Eric Abidal has announced his retirement at the age of 35 and revealed that he could be on his way back to Barcelona in a coaching capacity.

The Frenchman, capped 67 times by his country, called time on his playing career on Friday and spoke about the possibility of working at Camp Nou again, having spent six years there as a player.

I had an offer two years ago and this offer is still effective,  Abidal, who has made 14 appearances for Olympiacos this season, said. But there is nothing else apart from that proposition.

For now I want to rest and enjoy time with my family and then I will take some decisions as far as my future is concerned.

Abidal enjoyed a trophy-laden spell at Barcelona, winning La Liga four times and the UEFA Champions League twi…

Liverpool s title challenge suffered another setback on Wednesday as Wigan striker Mido hit a debut penalty to earn a 1-1 draw at the JJB Stadium.

Rafael Benitez s side looked set for their first Premier League win of 2009 when Yossi Benayoun fired them into a first half lead.

But Liverpool s old problems came back to haunt them as once again they failed to protect a lead.

With seven minutes remaining, Lucas Leiva needlessly fouled Wigan substitute Jason Koumas in the penalty area and Egyptian star Mido, who is on loan from Middlesbrough until the end of the season, sent Jose Reina the wrong way from the penalty.

Having started January on top of the table, Liverpool end it two points adrift of leaders Manchester United, who also have a game in hand.

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised the performance of Jack Grealish after playing an hour in his first game back from injury in Tuesday s 4-0 Champions League win at Sevilla.

Grealish had not played since City s 4-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth on August 13 due to a minor injury.

The pressure is on the 26-year-old England international, who underwhelmed in his first season at City after joining from Aston Villa in August last year for £100million.

Grealish played 38 times, scoring six goals in all competitions last season for City, but did not live up to the expectations of his hefty transfer fee, nor play with his typical freedom.

The midfielder started and played 62 minutes against Sevilla, and while he did not score or provide an as…

A dramatic late comeback was needed for Athletico Paranaense to book their spot in their second-ever Copa Libertadores final, securing a 2-2 draw away at Palmeiras after a 1-0 win at home in the first leg.

Palmeiras controlled the first leg, finishing with 63 per cent of the possession while Athletico scored from their only shot on target, so when Gustavo Scarpa equalised on aggregate less than three minutes into the second leg, it appeared the reigning back-to-back champions would run away with the tie.

With 11 shots to three in the first half, it was all Palmeiras in front of their home fans – until a VAR review deemed centre-back Murilo Cerqueira s challenge worthy of a straight red card.

Everything changed after half-time, as it was now Athletico controllin…

Barcelona sporting director Albert Soler has claimed the club had an agreement in place to sign Paul Pogba after the 2014-15 season.

Pogba became the world s most expensive footballer when he rejoined Manchester United from Juventus for a fee of £89million.

Speaking at a news conference to mark the end of the transfer window, Soler said Barcelona were in position to sign the France international a year ago but did not feel compelled to complete the deal, before balking at the price this time around.

Last year we reached an agreement with Juventus: if they wanted to sell Pogba we would have a priority, he said. 

That was the commitment that we had. Juve did not want to sell the player and we didn t have the need to sign him.

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Marlon King was sacked by Wigan Athletic after being jailed Thursday for 18 months following a conviction for sexual assault and actual bodily harm.

King was sent to prison for an incident in a London nightclub in December when, while he was on loan to Wigan s English Premier League rivals Hull, he groped a young woman and then broke her nose after she spurned his advances.

A striker with north-west side Wigan, King was found guilty of violently attacking a 20-year-old university student.

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan told Sky Sports television King would be sacked after a mandatory notice period had expired.

We have to follow the rules and regulations, which means we will have to give him 14 days notice that his contract will be cancelled, Whelan said.