Raheem Sterling grew up in the shadow of the Wembley arch and has a tattoo of his younger self staring up at England s national stadium on his arm.

Two years ago, as Manchester City completed an unprecedented domestic treble, he left his mark all over one of football s most famous stages.

He scored twice in a 6-0 FA Cup final demolition of Watford, having netted a maiden England hat-trick against the Czech Republic.

Then there was the 2019 EFL Cup final, where Sterling strode up to nonchalantly place the decisive penalty kick into the top corner to sink Chelsea in a shoot-out.

Pep Guardiola had been too nervous to watch. Asking Sterling what happened afterwards, the forward cheekily replied: Top bins .

Heading into Sunday s final, where City were …

Sergio Aguero had nothing more to achieve before his unfortunate early retirement, according to fellow Argentina forward Gonzalo Higuain.

Aguero was forced to call time on his illustrious career last December due to a heart problem following chest pains in a draw with Deportivo Alaves on October 30.

The former Manchester City star was informed it would be too much of a risk to continue playing, having made just five appearances in all competitions for new club Barcelona, who he joined in July.

While Higuain understands the circumstances behind his retirement were far from ideal, the Inter Miami man believes Aguero will reflect on his achievements fondly.

Clearly no player wants to retire like this, but also Kun [Aguero] made an extraordinary career, Higu…

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th goal for Juventus to become the first player to reach a century of goals for the Bianconeri inside his first three seasons at the club.

The five-time Ballon d Or winner picked an opportune moment to achieve the landmark, firing the Old Lady into a 2-0 lead in their crucial Serie A clash with Sassuolo – against whom he scored his first Bianconeri goal back in September 2018 – before Paulo Dybala subsequently followed up with a milestone effort of his own.

Evergreen 36-year-old Ronaldo showed he has lost none of his potency as he controlled Adrien Rabiot s header with a fine first touch prior to beating goalkeeper Andrea Consigli with his second, demonstrating the impeccable standards which have characterised his spell in Turin.

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is excited for either Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah to achieve something really big after reaching the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Senegal and Egypt will face each other for the right to be crowned champions of Africa on Sunday at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde.

Mane scored the third goal in Senegal s 3-1 semi-final defeat of Burkina Faso to take his personal tally for the tournament to three, while Salah helped Egypt to a 3-1 penalties win over hosts Cameroon after a 0-0 draw on Thursday.

Klopp has previously been accused of disrespecting the AFCON on several occasions. In 2020, he called the tournament s move from June to January a catastrophe , then, in November last year, he referred to it as a little tournament  before c…

Germany s Toni Kroos made his 100th international appearance in a 3-3 draw with Switzerland on Tuesday, but insisted he cares more for results than the number of games he plays.

Serge Gnabry s superb finish on the hour secured a point in Nations League Group A4 for Germany, who had to come from two goals down in Cologne.

Switzerland raced into a 2-0 lead through Mario Gavranovic and Remo Freuler, though Timo Werner swiftly pulled one back before Kai Havertz equalised.

Gavranovic s second put Switzerland back ahead, only for Gnabry to restore parity once more with his 14th international goal since November 2016.

Though Kroos made a landmark appearance, his error ultimately led to Switzerland s second goal, and though content with reaching a century of caps…

Birmingham City owner Carson Yeung has stepped down from all of his positions on the Championship club s board.

Hong Kong businessman Yeung took over at St Andrew s in 2009 and has since presided as president of the club, director of Birmingham City plc and director and chairman of the club s parent company, Birmingham International Holdings Ltd (BIHL).

The 53-year-old, who remains Birmingham s major shareholder, is awaiting the verdict of a money laundering trial in Hong Kong, which is due to take place on February 28.

Yeung denies the charge, but has resigned from his roles in order to concentrate on the court case, with Cheung Sing another of BIHL s executive directors named as his successor as chairman of the parent company in an announcement to the Hong Kong Stock…

Market: Minnesota win

Odds: 12/11 @

Looking to make up some ground in the Western Conference title chase, Minnesota will welcome Dallas to Allianz Field in the early hours of Sunday.

Starting with the hosts, while Minnesota might have endured a real Western Conference nightmare last season, Eric Ramsay’s men have come roaring back this time around. Making a return to winning ways last weekend as they secured a routine 3-1 romp against Sporting Kansas City, the Loons will certainly be smelling another golden opportunity here. Battling it out at the top of the table and sat firmly in the driving seat to punch a play-off ticket this season, Minnesota have suffered just a single defeat from any of their previous eight MLS appearances. Pencilled in as a standout co…

Market: Blackpool win

Odds: 10/11 @

Looking to sign the 2021/22 campaign off with a flurry this weekend, Blackpool will host an already-relegated Derby County on Saturday afternoon.

Starting with the hosts, while Blackpool might almost find themselves sat in Championship limbo, the Oranges are still enjoying an eye-catching end to the 2021/22 campaign. Last seen putting in another professional display as they claimed a deserved 2-0 win away at Barnsley, Neil Critchley s side have gained plenty of plaudits this season. Still with their sights set on clinching a top-half finish, the one-time Liverpool coach should be smelling another golden chance on Saturday afternoon. Losing just one of their last five second-tier contests, a run highlighted by a thumping 6-1 vi…

Jamie Vardy hopes his midweek header for England against Spain can kick-start a scoring streak reminiscent of the one that helped fire Leicester City to the Premier League title last season.

Vardy was named Football Writers Association Player of the Year last term after his 24 goals inspired Leicester on their unforgettable march to glory.

That tally included a Premier League record of scoring in 11 consecutive matches but it has been a different story this time around.

His last goal for Leicester came in September s 4-1 loss at Liverpool and a stooping header as Gareth Southgate s side played out a 2-2 draw with 2010 world champions Spain was his first in 15 appearances for his club and national side.

It does give you a boost but it s up to me to make s…

South Korea coach Uli Stielike said he will try to deploy an attacking brand, as he prepares his side for a friendly with Jordan on Friday.

The two Asian Cup-bound nations will do battle in Amman, the fixture marking German boss Stielike s first match in charge of the Koreans on away soil.

Stielike oversaw a 2-0 win over Paraguay and a 3-1 loss to Costa Rica in Seoul in October, in the South Koreans first matches in the post-Hong Myung-bo era.

The 59-year-old, whose three previous coaching stints were with Middle East-based clubs, said he hopes to continue their goalscoring habits as they build towards the continental tournament kicking off in Australia in January.

For the two consecutive matches against Middle East team, I ll prepare not differently fro…