The stage is set for the unraveling of the true story behind one of the most historical sporting associations ever

Vincent Kompany insists Burnley must be “smart” in the summer transfer window as they gear up for their return to the Premier League. In his first season in charge, Kompany has guided the Clarets back to the top flight 12 months after relegation, winning the Sky Bet Championship title and reaching 101 points with a 3-0 victory over Cardiff in Monday’s final game of the season. The success came after Kompany oversaw a major overhaul of the squad last summer, when 13 senior players left and 16 arrived to replace them. There will be nothing on that scale this time, but Kompany knows further investment is needed to try to ensure Burnley can re-establish themselves in the Premier League. “We’ve been planning for comfortably six months for this scenario,” Kompany told the PA news agency. “We’re going to have to be smart but, because we’ve been planning for a long time, I feel confident we can improve the squad without losing what has been good for us this season. “At the same time we have to make sure we don’t go and bankrupt the club. It’s about healthy decisions, protecting the club, but at the same time trying to be competitive.” Last week Kompany signed a new five-year Burnley contract, designed to end speculation linking him to Tottenham and Chelsea so that prospective new signings know who they will be playing for. Kompany said the contract reflected how happy he is with his Turf Moor set-up. “I’ve been in football for 20 years and I know how difficult it is to find a healthy environment in football,” the former Manchester City captain said. “We’ve achieved something together now and that will count towards the future. “It’s a good environment with good people and that is special. I hope everyday fans will be proud of the work we do and even when it doesn’t work out they know we work hard, we work our socks off for this club. “I choose not to participate in the speculation. Everything I need to discuss I discuss openly with the chairman (Alan Pace). Other than that it’s business as usual. “Whatever happens needs to be something that makes sense. I speak with the chairman very openly. I protect the working environment more than anything else.” After a season of hard work, Kompany enjoyed the rewards on Tuesday night as the Clarets paraded the Championship trophy through the streets of Burnley. A four-time Premier League champion as a player, Kompany is no stranger to an open-top bus but said it was different as a manager. “I feel like I am more wanting to share this moment with many people, wanting to make sure many people enjoy this moment,” he said. “As a player you feel like it is your moment. As a manager you feel like it is everybody’s moment and you want to make sure everyone enjoys it. “Only a chosen few get to experience what we are experiencing.” Kompany picked out home and away victories over rivals Blackburn as the highlights of the season, particularly the 1-0 victory at Ewood Park on April 25 that sealed the title. But he also said the reaction to the 5-2 loss to promotion rivals Sheffield United in November was vital. “We got spanked, but after that we went on to win every game for 10 games (in the league) and that showed the character of this team,” he said. Kompany was part of the Manchester City side that racked up 100 points in the Premier League in the 2017-18 season, and now he has a triple-digit tally as a manager in the Championship. Such records are often downplayed by managers in the moment, but Kompany said he could appreciate it now. “When it’s achieved you realise what it means,” he said. “I’m happy for everyone we’ve been able to achieve this tremendous amount of points.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Look back at Gothenburg Greats as Aberdeen mark 40th anniversary of European win Arsenal to play five Women’s Super League games at Emirates Stadium next season Sergio Busquets calls time on ‘unforgettable’ Barcelona career

Former NFL star JJ Watt has taken to the bars and drinking establishments of northwest England -- all in the name of "research."

Jack Grealish feels like Kevin De Bruyne was made for the Champions League after the Belgian’s vital semi-final strike for Manchester City at Real Madrid. De Bruyne netted a stunning equaliser as the Premier League leaders claimed a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their last-four tie against the holders at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night. Despite dominating a lot of the early play, City were trailing to an equally brilliant Vinicius Junior goal when De Bruyne rifled home from distance after 67 minutes. His screamer left the tie delicately poised ahead of next Wednesday’s return leg at the Etihad Stadium. Grealish said: “We all know what a guy Kevin is and what a brilliant player he has been for this football club. Nights like this are just made for him and sum him up really. “City fans can’t count how many times he’s scored important goals, got important assists. “It must have meant a lot to him and obviously I’m buzzing for him.” City outplayed Real, who are bidding to win the European Cup for a record-extending 15th time, as they dominated possession in the opening half-hour but they were caught out by Vinicius’ wonder strike after 36 minutes. The Brazilian let fly from from 25 yards after good work by Eduardo Camavinga and City needed to retain their composure in a difficult atmosphere to get back into the game. They were rewarded when De Bruyne replicated Vinicius’ heroics but Real also had their moments of dominance in a hard-fought second half. With both goalkeepers making good saves, the outcome remains very much in the balance. “Everyone knows what the Champions League is like,” Grealish said. “It’s a brilliant competition – brilliant players, brilliant stadiums and brilliant teams. “That was their first attempt, when they scored the goal. It was a great strike, there probably wasn’t much we could do about it, but we hung in there. “It was great mental strength from everyone to carry on playing, carry on trying and in the end Kev came up with an absolute worldie. “We came here to win the game, that’s what we wanted to do, but in the end I think the draw was probably was a fair result.” Treble-chasing City can ill-afford to ease up ahead of the return encounter, with a testing trip to relegation-threatened Everton at the weekend. With the Toffees fighting for survival, it is likely to be a different type of encounter and the Premier League leaders will be determined to pick up points to hold off Arsenal in the title race. It is a challenge Grealish is relishing. “I feel unstoppable at the moment,” the 27-year-old said: “You’re looking around, playing with these guys that are unbelievable. “And the fans are brilliant, every home and away game. I’m sure we’ll need them at Goodison Park at the weekend and, of course, the Etihad next Wednesday, which we’re all buzzing for already.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Sergio Busquets calls time on ‘unforgettable’ Barcelona career Manchester United ‘eye double swoop’ for Goncalo Ramos and Declan Rice ‘We feel unstoppable’: Jack Grealish bullish ahead of Champions League ‘final’

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso is preparing to take on his old mentor José Mourinho in the semifinals of the Europa League

Aberdeen celebrate the 40th anniversary of their European Cup Winners’ Cup triumph over Real Madrid on Thursday. The club and city council are honouring the players, who will be awarded the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen in a ceremony on Friday. Here, the PA news agency looks back at the ‘Gothenburg Greats’ – the 12 players who took to the field under Sir Alex Ferguson at the Ullevi Stadium to beat Madrid 2–1 after extra-time in 1983. Jim Leighton – Followed Ferguson to Old Trafford in 1988 before ending his career at Pittodrie in 2000 following spells with Dundee and Hibernian. Scotland’s most-capped goalkeeper with 91 international appearances, he had two spells as Aberdeen goalkeeping coach before leaving football in 2015 to work in the oil and gas sector. Doug Rougvie – The imposing full-back moved to Chelsea in 1984 and spent three years at Stamford Bridge. Rougvie, who won his sole Scotland cap against Northern Ireland in 1983, later played for Brighton, Fulham, Shrewsbury, Dunfermline and Montrose and managed the latter as well as Huntly and Cove Rangers. Rougvie’s departure from Cove in 1998 spelled the end of his football career and he became an engineer. Now retired, he splits his time between Scotland and Spain. Alex McLeish – The centre-back spent all but a handful of games of his playing career with Aberdeen, with whom he won 12 major trophies. He joined Motherwell in 1994 as player-manager and later took charge of Hibernian, Rangers, Scotland twice, Birmingham, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Genk and Egyptian side Zamalek. His final managerial role ended with Scotland in 2019. He won eight major trophies, including the League Cup with Birmingham and two promotions as a manager. The 64-year-old appears as a TV pundit. Willie Miller – The skipper had a long association with Aberdeen, managing them from 1992-95. Miller later joined the Pittodrie board and had a spell as director of football and has been a pundit with BBC Radio Scotland for a number of years. John McMaster – The midfielder, who played left-back in Gothenburg, spent 15 years at Pittodrie before leaving in 1987 to play for home-town team Morton for the final year of his career. McMaster became assistant manager at the Greenock club and later scouted for the likes of Middlesbrough and Swansea. He worked in market research and now delivers corporate talks on leadership. Gordon Strachan – Left for Manchester United in 1984 where he would later be reunited with Ferguson. Was football writers’ player of the year in both Scotland and England and won the league with Leeds before ending his playing days and starting his managerial career at Coventry. Took Southampton to the FA Cup final before a successful spell with Celtic and then managed Middlesbrough and Scotland. Now technical director at Dundee. Neale Cooper – The only one of the team who is not still here for the 40th anniversary celebrations, Cooper died aged 54 in 2018 after a fall at a block of flats in Aberdeen. Just 19 when he won the European trophy, Cooper had made his debut in 1979 and went on to play for the likes of Aston Villa and Rangers before a second spell at Pittodrie. He was a popular manager at the likes of Ross County and Hartlepool. He later took up a corporate position with Aberdeen club sponsors Saltire Energy. Neil Simpson – A key player for the Dons until a series of injuries hampered his progress. He left the Dons in 1990 and had spells at Newcastle and Motherwell but could not recapture his form. The midfielder took up coaching after retiring and returned to Aberdeen in the youth set-up in 2001, where he remains to this day as pathways manager. Peter Weir – Ferguson went back to former club St Mirren to sign the talented winger, who later played for Leicester and then the Paisley club again before finishing his career with Ayr. Weir went into coaching and spent 10 years in charge of Aberdeen’s youth academy centre in Glasgow. Mark McGhee – Another who returned to Pittodrie, as manager in 2009, but the spell was not among his happier times in management. McGhee left the Dons for Hamburg in 1984 and also played for Newcastle, Celtic and Reading, where he made a flying start to his career as a boss. Also took charge of the likes of Wolves, Leicester, Brighton and Motherwell – and was Strachan’s assistant with Scotland – before ending his career with Dundee last year. Eric Black – The striker opened the scoring in the final and went on to play for Metz in France before a back injury forced him to retire at the age of 27. He was John Barnes’ assistant manager at Celtic and had spells in charge of Coventry and Motherwell, the latter ending when the club went into administration. He went back to being a coach under the likes of Steve Bruce with his clubs including Birmingham, Sunderland, Rotherham and Aston Villa. Black turned his back on football after leaving Southampton in 2017 and the 59-year-old now sells furniture with his son in Leamington Spa. John Hewitt – The attacker had already been branded ‘super sub’ for his goals off the bench during Aberdeen’s run to Gothenburg and he lived up to his nickname by heading an extra-time winner after replacing Black. Hewitt left for Celtic in 1989 and spent several years with St Mirren before a short spell in coaching as player/manager of Dundalk and Rougvie’s assistant manager at Cove. The 60-year-old now works in the oil and gas sector in Aberdeen and recovered from a heart attack earlier this year. The unused substitutes were goalkeeper Bryan Gunn, injured full-back Stuart Kennedy and midfielders Andy Watson and Ian Angus. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Arsenal to play five Women’s Super League games at Emirates Stadium next season Sergio Busquets calls time on ‘unforgettable’ Barcelona career Nights like this sum him up – Jack Grealish hails City team-mate Kevin De Bruyne

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Arsenal will play five Women’s Super League games at the Emirates Stadium next season and are committed to hosting all Champions League fixtures there should they qualify for the group stage. Jonas Eidevall’s side have played three WSL fixtures at the stadium this season, setting a new league attendance record when they beat neighbours Tottenham 4-0 before selling over 86,000 tickets across matches against Manchester United and Chelsea. Five of their Women’s Champions League games were also staged at the Emirates, including the semi-final second-leg sell-out against Wolfsburg, which saw the German side win in extra-time. Arsenal are in a tussle to qualify for next season’s Champions League but, if they do progress, every fixture from the group stage onwards will be hosted in N5 rather than at Meadow Park. The successes of this season have built on a groundswell of support for women’s football following on from England’s Women’s Euro victory last summer. Now, Arsenal are keen to continue the trend of hosting more games at the Emirates, with Eidevall saying recently he believes it would be possible to host all women’s fixtures there at some point in the future. This latest announcement ensures that as many supporters as possible can enjoy the matchday experience with us Vinai Venkatesham “We’re delighted to confirm that our women’s first team will play five WSL games at Emirates Stadium next season,” Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham said when the announcement was made on Wednesday morning. “We’ve received fantastic support at Emirates Stadium this year, setting a new record attendance in the WSL and achieving a memorable sell-out for our recent UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final against Wolfsburg earlier this month. “This latest announcement ensures that as many supporters as possible can enjoy the matchday experience with us, as we continue to support the sustainable growth of women’s football.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

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Sergio Busquets will leave Barcelona in June at the end of his contract, the midfielder confirmed Wednesday, ending a highly...

Barcelona have confirmed that club captain Sergio Busquets will leave on a free transfer this summer, with clubs in Saudi Arabia and the USA interested in his signature.

Midfielder Sergio Busquets will leave Barcelona this summer, ending an 18-year association with the club. The 34-year-old, who joined the Catalans’ youth team in 2005, made his first-team debut in 2008 but has decided to move on after turning down the offer of a new contract on reduced terms. “The time has come to announce that this will be my last season with Barca,” he said in a farewell video released by Barcelona. “It has been a unforgettable journey. I always dreamed of playing with this shirt and at this stadium and reality has exceeded all my dreams. “I wouldn’t have believed it you if you had told me when I arrived as a youth player that I would play 15 seasons at the best club in the world and surpass 700 matches. “It has been an honour, a dream, a source of pride and meant everything to defend and represent this badge for so many years. “Although it has not been an easy decision I think the time has come.” Busquet, whose 718 matches for Barcelona put him third on the club’s all-time list of appearances, has won eight league titles – soon to become nine – three Champions Leagues, seven Copas del Rey, seven Spanish Super Cups, three European Super Cups and three Club World Cups. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live