EMINENT news and sports

Antoine Griezmann Atletico Madrid star named UEFA Europa League Player of the Season. The  Atletico Madrid  star was rewarded for his outstanding performance in the 2017/18 Europa League. The 27-year-old Griezmann won the award ahead of compatriot  Dimitri Payet  who led  Marseille   to the final only to lose to Atletico. Griezmann's teammate  Diego Godín   who captained Atletico Madrid to the title was in third place. The French star was named the winner in Monaco at the draw ceremony for the  2018/19 UEFA Europa League  which his Atletico Madrid side will play no part in. In the final against Marseille, Griezmann was awarded the match of the match as he scored the two goals that guaranteed Atletico Madrid's victory. He also went on to have a fruitful outing at  the 2018 FIFA World Cup  which he won with France, scored in the final of the tournament and was awarded the silver ball. Griezmann's Atletico Madrid side will face  Borussia Dortmund ,  Mon

Celtic have been handed a reunion with Rosenborg, having already faced them in the Champions League this season, and Rangers will meet Villarreal. Arsenal will face Portuguese giants Sporting in the group stage of the 2018-19 Europa League, with Premier League rivals Chelsea taking on PAOK. The Gunners are joined by Qarabag and Vorskla in Group E, with Maurizio Sarri’s troops welcoming Belarusian title holders BATE and Hungarian side Vidi to Group L. That draw has handed the English top-flight heavyweights some lengthy trips out on the road, which could impact on their domestic efforts. Elsewhere, Scottish champions Celtic have been paired with Salzburg, with Red Bull partners Leipzig and Norwegian outfit Rosenborg – a side the Hoops have already beaten in Champions League qualifying this season - joining them in Group B. Steven Gerrard and his Rangers side face Villarreal, Rapid Vienna and Spartak Moscow in Group G and AC Milan tackle Olympiakos, Real Betis and Dudelang

The Croatia international's exploits for Los Blancos on their way to a third successive Champions League title have been rewarded. Luka Modric has been named the UEFA Men's Player of the Year for 2017-18, seeing off competition from Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah. The Real Madrid midfielder was crowned at the ceremony for the Champions League group stage draw on Thursday. Modric featured 11 times as Madrid continued their dominance of the Champions League, scoring once and adding a single assist. But it was his conviction in possession and ability to turn defence into attack with just one pass that made him so vital to Los Blancos' success. His former team-mate Ronaldo – who scored 15 goals in last season's competition – and Liverpool star Salah were considered leading candidates due to their respective displays in attack.

Who else?! Cristiano Ronaldo has been crowned best forward, beating Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah to the award.

Group A:  Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Club Brugge Group B:  Barcelona, Tottenham, PSV, Inter Group C:  PSG, Napoli, Liverpool, Red Star Belgrade Group D:  Lokomotiv Moscow, Porto, Schalke, Galatasaray Group E:  Bayern Munich, Benfica, Ajax, AEK Athens Group F:  Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon, Hoffenheim Group G:  Real Madrid, Roma, CSKA Moscow, Viktoria Plzen Group H:  Juventus, Manchester United, Valencia, Young Boys

Forgotten how seeding works in the Champions League? Don't worry. It's what we're here for. Here are the seeding arrangements for each of the participating teams: Pot 1 : Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Man City, Juventus, Paris St Germain, Lokomotiv Moscow Pot 2 : Borussia Dortmund, Porto, Man United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Benfica, Napoli, Tottenham, Roma Pot 3 : Liverpool, Schalke, Lyon, Monaco, Ajax, CSKA Moscow,  PSV Eindhoven, Valencia Pot 4 : Viktoria Plzen, Brugge, Galatasaray, Young Boys, Inter Milan, Hoffenheim, Red Star Belgrade, AEK Athens There are four pots of eight teams, and one team from each pot will form a group to create eight in total – and teams from the same association are not allowed face each other. The draw for this year's Champions League group stage takes place at  5pm BST  in Monaco at the Grimaldi Forum, with the likes of defending champions Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool soon knowing their

The Three Lions are building towards the future with some familiar faces after exceeding expectations to reach the semi-finals at World Cup 2018. Manchester United full-back Luke Shaw has been recalled to the England squad for meetings with Spain and Switzerland, with Liverpool duo Adam Lallana and Joe Gomez also drafted back in. The Three Lions, fresh from reaching the semi-finals of World Cup 2018, have resisted the urge to tinker too much with their plans heading towards a next major tournament. It had been suggested that the likes of teenage duo Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho – two U17 World Cup winners from 2017 – would be drafted into the senior fold, but there is no place for the Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund starlets at present. Instead, Gareth Southgate is placing his faith in established stars on a Premier League stage. He told the Football Association’s  official website  : “We’re obviously coming off the back of a successful summer, so I think there’s a

The European champions are set to re-sign the striker from Lyon, much to the fury of Sevilla, who had already agreed terms with the 25-year-old. Mariano is under contract at Lyon until June 2022 but Goal understands that his move back to Madrid should be confirmed on Wednesday, just over a year after moving to France for a measly €8m . Sevilla had been the frontrunners to sign the Spain-born forward who has been capped by the Dominican Republic, having agreed a €35 million deal with Lyon. However, as part of the transfer that original transfer, Real Madrid retained not only 35 per cent of Mariano's playing rights, they also included a buy-back option giving them the right to re-sign the player if they matched any future bid for his services. As a result, the European champions will only have to pay €23m (£20m/$26m) to bolster a forward line still reeling from the shock loss of all-time record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus with an attacker who struck 21 times in

Anfield's insatiable Egyptian is back in the goalscoring groove, netting the only goal in Saturday's hard-fought win over Brighton at Anfield. The summer break appears to have done little to slow Mohamed Salah down. The Egyptian with the unquenchable thirst for goals was at it again on Saturday, firing Liverpool to the top of the Premier League table after their best start to a season in five years. It may only be August, but on a day when Manchester City dropped points on the road, the Reds’ ability to swat aside lesser opposition will have pleased Jurgen Klopp immensely. Brighton, like West Ham and Crystal Palace, were no match for his slick, organised Reds side. As for Salah, his appetite for destruction remains as healthy as ever. His first-half strike, passed almost casually home first-time via the post, settled a game in which, for large spells, Liverpool were far from their best. At times it was lethargic, at others it was sloppy. There will be better spectac

Mike Phelan doubts that the Portuguese is looking for a way out of Old Trafford, but concedes that he is doing himself few favours with his actions. Jose Mourinho has been urged to rein in the outbursts at Manchester United and avoid seeking conflict, with Mike Phelan conceding that the Portuguese’s situation is “delicate”. The Red Devils boss has endured a testing start to his third season at Old Trafford, with a quiet transfer window followed by an inconsistent opening to the 2018-19 Premier League campaign. Mourinho has cut a frustrated figure over recent months, with the 55-year-old prepared to air his grievances in public. Reports of strained relationships with key figures such as Ed Woodward and Paul Pogba have also done little to aid his cause, but Phelan feels a confrontational attitude is doing nobody any favours. Sir Alex Ferguson’s former assistant told  Sportsweek on Radio 5 Live : “Any manager of any big institution, which is what Manchester United is, interna

With the Portuguese under pressure at Old Trafford following Monday's humiliating 3-0 loss at home to Tottenham, Goal looks at possible replacements. Former England striker Chris Sutton was just one of many observers at Old Trafford on Monday night left wondering what the future holds for Jose Mourinho after his Manchester United side were routed 3-0 by Tottenham. "It was an embarrassment to lose in the manner they did," the former Chelsea striker told  BBC Radio 5 Live  . "The final scoreline actually flattered United. "Now, I just don't know where Manchester United go from here, where Jose Mourinho goes from here. Is it the end for Mourinho?" If it is, who will United turn to next?  Let's take a look at the potential candidates ZINEDINE ZIDANE The favourite, both with the bookies and United's disgruntled supporters, is Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman stood down as Real Madrid boss after leading the Spanish side to a third c

The Cote d'Ivoire international's effort in their loss to the Hornets saw him become the club's top scorer. Wilfried Zaha's effort against Watford on Sunday has made him Crystal Palace's all-time highest goalscorer in the English Premier League. The Cote d’Ivoire international scored Palace's consolatory in their 2-1 loss to Watford and now has 24 English top-flight goals for the club, matching Chris Armstrong’s tally. In the Eagles' season-opening win over Fulham, the 25-year-old got one of the two winning goals to equal Armstrong's tally of 23 strikes, set 23 years ago [1995]. Last season, Zaha scored nine times in all competitions – his highest tally since he rejoined the club from Manchester United. This season, however, he has found the back of the net twice.

Real found themselves 1-0 down at Montilivi but ended up resounding winners thanks to an inspired display from their new-look attack. Real Madrid still don’t know exactly what they are doing in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo but with players as dangerous as Gareth Bale; they don’t necessarily have to. Or at least not yet.  All three of the forward line - Bale, Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio - offered moments of gleaming quality which were enough to power Los Blancos past Girona after a tight first half to earn a comfortable 4-1 victory at Montilivi on Sunday.  Their nightmarish defeat in the heartland of Catalonia last season was brought to mind after Borja Garcia rifled Girona ahead, but despite Julen Lopetegui’s side a while to work their way into the game, they eventually hit their stride and the goals began to flow.  Karim Benzema struck twice, which considering he only managed five in La Liga in the entirety of last season, will be a weight off the Frenchman’s mind. 

In a statement released on Twitter, the Liverpool star has questioned why the Egyptian Football Association continue to ignore his messages. Mohamed Salah has demanded answers from the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) as his row with the country's governing body continues. Salah has spoken out against the EFA in the past, with the problem stemming from an image rights issue earlier in the year . The Liverpool star underwhelmed for Egypt at the World Cup, with his recovery from a shoulder injury sustained in the Champions League final hampering his impact on the tournament. The relationship with the EFA was strained further when they promoted pictures of him alongside controversial Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and being made an honorary citizen of the republic, in which the national team were based at the World Cup.  Last month, EFA executive manager Tharwat Sweilem dismissed talk of an issue with the player , after Salah said there "needs to be change" wi

Beating his old club and former player was an emotional experience for the Napoli boss. Getty Images S Beating Carlo Ancelotti hailed the determination of his Napoli side after they fought back from 2-0 down to beat AC Milan 3-2 in Serie A on Saturday. Goals from Giacomo Bonaventura and Davide Calabria saw the Rossoneri take charge of the contest at Stadio San Paolo. But a Piotr Zielinski brace and Dries Mertens' 80th-minute winner saw the hosts come out on top, as the boss of the Partenopi earned the bragging rights in a contest against old club, now coached by Gennaro Gattuso, a stalwart player in the Milan team that won the Champions League twice under Ancelotti. "Milan played a splendid game, but after going 2-0 down, we showed great desire not to let go, to keep believing in our chances and to fight back vehemently," Ancelotti told  DAZN . "I have a fond memory of all my former players, but with Gattuso there is someth

The French winger has been linked with a move away from Camp Nou, but showed what he was capable of with the only goal against Valladolid. Barcelona struggled immensely to implement their passing game under the bright lights and newly-laid turf at Real Valladolid's Estadio Jose Zorrilla, with Ousmane Dembele scoring  the only goal in a 1-0 win  to help strengthen his position at the club with the transfer deadline looming. Voicing his concerns prior to kick off on the playing surface, Barcelona manager Ernesto Valderde's worst fears were realised, with a plethora of divots, rough spots and craters quickly opening up. The pitch consequently served as an early leveler for the plucky Blanquivioletas, who took advantage of many uncharacteristic errors from the likes of Lionel Messi, Philippe Coutinho and Dembele to hit the Catalans on the counter early on. Dembele, in particular, was enduring a torrid time early on, as he lost possession a staggering 16 times in the first half

  The Catalan coach says talk of technology is "not my business" after seeing his Premier League champions concede a controversial effort at Molineux Getty Images Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was reluctant to criticise the officials after his side's controversial 1-1 draw with Wolves. Having survived a scare when Raul Jimenez had a goal disallowed for offside, City hit the woodwork twice in the first half through Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling. But Wolves then went ahead in hugely controversial fashion 12 minutes into the second half as Willy Boly turned in Joao Moutinho's cross at the far post with his right hand. City were denied what looked a clear-cut penalty when David Silva was pushed over in the area before equalising through Aymeric Laporte's header. Aguero was thwarted by the frame of the goal again, hitting the bar with a 95th-minute free-kick. Despite a frustrating afternoon in which his side suffered a first blip