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Maurizio Sarri joked that Juventus must be really good if they claimed the Scudetto under the first-time Serie A-winning head coach as the champions maintained their stranglehold on Italian football.

Juve defeated Sampdoria 2-0 thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo and Federico Bernardeschi on Sunday to clinch their ninth successive Serie A crown, a record run dating back to 2011-12.

Sarri – who replaced Massimiliano Allegri at the start of the season – became the oldest coach to win Serie A as the 61-year-old claimed his maiden league trophy, having only previously led Chelsea to Europa League glory last term.

Following a difficult first season in Turin, where his philosophy has been regularly questioned, former Chelsea and Napoli boss Sarri revelled in his achievement.

"I told them, if you won with me who has never won anything, you must be really good," Sarri told Sky Sport Italia when asked what he said to his players during the celebrations.

"The first day you come in, you see people, not just world-class players. As time passes, you get fond of them and the rapport goes from being strictly professional to personal too.

"The first day, I step into the locker room and know there are some top players. After a while, you walk in there knowing there are some great guys you can rely on too."

"It has a special feeling, of course. It's difficult to win, it becomes even more complicated to keep winning, as taking something for granted in sport is one of the biggest lies in the world," Sarri added.

"It was not a walk in the park. It was long, difficult, stressful, and this squad deserves a lot of credit for continuing to find the hunger and determination to keep going after eight wins in a row.

"I left the field because I was trying to avoid getting a bucket of water thrown over me, as it was obviously on its way, but I didn't manage to get away."

It has not been easy for Sarri and Juventus during their first season together at Allianz Stadium amid reports of unrest following Allegri's departure.

Sarri's future has dominated headlines – speculation intensifying after Juve failed to wrap up the Scudetto on Thursday following a shock 2-1 defeat to Udinese.

Juve also trail Lyon 1-0 as they prepare for next month's return leg of the Champions League last-16 tie following the coronavirus-enforced break.

Sarri added: "There were tactical difficulties, trying to get all these very strong players and their various characteristics to work together. That was not something to be taken for granted, as we saw in previous years, because [Paulo] Dybala and Ronaldo didn't really start together very often.

"They are world-class, but it's not easy to get them to work together with their characteristics. With a lot of work, I think we managed it."

"Ronaldo and Dybala make the difference on the field, so clearly they deserve a lot of credit, but the club behind them is every bit as important," he continued. "We have a president and directors who attend training every day, are there to exchange ideas, see if you need anything and put petrol in the tank of this team. The club are a big part of why they were able to win for so many years. They back you even when you lose.

“In terms of organisation, Juventus are at the top of European football. I could not have asked for anything more. Obviously, it takes a while to settle in, understand the approach, the way things work here, then after a while you can start trying to tweak a few things.

"You can't just walk straight into a club that has won for eight years in a row and immediately try to order changes. That wouldn't be very intelligent."

Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci conceded the club's 2019-20 Scudetto was the most difficult of the nine successive Serie A titles as they struggled to understand Maurizio Sarri's philosophy.

Juve maintained their stranglehold on Serie A by clinching yet another league title thanks to a 2-0 win over Sampdoria at Allianz Stadium on Sunday.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Federico Bernardeschi were on target for Juve, who extended their record Serie A run, which dates back to 2011-12, with two matches remaining.

Sarri became the oldest head coach to win Serie A as the 61-year-old claimed his maiden league trophy, but it has been far from smooth sailing for the former Chelsea and Napoli boss during his first campaign in Turin.

There have been question marks over Sarri's methods amid reports of a falling out with superstar Ronaldo, while Juve have stuttered towards the Scudetto following their failure to wrap up the trophy on Thursday following a 2-1 loss to Udinese.

Bonucci revelled in Juve's glory but highlighted the difficulties under Sarri, telling Sky Sport Italia: "It was the most beautiful title, because it was the most difficult.

"We started a new era, a new philosophy, ran into so many difficulties, but we continued to give our all throughout, even when there were so many slip-ups."

"It was so complicated outside the field too, the world changed in three months," added veteran Italy centre-back Bonucci, who discussed the impact of coronavirus after Serie A was postponed for three months before returning in June. "We had to get our minds back on it, but we did it. We wanted it, we suffered.

"I have no words. We gave everything to ensure that we would do this for us, for the club, for the fans who cheered us on from home, or from heaven. We wanted to celebrate with those who weren't able to be here with us. When you wear this jersey, you cannot hold back. It has been an intense year.

"We struggled at times to interpret the coach's philosophy, but we remained a team, we worked as great men more than great players. Now we'll try to rest over the next 10 days and then prepare for the next challenge."

Juventus have continued their reign as Europe's most dominant team in their own league championship - after they clinched another title on Sunday.

The bulldozing Bianconeri won Serie A for a ninth year in succession following their 2-0 victory over Sampdoria at Allianz Stadium.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Federico Bernardeschi scored the goals that clinched the championship for Juve following a run of just one win in their previous five games.

Although it may not have been a vintage Juve season they still extended their record run of consecutive titles with two league games to spare.

The first title in Juve's incredible run was secured on May 6, 2012.

By defeating Sampdoria, they clinched number nine three days after they celebrated their 3,000th consecutive day as Italian champions.

Antonio Conte led Juve to their first three titles in this run and Massimiliano Allegri extended it by a further five.

Now Maurizio Sarri has kept the tradition going in his first season at the helm, earning his first major trophy in Italian football.

By topping Serie A aged 61, he surpassed Nils Liedholm (60 years and 219 days) to become the oldest coach to win a Scudetto.

Sarri was appointed to bring a more expansive approach to Turin and their defence has seemingly suffered as a result.

Juve have already conceded 38 goals, becoming the first team to win the title while shipping that many since Milan let in the same amount in their triumphant 1961-62 season.

Veteran centre-back Giorgio Chiellini is the only player to have made at least one appearance in each of Juve's past nine Serie A title successes, with Gianluigi Buffon the only player in history to have won more Scudetti.

In the season he surpassed Paolo Maldini at the top of the all-time Serie A appearances list, Buffon, who has been back-up to Wojciech Szczesny since returning from Paris Saint-Germain, won the league for an incredible 10th time.

Juve's continued success owes a lot to the incredible goalscoring feats of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner may be 35 but his prolific nature does not appear to be waning; this season he became the first player in history to score at least 50 goals in Serie A, LaLiga and the Premier League.

Ronaldo was also the fastest to 50 goals among players to have debuted since 1994-95, hitting the milestone in just 61 appearances with a double against Lazio on Monday.

That brace also moved the Portugal captain onto 30 goals for the season, a tally he stretched to 31 against Sampdoria, making him just the third Juve star to reach that mark in a single top-flight campaign, following in the footsteps of Felice Borel (32 in 1933-34) and John Hansen (30 in 1951-52).

Odion Ighalo has expressed his delight with his Premier League club Manchester United following their performances in the 2019-20 season.

The former Super Eagles striker joined the Red Devils on loan in January on transfer deadline day from Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua. 

The forward immediately hit the ground running, scoring four goals in his opening seven games to become the toast of the club’s fans.   

Ighalo's impressive displays earned him a contract loan extension with the Old Trafford outfit until January 2021.

The forward, who has made 11 Premier League appearances for United, was part of the side that defeated Leicester City in their last league game of the season at the King Power Stadium.

The victory ensured they shrugged off competitions from the Foxes to clinch a place in the Champions League next season.

Ighalo, who had 35 caps for the Super Eagles before his retirement, has taken to the social media to revel in the success of the Old Trafford outfit.

"So proud of this team," the 31-year-old striker posted on Instagram. 

Ighalo played for Prime and Julius Berger before leaving Nigeria to start his European career with Lyn Oslo in Norway in 2007.

The forward then teamed up with Udinese but spent most part his time with the Serie A side on loan, playing for Granada, Cesena and Watford.

Ighalo enjoyed success in his first stint in the Premier League with the Hornets, scoring 36 league goals in 90 appearances and won December 2015 Premier League Player of the Month award.

The forward, who joined Shanghai Shenhua from Chinese rivals Changchun Yatai February 2019, will hope to continue his impressive performances for the Red Devils in their pre-season games.

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson admits he has given up on trying to convince Wilfried Zaha to stay at the club after seeing the striker's form nosedive at the end of the season. 

Zaha, 27, has been repeatedly linked to a move away from Selhurst Park over the past few years. 

Both Arsenal and Everton were reportedly interested in signing him last summer, but no move materialised and Zaha stayed on to register a disappointing term with Palace. 

The Ivory Coast international managed four goals in the Premier League in 2019-20 despite starting all but one of his side's games, and has scored just once in the whole of 2020. 

And as Palace gear up for another transfer window full of speculation over his future, Hodgson is at a loss over how to motivate his wantaway striker. 

"It's obviously affected him because his form in the last few weeks has really been quite poor considering what he is capable of doing," Hodgson told reporters following Palace's 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham on the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday.

"It's a dilemma for the club and a dilemma for him if he is so set on leaving. If he feels he just does not want to be with us any more, that would be sad.

"We still like him very much; we can't make him like us. This is a situation that only he and the club can sort out. I don't have an answer."

Hodgson had also addressed the Zaha conundrum in Friday's pre-match press conference, revealing that he is desperate to engineer a move away from Selhurst Park.

“That’s the $64,000 question isn’t it? But it’s not just Wilf Zaha – there’s players in every club that come into that category," he said when asked whether the player would stay. 

“Wilf has made it clear, ever since I came to the club really, that he would relish a move and would like to move on and find some pastures new.

“But he’s a very valuable player and the club realises his value and appreciates his value and so really everything will depend I guess  – as it always does – [on] what sort of offers the club is going to receive for him and how they will equate that with the need to keep him or the need, maybe, to satisfy his wishes, and allow him to go after giving good service to the club for a period of time.

“Quite frankly, I’ve got no answer to that question, it will be all a matter, I guess, of seeing what transpires.”

Cristiano Ronaldo's 31st Serie A goal of the season and Federico Bernardeschi's second-half effort delivered a ninth successive Scudetto for Juventus as they defeated Sampdoria 2-0.

Juve knew three points would clinch another title but, having won just one of their previous five games, they needed a moment of magic from their talisman in first-half stoppage time to set them on their way.

Ronaldo swept home following a well-worked Miralem Pjanic free-kick for his 10th goal since the league resumed - making him the most prolific player across Europe's top five leagues following the coronavirus-enforced break - and it was an unlikely source who wrapped up the triumph as Bernardeschi scored his first Serie A goal since September 2018.

Juve's night of celebration was only slightly spoiled by injuries to Danilo, Paulo Dybala and Matthijs de Ligt, while Ronaldo slammed a late penalty against the crossbar to miss out on equalling a club record.

Injuries, rather than chances, were the story early on as Samp's Julian Chabot and Juve's Danilo were forced off before Dybala made way too.

Danilo's replacement Bernardeschi forced Emil Audero into a save, but he then failed to hit the target with a set-piece, leading to Juve getting creative from their next dead-ball situation near goal.

Pjanic eschewed a shot, instead squaring for Ronaldo, whose first-time effort found its way into the bottom corner of the net to give Juve a half-time advantage.

Samp threatened a comeback, though, as Mehdi Leris and Lorenzo Tonelli both missed the target either side of a Gaston Ramirez free-kick that Wojciech Szczesny had to claw out.

However, Maurizio Sarri's men could breathe easier when Bernardeschi followed up Ronaldo's saved effort in the 67th minute to score a long-overdue goal.

Any slim hopes Samp had were extinguished when Morten Thorsby received a 77th-minute red card for a second caution following a lunge on Pjanic, with De Ligt then swiftly removed having seemingly sustained a knock in an earlier challenge.

Ronaldo could have added an 89th-minute exclamation point when Fabio Depaoli brought down Alex Sandro in the box, but the Portugal great's effort came back off the woodwork.

What does it mean? Attention turns to Champions League as Juve limp over the line

This Scudetto triumph should have been sealed weeks ago but Juve can finally celebrate again thanks to this victory, while Inter, Lazio and Atalanta will rue their late-season stumbles.

Juventus' focus will now be on the Champions League - and ending a 24-year wait to win that prestigious trophy - and they must overturn a 1-0 deficit in the second leg against Lyon, a task that will be harder if Dybala and De Ligt are missing.

Ronaldo continues red-hot form

Juve's form may have been patchy since the resumption, but 35-year-old Ronaldo has found another gear, stepping up when his team needed him most here.

He has scored 10 in 10 Serie A matches following lockdown, though he would have equalled Felice Borel's record Serie A haul for Juventus of 32 goals in a season had he scored from the spot late on.

Torrid Tonelli

It was Tonelli's foul on Adrien Rabiot that resulted in the free-kick from which Juventus scored their opener.

Then, having missed a good chance to level when heading wide from a corner, he was caught in possession leading to the crucial second goal.

Key Opta Facts

- Juventus have won the Serie A title in each of the past nine seasons, the best run for a side among the top five European Leagues.
- This is the first time in history that an Italian manager has won the Scudetto for 10 season in a row.
- Chiellini is the only Juventus player with at least one Serie A appearance in the last nine seasons.
- Ronaldo has scored 450 goals in the Primeira Liga, Premier League, La Liga and Serie A.
- Bernardeschi scored his first goal this season with his 43rd shot.

What's next?

With the Scudetto wrapped up, Ronaldo and others may be rested for the final Serie A fixtures against Cagliari and Roma next week before the Bianconeri resume their Champions League campaign against Lyon in 12 days' time. Sampdoria host Milan on Wednesday before rounding out the campaign at Brescia.

Juventus have won the Serie A title for the ninth consecutive season.

Maurizio Sarri’s side have clinched the crown with two games to spare, following a 2-0 victory over Sampdoria. 

The win takes them seven points clear of second-placed Inter, who cannot catch with them with only two matches remaining for both sides.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for Juventus against Sampdoria in first-half injury time with Federico Bernardeschi then adding a second in the 67th minute. Ronaldo would then miss a penalty late in the game but Juve would still be able to hold out for a crucial three points. 

Thoughts will now surely drift to the potential of an unprecedented 10th straight title next season.

As has often been the case in recent seasons, Juve had seemed to have a genuine title race on their hands earlier in the season.

Early-season contenders Inter dropped off with a run of five draws from seven games around Christmas while Lazio, who looked like potential champions when the season was suspended, have taken just one point from their last five.

Atalanta have been in stunning goalscoring form since the restart and will look forward to their Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain, but their title challenge effectively ended when two Cristiano Ronaldo penalties saw them lose 2-1 against Juve earlier this month.

The trophy will come as a mark of vindication for Maurizio Sarri, who has come under fire at times during an inconsistent campaign.

This is only his second major honour as a manager after his Europa League win at Chelsea last year. It is also only the second trophy he has won in Italy, following the Coppa Italia Serie D with minnows Sansovino, 17 years ago.

Now, Sarri and his side will look to maintain their form through their remaining league fixtures against Cagliari and Roma, before switching their attention to the Champions League.

They welcome Ligue 1 side Lyon to Turin on August 7, looking to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit and book their place in Lisbon for the final knockout stages.

Swansea City manager Steve Cooper is full of praise for Andre Ayew’s mentality after he scored the match-winning goal in their 1-0 victory against Brentford.

The Ghana captain turned saviour for the hosts at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday after finding the back of the net with his left-footed strike from inside the penalty area in the 81st minute.

The strike came 17 minutes after Ayew's penalty was saved by goalkeeper David Raya in the 64th minute.

In his reaction, Cooper said the miss had a positive impact on Ayew who has lived up to expectations so far this campaign.

“Andre has missed a penalty, but brushed it off and raised his game even more, and it came off with the goal,” Cooper told the club website.

“His mentality is of the highest order, to brush off the disappointing return from a penalty where you fancied him.

“To have such an impact and score the goal tells you everything about the mentality he has.

“If anything, the miss affected him in a positive way.

“He is really important for us, and what is more impressive with his goalscoring record is that for a lot of the season he has played out wide, and not through the middle.

“Before Rhian came here he was our main hope for being a goalscorer, and he has lived up to the level of player we know he is.”

Ayew has been outstanding for Swansea City since his return from a season-long loan from Turkish Super Lig outfit Fenerbahce last summer.

The 30-year-old is leading the Swans' charge for Premier League promotion as their top scorer with 16 goals after 45 league appearances.

He will be looking to inspire them to Wembley when they visit Brentford at Griffin Park for the second leg on Wednesday.

Pep Guardiola is encouraged to see Manchester City's assist king Kevin De Bruyne scoring more goals himself after the Belgian star claimed a Premier League record on Sunday in the final match of the Premier League season.

The Belgium midfielder set up Raheem Sterling in Sunday's 5-0 win over relegated Norwich City, claiming his 20th assist of the campaign to match Thierry Henry's single-season record in the Premier League.

De Bruyne also netted twice himself – particularly sumptuously before half-time – as City broke through the 100-goal barrier.

His first goal was an absolute stunner, as De Bruyne took several touches before firing from outside of the box, while the second also saw the Belgian star fired a wonderfully-placed finish.

It meant he finished with 13 Premier League goals, his most prolific return in England's top flight, and Guardiola was thrilled to see the midfielder add more goals to his game this season.

"We know the assists and the quality he has for this but we need his goals," Guardiola told a post-match news conference.

"Today he scored two brilliant goals. Of course, the first one is special."

Guardiola had no concerns over De Bruyne's pursuit of an individual record harming his overall performance.

"We tell them, play simple, play as you know. Don't be focused too much on achieving it because it will come along," he said.

"He made one assist but could have easily broken the record. Now he is going to share it with Titi Henry. He played really good.

"The individual target, the focus to achieve something. It's good. Athletes always want to overcome and be better and benefit for the team."

De Bruyne was not the only City player to chalk up leading individual numbers this season, with Ederson's 16th clean sheet winning him the Premier League Golden Glove.

It is an honour Guardiola felt the Brazil international earned in a sharp outing at the Etihad Stadium – his save in a one-on-one from Teemu Pukki particularly impressive.

"It's so nice, but I think today he deserves it because he made two incredible saves. Without him it would not be possible," Guardiola added.

"He made a really good season and he deserves what he has done. We are so happy for this award."

Paulo Dybala was forced off injured in Juventus' Serie A clash against Sampdoria on Sunday, causing Maurizio Sarri some concern ahead of the Champions League resumption.

Juventus went into their weekend clash knowing that victory would clinch an ninth consecutive Scudetto for the club after Atalanta failed to beat Milan on Friday.

But while they went into the break ahead, that victory may come at a price after the Turin side lost their forward in the first half.

The Argentina forward was clutching the top of his left thigh as he made way for Gonzalo Higuain five minutes before half-time.

Coach Sarri had already been forced into one change, with Danilo coming off following a clash of heads with Gaston Ramirez.

Juve continue their league campaign with matches against Cagliari and Roma next week before hosting Lyon in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on August 7.

Now the Old Lady will hope for positive news from their medical department as they look to claw their way back into that clash.

Sarri's side will need to overcome a first-leg deficit after losing 1-0 in France back in February, with the winner movin g on to a shortened version of the final phase of the tournament which will take place in Lisbon over 11 days from 12-23 August.

But while Dybala's injury will come as a concern, the Bianconeri were on the verge of yet another title triumph at half-time as they led their opponents.

Cristiano Ronaldo's stoppage-time strike gave them a 1-0 lead at half-time against Sampdoria, with the Portugal star firing home from the edge of the box to convert a prepared free-kick move executed by Miralem Pjanic.

After suffering a disappointing 2018-19 alongside Ronaldo, Dybala has enjoyed a return to form this season having recovered from coronavirus during football's hiatus due to the pandemic. 

The Cordoba native has contributed 10 goals and nine assists to Juve's efforts to retain the Scudetto, while netting a total of 16 goals in all competitions for the Italian giants.

Troy Deeney brushed off questions over his footballing future after suffering relegation to the Championship with Watford on Sunday.

The Hornets started the final day of the Premier League season in the relegation zone and were unable to produce a great escape, going down to a 3-2 defeat away at Arsenal.

Watford showed fighting spirit through to the end, though Deeney admitted they had simply not been good enough throughout a campaign that saw three permanent managers in charge.

But he put a brave face on his disappointment to face up to speculation over whether he would hang up his boots.

"I'm not that old, you cheeky b*stard!" the 32-year-old joked to Sky Sports, before apologising for his coarse language on camera.

"You've got to look at the bigger picture. It's not a today moment, it's not about the last week, it's a reflection of the last year.

"We've not quite been good enough at both ends of the pitch and it showed again today. 

"It's frustrating. It's disappointing. It's heartbreaking for the people who work behind the scenes. A lot of people who are at clubs normally get affected by relegation. We feel sorry for them. 

"I will take the stick in regards to what comes social-media wise, but the harsh reality of it is that people will probably lose their jobs because we haven't been good enough.  

"As players, we have to step forward and take that, and as a club and community we will go again."

Deeney caused a stir in October 2017 when saying Arsenal - then managed by Arsene Wenger - had lacked "cojones" after letting slip a lead to lose 2-1 at Vicarage Road.

While the 32-year-old - who revealed he had played through a knee injury for a month - has no doubt some will come back at him for the jibe, he is unsure if he will be at Watford next season.

"I don't know if this is going to be my last game for Watford. You do your job, you front up to it, this is the harsh realities," he said.

"I've got a knee operation next week, but clubs can go in different directions. I'm not saying it is my last game, but if it is, I feel I went out on my shield and gave everything I had."

Spanish club Juan Grande have secured the services of Lily Niber-Lawrence ahead of the 2020-21 season on a two-year deal.

Juan Grande completed the signing of the 23-year-old on Sunday, with the midfielder becoming their fourth signing this summer.

The Ghana international will move to San Bartolome de Tirajana after she parted ways with Estremadura following the expiration of her contract at the Primera Nacional division side.

At Estremadura, Niber-Lawrence impressed but they missed a playoff spot, having finished fifth with 38 points from 19 games before the coronavirus suspension and league cancellation in May.

Before her first move abroad in 2019, she started her career with Sekondi Hasaacas Ladies in Ghana before joining Portuguese side Atletico Ouriense, and left for Spain in the same year.

At international level, she represented Ghana at U17 and U20 level before being promoted to the senior team, playing for the Black Queens at the 2018 Africa Women's Cup of Nations.

Her signing emphasizes the ambition of Ruben Lopez's side to clinch a promotion spot in the coming Reto Iberdrola campaign, having ended the last outing in 14th with 16 points from 22 games.

Besides the Ghanaian, Canary Islands striker Judith Acosta, Paraguay midfielder Fanny Godoy and defensive compatriot Daysy Bareiro are the three other new signings for the second-tier club.

Niber-Lawrence will be aiming for an impactful outing on her second season in Spain when Juan Grande take the field in their quest for top-flight promotion in the 2020-21 season on September 21.

Serge Aurier has paid an emotional tribute to his brother Christopher following the latter’s murder in Toulouse earlier this month.

Posting on his Instagram handle after Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Sunday, Aurier revealed that he had been wearing a shirt emblazoned with his brother’s face and a tribute message underneath his Spurs kit.

Alongside the image, Aurier posted a verse from the Quran and also sent a message to his late sibling.

“May Allah accept our prayers and accept you in His kingdom of paradise,” Aurier wrote on his @TheCrazyChild93 handle. “I love you my little bro.

“I will miss you like mad,” he added. “We’ll take care of everything here, watch over us up there and rest in peace.”

African players such as Medhi Benatia, as well as Aurier’s Ivory Coast teammates Eric Bailly, Franck Kessie and Serey Die commented on the right-back’s post, paying their respects to former player Christopher, who was signed to French fifth-division side Toulouse Rodeo.

The 26-year-old was fatally wounded in the early hours of July 13 when he suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach outside a nightclub in Toulouse.

Police were called after he was discovered by local residents, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival at hospital.

French authorities subsequently launched an investigation to find the culprits, with a suspect handing himself in to police a week ago.

While Tottenham invited Aurier to take compassionate leave, the defender played on during the final games of the season despite his loss.

Christopher’s death came in the aftermath of Spurs’ 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the North London derby, but Aurier still featured in subsequent matches.

He played every minute of the victories over Newcastle United and Leicester City, as well as the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on the final day of the season.

The West African ended the campaign with 33 appearances, of which 31 came from the start, and weighed in with five assists and one goal.

The wideman—who captains the Ivory Coast—signed for Toulouse in 2012 after beginning his career with Racing Club de Lens.

He won silverware aplenty at Paris Saint-Germain, and also won the Africa Cup of Nations with the Elephants.

Leighton Baines has announced his retirement from football following the end of Everton's Premier League campaign.

Former England international Baines – who had been offered a one-year contract extension by Everton – made his 420th and final appearance for the Toffees on Sunday, as Carlo Ancelotti's side went down 3-1 to Bournemouth.

The 35-year-old, who has made nine appearances in all competitions this season, came on as a second-half substitute at Goodison Park.

Ancelotti later paid tribute to the stalward left-back, while suggesting that he could stay on at the Merseyside club in a non-playing capacity even after retirement. 

"Every Evertonian must be grateful to him," the Toffees boss said to reporters after the final whistle.

Baines joined Everton from Wigan Athletic in 2007, going on to become one of the Premier League's most consistent full-backs.

He scored 39 goals for Everton and was the club's first-choice left-back until Lucas Digne's arrival from Barcelona in 2018.

He also made 30 appearances for England following his 2010 debut, making the squad for both the 2012 European Championships and the 2014 World Cup.

Baines' last goal for Everton came in a Carabao Cup tie against Leicester City in December, with the defender scoring a stunning long-range strike late on, only for the Foxes to win on penalties.

Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan, Marvelous Nakamba, Ahmed Elmohamady and Ezri Konsa have taken their celebration to social media after Aston Villa escaped relegation from the Premier League.

Despite Andriy Yarmolenko cancelling out Jack Grealish’s goal six minutes from full-time, Dean Smith’s men retained their place in the English top-flight at the expense of Bournemouth and Watford, who followed Norwich City to the Championship.

Congo and Angola prospect Ezri Konsa saw every minute of action, with Egypt’s Trezeguet getting substituted for Anwar El-Ghazi in the 90th minute, while Tanzania's Mbwana Samatta was replaced by Keinan Davis with 23 minutes left to play.

Zimbabwe international Nakamba was brought on for Conor Hourihane in the 76th minute.

Just like many of their teammates, the quartet took to Twitter to savour their narrow escape.

Meanwhile, manager Smith claimed securing Aston Villa’s Premier League status gives him a bigger sense of fulfilment than the club’s promotion to the top flight 12 months ago.

“I feel better than I did after getting us promoted last year in the play-offs, and that’s the honest truth," he told the club website.

“It’s been a tough season but a really enjoyable one. I’ve learned a lot, about myself, about the players.

“It’s a magnificent achievement, it shouldn’t be overlooked.

“Whether we got relegated or stayed up, my words would have been the same.

“We had a big turnaround in the summer and we had to rebuild the squad, made 12 changes.

“People looked at the amount of money we spent rather than what we had to do.

“We’re averaging £9.5million per player, which, in the Premier League, is not big by any means."

Jurgen Klopp insisted Virgil van Dijk needed no further praise after completing an ever-present season for Liverpool, although he acknowledged the defender had surpassed expectations.

Van Dijk played every minute for Liverpool in the Premier League this term as they ended as champions, finishing 18 points clear of previous title-holders Manchester City.

The Netherlands international had similarly started each match of the 2018-19 season as City pipped the Reds on the final day.

Van Dijk has been recognised as one of the league's most accomplished, consistent centre-backs since signing for Liverpool from Southampton, yet Klopp has been just as impressed by his mindset and manner.

"I'm not sure if he needs another hour of praise," Klopp told reporters after Van Dijk scored against Newcastle United in a 3-1 win. "He's good, pretty good. He's a good centre-half.

"No, he's special, his combination of skills is special, his mindset – on top of that – is special.

"This makes him a pretty good centre-half and a good guy as well, which I like a lot. I would work with him as well if he was a little more difficult to be with, but he's really low maintenance.

"He's really nice to have. We knew when we signed him we'd get a really good player, but the package is so special, and we had no idea about that. That makes him really, really exciting."

Of Van Dijk's ever-present record, the manager added with a smile: "He takes his breaks in the games from time to time, which drives me crazy.

"But I get it, I get it. It was his big target, I think, that he could do that again. Hopefully that will be possible for the rest of his career. That would be absolutely special.

"We've tried to rest him but it's difficult. So far, it's went well, and we hope it stays like this, but now he has two weeks off as well, so he doesn't need more, I'm sure."

Klopp was asked how he might describe Liverpool's season and settled on "absolutely exceptional".

"It was exceptional, absolutely exceptional, [a club-record] 99 points," he said.

"Really, how we think about it, it starts on June 1, 2019, because, yes, it was the last game of the last season [the Champions League final win over Tottenham], but for us it was the first game of a pretty special time.

"So, after that, the European Super Cup, the Club World Cup and now the Premier League is absolutely exceptional. Getting 99 points after having 97 last year is absolutely exceptional."

With the Premier League set to restart on September 12, he added: "We have two weeks off and then we still have to write a couple more chapters of the book of this team."

Musa Barrow continued his rich vein of goalscoring after netting the winner in a 3-2 win over Lecce on Sunday, and provided two assists as well.

The Rossoblu were up against Barrow’s parent club Atalanta in midweek, but Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side lost 1-0 with the Gambian starting and playing for 64 minutes before he was replaced by Nicola Sansone.

This time, the men in red and blue raced into a 2-0 lead inside the opening five minutes through former Inter Milan striker Rodrigo Palacio and Roberto Soriano.

Barrow assisted both two goals - the first after holding up a Lecce player before releasing the ball for Palacio to tuck home from close range, and then provided a fine pass to Soriano on the left flank moments later which he blasted home from 25 yards.

Lecce pulled one back just before half-time via Marco Mancosu before Filippo Falco equalised for the visitors in the 66th minute.

Just when it seemed a draw was going to be the likely result, Barrow popped up with the winning goal in stoppage time.

The 21-year-old started a counter-attack with Federico Santander making a run from the centre-circle into the penalty box free of any opposition players.

His effort was, however, palmed away by Lecce goalkeeper Gabriel, the rebound fell to Riccardo Orsolini and he passed the ball to Barrow who riffled in a volley.

Barrow’s goal tally for Bologna now stands at nine coupled with three assists. Six of those goals have come since the restart of Serie A with only one of the games in which he scored ending in defeat (three wins, two draws).

It is also the second time the Gambia international has had a hand in three goals since scoring a brace and providing an assist in a 3-2 away win at Roma on February 7.

Barrow had a very impressive outing on Sunday with a total of 10 shots, two of which were on target.

He hit the woodwork once and missed two big scoring chances. He also had three successful dribbles from five attempts. His contribution still included 83 touches, the highest of any Bologna player, nine key passes and 39 accurate passes at an 81% success rate.

The Rossoblu are in 11th place with 46 points and are very much clear of relegation with games against Fiorentina and Torino left to end their campaign.