Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has admitted he would find it hard to turn down a move to Real Madrid.

The silence of England’s reluctant captain had dominated England’s build-up while the prospect of Daniel Sturridge making his full international debut had provided a more compelling subtext.

European and German champions Bayern Munich have usurped Manchester United as the world’s biggest brand, according to the latest study from valuation agency, Brand Finance.

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has paved the way for manager Roberto Martinez to become the next Everton boss after reluctantly accepting the Spaniard’s request to leave the club.

Ashley Cole and the overinflated importance of the captain’s armband may have dominated Roy Hodgson’s pre-match press conference ahead of tonight’s friendly with Ireland, but the England manager did have enough time to praise his ‘outstanding’ opposite number Giovanni Trapattoni.

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Tom Cleverley has been ruled out of England’s friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Brazil because of a calf injury — joining Jack WIlshere and Steven Gerrard on the casualty list.

Radamel Falcao is set to have a medical with Monaco today before moving to the Ligue 1 club for €60m, according to reports in Spain.

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Ex-Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann does not believe German football is the dominant force in the game.

The venue might be Wembley but it’s definitely Germany not London calling tonight, as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund do battle in the final of the Champions League.

After 20 minutes of attempting to appear neutral, the mention of Gareth Bale ensures Zinedine Zidane gives up the pretence and slips back into his role of Real Madrid’s sporting director.

A man pretending to be South Korean pop star Psy has gate-crashed the Cannes Film Festival, partying with the stars and dancing on French TV.

Ahead of tonight’s show of Bundespower, the sporting week recalled one standout image; displaced maestro Shinji Kagawa and distraught mentor Jurgen Klopp cradling one another tenderly as they were rent apart by the gaudy attractions of Manchester United.

British police arrested two more people yesterday in a hunt for accomplices of two British men of Nigerian descent accused of hacking a soldier to death on a London street in revenge for wars in Muslim countries.

The World Cup qualifying groups may be over but the Premier League provides a mini World Cup of its own this weekend as internationals from around the globe re-convene on foreign soil; and the ever-intensifying debate over whether that is good for football should have resonance in Dublin as well as London.

A year ago, the atmosphere in the room was toxic and mutiny seemed on the cards.

Noel King believes Ireland should work on adopting a more modern, European style of football but any progress in that direction, he suggests, will take time on the training pitch as well as patience in the stands.

For all the fears harking back to 1973, England now only need to look forward to 2014.

Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has had a street named in his honour near Old Trafford.