Camp Nou, not least because he was ineligible to play for the Blaugrana until October because of his four-month ban for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, but he went on to form a formidable front three with Lionel Messi and Neymar, and played a key role in Barca's treble triumph last season.

Suarez is loving life in Catalunya and is hoping to help Luis Enrique's men become the first side to successfully defend the Champions League. However, the 28-year-old has revealed that he would like to return to Ajax at some point before he quits - or even move to MLS.

Arsenal happy to play Benzema waiting game

Real Madrid do not want to let the France international leave, but the Gunners will be ready to pounce if he falls out of favour as Rafa Benitez's reign gets under way...

 Arsenal are prepared to bide their time and wait until the end of the transfer window for a potential deal to sign Karim Benzema from Real Madrid.

Arsene Wenger has identified his fellow Frenchman as his top target to improve the Gunners’ attack this summer and still believes the striker could end up in north London.

Real Madrid have said that Benzema is not for sale and the 27-year-old is happy in the Spanish capital, but Arsenal are closely monitoring his situation.

Laporta, Bartomeu, Benedito, Freixa - meet the Barcelona presidential candidates

ANALYSIS: With socios set to vote in the election at the end of this week, Goal takes a closer look at the four men battling for power at the Catalan club...

By Ben Hayward | Spanish Football Writer

The race for control of FC Barcelona is on. Four of the seven initial candidates gained sufficient signatures to advance to the polls on July 18 and will battle it out for the privileged position in charge of the Catalan club for the following six years.

In order to advance to the final hurdle, candidates needed to secure 2,534 signatures from supporting socios and three men - Joan Batiste, Jordi Farre and Jordi Majo - fell short of that target when the numbers were counted last week.

Batiste, head of the Seguiment FCB movement, looked to have gained sufficient support but only 2,518 of the signatures collected were validated and he missed out by only 16. Farre (2,033 signatures) and Majo (1,021) also dropped out of the race.

That leaves four candidates: recent club chief Josep Maria Bartomeu, former president Joan Laporta, previous challenger Agusti Benedito and ex-Barca spokesman Toni Freixa. Here, Goal takes a closer look at the four men and their plans for the Catalan club should they be successful on July 18.

'Remember me as a good person' - Casillas in tears as he bids farewell to Madrid

 

The goalkeeper waved goodbye to the club's fans at a press conference on Sunday and confirmed his move to Porto, ending a career at the Spanish side which stretches back 25 years..

Iker Casillas bid an emotional farewell to Real Madrid on Sunday as he confirmed he is now a Porto player.
The goalkeeper brings an end to 25 years at the Santiago Bernabeu side to join the Portuguese outfit after a deal was agreed on Saturday night.
And a tearful Casillas, who sat alone at his press conference, thanked the club's fans for all the support they have shown him during his trophy-laden, and says he is looking forward to continuing his career. 

Man United makes sense - Schweinsteiger was being left behind at Bayern Munich

 

The Germany star has been a fantastic servant to the Bavarians but, with injuries taking their toll and competition for places at an ultimate high, it's the right time to move on...

Bayern Munich unveiled their new home kit for the 2015-16 season in front of 68,000 fans at a packed Allianz Arena on Saturday. The Bavarian heroes stood in all their usual glory. The stands were full, a pitch-side stage had been set and triumphant music blasted from the speakers. Yet one thing was missing.

Philipp Lahm was there. As was Robert Lewandowski. Pep Guardiola, Thomas Muller, Mario Gotze... all the big names were present as the players and coaching staff emerged from the tunnel, except one. Bastian Schweinsteiger; a first-team Bayern player for 13 years and essentially a part of the furniture in Munich. Until now.

Casillas deserves a top team like Barcelona, not Porto - parents

The parents of the Spanish goalkeeper say Florentino Perez never loved him due to his lack of height...

The parents of Iker Casillas say that the outgoing Real Madrid goalkeeper has been the victim of a smear campaign from president Florentino Perez and feel that he deserves to end his career at a bigger club than "second tier" Porto.

Wenger: It was tough to buy Cech but he'll improve Arsenal

The former Chelsea goalkeeper completed his move to the Emirates Stadium last week and his new boss has waxed lyrical about his potential impact...

 

Arsene Wenger admits he agonised over his decision to buy Petr Cech from Chelsea, but he believes the Czech Republic international will boost the belief at the Emirates Stadium.

Cech completed his transfer to the Emirates last week, with the Gunners paying a reported €14 million fee to acquire his signature.

Mascherano lauds Messi humility

The midfielder says it isn't easy for a player of his team-mate's quality to remain grounded...

Javier Mascherano has lauded the humility of Barcelona and Argentina team-mate Lionel Messi.
The pair won the treble together at club level last season before reaching the Copa America final with the national side, before being beaten on penalties by Chile.
Messi endured a disappointing tournament but was an inspirational figure for Barca as they won the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey.
That success has seen the forward receive yet more praise and Mascherano has hailed his ability to remain modest.
"It's not easy, being the best at what he does but still having the humility and desire to be close to those around him," Mascherano told students during a visit to a school in Mexico.
"Usually the best in any area see things differently but in this case Leo is still an ordinary person and that makes our relationship work. I have great respect for Messi the person and player."

Oh no, not untested Oliseh, says former Nigeria coach Clemens Westerhof

The Dutchman feels that the former midfielder does not possess adequate experience to lead the Super Eagles forward after the sack of Stephen Keshi...

Former Nigeria technical adviser Clemens Westerhof thinks the Nigeria Football Federation is making a huge mistake by handing untested Sunday Oliseh the job of the national team manager.
Oliseh, 40, was handed his Super Eagles debut by Westerhof in 1993 and the Dutchman feels that his former protégé has not gotten the requisite experience to handle such a difficult side with lots of egotistic players.
The former Borussia Dortmund and Ajax midfielder has only ever managed a third division Belgian side Vervietois as well as worked as TV pundit and a member of the Fifa Technical Study Group for the 2014 World Cup.

Cech takes part in first Arsenal training session

Petr Cech has joined in training with Arsenal for the first time since sealing his move to the club from Chelsea...

The Czech Republic international took to the field with his new team-mates and pictures of his session were subsequently posted on Twitter and Instagram by the club’s official accounts.

Depay: Don't compare me to Ronaldo but I will excite Manchester United fans

The Netherlands international was officially unveiled as the club's newest signing on Friday, and has rebuffed comparisons with the Real Madrid and Portugal superstar...

 

New Manchester United signing Memphis Depay has rejected comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo, but is planning to excite fans of the club.

United boss Louis van Gaal previously compared Depay to Lionel Messi due to his ability to score goals from the wing.

"He's a goalscoring winger and there aren't so many of them in the world," Van Gaal told MUTV in May. "[Lionel] Messi is one of those."

Henderson voted FIFA 16 cover star

 

The new Liverpool captain has beaten off competition from Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane and Thibaut Courtois to feature alongside Lionel Messi on the front of the game...

 

Jordan Henderson will be on the cover of Fifa 16 alongside Lionel Messi, EA Sports have announced. ..

BREAKING: Marcelo extends Real Madrid contract

 

Marcelo has signed a new contract with Real Madrid that binds him to the Santiago Bernabeu until 2020.

More to follow ...

Sterling returns to Liverpool training

 

The 20-year-old, who is desperate to leave the club this summer, cited illness for his absence on Wednesday and Thursday but reported for duty ahead of the pre-season tour...

 

Raheem Sterling has reported for Liverpool pre-season training after calling in sick twice earlier this week, Goal understands.

The winger was absent as the first-team squad returned to Melwood on Wednesday, citing illness, before repeating the claim on Thursday amid ongoing speculation over his future.

Sterling told Brendan Rodgers of his desire to leave Liverpool at the end of last season, with Manchester City since having two bid rejected and are preparing a third.

Nigeria slip to 57th in July Fifa ranking

 

The Super Eagles dropped to tenth in Africa after crashing to the fifty-seventh position in the world in the latest Fifa ranking...

Nigeria's senior national team have dropped 14 places to 57th in the latest Fifa world ranking released on Thursday - their poorest drop April 2014 despite defeating Chad 2-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in June.

 

The Super Eagles slipped one place to be ranked tenth African side behind Algeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Tunisia, Senegal, Cameroon, Congo, Cape Verde Island and Egypt.

 

Meanwhile, Algeria remain at the summit of African football after moving two places to the 19th position in the world while second-placed Cote d'Ivoire climbed three places to 21st and Ghana zoomed nine places up to 25th in the world but remained third in Africa. They are followed by Tunisia (32), Senegal (39), Cameroon (42), Congo (47), Cape Verde Island (52), Egypt (55), Nigeria (57) to complete the African top ten.

Nigeria's group opponents in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series also saw mixed fortunes as Egypt remained unmoved at 55, while Chad and Tanzania both dropped one and 12 places respectively to finish in 173rd and 139th spots.

Argentina leapfrogged over Belgium and Germany to take the top spot in the world ranking for the first time in seven years as new South American champions Chile have moved up eight positions, only just missing out on a top-ten ranking at number 11.

 

The next ranking will be released on August 6, 2015.

Casillas and Ramos deserve better - David Mateos

The former Real Madrid defender says people should not forget what the duo have given the club as summer transfers draw closer...

Former Real Madrid defender David Mateos feels Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos have both been treated unfairly amid speculation over their futures.

Casillas has agreed a deal in principle to join Porto from his boyhood club, although the move has hit a stumbling block after he failed to negotiate a financial compensation package with the Santiago Bernabeu side.

Meanwhile, Madrid have stayed silent on rumours surrounding the future of Ramos, with Manchester United keen on bringing the Spain centre-back to Old Trafford should his relationship with the club become untenable.

While Mateos is not surprised to see Casillas considering a departure - given the plummet in his standing among Madridistas following his falling-out with Jose Mourinho and poor form - he believes fans should remember what both players have given to the club during their careers...

Nigeria wait on Fifa clearance for Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi

The young Gunner is expected to make his Super Eagles bow once the NFF’s application for a nationality eligibility switch is complete..

Nigeria expect to get Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi to play for them as soon as possible, as they await word from Fifa over their application for a nationality switch.

The 19-year-old, who plays as a forward and captains the Gunners’ U21s, was born in Lagos but has represented the English youth teams at all levels.

However, he has decided to pitch his international future with the Super Eagles and was invited to the U23 squad but sat in the stands during an All African Games qualifying match against Gabon in Libreville in February....

Arda: Ronaldo is special but he'll never be like Messi

 

The latest arrival at Camp Nou believes that the Argentine is the greatest player the game has ever seen, while he revealed that he received several offers from other clubs...

 

New Barcelona signing Arda Turan says that while Cristiano Ronaldo is a "special" player, the Real Madrid superstar will never reach the same level as Lionel Messi.

Turkey international Arda completed his €41 million move from Atletico Madrid to the Blaugrana on Friday, putting pen to paper on a five-year contract with the Catalan club.

The attacking midfielder will not be able to play for Luis Enrique's side until January as Barca are currently serving a Fifa-imposed transfer ban relating to the movement of under-age players but Arda explained that he never had any doubts about moving to Camp Nou as he is so excited about lining out alongside the man he believes to be the greatest footballer of all time....