Vinicius Junior insisted he wants to stay with Real Madrid when asked to put a price tag on his potential worth amid an excellent run of form.

The Brazil international is into his fourth season with LaLiga's leaders and has formed a fruitful partnership with Karim Benzema this campaign to put Madrid eight points clear after 16 games.

The pair rank as the joint-best attacking duo across Europe's top five leagues this term with 22 goals between them, the same amount as Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry combined.

Indeed, Vinicius has netted 10 times in 16 top-flight appearances so far, becoming the first player born in 2000 or later to reach double figures for goals in a single LaLiga season.

The former Flamengo attacker was asked to value himself ahead of the derby clash with city rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday, but refused to do so as he reiterated his happiness to stay with Carlo Ancelotti's team.

"It's better not to put any [price tag on me]," Vinicius told Vamos. "It's better to stay here in Madrid.

"I always listen to the people that I have by my side, at home and at the club, not the outsiders. Of course, the outsiders speak, but I don't care, I listen to the people who love me and who are with me from the beginning."

Given Vinicius' recent form, the winger was asked about his aspirations to win the Ballon d'Or, but he passed credit onto Benzema, who ranks third for goal involvements among players from Europe's top five leagues (all competitions) this season (25) – behind only Lewandowski (30) and Mohamed Salah (29).

Nevertheless, Vinicius does believe he possesses the talent to win the prize one day.

"I have to work hard for that, I have to keep playing here, keep doing things well and always be the best version of myself," he continued. 

"If I keep playing like that, of course I can win it, but the main thing for me is the team and to win many titles with Real Madrid.

"[Benzema] is a great player, everything he does seems very easy. He always helps the team and I am closer to him – whenever I can, I help him. I must continue like this, improving to help Karim win the Ballon d'Or and continue being our top scorer."

Since his debut in September 2018, only four players – Benzema (159), Casemiro (148), Thibaut Courtois (147) and Luka Modric (143) – have appeared more for Madrid across all competitions than Vinicius (140).

In fact, this season the 21-year-old has played 22 times for Los Blancos, the joint-most among at the club alongside goalkeeper Courtois, but Vinicius is not worried about burning out with a heavy workload.

"Sometimes of course I feel tired from playing so much, but I always want to play, to be on the field to help the team," he added. 

"I am at my best technically and physically and mentally as well. I want to continue playing and rest at Christmas."

Luis Suarez could still feature for Atletico Madrid in Sunday's crunch derby with Real Madrid after injury fears were eased on Thursday.

The experienced Uruguayan striker hobbled off injured after 13 minutes of the Champions League win over Porto, and he appeared to be in tears at one point on the bench.

Antoine Griezmann, Angel Correa and Rodrigo de Paul scored to earn Atletico a 3-1 victory that carried them through to the last-16 stage.

Since Tuesday's game, it has been unclear just how serious Suarez's problem might be, but Atletico have now issued an update that points to positive news.

In a statement released by the club, it was revealed that Suarez underwent tests at the Clinica Universidad de Navarra, and these showed there was no muscle tear.

"The tests have ruled out that the Rojiblanco attacker suffers any tear, so the evolution of his symptoms will determine his availability for the derby on Sunday," Atletico said.

"Luis Suarez will continue to carry out individualised rehabilitation training and daily physical therapy sessions."

Atletico won LaLiga last season but their hopes of a successful title defence could be all but over if they lose at the Santiago Bernabeu this weekend.

They head into the game sitting 10 points behind Madrid, albeit with a game in hand, having played 15 matches so far.

Suarez was acquired from Barcelona in September 2020 and proved a decisive signing when his goals helped power Atletico to last season's title, scoring 21 goals in 32 LaLiga games for Diego Simeone's side at a rate of one every 119.95 minutes.

He remains a key figure when fit, although the arrival of Antoine Griezmann, also from Barcelona, means Atletico have more firepower in their ranks now.

This term, the 34-year-old has managed seven goals in 15 league games, including 10 starts, with those strikes coming at one every 129.29 minutes.

His shot conversion rate has climbed from 20.19 per cent in 2020-21 to 29.17 per cent this term, a further reason why Atletico would want to have Suarez as an option for the trip to their capital city rivals.

Veteran coach Vin Blaine has been appointed interim head coach of Jamaica’s Women’s senior team.

Paul Hall has been appointed head coach of Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz following the sacking of Theodore Whitmore earlier today, the Jamaica Football Federation has confirmed. Hall will be in charge for the remainder of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers that resume early next year.

 “Bearing in mind that the World Cup campaign is still ongoing, the JFF has decided to appoint former assistant Paul Hall to lead until the World Cup cycle ends,” a statement from the JFF read.

 “The JFF wishes to thank Mr Whitmore for the work that he has put in with the team over the years."

 JFF President Michael Ricketts confirmed Hall’s appointment earlier today saying, “Paul is the new head coach. We have had discussions with Paul and he is willing and ready. Everything is in place for him to take over.”

Hall is no stranger to the Reggae Boyz. He was a member of the team that historically qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup along with other English-based players Fitzroy Simpson, Deon Burton and Robbie Earle.

Hall joined the coaching staff in June on a part-time basis while still being employed by the English club Queens Park Rangers.

The decision to fire Whitmore stems from a recommendation from the JFF’s Technical Committee, who voted almost unanimously to fire him after what has been a disappointing final round campaign in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

After eight games, Jamaica has seven points and lies sixth in the eight-team table. Jamaica has only one win so far after wasting glorious opportunities to defeat the United States at the National Stadium in Kingston in November and Costa Rica a few weeks earlier.

Serial trophy winner Medhi Benatia announced his retirement on Thursday as Juventus and Bayern Munich stars past and present hailed the powerhouse defender.

The 34-year-old former Morocco captain played a part in five consecutive league championship wins, firstly when landing two Bundesliga titles at Bayern in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

He joined Juventus from the German giants and featured in each of the next three campaigns as the Turin giants mopped up successive Scudetto triumphs, also leading his country at the 2018 World Cup.

Benatia was born in France and began his career in the Marseille youth set-up. He shot to prominence after a move from Clermont to Udinese in 2010, which paved the way for a switch to Roma in 2013, and one year later he was prised away by Bayern amid a scramble by elite clubs for his services.

After a double-winning second season, Benatia moved on to Juventus in 2016, before leaving the Bianconeri to sign for Qatari outfit Al-Duhail midway through the 2018-19 season.

While at Juventus, he was part of the squad that reached the 2016-17 Champions League final and also won the Coppa Italia twice. Most recently he has been with Turkish Super Lig side Fatih Karagumruk, who said Benatia had retired because of injury.

Responding to Benatia's announcement, which he revealed on Instagram, Juventus striker Paulo Dybala sent a heart emoji to his former team-mate. Ex-Bayern winger Franck Ribery did likewise, with current Juve full-back Juan Cuadrado and former favourite Sami Khedira also among those that sent greetings.

Blaise Matuidi, the former Juventus and France midfield general, wrote: "What a career, my brother. I remember those days at [French national football centre] Clairefontaine where we began to dream of being a professional footballer, but by dint of work you did much more than that. Incredible clubs, captain of a nation and having won a good number of titles, you can only be proud brother."

Manchester United defender Eric Bailly joined in the praise, writing: "Bravo capitano. Great man, great career, very good player and finally an example."

Paris Saint-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi praised his former national team skipper, with the message: "Capitanooo. Good luck in your new stage big bro."

Announcing his decision to retire, Benatia said: "From a young age I had only one dream, to become a professional footballer. To get there, I had to force myself to work hard, make sacrifices, but above all set new goals at each stage of my career.

"This job has also allowed me to defend and represent my country, Morocco, with whom I have experienced unforgettable moments... in particular the 2018 World Cup."

Theodore Whitmore has been fired by the Jamaica Football Federation, Sportsmax.TV has confirmed.

The sixteen teams to advance to the quarterfinal round of the DaCosta Cup were confirmed as zone play ended on Tuesday.

The teams will be divided into four groups of four.

Each team will play three matches and the winners of each group will advance to the semi-finals of the competition.

Group 1 will have William Knibb, Dinthill Technical, Christiana High and Edwin Allen.

Mannings, Happy Grove High, Munro College and Vere Technical make up Group 2.

Group 3 will see STETHS, Garvey Maceo, Frome Technical and St. Thomas Technical do battle while Group 4 is made up of Manchester High, Clarendon College, Cornwall College and McGrath High.

Quarterfinal round play in the DaCosta Cup kicks off on Saturday, December 11.

Erling Haaland and Mino Raiola have been thinking about the striker's future for two years and have a clear idea of his next move, the agent says.

Haaland joined Borussia Dortmund from Salzburg after the Bundesliga side met his €20million release clause in December 2019.

He has since raced to 51 goals in as many German top-flight appearances, averaging a goal a game to reach his half-century – Haaland the quickest to the milestone in Bundesliga history and the youngest to do so at just 21.

Indeed, among players in Europe's top five leagues, only Robert Lewandowski (100) has scored more goals than Haaland (74) across all competitions since his Dortmund debut on January 18, 2020.

Speculation around a move away from BVB persists, with Haaland's contract reportedly containing a €75m release clause, although club chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has described those claims as "rumour" and would not confirm the clause.

With a host of Europe's biggest clubs rumoured to be interested, Raiola – who represents the 21-year-old – believes he and Haaland hold all the keys in the upcoming transfer windows.

"We have been thinking about his future for two years," Raiola told SPORT1. "We have clear ideas about where he should go and, of course, we look at what the market will offer. 

"With a player like him, we can influence the market, we will not be influenced.

"I changed the transfer market and today we agents have created a new game alongside football: the transfer market. Today two days a week we talk about football, in the other five about the transfer market."

Dortmund, who next travel to Bochum on Saturday, sit four points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich after Julian Nagelsmann's side secured a 3-2 victory in last weekend's Klassiker.

Haaland scored in that game and has four goals in three appearances since returning from a hip injury.

Bayern Munich will be without Joshua Kimmich for the remainder of 2021 as the midfielder recovers from coronavirus.

Kimmich, who has not yet been vaccinated against the virus, has not played for Bayern since November 6.

The 26-year-old was considered a close contact of Bayern team-mate Niklas Sule, who returned a positive PCR test result while on international duty with Germany last month.

After going through a period of isolation, Kimmich was forced to quarantine again when he was classed as a contact of another suspected COVID-19 case. He then tested positive for the virus himself later in November.

Kimmich has stated he is unwilling to receive a coronavirus vaccine until more is known about possible long-term effects. 

Although Kimmich is no longer suffering from COVID-19, Bayern have confirmed he will not return to action until January.

Kimmich explained this was due to "slight infiltrations" in his lungs, which mean he has been unable to train fully.

"I'm happy my self-isolation caused by the coronavirus has ended," Kimmich said in a statement released on Bayern's official website.

"I'm doing very well, but I'm not yet able to train fully due to slight infiltrations in my lungs. I'll therefore do some rehabilitative training and can't wait to be fully back in action in January."

Bayern, who are having to play their home games behind closed doors due to coronavirus restrictions imposed in Bavaria, face Mainz, Stuttgart and Wolfsburg before the Bundesliga takes its winter break.

Julian Nagelsmann's side beat Barcelona 3-0 on Wednesday in the Champions League, a victory that followed up Saturday's contentious 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund.

That Klassiker success lifted Bayern four points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.

Rennes have confirmed their squad is returning to France after their Europa Conference League match with Tottenham was postponed.

Spurs stated on Wednesday that Thursday's encounter with the Ligue 1 side at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium had been called off due to an outbreak of COVID-19 within Antonio Conte's squad.

Conte said that eight players and five members of staff had contracted the virus in what he labelled a "serious problem".

Spurs have reportedly asked the Premier League to postpone Sunday's meeting with Brighton and Hove Albion.

However, Rennes released a statement on Wednesday claiming Tottenham had made a "unilateral" decision to postpone Thursday's clash without UEFA ratification.

Confirmation from the governing body has now been given to Rennes, though, with the visiting club's squad and coaching staff travelling back to France following full negative coronavirus test results.

In a statement published on their official website, Rennes, who play Nice on Sunday, made clear that the rearranged fixture must not further congest a hectic schedule or disrupt their mid-season break.

The statement read: "After being informed of the cancellation of tonight's match by UEFA, Stade Rennais FC decided to return to Brittany. The entire delegation that will board at London City Airport has tested negative.

"Stade Rennais FC hope that the interests of the club will be respected given the important sporting deadlines that await the Rouge et Noir this December. 

"Stade Rennais FC is deeply sorry for the Rennes fans who decided to come to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to cheer on the Rouge et Noir."

Rennes have two Ligue 1 matches and one Coupe de France game before they take a break over Christmas, resuming their season on January 8.

Domenico Tedesco has been appointed as RB Leipzig's new head coach, replacing Jesse Marsch.

Former Schalke boss Tedesco comes in less than a week after Marsch left the club following a third successive Bundesliga defeat.

Marsch joined Leipzig from sister club Salzburg in the off-season, but the task of replacing Julian Nagelsmann proved too great for the American.

A defeat to Union Berlin on Saturday has left them 11th in the table, though Leipzig responded under Achim Beierlorzer by beating Manchester City 2-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday.

That victory ensured Leipzig drop into a two-legged play-off for a place in the Europa League last 16.

Tedesco has now been handed the reins, signing a contract until June 2023. Leipzig also confirmed assistant coach Beierlorzer has left the club.

The 36-year-old was last in charge of Spartak Moscow, spending two seasons in Russia after he was dismissed by Schalke in 2019.

Tedesco, who graduated from the DFB coaching school in the same class as Nagelsmann, finished second in the Bundesliga in his first season with Schalke in 2017-18 but was unable to maintain that form the following season.

Despite Tedesco's dismissal, Schalke's slide continued and they were relegated from the top flight last term. 

His first task will be to fix Leipzig's defensive issues. They have already committed six errors leading to shots in the Bundesliga - an increase of one from the entirety of last season - and three of those have ended in goals. None of their mistakes directly resulted in goals conceded under Nagelsmann in 2020-21. 

Leipzig have let in 18 goals in the top flight but have an expected goals (xG) against of 23.6. Their xG against in the 2020-21 top-flight campaign was 29.6.

Tedesco's first game in charge will come against Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.

Is a Leeds United midfielder ready to reject a switch to Old Trafford?

Typically, Manchester United are too big to turn down but Kalvin Phillips is believed to be willing to withstand their interest due to the rivalry between the two clubs.

The beneficiaries of such a decision? Liverpool apparently.

TOP STORY – PHILLIPS TO TURN DOWN MAN UTD

Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips will snub a move to Manchester United in favour of Premier League rivals Liverpool, according to The Sun.

Phillips has emerged as a target for Leeds' bitter rivals United, while Liverpool are also admirers of the England international.

Wary of the backlash a move to Old Trafford would cause among Leeds fans, Phillips is ready to reject United and join Liverpool.

ROUND-UP

- Arsenal are plotting a move for Everton star Richarlison, claims Fichajes. The Brazil international scored against Arsenal on Monday, while he has been linked with Paris Saint-Germain.

- Fabrizio Romano reports Borussia Dortmund have made direct contact with Salzburg star Karim Adeyemi. The Germany international is Dortmund's main target as clubs queue up to sign Erling Haaland, who is wanted by Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, Chelsea, PSG, Juventus and Bayern Munich.

- Tuttomercato says Franck Kessie could leave Milan on a free transfer. The soon-to-be free agent has been linked with Tottenham, Inter, PSG and United.

- Fiorentina are poised to sign Lille star Jonathan Ikone, per Gianluca Di Marzio. The deal is reportedly not related to the future of wantaway forward Dusan Vlahovic – the Serbia international has been linked with City, United, Bayern, Inter, Juve, Tottenham and Arsenal.

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes demanded more protection for players after Sam Kerr sensationally knocked over a pitch invader during the midweek Women's Champions League clash against Juventus.

After winning the FA Cup at Wembley on Sunday, high-flying Chelsea played out a goalless draw with Juventus at Kingsmeadow in London on Wednesday.

The result, which left Chelsea waiting until the final group game to secure a place in the Champions League knockout stage, was overshadowed by a pitch invader during the closing stages of the match.

An individual entered the field to take selfies, prompting Chelsea and Australia star Kerr – who scored twice in the FA Cup victory over Arsenal – to barge over the pitch invader with her shoulder, leading to a yellow card.

"I don't know why he didn't just wait until the end. He could have had a photograph if he really wanted one," Hayes said.

"Jokes aside, you do have to think about player safety.

"We've seen in the growth of the game there is a sense that the players are more in demand. I think it should serve as a reminder to our stadiums and our stewards that we have to put player protection first."

It capped a frustrating night for Chelsea, who were unable to breach Italian visitors Juventus.

Chelsea are top of Group A after five matchdays, three points clear of Juve and Wolfsburg.

Hayes' Chelsea visit Wolfsburg at AOK Stadion on December 16, looking to clinch their quarter-final berth.

Rennes have contested Tottenham's announcement of their Europa Conference League game being postponed, claiming it to be a "unilateral" decision that is yet to be ratified by UEFA.

Spurs released a statement on Wednesday informing the public of an apparent agreement to postpone Thursday's visit of Rennes due to a coronavirus outbreak.

Antonio Conte revealed earlier in the day that eight players and five members of staff had tested positive for the illness. As a result, Spurs have shut their first-team training facility.

UEFA rules state teams must fulfil a fixture in the competition if they have 13 players, plus a goalkeeper, available for selection.

But Conte claimed Spurs only have 11 players to choose from, with the club subsequently indicating the Group G showdown had been postponed.

However, Rennes have cast doubt over the situation and accused Spurs of seemingly changing their minds about fulfilling the fixture after the Ligue 1 club had landed in London.

A Rennes statement read: "Following the press release published by Tottenham at 21:00 this Wednesday, Stade Rennais FC would like to clarify the following facts.

"In a video conference at 19:45 between representatives of UEFA, Tottenham and Rennes, the Spurs director of football announced their intention not to play the UEFA Europa Conference League game, [on] Thursday evening, [a] unilateral decision which has not been confirmed by UEFA in any way.

"The Tottenham representative did not want to announce the number of players affected by COVID-19 when the rule states that a match must be played as long as the team has 13 outfielders and a keeper.

"They argued for a decision by the English authorities without advancing any official document. As the match was not officially cancelled by UEFA, Rennes upheld their decision to play.

"Faced with this 'London fog', Rennes reserves the right to approach UEFA. This lack of fair play is all the more glaring as Tottenham had confirmed by email that the match would be held at the start of the afternoon before warning Rennes of their intention not to play just after their landing in London."

Rennes are already assured of top spot in Group G, while second-place Tottenham are level on seven points with Vitesse, who host bottom side Mura on Thursday in the final round of group fixtures.

Olympic gold medalists Elaine Thompson-Herah and Hansle Parchment have been named among the nominees for the 2021 RJR Sports Foundation Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards set for January 21, 2022.

Due mainly to the ongoing pandemic, the Awards will be a made-for-television event instead of the usual gala.

Thompson-Herah will likely be the favourite to add to the award she won in 2016 when she became the first woman to win an Olympic sprint double since 1988. At the Tokyo Olympics, Thompson-Herah won three gold medals (100m, 200m and 4x100m).

She won the 100m in an Olympic record of 10.61 and the 200m in a national record of 21.53, the second-fastest time in history. Following the Olympics, she ran 10.54, the second-fastest time ever run by a woman, at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon on her way to winning the Diamond League title.

However, she is among a stacked field of women who also performed at exceptionally high levels through the year, up to the end of November.

Chief among them is her perennial rival Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who was second in the 100m in Tokyo and was also a member of the gold-medal-winning 4x100m team. The Pocket Rocket also created history of her own in Tokyo when she became the only woman to win medals in the 100m at four consecutive Olympic Games.

She also ran a personal best of 10.60 which made her the third-fastest woman in history.

Shericka Jackson is also among the nominees for winning bronze in the 100m in Tokyo, gold in the 4x100m and a 4x400m bronze. She also ran a personal best 10.76 in the 100m.

Megan Tapper, another nominee, created history as the first woman from the Caribbean to win a medal in the Olympics 100m hurdles. This, after she surprisingly won her second national title in June.

Last, but definitely not least of the five female nominees of West Indies Women cricketer Stafanie Taylor, whose consistent performance with bat and ball saw her ranked among the best female cricketers in the world. She also became one of only three women to score 5000 ODI runs in the history of women’s cricket.

Parchment, who stunned the world to defeat American Grant Holloway and win gold in the 110m hurdles at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, leads the male nominees, that also includes fellow sprint hurdler and national champion Ronald Levy, who won bronze in Tokyo.

Also among the male nominees are West Indies and Jamaica batsman Nkrumah Bonner and Rally Cross driver Fraser McConnell.

The nominees for People’s Choice Performance of the Year include Mikhail Antonio’s wonder strike against the United States at the national stadium in Kingston and McConnell’s historic win in the Nordic Rally Cross in February.

The other nominees are Tapper’s surprise bronze medal in the 100m hurdles in Tokyo, Parchment’s golden run in Tokyo and Thompson-Herah’s blistering 10.54 run in Oregon on August 21.