Howard Webb blew the whistle on his 25-year refereeing career to become technical director at PGMOL on Wednesday.
The former policeman has refereed in the Premier League for more than a decade and taken charge of Champions League and World Cup finals, but will never quite shake off the unfair suspicion among certain football fans that he always favoured Manchester United.
When the announcement was made, social media buzzed with jokes about the Red Devils losing yet another big name... poor Howard.
Iker Casillas was provided with something of a vote of confidence following Real Madrid's decision to offload Diego Lopez to AC Milan.
The Spain No.1, who lost his place to Lopez for the majority of the 2013-14 campaign, is seemingly still in favor at the Bernabeu despite his struggles with his national team at the World Cup.
Xavi has retired from international football after winning the World Cup and two European Championships with Spain.
The 34-year-old was capped 133 times, more than any other Spanish outfield player, while Vicente del Bosque admits the national side will struggle to find a replacement for the Barcelona midfielder.
"We have lost a unique player in the national team and it will be difficult to find another one like him,” said the 63-year-old.
"Xavi has been key in Spain's style and in all the success achieved. We'll miss him so much on and off the pitch."
Louis van Gaal has secured his first trophy (of sorts) at Manchester United after he guided his side past Liverpool in the International Champions Cup final.
Waye Rooney found the net for the fifth time in pre-season as United ran out 3-1 winners at the Sun Life Stadium, with Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard also getting on the scoresheet.
Van Gaal will now be hoping United’s encouraging pre-season displays can transfer to their Premier League campaign as they look to beat the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool to the title.
Barely a month after Brazil's World Cup ended in humiliation, disappointment and a P45 for Luiz Felipe Scolari, the much-maligned coach has already returned to management.
Felipao was appointed the new head coach of Gremio - a club he left 18 years ago - on Tuesday, having only resigned from his post in charge of Brazil on July 14.
Scolari will be officially unveiled to the press on Wednesday evening - but will he receive a warm welcome after his struggles with the national team?
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has taken a swipe at David Luiz, who he sold to Paris Saint-Germain this summer for £40 million.
The Blues boss felt the need to remind the Brazilian that Gary Cahill and John Terry were his first-choice centre-backs and that the 27-year-old only played in midfield because Nemanja Matic was cup-tied for the Champions League.
So with Luiz cast off to France, here's Mourinho having a celebratory drink with his team.
Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Goal 50 award for the world’s best footballer after a magnificent 2013-14 campaign, reclaiming the title from Lionel Messi.
It is the third time the Real Madrid ace has won the award, which he adds to a season’s haul that includes the Champions League, Copa del Rey and the Ballon d’Or – another trophy he wrestled off Messi.
The Argentine only managed to finish third this time, his campaign having been disrupted by injury, while Bayern Munich and Netherlands winger Arjen Robben finished in second place.
Ronaldo revealed his delight to Goal: “It’s a very big honour for me to have been chosen as the best player. I’m sincerely grateful. “I’m convinced that I wouldn’t have been able to win this award without the constant support from all the people at Real Madrid.”
New Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal indicated that he would have a word with Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho on Saturday after the Blues boss spoke out about the transfer of Luke Shaw.
The 19-year-old was a target for the Blues before leaving Southampton for Old Trafford and the Portuguese said that his huge wages would have "killed" Chelsea.
It prompted the Dutchman to talk to Mourinho in private as the first mind-games of the Premier League title race began.
Veteran Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba completed a shock return to Chelsea on Friday, re-joining the club he left on a free transfer two years ago.
The 36-year-old, whose last kick for the Blues was the winning penalty in the 2012 Champions League final, said upon his return that the west Londoners "have always felt like home".
Drogba also revealed that he was keen to reignite his "special relationship" with manager Jose Mourinho, who originally signed the forward back in 2004.
The Portuguese coach was keen to add the former Galatasaray attacker's experience and winning mentality to a young Blues squad, and he becomes Chelsea's fourth signing of a busy summer.
It appears Louis van Gaal will have to look elsewhere in order to bolster his midfield after Arturo Vidal ruled out a switch to Manchester United this summer.
"I don't know if I will stay at Juventus, I'm happy here in Turin," the Chile international told SkyItaly.
"I will talk with Allegri on Monday. I'm not going to Manchester."
Barely two weeks ago James Rodriguez left the pitch in Fortaleza in tears after Colombia were knocked out of the World Cup by hosts Brazil, but he was in rather better spirits on Tuesday as he was unveiled as Real Madrid's latest Galactico at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The 23-year-old was the top scorer at this summer's tournament, striking his sixth and final goal from the penalty spot against the Selecao - and, in the process, famously picked up a new friend in the shape of an enormous grasshopper.
And now James, sans giant insect, has become the fourth most expensive player in history after sealing a £63 million move to the Spanish capital, where he can look forward to playing alongside two of the three players who have cost more than him, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, as well as fellow summer recruit Toni Kroos.
Arsenal may have been put off by SamiKhedira’s wage demands but that hasn’t stopped LukasPodolski from trying persuade his fellow Germany international to join him at the Emirates Stadium.
"I didn't have to [try to convince Khedira to join Arsenal],"Podolski told SportBild.
"Sami knows how much fun he could have with me, Mesut [Ozil] and Per [Mertesacker] at Arsenal. We had a great time together at the World Cup and I would like it very much if he comes to London."
But despite Podolski’s keenness to get Khedira to sign for Arsenal, Chelsea remain frontrunners in the race for the RealMadrid midfielder.
Steven Gerrard announced his retirement from international football on Monday, drawing the curtain on an England career that began back in May 2000.
But despite such a long and distinguished association with England, scoring 21 goals in 114 appearances for his country, the Liverpool skipper never managed to replicate his Anfield form for the Three Lions.
The 34-year-old is the last of England's so-called Golden Generation to retire, but leaves having failed to challenge in major tournaments despite consistently carrying Liverpool towards multiple successes, bagging two FA Cups, the Champions League and a host of other titles.
Just about everyone has given their opinion on Luis Suarez this summer following his ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini - even the president of Uruguay.
Jose Mujica believes the striker, now at Barcelona, needs medical help from a psychiatrist, not punishment as severe as handed out by Fifa, who have banned Suarez from so much as entering a stadium during his suspension.
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Thierry Henry is set to be joined by several big names as David Villa and Kaka head to the United States after joining New York City and Orlando City.
The trio look set to to be joined by England midfielder Frank Lampard after he was released by Chelsea, with the 36-year-old expected to complete a move to New York City next week.
Filipe Luis's arrival at Chelsea was officially confirmed on Friday, making the left-back the second player to swap Atletico Madrid for Stamford Bridge this summer - third, if you count Thibaut Courtois's loan coming to an end.
With Diego Simeone's side having surprised the footballing world by holding off the Clasico giants to win La Liga last season and the Blues finishing off the pace in the Premier League, it looks like Jose Mourinho is trying to recapture that spirit in England this season.
Having also snatched centre forward Diego Costa away from the Estadio Vicente Calderon this summer, Chelsea's new faces may have to pinch themselves for a moment before they realise that they have, in fact, changed clubs.
After initially looking like leading the race for Sami Khedira, Arsenal have fallen behind Chelsea in the race to sign the Real Madrid man.
Reports suggested high wage demands put off the Gunners but Arsene Wenger will hope he can still attract the World Cup winner to the Emirates Stadium.
You might be thinking: Chelsea surely don't need another midfielder but you'd be wrong, of course. Here's why he'd make the perfect fit for Jose Mourinho's team and why Wenger may actually get fortunate if Arsenal don't land the 27-year-old.
After Antonio Conte's shock departure from Juventus, the Italian champions have moved swiftly to appoint former AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri.
The news might not go down too well with every member of the bianconeri's squad, though, especially a certain Andrea Pirlo, who worked under the new Juve boss at San Siro.
The Italy international, however, was deemed too old by his former team, and manager, and offered only a short term deal, prompting him to leave the club on a free transfer.
Pirlo has since won three back-to-back Serie A titles, while Allegri was sacked by Milan, and both will hope their relationship can be more productive this time.
The countdown to the 2014 Goal 50 has begun and the debate is raging over which star performers from the season should be included in this year's list of football's most talented
Many of the world's greatest footballers are off enjoying their summer holidays, but the star performers of 2013-14 will still have more than one eye on the annual prize-giving ceremony that is the Goal 50.
Our brilliant artist Omar Momani has drawn up his vision of the high achievers in contention for the list - which will be announced on July 28.
Cristiano Ronaldo and reigning champion Lionel Messi have shared five of the six editions of the award, and both take their place on the first row of this year's starting grid. The Argentine will surely be more interested in winning the Goal 50 than he was in collecting the World Cup Golden Ball.
Gareth Bale joins the Clasico duo on the front row and will be feeling a lot of love after a superb first season at Real Madrid. In the middle are Arjen Robben, whose Goal 50 odds have plummeted after a wonderful World Cup, and Luis Suarez - who will be equally hungry to claim the prize.
Also challenging are the acrobatic Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the stylish Neymar, the no-nonsense Diego Costa, Colombian revelation James Rodriguez and a very proud Germany World Cup-winning captain Philipp Lahm.
But who is that at the back of the pack? Only Mario Balotelli and the Queen.
Indeed, some would say that the Italian's chances of winning the Goal 50 are about as good as the Titanic staying afloat after hitting the iceberg!
HAVE YOUR SAY
Do these players deserve to make the Goal 50? If not, who else should be on the list? If so, who should join them and in what order should they be ranked?
Louis van Gaal arrived at Manchester United on Wednesday to begin life as the Reds Devils’ new manager.
After leading the Netherlands to a third-place finish at the World Cup, the Dutchman has refused to take a holiday before starting his new job at Old Trafford.
Van Gaal is expected to lay down the law at Old Trafford with double training sessions, fines and discipline on the agenda as a new Manchester United regime begins.
