Neymar declared "I don't think there is a new Neymar" but the in-form Paris Saint-Germain forward feels like he is "a more complete player".

The Brazil international has made a great start to the season, scoring 11 goals in 13 games for PSG.

Neymar has also provided nine assists for the Ligue 1 champions, who are reaping the rewards of having the former Barcelona man fully fit after he spent a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to injury last season.

The 30-year-old's impressive performances bode well for Brazil ahead of the World Cup in Qatar and he thinks his all-round game is better than it has ever been.

He told PSG TV: "I don't think there is a new Neymar. I think just that things have dropped into place. I'm having a very good start to the season, like when I came here and in my first two or three years.

"I feel a more complete player now, because I can defend, attack or score goals, make assists, whatever you like. I think I'm now more complete than before.

"I think everyone helps. Of course, I know I'm not an extraordinary defender, but I at least try to help my team-mates however I can."

Neymar is dreaming of a World Cup and Champions League double.

He said: "I'm very happy to have started my season well, whether it be with Paris Saint-Germain or the Brazil national team.

"The aim this year is to win with both teams, to win everything with Paris and Brazil. We have a World Cup coming up and we know just how difficult that competition is.

"But I have a dream of winning it, just like the Champions League will be soon in Paris, I'm sure of that."

Lothar Matthaus has urged England to start Jude Bellingham in every match at the World Cup in Qatar.

The Three Lions head to the tournament in poor form, failing to win any of their past six competitive matches, their worst sequence of results ever before a major tournament.

Questions regarding Gareth Southgate's first-choice XI remain, with the manager staying loyal to those who performed well in the 2018 World Cup and last year's European Championship.

However, Borussia Dortmund star Bellingham has worked his way into the side and started England's last three matches, with Bayern Munich and West Germany great Matthaus believing that streak should continue in the upcoming tournament.

"He's someone English football fans need to be hugely excited about," the 61-year-old Bundesliga television pundit told FourFourTwo.

"With his mentality, he's not somebody that needs to be treated as a young player who hopes for a few minutes here and there, he's a player who should be starting every match.

"He's becoming an important part of the national team and, in my opinion, he has the potential to be one of the best midfielders England have ever produced.

"I played against some pretty good ones myself and I see those qualities in him."

England begin their group stage campaign against Iran on November 21, then tackling the United States and Wales in Group B.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi has confirmed Qatar 2022 will be his last World Cup.

The mercurial Paris Saint-Germain forward will attempt to lift the trophy for the first time after helping his country win the Copa America last year.

Messi, 35, says he will not play in another World Cup following the showpiece in Qatar, which starts on November 20.

He told Star+: "This is my last World Cup, surely, yes."

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner does not believe Argentina go into the tournament as the favourites to be crowned champions.

He added: "We are not the top favourites. I think there are other teams that are above us today.

"We arrived at a good moment because of how things turned out and with a very strong group. Afterwards, in a World Cup anything can happen, it's very difficult. The favourites are not always the ones who end up winning.

"I see similar things from the group with the one from 2014. We can't wait to get together."

The 2014 World Cup was the closest Messi has come to winning the tournament, with Argentina beaten by Germany in the final.

Brazil will be the number one side in the world when the Qatar 2022 World Cup starts next month, after strengthening their lead in the FIFA rankings.

The Selecao head into this year's tournament looking to break a two-decade hold by European nations on the sport's top prize, having been the last country from outside the continent to triumph at the South Korea and Japan 2002 finals.

Tite's side have slightly stretched their points advantage above second-placed Belgium, whom they displaced atop the list in March.

Brazil and Belgium head up an unchanged top five, with Argentina remaining at number three, World Cup holders France at four and England – who have endured a dismal 2022 – in fifth place.

The Three Lions will top the strongest group at Qatar 2022, Group B, when taken on points, with fellow nations the United States, Wales and Iran all ranked inside the top 20.

Italy, who are the highest-ranked nation not qualified for the World Cup, have forced the only move inside the FIFA top 10 as they head to sixth from seventh in a straight swap with Spain.

The Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark round out the top 10, with Germany just beyond them at number 11, ahead of 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia.

The lowest-ranked side at this year's tournament will be Ghana, who sit at 61st on the FIFA list, while hosts Qatar are in 50th place.

Kyle Walker's availability for the World Cup is up in the air after Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola declared the England right-back suffered an abdominal injury that will keep him out "for a while".

Walker, 32, was substituted in the first half of City's 6-3 derby win against Manchester United on Sunday after making his seventh start from his side's eight Premier League fixtures this campaign.

He also started four of England's six UEFA Nations League games since the beginning of June, resulting in three defeats and a draw.

However, Walker is now set for "weeks" on the sidelines in the shadows of the World Cup, according to Guardiola.

"[He will be out] for a while," he told reporters following City's 5-0 Champions League thrashing of Copenhagen on Wednesday. "I don't know exactly, but weeks.

"Something abdominal, so he will be a while. We don't know how long. Maybe the club will make a statement in the next day, but for a while he will be out.

"I don't know [about availability for the World Cup]. I cannot say anything else, I don't know."

Ukraine have joined Spain and Portugal in a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup, it was announced on Wednesday.

Spain and Portugal had already joined forces with an "Iberian bid" to host but Ukraine have joined as a third host, with the bid now being referred to as a "European bid".

Reports on Tuesday revealed Ukraine's involvement, and it was confirmed on Wednesday by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) at UEFA's Swiss headquarters, with Europe's governing body backing the bid.

According to reports, the plan is for Ukraine to play host to one group in the 48-team tournament – which will be the second with expanded teams after the 2026 World Cup in North America; hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Ukraine previously hosted the 2012 European Championship alongside Poland, while Portugal hosted the same tournament in 2004. Neither has hosted the World Cup previously but Spain hosted it in 1982.

The European bid will compete with others for the rights to host the 2030 tournament, with a final decision to be made in 2024.

Currently, a South American proposal from Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile has been made, while it is reported a joint bid from Greece, Saudi Arabia and Egypt is also in the works.

Another inter-federation bid may involve Israel, partnering with the United Arab Emirates or Bahrain, while Morocco could launch a joint bid with other northern African nations having failed with previous bids for the tournaments in 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010.

Australia could also be an option, with reports previously indicating a joint proposal could be made alongside either New Zealand or Indonesia.

A plethora of joint bids appear to suggest that this year's World Cup in Qatar could be the final tournament to be hosted by a single nation, with the appeal of hosting the tournament in numerous countries increasing – particularly to involve those who would not be able to host a tournament individually.

The increase to a 48-team World Cup would also put further strain on individual nations to host an entire tournament, with a total of 80 matches to be played – an increase on the 64 that will be played in Qatar.

Former England captain David Beckham has backed the Three Lions to go all the way in Qatar, despite a woeful sequence of results this year.

Gareth Southgate's side head to the World Cup after failing to win any of their six Nations League matches and suffering relegation from the top tier of the UEFA competition.

That run is England's longest winless streak in almost 30 years, while it also marks the worst run of form the side has ever faced before a major international tournament.

Despite that and rising pressure on Southgate, Beckham believes England have the capability to win the World Cup for the first time since 1966.

"I will always say England. It's going to be difficult but the fact we are now going into a big competition like the World Cup, only playing 25 games in the season, player energy will be up, they won't be injured," he told Sky Sports.

"They've not played 60 games in a season, so I think they are going to be ready. We have a big opportunity.

"Gareth Southgate has done an incredible job with the players. The unity, which I think is a big part of it, we saw that in the Euros. My prediction is that, hopefully, England will go all the way, but it is not going to be easy."

England begin their campaign on November 21 against Iran, then facing the United States and Wales in Group B.

Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz are set to play Paraguay in two international friendlies next month as they continue preparations for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

France midfielder Boubacar Kamara will be out of action until after the World Cup due to knee ligament damage, Aston Villa head coach Steven Gerrard has confirmed.

Kamara has been capped three times by France and was called up for their latest round of Nations League matches this month.

However, the 22-year-old had to withdraw from the squad after injuring his knee during Villa's 1-0 win against Southampton on September 16.

It was revealed last week Kamara had suffered ligament damage, and Gerrard announced on Friday the former Marseille player will not recover in time for Qatar 2022.

"Boubacar will be missing until after the World Cup, unfortunately, so that is a huge blow," Gerrard said at his pre-match press conference ahead of facing Leeds United.

"It's not ideal. We have had better days on the injury front."

Villa have also lost fellow marquee signing Diego Carlos, who ruptured his Achilles on just his second outing after joining from Sevilla.

Kamara's international team-mate Lucas Digne sustained a heel injury while away with his country and "will be unavailable in the coming weeks".

Barcelona boss Xavi has played down concerns over the future of captain Sergio Busquets, insisting the Spain international remains "key" to his plans at the club.

A difficult start to the season for the 34-year-old, including a red card against Rayo Vallecano, seems to have stoked further suggestions this campaign could be his last at Camp Nou.

With Barca still likely to need to cut their cloth accordingly amid their financial struggles, the Spain skipper could well be one key man to depart next year.

But the defensive midfielder has publicly downplayed a definitive answer on his future, and speaking ahead of his side's clash with Mallorca, Xavi reiterated that no decisions have yet been made.

"Busquets has said publicly that he hasn't decided anything," he stated. "He will make a decision at the end of the season and for me, he continues to be key."

With domestic and European concerns to field, Barca are set to enter a major period of fixture congestion, with a dozen games crunched into the month-and-a-half stretch ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Several of Xavi's fellow coaches across the continent have voiced their displeasure at the intense calendar, but he is instead focusing on the need to take as many points as they can at home and abroad.

"We have 12 games until the break for the World Cup," he added. "It's a momentous stretch of the season. All games are going to be very important.

"Tomorrow we have to win and show our character. We have to show our strengths."

Barca will move into an enforced break this term thanks to the mid-season winter staging of the World Cup in Qatar, adding another tough dimension to an already gruelling campaign.

With FIFA having mooted plans in recent times to potentially expand the tournament to a biennial staging, Xavi feels there should be no further restructures or moves from its traditional off-season berth.

"FIFA plans to organise the World Cup every two years," he added. "Now we have the World Cup in Qatar during the winter period.

"I think it would be better if the tournament is compiled at a separate time. Then the other time is allocated to the clubs."

Emile Heskey believes Gareth Southgate should be given the chance to turn England's fortunes around after relegation from League A in the Nations League.

The Three Lions' manager has come in for criticism after his team finished bottom of Group 3, failing to win any of their six outings against Italy, Hungary and Germany (D3 L3).

With the World Cup in Qatar kicking off in less than two months, the pressure is on Southgate to deliver, though he did guide England to the semi-finals in Russia in 2018 before reaching the final of the rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament last year.

Heskey – who made 62 appearances for England – thinks Southgate and his players can turn it around and can take positives from their 3-3 draw with Germany at Wembley on Monday.

Speaking to Stats Perform, the former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker said: "I think the draw against Germany did redeem [England] in some cases.

"I thought the fight they showed was fantastic to get it back to 3-2 because they could easily have given up at 2-0 [down]. But they fought back to make it 3-2 and then 3-3, obviously.

"Football has always fascinated me [because] we put no pressure on them, and [then] they get to a semi-final and a final, then we suddenly heap a load of pressure on them and you can see what's happening."

Prior to the six-goal thriller with Germany, England had failed to score with any of their previous 62 non-penalty shots, a run of seven hours and 30 minutes without a non-penalty goal.

Southgate's men are also winless in their last six games in all competitions, their longest run since April to June 1993 (also six). It is their longest ever winless run going into a major tournament.

"When you're not doing well, they're going to justify criticism, and you've got to accept that criticism. It's how you bounce back from that," Heskey added.

"None of these have turned into bad players overnight, and the manager isn't a bad manager overnight. I think you've got to give him the opportunity to turn it around and turn the fortune of the players around as well."

One of the concerns widely discussed has been whether Southgate knows his best team before they take on Iran, the United States and Wales in Group B at the World Cup, but Heskey pointed out selection headaches mean the manager has a number of credible options available to him.

"You could put it either way," he said. "It could be alarming, or it could be a good thing that we don't know the best 11 because players are coming in.

"You've even got Ivan Toney coming into the [last] squad... [Mason] Mount's played a lot of games and then come back in and scored.

"So it's always good to keep the manager on his toes. But you really should know who your starting 11 is coming up to a major tournament."

Qatar's World Cup organising committee says sportswear maker Hummel is "trivialising" efforts to improve conditions for migrant workers after revealing Denmark's toned-down kit in protest at the issue.

Hummel, which is the Danish football team's long-term kit supplier, released the side's 2022 World Cup jerseys on Wednesday, including a black third-choice design which is described as the "colour of mourning", to honour migrant workers who died during construction work for the tournament.

The Danish Football Association (DBU) promised in November its teams would wear clothing with "critical messages" at the World Cup, and while FIFA rules prohibit political statements, the team uniform is a major change to their iconic kits.

The three Denmark kits are all-red, all-white and all-black, with their iconic white chevrons faded into the same single colour as the shirt.

"This shirt carries with it a message," Hummel said. "We don't wish to be visible during a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives.

"We support the Danish national team all the way, but that isn't the same as supporting Qatar as a host nation."

Qatar's organising group, the Qatar Supreme Committee (QSC), responded to the kit release by disputing Hummel's claims, arguing it trivialised a "genuine commitment to protect the health and safety" of migrant workers, estimated to be around 30,000, largely from South Asia.

Qatar claims that three labourers died in work-related accidents during construction work for the World Cup, although the nation has been accused of under-reporting deaths with limited data released by authorities, with Hummel's statement claiming it was "thousands".

"We dispute Hummel's claim that this tournament has cost thousands of people their lives," the QSC statement said.

"Furthermore, we wholeheartedly reject the trivialising [of] our genuine commitment to protect the health and safety of the 30,000 workers who built FIFA World Cup stadiums and other tournament projects.

"Like every country, progress on these issues is a journey without a finish line, and Qatar is committed to that journey.

"We urge the DBU to accurately convey the outcome of their extensive communication and work with the Supreme Committee, and to ensure that this is accurately communicated to their partners at Hummel."

Qatar's World Cup organising committee says sportswear maker Hummel is "trivializing" their efforts to improve conditions for migrant workers after revealing Denmark's toned-down kit in protest at the issue.

Hummel, who are the Danish football team's long-term kit supplier, released the side's 2022 World Cup jerseys on Wednesday, including a black third-choice design which is the "color of mourning", to honour the migrant workers who died during construction work for the tournament.

The Danish Football Association (DBU) promised in November to wear clothing with "critical messages" at the World Cup and while FIFA rules prohibit political statements, the team uniform is a major change to their iconic kits.

The three Denmark kits are all-red, all-white and all-black, with their iconic white chevrons faded into the same single colour as the shirt.

"This shirt carries with it a message," Hummel said. "We don't wish to be visible during a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives.

"We support the Danish national team all the way, but that isn't the same as supporting Qatar as a host nation."

Qatar's organising group, the Qatar Supreme Committee (QSC), responded to the kit release by disputing Hummel's claims, arguing it trivialised their "genuine commitment to protect the health and safety" of migrant workers, estimated to be around 30,000, largely from South Asia.

Qatar claims that three labourers died in work-related accidents during construction work for the World Cup, although the nation has been accused of under reporting deaths with limited data released by authorities, with Hummel's statement claiming it was "thousands".

"We dispute Hummel's claim that this tournament has cost thousands of people their lives," the QSC statement said.

"Furthermore, we wholeheartedly reject the trivialising (of) our genuine commitment to protect the health and safety of the 30,000 workers who built FIFA World Cup stadiums and other tournament projects.

"Like every country, progress on these issues is a journey without a finish line, and Qatar is committed to that journey.

"We urge the DBU to accurately convey the outcome of their extensive communication and work with the Supreme Committee, and to ensure that this is accurately communicated to their partners at Hummel."

Qatar's World Cup organising committee says sportswear maker Hummel is "trivializing" their efforts to improve conditions for migrant workers after revealing Denmark's toned-down kit in protest at the issue.

Hummel, who are the Danish football team's long-term kit supplier, released the side's 2022 World Cup jerseys on Wednesday, including a black third-choice design which is the "color of mourning", to honour the migrant workers who died during construction work for the tournament.

The Danish Football Association (DBU) promised in November to wear clothing with "critical messages" at the World Cup and while FIFA rules prohibit political statements, the team uniform is a major change to their iconic kits.

The three Denmark kits are all-red, all-white and all-black, with their iconic white chevrons faded into the same single colour as the shirt.

"This shirt carries with it a message," Hummel said. "We don't wish to be visible during a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives.

"We support the Danish national team all the way, but that isn't the same as supporting Qatar as a host nation."

Qatar's organising group, the Qatar Supreme Committee (QSC), responded to the kit release by disputing Hummel's claims, arguing it trivialised their "genuine commitment to protect the health and safety" of migrant workers, estimated to be around 30,000, largely from South Asia.

Qatar claims that three labourers died in work-related accidents during construction work for the World Cup, although the nation has been accused of under reporting deaths with limited data released by authorities, with Hummel's statement claiming it was "thousands".

"We dispute Hummel's claim that this tournament has cost thousands of people their lives," the QSC statement said.

"Furthermore, we wholeheartedly reject the trivialising (of) our genuine commitment to protect the health and safety of the 30,000 workers who built FIFA World Cup stadiums and other tournament projects.

"Like every country, progress on these issues is a journey without a finish line, and Qatar is committed to that journey.

"We urge the DBU to accurately convey the outcome of their extensive communication and work with the Supreme Committee, and to ensure that this is accurately communicated to their partners at Hummel."

Former Chelsea and Brazil midfielder Ramires has announced his retirement.

The 35-year-old had been without a club since leaving Palmeiras in November 2020, and after a period of "reflection", the 52-time Brazil international decided to call it quits for good.

Ramires came through the ranks at Joinville before establishing himself with Cruzeiro, where his form earned a move to Europe and Benfica in 2009.

He spent just one season in Portugal before securing a big-money switch to Chelsea, with whom he enjoyed the most successful spell of his career.

Ramires had five and a half years at Stamford Bridge and won every domestic trophy once, while he also won the Champions League and Europa League before departing for Jiangsu Suning of the Chinese Super League.

Announcing his decision in a post on Instagram, Ramires said: "After some time of reflection, I would like to announce that I have decided to officially end my career as a professional football player.

"At this point, I can only thank God first, for he has trained and led me to the highest levels that sport can offer. Thank you very much also to all the clubs I've passed through, Palmeiras, Chelsea, Benfica, Cruzeiro, Jiangsu and Joinville. I will always carry you and your fans in my heart.

"Gratitude also to the Brazilian national team for having provided me the pleasure of playing two World Cups, which was the realisation of a dream.

"I'm thankful also to all the team-mates, staff, coaches and managers that I had the pleasure of working with.

"To my relatives, mother, children, brothers and true friends, thank you so much for being by my side unconditionally all these years, for celebrating each achievement of mine as if it were yours. You've always been my greatest strength and motivation.

"I'm going to go in other directions, but with the same happiness and courage I've had since I was a child, when, against all expectations, I left my city in the interior of Rio de Janeiro to see the world. Thanks for everything, football!"