PATRICK COLLINS: The cry rang out on January 1; a warmly familiar sound, like the chimes of Big Ben or the singing of Auld Lang Syne.

The most depressing words of this young sporting year were spoken by Jimmy Anderson. One of the more discordant sounds of an English summer is the distant drone of him sledging.

PATRICK COLLINS: Sport at its cleanest and brightest generates a sense of wonder, a feeling that peaks are being scaled and limits are being breached.

PATRICK COLLINS: Bolt, Ali, Woods, Pele, Bradman and a precious few others — Jack Nicklaus, certainly, and, in time, Lionel Messi — constitute an elite on whom the term ‘genius’ sits lightly.

PATRICK COLLINS: It should be remembered that the FA's initial instinct was to approach Arsene Wenger, a worthy if futile attempt to hire the very best. But then, absurdly, they changed tack.

JAMIE REDKNAPP: To think Jordan Henderson's first official season as Liverpool captain ended with the club finishing eighth in the Premier League is quite remarkable.

JAMIE REDKNAPP: I remember Crystal Palace losing 9-0 to Liverpool in the old First Division in 1989. Then later that season, the Eagles exacted their revenge in the FA Cup semi-final.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Frank Lampard, dripping with sweat, has just returned from his daily 45-minute post-training run around Chelsea's complex at Cobham with his assistants.

EXCLUSIVE: The defender who earns his living by not giving opponents an inch is contemplating the fact he now has to steer two metres clear for the foreseeable future.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner may make his 1000th professional appearance against the Serie A strugglers. Ronaldo has played 835 games in club football and 164 times internationally.

As a result of his support, Michu reached out to the Borussia Dortmund star to send him a signed Brugos jersey with Haaland's name on the back. 'Wow what a legend!!' Haaland responded.

The award-winning footballer, 34, enjoyed some quality time with his kids Cristiano Jr, nine, twins Eva and Mateo, two, and Alana - his daughter with girlfriend Georgina - also two, in the bathtub.

Juventus host Inter Milan in the standout fixture of this weekend's Serie A schedule but, as things stand, the top of the table clash will be played out in front of empty stands.

Jorge Mendes' house in Portugal has been searched by Portuguese tax authorities as part of an ongoing investigation.

Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala were caught on camera moaning about the paucity of the Juventus midfield and they certainly have a point. Maurizio Sarri has struggled to get a tune out of his players all season.

ALVISE CAGNAZZO IN ITALY: It hasn't been easy for Aaron Ramsey since he swapped Arsenal for Juventus but the midfielder finally appears to have understood the mechanisms of Serie A.

Ronaldo's mother, Dolores Aveiro, 65, was told she could go home nearly two weeks after medics at Madeira's Nelio Mendonca Hospital saved her life and she is now thought to be at her son's lavish home.

AS report that Cristiano Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes has spent a significant amount of money buying 200,000 gowns and three ventilators for the hospital in Porto.

Cristiano Ronaldo might be locked down in Madeira but he is clearly not letting himself go amid the coronavirus crisis. He posted a photo of himself after working out with his family.

Serie B goalkeeper Alberto Paleari says footballers cannot be expected to give up their wages like Cristiano Ronaldo because he will not struggle financially.

ALVISE CAGNAZZO IN ITALY: Juventus is grateful to their players for the eight consecutive league titles but they will remember who chose to leave, abandoning Italy in the process.

Football is poised for an extraordinary week of wage cuts across the board as the game attempts to forge a way out of the coronavirus crisis at Friday's Premier League shareholders' meeting.

The Juventus star's mum Dolores Aveiro had posted a selfie and now the Portuguese international has uploaded a picture of the pair together.

Cristiano Ronaldo chose to join Manchester United in 2003 because every other club that was interested in signing the winger wanted to loan him back to Sporting Lisbon, Jorge Mendes has revealed.

Cristiano Ronaldo had initially agreed to swap shirts with former Chievo goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino before his penalty was saved during a 3-0 win in Turin last year.

Caster Semenya smashed Cristiano Ronaldo's 'core crusher challenge' record in the Nike Living Room Cup challenge, an initiative aiming to promote exercising indoors during the coronavirus pandemic

Juventus are willing to let star player Cristiano Ronaldo go back to his former club Real Madrid for a bargain price, according to Corriere dello Sport. 

The Portuguese talisman brought the curtain down on nine trophy-laden years at the Bernabeu in 2018 before making a £100million move to Turin, where he is under contract until 2022.

The former Madrid captain and goalkeeper proposed that former players of Real Madrid and Barcelona came together for a game where proceeds would go to charities for those in need.

Madeira's regional secretary of health Pedro Ramos said the Portugal international did not have 'special authorisation' to work at the stadium. Ronaldo was allowed by to return home by Juve.

Cristiano Ronaldo has had a storied career and gone on to become one of the best in the history of the sport. Aaron Ramsey has seen this first-hand since joining Juventus last summer.

The Juventus star, 35, captioned the post: 'Kids, let the Dad do his work #stayhome #stayactive,' as he took to Instagram on Monday to share the cute video with his fans

Cristiano Ronaldo has been revealed as the driving force behind the donation, which will help non-professional teams across Portugal stay alive during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Juventus talisman is spending time with girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez at the residence with football suspended, and has been attempting to remain fit by using a local stadium to train.

Ronaldo started his career at Nacional, representing the club between 1995 and 1997 before winning a move to Sporting Lisbon but returned as he tried to kill time during the football shutdown.

Cristiano Ronaldo was every inch the doting dad as he shared an early morning selfie with his kids and partner Georgina Rodriguez on Saturday.

The prospect of the 2019-20 season being declared 'null and void' looms large over football. We take a look at some of the records, achievements and landmarks that could be erased from history.

Paris Saint-Germain are digging their heels in over Kylian Mbappe as he continues to be linked with a move to Real Madrid. The striker has been a long-term target of the Spanish giants'.

The midfielder joined the Portuguese legend at the Serie A side following his free transfer from Arsenal last summer. And Ramsey received a warm welcome from Ronaldo at his first training session

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have ruled the football globe for more than a decade, but Jose Mourinho believes Ronaldo Nazario eclipses both the Juventus and Barcelona stars.

While the Scottish midfielder plays a different role to the Manchester United legend, he cites Cristiano Ronaldo's mental and physical strength as a massive influence on his career.

The latest move casts further doubt on whether it will be possible to complete the Serie A campaign - which has 12 full rounds to run - despite Italian FA's determination to do so.

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo is set for another two weeks of lockdown when he returns to Italy. Juventus have recalled their foreign players who left Italy during the lockdown.

Jose Mourinho has revealed how losing a Champions League semi-final to Bayern Munich with Real Madrid in 2012 left him crying in his car.

From haircuts and hikes to working out with friends and family, Ronaldo has kept his 216 million followers on Instagram in touch with his daily activities ahead of his return to Italy on Monday.

The Argentine full-back was one of the last signings made by the club prior to the new owners, arriving just days before the Abu Dhabi buyout was confirmed in September 2008.

The Portugal star made it back to Italy on Monday and is spending 14 days in quarantine before he can return to training with the Serie A side. Ronaldo uploaded a photo onto his Instagram page.

Spain manager Vicente del Bosque has admitted that if he doesn't know if goalkeeper David de Gea will be mentally ready to face the Czech Republic in Toulouse on Monday in their Euro 2016 opener.

Spain left it late against Czech Republic but the reigning European champions made it a match-winning start to their campaign in Toulouse.  Here, Sportsmail looks at the five things we learned.

Former Croatia manager Slaven Bilic has warned there will be more crowd trouble after condemning the violent scenes which marred his country's draw with the Czech Republic.