FIFA 100

Nicknamed the 'King of Romanian soccer' and the 'Maradona of the Carpathians', retired football ace Gheorghe Hagi was born on February 5, 1965, in the commune of Sacele, located 35 km from the eastern city of Constanta.

Gheorghe Hagi, October 25, 2014
Photo credit: (c) Mircea ROSCA / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

Portugal and Real Madrid great Cristiano Ronaldo lifted his third FIFA world footballer of the year award on Monday in an overwhelming win over eternal rival Lionel Messi, Barcelona's Argentine magician.
     

UEFA president Michel Platini on Sunday reiterated his desire to introduce a 'white card' that would lead to a player being sin-binned.
      
The 59-year-old Frenchman first presented his concept in October only to be met by fierce opposition from football's world governing body (FIFA) president Sepp Blatter.        

Former Arsenal and French striker Thierry Henry announced Dec. 16 he was retiring from football after a glittering two decades long career and will become a TV analyst for Sky Sports in England.
      
"After 20 years in the game I have decided to retire from professional football," Henry said in a statement on his Facebook page.
      

Former pop star and model turned fashion impresario Victoria Beckham has come top in a yearly ranking of Britain's 100 best managers for her "finely tuned business acumen".
      
"The entrepreneur formerly known as Posh Spice is queen of the catwalk now," Management Today magazine said of the 40-year-old mother of four, who is married to football icon David Beckham.

London's Wembley Stadium will host the final and semi-finals of the 2020 European football championship, which will exceptionally be held in 13 different countries, UEFA boss Michel Platini announced Friday.

At the restaurant on the ground floor of the Stanglwirt Hotel in the Austrian town of Kitzbühel, a sports summit was held on Sept. 1. The top people included Joseph Sepp Blatter, Nawal el-Moutawakel, Dr. Thomas Bach, Franz Beckenbauer, Gianni Infantino, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Marcus Höfl and several heads of numerous sports federations...

By Graham Wood

Former Argentina international Javier Saviola has thanked Greek champions Olympiakos for the "beautiful moments" during his season-long stint in Greece as he left the club to join Serie A outfit Verona.

Pope Francis has reportedly invited Fenerbahçe captain Emre Belözoğlu for a charity match in Rome on Sept. 1, Turkish media reported Aug. 15.

Pope Francis personally spoke with Belözoğlu over the phone and the 33-year-old midfielder immediately accepted the offer, according to daily Habertürk.

Three Turkish little brothers, who carry their father’s admiration for the all-time football star Diego Armando Maradona in their first names, were circumcised in the northwestern province of Balıkesir Aug. 6.

Father Tekin Şentürk and mother Sevcan Şentürk told Anatolia Agency they were happy to hold the circumcision ceremony at their house.