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Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! It’s one of life’s many disappointments: your team is almost certainly not going to win the Euros. Only 11 sides have won the tournament going back to its inaugural outing in 1960, and three of those – the Soviet Union, West Germany and Czechoslovakia – no longer exist, having crashed out at the knockout stage of geopolitics in the meantime. Continue reading...

* Club open to securing £50m-rated midfielder’s future * Chelsea held informal talks with Aston Villa over move Chelsea are considering a shift in their position over selling Conor Gallagher and could make a concerted effort to agree a new deal with the midfielder. Gallagher, who is out of contract at the end of next season, remains a candidate to leave Stamford Bridge this summer and is wanted by Aston Villa and Tottenham. But while there have been plenty of ­indications that Chelsea are actively ­looking to sell ­Gallagher, who is ­valued at a minimum of £50m, there has been a change in the noise around the situation. Continue reading...

Having suffered against Ronaldo in the 1998 World Cup’s first game, the former midfielder offers a guide to coping Craig Brown had a useful knack of relaxing Scotland players in tense situations. On 10 June 1998, Brown’s team opened the World Cup against all-conquering Brazil. Craig Burley takes up the story of what transpired as the teams prepared to take to the pitch at the Stade de France. “That was one of Craig’s iconic moments,” Burley recalls. “We are lined up in the big, wide tunnel. We seemed to stand in there for an age. You could see everyone getting ready out on the field, preparing for all the razzmatazz. They held us in there for ages. Continue reading...

Talk in his brother’s kitchen two years ago led to 20-year-old Crystal Palace midfielder going to Euro 2024 with England Adam Wharton’s meteoric rise to England’s Euro 2024 squad has taken many supporters by surprise but it was the culmination of a plan hatched in his brother’s kitchen two years ago. Wharton Jr had just been handed his first professional contract by Blackburn after turning 18 and sat down with Scott – who is six years older and plays in defence for their boyhood club – and their agent to discuss his ambitions. “You have to set goals,” James Featherstone, the agent, says. “At the time he had reached a level where we knew he was going to have a career, so it was all about at what level. I’ve always said he was special, although I don’t think Adam’s ever necessarily been someone who would characterise himself like that. So he needed some encouragement that he could shoot for the stars. Adam’s not the sort of person who would have said when he was 18: ‘I’m going to pla

Fortunes are on the up after a string of lethargic displays but an overhaul beckons after the tournament This article is part of the Guardian’s Euro 2024 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 24 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 14 June. Continue reading...

* Club now discussing contract extension with Dutchman * Development of Mainoo and Garnacho impressed owners Erik ten Hag will remain as Manchester United manager. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s season review concluded that a record of two trophies in two seasons, his development of Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, plus the Dutchman’s professionalism and dignity meant he deserved the chance to continue. Negotiations over a new contract for the Dutchman have already begun. The decision signals a reverse in the assessment of Ten Hag’s likely future. Ratcliffe and his advisers were previously minded to remove him, yet a number of factors ultimately persuaded them Ten Hag should remain. Continue reading...

France, Spain, England, Germany and Portugal all have Euro 2024 hopes – but they also have problems How is the form? Les Bleus approach a tournament in which they are one of the favourites disjointed and in search of fluidity. Kylian Mbappé sounded the alarm after a 2-0 loss against Germany in March. “There are lots of warnings: technically, tactically, in terms of desire and even efficiency too,” said the captain, adding that the “leadership” was “deficient”. Not exactly the serene buildup France would have hoped for, but they have known worse. The defeat to Germany came in the absence of Antoine Griezmann; without him, Didier Deschamps’ men looked lost, and the over-reliance on individuals is a concern. Continue reading...

* Southgate must choose who joins Rice and Bellingham * Alexander-Arnold’s range of passing a plus in midfield Trent Alexander-Arnold is in line to accompany Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham in midfield when England face Serbia in their opening game at Euro 2024 on Sunday. Gareth Southgate, who has a number of fitness concerns before his side travel to Gelsenkirchen for their Group C opener, faces a big call over who should take the third spot in central midfield. England are light on experience after leaving Kalvin Phillips and Jordan Henderson out of their squad and whoever is chosen to start with Bellingham and Rice will have plenty to prove. Continue reading...

Formidable in qualifying and boasting one of the game’s great playmakers, a goalkeeper fallout marred preparations This article is part of the Guardian’s Euro 2024 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 24 countries who qualified – theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 14 June. Continue reading...

* Barcelona star had hoped to recover for tournament * Robert Lewandowski limps off in Poland’s victory The Netherlands’ delight with an emphatic 4-0 win over Iceland in their last warm-up match on Monday before heading to the Euros turned to despair when it was announced that the playmaker Frenkie de Jong would not be going to the tournament in Germany. The 27-year-old had been battling to be fit in time after suffering several ankle injuries this season playing for Barcelona. De Jong attempted training for the first time with his teammates on Sunday, after a week of individual work, but after examinations on Monday doctors said he would not be ready in time. Continue reading...

* Anti-discrimination group criticise prominence of image * ‘Words and pictures hit harder than you might realise’ The anti-discrimination group Kick It Out has sent an open letter to British media editors criticising the prominent use of Bukayo Saka’s picture by some outlets to illustrate England’s loss to Iceland. England slumped to the shock 1-0 defeat on Friday at Wembley in their final warm-up game before Euro 2024. Saka came on in the 65th minute for Anthony Gordon and was not on the pitch when England conceded. Images of Saka were used prominently by a number of outlets after the game or as the main online picture with the game ongoing. Continue reading...

Euro 2024 in Germany will be a huge moment for arguably the Three Lions’ greatest player who turns 31 next month Southgate in crisis. England in Euro flip-flap flop. Kane: My (in hindsight) Sad and Doomed Trophy Hopes. Plus ça change, plus c’est the same bleeding thing all over again. Whenever Harry Kane approaches a significant mark in his career it is always tempting to peer down the time tunnel in search of a poignant on-this-day-style comparison. Jump back 10 years and Kane, more so than any other elite footballer, is likely to have been on the bench at AFC Egham or scoring a hat-trick against Bogford Cheesedown in the Copydex Industrial Sealants 37th-tier playoff quarter-finals. Continue reading...

In an extract from her autobiography, the founder of Afghanistan women’s team explains how she overcame violence to build a fledgling network of girls’ teams In 2003, the Taliban had been removed from power in Afghanistan for two years, but their influence and ideology still ran deeply through society. “Whores,” the man hissed. Continue reading...

* Wales follow up Gibraltar draw with 4-0 defeat * France held by Canada; Italy beat Bosnia-Herzegovina Depleted Wales were hammered 4-0 in Slovakia to pile further pressure on beleaguered boss Rob Page. Slovakia got the perfect Euro 2024 send-off as Juraj Kucka and Robert Bozenik struck either side of the break, with the Wales goalkeeper Danny Ward at fault for the opener on the stroke of half-time. Ethan Ampadu, leading Wales for the first time, unfortunately turned the ball into his own net on the hour and Laszlo Benes’ superb late strike completed the rout. Continue reading...

* Captain says he is ‘excited for another major tournament’ * Defends Southgate’s ‘tough decisions’ on Euros squad Harry Kane insisted he has put the personal horror of England’s 2022 World Cup exit behind him as he declared himself fighting fit for the European Championship finals and said the team are on the “right path.” The captain’s late penalty miss in the 2-1 quarter-final defeat against France in Qatar will always haunt him. But since then he has become ­England’s record goalscorer with 63 goals from 91 caps and has enjoyed a prolific debut season at ­Bayern Munich after his transfer from Tottenham last summer. Continue reading...

Manager aiming to be first to lead Scotland to a knockout stage isn’t fazed by starting against Euro 2024 hosts There is a twinkle in Steve Clarke’s eye as he poses a rhetorical question. “If you asked every Tartan Army member: ‘Come out of the group in Germany, or qualify for the next World Cup?’ what are they going to want?” There follows a pause and a smile. “I know what my bosses would rather have.” Finding an appropriate answer is complex. Clarke’s work with Scotland is such that supporters believe the class of 2024 can break the mould by becoming the country’s first to emerge from the group phase at a major tournament. There are subplots: the expansion of the European Championship, the modern-day depth in international football and the added belief that Clarke’s men could very well party in the European Championship finals this month and the 2026 World Cup. The point he is trying to make relates to a bigger picture; landmarks will be reached if Scotland’s players display the

Rappers team up with the Black Footballers Partnership for a song calling out racism while backing England “Football and music are the biggest influences in the country,” says the artist CreezeOn, also known as Cree Reid. “I think that they are vehicles of expression that have been put there for us to explore.” The 20-year-old features on the recently released Euro 2024 anthem It’s OUR Team alongside another up-and-coming rapper, Keaton Amory (Ke4t). The song backs England while calling out racism, and has been produced by the Sheffield-based Toddla T in collaboration with the Black Footballers Partnership. Continue reading...

Managing expectation after a strong qualifying campaign looked a problem – but injury blows have helped with that This article is part of the Guardian’s Euro 2024 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 24 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 14 June. Continue reading...

Gareth Southgate knows that relying solely on one gifted player would be repeating an old England mistake The big man is back or at least he is coming back. It is a situation we have lived before with England on the eve of a major tournament in Germany. For Wayne Rooney post-metatarsal at the 2006 World Cup, see Jude Bellingham, for different reasons, and Euro 2024. It has been a draining week for Gareth Southgate, the dark clouds gathering as the manager prepared to make the final cuts to his squad, the anxiety unavoidable. It is football. But it is also people. The difficult decisions, especially the ones to omit Harry Maguire, Jack Grealish and James Maddison, the first of the trio for fitness reasons, were felt by everyone. Continue reading...

* Left-back pushed himself too hard to return early from injury * Shaw: ‘It’s kind of everyone’s fault … I shouldn’t have played’ Luke Shaw has offered an emotional insight into his season of injury woes, saying that he blames himself and Manchester United’s medical department for the hamstring problems that have threatened the England left-back’s place at Euro 2024. Shaw, who is battling to be fit for England’s second group game against Denmark on 20 June, has not played since going off against Luton on 18 February and was a major doubt to be included in Gareth Southgate’s final 26-man squad for the tournament. Continue reading...

Slowly, unsurely, sides from the former eastern bloc are emerging again – but their journeys are all very different On 14 July, the European champions will be crowned in Berlin. No one really expects a former communist country to win in the city whose division once symbolised the cold war but perhaps, finally, 35 years after the Wall came down, the eastern part of the continent is beginning from a football perspective to regather its strength. Not including Germany (two players in their provisional squad were born in the east), 11 of the 24 teams at the Euros will be from the former Soviet bloc, as opposed to eight in 2020 and 2016. Even including the two hosts, Poland and Ukraine, five of the 16 were from the east in 2012; there were five in 2008, 2004 and 1996 and four in 2000. Continue reading...

Pub and restaurant trade reporting high demand for tournament bookings, as football fans prepare to follow fortunes of England and Scotland on the big screen Football fans used to worry about getting a ticket into the ground. Now they are fretting about being able to book a place at the bar. Bookings to watch England in Euro 2024 have soared in the last week as fans cottoned on to the fact that the nation’s first game in the tournament against Serbia will also fall on Father’s Day, this Sunday 16 June. Continue reading...

* Iceland win 1-0 at Wembley in final Euro 2024 warm-up * ‘You’ve got to be spot on in every aspect of the game’ Gareth Southgate warned England that talent alone will not carry them to glory at Euro 2024 after they fell to a flat 1-0 defeat by Iceland on Friday night. Southgate, whose problems were exacerbated by John Stones leaving Wembley with strapping on his right ankle, had no issues with his team being booed off after floundering in their final warm-up game before they fly to Germany on Monday. Continue reading...

The sharing of four goals preceded Doris Day blaring from the Tannoy at Hampden Park. What will be, will be. Steve Clarke and Scotland must hope this flat ending to their Euro 2024 buildup counts for nothing. They need only glance towards Wembley for solace on that score. Continue reading...

England’s enduring defensive key-slab deserves a little fond applause – and his absence requires a profound adjustment “‘He’s a cheery old card,” grunted Harry to Jack As they slogged up to [Euro 2024] with [headphones] and pack, Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! The British overseas territory of Gibraltar has an official population of 32,688. If it were sawn off the Iberian peninsula and reattached to the north side of the Bristol Channel, it would be Wales’s 13th-largest settlement, tucked in between Caerphilly and Pontypridd. At its narrowest point, just north of the airport runway that backs on to its national and only football stadium, it is around 400m wide. With a fair wind, Wayne Hennessey might be able to boot a football right across it. May I congratulate you on your photo in Wednesday’s Football Daily with a smiling James Maddison and Jack Grealish ‘looking forward to the Euros’, while giving it the thumbs up from the England training HQ. Are you Mystic Meg in disguise, or do you have a mole in the camp?” – Stevie Ewens. I really wonder if Gareth Southgate uses the same method as, say, the draw for the fifth round of the FA Cup on the One Show. Pick 26 balls with squad numbers

Dame Victoria Sharp says judge was wrong to pause trial after prosecutors said they did not plan to call Georgia Barton as a witness Joey Barton faces a new criminal trial over an allegation he assaulted his wife, judges at the high court have ruled after proceedings against him were previously paused. The former footballer was accused of assaulting Georgia Barton in a drunken row – which he denied – and was due to face trial at a magistrates court in 2022. Continue reading...

Jack Grealish, James Maddison, James Trafford, Jarell Quansah, ­Jarrad Branthwaite and Curtis Jones all missed out as England manager Gareth Southgate trimmed his Euro 2024 squad from 33 to 26 players, while Harry Maguire was effectively ruled out through injury. * Southgate promises different England after axing Grealish and Maguire * Grealish a surprise but absence of Harry Maguire will hurt England more Continue reading...

Gareth Southgate may have cause to regret dropping wide man but player may benefit from summer of recuperation Jack Grealish: from vital and colourful member of Manchester City’s treble winners to being dropped a year later for England’s tilt at Euro 2024 glory is a sobering trajectory for a footballer whose bubbly personality and talent for making mugs of defenders give him an X-factor Gareth Southgate may regret leaving behind. The manager’s exclusion of the wide man makes Grealish the biggest casualty for form reasons as England head for Germany next week. Harry Maguire has been a mainstay of the Southgate era but the Manchester United defender misses out owing to a persistent calf injury. Continue reading...

* Maddison and Jones cut earlier from Southgate squad * Trafford, Branthwaite and Quansah also dropped * Follow live updates as Southgate names his final 26 Gareth Southgate has made the ruthless decision to cut Jack Grealish from England’s Euro 2024 squad and will be without Harry Maguire for the tournament because of a calf injury. The manager, who had already dropped James Maddison and Curtis Jones from his provisional 33-man squad, has also left out the goalkeeper James Trafford and two more defenders in Jarrad Branthwaite and Jarell Quansah to create a final 26. The squad includes the Crystal Palace midfielders Adam Wharton, who made his England debut against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday, and Eberechi Eze. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Football has brought fans anxiety since its inception but previously that was about whether a team won or lost, lifted a trophy or got relegated. Nowadays, the tension is brought about by how ludicrously expensive it is to support a Premier League club. Football businesses (because they are not clubs anymore) might pretend they have some interest in the good old “legacy fans” who have been turning up for decades regardless of the ownership. Many have no choice in who they support, whether through geography or blood, and feel compelled to keep attending regardless of the cost of tickets, gas, electricity and food. If I was Luke Littler, I’d be more than a little worried now that James Maddison has a whole summer to practice his darts” – Antony Train. I was fascinated to see last week that Red Bull have bought a stake in Leeds United. Now every tyke down at Elland Road will be able to exclaim: ‘Well, RB’” – Stephen John Rankin.

Being dumped out before Roy Hodgson’s resignation – plus the Brexit vote – made for a traumatic time eight years ago A series of red-roofed villas are perched high on the steep Mediterranean hillsides above the Stade de Nice. Viewed from certain angles they can appear in peril of sliding down into the city beneath. It is an optical illusion, unlike England’s painful, vertiginous, fall from grace in that arena on 27 June 2016. Roy Hodgson’s side lost 2-1 to Iceland in France as Euro 2016 entered the last 16 and the continent came to terms with the UK’s Brexit vote and David Cameron’s resignation as prime minister. Continue reading...

Matt Singleton is a gerontologist who has written a book around the 1966 World Cup which aims to stimulate memories Seven years ago Matt Singleton’s father, Brian, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and one of the immediate consequences was that he stopped reading. “That was his main pastime when he wasn’t working, along with football,” says Matt. “Suddenly I was no longer able to buy him books for things like birthdays and Father’s Day, so I started to write them myself for fun.” Matt publishes his books now, in association with the Alzheimer’s Society. They are called “cognitive books” as they are designed to help stimulate the mind of someone with dementia. He is a gerontologist, someone who specialises in understanding the processes of ageing. In choosing his material he has had to be selective, focusing on topics that can make connections with people whose memories have been attacked. That’s where the 1966 World Cup comes in. Continue reading...

* Belgium beat Montenegro 2-0 in Euro 2024 warm-up * Mbappé on target for France in 3-0 win against Luxembourg Kevin De Bruyne scored on his 100th cap for Belgium and sent his country on their way to a 2-0 win over Montenegro in Brussels in the first of two friendlies before they head to the European Championship. The Belgium captain stroked home a long-range shot a minute before half-time to hand his side the lead after Matija Sarkic, the Montenegro goalkeeper, was caught in no-man’s land after a defensive mix-up. It was a cruel blow to the English-born keeper, who had kept a quick-paced Belgium attack at bay for almost the entire half with a remarkable series of saves, most notably from Yannick Carrasco, who had four clear chances but was denied each time. Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard tucked away a penalty with the last kick of the game to double the scoreline. Continue reading...

As a club now synonymous with wealth and power rail against ‘the elites’, there is a looming danger to the game as we know it Here we are then, at last. The chrysalis has finally hatched. The thing that was always going to be the thing has now become the thing. Welcome to a very Premier League kind of coup. As news emerged of Manchester City’s potentially devastating legal case against English football’s top tier it was tempting to see a kind of parable. Here we have a league founded out of greed, for the future benefit of greed, which now finds itself threatened with internal detonation by – yes – greed. Invite a tiger in for tea and the tiger might be fun. But it’s also still a tiger. And in the end it’s going to eat you too. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! There are few phrases guaranteed to send shivers down the spine of even the most grizzled football veteran. But “From the England camp” is among them, generations of children traumatised into adulthood by the residual boredom of tournament reports advising us that Gary Stevens and Gary Stevens have the same name, to say nothing of Trevor Steven; that Dave Beasant has played snooker with Neil Webb; that the manager is “keeping his cards close to his chest”. For some, the simple utterance of “Gelsenkirchen” or “Baden-Baden” bring with them an ayahuascan aspect, and with Friday’s squad-naming deadline swiftly followed by Monday’s flight to Germany, the moment of regression is almost upon us. Before we even know it, Gabriel Clarke and co will be intoning whichever overwhelming seriousness and hilarious ephemera has “captured the public imagination” – an expression that does not, for the avoidance of doubt, describe the imprisonment in t

Can they repeat their frequent World Cup heroics at a Euros? Modric will again be relied upon to lead an ageing but always dangerous side This article is part of the Guardian’s Euro 2024 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 24 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 14 June. Continue reading...

Manager’s dilemma took another twist against Bosnia with Trent Alexander-Arnold improving after moving to right-back It is the question that Gareth Southgate admits he has turned over and over in his mind. Who plays alongside Declan Rice in his England midfield at Euro 2024? “In the last few months I’ve been thinking: ‘Declan with who?’” the manager said two weeks ago. “And: ‘Who if without Declan?’” Let us move on from the second part of that because it is simply unthinkable. There is no other No 6 at Southgate’s disposal, after the falls from grace of Kalvin Phillips and Jordan Henderson. And that, as an aside, overlooks how Rice’s best position may very well be as a No 8. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! At last! Real Madrid have announced the signing of Kylian Mbappé, a deal that was reportedly done in February; a pursuit that began in the Mesozoic era. There have been bumps along the way but it was always going to materialise at some point, donning the whites at the Bernabéu a boyhood dream for the Parisian. And while most of us grow out of our pre-adolescent craze for Panini stickers [better skip over Quote of the Day, then – Football Daily Ed], Madrid’s chief suit, Florentino Pérez, is not most of us. Nearly a quarter of a century since he nicked Luís Figo from Barcelona, Pérez, his eyes bulging outside the toy store, has not lost his desire for the latest shiny collectible. Even after winning Big Cup for the sixth time in 10 years, he just had to have him. Continue reading...

Poor performances in qualifying led to a discussion about Murat Yakin’s position and the appointment of a new assistant coach This article is part of the Guardian’s Euro 2024 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 24 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 14 June. Continue reading...

Having emerged from a qualifying group with Spain and Norway, Steve Clarke’s team have high hopes of reaching knockout stage This article is part of the Guardian’s Euro 2024 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 24 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 14 June. Continue reading...

* Southgate must submit 26-man squad to Uefa by Friday * Cole Palmer and Eberechi Eze make strong cases for inclusion Gareth Southgate admitted it is going to be “difficult” to axe seven players from his squad by Friday’s midnight deadline after England’s ultimately comfortable 3-0 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina produced several strong auditions for Euro 2024. Southgate is preparing for the tournament with 33 players but can submit only 26 names to Uefa by the Friday deadline. The victory at St James’ Park on Monday night only added to his dilemmas as Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze ranked among those making strong cases for inclusion. Continue reading...

Eberechi Eze’s pace and trickery stood out on his first start and Trent Alexander-Arnold advanced his claims for a place in team Jordan Pickford The goalkeeper’s Sunderland heritage was temporarily forgotten as the Gallowgate End treated him to a rendition of “England’s number one” on a quiet night. 6 Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Get in there! Have some of that! The undisputed best league in the world ™ has only gone and completed the hat-trick. Real Madrid’s Big Cup win over Borussia Dortmund means the Premier League can now boast that its teams lost, at some point, to the three sides that lifted European silverware this season. No disgrace there to be sent packing by those heavyweights from Spain, Italy and … erm, Greece. To recall, Manchester City were done by Madrid on penalties, Liverpool endured the beginning of Jürgen Klopp’s end at the hands of eventual Big Vase winners Atalanta, while Aston Villa were plucky 6-2 aggregate losers to Olympiakos in Tin Pot’s last four. Continue reading...

* Spurs, Brentford and Crystal Palace among midfielder’s suitors * West Ham’s move for Guilherme close to collapse over terms Sunderland are determined not to sell Jobe Bellingham despite interest in the England Under-19 midfielder from clubs in the Premier League and elsewhere in Europe. Tottenham, Brentford and Crystal Palace are believed to be among the English sides to have shown an interest in Bellingham, who was at Wembley on Saturday to watch his brother, Jude, win the Champions League with Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund. Continue reading...

* Liverpool teenager could make debut against Gibraltar * Injuries leave Clarke with just two fit strikers for Euros Scotland’s manager, Steve Clarke, has warned that a mini-crisis in attack before Euro 2024 should not fuel excitement over a prominent role for Ben Doak. The Liverpool teenager could make his Scotland debut from the bench during the friendly against Gibraltar on Monday after receiving a surprise call-up last month. The ankle injury sustained in training on Friday by Lyndon Dykes has left Clarke with two recognised strikers, Che Adams and Lawrence Shankland, for the finals in Germany. He will take a few days to decide whether to call up another forward – the Under-21 player Tommy ­Conway is the obvious candidate – but is aware Doak played through the middle for underage teams. Continue reading...

Defender will captain country at his club stadium on Monday against Bosnia and Herzegovina with no fears over his fitness Every England tournament countdown needs an injury scare story. The thing about the one which Kieran Trippier sparked on the Wednesday before last – from the other side of the world in Australia – was that he was oblivious to it. Trippier had come off after 37 minutes of Newcastle’s post-season friendly against Tottenham in Melbourne, a fixture widely derided for the strain it placed on the players after a gruelling campaign and with Euro 2024 looming. Continue reading...

Real Madrid lifted the trophy and may dominate for some time to come, while PSG are about to enter an uncertain era Francisco Gento’s record of six European Cup wins was one of those records that looked unassailable, belonging to the era of football scrapbooks. And yet Dani Carvajal, scorer of Real Madrid’s first goal in the final, and Luka Modrić matched the legendary winger’s total with Madrid’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Toni Kroos, in his final club game, having won five with Real to add to his Champions League title in 2013 with Bayern Munich, joined them. Continue reading...

Team have been in decline for 10 years but Sergej Barbarez, the fifth manager since 2022, has a clear strategy to reverse that Sergej Barbarez has been all over the Bosnian media for the past 40 days. Newspapers, magazines, TV shows, podcasts – he doesn’t decline any interviews. Nor does he avoid any questions. He is excited, constantly smiling, and is not hiding that he regards this as the first and perhaps the most important part of his job as the new manager of Bosnia and Herzegovina: to make the national team relevant again. On Monday the former Bosnia forward’s side play England at St James’ Park in his first game and his position is clear. “Of course, the results are important,” he says. “But at this point, we want to use the upcoming games, like the one against England, and the whole year ahead of us, to change the perspective of the national team. We want this team to be successful and respected again, but more than that, we want it to be loved again. The national team lost

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson, Archie Rhind-Tutt and Jonathan Fadugba for the final pod of the domestic season Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. On the podcast today; Real Madrid are outplayed for large parts of the game as Borussia Dortmund miss chance after chance in the first half but none of that matters does it? Because Real Madrid always win. Continue reading...