Rangers suffered Champions League disappointment as Antonio-Mirko Colak's brace ensured 10-man Malmo ran out 4-2 aggregate winners in the third qualifying round tie.

Steven Gerrard's side started brilliantly in the second leg after suffering a 2-1 defeat in Sweden last week, drawing level through Alfredo Morelos' opener before Bonke Innocent was sent off for two bookings in the space of five minutes.

The tide seemed to have turned in the hosts' favour, but Colak delivered a second-half shock to secure a 2-1 win in the return fixture in Glasgow.

Buoyed on by a vocal Ibrox crowd, Morelos flicked a deft header past Johan Dahlin from Ryan Kent's inswinging cross to level the tie after 18 minutes.

Allan McGregor escaped with a caution after he was deemed to have handled outside his area, though Malmo's Innocent did not get off so lightly – the midfielder receiving a contentious second booking for a challenge on Connor Goldson.

Morelos blasted a glorious second-half opportunity over and the forward was made to pay when Colak smashed past McGregor to restore the Swedish side's advantage.

A long throw-in was enough to tee up Colak's second, the forward spinning past two defenders before hooking a low finish past the despairing dive of McGregor.

Ludogorets, who knocked out Olympiacos, now stand between Malmo and the group stage. Rangers, in contrast, have to turn their attentions to a Europa League qualifier against Kairat Almaty or Alashkert.

Lionel Messi is the best player in the world and would enhance an already "beautiful" Paris Saint-Germain squad, according to Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Messi bade an emotional farewell to Barcelona over the weekend after "financial and structural obstacles" prevented him from signing fresh terms at Camp Nou.

PSG are widely viewed as the frontrunners for his signature, meaning the tantalising prospect of a forward line featuring Neymar and Kylian Mbappe alongside the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Donnarumma, the star of Italy's Euro 2020 final penalty shoot-out win over England, similarly joined the Ligue 1 giants on a free transfer after his terms at Milan expired.

Achraf Hakimi, Georginio Wijnaldum and Sergio Ramos have also signed amid a considerable facelift for Mauricio Pochettino's squad, but the Azzurri goalkeeper has no doubt Messi's arrival would take things to the next level.

"I got to know the team, it's a beautiful group and they gave me a wonderful welcome," Donnarumma told Sky Italia.

"We'll find out soon if it’s official or not, but I'm happy if Messi arrives in Paris.

"He is the strongest in the world and I'm excited and happy at the thought of having him in the team."

PSG were unseated by Lille last season and lost 1-0 to the reigning Ligue 1 champions in the Trophee des Champions at the start of this month.

Donnarumma is yet to feature for Pochettino's men after Keylor Navas started that game and the 2-1 comeback win over newly promoted Troyes to kick off the league campaign last weekend.

As Jack Grealish begins training at the Etihad Campus and Harry Kane continues not training in Florida, it is worth remembering Pep Guardiola left a warning in plain sight that Manchester City would be prime movers and shakers in this year's transfer market.

Speaking to Rio Ferdinand on BT Sport ahead of May's Champions League final defeat to Chelsea, Guardiola pondered the ingredients needed for sustained success, having already lifted three of the past four Premier League titles on offer.

"Did you have the same squad when you won your sixth Premier League as you did your first one?" he asked former Manchester United defender Ferdinand.

"You have to shake, you have to move. With the same guys, it is almost impossible. We change. After defeats or a win, we change."

Such are the talents at Guardiola's disposal within the City squad, the £100million British record outlay to secure Grealish brought plenty of derision. Kane will cost more and, should any offer pass muster with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, it will be the same story.

But the City boss knew well of what he spoke and who he was speaking to. In 2002, Ferdinand joined United from Leeds United for a British record £30m. That deal usurped the £28.1m fee Alex Ferguson required to bring in Juan Sebastian Veron from Lazio a year earlier. In 2004, United made Wayne Rooney (£27m) the most expensive teenager in world football.

Even as the great 1998-99 United team went on to win the subsequent two Premier Leagues, Ferguson decided he had to shake. He had to move. Despite the successes of Arsene Wenger's Arsenal and Jose Mourinho's Chelsea at the start of this century, this thirst to improve from a position of strength meant United were able to dominate again.

LEGACY SIGNINGS

Comparisons to Ferguson will no doubt grate for plenty of the City faithful, but geography and the scale of Guardiola's achievements to date – eight major honours in the past four seasons – mean they are easy to reach for.

The former Barcelona coach became the first manager to retain the Premier League since the great Scot and, as he looks to repeat that feat, another Fergusonism has been laid at his door.

Last season, some observers contended Guardiola had built his second great City side. Team building and re-building was a perfected art form at United in the 1990s and 2000s and the shorter tenures of the modern era mean today's elite coaches are rarely called upon to accomplish such a tall task.

Guardiola certainly fitted the contemporary template at Barca and Bayern Munich, working with bristling intensity for four and three seasons respectively before standing down amid a sense that parties on both sides of the player/coach divide were burnt out to some extent.

You only needed to study the City manager on the touchline as a team featuring a crop of youth team players won recent friendlies against Preston North End, Barnsley and Blackpool to see plenty of that intensity remains. But the combination of ideal working conditions under old Barcelona allies Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano along with the lack of either Camp Nou's tumultuous politics or ex-playing grandees as at Bayern have persuaded the 50-year-old that Manchester is a place to burnish his legacy with longevity.

A contract extension penned in November last year means Guardiola is set to remain City boss until June 2023, by which point he will have completed seven seasons.

Club record goalscorer Sergio Aguero departing at the end of last term means only captain Fernandinho, Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling remain from the pre-Guardiola years and the latter two signed a year before his arrival when City's direction of travel was fairly well signposted.

Grealish's arrival and the potential capture of Kane for another nine-figure outlay feels like a significant pivot point in a way that 2020-21, with its inverted full-backs, false-nines and off-the-cuff solutions, did not. A new chapter begins with Saturday's Community Shield encounter against Leicester City at Wembley.

GUARDIOLA'S CITY 2.0

Guardiola's third Premier League title and fourth consecutive EFL Cup did not tell the story of a new team being methodically put together. From the point City lost 2-0 at Tottenham last November, which left them 11th in the Premier League with 12 points from eight games, it was a tale of shrewd adjustment and pragmatism within the manager's signature style.

"I said we have to come back to our first principle. We started to rebuild and reconstruct the team," Guardiola said. "We had success in the past and [we had to] come back on our positional play, move the ball quicker, do more passes, stay more in position, run less with the ball."

City adapted better than any other Premier League side to the rigours of pandemic football. The effective pressing that is a hallmark of all Guardiola's sides was in evidence – 377 high turnovers and 80 shots from high turnovers (open play sequences that begin within 40 metres of the opposition goal) were the best numbers in the Premier League.

This was despite City allowing 11.5 passes per defensive action (PPDA), putting them joint-sixth in a category headed up by Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds Untied and their rabid pressing (9.3 PPDA).

The conclusion to be drawn here is that City picked their moments judiciously rather than relentlessly harrying opponents. Even as their press faltered during their meek 2019-20 title defence, their PPDA was 10.1.

In possession they were similarly methodical. City's direct speed – the metres per second they progressed upfield in open play – was the slowest in the Premier League. Opta's figure of 1.1 direct speed for the champions in 2020-21 compares to 1.4 when they won the league with 100 points for the first time under Guardiola in 2017-18 and 1.3 when the fought tooth and nail with Liverpool to retain it.

Alongside the key addition of talismanic centre-back Ruben Dias, slowing down in this manner helped City to be more defensively solid, although there was a price paid at the other end of the field.

Their goals (83) and shots on target (216) in the Premier League were lower than every campaign since Guardiola's initial trophy-less outing in 2016-17. City's 599 shots overall were the least of his tenure and down form 745 in 2019-20, they registered 68.9 for expected goals (xG) having been between 80 and 94 for the three prior campaigns.

Despite their array of creative midfield talent, City made 1,164 passes into the opposition box, having never clocked below 1,300 in the Guardiola era. In 2018-19, they made 1,522.

This was largely not too much of a problem, of course, but the manner in which City subsided to Chelsea after Kai Havertz scored the only goal in Porto was a concern. Thomas Tuchel's team saw out a 1-0 win in relative comfort and City's xG of 0.45 was their second lowest in any match managed by Guardiola.

JACKED UP ATTACK

Those initial title wins for Guardiola in England featured a forward line with the electrifying wing talents of Leroy Sane and Sterling to the fore.

Sane is now at Bayern Munich and, after the mid-season tweaks last term, Sterling struggled and lost his place as a locked-in starter. Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez generally started either side of a false nine as the importance of players being able to provide the "extra pass" became a Guardiola mantra.

Sterling returns reinvigorated by a fabulous Euro 2020 but Grealish is no more of a direct Sane replacement than Ferran Torres was a year ago. The qualities of the England playmaker and those of his international captain Kane suggest Guardiola is keen to keep the control of 2020-21 and bolt on increased attacking efficiency.

Despite missing 12 matches through injury, Grealish supplied 10 Premier League assists last season. De Bruyne (12) and Kane (14) were two of the three players above him, with the Spurs striker topping the league charts in terms of goals and assists.

Grealish edged De Bruyne by 81-80 in terms of chances created, while his advantage was 70-58 when it came to chances created from open play. City's record signing also edged De Bruyne in terms of expected assists (xA) with 6.52 against 6.21, indicating the high quality of chances his passes created.

Since the departures of David Silva and Sane, the creative burden has arguably rested too heavily upon De Bruyne. Joan Cancelo (45) and Mahrez (44) were the next best in the City squad for chances created, while the Belgian maestro created 19 of what Opta class as 'big chances'. That put him second only to Bruno Fernandes (20) in the division but none of his team-mates hit double figures. Grealish created 14 such opportunities.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

"I think everyone knows how much I admire Kevin and it's going to be a dream come true to play alongside him," Grealish said in his interview with City's in-house media channel on Thursday.

Without Silva and Sane's axis down the left channel, De Bruyne's role at City changed last season, with Guardiola granting him a broader midfield brief, as well as rotating the 30-year-old and Bernardo Silva as his two main false-nine options.

As a result, his touches on the right-hand side of the opposition half – in the spaces he roves to deliver those "score me!" crosses – were down by an average of 7.2 per 90 minutes when compared to 2019-20, when De Bruyne supplied a record-equalling 20 Premier League assists.

He made more touches in central areas and averaged 4.6 more per 90 on the left hand side, where Grealish likes to operate.

A report by The Athletic stated Guardiola intends to use Grealish as an option in the left-sided number eight position within his 4-3-3, one often occupied by Ilkay Gundogan as the Germany international enjoyed the most prolific goalscoring season of his career.

Grealish would provide a different threat, not least with his exceptional dribbling ability. His 60 carries ending with a shot at goal last season were the best in the division, one ahead of Kane. Of those, 37 were created chances for team-mates and the extent to which the 25-year-old occupies defenders should free up De Bruyne to thrive where he can deliver those balls that strikers love – not to say his delivery from the left is especially shabby.

"When I watch De Bruyne play he's a special, special player and some of the balls I see him put in for City are just a striker's dream if I'm honest," Kane told Gary Neville's Overlap podcast in May, demonstrating his aptitude for subtlety is not on a par with his goal poaching.

"He's an outstanding player with the ball, off the ball, pressing, but his delivery is as good as I've ever seen to be honest."  

Should Kane follow Grealish in realising his De Bruyne dream, Guardiola will field a team retaining the control that squeezed the competition last season and bolstered by a goal threat at least equal to his initial City configuration.

If he can knit it all together, and history suggests a very decent record in that regard, it represents a chilling prospect for the rest of the elite in England and Europe.

Lionel Messi is leaving Barcelona after failing to come to agreement on a deal that would fit within LaLiga's salary restrictions.

Although a new contract was expected, with the Blaugrana captain a free agent since the end of last season, he is now departing his only club.

It means Messi will not add to a remarkable haul of 672 goals in all competitions as a Barca player.

Of course, the 34-year-old is not only a great goalscorer but a scorer of great goals, meaning Stats Perform had quite the selection to choose from when picking out a chronological top 10 from his Barca collection.

Albacete (H): May 1, 2005

Even at 17, Messi had the confidence of a veteran. Having already seen one goal wrongly ruled out for offside – an audacious chip from the edge of the box – Messi's confidence was far from knocked and just a minute later he latched onto Ronaldinho's scooped pass before lobbing the ball over Albacete goalkeeper Raul Valbuena from 16 yards. Some way to open your account for one of Europe's great clubs.

Malaga (H): March 22, 2009

Thierry Henry's favourite goal by Messi during their time playing together for Barca. Why not let the France great take up the story? "It defied logic what he did," Henry said in the 'Take the Ball, Pass the Ball' documentary. "There's a diagonal ball and he controls it on his chest. He runs full speed, then the first player goes and the second player is just behind. If he takes another step, that player will clear the ball." A shimmy of the body and deft touch later – in the blink of an eye – Messi stabbed into the top corner to conclude a moment of 100-miles-per-hour brilliance.

Real Zaragoza (A): March 21, 2010

Described by some as 'a defining goal' in his career, this strike against Zaragoza seemed to take him from very good into another class entirely. Messi displayed all he had to offer in a goal that began when he won the ball from a tackle at halfway. From there, he shrugged off one challenge, raced towards the box and turned a defender inside out before drilling into the far corner, leaving coach Pep Guardiola speechless.

Real Madrid (A): April 27, 2011

At the height of the Clasico rivalry between Guardiola's Barca and Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid, the two teams met four times in three different competitions in less than a month. The league meeting ended in a draw and Madrid won the Copa del Rey final, but Barca triumphed in the Champions League semi-final with a 3-1 aggregate win. The first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, an ill-tempered affair to say the least, saw Messi make it 2-0 by bursting beyond four attempted challenges and slotting past Iker Casillas, all in the space of around five seconds.

Athletic Bilbao (A): April 27, 2013

Barca were in the midst of a Champions League semi-final shellacking from Bayern when they arrived at San Mames. A goal down in a match that would eventually finish 2-2, Messi received possession from Thiago Alcantara, twisted past Mikel San Jose, Carlos Gurpegui and Ander Herrera with minimal space in which to operate before nonchalantly side-footing home from just inside the penalty area.

Bayern Munich (H): May 6, 2015

Guardiola returned to Camp Nou with a Bayern side struggling with injury problems. They kept Barca at bay until the 77th minute of this Champions League semi-final first leg, when Messi finally struck. It was his second goal that earns a place in this list, though: collecting Ivan Rakitic's pass, a simple-looking shimmy left Jerome Boateng on his backside before he chipped Manuel Neuer with his weaker foot.

Real Madrid (A): April 23, 2017

El Clasico rarely disappoints for football fans around the globe, and this edition was no different. Anything but a win would essentially hand Madrid the title, and it looked to be headed for a 2-2 draw until Sergi Roberto's swashbuckling run in stoppage time gave Jordi Alba the chance to square to Messi, who finished with aplomb from the edge of the area for his 500th Barcelona goal.

Real Betis (A): March 17, 2019

Rarely has a hat-trick been completed in finer fashion. Messi's two goals had helped Barca to a 3-1 lead at the Benito Villamarin, before he passed to Rakitic, ran onto the return ball and sent a first-time chip over goalkeeper Pau Lopez and in off the crossbar from just inside the box. It was a sublime effort that even had the home fans on their feet applauding – something Messi himself admitted he had not experienced before.

Liverpool (H): May 1, 2019

Over the past few years, Messi has mastered the art of free-kick taking, with the skill being one of few to elude him in his younger days. Liverpool held their own for long periods at Camp Nou but goals from Luis Suarez and Messi gave the hosts breathing space. Jurgen Klopp's side then had to bow to greatness when, after being brought down by Fabinho, Barca's talisman swept an unstoppable 30-yard effort into the top corner. Barcelona would incredibly blow their 3-0 first-leg advantage, however, losing 4-0 at Anfield as Liverpool reached the Champions League final.

Atletico Madrid (A): December 1, 2019

It was goalless in the 86th minute at the Wanda Metropolitano when Messi collected the ball on the right flank, 10 yards inside the Atletico half. Those famous feet began to shuffle with purpose, and although Atletico knew what Messi had in mind, they were powerless to resist the execution of his plan. Messi surged on, playing the ball to Suarez on the edge of the penalty area before taking the return pass and cracking a brilliant 20-yard shot into the bottom left corner of Jan Oblak's goal. A winner, and one of the highest class.

Rangers face a fight to keep their Champions League campaign alive following a 2-1 defeat to Malmo.

Steven Gerrard's men came unstuck in the first leg of the third qualifying round tie, conceding two goals in the space of three second-half minutes.

Veljko Birmancevic was the star man for the hosts, who continued their momentum having come through the first two rounds of qualifying.

Birmancevic's right-wing cross was met with a brilliant 47th-minute volley from Soren Rieks to give the Swedish side the lead.

And two minutes later it was Birmancevic who doubled the advantage, slotting in off the post after pouncing on a defensive error from Connor Goldson.

A last-gasp deflected strike from Steven Davis gave Rangers hope for the second leg.

Yet, with the scrapping of the away goals rule, Rangers still need to score at least twice to guarantee progression to the playoff round.

 

Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid have stated their intention to press on with the European Super League after a court protected them against UEFA disciplinary proceedings relating to the project's ill-fated launch earlier this year.

On Friday, the mercantile court in Madrid threw out UEFA's appeal against its ruling earlier this month that stated disciplinary proceedings concerned with the founding 12 Super League clubs must be scrapped.

The Spanish pair and Italian giants welcomed the decision against what they termed "UEFA threats" and condemned European football's governing body for its "monopolistic position" over its governance of the game in a joint statement.

The case will now be assessed by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

"FC Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid CF welcome today's court's decision enforcing, with immediate effect, UEFA's obligation to unwind the actions taken against all European Super League founding clubs, including terminating the disciplinary proceedings against the undersigning three clubs and removing the penalties and restrictions imposed on the remaining nine founding clubs for them to avoid UEFA's disciplinary action," the statement read.

"The court backs the request made by the promoters of the European Super League, dismisses UEFA's appeal, and confirms its warning to UEFA that failure to comply with its ruling shall result in fines and potential criminal liability."

The statement continued: "Our aim is to keep developing the Super League project in a constructive and cooperative manner, always counting on all football stakeholders: fans, players, coaches, clubs, leagues, and national and international associations.

"We are aware that there are elements of our proposal that should be reviewed and, of course, can be improved through dialogue and consensus. We remain confident in the success of a project that will be always compliant with European Union laws."

The proposed Super League format guaranteed participation for its 12 founders but quickly prompted outrage across the footballing world in April.

With the Premier League clubs – Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal – pulling out, Milan, Inter and Atletico Madrid soon followed.

Those nine clubs each agreed to pay €15million in support of European grassroots football initiatives and cede five per cent of their revenues from UEFA club competitions in the forthcoming season after reconciliation talks with the governing body.

Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid did not stand down, prompting a UEFA investigation and the launch of disciplinary proceedings in May that were expected to yield harsher punishments.

Friday's ruling in the Spanish capital effectively renders all of those measures void. UEFA is yet to comment on the latest developments.

Celtic suffered another Champions League nightmare as Midtjylland came from behind to reach the third qualifying round with a 2-1 victory after extra time.

A magnificent Callum McGregor goal put the Hoops in front on aggregate early in the second half of a second leg that started with the two sides level at 1-1 at the MCH Arena.

Awer Mabil equalised with a header and Raphael Onyedika settled the tie early in extra time as the Danish Superliga side set up a two-legged meeting with PSV.

Celtic crashed out at the same stage as they did last season at the hands of Ferencvaros and will now face a Europa League qualifier against Czech side Jablonec in a miserable start to Ange Postecoglou's reign.

David Turnbull forced an early save from Midtjylland goalkeeper Jonas but it was not until the second half that the game burst into life.

McGregor opened the scoring in spectacular fashion just three minutes after the break, controlling the ball on his chest after it was headed into his path from a corner and unleashing a sublime left-foot volley that flashed into the far corner of the net from outside the penalty area.

Midtjylland responded well to going behind and Onyedika called Scott Bain into action with a shot from a tight angle before Mabil nipped in to nod home Pione Sisto's pinpoint cross just after the hour mark.

Victor Stange Lind wasted a great chance to snatch victory at the end of normal time when he fired a volley wide, but Onyedika deservedly fired home the winner with his left foot when Celtic failed to deal with a free-kick four minutes into extra time.

Paris Saint-Germain have announced head coach Mauricio Pochettino has signed a new deal that will keep him in the French capital until 2023.

Pochettino arrived at the Ligue 1 club at the start of January, taking over following the departure of Thomas Tuchel, who is now in charge at Chelsea.

The former PSG defender was unable to secure the top-flight title for a fourth straight season, however, as the reigning champions were dethroned by Lille. They did win the Coupe de France, as well as reaching the last four of the Champions League.

Previously linked with a stunning return to Tottenham, who sacked the Argentinian back in November 2019, Pochettino has now agreed to extend his stay in Paris, along with his coaching staff.

"I'm really very happy, for myself and also for my staff," Pochettino told the PSG website.

"It's very important for us to feel the confidence of the club and we will give our maximum so that the supporters are proud of Paris Saint-Germain. That's why we will try and reach our objectives all together, as one.

"Twenty years ago I was captain of this club and today I am the coach… It's a dream come true."

PSG have been busy during the close-season as they prepare for the new campaign, with Pochettino seeing his first-team squad boosted by a host of big-name arrivals.

Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum and Gianluigi Donnarumma have all arrived on free transfers, while Achraf Hakimi was signed from Inter for a reported initial fee of €68million.

"We are delighted that Mauricio has reaffirmed his commitment to the Paris Saint-Germain family," said Nasser Al-Khelaifi, chairman and CEO of PSG.

"Having also captained the team 20 years ago, he understands the club values, ambition and vision for the future. With Mauricio's leadership, we're excited and confident about what the future holds."

PSG kick off the season on August 1 when they take on Lille in the Trophee des Champions. Their Ligue 1 campaign begins six days later with a trip to Troyes.

Ange Postecoglou's first competitive match in charge of Celtic ended in a 1-1 Champions League qualifying draw at home to Midtjylland, leaving the Bhoys with plenty of work to do in the second leg.

Celtic were unable to win a 10th successive Scottish Premiership title last season as Rangers ended their long drought, meaning Celtic have had to start in the second round of Champions League qualifying.

And Midtjylland – runners up in Denmark last term – proved stubborn opposition, looking particularly bright in the early stages.

Though Celtic opened the scoring in the 39th minute, Israeli youngster Liel Abada – a new signing from Maccabi Petah Tikva – turning in from the middle of the box after Jonas Lossl could only parry an initial effort from Ryan Christie, who had hit the post not long prior.

Nir Bitton then put Celtic's position in doubt, reacting angrily to an apparent dive by Anders Dreyer and earning a second booking for poking the winger in the face.

But Dreyer – who was also yellow-carded in that prior incident – did not last much longer either, with referee Sandro Scharer making the arguably harsh decision to dismiss him in the 56th minute for what he perceived to be another display of simulation.

Celtic might have fancied their chances to finish the job after that, and they did swiftly hit the crossbar through Callum McGregor.

But unconvincing goalkeeping from Vasilios Barkas 10 minutes later allowed Evander to send a free-kick into the top-right corner, and that sealed a draw.

The two teams meet again in Denmark next Wednesday, though Celtic's saving grace is away goals no longer count double as a tie-breaker.

The possibility of moving to Milan brought childhood memories rushing back to Olivier Giroud. 

The Frenchman made official his departure from Chelsea for a reported two-year deal with the Serie A giants on Saturday. 

Now the veteran striker has designs on winning trophies with the Rossoneri himself. 

“I still feel like a little kid, 35 -- or almost 35 -- years old,” Giroud told Milan TV. “When I was young, I looked up to Jean-Pierre Papin, Andriy Shevchenko and obviously Paolo [Maldini].

“This team made me dream. I was also a big fan of Marco van Basten. So many great players have played in this massive club in Europe.

“Milan have a massive history in Europe and that’s why I wanted to join the club.

"Also to play in the best competition in Europe, in the Champions League, and I hope we can achieve great things with the team."

Milan will return to the Champions League this season for the first time since 2013-14. 

Only Real Madrid (13) have won more European titles than Milan's seven, but the Rossoneri have not triumphed in the competition since 2007. 

After winning the Champions League and the Europa League with Chelsea over a three-year span, Giroud wants to have the same type of experience in Milan. 

“I feel blessed that I had the opportunity to win trophies, playing for big clubs,” Giroud said.

“I think Milan is a club that deserves to play at the highest level." 

Beyond helping the team return to glory, Giroud is especially excited to play alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic. 

“I think he’s an example for the youngsters, he’s one of the best strikers in Serie A and I’m looking forward to playing alongside him," Giroud said. "I think we will have fun!”

“I just want to win something with Milan, and with Zlatan it’s even better, you know.”

Olivier Giroud has joined Milan in a reported €2million (£1.7m) deal from Chelsea.

Giroud has signed a contract with the Rossoneri – said to be for two years – after they met the modest release clause in his contract.

Chelsea triggered a one-year extension for Giroud last season, which meant a free transfer was not possible, but there were otherwise few obstacles to block the move.

While Giroud was rarely a first-choice option at Chelsea following his arrival from Arsenal in January 2018. He found starts particularly hard to come by following the appointment of Thomas Tuchel.

After the German replaced Frank Lampard in late January, Giroud made only three Premier League starts, none of which came after February 28.

Previously, under Lampard, Giroud had taken on a fairly important role after the three-month coronavirus-enforced pause, scoring six goals in seven starts.

The signings of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz restricted Giroud from building on that form at the start of 2020-21 – he did not score a Premier League goal until December, though he did net five times in the Champions League group stage.

That included a remarkable four-goal haul in Chelsea's 4-0 win away to Sevilla, which made him the oldest player (34 years, 63 days) to score a hat-trick in the Champions League/European Cup since Ferenc Puskas (38y, 173d) for Real Madrid in 1965.

Although Giroud did not feature for Chelsea in their Champions League semi-final nor final matches, he did get a medal in the competition and heads to Milan as a European champion.

Giroud will hope he enjoys a resurgence similar to his new team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Milan, with the Swede scoring 15 goals in just 19 appearances last term before sustaining an injury.

The French World Cup winner is the second player to swap Stamford Bridge for San Siro this year, following Fikayo Tomori to Serie A after his loan move was made permanent.

On top of Giroud, Milan are close to two other incomings, with Brahim Diaz – who spent last season at San Siro on loan from Real Madrid – set to rejoin on a two-year deal from Los Blancos, with an option to buy.

Monaco left-back Fode Ballo-Toure, meanwhile, is also set to sign.

Mauricio Pochettino is laying the groundwork to ensure there is no repeat of a disappointing 2020-21 season at Paris Saint-Germain.

Having been appointed in January, the former Southampton and Tottenham head coach oversaw a frustrating time in Paris as his team were eliminated at the Champions League semi-final stage by Manchester City and finished runners-up in Ligue 1 to Lille.

That second-place finish ended a run of three successive league titles for PSG and Pochettino is aware that corrections are needed if they are to go one better in the 2021-22 campaign.

A strong transfer window, however, has further boosted the French giants, as they have added Sergio Ramos and Achraf Hakimi to their ranks, alongside Euro 2020 shoot-out hero Gianluigi Donnarumma.

But Pochettino is insistent that the pre-season period is vital to PSG if they want to retake the Ligue 1 title and stake a claim in the Champions League.

"Other players will join us later, maybe they won't feature in the first competitive matches of the season, so that they too can prepare in the best way possible", Pochettino told the club's media.

"It's important so that, during the season, they feel fresh and strong and that what happened last season never happens again."

PSG's Ligue 1 downfall was due to their woeful record against fellow top-four contenders Lille, Monaco and Lyon.

Pochettino's men, previously coached by current Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, collected just four points from six matches against their competitors and that proved the difference in the title race.

Aware of those failings, the Argentine coach is keen to involve the youngsters, who could provide fresh legs as PSG compete both domestically and in Europe.

"There are a lot of young players who will have the opportunity to show themselves in these first games and prove to us they can fight for a place in the team during the season," Pochettino said.

"I think the most important thing is to establish the guidelines and lay the foundations for the future.

"I think that's what we are doing at the beginning of the pre-season, and it will surely contribute to all those things that we need to do to prepare well and have the ingredients we need in the decisive moments.

"So that we can be much closer to achieving our goals and to winning the things we want to win."

Istanbul will finally get to stage the Champions League final in 2023, UEFA has announced.

The Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Turkey was originally due to put on Europe's biggest club match in 2020, only for the coronavirus pandemic to mean the closing stages of the tournament were shifted to Lisbon.

The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final were all played in Portugal's capital, with Istanbul awarded the 2021 final instead.

However, that too was taken away when UEFA moved the match between Chelsea and Manchester City to Porto, this time because Turkey was on the United Kingdom's travel red list amid the continuing COVID-19 health crisis.

Supporters of the two English clubs would have been unable to make the trip to Istanbul, but restrictions on travel to Portugal were less stringent.

Now UEFA's executive committee has awarded the 2023 final to Istanbul, in the hope it will get to stage the game in two years' time. Munich was due to host the game but will instead stage the 2025 final.

UEFA said in a statement: "Following the relocation of the 2021 UEFA Champions League final from Istanbul to Porto, it was decided to award the staging of the 2023 UEFA Champions League final to the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.

"Furthermore, the European club season kick-off event, which includes the draws for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League will take place in Istanbul at the end of August both for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons."

UEFA said that Wembley's position as host venue for the 2024 final was unaffected.

It also said it had reached "a settlement agreement" with Dublin and Bilbao after both cities were unable to stage Euro 2020 matches, as had been the original plan.

They could not meet UEFA's requirements on spectator numbers, owing to the COVID-19 situation, but the governing body said it recognised "the efforts and financial investment put by the two cities in preparing for the tournament".

It said Dublin would now host the 2024 Europa League final and Bilbao would stage both the 2025 Europa League final and the 2024 Women's Champions League final.

Milan target Dusan Tadic will not be moving to San Siro, with the forward having agreed a new three-year deal with Ajax.

Ajax captain Tadic was reportedly close to a switch to the Serie A giants, who are back in the Champions League for the 2021-22 season after a second-place finish last term.

However, the 32-year-old has opted to stay in Amsterdam, penning a new deal keeping him at Ajax until June 2024.

It is a one-year extension on his previous contract, which was set to expire at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

Tadic joined Ajax from Premier League side Southampton in 2018 and went on to play a key role in the Dutch team reaching the Champions League semi-finals that season.

He scored 28 goals in the Eredivisie and added a further six in the Champions League proper, following three goals in Ajax's qualifiers.

Only Lionel Messi (12) and Robert Lewandowski (eight) scored more times than Tadic in UEFA's flagship competition in 2018-19, with his tally of four assists second to Kylian Mbappe and Jordi Alba (five). No player created more chances than the Serbian (37), who was eight ahead of his nearest rival in that regard (Toni Kroos, 29).

Tadic outscored his expected goals (xG) figure of 4.79, suggesting his finishing from certain situations was more proficient than would be expected. His standout performance came in a 4-1 last-16 win at Real Madrid, with the former Twente forward scoring a stunning effort and assisting two other goals.

In total, Tadic has played 149 competitive games for Ajax, scoring 76 times, and he was named Dutch footballer of the year in 2020-21 as he helped Ajax retain the title, with the previous season having been voided due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ajax's director of football Marc Overmars told the club's official website: "It is no secret that Dusan plays a very important role for the team.

"Both on and off the pitch, he is a real leader. So, it's fantastic that we can keep him at Ajax even longer."

For fans across the globe it may seem quite peculiar to see Sergio Ramos in new colours for the 2020-21 season.

After announcing the end of a hugely successful 16-year association with Real Madrid, the Blancos legend has a new home at Paris Saint-Germain.

The 35-year-old has penned a two-year deal at the Parc des Princes – having been unsuccessful at getting the same length of contract at Madrid – and brings with him a history of success.

Stats Perform has looked at some of the impressive statistics during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu.

LONGEVITY THE KEY

It is not just the quality Ramos brought to Madrid's backline but the sheer longevity he has been at the top of his game.

Over 16 trophy-laden seasons, Ramos has played in 469 LaLiga games for Madrid – only three players have racked up more for Los Blancos.

Moreover, the 22 trophies he has lifted with the club is bettered by only Paco Gento, who collected 23.

It will not surprise anyone to learn Lionel Messi (383) is the only player to have won more games than Ramos in LaLiga, whose 334 is coincidentally the same amount achieved by fellow Madrid great Iker Casillas.

And the 45 Clasico games Ramos has played in is a joint-high with Barca talisman Messi.

Of course, Ramos is known for the occasional gamesmanship and ill-discipline. The 20 LaLiga red cards he has received is also a competition high.

It is not just domestically where Ramos has made his presence felt, he is of course a four-time Champions League winner.

Impressively, all of his 129 Champions League games were starts – the most of any player in Europe's premier competition without a single substitute appearance.

GOALS, GOALS, GOALS

PSG have of course signed a player with exceptional defensive prowess and leadership skills.

But the Ligue 1 giants may also find Ramos contributing to their cause at the other end of the pitch too, as he so often did for Madrid.

Ramos first hit double figures for goals in the 2016-17 campaign, scoring 10 times. He improved on that in 2018-19, registering 11, before netting 13 times in his penultimate season with Madrid, albeit seven of those came from the penalty spot.

Indeed, he is the only defender to score 100 goals while playing in one of Europe's top five European leagues since the turn of the century.

In total, he scored 101 goals for Madrid. 72 of those were in LaLiga, 15 in the Champions League, seven in the Copa del Rey, three in the Club World Cup and two apiece in the Supercopa de Espana and UEFA Super Cup.

Of his Madrid goals in all competitions, 22 came from the penalty spot (21.7 per cent), while 55 (54.4 per cent) were unsurprisingly headed goals.

In the 21st century, only three players have scored more headed LaLiga goals than Ramos – Fernando Llorente (42), Aritz Aduriz (49), and long-time team-mate and Madrid's all-time record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo (52).

SOME REIGN FOR SPAIN

Ramos' successes have not been confined purely to Madrid. The legendary centre-back has also enjoyed a mightily impressive international career.

He was a member of the Spain squads that won three straight major tournaments – European Championship triumphs in 2008 and 2012 sandwiching World Cup glory in 2010.

A spate of injuries this term meant Ramos was a shock omission from Luis Enrique's selection for Euro 2020.

But even accounting for that, no one can better the whopping 180 appearances Ramos has made for Spain, while his 23 goals is seventh on their all-time leading goalscorers list.

Only Fernando Hierro with 29 has scored more for Spain among defenders.

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