Messi endorses team-mates for Ballon d´Or

Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Michael Ballack admits he is overwhelmed by all the transfer talk regarding his future.

The veteran midfielder has just a couple of months on his deal with die Werkself and he was widely tipped to leave Bay Arena after clashing with boss Robin Dutt.

However, the 35-year-old was given a new lease on life by caretaker manager Sami Hyypia, sparking speculations that he could extend his Bayer deal after all.

Ballack reveals he is thankful for getting a new chance at Bay Arena, but explains that he still doesn’t know what the future holds.

Most important is that we now have a personality in charge of the team who has an idea of how to do things, Ballack told Bild.

That Sami Hyypia handed me a starting chance is no matte…

Marco Materazzi has reacted angrily to the suggestion that Leonardo might one day return to Inter Milan, claiming the Brazilian stabbed him in the back.

Leonardo was appointed Inter boss in December 2010 following the dismissal of Rafael Benitez and led the club to the Coppa Italia and second place in Serie A before stepping down the following summer to link up with Paris Saint-Germain.

However, Materazzi whose departure coincided with that of Leonardo has nothing nice to say about his former boss and intimated that he might have played a role in the former AC Milan coach s exit.

I helped him out a lot, but after he stabbed me in the back two or three times, I uncovered him, the former Italy international stated on his Twitter page.

When asked by one of…

Jose Mourinho has been cleared to take charge of Roma s Serie A match against Juventus on Sunday after his two-match touchline ban was suspended.

The 60-year-old was sent off for the third time this season just two minutes into the second half of Roma s 2-1 loss at Cremonese on Tuesday.

Mourinho clashed with fourth official Marco Serra and was sent to the stands, before continuing to argue his case when entering the officials dressing room after the match.

He was hit with a two-match suspension and a €10,000 fine on Wednesday, which would have seen him miss games against Juve and Sassuolo, but Roma lodged an appeal.

The Italian Football Federation s appeals committee announced on Saturday that the punishment has been suspended ahead of a further hearing…

BBC Sport reports that Zenit St Petersburg coach Dick Advocaat, has put a £20 million price-tag on playmaker Andrei Arshavin, who appears to have played his last game for the club.

Arshavin, 27, is thought to prefer a move to Barcelona who has already approached Zenit about the player. But according to Russian media reports, Arshavin is in London this week to hold talks with both Arsenal and Chelsea.

“We can t keep hold of the player if someone offers good money in the region of £20m to £25m,” said Advocaat.

However, Arshavin s agent Dennis Lachter says Chelsea have ended their interest in the player after signing Portugal midfielder Deco from Barcelona. “I don t believe that after this acqui…

Chris Smalling has said Corriere dello Sport s editors must take responsibility for the newspaper s Black Friday headline, which he has described as wrong and highly insensitive .

Smalling, who has excelled on loan at Roma from Manchester United this season, was featured on the front page of Thursday s edition of the Italian publication, alongside his former team-mate Romelu Lukaku.

The headline – referencing the first Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States when retail sales mark the start of the Christmas shopping period – was used apparently in reference to the skin colour of both Smalling and Lukaku ahead of Roma s clash with Serie A leaders Inter on Friday.

The newspaper s choice has been widely criticised, with Roma, who along with the rest of S…

Antonio Conte urged Inter fans to back his side and was disappointed to hear them whistle Friday s lacklustre 0-0 Serie A draw against Roma.

Inter had moved to the top of the table thanks to last week s 2-1 win over SPAL, while Italian champions Juventus were held 2-2 by Sassuolo.

Their stay at the summit is set to be short-lived after Inter pair Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez endured a rare off-night in front of goal at San Siro.

Juve can return to their familiar position by beating Lazio on Saturday and head coach Conte was keen to remind the Inter faithful that his men are punching above their weight by most reasonable measures.

 | GALLERY

Look back on with all the photos here

— Inter (@Inter_en)

The fans m…

Brendan Rodgers is on the lookout for local talent following Steven Gerrard s announcement that he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season.

Gerrard s departure follows that of fellow hometown hero Jamie Carragher, who retired in 2013, and sees Liverpool s contingent of locally-sourced players dwindle further.

Rickie Lambert and Jon Flanagan are left to fly the flag for Merseyside at Anfield, while youngsters such as 17-year-old Jordan Rossiter, who made his senior debut against Middlesbrough in the League Cup earlier this season, attempt to force their way into the first team.

And Rodgers believes it is important to nurture local talent to replace the likes of Gerrard and Carragher.

Not too many managers get to manage this kind of situation [Carr…

Australia will be out to build on their stunning Asian Cup opening when they take on a desperate Oman in Sydney on Tuesday.

Ange Postecoglou’s side made a real statement of intent in their Group A opener on Friday, crushing Kuwait 4-1 in a fluent, attacking display that confirmed them as one of the favourites for the title.

But they will be wary of an Oman outfit that pushed South Korea hard before going down 1-0 and Paul Le Guen s side also have a good recent record against the Socceroos.

Like they did against South Korea, Oman is likely to sit deep and try to hit the Socceroos on the counter-attack, but they also desperately need a win.

Australia have been dealt a blow for the clash with influential skipper Mile Jedinak ruled out with an ankle injury.…

Gregg Berhalter remains under consideration for a new contract as United States head coach following an investigation into a 1992 domestic altercation with his wife, U.S. Soccer has confirmed.

Berhalter revealed in January he was the subject of an investigation pertaining to an incident in which he pushed and kicked Rosalind Berhalter, then his girlfriend, in a nightclub when they were both freshmen at the University of North Carolina.

It was subsequently revealed the incident was reported to U.S. Soccer by Giovanni Reyna s mother Danielle, who was angered by Berhalter s treatment of her son at last year s World Cup.

Reyna enjoyed limited playing time at the tournament, after which Berhalter suggested the Borussia Dortmund man was almost exiled from his squad due…

Everton have confirmed Ben Godfrey has been taken to hospital after the defender suffered a serious lower leg injury.

Godfrey was injured in the 10th minute of Saturday s Premier League match at Goodison Park, as Everton s rotten luck with injuries continued.

The defender s poor backpass resulted in Jordan Pickford attempting to keep the ball in play, and even though the England goalkeeper failed to do so, it was apparently not spotted by the officials.

Play continued and, in an attempt to rectify his mistake, Godfrey lunged in on Kai Havertz, making a clean challenge, but immediately signalled to the touchline and was clearly in some distress as he held his right leg.

We can confirm Ben Godfrey has suffered a lower leg injury and has been taken to hospit…