Thierry Henry has urged former Barcelona team-mate Xavi to stay with the club until he retires from football.

Xavi has spent his entire professional career at Camp Nou and made his 700th appearance for the Catalan club in Thursday s Copa del Rey win over Getafe.

However, the Spain midfielder, whose contract expires in June 2016, has been linked with a move to MLS franchise New York Red Bulls, who Henry joined from Barca in 2010.

However, Henry believes the 33-year-old would be best served by spending the remainder of his playing days at Barca.

Xavi can do whatever he wants, Henry said at a promotional event for Puma in Barcelona on Friday.

For me, given everything he has done for football and Barcelona, he should stay there and spend the rest of his life a…

Gerard Deulofeu says he would lose his mind if he began to think about the prospect of returning to Barcelona.

The winger joined AC Milan on loan from Everton until the end of the season in January and has made an impressive start to his Serie A career to earn a recall to Spain s squad for the matches against Israel and France.

Deulofeu, 23, has immediately settled with Vincenzo Montella s side, but it is Barca who maintain a €12million option to buy the player from Everton as part of his 2015 Camp Nou exit who will determine his long-term future.

And rumours of a Camp Nou return were fuelled this week when Robert Fernandez, the Catalans technical secretary, welcomed Deulofeu s form, stating that holding an option to re-sign him is a positive thing for Barca.

With five play-off defeats to their name, this is not the position Ukraine want to be in, but if there ever was a time to end the barren run, it is now. Slovenia will be looking for more of the same after eliminating Zbirna in the two-legged tie ahead of the Euro 2000, but they could face a very difficult task at L viv Arena.

Since 1998, Ukraine only qualified for one major tournament, while losing five play-offs and making it to the Euro 2012 as the host nation, but this crop of players definitely look capable of helping the national team get back to old glory days. Even if Yevhen Konoplyanka is the only footballer in the squad who plies his trade in a top league, with veteran midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk the other player who is based abroad, this team have got both the qual…

Granit Xhaka is proud to hear of interest from new Roma coach Jose Mourinho, but the Arsenal midfielder insists his focus is solely on Euro 2020.

Former Tottenham manager Mourinho was appointed as Paulo Fonseca s replacement at Roma shortly after he was dismissed by Spurs in April, with his contract starting ahead of the 2021-22 campaign.

Yet speculation is already rife that Xhaka, Arsenal s former club captain, is one of Mourinho s priority transfer targets.

Xhaka has spent five seasons at Arsenal since joining from Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach, though the Switzerland international has not always been a popular figure with the club s fanbase.

Nevertheless, he has featured consistently in the first team under Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery and Mi…

Eduardo Camavinga merits his call-up to the France squad because the difference he makes at Rennes can already be seen, according to Didier Deschamps. 

Teenage midfielder Camavinga was named in the team to face Sweden and Croatia in the Nations League next month after Paul Pogba tested positive for coronavirus. 

At 17 years and nine months old, he could become the youngest France player since World War Two and the first born in the 2000s to turn out for Les Bleus. 

Camavinga made his Rennes debut as a 16-year-old in April 2019 and made 25 appearances last season as the club qualified for the Champions League, having sat in third place when Ligue 1 was curtailed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

He has been linked with a move to Real Madrid but is …

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers described the departure of Liel Abada as “desperately sad” but best for both parties after the Israel international moved to Major League Soccer side Charlotte FC.

Abada last played for Celtic in a 2-1 win over Hibernian on February 7, after which Rodgers felt he was not able to focus on reaching his peak.

The 22-year-old had come under major pressure in his homeland amid Celtic supporters’ backing for the Palestinian people with even an international team-mate publicly advising him to move on.

The winger signed a new four-year deal in September last year, just before suffering a thigh injury which kept him out for the best part of four months.

2 9 goals2 2 assists

We’ve got Abada, he’s on the wing!

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Daizen Maeda marked his 100th Celtic appearance with a match-winning hat-trick as the holders saw off a spirited challenge from Livingston to reach the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-finals.

Maeda put Celtic ahead for the third time in the 86th minute to take his tally for the club to 27 goals after the cinch Premiership bottom side had twice equalised at Celtic Park through Daniel MacKay and Tete Yengi.

Substitute Kyogo Furuhashi was on target deep into stoppage time as Celtic sealed a 4-2 triumph.

Celtic missed both Callum McGregor and Cameron Carter-Vickers through injury, but they did just enough to seal a Hampden trip next month.

Carter-Vickers was withdrawn as a precaution after the defender’s hamstring caused concern in training, while Luis Palma…

Borussia Monchengladbach sporting director Max Eberl says the club will be forced to consider any sizeable bids for highly-rated midfielder Granit Xhaka.

The Switzerland international has been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool recently, having become a key part of Gladbach s plans since arriving from Basel in 2012.

Xhaka was also talked of as a possible long-term replacement for Bastian Schweinsteiger following his exit from Bayern Munich and was backed by former Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld to succeed at the Allianz Arena.

The 23-year-old agreed a new four-and-a-half-year deal in February 2015 but Eberl says the club could be tempted to sell for the right price.

It depends a bit on our own sporting success, it depends on Granit s …

Thibaut Courtois said Chelsea s playing group and fans had welcomed him to Stamford Bridge with open arms.

The Belgian goalkeeper signed for the Londoners in 2011 but only reported for club duty on Thursday after his three-year loan stint at Atletico Madrid ended last season.

Courtois, 22, already has a wealth of experience under his belt, with this year alone seeing him win the La Liga title, play in a UEFA Champions League final and feature at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

And after making his long-awaited return to West London, Courtois said he felt as much a part of the team as anyone, largely thanks to the club s players.

My new team-mates have been really great; they ve welcomed me and you really feel that you are a part of this team, Courtois told…

Inter Milan forward Mauro Icardi is coming off from quite a night.

The 25-year-old completely dominated the Serie A yearly award ceremony by scooping up Player of the Year prize and claiming the Goal of the Year accolade as well.

Decided by members Italian Players’ Association (AIC) the prizes were awarded is last night’s Gran Gala’ del Calcio ceremony.

Icardi’s back heel flip was voted the best goal of the 2017/18 season…



…but Icardi feels there has been a better one.

“Personally, I think my goal against Milan was better, but thank you to everyone who voted for me.”, Icardi said.

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