A six-year-old Afghan boy, who shot to Internet fame by sporting a Lionel Messi shirt made out of a plastic bag, fulfills his dreams by meeting the Argentine soccer great.

The death toll from Saturday night's twin bombings in Istanbul has risen to 44, of whom 36 were police officers, Health Minister Recep Akdag was cited as saying by state-run Anadolu agency and other media on Monday.

Jose Mourinho understands why Manchester United supporters gave Marouane Fellaini a negative reception during Sunday's 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur but the manager will do all he can to protect the midfielder.

Seven former champions and nine dreaming of a first crown -- Monday's draw for the last 16 of the Champions League throws up a raft of fascinating permutations as the competition switches into knockout mode.

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane paid tribute to his players' spirit after they battled back to beat Deportivo La Coruna 3-2 on Saturday and set a club record 35 games unbeaten in all competitions.

Turkey declared a day of national mourning on Sunday after twin bombings targeting police struck the heart of Istanbul near the home stadium of football giants Besiktas, killing 29 people.

A car bomb followed by a suicide bombing less than a minute later killed 29 people and wounded 166 outside a soccer stadium in Istanbul on Saturday night, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.

Cristiano Ronaldo will have little time for "cyber clones" or facial keepy-uppy when the Real Madrid superstar arrives in Japan next week for the Club World Cup.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho's attitude towards Henrikh Mkhitaryan seems to have thawed after the playmaker chose a sub-zero night in Ukraine on Thursday to score a dazzling first goal for the club.

Disgraced former FIFA president Sepp Blatter says successor Gianni Infantino has showed him no respect by failing to return his phone calls.

UEFA said Thursday it will censure Dynamo Kiev and Besiktas for incidents which marred the final round of Champions League group action Wednesday.

Vietnamese football authorities apologised on Thursday after fans hurled stones at the Indonesian team bus shortly after their Suzuki Cup semi-final tie in Hanoi, breaking a window and injuring two of the visiting team's staff.

Juventus don't care who scores, as long as they win, coach Massimiliano Allegri insisted after Gonzalo Higuain ended his five-week goal drought to help secure a precious 2-0 Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb.

Ten people were treated in hospital for knife wounds after hundreds of Dynamo Kiev and Besiktas fans clashed in the Ukrainian capital before Tuesday's Champions League match, local media reported.

Robert Lewandowski scored a brilliant free kick to give Bayern Munich a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in their last Champions League Group D outing on Tuesday, ending the 100 percent record of their opponents.

Neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo would be considered fresh enough at youthful Bundesliga leaders RB Leipzig, says sports director Ralf Rangnick.

North Korea's under-20 women's soccer team paraded through the streets of Pyongyang in a flower-covered vehicle on Tuesday, celebrating their World Cup win upon their return to the isolated nation's capital.

Atletico Nacional will play through their grief over the Chapecoense plane tragedy when they tackle the Club World Cup in Japan -- just days after their Copa Sudamericana final opponents were wiped out.

Brazil have invited Colombia to play a friendly match next month with proceeds from the game going to families of the Chapecoense players and staff killed in the Medellin air crash, a Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) spokesman told Reuters on Monday.

Middlesbrough moved away from the relegation zone with a 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Hull City thanks to a second-half header from midfielder Gaston Ramirez in the Premier League on Monday.