APRNEWS - Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt says he was ready to prove his doubters wrong by winning a professional football contract.

Bolt eased into his first training session with Australia’s Central Coast Mariners on Tuesday.

APRNEWS - Spanish football heads into the post-Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta era as the 2018-19 La Liga season begins this weekend.
With these two greats of the modern age having moved on, AFP Sport picks out six new signings to watch in the coming campaign.

THOMAS LEMAR (ATLETICO MADRID)
Age: 22

APRNEWS - Retired Brazilian striker Ronaldo left a clinic in Ibiza on Tuesday following a four-night stay for treatment for a flu infection.

"He left this morning at 10:30am, not wanting to depart from the side where the press were waiting," said a spokesman for the clinic in the centre of Ibiza.

APRNEWS - Neymar has tackled critics who derided his play-acting at the World Cup, admitting he "overreacts" and blaming his "brat" like behaviour on his inner child.

The Brazilian superstar was widely lambasted in Russia for his theatrical reactions to challenges which often left the world's most expensive footballer wincing and rolling on the ground.

APRNEWS- English club side Liverpool FC have offered Senegalese forward the legendary number 10 jersey for the 2018-19 season and going forward.

Mane, who joined his teammates in the United States following his holiday after international duty with Senegal at the World Cup, has worn jersey number 19 since joining Liverpool in 2016.

APRNEWS - Liverpool on Thursday signed Brazil goalkeeper Alisson from Roma in a world record deal valued at 72.5 million euros by the Italian club.

APRNEWS - Former Super Eagles coach, Christian Chukwu, has stated that the fact France won the Russia 2018 World Cup with more blacks in the team is an indication that Africa has the potential to win the Mundial in the nearest future.

APRNEWS - Former Argentine great Diego Maradona has offered to coach his country for free, eight years after his last attempt ended in World Cup failure.

APRNEWS - Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi take centre stage as the World Cup shifts into high gear at the weekend with the start of the knockout matches in the loaded top half of the draw.

Football heavyweights France, Argentina, Portugal and Brazil are all clustered in one section of the competition, with only Spain among recent winners in the other half.

APRNEWS - Only six countries have won the World Cup in the last 50 years, but a thrilling group stage in Russia has increased the possibility of a fresh name at least making it to the final.