Barcelona star Lionel Messi should win the Ballon d'Or award every year, according to club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, after the Argentine was beaten to the prize by Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ivorian youngster Franck Kessie hit a second-half leveller and set up a dramatic last-gasp winner as Atalanta ended a three-game winless run in a 2-1 win over Empoli on Tuesday.

Liverpool have the strength in depth to cope with Sadio Mane's absence during next month's African Nations Cup, the Senegal striker has said.

Borussia Dortmund missed a bagful of chances to draw 1-1 at home with Augsburg on Tuesday, as they squandered the opportunity to make up ground in the Bundesliga title race heading into the winter break.

Jurgen Klopp finally had a reason to celebrate Christmas after Sadio Mane's dramatic 94th-minute goal saw his side move second in the Premier League table with a 1-0 victory in the Merseyside derby at Everton on Monday.

Former Brazil international defender Alex on Monday announced his retirement from football at the age of 34 due to a serious knee injury that requires surgery.

English champions Leicester City appealed on Monday against striker Jamie Vardy's red card in Saturday's ill-tempered 2-2 Premier League draw with Stoke City.

Nice fans are dreaming of seeing their Mario Balotelli-fuelled underdogs do a Leicester and steal the French title from the likes of crisis-stricken Paris Saint-Germain.

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez hopes teammate Lionel Messi will follow his lead by signing a long-term contract to see out the remainder of his prime years at the Camp Nou.

English champions Leicester City appealed on Monday against striker Jamie Vardy's red card in Saturday's ill-tempered 2-2 Premier League draw with Stoke City.

Barcelona have agreed to withdraw an appeal against fines imposed by UEFA last year after their supporters waved pro-Catalan independence flags at two matches, European soccer's governing body said on Monday.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has announced a benefit game between Brazil and Colombia on Jan. 25, the same day Chapecoense play their first game since the air crash that prompted the friendly.

A goal in time added on by Senegal international Sadio Mane gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over city rivals Everton and saw them move into second spot in the Premier League on Monday.

Kolkata won the Indian Super League title Sunday after beating Kerala Blasters 4-3 on penalties.

The Football Associations of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have been fined for displaying poppies during World Cup qualifiers last month, world soccer's governing body said on Monday.

Bayern Munich face an acid test of their status as Bundesliga leaders in Wednesday's crunch showdown when they host second-placed RB Leipzig, who know they have nothing to lose.

Dries Mertens put four goals past England's Joe Hart as rampant Napoli completed a memorable 5-3 win over Torino to move up to third place in Serie A Sunday.

Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has compared his footballing prowess to a fine red wine that improves with age, with the Swede also claiming he can continue to play for another 15 years.

Cristiano Ronaldo said he had answered his critics in style as he rounded off a "spectacular" year with a hat-trick to win the Club World Cup for Real Madrid and add to his multitude of titles.

Dries Mertens scored four goals, including a nine-minute first-half hat-trick, as Napoli forgot their scoring problems with a 5-3 win over Torino in Serie A on Sunday.