Europe

Royal Antwerp forward Didier Lamkel Ze has apologized after showing up at the Belgian club's training ground this week wearing the shirt of their bitter rivals Anderlecht in an attempt to force a transfer.

The Cameroon international was denied entry by Antwerp's security staff, with images of the incident quickly going viral. Lamkel Ze, who wants to join Greek side Panathinaikos, also took to social media to say he would wear the shirt of Antwerp's local rivals Beerschot if the club did not allow him to leave.

Beşiktaş has reclaimed top spot in the Süper Lig after thrashing Rizespor 6-0 at Vodafone Arena on Wednesday. Canadian striker Cyle Larin had his greatest day in a Beşiktaş shirt, scoring four goals to give him 10 in 15 league appearances this season.

After a slow start to life in Europe, the 25-year-old has now scored five goals in his last three appearances to put the continent on notice. While we’re very pleased for Larin and Canada, three of his goals today were the result of a comedy of errors from Rizespor.  

Fenerbahçe will sign German midfielder Mesut Özil from Arsenal for three and a half years for an undisclosed fee, Turkey's private Demirören news agency and other Turkish media reported on Wednesday.

While there was no immediate comment on the reports from Fenerbahçe, broadcaster A Spor said Özil and the club had agreed on the transfer in principle and that the 32-year-old would join the former Turkish champions later in January.

New Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino said on Tuesday that he fulfilled a dream to return and manage the French club he played for and captained during his career as a defender in the early 2000s.

Pochettino had been out of a job since being dismissed by Tottenham Hotspur in November 2019 and took over the reins at PSG after Thomas Tuchel was sacked last month.

Two names dominate the headlines as the January transfer window opens in Italy: Christian Eriksen and Alejandro "Papu" Gomez.

Two of the Serie A's most gifted players are expected to depart their respective clubs, Inter Milan and Atalanta, this month after ending 2020 disgruntled and out of favor.

In the year 2021, Lionel Messi will turn 34 while Cristiano Ronaldo turns 36 in just one month’s time. Playing in their first matches of the New Year on Sunday, the duo showed just how important they remain to their respective clubs by providing match-winning moments.

Over in Spain, Messi returned from his extended winter break to appear in his 500th LaLiga match for Barcelona. He’s the first non-Spanish player to reach the milestone, and among active players, only Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos (505) and Real Betis’ Joaquín (565) have more.