Gianluigi Donnarumma will only grow stronger following his error against Real Madrid and remains one of the top three goalkeepers in the world, according to Gianluigi Buffon.

Paris Saint-Germain were eliminated from the Champions League in rather humiliating circumstances on Wednesday as they let slip a two-goal aggregate lead to lose 3-2.

PSG looked comfortable at the Santiago Bernabeu with an hour played, only for a Donnarumma mistake to gift Madrid the first of their three goals in a 17-minute comeback.

The Italy international effectively passed the ball straight to Vinicius Junior when under pressure close to his own goal and hat-trick hero Karim Benzema converted the cutback.

Donnarumma argued he was fouled by Benzema in the lead-up to his costly err…

FIFPRO, the global union representing football players, has launched a legal claim against FIFA over the match calendar and the scheduling of next year s expanded Club World Cup.

FIFA s decision to stage a 32-team Club World Cup in the United States next year has attracted fierce criticism from pundits and players, with many believing it will exacerbate issues arising from fixture congestion.

Earlier this week, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti suggested the European champions could boycott the tournament, only for the club to quickly confirm their participation in a statement.

Ahead of last year s seven-team Club World Cup, Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva said the expansion of the football calendar would lead to matches losing energy and intensity .

Erik ten Hag challenged a fully fit Aaron Wan-Bissaka to stake his claim for a starting berth and welcomed the added competition he provides at right-back for Manchester United.

The defender has played just three times across all competitions under the Dutchman this campaign, having struggled with illness and injuries.

Wan-Bissaka had been linked with a January exit from Old Trafford, with former club Crystal Palace having been tipped among his suitors.

But an impressive performance on United s return to Premier League action against Nottingham Forest has seemingly breathed new life into his career with the Red Devils.

Ahead of his side s trip to Wolves on Saturday, Ten Hag indicated Wan-Bissaka s absence was more a matter of fitness than form.

Y…

A masterful performance from Manchester City playmaker David Silva in the 2-0 win at Bournemouth helped to give boss Pep Guardiola the slick control he craves.

City recovered from an early injury to in-form striker Gabriel Jesus, with Raheem Sterling s opener before the half hour and a Tyrone Mings own goal in the second period securing the points.

Guardiola s men kept only their sixth clean sheet in 25 top-flight matches as they moved up to second, eight points behind leaders Chelsea, and he was delighted by how Silva orchestrated closing out the contest on the front foot.

The core of the side who won City s first Premier League title in 2011-12 have endured a chequered existence under the former Barcelona coach.

Joe Hart was forced into a season-long lo…

Pep Guardiola was recommended David Silva when the Manchester City playmaker was at Valencia, but the Spaniard was too expensive to bring to Barcelona.

Silva is considered one of the best players in City s history, having moved to the Premier League club from Valencia in 2010, when current Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery was in charge of the LaLiga outfit.

Guardiola, who was at Barcelona, revealed that Emery had recommended Silva to him but the Catalans could not make the finances work on the deal.

I remember when I was at Barcelona and the first or second year I was there, Unai Emery was there and after the game he said, David Silva is the player for you, for Barcelona. Believe me that is a Barcelona player,’ Guardiola told reporters.

And he was s…

Burnley midfielder Joey Barton says he has been effectively forced into an early retirement after being banned for 18 months by the Football Association (FA) over betting offences.

The 34-year-old, who was also fined £30,000, is alleged by the FA to have made 1,260 bets over a 10-year period between March 2006 and May 2016.

Barton, who confirmed his intention to appeal against the length of his suspension, accepts that be broke FA rules, but claims the governing body s sanction is too harsh and that it did not take into account his gambling addiction, for which he provided a medical report.

I am very disappointed at the harshness of the sanction. The decision effectively forces me into an early retirement from playing football, Barton said via a statement on …

Real Madrid will equal the club s record winning run with victory over Basel in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

The defending champions are already assured of their place in the round of 16 and only a Basel victory by four goals or more could jeopardise Real s chances of topping Group B.

Real currently sit six points clear of their Swiss opponents and claimed a 5-1 triumph when the sides met at Santiago Bernabeu back in September.

Carlo Ancelotti s men will head into this week s clash having embarked on a winning streak of 14 matches in all competitions.

The club record currently stands at 15 achieved under Miguel Munoz in 1960-61 and Jose Mourinho in 2011-12.

However, in Basel, Ancelotti who this week revealed talks over a new contract ha…

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo could command a price tag of £300million, according to agent Jorge Mendes.

Cristiano Ronaldo s agent believes Real Madrid would receive a fee of £300million if they opted to sell the Portugal captain tomorrow and revealed that the forward has a £1billion release clause in his contract.

Ronaldo moved from Manchester United to Real in 2009 for a then world-record fee of £80m and has since gone on to win the FIFA Ballon d Or twice.

The 29-year-old has been constantly linked with a return to Old Trafford despite agreeing a new deal to stay in Madrid until 2018 but his representative, Jorge Mendes, warned his client would command a huge fee.

When asked what Ronaldo s valuation would be, Mendes told BBC Sport: Cristano…

Former Barcelona star Luis Suarez Miramontes has lavished praise on the club s star forward trio of his namesake, Neymar and Lionel Messi.

The defending Spanish and European champions have turned in a pair of stupendous performances over the past week, thrashing bitter rivals Real Madrid 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu before returning to Camp Nou to demolish Roma 6-1 in the Champions League.

Neymar and Suarez have shouldered much of the burden in attack this season after Messi was sidelined by knee ligament damage at the end of September but the Argentina superstar marked his return to the starting line-up with a brace as Roma were put to the sword.

The 1960 Ballon d Or winner Miramontes, who currently works for another of his former clubs Inter as a scout, told …

Defending champions Manchester United will open their EFL Cup campaign against Burton Albion in the third round.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the hero last season as United edged Southampton in extra time to claim the trophy, and Jose Mourinho s men are set to start their title defence at home to the Championship outfit in September.

It will be only the second meeting between the two sides following United s FA Cup third-round replay win in 2006.

The draw was heavily criticised prior to Thursday due to the location and unusual time, with it scheduled to be staged in Beijing at 11:15 local time (03:15 GMT) in the Chinese capital.

: Round Three Draw :trophy: v

— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup)

And fans in Britain who set their alarms to follow the…