South America has provided football with its greatest icons but also suffered terrible tragedy; Chapecoense, Flamengo and the murder of Andres Escobar for scoring a World Cup own goal.

Despite knowing he can play no part in a potential trophy-winning tournament, the Paris Saint-Germain ace was all smiles as he reunited with players and staff at their base in Sao Paulo.

Alexis Sanchez admitted he is 'always playing happy' for his country Chile in what could be perceived as a dig at Man United after overcoming a twisted ankle to score their Copa America winner.

Brazil cruised into the Copa America knock-out stages by dismantling Peru at the Arena Corinthians. Casemiro, Roberto Firmino, Everton, Dani Alves and Willian were all on target.

Argentina must beat Qatar in Porto Alegre on Sunday night and hope Paraguay fail to beat Colombia if they are to avoid a humiliating group-stage exit at the Copa America.

The South American side clinched second place in Group B after a 2-0 victory against Qatar, thanks to goals from Lautaro Martinez and Sergio Aguero. 'Now starts another Copa,' Messi said.

Lionel Messi might be Argentina's - and Barcelona's - all-time record goalscorer, but fans were quick to mock the all-time great after he missed an easy chance for his country in Copa America.

Uruguay striker Luis Suarez took his reputation as a fierce competitor to new heights in his side's 1-0 win over Chile in the Copa America by appealing for a handball... by Chile's goalkeeper. 

After a slow start, Copa America 2019 in Brazil has finally heated up after a pulsating round of final group-stage matches. VAR and penalty shoot-outs mean the drama is set to continue in the last eight.

Firmino scored three no-look goals for Liverpool last season, turning his head away from the ball before shooting. And this cocky manoeuvre was used as a stick to beat him with on social media.

Brazilian star Neymar was ruled out of Copa America just over a week before the opening match after limping out of a friendly against Qatar with the untimely injury.

His performances have caught the attention of the Catalan giants, who are now preparing to pay his £100m release cause to bring him to the Nou Camp, according to Corriere dello Sport.

TOM SANDERSON IN SAO PAULO: And so they meet again. On this occasion, for a place in the Copa America final. Yet far more than the chance to face either Chile or Peru will be at stake.

The Manchester United forward fired his country into the last four by netting the winning penalty in a shootout against Colombia on Saturday.

Philippe Coutinho was left red-faced on the big stage this week, after falling for a sumptuous piece of skill during Brazil's Copa America clash with rivals Argentina.

When five-time Ballon d'Or winner and Barcelona star Lionel Messi eventually hangs up his boots, he might just have one huge regret lingering in the back of his mind.

After Lionel Messi tasted yet more international heartbreak with Argentina at the Copa America , his scoring record on the big stage has once again come under scrutiny.

He may have won the Champions League last season, but Alisson Becker learned a few crucial lessons along the way. After being beaten by Lionel Messi once, amends have been made.

Chile were knocked out of the Copa America in the semi-finals with a 3-0 defeat by Peru, and Eduardo Vargas' misery was compounded when he missed a late penalty.

Alisson will become the first goalkeeper to win three Golden Gloves in one season having kept five clean sheets in the Copa America. No other goalkeeper can catch him with the final still to play.

The FIFA Women's World Cup Final between the US and the Netherlands takes place on Sunday - but the game may not make TV rating history on its own.

The 25-year-old Juventus star netted Argentina's second goal against Chile in the 22nd minute as they won 2-1, with Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero scoring the opener.

Brazil star Dani Alves, currently a free agent, jumped the gun by dropping to his knees as the referee blew his whistle near the end of the Copa America final against Peru.

Wolanski wore a skimpy swimsuit advertising a Russian porn pranking website during Liverpool's Champions League final win over Tottenham in Madrid last month and was escorted off the pitch.

Brazilian right-back Daniel Alves is on his way to Europe to listen to offers, according to globoesporte.globo.com. He willl consider his options after his contract with PSG expired.

Messi was left incandescent with the performance of referee Roddy Zambrano and the use of VAR and did not hold back in his post-match assessment after their defeat by Brazil.

Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign emerging Japanese talent Hiroki Abe from Kashima Antlers, the J-League club said on Friday.

According to Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte , Arsenal's new technical director Edu has held talks with Everton's agent Gilmar Veloz to assess whether a move to the Emirates is feasible.

With Alisson yet to return following his involvement with Brazil's triumph in the Copa America, the club announced on Tuesday that Lonergan will travel and train with the squad for their three-match tour.

As far as auditions go, Simon Mignolet's performance during Liverpool's recent pre-season friendly with Sporting Lisbon will be one to forget in a hurry.

Lionel Messi has started his recovery from a calf injury as the Barcelona star pushes to be fit for the start of the La Liga season on August 16. He trained alone with his team-mates away in the USA.

Lionel Messi has suffered another injury setback and will almost certainly be out of Barcelona's La Liga fixture with Osasuna at the weekend. Messi has struggled for fitness since suffering a calf injury.

Argentina and Chile renewed their combative rivalry in Los Angeles on Thursday in a game that was peppered with 10 yellow cards but ultimately ended as a goalless stalemate.

The Brazilian midfielder booked his wedding for July after expecting to be included in Brazil's Copa America squad. However, he was dropped by Brazil after a disappointing debut Premier League season.

Lionel Messi returns to action for Argentina on Friday against their arch rivals Brazil in what will be his first international since being banned for three months after claiming referees were 'corrupt'.

Lionel Messi rarely needs a second invitation to score but that is exactly what he got as he scored from the rebound of his missed penalty to ensure Argentina beat Brazil out in Saudi Arabia.

Lionel Messi praised Argentina's work ethic after scoring the winner in a 1-0 win over Brazil on his return to international football following a three-month ban for criticising CONMEBOL.

The goal-shy Toffees have identified the forward positions as an area of improvement, and boss Carlo Ancelotti has set his sights on the club's Brazilian namesake as a transfer target.

Marcos Rojo hopes to come back and revive his Manchester United career after his loan spell at Estudiantes, says manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY IAN LADYMAN: For Richarlison it helped to have 2.1million Instagram followers when his dog escaped. After an appeal on social media, two Everton fans found his pet.

This summer's Copa America has been postponed 12 months to 2021 amid fears over the spread of the coronavirus. The tournament in Argentina and Colombia has been pushed back.

Prince Charles and Prince William have told Harry and Meghan that if they wanted to come back to Britain they could do so, without taking on any official duties, a source told The Sunday Times.

Kate, 38, looked elegant in the bespoke Catherine Walker creation as she arrived for a service to mark the 75th anniversary of Auschwitz-Birkenau liberation at Westminster's Central Hall.

Manfred Goldberg, 89, born in Kassel, Germany, accompanied the Cambridges on their tour of the Stutthof concentration camp in July 2017, and told People Kate was emotional.

The Duchess of Cambridge appeared at today's event to mark Holocaust Memorial Day in Westminster with Prince William holding her umbrella.

The Cambridges will kick off a day of engagements in South Wales next week with a visit to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Lifeboat station to learn about the  24-hour rescue service.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have posted an Instagram story announcing a their new mental health charity collaboration.

Prince William appeared upbeat as he arrived at Everton Football Club in Liverpool today.

Prince William, 37, and Kate, 38, seemed to relax their 'hands-off' policy in public when visiting Mumbles in South Wales today, according to body language epxert and author Judi James.

Kate, 38, was in Mumbles, near Swansea, alongside her husband Prince William, 37, for a busy day of engagements which saw them visit the Tata Steel plant in Port Talbot and tour a lifeboat station.