Jurgen Klopp hopes Liverpool will get addicted to winning trophies after their Champions League triumph, which arrived when he had forgotten what such glorious moments feel like.

The German manager s last trophy came in 2014 when he won the DFL Supercup with Borussia Dortmund, while he narrowly missed out on guiding Liverpool to the Europa League, League Cup and Champions League in subsequent years. 

Having finished as runners-up in all three competitions under Klopp, the Reds finally claimed silverware under his stewardship when they beat Tottenham 2-0 in Madrid to clinch Europe s top prize for the sixth time.

Klopp expressed his relief at having ended his drought and said the memory of the celebrations in Liverpool city centre would spur his players on in 2…

AC Milan s desperation to recapture their former glory makes the Coppa Italia final as important as a World Cup, according to Gennaro Gattuso.

The seven-time European champions have won just one trophy since 2011, the Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus in Doha in 2016.

But they can make it a second against the same opposition at Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday, when they will attempt to deny the Bianconeri from adding to a near-certain Serie A title.

Gattuso, who replaced Vincenzo Montella in November, has regularly questioned the mental strength of his players, but says they fully comprehend the need to restore a winning culture.

This is like the World Cup for our enthusiasm, the enthusiasm of the fans and their desire to get back to lifting a trophy aga…

Raheem Sterling revealed that criticism from former Liverpool players contributed to a lack of confidence in the aftermath of his £49million transfer to Manchester City.

The City winger, who was named PFA Young Player of the Year this season, shed light on moments when he doubted himself during his teenage years and credited Pep Guardiola with creating the perfect environment for him to fulfil his potential in a wide-ranging interview with the BBC.

Sterling was just 17 when he made his Premier League debut for Liverpool in a 2-1 defeat at home to Wigan Athletic in March 2012, but he said his rise to the very top of English football was not always plain sailing.

When I was 14, 15, 16, 17, I was so confident. Then there was a gap between the ages of 17 and 20, s…

Nacer Chadli s 94th-minute winner completed a sensational comeback as Belgium beat Japan 3-2 to book a World Cup quarter-final against Brazil.

After a goalless first half, Japan struck twice in seven minutes following the interval to take full control of a gripping last-16 tie in Rostov-on-Don on Monday.

Genki Haraguchi and Takashi Inui scored stunners as Japan looked set to reach the first World Cup quarter-final in their history.

But, instead, Belgium became the first team to come from two goals down to win in a World Cup knockout game since 1970 and will now face five-time winners Brazil on Friday.

Jan Vertonghen s looping header somehow beat goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima and Belgium s aerial power started to tell when Marouane Fellaini thumped home Eden…

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi insists he pays no attention to any criticism his performances for Argentina receive.

Messi has enjoyed a glittering domestic career at Camp Nou, but has failed to replicate that success with the national team.

The prolific forward won Olympic gold in 2008, however Argentina fell short in the final of the 2014 World Cup and were also runners-up in the 2015 and 2016 Copa Americas, the latter defeat seeing him briefly retire from international football.

Messi has often been the subject of criticism for Argentina s failures and the 29-year-old came in for more scrutiny after receiving a four-match ban for verbally abusing an assistant referee during a 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Chile last month.

However, the 29-year-ol…

Atletico Madrid s €126million teenage forward Joao Felix insists he has what it takes to emulate the club s Portuguese greats as he prepares for his first season in LaLiga.

The 19-year-old followed in the footsteps of former Portugal internationals Paulo Futre, Simao and Tiago when he opted to join the club from Benfica, and he has set his sights on surpassing their achievements in the Spanish capital.

In an interview with the club s official website, he also spoke about the importance of head coach Diego Simeone s ability to motivate his players and dismissed suggestions that his relative inexperience would hold him back.

Simeone is a coach that transfers aggressiveness and motivation into the team, which he also did as a player, said Joao Felix, who scored …

Netherlands midfielder Wesley Sneijder said he enjoyed every second on the pitch after retiring from international football.

Sneijder farewelled the national team as Netherlands defeated South American visitors Peru 2-1 in Thursday s friendly in Amsterdam.

The 34-year-old, who helped Netherlands reach the 2010 World Cup final, made his 134th and final Oranje appearance before being substituted to a rousing ovation at John Cruyff Arena.

I enjoyed every second on the pitch, Sneijder said after the match.

I know now that it s all over. But I m also very happy to have the chance to show myself just one more time. I was able to say goodbye in this wonderful way.

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— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje)

Memphis Depay …

Jordan Henderson and the Champions League trophy will become well-acquainted again if Liverpool beat Real Madrid in Paris on Saturday – though he might not be allowed to take it to his local pub.

Phil Thompson was the Reds captain in 1981, when Liverpool also faced Madrid in a European final in Paris.

A 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes ensured the trophy was going back to Merseyside once again following their successes in the European Cup in 1977 and 78.

But this time there was even more of a local flavour to Liverpool s victory, with Thompson becoming the first Scouser to lift the trophy, and he was determined to make it a memorable homecoming.

The UEFA delegate who handed him the cup might not have expected Thompson to take it to the pub, however.

…

RB Leipzig have confirmed the capture of 19-year-old attacker Antonio Nusa from Jupiler Pro League side Club Brugge.

Nusa, who was of interest to several Premier League sides in the January transfer window, has signed a five-year deal with the Bundesliga outfit.

The Norwegian made 46 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring four goals and helping the Blauw-Zwart to a 19th league title.

He takes the number seven shirt vacated by Dani Olmo following his reported £51m transfer to Barcelona after his impressive showings at Euro 2024.

Nusa is the second signing made by Die Roten Bullen from the Belgian top flight, with goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt arriving from Genk earlier in the window.

I m just incredibly proud to be at RB Leipz…

To suggest the next 12 months may well define Lionel Messi s career would be doing a disservice to what we have witnessed up close over the past 18 campaigns. 

From boy wonder to the greatest player ever in the view of many, and now into a new chapter with Paris Saint-Germain, the Argentina forward has nothing to prove to anyone.

And yet on the day he turns 35 – the average age of retirement for a footballer – questions continue to be asked of Messi. 

Will he win a World Cup – still in the eyes of many the real barometer of a truly great player, even in the era of the Champions League – before he retires? 

Can he prove himself in a different country after a mixed first season in France? Both of those questions will be answered before he celebra…