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Karim Benzema is a "more complete" player than Thierry Henry was, according to Sydney Govou, who has hailed the Real Madrid striker as a "real leader".

Benzema is currently enjoying arguably his best season yet at Madrid, having hit 26 goals in 41 outings across all competitions for Zinedine Zidane's side.

Of those efforts, 21 have come in La Liga, as the Blancos picked up their 34th title last week following a 2-1 victory over Villarreal at Santiago Bernabeu.

Benzema narrowly missed out on the coveted Pichichi award, which is given to the league's top scorer, with Lionel Messi grabbing the prize for a record seventh time after scoring 25 goals for Barcelona.

The Frenchman moved into fifth in the Madrid's all-time scoring rankings earlier in the season, and now has 248 strikes to his name from 512 appearances in total for the club.

He has certainly justified every penny of the €30 million (£27m/$34m) it cost the Blancos to prise him away from Lyon in 2009, with Govou delighted to see how his old team-mate has progressed in the Spanish capital.

The former Lyon striker believes Benzema has surpassed France legend Henry as a more accomplished all-round player, as he told L'Equipe: "I think he has largely the level of Thierry. 

"Thierry really impressed me because he was not only a fast player but he had the ball. But Karim is more complete. 

"He also has a kind of presence because he is smaller and less athletic. Karim has always been a top player. If you love football, it's impossible not to love him."

Asked to assess Benzema's latest season at the Bernabeu, Govou responded: "I'm not surprised. I always thought he was one of the best European strikers. 

"He had small difficulties at the start at Real because he had to win. But he has taken on an incredible dimension over the years. 

"And a little more after the departure of [Cristiano] Ronaldo. He has new responsibilities, he's a real leader."

Benzema and the rest of the Madrid squad are now looking ahead to next month's Champions League restart, as they continue to chase down a 14th European crown.

Zidane's men will have to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium to progress to this season's quarter-finals, which will be played in a straight knockout format.

Mikel Arteta remains “confident” that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will sign a new contract at Arsenal, with the Gabonese striker considered to be in the “perfect place”.

Uncertainty continues to reign when it comes to the future of a talismanic presence at Emirates Stadium.

Despite entering the final 12 months of his current deal, the Gunners’ club captain is yet to commit to fresh terms.

With Arsenal in no position to allow another top talent to run a deal down towards free agency, big decisions need to be made in north London.

There has been plenty of speculation regarding a move elsewhere for Aubameyang, with the 31-year-old striker hardly short on suitors, but Arteta still believes that an extension will be thrashed out.

Quizzed again on a long-running saga by Sky Sports, the Arsenal boss said when pressed on whether there is a deadline in place: "I don't know, to put a date right now is very difficult.

"I like the way the conversations are going, I like what I'm hearing. I'm sure for both parties, the quicker we can do it, the better for everyone.

"I am confident he will extend his stay."

Asked where that confidence comes from, Arteta added: "He's generally happy. I think he is enjoying his football. He is settled in the country and his family are good.

"I think he can sense - and we've told him - how much we like him, how much we value him. I think the connection he has with the fans is unique. I believe he is in the perfect place for him.

"Everything I have from him and the people around him is the same. So I don't have any arguments to say something different."

Whatever happens with Aubameyang, the general consensus is that Arsenal will need to bolster their ranks in the next transfer window in order to remain competitive.

Arteta is still waiting to discover what his recruitment budget will be, but a man who has guided the Gunners into the 2020 FA Cup final believes everyone at the Emirates is “on the same page”.

He said: "I think we will get all of the support that we need.

"Some of the limitations that we have and the uncertainties that we have are going to be a little bit clearer in the next week or two weeks and then we will be in a much stronger position to know how much we can do or cannot do.

"But I am very positive because everything I'm hearing is that we want the same thing and that's the most important thing."

AFC Leopards have rubbished social media reports claiming their key midfielder Austin Odhiambo has ditched the club for rivals Gor Mahia.

Social media has been awash with reports linking the young midfielder to the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions ahead of the new season.

Ingwe chairman Dan Shikanda has come out to clarify the situation, stating Odhiambo is contracted to the club until December 2023, and the buy-out clause in the player's contract only applies to foreign teams.

“Those are rumours from those who want to destabilise AFC Leopards, Austin [Odhiambo] is our player, he has a contract with us until December 2023, and in the clause, he cannot sign for a local team but can only be allowed to sign for a team outside the country,” Shikanda told Goal on Tuesday.

“No team as approached us for the player, not even Gor Mahia, not even the player coming to say he wants to leave, the player knows what clause he signed when he joined us from the youth team, so I don’t want understand when people say he has left AFC.

“I want to assure our fans Odhiambo doesn’t have an exit clause for local teams so they should not be worried, we always talk to our players every day and they know, even Gor Mahia have not approached him, even Gor Mahia know the rules and they cannot move to bend them.”

In a recent interview, Shikanda revealed he was confident the club will not go 30 years without winning the KPL title and are determined to win the league title soon to avoid waiting as long as Liverpool.

Liverpool finally won the league title after a 30-year wait and Leopards, who won their last title in 1998, are keen to avoid that length of time without a league title

“Liverpool went for 30 years without a Premier League title. We have gone 22 years and we don’t want to go the Liverpool way. We are keen to build a team that will lift the KPL title sooner,” Shikanda told Goal.

Shikanda also confirmed they will not take any risks with their signings as they still have a young squad that can help them to fight for the titles.

Manchester United should be exploring the option of luring Raul Jimenez away from Wolves, says Rio Ferdinand, with the Mexican frontman capable of offering something “different” to the Red Devils.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is in the process of drawing up recruitment plans for the next transfer window.

There has been little suggestion that he will be in the market for another striker, with Anthony Martial having impressed in a No.9 berth this season while Odion Ighalo fills back-up duties.

United are, however, forever on the hunt for the very best talent available.

Domestic and global shop windows will be explored, with it possible that the right options are on their Premier League doorstep.

Jimenez could fall into that category, with the 29-year-old having recorded a career-best return of 26 goals in the 2019-20 campaign.

His efforts are drawing admiring glances from across Europe, with reported interest being lapped up by the Mexican, and Ferdinand believes another big-money move could be on the cards.

He told BT Sport: “I think Wolves will do well to keep hold of him.

“I think he's a player with immense talent and I think his goalscoring record over the last two years has been really good.

“Before that, his record was a bit shady, but he has come to the Premier League and hit the ground running. He's been a breath of fresh air.

“As you can tell, he seems a great character around the place, and for a top club, I wouldn't be surprised if they are sniffing.

“We've seen it in the media reports in the last few days that clubs are looking.”

Pressed on whether United should be in the mix for Jimenez, ex-Red Devils defender Ferdinand added: “I wouldn't say no at all. I think he's something different to what they've got.

“What I like about him is he scores all types of goals. He's at the back post heading things and bullying defenders, and he can score tremendous goals out of nothing.”

Wolves made Jimenez their £30 million ($38m) club-record signing in 2019 after seeing him impress during an initial loan spell from Benfica.

He is now up to 43 goals in just 96 appearances for the club and has been a key man for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side as they have cemented a standing among the Premier League elite and pushed their way into continental competition.

Liverpool and Manchester City are fantastic teams but they're not 'Invincibles', says ex-Arsenal talisman Dennis Bergkamp.

City have been the dominant force in England for much of Pep Guardiola's four-year reign at Etihad Stadium, winning eight domestic trophies in total, including two Premier League titles.

However, Liverpool have emerged as the main challengers to the Blues' throne over the past two seasons, and finally managed to knock them off their perch to secure a first league crown in 30 years at the end of June.

Jurgen Klopp's men were protecting a 44-match unbeaten run at one stage, with a sequence of 18 successive wins taking them well clear of City and the rest of their main rivals in the top-flight.

However, a 3-0 defeat against Watford on February 29 ended their hopes of emulating Arsenal's 2003-04 'Invincibles', and Bergkamp is still revelling in that all-star squad's "tremendous achievement" to this day.

The former Gunners centre-forward told FourFourTwo magazine: "The word says it all – invincible. You felt like that going onto the pitch. You knew you were going to win – it was just a matter of how, and by how many goals.

"You’d look around the dressing room and think, ‘Jeez, what a team’. We were better than our opponents in every single area.

"We were all friends, too. We’d go to dinner with six or seven players, or meet up at someone’s house with the wives and girlfriends. Maybe you need to be a team of friends to be successful.

"It was a great time and it went down in history. It’s hard to beat – there have been some fantastic teams since then, quite recently with Manchester City and Liverpool, and they find it really difficult to do what we did.

"Every year, it makes me more proud. It was a tremendous achievement."

Arsenal's current crop are a long way off matching the success Arsene Wenger's players enjoyed at Highbury in the early 2000s, but Mikel Arteta has overseen an impressive run of results since the resumption of the 2019-20 campaign in June.

Newly crowned champions Liverpool fell to only their third loss of the campaign at the Emirates last week, and the Gunners followed up that result by knocking City out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory in Saturday's semi-final clash at Wembley.

Highlands Park director Sinky Mnisi has slammed the South African Football Association (Safa) as he feels that they are delaying the resumption of the 2019/20 season.

The Lions of the North official believes that Safa is playing politics, with the PSL keen to resume the current campaign which has been suspended since mid-March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“They have taken their eyes off the ball and are playing politics,” Mnisi told The Citizen.

“It is sad that they are not considering what this will do to clubs. Players and staff need to be paid. The season has to be finished so players can have a break and see their families. They have been cooped up away from home for a long time now."

Safa explained that the match officials were not available and would need two weeks to be ready hence the season can only resume next month.

However, the PSL's chief executive officer Mato Madlala has disclosed that some referees have told the league’s governing body off the record they are ready to get back to action.

Safa has also stated that there is a need to ensure that all biological health standards are met before football starts, but Mnisi insists that this is just hogwash.

“The PSL and clubs would not send players to a slaughterhouse. We cannot say we want to play when we have not ensured that all necessary measures are taken to ensure safety. That’s just ridiculous,” he said.

Mnisi is also the president of the Tembisa Local Football Association (LFA), which is under Safa's jurisdiction, and he feels that the country's football ruling body is neglecting their matters.

“What are they saying about us? What plans have they set out for us to return to play?" he asked.

"We have teams who need to qualify for the ABC Motsepe League and those who need to qualify for the GladAfrica Championship, yet they are not saying anything about that.

"They are busy with politics instead."

Marseille forward Florian Thauvin has hailed the club’s latest signing Pape Gueye after scoring on his debut against Pinzgau Saalfelden on Sunday.

The Senegalese delivered an impressive performance in the encounter, scoring his first goal for the Olympians to help them clinch a 5-1 victory over Pinzgau in a pre-season friendly.

The 21-year-old teamed up with Andre Villas-Boas’ men on July 2 as a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Le Havre.

In April, Premier League club Watford announced the signing of the defensive midfielder on a five-year deal only for him to make a U-turn.

A number of French clubs like Angers, Rennes, Metz and Nantes were reportedly interested to sign him before opting to join the Olympians.

 After seeing his performance, Thauvin has praised the young midfielder and backed him to be a success at Stade Velodrome.

“He has shown the full extent of his talent. Now OM is something else. You have to work a lot, but I'm not worried about him, he will succeed here," Thauvin told L'Equipe.

Gueye started his career with the Blanc-Mesnil SF academy before joining Le Havre's youth setup in 2012 and was promoted to the first team four years later.

The midfielder featured in 39 league games for Le Havre, including 25 in Ligue 2 in the 2019-20 season before his departure.

Gueye has played for France U18 and U19 but he is still eligible to feature for the Senegal national team, provided he agrees to switch allegiance to the West Africans.

He will hope to continue his fine performances during Marseille’s pre-season games to boost his chances of enjoying playing time when the 2020-21 season gets underway.

Chelsea need to be doing all they can to keep N’Golo Kante on their books, claims Dennis Wise, with the World Cup winner considered to still be the “main person” for the Blues in the middle of the park.

A France international who enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence on the back of a 2015 move to Leicester has seen the odd question asked of his future in west London.

Despite being a two-time Premier League title winner and PFA Player of the Year, form and fitness issues have impacted on Kante’s game in recent times.

Only 27 appearances have been taken in this season, with Frank Lampard often looking to alternative options for inspiration in his engine room.

Real Madrid are said to be rekindling their interest in a player who has registered on their radar for some time.

Wise, though, believes that Kante remains key to Chelsea’s future plans and feels it would be a big mistake if the 29-year-old were to be allowed to move on.

Asked about Lampard’s midfield options in a Q&A session set up by the Blues’ sponsor Three, former Stamford Bridge skipper Wise told Express Sport: "I would say the main person is Kante, for sure, and then you can have a mixture of [Mateo] Kovacic, [Ross] Barkley or [Mason] Mount.

"I think it would be out of those four to make up the three which sit in there [in a 4-3-3 formation].

"Mason Mount has done extremely well, and Barkley has gone through a spell of really doing well. It's difficult to give you the three, but one of them for sure is Kante. I think he is so important to the team to sit in there.

"You've also got [Ruben] Loftus-Cheek and young [Billy] Gilmour, so they're quality players.

"Loftus-Cheek has obviously been out for a while and it would be unfair to all of a sudden try and push him into that category (alongside the main four players). And the young boy Billy Gilmour, just because he's so young and developing, I think you've got to give him time.

"I think definitely Kante and then two out of the three that I mentioned - Kovacic, Barkley and Mount. It's a great problem to have.

"Mount has done extremely well in spells, and so has Barkley and so has Kovacic - it's very difficult to break them up."

A hamstring complaint has been keeping Kante sidelined of late, forcing him to sit out important Premier League matches in an ongoing bid to wrap up a top-four finish and progress to the 2020 FA Cup final.

KCCA FC midfielder Keziron Kizito has revealed his most memorable career moments.

Kizito said his time with India’s Kerala Blasters where he featured alongside former Manchester United duo Wes Brown and Dimitar Berbatov remains a great moment.

The Indian side was coached by former Manchester City goalkeeper David James when the Ugandan midfielder turned out for them.

“Featuring alongside former Man United players [Dimitar] Berbatov and [Wes] Brown in the Indian Super League was a dream come true. I learnt a lot from them, especially taking football seriously,” Kizito said as was quoted by Football256.

He left Kerala Blasters after two seasons due to frequent injuries before he signed for KCCA in 2019.

Kizito also declared a burning desire to play for the Uganda national team again.

He was part of the 2016 African Nations Championship (Chan) tournament which was hosted in Rwanda and won the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup in Ethiopia in 2015.

“It is close to three years since I last played for the Cranes. I want to play for the national team again,” he added.

“I really believe that I will make it to the national team if I play well next season.

“I still want to play professional football, all I have to do is better my game, have a great season [next season].

“And with that, I believe the doors for professional football will open again as I want to play in Europe.

Kizito nurtured his skills at Vipers SC’s youth system and was promoted to the senior team in the 2014/15 season before he scored his debut goal against Entebbe FC.

He won the 2015 Premier League title and left the Venoms after two years when he signed for AFC Leopards.

He stayed with the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) side for half a season before he joined the Indian outfit in 2018.

Meanwhile, BUL FC chairman Ronald Barente has stated the club’s transfer policy in the past hurt the club.

“We have had issues with the way we do the transfers that have hurt us a lot in the previous seasons,” Barente told Daily Monitor.

“We haven’t focused on the young talents that Busoga is gifted with. We were the champions of U19 league, but how many of those young talents are in the senior team?”

He also expressed wish to help the club develop its own stadium although they have signed a five-year agreement with the Busoga Kingdom to use Bugembe Stadium.

“My dream is to at least leave something behind for Busoga, for BUL and for Uganda, to have a stadium,” he concluded.

“That is possible; how we can realise this dream depends on how well we perform and manage to get sponsors.”

“We’ve been moving a lot and that’s not good for the stability of the club or for the fans.”

Cristiano Ronaldo insisted that while records are nice, the most important thing is for defending champions Juventus to succeed following his historic outing in Serie A.

Ronaldo became the fastest player to score 50 Serie A goals as league leaders Juve defeated slumping Lazio 2-1 in Turin on Monday.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner – who reached half a century of Serie A goals in just 61 matches – scored twice in the space of three second-half minutes to put Juve on the cusp of their ninth successive Scudetto.

Ronaldo also became the first player to score 50 or more goals in Serie A, La Liga and the Premier League but the former Real Madrid and Manchester United superstar attempted to shrug off his personal achievement.

"Records are always important, but the important thing is that the team wins," Ronaldo told Sky Sport Italia post-game.

"We are a phenomenal team and we showed that again today, although we always want to improve and raise the bar.

"These things are nice, but the Capocannoniere title is a natural process that comes as a consequence of scoring to win games for the team."

Ronaldo broke the deadlock six minutes into the second half when he converted a penalty after VAR ruled Lazio's Bastos handled his shot inside the area.

Paulo Dybala then teed up Ronaldo for the easiest of finishes three minutes later, while Ciro Immobile's 83rd-minute spot-kick reduced the deficit.

Juve are now eight points clear atop the table, ahead of nearest rivals Inter, with four matches remaining.

Ronaldo, who has scored 30 Serie A goals in 30 appearances to top the charts alongside Immobile, added: "We knew it was a very difficult game against a team having a great season, but we knew this was a big opportunity to win, we were at home. We're very happy.

"There are four games to go, we cannot get this wrong and know Serie A is tough. The team is doing well, though."

Maurizio Sarri's Juve travel to Udinese on Thursday.

On August 5, the Indian government revoked the special status accorded to the state of Jammu & Kashmir in its constitution and thereafter, created two new union territories namely Jammu & Kashmir (J & K) and Ladakh. Amidst fears of unrest, the valley was kept under strict vigil with a lockdown in place. 

This forced Real Kashmir FC to be on the road for over two months preparing for the 2019-20 I-League season. Coincidentally, on that very day, the Real Kashmir players had their flight to Kolkata to take part in the Durand Cup. Two days later, without any training, they beat Chennai City to register a place in the semi-finals of one of the oldest and prestigious tournaments of the country. 

After bowing out to Mohun Bagan in the Durand, they played friendlies in Jamshedpur, Kochi, and Goa, and even held a training camp in Navi Mumbai before heading back to Kashmir in mid-October. But the real challenge was to host their home matches in Srinagar as tensions in the region continued to simmer. 

Yet, the team owner, Sandeep Chattoo, remained confident that his Snow Leopards will not move out of their den to play the home matches. He only sought more time from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and requested them to not keep any matches in Srinagar till December 15. The federation accepted the proposal and scheduled their first home match on December 26, 2019, against then-reigning champions Chennai City. 

And the 'unreal fans' did not disappoint as more than 6000 supporters turned up for the game to witness their team defeat Chennai 2-1 with poster boy Danish Farooq on the scoresheet. 

"It was more than an impossible task (to host matches in Srinagar). Circumstances were very difficult, but we had not given up hope. Even the day before our first match there were restrictions which prevented people from gathering in a place. We had to bring in a lot of permissions, co-ordinate with local police, the intelligence, and the responsibility on our shoulders was enormous. 

"The administration was very co-operative but they had given permission to bring only 1500 spectators. Whereas, all our matches remain chock-a-block whenever the team takes the field. On the first matchday, there were more than 5000 people outside the stadium and the police had no choice (but to let them in)," stated Chattoo to Goal, reminiscing the complications of the task at hand. 

Their next match was against Mohun Bagan, a team that remains widely followed in the valley as it was Bagan that made local boy Majeed Kakroo one of the highest-paid footballers in 1979 offering him Rs 60,000 per month. 

Expectedly, the attendance surged to 11,521 and yet the show went on smoothly. 

"It is the best crowd in the country. I have complete belief in the fans and we have nothing to do with politics. They love football and this is our way of telling the world what Kashmir is all about. Everybody entering the stadium had to bring his residential proof and ID. Everyone believes that Real Kashmir is his or her own club," asserted Chattoo. 

In the previous campaign, the Kashmiri businessman challenged the odds and turned them in his favour through sheer will and determination to uphold the essence of the club by playing in Srinagar. But the Coronavirus pandemic is a dampener which has forced the AIFF to possibly choose a centralised venue for the next edition of I-League.

"We are geared for any eventuality. You will miss your home advantage but during this kind of a pandemic, there is nothing you can do about it. Nevertheless, we have already started our preparations for the next season. We are in constant touch with David (Robertson), Mason (Robertson), and our local players.ISL (Indian Super League) is supposed to start in November. So we are expecting that I-League should start somewhere in December. 

"Last year we had a very long pre-season of four months. This time we do not want to do the same thing. So once we get to know when the league will start, two or two and a half months before the team will assemble," commented Chhattoo briefing about the plans for next season. 

The next campaign will definitely test the players to their hilt both mentally and physically as they would have to play all the matches away from home and adaptability will be key to success. Moreover, they would feel the absence of their vociferous fans which acted as the 12th man. But the club have always braved adversities and have been a tough nut to crack on the field.

Now it remains to be seen whether they can remain true to their characteristics even in the 'new normal' under the leadership of Chattoo, off-the-pitch, and coach Robertson, on-the-pitch. 

Maurizio Sarri labelled Cristiano Ronaldo "extraordinary" after the Juventus superstar became the fastest player to score 50 Serie A goals .

Ronaldo reached half a century of Serie A goals in just 61 matches as league leaders Juve defeated slumping Lazio 2-1 in Turin on Monday.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored twice in the space of three second-half minutes to put Juve on the cusp of their ninth successive Scudetto.

Real Madrid and Manchester United great Ronaldo also became the first player to score 50 or more goals in Serie A, La Liga and the Premier League .

"When Cristiano smells blood… He's extraordinary, as he recovers so quickly between games," Juve head coach Sarri told Sky Sport Italia. "It's not just physical, but psychological.

"He could be someone who uses up so much energy in each game, but he recovers it every time and he's world class in the mind as well as the legs."

Ronaldo broke the deadlock six minutes into the second half when he converted a penalty after VAR ruled Lazio's Bastos handled his shot inside the area.

Paulo Dybala then teed up Ronaldo for the easiest of finishes three minutes later, while Ciro Immobile's 83rd-minute spot-kick reduced the deficit.

Ronaldo has scored 30 Serie A goals in 30 appearances to top the charts alongside Immobile with four matches remaining.

The Serie A record is 36 goals in a season – reached by Gonzalo Higuain with Napoli in 2015-16 – and when asked if Ronaldo could eclipse the number, Sarri said: "If he puts his mind to something, he's very difficult to stop.

"We'll see if we should rest him over the next few rounds, but if he's still in this shape, then he might not need it."

Juve are eight points clear atop the table, ahead of nearest rivals Inter, with four Serie A fixtures remaining.

"As I've always said, talking about an opportunity to win is like a chance to score a goal. It means nothing unless the objective is achieved," Sarri said.

"We need to get another four points, every point is difficult at the moment playing every three days, so we've got to keep focused.

"There are ifs and buts, but at the first if, that's when I stop listening!"

Kelechi Nwakali is delighted to have ended the season as LaLiga Two champions with Huesca.

Defeat for leaders Cadiz at home to Albacete handed the Segunda Division title to the Azulgranas, who triumphed 1-0 at Sporting Gijon.

With the encounter at the Estadio El Molinon looking to end in a goalless draw, Cristo Gonzalez scored the winner in the 73rd minute after profiting from a Sergio Gomez assist.

Featuring in his fifth game of the season, Nwakali was handed a starter’s role in Michel’s squad against Miroslav Djukic’s team.

For his contribution, the 2015 U17 Fifa World Cup Golden Ball winner won four tackles, made two interceptions, completed 55 passes with a passing accuracy of 90%.

Thanks to the triumph, Huesca will be featuring in the Spanish topflight as champions of the second tier.

Fuelled by the excitement of winning a title in his debut at Estadio El Alcoraz, the 22-year-old took to social media to celebrate his team’s victory.

“What a way to end the season; promotion to the La Liga: champion: first start: What a great God you are!,” he wrote on Instagram.

After completing loan spells at MVV Maastricht, VVV Venlo and Porto B, Nwakali left Arsenal for Huesca on a three-year deal on September 2, 2019 without kicking the ball at the Emirates Stadium.

His former coach at U17 level Emmanuel Amuneke had told Goal what the midfielder must do justify his potentials.

“There is nothing to doubt about Nwakali’s talent. There are some qualities that are natural gifts from God and he possesses them,” Amuneke told Goal.

“As a player and coach, I have seen a lot of good players and midfielders but the kind of quality Nwakali possesses is what I have not seen in any other Nigerian.

“He is a kind of player that can see beyond what other players are seeing, a player that has a vision and a player who can play a ball that can result in a goal.

“All he needs to do is counsel himself and realise that when you forget the root that took you to success, you start to lose the beauty of what made you who you are.

“A lot of Nigerians are expecting his progression but it is unfortunate because of what he has passed through over the years.  He also needs to check the kind of lifestyle he is living and know that without football, he is a nobody.”

Cristiano Ronaldo became the fastest player to 50 Serie A goals as Juventus put themselves on the cusp of a ninth successive Scudetto with a 2-1 win over Lazio.

Juve went into Monday's clash with the chance to go eight points clear at the top with four games to go after both Inter and Atalanta dropped points over the weekend.

They made no mistake against a Lazio side that has seen their title challenge fade badly since the restart, Ronaldo scoring twice in the space of three second-half minutes to secure victory.

A 51st-minute penalty took him to his half-century in 61 matches and he had an easy finish for a second that looked to have ended the game as a contest until Ciro Immobile's penalty set up a tense finale that Juve survived to all but ensure the title will remain in Turin.

Alex Sandro, who rescued Juve in their 3-3 draw with Sassuolo last time out, headed against the post from Matthijs de Ligt's cross in the 11th minute.

However, Thomas Strakosha was not legitimately tested until the 35th minute when he turned Adrien Rabiot's effort over after a surging run from the Frenchman, with Ronaldo heading wide from the resulting corner.

Lazio were also denied by the woodwork shortly before half-time when Immobile sent a rasping strike cannoning off the post.

Ronaldo attempted to prod over the line on the rebound after Strakosha thwarted Dybala following quick feet in the box from the Argentina forward, only for a goalmouth clearance to maintain parity.

But there was no denying Ronaldo his place in Serie A history after VAR overturned the decision that Bastos had handled his shot outside the area.

Strakosha correctly dove to his left but did not get a touch to a typically confident penalty and he was similarly helpless as Dybala won possession in midfield and surged through on goal before laying the ball off for Ronaldo to tap into an empty net.

Ronaldo clattered the crossbar with a header after a cross from Dybala, who again found Strakosha in fine form to keep out another close-range effort.

Leonardo Bonucci paid the price for nonchalant defending as he felled Immobile, who won and emphatically converted an 83rd-minute penalty to fray Juve nerves.

The hosts were grateful to a flying save from Wojciech Szczesny to keep out Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's free-kick, but they held firm and the title now appears a formality for Maurizio Sarri's men.

What does it mean? Sarri's men set for title

Sarri came into this game amid talk of him fighting to save his job but, while Juve can still be caught, it would take an incredible collapse to deny the Bianconeri boss the most significant title of his career.

A Europa League winner with Chelsea last season, a Coppa Italia Serie D triumph with Sansovino marks Sarri's sole honour in his home country. That is about to change.

Dazzling Dybala

While Ronaldo's record-setting feats will grab the headlines, it was Dybala who was at the heart of everything good going forward for Juve. With seven key passes including one assist, his was a performance that deserved a goal.

Lazio leave it too late

Save for Immobile hitting the post, Lazio did not offer enough until they were chasing the game and left themselves too much to do. It was another disappointing display from a team that has endured an alarming slump having been only a point behind Juve when the season restarted.

Key Opta Facts:

- Juventus have scored two-plus goals in 11 Serie A consecutive games for the first time ever.
- Cristiano Ronaldo is the third player in Juventus history to score 30-plus goals in a single Serie A season with the Bianconeri, after Felice Borel (31 in 1933-34) and John Hansen (30 in 1951-52).
- Ciro Immobile is only the fifth Italian player to score 30-plus goals in a single Serie A campaign.
- Both Juventus and Lazio have scored 13 penalty goals in Serie A this term: more than any team in a single season since Opta started to collect this data (2004-05).
- Douglas Costa played today his 100th game for Juventus, in all competitions.

What's next?

With Atalanta hosting Bologna on Tuesday and Inter welcoming Fiorentina to San Siro on Wednesday, Juve will know whether they can win the title at Udinese on Thursday, when Cagliari are the visitors to Lazio.

Letago Madiba has narrated how special she felt to be part of ALG Spor after winning the Turkish Kadinlar Ligi title for the first time.

The South African was a 2019 summer signing for ALG from Minsk, where she spent her 2018-19 season, helping them to two titles and to the Women's Champions League Round of 16.

Following the coronavirus cancellation, Mehmet Karayılan's ladies, who garnered 43 points from 15 games to stay on top were declared the Turkish champions early in July.

Since arriving in Turkey, the 29-year-old was a standout for the Turkish outfit, scoring 12 goals and gave seven assists in 14 outings and is delighted in being part of the club's historic title feat.

"It is a true blessing and honour to have been a part of this team," Madiba told Goal.

"When I arrived at ALG a year ago, it was an ambitious club, I had only been playing in the first league for a few years. 

"To have won the league for the first time in the clubs' history is special and our qualification to the Uefa Women's Champions League [UWCL] is a great moment for the city of Gaziantep and the club. 

"The president [Ali Gozcu] made it clear that this was the goal and I'm proud to have contributed to it."

Despite a fine debut season blighted by Covid-19, she bagged a couple of individual prizes, including being named Turkish Player of the Week thrice and made the Team of the Week six times.

Looking back on her brief but great campaign, the Banyana Banyana forward shared her unforgettable moment with the Gaziantep outfit.

"I don't necessarily have a high and low point in my career at ALG," she continued.

"I started slow, despite scoring on my debut, I really flourished midway through the season where I was scoring nearly every weekend and the coach was really happy. Unfortunately, the season was put on hold when I was at my peak.

"I would say I played my best game against Konak Belediyespor away, it was a tough game and with the game approaching the end, Rachel [Sebati] set me up perfectly to score the winner and I think at this moment we all believed we could win the league. 

"The team celebrated throughout the night in Izmir with our president. This is a moment I won't easily forget."

Before the league's suspension in March, ALG held a point lead in the summer ahead of last season's winners Besiktas in second with 42 points and Konak Belediyespor in third with 37 points.

Despite being crowned champions following the season's cancellation, she still feels the decision taken was unfair to all while lauding her teammates' fantastic showing throughout the season. 

"It was disappointing, to be honest, the men's Super League had been cleared to restart but the women's league was cancelled," she said.

"It also took the federation long to make the decision which leads to greater uncertainty and frustration. But, we understood the health concerns are most important and we as ALG never stopped our training under strict precautions in the case we were due back. 

"We as a team wanted the restart, we always believed we would win the league and wanted to show it on the field. 

"The team performed well, we have a good group of players who all fought for the win and everyone contributed as can be seen by us having several goalscorers and not only relying on the strikers for the goals. 

"The cancellation has not affected the team's aspirations, as the goal from the start of the season was to win the league which despite us not playing all games, we were able to win the league with zero losses. 

"I believe we were fairly granted the title as we beat all teams including the reigning champions Besiktas away and conceded the least goals in the league. Our performance was worthy of the championship."

Madiba has now won her second domestic title in Europe, adding to her maiden success in Belarus with champions Minsk in 2019.

Mamelodi Sundowns are close to completing the signing of Lesedi Kapinga, Goal can exclusively confirm. 

The diminutive midfielder was released by Black Leopards on Monday despite the club initially announcing he would be staying until the end of the season. 

According to a source close to the dealings, Kapinga is on his way to the Sundowns headquarters to undergo medicals and put pen to paper. 

He will then be eligible to join the rest of his new teammates in a training camp in Rustenburg. 

"He hasn't arrived in Rustenburg but he's joining Sundowns since he's no longer staying at Leopards," the source told Goal. 

"He is on his way to Chloorkop for his medical tests and then he will join his new teammates in the North West province," added the source. 

Kapinga is regarded as one of the rising stars in the PSL following his promising start to life at Leopards in the past two seasons. 

The 25-year-old turned professional in 2017 and it was Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila who handed him his first contract. 

Leopards then signed him at the start of the 2018-19 season and he was instrumental in the team keeping their status in the PSL. 

This season, while Lidoda Duvha struggled to move away from the bottom half of the table, Kapinga remained one of their best players. 

At Sundowns, he will join a galaxy of stars in midfield and will have to work twice as hard to cement his place in Pitso Mosimane's starting line-up. 

The Tshwane giants have already completed the signing of George Maluleka while Grant Magerman is close to joining the 2016 African champions from Ajax Cape Town. 

As things stand, Mosimane has Andile Jali, Hlompho Kekana, Tiyani Mabunda among other experienced central midfielders at his disposal.  

And he will have to sacrifice at least one of them to accommodate Kapinga ahead of the next season.  

Kapinga scored six goals and registered six assists in the 27 matches he played for the Thohoyandou-based outfit this season. 

Overall, he featured 51 times and scored seven goals while recording eight assists in his two-year stint with Leopards.  

Jordan Ayew continued with his uneventful form in front of goal as Crystal Palace bowed 2-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers in Monday’s Premier League encounter.

Goal from Daniel Pondence and Spain’s Jonny were all Nuno Espirito Santo’s side needed to secure all points at stake as they continued their chase for a place in Europe next season.

Despite seeing every minute of action with one shot, two dribbles, 28 passes and 85.7 of passing accuracy to his credit, the 28-year-old was unable to beat goalkeeper Rui Patricio who was rarely tested.

With this, he has gone on a run of seven games without scoring as Roy Hodgson’s men have gone ahead to lose all those games.

The Ghana international’s last goal came in the Eagles’ 2-0 victory at Bournemouth – where he attained an enviable milestone in his football career.

Ayew became the highest-scoring Ghanaian in Premier League history – scoring 25 times to beat Tony Yeboah’s feat of 24 goals in 47 appearances, while his brother Andre is third on the Ghana chart with 21 goals from 87 outings.

With nine goals scored in 36 appearances, the former Swansea and Aston Villa man have one last chance to reach his first double-figure in Europe as Crystal Palace welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the Selhurst Park on Sunday.

Meanwhile, manager Hodgson has expressed his disappointment at the outcome of the game as they were undone by two smart goals from the hosts.

"It was a Groundhog Day situation for us," he told club website.

"We lose Mamadou Sakho in the first 20 minutes, so we’re already adjusting. In the first-half we did quite well, to concede just before half-time was a disappointment.

"In the second-half, we did the best we could do. We were beaten by a fantastic second goal.

“We kept going, did best we could do and we have to keep picking ourselves up off the floor.

“We hope the players who’ve given so much can recover for the next game. They’re finding it hard."

Crystal Palace are now 14th position in the English topflight log after accruing 42 points from 37 league outings.

As Liverpool fans all around the world celebrate their first English top-flight title in 30 years, a certain John Barnes would be in celebratory mood as well.

Having won the league title twice during his time with Liverpool, Barnes would be nothing but overjoyed to see his old club get back to where they belong.

Barnes spent 10 years at Anfield from 1987 to 1997, winning two FA Cups and a League Cup on top of the two top-division titles, the last of which came in the 1989-90 season - Liverpool's last title before this campaign.

The left winger, quick and skillful, is considered an absolute legend at Liverpool, having scored 108 goals in 407 matches for the Reds after signing from Watford for £900,000.

Barnes had an instant impact at Liverpool, with his outrageous goals, crosses and defence-splitting passes that catapulted Liverpool to the league title in the 1987-88 season. He ended up scoring 15 goals from the left wing, that saw him voted as the PFA Player of the Year.

After assisting Ian Rush's winner in the 1989 FA Cup final, Barnes continued to set the field ablaze in the 1989-90 season.

He was deployed as a central striker after John Aldridge's departure and ended up scoring 28 goals in 45 games as Liverpool reclaimed the title from Arsenal. He actually scored in both games against the Gunners including an outrageous free-kick at Anfield.

Barnes was voted Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year that season.

He continued to serve Liverpool with distinction throughout the early 90s, even tranforming himself into a holding midfielder later on. However, his tenacity and commitment for the jersey continued to hold him in good stead. By the time he moved on from Liverpool in 1997, he had etched his name into the Kop folklore.

Here's your chance to catch up with the great Barnes and interact with him as you celebrate Liverpool's title triumph. The Englishman will be appearing on Standard Chartered's Soundboard during Liverpool's Premier League encounter against Chelsea on July 22 (20:15 GMT), with the champions receiving the trophy they have been craving for so long at last.

As the official partner of the club, Standard Chartered are bringing together various Liverpool legends and fan hosts on their YouTube platform with SC Soundboard. Tune in and let the Soundboard bring the best of Kop chants directly to your home. Sing along and enjoy the experience during every remaining Premier League match of Liverpool.

This week, it's Barnes who will be live. You can catch him in action here.

Moussa Marega registered his 12th Primeira Liga goal of the season and his 15th in all competitions as FC Porto got the better of Moreirense in a 6-1 win on Monday night.

The Dragons were crowned league champions for the 29th time after they saw off fierce rivals Sporting Lisbon 2-0 last week, Marega scoring the final goal in injury time after Danilo Pereira’s opener in the 64th minute.

They did not waste much time on Monday, with Luiz Diaz netting in just the fourth minute of play having been assisted by Brazilian left-back Alex Telles.

Fabio Abreu equalised for the visitors 16 minutes later, getting assisted by Guinea-Bissau-born full-back Abdu Conte.

It was all square at half-time and Porto’s rout began in the 51st minute with Octavio, followed by Telles from the penalty spot before Marega made it 4-1.

The 29-year old scored a delicious freekick just outside the penalty area in the 62nd minute which went over the wall and left Moreirense goalie Mateus Pasinato as a spectator.

Substitute Francisco Soares then scored a brace with the assists coming from Octavio.

Marega was taken off in the 64th minute for Soares and the Malian produced a total of three shots, missing two big chances and creating one. He also made one key pass, six accurate passes at 66% and 20 touches.

It was the fourth consecutive league game Marega scored in and the sixth since the restart, all of them ending in wins. This victory over Moreirense is the biggest followed by a 5-0 at home to Belenenses and then a 4-0 win against Boavista. The latter was his most productive, scoring two goals and providing an assist.

In defence for Porto was DR Congo international Chancel Mbemba making his 26th league appearance this season and 41st in all competitions.

It was the 13th consecutive game he played the entire 90 minutes, but had a quiet evening, making just two clearances and one interception while having 71 touches (the fifth-highest among his teammates) and 59 accurate passes (seventh-highest).

Porto end the league season away to Braga on Saturday before wrapping it up with the Portuguese Cup final against Benfica on August 1.