Football

Carrick will miss the start of season after undergoing surgery on a serious ankle injury, the club confirmed on Thursday.

Germany will this week issue a World Cup victory postage stamp, five million of which were printed before the final was even held, officials said.

Sunday's final was Klose's 24th World Cup game, just one short of fellow German Lothar Matthaeus' all-time tournament appearance record.

Germany battle to become the first European side to win a World Cup on Latin American soil, but for that they will have to deal with the magical Leo Messi.

Here are five traits that explain what makes the Argentina captain so difficult to stop.

Robin van Persie and Daley Blind scored early goals to help give the Netherlands a 3-0 win over host Brazil in the third-place match at the World Cup on Saturday.

The second semifinal got down to penalties in Sao Paulo as Argentina held their nerves to beat Netherlands 4-2.

Former Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk is betting on Robben to outshine Messi as the Netherlands prepare to take on Argentina in the semi-finals.

Amarildo who helped Brazil win the 1962 World Cup believes there are parallels with the loss of Neymar but no obvious saviours in an often ordinary Brazil side.

Krul replaced first-choice keeper Cillessen specifically for the shootout after the teams finished extra time deadlocked at 0-0.

Neymar said on Saturday that his dream of playing in the World Cup final had been stolen from him by a fractured vertebrae inflicted by a Colombia defender.

Brazil great Ronaldo believes there was intention and violence in the challenge on Neymar that left the star forward with a fractured vertebra.

Argentina have struggled on their road to the quarter-finals, relying on single moments of Messi magic to break stalemates against mostly defense-oriented teams.

Swansea City captain Ashley Williams has signed a new four-year contract that will keep him at the Welsh side until 2018, the Premier League club said on Friday.

Belgium pointed to Eden Hazard as a potential match winner as they laid out a strategy to combat Lionel Messi and Argentina in their quarter-final in Brasilia.

Having scored four goals in the group phase, Messi's creative side came to the fore in Tuesday's last-16 win over Switzerland in Sao Paulo.