XAVI HERNANDEZ, the world’s finest midfielder, remembers the advice he received when, aged 10, he made a first tentative journey to La Masia, the 18th century farmhouse in the shadow of the Camp Nou where FC Barcelona school their kids.

HE WAS one of the heroes in red in the Camp Nou in Barcelona on the unforgettable night of May 24, 1999 when Manchester United staged football’s most famous late, late show to lift the European Cup.

SCOTLAND will need to fire on all cylinders to get a positive result in their qualifier against World Cup runners-up France, coach Walter Smith said yesterday.

Stilian Petrov is set to give Celtic manager Gordon Strachan more problems with Bulgaria coach Hristo Stoichkov demanding the Scottish champions let him skipper his country.

Bulgaria coach Hristo Stoichkov has backed away from a club-versus-country confrontation with Celtic over midfielder Stilian Petrov.

Republic of Ireland boss Brian Kerr will risk incurring the wrath of Jose Mourinho by handing Damien Duff a starting place in tomorrow’s friendly against Bulgaria.

BULGARIA’S new coach Hristo Stoichkov has recalled defender Radostin Kishishev for their friendly against Ireland on August 18 at Lansdowne Road.