A third successive international crown awaits Spain on Sunday as a generation hope to make history.

The list of stars in the Spanish side rolls off the tongue Fabregas, Alonso, Iniesta, Xavi but it s one of their unsung heroes who has helped the side most.

Hailed as a revelation than no less than Johann Cruyff, it appears Euro 2012 will be making of Jordi Alba.

Stepping into the boots of Joan Capdevila, veteran of the 2008 and 2010 successes, was never going to be easy.

But since making his debut in October last year, Alba has proved himself a worthy successor.

None more so than in the quarter-final against France, providing the cross for Xabi Alonso s opener before completing his defensive duties with a calm authority.

If that didn t giv…

Manchester City star Sergio Aguero is set to take the number 10 shirt this season, but there is some good news for the club s fans.

The Premier League Golden Boot winner is moving away from the 16 shirt he has worn since joining the club in mid-2011.

But the fans who bought Aguero s 16 he was set to wear in 2015-16 get a chance to cash in, either by getting theirs signed or trading it in for his new number 10.

Aguero said: The number 10 shirt means a lot to me.

When I arrived at City, Edin [Dzeko] had it he wore it very well, and of course, I respected it.

That s why I picked the number 16. I must admit, I have warmed to it over the past few years and shared many special moments in it but the number 10 shirt is very special for me.

I al…

Inter Milan are ready to move for Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel, .

The Slovakia international is yet to sign a new contract with the Reds, with his current deal set to expire at the end of next season.

Former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic is expected to leave to San Siro this summer, and Inter boss Roberto Mancini is on the lookout for reinforcements in his position.

Skrtel moved to Anfield in January 2007, and has since racked up two hundred and ninety appearances in all competitions, scoring seventeen goals.

He was part of the squad that won the League Cup under Kenny Dalglish in 2012, and has been named Slovak Footballer of the Year five times in the past eight years.

He has been capped seventy-two times for his country, sc…

Mario Pasalic scored with one minute remaining as nine-man AC Milan ended their crisis with an astonishing 1-0 Serie A victory at Bologna.

Vincenzo Montella s men came into the match having lost four straight games in all competitions three in Serie A and avoided a defeat that would have sealed their worst run of league losses since April 1986.

After Gianluigi Donnarumma had made a superb save from Ladislav Krejci, Milan sealed the most unlikely of victories when Gerard Deulofeu set up Pasalic to score from close range despite the hosts numerical advantage.

Bologna made five changes after they were humiliated by a 7-1 loss at home to Napoli last time out and this result is arguably just as unimpressive.

Milan s first half did not go to plan as they lost b…

Bolivia have appealed against FIFA s decision to dock them World Cup qualifying points for fielding Paraguayan-born defender Nelson Cabrera.

A 2-0 victory over Peru on September 1 and 0-0 draw with Chile five days later were expunged from the records this month, with Bolivia s opponents awarded 3-0 wins instead. The Bolivian Football Association (FBF) was also handed a fine of 12,000 Swiss francs (US$12,250).

Cabrera has played for Bolivian club Bolivar since 2012 and made his Bolivia debut in a friendly against the United States in May 2016 after winning a cap for Paraguay in 2007 and represented the country at the Copa America Centenario in June.

However, his participation in two 2018 World Cup qualifiers was found to be in breach of the rules on eligibility to…

Former England manager Sam Allardyce says he is ready to return to the dugout despite rejecting Newcastle United.

Allardyce claims he was approached by the Magpies after Rafael Benitez opted not to renew his contract at the club.

Steve Bruce later left Sheffield Wednesday for the role, with Allardyce unwilling to take on a second spell at Newcastle.

But the 64-year-old, out of work since departing Everton in May 2018, indicated he is willing to consider a comeback.

It didn t happen last season which was my first year out of professional football for the first time since I was 15, Allardyce told Sky Sports.

It was a bit strange just watching all the games but I found it to be very interesting in seeing how I feel about the game and how I would …

Lionel Messi put Cristiano Ronaldo second in the Best FIFA Men s Player award voting, but the Portugal star did not return the favour to the eventual winner.

Messi claimed the prize, rebranded in 2016, for the first time on Monday, beating Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk and Ronaldo.

But the votes made for interesting reading, with Ronaldo and Portugal coach Fernando Santos snubbing Messi.

Ronaldo voted for Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Kylian Mbappe, with Santos handing his to the former two and his star international captain.

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— #TheBest  (@FIFAcom)

Messi, though, put Ronaldo second in his voting, in between Liverpool star Sadio Mane and De Jong.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni decided on Messi, Mbappe and Mane …

Neymar was not forced to join Paris Saint-Germain and he understood what he was signing up to, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said amid increased speculation over the Brazil star s future.

A report in L Equipe claimed PSG are willing to sell Neymar, though they would not accept less than the world-record €222million fee they paid to sign him from Barcelona in August 2017.

Neymar s time at PSG has been largely defined by injuries and talk of dressing room discord. He argued with Julian Draxler, who has since played down the incident, and is said to have criticised Presnel Kimpembe and Alphonse Areola in the wake of their Coupe de France final loss to Rennes in April. 

Al-Khelaifi told France Football he will no longer put up with any celebrity behaviour at…

On this day (June 22nd) in 2017, Mohamed Salah made his way from AS Roma to Liverpool. Since then, the Egyptian has captured the hearts of the Anfield faithful not only with brilliant performances in the club shirt, but also with the many aspects of his charity work.

As for those performances however,

https://twitter.com/LFC/status/1142342709450928128

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What the papers say

Manchester City and West Ham had come to an agreement in principle on a £85million transfer deal for midfielder Lucas Paqueta before the bid crumbled due to potential betting breaches, the Daily Mail reports.

Fulham’s pursuit of Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi has become tougher as the Evening Standard says Everton and Nottingham Forest have joined the race for the 22-year-old.

Chelsea have agreed to a £14million deal for New England Revoultion’s 23-year-old goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, according to the Daily Mail.

The same publication says Mason Greenwood is set to look for offers from clubs in Turkey and Italy after he and Manchester United parted ways after an internal investigation.

Social media round-up

Man City are clos…