Sports

Franck Ribery is to take on a new challenge in Serie A at the age of 36, having agreed a deal to join Fiorentina.

The winger has signed for La Viola on a free transfer after leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season.

Ribery enjoyed 12 hugely successful years in Munich but is excited by the prospect of playing for a big team in a beautiful city , while others of a similar age elect to wind down their careers on less high-profile shores.

The former Marseille man says he spoke with ex-team-mate Luca Toni before accepting Fiorentina s offer a wise decision, given Toni is one of only four people to have represented both clubs as player or head coach.

Below, we look at how the others got on

A Firenze!  

— Franck Ribéry (@FranckRibery…

Borussia Dortmund head coach Nuri Sahin believes a player strike may be close and should be taken seriously, amid their increased workload this season.

Along with their Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal commitments, Sahin s Dortmund are one of several sides involved in the expanded Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup competitions.

Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri said earlier this week that players could be close to a strike due to the increase in commitments at club and international level.

And Sahin concurs that they may not be far away.

When players are already talking about strikes, you know it s [close to happening], he told reporters during his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday s trip to Stuttgart.

Coaches like Jurgen Klopp …

Konstantinos Tsimikas scored the winning penalty as Liverpool kept their quadruple hopes alive with a 6-5 shoot-out success over Chelsea in an absorbing FA Cup final.

Extra-time substitute Tsimikas sent Edouard Mendy the wrong way with the decisive spot-kick after Alisson saved from Mason Mount, as Jurgen Klopp s side secured a repeat of February s EFL Cup final win after two hours of action ended 0-0.

Liverpool had been dealt a huge blow when Mohamed Salah was forced off through injury in the first half, with Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson also substituted after 90 minutes were through.

But the Reds dug deep to condemn Chelsea to their third consecutive FA Cup final loss, and they could yet add the Premier League and Champions League trophies to their do…

Stefano Pioli and Antonio Conte are relishing the prospect of a possible Scudetto shoot-out in Sunday s Derby della Madonnina.

Inter lead Milan by one point at the Serie A summit heading into this weekend s showdown after leapfrogging their bitter rivals last week.

With nine-in-a-row champions Juventus eight points adrift of top spot, albeit with a game in hand to play, the title is looking likely to end up at San Siro this season.

Milan are seeking a first Scudetto since 2011, a year after Inter last prevailed, and Sunday s game may go a long way towards determining who finishes top come the end of the campaign.

It is the first time the sides will meet holding the top two positions in the table since April 2011 and Conte is expecting a unique derby in t…

Real Madrid booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals after a 3-1 win over Atalanta on Tuesday thanks to goals from Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Marco Asensio.

With a 1-0 lead from the first leg, Benzema eased any nerves for Madrid when he swept home in the first half following a mistake by Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello.

Madrid were awarded a penalty after the break when Vinicius Junior was clumsily fouled by Rafael Toloi and Ramos emphatically buried the resulting spot-kick.

Atalanta pulled a late goal back with a free-kick from Luis Muriel, but Asensio ensured there was no drama with a goal on the counterattack.

4 Since his first season in 2018/19, Vinícius Júnior  has won four penalties in all competitions, more than an…

Over seven decades on the throne, the Queen oversaw a number of major events – not least in the sporting world.

Sport was a significant feature of Her Majesty s 70-year reign, from attending events to handing over trophies, most famously in 1966 when England lifted the World Cup at Wembley.

Following the announcement of her passing on Thursday, Stats Perform looks at the major sporting events that coincided with prominent milestones throughout the Queen s reign.

The Queen s Coronation, 1953

Princess Elizabeth was officially crowned Queen on June 2, 1953, a year after the death of her father George VI. Aged just 25, her ascension to the throne took place amid a glittering ceremony at Westminster Abbey. In the sporting world, Alberto Ascari won…

Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek claims he has secured the funds to make a compelling offer to buy Arsenal from the Kroenke family.

The 38-year-old Swedish billionaire declared his interest in buying the Gunners, whom he has supported since he was eight, last week in the wake of the collapse of the European Super League.

Arsenal were one of the 12 founding clubs of the attempted breakaway competition, but the plans for the close-shop tournament were left in ruins after fan pressure led to the withdrawal of the six English teams involved.

The Arsenal board issued an open letter with their withdrawal confirmation, accepting they had made a mistake as they apologised to supporters.

The backlash has led to protests against Arsenal owners, the Kroenke family, and …

Luis Palma struck a late winner as champions Celtic twice came from behind to see off St Mirren 3-2 on the final day of the Scottish Premiership season.

It was a day of celebrations at Celtic Park for Brendan Rodgers side, who wrapped up their third successive domestic title in midweek.

However, St Mirren threatened to spoil the party when Mark O Hara fired them in front after just seven minutes.

Top scorer Matt O Riley equalised for the hosts in the 21st minute, but they fell behind again just five minutes later when O Hara doubled his tally from the penalty spot after Stephen Welsh fouled Toyosi Olusanya.

Kyogo Furuhashi levelled for Celtic before half-time, and the Hoops completed the turnaround with Palma scored the winner with four minutes remaining.…

Juventus will have to make do without Cristiano Ronaldo for the time being after he tested positive for coronavirus.

The five-time Ballon d Or winner left the Portugal camp on Tuesday to begin a period of self-isolation, though the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) did say he was asymptomatic and doing well .

It is unclear how many matches Ronaldo will miss, but he will not feature for Portugal against Sweden on Wednesday and could be absent for as many as three Juve games.

The 35-year-old will definitely sit out Saturday s trip to promoted Crotone, while a visit to Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League follows three days later.

Juve then host Hellas Verona on October 25 before welcoming Barcelona and Lionel Messi to Turin three days after – it se…

Adam Idah scored a last-gasp winner as Celtic claimed the Scottish Cup by beating Old Firm rivals Rangers 1-0 on Saturday.

Idah came on from the bench to net a 90th-minute winner for the Hoops, who secured a league and cup double in Brendan Rodgers first season back in charge.

Rangers thought they had taken the lead midway through the second half at Hampden Park, when Abdallah Sima tapped in from on the line.

However, VAR came to Celtic s rescue, with the onfield referee overturning his decision to give the goal when the replays showed Nicolas Raskin had pushed Hoops goalkeeper Joe Hart, who was playing in his last match before retirement.

Celtic made their good fortune count, with Idah reacting sharply to slam home from close range after Jack Butland spi…