Xabi aims high in 2012

Monaco goalkeeper Danijel Subasic has followed Mario Mandzukic and Vedran Corluka into international retirement after a nine-year Croatia career.

The 33-year-old revealed his mind was made up prior to a string of impressive performances at the World Cup in Russia.

Vital saves in shootout wins over Denmark and Russia helped Croatia on the way to a place in the final alongside eventual champions France.

Subasic, who won 44 caps in total, felt it was time to make way despite the strong recent form.

We all have an expiry date, and need to assess how long we can play, he said in a statement. Maybe I could have lasted one more campaign, but that would probably be too much.

In this manner, I want to allow my team-mates, who wait for their chance like I…

Zinedine Zidane insisted his decision to drop Gareth Bale from the Real Madrid squad for his side s 3-2 victory over Villarreal was not made to send a message to the Welsh forward.

Bale was a glaring omission from a Madrid squad already missing injured striker Karim Benzema, but Zidane saw Mariano Diaz score twice to help Los Blancos bounce back from a 1-0 reverse at Rayo Vallecano in their previous game.

Manchester United are rumoured to be planning a swoop for Bale s signature at the end of the season, but Zidane has consistently refused to comment on the 29-year-old s future at Santiago Bernabeu.

Asked why Bale was dropped, Zidane stopped short of giving a clear explanation.

It is not a message, he said. You can interpret what you want. I have to make…

Neymar wants to take time to mourn Brazil s World Cup exit as he hailed the team s youngsters for stepping up in the Selecao s penalty shoot-out loss to Croatia.

Brazil, the pre-tournament favourites, are heading out after going down 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw with the 2018 runners-up at Education City Stadium.

Neymar opened the scoring with a wonderful goal midway through extra time on Friday, a strike that took him level with the great Pele on 77 goals for Brazil.

Yet Bruno Petkovic scored with four minutes remaining, with Rodrygo and Marquinhos failing to convert their penalties as Brazil s wait for a sixth world title rolled on.

Neymar did not take a spot-kick, though perhaps would have been in line to take Brazil s fifth had it gone that f…

Mats Hummels is set to return to Borussia Dortmund from Bayern Munich, joining former team-mate Mario Gotze back at Signal Iduna Park.

Hummels and Gotze were both part of the Dortmund teams that won back-to-back Bundesliga titles under Jurgen Klopp, so Lucien Favre will hope they can lead BVB back to the top.

Deals between the two German giants are not very common, but there have been some high-profile examples of players to feature for both Bayern and Dortmund.

Omnisport picks out six of the best, with Hummels return costing Dortmund a reported €38million fee.

Mats  

— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow)

Mats Hummels

Hummels will know his way around Signal Iduna Park as it is only three years since the former BVB captain le…

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Almeria will be looking to claim their first La Liga home win of the season when they welcome Alaves. The match will be played at Power Horse Stadium with the local fans hoping to see a good performance from their favourites.

Almeria

It seems that Almeria is slipping fast towards the second tier of Spanish football. The Andalusian team is having a disastrous season, failing to win after 21 rounds. The side managed by Gaizka Garitano played a blockbuster game at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid, suffering a defeat at the end. It was a match that triggered a huge scandal in the Spanis press following the clear favourably referring towards Carlo Ancelott s team. Despite leading 2-0 at half-time, Almeria lost dramatica…

Liverpool are planning a considerable squad rebuild this summer, manager Jurgen Klopp has openly confirmed, and their priority will be the midfield section. And while most reports name Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham as their No. 1 target, it is obvious that more than one player for the department will be needed, and Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport says another name on that list is Inter Milan s Nicolo Barella.

Having started his career with Como, Barella spent three years with Cagliari before joining Inter on an initial loan in 2019. The deal was made permanent the following year, and the Italy international signed his currently valid contract in November 2021, for five years. With three still remaining on it, the price for his services is likely to be high.