Born: 17/05/1993• Rafa Silva started out at the same club as Ricardo Carvalho, Maniche, Deco and Mantorras – Alverca. Raised in Barreiro, on the south bank of the River Tagus, he spent seven years at the club before switching to Feirense.• His coach at Feirense, Quim Machado, remains amazed that Benfica, Porto and Sporting CP never spotted Rafa's "natural talent", noting: "I'm not surprised at how well he has done, but what I do find strange is the fact that none of the big three got to him before Braga."• Sporting may have come to regret letting him go as a child. After trials at the club's academy, the player was sent away with club official...
Football Update
Agenda for the 66th FIFA Congress now available on FIFA.com
The agenda for the 66th FIFA Congress taking place in Mexico City on 12 and 13 May 2016 is now available in a dedicated section on FIFA.com.Key items on the agenda include the implementation of FIFA’s reforms, the ratification of the revised budget for the 2015-2018 cycle and a potential vote on the Football Federation of Kosovo being admitted as member of FIFA. The landmark reforms, which will be reflected in the new FIFA Statutes coming into force on 27 April 2016, are outlined in a package of infographics (see downloadable version available below, which we invite you to make use of in your coverage). ...
What chance has each quarter-finalist got?
Wolfsburg, Bayern München and Barcelona are all ahead going into their UEFA Champions League quarter-final second legs, but what does history tell us are their chances of going through to the last four?And what of Manchester City, widely recognised as marginal favourites to beat Paris Saint-Germain having drawn 2-2 in the French capital last week?Real Madrid v Wolfsburg (0-2)In the UEFA Champions League, teams who win 2-0 at home in the first leg go through 84.2% of the time (144/171).In UEFA club competitions, teams who win 2-0 at home in the first leg go through 82.4% of the time (566/680).History favours...
France qualify for Women’s EURO 2017
The path to the first 16-team UEFA Women's EURO final tournament in the Netherlands begins with a preliminary round and takes in a qualifying group stage and play-offs.In the preliminary round, two groups of four teams are played as one-venue mini-tournaments between 4 and 9 April 2015. The group winners progress to the qualifying group stage to join the 38 highest-ranked contenders in eight groups of five sides contested between 14 September 2015 and 20 September 2016.The eight group winners and the six best runners-up then advance to the final tournament, while the other two runners-up go to a play-off from 17–25 October 2016.Hosts the Netherlands will join the 15...
WU19 EURO lineup complete as elite round ends
Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Switzerland and Norway will all join hosts Slovakia in the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship finals in July after qualifying drew to a close on Sunday.Seven spots were up for grabs for the six qualifying group winners and the best runners-up, with Norway going through despite finishing second behind Switzerland in Group 6.The best runners-up were determined by each second-placed side's record against the teams that finished first and third in their section – which meant that holders Sweden, runners-up in Group 2, missed out on a finals berth.
Follow the goals as they go in across Europe
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Madrid rivals profit from Barcelona slip-up
TUESDAY'S SECOND LEGSManchester City 2-1 West Brom (Agüero 19, Nasri 66; Sessegnon 6)Making his first start since September, following a long struggle with a thigh injury, Samir Nasri scored City's winner on a rainy evening in Manchester, finishing into an empty net after Sergio Agüero's shot was blocked. The UEFA Champions League contenders had gone behind to a sweet Stéphane Sessegnon effort, but the goalscorer then gave away the penalty from which Agüro equalised – the Argentinian's 18th league goal of the season.Guingamp 0-2 Paris (Lucas 56p 71)Laurent Blanc rested the majority of his first-team players,...