Dani Alves: Real regularly tried to sign me

Argentina attacker Angel Di Maria revealed he was close to announcing his international retirement after the Copa America Centenario final loss.

Lionel Messi quit internationals, a decision he has since reversed, in the wake of the penalty shoot-out loss to Chile in June.

Reports suggested numerous players, including Di Maria, were considering doing likewise.

The Paris Saint-Germain star said he was close to international retirement after a third straight final defeat, following on from the 2014 World Cup and 2015 Copa America.

When Messi retired, I thought about doing the same, Di Maria told TyC Sports.

You can lose a final, but three in a row, that s something different. I thought about leaving the national team, but my wife and my father stop…

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has hailed Eden Hazard s ability to win a match by himself .

Hazard is enjoying an excellent season after an underwhelming 2015-16 campaign scoring nine goals in 17 Premier League games.

And Costa has been extremely impressed with his team-mate s fine performances.

Eden is just incredible, he told Chelsea s official website.

He is the sort of player who is able to win a match by himself. He is extraordinary.

There are very few people like him. He is very confident in what he does and he is transmitting that confidence to us.

Costa himself has been equally impressive, but he is adamant he is not in the form of his life just yet.

I have been better than I am now, he added.

And that gives me…

Luciano Spalletti apologised to Napoli supporters for missing the chance to seal the Scudetto in front of their home fans on Sunday.

The Partenopei seemed on course to secure their first league title in 33 years after Mathias Olivera headed Napoli into the lead in the second half against Salernitana at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Lazio s 3-1 defeat earlier in the day at Inter meant a win would have been enough for Napoli, yet just as celebrations were starting in and around the stadium, Boulaye Dia snatched a 1-1 draw for Salernitana with a stunning 84th-minute equaliser.

Napoli could still clinch the title as soon as Wednesday if Lazio fail to beat Sassuolo, but Spalletti acknowledged his side had let their supporters down with the late concession.

Th…

FIFA will have to act

I have always struggled to understand crowd violence at football matches and I have never managed to get into the warped mind of those who think it is an enjoyable and acceptable part of the game and of life.

Idiots

I struggle even more to understand the absolute idiots in the crowd at the Ukraine against England World Cup qualifier on Saturday who threw a barrage of lit flares onto the pitch into the England penalty area.

Ukraine needed to win the game to have a chance of making the play-offs for the World Cup finals. It was a crucial game for them. Ukraine are also pencilled in to be the joint hosts of Euro 2012 although UEFA are looking into the suitability of the country to do so.

Mindless

It is against this backgr…

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has ruled himself out of the race to sign Juventus sensation Paul Pogba, .

The midfielder has been linked with a return to the Premier League in recent months, having signed for Juve from Manchester United in the summer of 2012, but Stamford Bridge does not look likely to be his next destination after the Special One said that he was happy with his current crop of players in his position.

Since arriving in Italy, the France international has racked up one hundred and twenty-two appearances in all competitions, scoring twenty-three goals and was part of the squads that won league titles in both 2013 and 2014.

His last outing came as the Italian giants beat Borussia Dortmund by three goals to nil in the second leg of their Champio…

Tottenham s 1-1 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday saw Mauricio Pochettino become the first Spurs manager to go unbeaten in his first five top-flight encounters with the Gunners.

The result made the north London derby the highest-scoring fixture in Premier League history, but Pochettino also picked up a record all of his own.

It was the same scoreline as the Argentine s first meeting with Spurs local rivals, when Nacer Chadli and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored in a 1-1 draw in September 2014.

Since then, Spurs have picked up a win and three draws against Arsenal, with Pochettino s only Premier League triumph over the Gunners coming in February 2015, when Harry Kane scored twice in a 2-1 victory at White Hart Lane.

5 Mauricio Pochettino…

The World Cup qualifier between Brazil and Argentina on Sunday was suspended after officials entered the pitch, reacting to an alleged case of quarantine procedures being broken and asking for four Argentina players to be isolated immediately.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino says the world s football governing body needs to be able to deal with such matters.

It s crazy but we need to deal with these challenges.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino reacts to the events that happened before Brazil faced Argentina.

— Football Daily (@footballdaily)

…

Germany boss Hansi Flick has told his players to be cautious about socialising ahead of the World Cup to reduce the risk of catching COVID-19 and missing games.

Midfielder Leon Goretzka and captain Manuel Neuer have been ruled out of the Nations League games against Hungary and England after testing positive.

Those results followed their visit, as members of the Bayern Munich squad, to Oktoberfest celebrations last weekend.

It is unclear whether that was where the players caught the coronavirus, but social occasions give Flick cause for concern, albeit he is adamant that life should also go on .

The Qatar 2022 World Cup is coming up in November and December, and Flick wants everyone available.

This can also affect us in Qatar, said Flick. We hav…

Gary Hooper left Scottish champions Celtic for Norwich City in order to chase his ambition of playing for the England national side.

The striker became Norwich s seventh signing of the close-season as manager Chris Hughton reshapes his squad ahead of the new season.

He joined the Carrow Road outfit on a three-year deal, with the Premier League side having first tried to sign the 25-year-old in the January transfer window.

And Hooper admitted he made the switch as he had failed to gain international recognition while playing at Celtic Park.

I m desperate to play for England. That s a massive thing for me, he told The Express.

The problem is nobody really gets a chance for England when they re playing in Scotland.

I know Fraser Forster got in last seas…

Omer Toprak has extended his Bayer Leverkusen contract until 2018, the club announced on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old defender made the switch to Leverkusen from fellow Bundesliga outfit Freiburg in 2011, and has become a mainstay of the first team.

Toprak s deal was initially due to come to an end in June 2016, but that has now been extended for a further two years.

The Turkey international is part of a side that has reached the UEFA Champions League round of 16, after qualifying as runners-up from Group A.

And the centre-back is thrilled to extend his stay with coach Sami Hyypia s charges.

I am delighted to have signed this deal, he told the club s official website. We have a strong side who can achieve their ambitions – that s why signing the contract wa…