Sir Jim Ratcliffe says Manchester United’s journey back to the top of world football starts now after completing his £1.3billion deal to become minority owner of the Premier League giants

A year and three months after the club announced a strategic review, and 58 days after a deal was struck, there is finally a new power structure in place at Old Trafford.

Ratcliffe has completed his purchase of 25 per cent of the shares owned by the Glazer family, who have been United’s majority owners since their controversial leveraged buyout in 2005.

The Ineos chairman paid 33 US dollars (£26) for each of those shares and the same price for 25 per cent of Class A shares, with 10 times fewer voting rights, following a tender process.

Ratcliffe takes control of fo…

Chelsea are interested in signing Joe Gomez from Premier League rivals Liverpool in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Gomez is exploring his options after being left out of Liverpool’s matchday squad against Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Times has claimed that Liverpool are actively looking to push Gomez out of the door, but the club and the player have held grown-up talks over his future. Virgil van Dijk, Jarell Quansah and Ibrahima Konate are the three main centre-backs in new manager Arne Slot’s team, which has led to Gomez considering a move to a club where he would get regular playing time.

Gomez is a very versatile player who can play at centre-back, right-back and left-back, and even in a defensive mi…

Roberto Martinez has no doubt Cristiano Ronaldo can play a part for Portugal when they take on Scotland in their Nations League clash as he played down fears of fatigue.

Ronaldo was on the scoresheet in Portugal s 3-1 win over Poland in Warsaw and was substituted off with 63 minutes on the clock.

Martinez s men are top of Nations League Group A1 and there were suggestions Ronaldo may be rested for Tuesday s clash at Hampden Park.

However, the ex-Belgium boss has suggested that will not be the case, with the Al-Nassr forward likely to feature either as a starter or a substitute.

I think the age of a player doesn t come to play, he said at a press conference.

Ronaldo doesn t work as a 39-year-old player. He doesn t play certainly as a 39-year-ol…

Brazil forward Gabriel Jesus said his side can sleep in peace after they sealed a quarter-final spot at Rio 2016 with a 4-0 victory over Denmark.

The Palmeiras star, who will join Manchester City in January, scored the second goal as the host nation dispatched the visitors in Salvador to finish top of Group A.

Having received heavy criticism following 0-0 draws with South Africa and Iraq, Brazil turned on the style on Thursday, with Gabriel Barbosa and Luan also on the scoresheet in a stylish display at the packed Fonte Nova Arena.

And Gabriel, who was delighted with their performance, conceded that keeping their medal hopes alive was a huge weight off their shoulders.

I feel more than relief, he said, as quoted by Globoesporte. In all the interviews I v…

Prediction: Panathinaikos to win by a three-goal margin

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Panathinaikos and Botev Plovdiv will lock horns with each other in the UEFA Europa League Second Qualifying Round this week. The first leg of the tie between the Super League Greece club and the Bulgarian First Professional Football League side will be held at the Olympic Stadium in Athens and is scheduled to kick off at 7 pm UK time on Thursday.

Panathinaikos

Panathinaikos are one of the biggest clubs in Greece and one of the most successful as well. The Greens have won the Greek Super League as many as 20 times, although they last clinched the title back in 2009-10. They also have won the Green Super Cup on three occasions and reached the final of the European Cup in 1971.…

Versatile Bayern Munich player Joshua Kimmich has been named Germany s Player of the Year for 2017.

The 22-year-old had a breakthrough year, forcing his way into the Bayern team and helping a young Germany squad to glory at the Confederations Cup.

Kimmich s emergence for club and country has helped to fill the gaping void left by the surprise early retirement of Philipp Lahm at the end of last season.

And Kimmich s reward was top spot in the supporter poll for Germany s Player of the Year for 2017, having received more than 20,000 votes.

The fans have voted for Joshua as the Player of the Year 2017 

He was followed by Julian and .

— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN)

Kimmich played 1,260 minutes for Germany in 2017 and only mi…

England s team in Russia are similar to Spain s World Cup winners of 2010, according to Luis Garcia.

Gareth Southgate s men overcame Colombia in the last 16 to move into a quarter-final clash against Sweden Saturday.

Garcia, who played 20 games for Spain, feels there are similarities between England and his nation s successful 2010 outfit.

At least they are here. They are continuing in this World Cup which is something many people probably wouldn t say at the beginning of this competition, he said Wednesday.

What I see different, and I can compare them to the Spanish team of 2010, they are young, they are young players in that team, they want to do something big for their country.

They showed [against Colombia] that in the end, even though the…

One of the best matchups in Week 15 of the NFL sees Aaron Rodgers and the NFC North-leading Packers visit Lamar Jackson and the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens.

But while both the Packers and Ravens are sitting atop their respective divisions, these teams don’t feel like they’re on the same level right now. And that’s probably why the Cheese Heads are favored by 5.5-points on the road for this matchup.

Do the Ravens have value as a home underdog? Find out in our free NFL betting picks and predictions for Packers vs. Ravens on Sunday, December 19.

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Germany will host its first-ever regular season NFL game on Sunday, as the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to Munich for Week 10 action. Seattle comes to Allianz Arena riding high, sitting 6-3 atop the NFC West, while Tampa gave itself a lifeline a week ago with a Tom Brady game-winning drive. 

Between these two teams, Germany will see a strong cast of talented skill-position players. For our NFL player props, however, we’re going to shine a light on a pair of scrappy tight ends and a once-written-off passer. 

We’ll get into it all below with our Seattle vs. Tampa Bay NFL prop picks, and be sure to check out our Seahawks vs. Buccaneers picks and predictions for more. 

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An epic stretch of schedule mercifully meets its conclusion for the Philadelphia Eagles in the Monday Night Football odds.

Like Frodo and Sam clawing their weary bodies up the side of Mount Doom, Philadelphia travels across the country to play the Seattle Seahawks in the Week 15 odds finale — the last of a gauntlet of games that started way back in Week 7.

This chunk of the calendar has taken its toll on the reigning NFC champs, with the Eagles losing the past two games by a combined score of 77-32. To add insult to injury, quarterback Jalen Hurts is questionable for tonight’s tilt due to illness.

Seattle is mired in a slump of its own, losing four in a row and five of its last six since Week 9. However, the Seahawks may act more like buzzards and…