WORLD

REAL MADRID would have signed Lionel Messi during Florentino Perez’s first term in charge, the president has revealed. Barcelona scooped up Argentine Messi as a 14-year-old after his family move to Catalonia. The forward has developed into one of the football’s greatest ever players, having won eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues at Barca. His development also came ...

More than 50,000 Chile fans say they are going to march on the national stadium and demand that Alexis Sanchez breaks up with his girlfriend Mayte Rodriguez. The Arsenal forward has come in for criticism this week over his performances for the national team this week, with a former coach claiming the player looked “fatter than normal”. And in a ...

ARSENAL and Manchester City failed to meet West Brom’s valuation for defender Jonny Evans, says manager Tony Pulis. Evans, who was appointed West Brom’s new captain in June, was linked with a number of clubs during the summer. The Northern Ireland international attracted interest from Arsenal and Manchester City towards the end of the window, while Leicester were also said ...

CHELSEA have ordered that Diego Costa’s Range Rover be removed from the first-team car park and dumped in a youth team bay at the club’s training ground. Costa, 28, has been deemed surplus to requirements at Chelsea after Antonio Conte told him he is no longer in his plans via text earlier in the summer. The Spain international has since ...

TOTTENHAM new boy Serge Aurier has revealed he chose to leave Paris Saint-Germain in the summer because they “did not respect his true worth”. Tottenham snapped up Aurier in a £23million deal on deadline day, with the Ivory Coast international replacing Kyle Walker who left for Manchester City earlier in the window. Aurier was handed a new three-year deal to ...

Usain Bolt is feeling no pressure in retirement, confident his best times can remain world records for decades. The only sprinter to capture the 100- and 200-metre track titles at three consecutive Olympics, Bolt retired last month after the world championships in London. He holds the world record of 9.58 seconds in the 100 and 19.19 in the 200 — ...

The fashion houses behind brands including Christian Dior and Gucci have said they will stop using underweight models for their catwalk shows. LVMH and Kering, two of the biggest fashion firms in the world, made the move amid criticism the industry encourages eating disorders. Models must be bigger than a French size 32 for women, which corresponds to a UK ...

Internet access in Togo has been severely restricted as opposition supporters gather to protest against the rule of President Faure Gnassingbé. Some users say internet speeds are slow and access to social media platforms has been limited. Protesters have rejected a government proposal to bring about a two-term presidential limit, saying it is a ploy to extend the president’s rule. ...

ANDRES INIESTA has revealed he has not yet signed a new deal with Barcelona. The Spaniard’s current contract with Barcelona runs until the end of the season and there has been concern among fans he may not renew. Barca’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu recently confirmed a deal has been agreed in principle to extend Iniesta’s contract. He told Spanish paper ...

LIVERPOOL can challenge for the Premier League title after they kept Philippe Coutinho away from Barcelona, says Ryan Giggs. Barcelona had three bids turned down for Coutinho during the summer, with the Brazilian even handing in a transfer request to force through a move. But Liverpool stood firm and refused to sell the 25-year-old playmaker – and Giggs reckons keeping ...