Cristiano Ronaldo's mum gifts Pope with football shirt months after Lionel Messi did the same

West Ham supremo Karen Brady has sensationally called time on grizzly Porto and Portugal centre back Pepe’s career.Pepe, no stranger to controversy, was red carded in the midst of a 40-man brawl after Porto’s gripping 2-2 draw with title rivals Sporting.He received his marching orders after an altercation with former Newcastle man Hugo Viana.But reports from Portuguese newspaper A Bola allege that the 38-year-old then aimed a kick at a Sporting director, which could lead to a ban of up to two years.Brady, writing in The Sun, said: “There must have been 50 men involved and eventually four players received red cards (another was sent off earlier). One of them was Pepe, gesticulating, accusing and threatening.“He hasn’t much of a football career left.

Leicester City defender James Justin believes the debate over who is the better player out of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is getting closer.

Sergio Aguero has launched a furious rant in response to criticism of Lionel Messi, labelling sections of the French media "a**holes".Messi has come under fire since moving to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona in the summer, with the press in France underwhelmed with his performances.The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored just twice in the league this season and has been caught walking around at times during matches for PSG.However, his friend and former international teammate Aguero has now come to his defence with a furious rant about the media during one of his live streams on Twitch.During a recent Q&A stream with fans, Aguero explained: “In France, magazines and newspapers killed him. They are a**holes.“I had an interview scheduled with a French magazine, but I said: ‘No, because I support Leo Messi.

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards couldn't contain his excitement as Kylian Mbappe scored a stunning last-gasp winner to give Paris Saint-Germain a valuable lead over Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Gary Lineker believes fans should 'probably lower expectations' of Manchester United icon Cristiano Ronaldo and Paris Saint-Germain's Lionel Messi.

Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid gear up for their Round of 16 Champions League contest, we take a look at some of those who will be cheering them on.Indeed, today marks the first day of European football in 2022 - and one of the biggest matches on Tuesday night in the first knockout game of the Champions League is between these two elite sides.But who could forget the WAGS? The ladies will surely be in the stands at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday night as the pair face off in their first leg of the tie.Here we take a look at some of the most notable WAGS out of Real and PSG.Marco Asensio started dating Sandra Garal at the beginning of 2019 . While the official announcement that they were a couple occurred at the wedding of Sergio Ramos and his wife, Pilar Rubio (more on them later).It’s thought that Garal was working in a nightclub when the pair met.David Alaba’s other half is the daughter of the German chef Frank Heppner, someone who was worked at of the most luxurious hotels around the globe.Shalimar Heppner started dating Alaba in 2017 - and the model welcomed their first child in 2019.It was 2021 when Thibaut Courtois went public with Mishel Gerzig, his stunning girlfriend.The Real Madrid shot-stopper has been with the Israeli model for some time though.But, speaking with publication LaIsha, she said that she has some issues around being so famous."I cannot say that I did not want to be famous before.

Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid’s last-16 Champions League clash on Tuesday night is set to be a mouth-watering occasion.Two European giants and potential winners of the competition will go head-to-head in a clash worthy of the final itself, with some of the biggest stars on the planet on display.The likes of Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe are all expected to be involved at the Parc des Princes.But alongside the exceptional quality of football expected by two of last season’s semi-finalists, English clubs Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea will also be keeping tabs on several of their summer transfer targets on show.Daily Star Sport takes a look at six players that the Premier League giants will be watching closely as they look to progress to the next round of the biggest cup competition...Do you think Kylian Mbappe would join anyone other than Real Madrid? Let us know in the comments section.Who better to kick-off the list than arguably the biggest name in world football at the moment?Labelled the ‘Mbappe Derby’ by fans on social media, the 23-year-old PSG forward will come up against the club who have tried everything to sign him over the last two years.And while a move to Real Madrid is widely believed to be the Frenchman’s dream, with reports of an agreement already reached, Liverpool have also been reported as one of his potential destinations in recent years.Mbappe is not expected to sign a new contract at PSG and will likely leave for free in the summer, which is encouraging for the Reds.The World Cup winner gave Liverpool fans renewed hope recently when he admitted he is yet to make a decision over his future.The impressive PSG left-back is likely to start against Real as he prepares to

Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards got in each other's faces during an hilarious boxing stand-off in the Sky Sports studios ahead of Amir Khan's upcoming bout against Kell Brook.The two pundits stared each other down as Dave Jones acted as the enforcer, but things took a turn for the worse when Carragher decided to get a little physical with his colleagues."Alright boys, keep it calm … woah, woah, woah, don't get too close," Jones says."He doesn't wanna get too close to me," Carragher responds, before Richards warns the former Liverpool defender that he's going to hit him on his "whiskers"."You leave his whiskers alone," replies Jones.Moments later, Carragher goes to shove Richards but inadvertently hurts Jones, who had injured his groin earlier in the broadcast while playing keepy-ups with an American football ahead of Super Bowl Sunday."Oh Jesus," Jones can be heard saying as he crumples over in a heap.Naturally, Richards and Carragher show little sympathy for their fallen co-worker and burst out laughing.Who is the funniest football pundit on TV? Let us know in the comments section below...Fans were in stitches earlier in the day when Carragher snuck in a cheeky Valentine's joke while Jones was hobbling back to his seat after injuring himself during the keepy-up challenge."The groin! On Valentine's weekend as well," the 44-year-old quipped.Carragher himself took to the challenge like a duck to water, and was even likened to Diego Maradona after effortlessly plucking the ball out of the sky after a wayward kick of his hit the studio's lights.This Saturday, Khan goes toe-to-toe with Brook at the AO Arena in Manchester in a fight that has been years in the making - which will be shown live on Sky Sports.

Conor McGregor admitted he felt very “horny” after realising he had topped Forbes’ list as the highest-paid athlete for 2021.The UFC legend reportedly received a mammoth total earning of $180million (£133million) last year, comfortably beating the likes of Lionel Messi (£96million) and Cristiano Ronaldo (£88million) in second and third, respectively.The 32-year-old also edged NFL’s Dak Prescott and NBA superstar LeBron James, who completed the top five, while tennis star Naomi Osaka was the highest-paid female athlete in 12th.And while being that wealthy could trigger a number of different emotions, a prideful McGregor took to Twitter to bizarrely announce the news evoked other feelings.McGregor initially posted a cryptic tweet without any context which left fans understandably baffled.He simply wrote: “Guys, I’m horny”.The Irishman then elaborated, tweeting: “I’m the number 1 highest paid Forbes athlete this year. I horn.”McGregor is known for being a shrewd business mogul, capitalising on his popularity as a UFC fighter through trash-talking and launching various enterprises.Do you think Conor McGregor is a better businessman than he is a fighter? Let us know in the comments section.Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star football email newsletter!From the latest transfer news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox - don't miss a thing.It only takes a matter of seconds.Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article and hit 'subscribe'.And that's it, job done.

Kylian Mbappe delighted Paris Saint-Germain fans as he scored a late winner against Rennes on Friday night - but replays showed how frustrated Lionel Messi was in not receiving the ballThe former Barcelona player brilliantly sent the striker through down Les Rennais’ right-hand side and Mabppe finished with aplomb to give PSG all three points. Indeed, at the Parc des Princes, the 23-year-old netted in the 93rd minute, netting past Dogan Alemdar from a tight angle.But replays showed how Messi did not immediately go to join his teammates in celebration, and evem appeared quite annoyed at not getting the ball back in what he deemed to be a more advantageous area.

Social media is becoming an important tool for footballers, and gives players a large platform to communicate with their fans across the world. Some use their platform to achieve good, such as Marcus Rashford and his Twitter campaign to end child hunger, whilst others may use it in a more negative way, such as Joleon Lescott “pocket tweeting” a picture of a new car just hours after his side lost 6-0. Footballers are increasingly addicted to Instagram, and the top players in the world have built up followings bigger than the clubs they play for.

Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech has called time on his international career in a stunning attack on Morocco coach Vahid Halilhodzic, accusing him of “lying” about his exclusion from the Africa Cup of Nations.Ziyech was not selected to play for Morocco at AFCON, so watched on from west London as his nation were beaten 2-1 in the quarter-finals by Egypt last month.The Chelsea winger has scored 17 goals in 40 appearances for Morocco but has been frozen out following a very public falling out with Halilhodzic.He hasn’t played for Morocco since a friendly against Burkina Faso in June – and it appears that he won’t be returning any time soon.Halilhodzic has faced questions about Ziyech’s absence, but insisted he wouldn’t select him even if he was Lionel Messi. It seems the feeling is mutual."I understand them (the fans), but I will not return to the Moroccan national team and this is my final decision," Ziyech told ADSportsTV."It's all clear for me how things are going over there and I am focusing on what I am doing and, right now, that is my club."At the end of the day, it's a decision he makes and you have to respect it.

Lionel Messi was caught on camera asking for ex-Manchester United starlet Angel Gomes' shirt after Paris Saint-Germain's victory over Lille.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Mauricio Pochettino could trade places this summer as Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain brace themselves for some serious changes.United will need to appoint a new permanent manager in the coming months with interim head coach Ralf Rangnick's temporary deal set to expire at the end of the season, and Pochettino has been the frontrunner for some time.Meanwhile, reports suggest that Ronaldo already wants out of Old Trafford despite only returning to the club in August, with a move to Paris now looking likely.The French giants are preparing for life without Kylian Mbappe, who has reportedly agreed to join Real Madrid in the summer, and are considering replacing him with Ronaldo, according to the Mirror.The switch would see the 37-year-old lining up in the same team as eternal rival Lionel Messi for the very first time.Speculation surrounding the Portugal international's unhappiness in Manchester has intensified ever since the Red Devils were dumped out of the FA Cup on penalties by Championship side Middlesbrough on Friday.Ronaldo missed a number of chances during the game, including a penalty, and has now failed to find the back of the net in four matches, and is now one game away from his longest goal drought in over a decade.With United out of the Carabao Cup and trailing league leaders Manchester City by 19 points, the only piece of silverware Ronaldo can now hope to pick up this season is the Champions League.Which club would benefit most from this swap? Let us know what you think in the comments section below...As for Pochettino, United made an approach for him in November following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but prying him away from PSG mid-season was always going to be tough

Lionel Messi is one of the many modern-day examples of players who have broken the mould and used their height to the best of their ability, with Lorenzo Insigne another forward who doesn’t tower over defenders.There is a strange joy in watching a short player race down the wing and dominate a game, and all over the world, there have been stars capable of such.So, who are some of the smallest players in the history of football? Daily Star Sport takes a look...For some reason, Joe Allen is an icon of the Premier League, and it might be due to how he could dominate a midfield despite consistently being the shortest player on the pitch.The 5ft 6in-star has played in the top flight of English football with Swansea City, Liverpool and also Stoke, who he has played for since 2016.Allen has been an important player wherever he has played, and on the international stage for Wales too, drawing immense praise from those who used to manage the 31-year-old or play alongside him.Brendan Rodgers, who coached Allen at Swansea and Liverpool, has previously labelled the playmaker the ‘Welsh Pirlo’ and ‘Welsh Xavi’.

Lionel Messi after claiming that winning FIFA's The Best award is "more important" than winning the Ballon d'Or.Messi narrowly pipped Lewandowski to a record seventh Ballon d'Or title back in November despite a sizeable proportion of fans believing the Polish striker had done enough to win.Instead, Lewandowski was crowned FIFA's The Best Men's Player last month, with Messi coming in second."I have been thinking lately and I have come to the conclusion that the FIFA award is more important," the Bayern Munich star told a Polish magazine, as per Marca."Only journalists vote for the Ballon d'Or, there is no clear verification.

Chelsea star was not selected for the Atlas Lions' recent African Cup of Nation squad due to an ongoing dispute with national team head coach Vahid Halilhodzic.The North African nation tumbled at the quarter-final stage of the competition, losing 2-1 after extra-time to a Mohamed Salah-inspired Egypt.When quizzed on where it all went wrong, Morocco's manager stood by his decision to snub Ziyech, categorically ruling out any chance of the wing wizard returning to the national team fold."The players I have selected are the best in the country," Halilhodzic told reporters in the aftermath of Morocco's AFCON exit. "I don't select a player who can unbalance the group."Not even if his name is Lionel Messi.

Talk centred around who will be Manchester United’s next manager continues to dominate discussions.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have secured their legacies as two of football’s greatest-ever players. But when it comes to free-kicks, the superstar duo cannot claim to have the same level of dominance.A statistical ranking of the top goalscorers from direct free-kicks has revealed that neither of football’s global icons have made it into the top three, although Ronaldo and Messi are as close as ever in terms of their contributions.Ronaldo has scored just one direct free-kick from his last 90 attempts, dating back to the 2017-18 season when he was at Real Madrid.Barcelona legend Messi, now at Paris Saint-Germain, has been more prolific with a dead ball situation, scoring eight times since the start of the 2019-20 campaign.Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, 34, can hang his hat on the half-century of free kicks he has whipped over the wall in his illustrious career.

Lionel Messi was finally able to don his iconic No.10 shirt for the first time since his summer switch to PSG on Monday night.The French giants faced off against OGC Nice in a Coupe de France clash on Monday night.And with competition rules stating that all players in the starting XI have to line up in shirts numbered between 1 and 11 with substitutes not permitted to wear a shirt number over 25.That bizarre rule, plus Neymar's absence, opened the door for Messi to wear his favoured digits once again.But his joy was short-lived after PSG were sent crashing out of the competition on penalties in a humbling defeat.Mauricio Pochettino's side were unable to find a way past Nice, with the scores level at 0-0 in Paris.Messi did, at least, notch his penalty to fire PSG into an early lead in the shootout.

Kevin-Prince Boateng may have already provided the most telling answer to a question that has divided football fans across the planet for 15 years — Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi?