Record-breaking Jamie Vardy and Ranieri claim November awards

Record-breaking Jamie Vardy

Leicester City's fine season was given another boost as the striker and coach won the Player and Manager of the Month awards respectively

Jamie Vardy's stellar start to the season was given more recognition this week as the Leicester City striker picked up consecutive Premier League Player of the Month awards, while Claudio Ranieri scooped the manager's accolade.

Vardy took the October award after scoring five times in four matches, and has become just the fifth player to win back-to-back Player of the Month prizes after Robbie Fowler, Dennis Bergkamp, Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane.

Question of the day: How will Man United & Van Gaal solve their Rooney riddle?

Wayne Rooney may have been absent when Wolfsburg drove the final nail into Manchester United’s Champions League coffin on Tuesday and also missed the previous defeat at PSV in the opening group fixture, but that makes him no less culpable for the embarrassing early exit which has left everyone at Old Trafford reeling.

The rigid style of play demanded by Louis van Gaal has certainly done nobody any favours, but Rooney’s complete lack of form this season has had a defining impact on United having lost much of their edge, even though he has been afforded countless allowances as the club’s captain and icon.

Save for his hat-trick against a disappointing and increasingly desperate Club Brugge in the Champions League play-off tie, Rooney has regularly failed to create any sort of danger for opponents whether playing as a main striker or off the shoulder of the front man as a No.10.

He is constantly on the back foot whenever a 50/50 ball is there to be competed for, suggesting the extra yard of pace lost in the body has not been sufficiently compensated by a sharpness in the mind. If Van Gaal is pinning his hopes on the 30-year-old to help United through their difficult patch, as currently appears to be the case, then it would seem he is backing the wrong horse.

Rooney has netted a total of 237 goals for United, but the days when fans filling local pubs before matches at Old Trafford would chant his name long and loud, comparing him to Pele, have long gone. Look for videos of such instances on YouTube and you’ll find they are anything between four and eight years old.

Former Super Eagles Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi loses wife

Former Super Eagles player and coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi has lost his wife, Kate to the cold hands of death on Wednesday night.

In a statement from family spokesman Emmanuel Ado, Kate battled with cancer for three years but finally succumbed to it in the United States of America.

A condolence message released by the NFF through its website described the death of the wife of the former coach as a big loss.

 “This is devastating. To lose a spouse is the equivalence of a tragedy. I pray that Almighty God will give you and the children the fortitude to bear this huge loss," NFF president Amaju Pinnick said.

Barcelona left sweating on Leo Messi's fitness again

Barcelona are again sweating on the fitness of Lionel Messi after their superstar forward ended Wednesday's draw against Bayer Leverkusen with a pain in his left hamstring. 

However, Luis Enrique, despite having one substitute left to use, did not deem it necessary to withdraw the 28-year-old from the action. 

Messi, who played for 90 minutes against Valencia at the weekend, has now played back-to-back games, while many of his Barca team-mates were rested in Germany. 

Luis Enrique’s decision to play Messi against Leverkusen - while Neymar was out injured and Luis Suarez took a break - was perhaps influenced by the upcoming Club World Cup. 

The Catalan club head off to Japan next week and Messi is in need of game time, given he has just returned from a two month injury layoff.

Barca return to training on Thursday to begin preparations for Saturday’s La Liga game against Deportivo La Coruna.

Breaking News: Real Madrid expelled from Copa del Rey

Real Madrid have been expelled from the Copa del Rey after they fielded the ineligible Denis Cheryshev in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Cadiz.

The Russian winger picked up three yellow cards in the competition last season while on loan at Villarreal - the third in the semi-final defeat to Barcelona - and was supposed to be suspended for the first game of this season’s Copa.

However, Madrid did not realise and Rafael Benitez, taking advantage of his squad, played him from the start against the third division side.

Cheryshev opened the scoring, but was taken off 45 second into the second half as word spread that he was not eligible to play.

Cadiz confirmed on Wednesday they had made a complaint to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) regarding Cheryshev’s involvement.

Leo Messi delighted with Stephen Curry's Warriors jersey

Barcelona star Lionel Messi revealed he received a very special gift on Friday - a signed jersey from none other than basketball great Stephen Curry.

The Golden State Warriors star sent Messi the jersey with the number 30 on the back, to celebrating reaching the milestone of 30 million Instagram followers.

And in a thank you note left on Facebook, the four-time Ballon d'Or winner promised he would return the favour in a cheeky message to Curry.

Pep Guardiola laughs off Real Madrid link

Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola has laughed off suggestions he could replace Rafael Benitez at Real Madrid.

Benitez is under pressure at the Santiago Bernabeu following their 4-0 Clasico humbling by Barcelona last month while speculation persists about a difficult working relationship with a number of the club's senior players, including Cristiano Ronaldo.

Madrid president Florentino Perez has publicly backed the former Liverpool and Inter boss but rumours persist that his days in the Spanish capital could be numbered.