Hleb: Guardiola is not the best coach, he had the best players

BATE Borisov midfielder Aliaksandr Hleb has said he does not consider Pep Guardiola to be the greatest coach in the world, as he had the best players at his disposal during his time with Barcelona..

Albiol: Casillas is the best goalkeeper in the world

Real Madrid centre-back Raul Albiol believes Iker Casillas is the best goalkeeper in the world and should be given the Ballon d'Or for his efforts for both club and country.

 The former Valencia player spoke of his admiration for Spain's No.1 and believes a shot-stopper of his calibre deserves the accolade for being top of his game for so long. Casillas conceded twice in El Clasico but the defender insists there was little he could do about Lionel Messi's strikes while adding the 31-year-old has saved Los Blancos numerous times in the past..

MOURINHO: Real Madrid are becoming the better team than Barcelona

Barcelona's 2-2 draw at home to Real Madrid in the Camp Nou Clasico on Sunday sees the Catalans remain in control of the Primera Division as they retain their eight-point advantage on Jose Mourinho's men. Already, Barca look like winning La Liga..

World Player of the Week: Joe Hart - Manchester City

Joe Hart   AGE 25 POSITION Goalkeeper FOR Manchester City WEEK IN NUMBERS APPS (GOALS CONCEDED) 2 (1) TIME ON PITCH 180 PREVIOUS WINS 0

Manchester City

1-1

Dortmund

Manchester City

3-0

Sunderland

When it comes to individual awards, it is attacking players who often hog the limelight. This can be perfectly illustrated by the list of past Ballon d'Or winners - only three defenders and one goalkeeper have picked up the prize..

Ronaldo given green light for Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo has been given the green light by Real Madrid to join up with the Portugal squad to prepare for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers after tests showed the shoulder injury picked up during Sunday night's 2-2 draw at Barcelona was not serious..

New York Red Bulls coach from Liverpool killed in Manhattan

New York Red Bulls' youth coach Mike Jones was stabbed to death near Union Square, Manhattan, early on Sunday morning.

 Jones, 25, from Liverpool was responsible for working with the Red Bulls’ young players before they entered club’s youth academy. The Red Bulls confirmed Jones' death and issued a statement saying he was a dedicated football fan and beloved friend..

Chelsea star Mata confident of Spain recall

Chelsea star Juan Mata insists he remains confident of a recall to the national set-up with Spain.

 In spite of his impressive start to the season with the Blues, the 24-year-old was a surprise omission from La Roja’s squad to face Belarus and France in the latest round of World Cup qualifiers..