You’ll know him as a full-back, but Luke McLean started life in Italian blue as a ten. The temptation is to ask, who hasn’t?

Ireland’s Nicolas Roche and Dan Martin both preserved their high overall placings in the Vuelta a Espana yesterday and look well poised to strike for the race lead today.

Can there possibly be a more mouth-watering prospect in the whole of the 2015 football calendar than Barcelona v Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou tonight?

Cristiano Ronaldo will discover on Wednesday if his behaviour during Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Cordoba will see him banned for Real Madrid’s clash with Atletico Madrid on February 7.

La Liga: Cristiano Ronaldo did not enjoy Real Madrid’s La Liga clash at Cordoba on Saturday. And the recently crowned 2014 Ballon D’Or has not had a memorable start to the new year.

Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for lashing out but Gareth Bale scored a late penalty to give a ragged Real Madrid side all three points from a 2-1 win at Cordoba.

There’s good news from Portugal. 

It’s that time of year again, as rugby’s giants and potential giant-killers head north of the equator to take on Europe’s powerhouses in their own backyards.

Two great nephews of Pope Francis, and their mother, have been killed in a road crash in Argentina.

Dylan Hartley admits New Zealand have landed a telling psychological blow in the build-up to the 2015 World Cup by completing a 3-0 series whitewash over England.

The NCH hosts a concert by Jerry Creedon and Claire Adams, writes Jo Kerrigan.

Outbreaks of looting have spread across Argentina as mobs take advantage of strikes by police demanding pay raises to match inflation.

Argentina’s second largest city has been rocked by waves of looting and robberies after police went on strike for higher pay .

THE renowned classical guitarist, John Williams, will perform a solo recital at the CIT Cork School of Music next Thursday, Nov 21. This is his third, and probably final concert in Ireland. He is retiring from concert recitals after June 2014.

Justin Bieber has blamed food poisoning for quitting the stage for the second time during his South America tour, drawing boos from a huge crowd who paid up to £200 to see their idol perform.

The latest club-by-club transfer guide of all the happenings in the transfer window.

A club-by-club transfer guide of the happenings on transfer day so far.

Thousands of people flooded the streets of Argentina's capital in one of the country's biggest anti-government protests in more than a decade.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew was today awaiting news of skipper Fabricio Coloccini after it emerged he has suffered an injury on international duty.

With a clean sweep on their Southern Hemisphere tour, Scotland have gone a long way towards redemption after their World Cup and Six Nations disasters, but head coach Andy Robinson admits there is still a lot of work to do.

Desperate Spaniards are raiding farm crops to sell at markets in an attempt to raise money as their economy falters.

Frederic Michalak has been named in France’s squad for their two-match tour of Argentina next month.

The Madeleine McCann mystery took a twist yesterday as it emerged Spanish police are looking into a reported sighting of the missing girl in a Costa del Sol holiday resort.

Marches are taking place throughout Spain as many thousands protest against the government’s recently approved labour reforms.

Mexican marines have captured a founding member of the brutal Zetas drug cartel, the navy announced.

World number two Rafael Nadal put his US Open disappointment behind him to set Spain on their way to a 2-0 lead over France in their Davis Cup semi-final.

ONE of the most famous names in South American football, 33-time Argentina champions River Plate, suffered their biggest humiliation last night with relegation to the second division for the first time.

Jonathan deBurca Butler gets a whistle-stop taste of a confident, vibrant, lived-in city with the ‘swagger of a matador ‘, before moving on to devour delightful Toledo, Seville and Cordoba

Katie Price was involved in a car crash that killed two horses yesterday.

Katie Price has thanked Sir Elton John for introducing her to her new boyfriend.

THERE was a lot on Angel Cabrera’s mind coming into this week’s Masters.

Katie Price’s new boyfriend Leandro Penna plans to introduce her to his parents.

The Dakar Rally is underway, with competitors taking part in a ceremonial drive from Buenos Aires to Victoria.

Former Argentine dictator Jorge Videla was sentenced to life in prison for the torture and murder of 31 prisoners in 1976.

Freezing weather brought misery to parts of the continent today with snow closing Paris’ main airport, while in Spain a boy drowned in a flash food.

The Bank of Spain has stepped in to bail out a regional savings bank after merger talks with another similar entity broke down, officials said.

IRELAND is unusual among western democracies in its continuing fight to have the plight of the Palestinians addressed.

EU foreign ministers struggled to agree the details of a common foreign service at a meeting in Spain last night.

A woman watching the Dakar Rally has died after she was struck by a vehicle competing in the race’s first stage.

THAILAND’S Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym came face to face with WBA World Super Bantamweight title holder Bernard Dunne, for the first time yesterday and promised that Saturday night’s meeting at the O2 will not be as cordial.

It has been been confirmed that WBA Super Bantamweight champion Bernard Dunne will make the first defence of his title at the O2 in Dublin on Saturday, September 26, when he faces number one-rated contender Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym.

Two major wildfires are still burning in eastern Spain but seven have been brought under control.

1.WHY aren’t there more Irish rugby players with tattoos? Every second Welsh player last weekend had some kind of ink curling out from underneath a sleeve, leaving the boys in green looking a little... pasty in comparison.