Toni Kroos bade an emotional farewell to Real Madrid fans at a sold-out Santiago Bernabeu in a 0-0 draw with Real Betis.

One of Madrid s most decorated players, Kroos confirmed this week that he will be retiring after Euro 2024.

That made Saturday s meeting with Betis his final LaLiga match for Madrid, who eased to the title this season and will now look ahead to next week s Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund.

While that clash at Wembley will be Kroos last in club football, he was able to say goodbye to the Madrid fans, with the match all about the 34-year-old, with nothing left to be decided in the standings.

DANKE TONI!

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)

Kroos fought back tears as walked onto the pitch through a corri…

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini will be looking for his side to make it out of the group stages of the Champions League this season

Manchester City face European champions Bayern Munich tonight at the Etihad Stadium on match day two of the Champions League.

City claimed a 3-0 victory away at Czech club Viktoria Plzen in their opening game, while Bayern defeated Russian club CSKA Moscow by the same score line at the Allianz Arena.

Disappointing

The last two seasons Manchester City have been handed nightmare draws in the Champions League. The Citizens were in the ‘Group of Death’ last season alongside Real Madrid, eventual finalists Dortmund and Ajax.

The Premier League club finished bottom of the group with just three points and failed …

Geoff Cameron has challenged Stoke City to push for a top-six place in the Premier League next season and secure European football.

Stoke have acquitted themselves well in Mark Hughes first year as manager, with the Staffordshire club on course to finish inside the top 10 in the top flight for the first time since gaining promotion in 2008.

Full-back Cameron has now set his sights on further improvement and wants to see Stoke return to the UEFA Europa League.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, he said: I think the platform is to get higher next season, maybe finish in the Europa League (places).

Then a year under Hughes s management, the way we ve been playing, we ve got the style under control now and the way we want to do things and maybe get into the top six.

…

Steven Gerrard has called for Liverpool to be ruthless ahead of a run of three Premier League games in just six days.

Brendan Rodgers side who sit joint second in the table travel to Hull City on Sunday before hosting Norwich City on Wednesday and West Ham on Saturday.

And captain Gerrard believes three wins from those encounters against sides in the bottom half of the table is essential with trips to Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea looming later in December.

We ve got to try and take maximum points. They are games, on paper, that we should be winning, the 33-year-old told Liverpool s official website.

If we want to achieve at the end of the season what we set out to do, we ve got to be ruthless.

Every month is pivotal and every game is pivotal. But …

What the papers say

The clock appears to be ticking on Jadon Sancho’s time at Manchester United. The Daily Star reports United are willing to sell the England winger, 23, in January for less than the £73million they paid Borussia Dortmund.

Another winger is being linked to a move to Old Trafford, with Manchester United among several clubs keen on Club Brugge youngster Antonio Nusa. The Daily Express reports Arsenal and Chelsea are also interested in the 18-year-old Norwegian, who is valued around £30million.

One forward not going anywhere is Son Heung-min. According to the Daily Telegraph, Tottenham are ready to trigger an option in the South Korean’s contract which will keep the 31-year-old at the club for a further year until 2026.

There are comings and …

Spanish giants Barcelona remain hot on the trail of Bayern Munich playmaker Thiago Alcantara, Bild can reveal.

The Catalans surprisingly decided to let the talented midfielder move to Allianz Arena back in July 2013 and they have clearly regretted the decision.

Barcelona have since made several attempts to bring Thiago back to Camp Nou, and they are pondering a fresh assault.

However, Bayern Munich have no intention of selling their star player as witnessed by the comments from sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.

“Thiago only extended his contract until June 2021 last year. He is a leader for us. I am not fazed by the transfer talk at all,” Salihamidzic told Bild.

Since arriving in a €25 million deal, Thiago has produced 21 goals and 23 a…

Arsenal and Liverpool are ready to move for Manchester United defender Phil Jones, .

The twenty-four year old is yet to make an appearance under Jose Mourinho after missing the second half of last season through injury.

The Red Devils boss, who replaced Louis Van Gaal in the Old Trafford dugout in the summer is set to listen to offers for the England international who signed from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2011.

Since then, he has made one hundred and forty-one appearances for the club in all competitions scoring five goals and was part of the squad that won the Premier League in 2013.

He has been capped twenty times for England but hasn’t featured for them since playing in a 2-0 friendly defeat to Spain last November.

Manchester Un…

Andre Villas-Boas has agreed a two-year deal to become the new head coach of Zenit.

The Portuguese has been out of work since leaving English Premier League side Tottenham in December by mutual consent, following a 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool.

Villas-Boas will take over at Zenit on Thursday, after the second leg of the club s UEFA Champions League last-16 tie with Borussia Dortmund, and replaces former incumbent Luciano Spalletti, who was ousted from his position after a goalless draw with Tom Tomsk earlier this month.

A statement on Zenit s website read: Zenit has agreed terms on a contract with new head coach Andre Villas-Boas.

The contract will be signed and Mr Villas-Boas will be presented in St Petersburg as Zenit s new head coach on March 20.

Mr Vill…

Kenyan-born Germany international Linton Maina has made a stellar rise to prominence over the past couple of months.

His rapid progress caught the eye of the English Premier League giants Manchester United, it is being reported.

Maina only made his first Bundesliga start on Friday as he took part in Hanover’s goalless draw against Borussia Dortmund. The 19-year-old was also given a run in a 1-1 stalemate at Werder Bremen a week before and has turned plenty of heads with his displays.

German media outlets are now reporting that Manchester United have turned their attention to the player who went through all youth levels of the German national team.

Though still eligible to represent a country of his descent, Linton Maina has already received call-ups fo…

Marco Reus has signed a new contract with Borussia Dortmund that will keep him at the Bundesliga club until June 2023.

The Germany international s previous deal was due to expire at the end of next season but he has now committed his long-term future to his hometown club.

Reus – who was with Dortmund at youth level but made his name at Borussia Monchengladbach – has only recently returned from a serious knee injury suffered in his side s DFP-Pokal final victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.

The 28-year-old has won 29 caps for his country yet missed out on their successful World Cup campaign in 2014 due to an ankle problem.

Contract extended

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN)

Since 2012 I ve worn the jersey of Borussia. I am happy …