Everton  striker Wayne Rooney has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Major League Soccer club DC United. He will officially complete his move when the US mid-season transfer window opens on 10 July. There is no transfer fee but it is understood DC United have agreed a compensation package with the Toffees. The 32-year-old's deal is worth £10m, meaning he becomes the highest paid player in DC United's history. Everton  and  DC United  made the announcement simultaneously on Thursday afternoon. Rooney will make his debut when the club open their new 20,000-capacity Audi Field Stadium on 14 July. "Moving to America and MLS fulfils another career ambition for me," Rooney  told the club website. "I have the hunger to be a success here and will give DC 100% - as I have always done for every team I have ever played for. Now I can't wait to get on the pitch in a United shirt and join my new teammates to bring success to this club."

The Nigeria Football Federation have congratulated Gernot Rohr who marked his 65th birthday in Essentuki, Russia  on Thursday. Rohr was born on the 28th of June, 1953 in Mannheim, Germany. The former OGC Nice manager was appointed head coach of the Super Eagles in 2016 and he steered the team to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Rohr’s contract was extended by the NFF till 2020. “Happy birthday to @NGSuperEagles Coach Gernot Rohr. The staff at the Essentuki Team Base Camp offered him a cake and bouquet of flowers to celebrate his day,” the Nigerian Football Federation tweeted, with a picture of a celebrating Rohr surrounded by staff of the base camp. Rohr has been in charge of the Super Eagles for 20 games, winning nine, losing six and drawing five.

Nigeria’s national anthem has been ranked 22nd at the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup. This was according to English newspaper The  Te legraph  which ranked all the 32 countries that took part at this year’s tournament. Nigeria’s anthem was played three times following the Super Eagles’ three Group D games in Russia. Iceland’s anthem is the highest ranked from teams in Group D as they occupy 10th place and that of Argentina is at number 12. Croatia’s anthem is just two places behind that of Nigeria at number 24. The number one ranked anthem is that of France, at number two is Colombia, that of Mexico is ranked third, Brazil in fourth and Morocco in fifth. Anthems of countries like England, Spain and Belgium are ranked ranked 28th, 30th and 31st respectively while that of Switzerland is at number 32. Countries national anthem rankings at 2018 World Cup: 1 – France 2 – Colombia 3 – Mexico 4 – Brazil 5 – Morocco 6 – Portugal 7 – Pan

Coach of the Super Eagles Gernot Rohr has made a passionate appeal to team captain John Mikel Obi not to end his international career just yet but to help the team reach the next AFCON in 2019 which is now the target after the elimination from the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Mikel had said he was considering retiring from the team after 12 years although he’s not reached a definite conclusion over the issue but Rohr claims the influence of the player on his teammates is one of the reasons why he’s enjoyed working with the Super Eagles in his two years in charge. “This group (of players) is very disciplined. We never have any problems and I have our captain to thank for that. He has made it easy for me to coach this team and I hope he stays on with us into the AFCON,” the German told a press conference on Tuesday in St. Petersburg, Russia moments after the Super Eagles were eliminated from the World Cup. Rohr also said with the team’s ouster, the next target will be the 2019 A

Captain of Nigeria’s Super Eagles John Obi Mikel is yet to make up his mind on whether to call time on his international career after the team’s exit from the 2018 FIFA World Cup or not. Mikel, 31, has spent 12 years in the team and is willing to give others a chance to lead the team but admitted he’s going to miss playing with his international teammates should he decided to retire from the national team. “This is a fantastic team of good boys. I have enjoyed my time with the national team but all my years I’ve never been in a team like this before.  This bunch of players are amazing, funny and always nice to be around with them. They are also a group of boys that listens and are always willing to improve. This is very important for Nigerian football. Like I have said, I want to take every year as it comes and see what happens,” he told a press conference after the team was knocked out by Argentina  on Tuesday  night in St. Petersburg. The midfielder, who plays for Tianjin

Nigeria may have been eliminated from the 2018 FIFA World Cup but Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has been rated as the player with the most tackles and interceptions so far at the competition. This was confirmed by football facts and statistics website,  whoscored.com  on their verified Twitter handle. According to  whoscored.com , he has made 15 tackles and 12 interceptions more than any other player at the 2018 WorldCup so far. Ndidi was in action for the Super Eagles who narrowly missed out of qualification for the round of 16 from Group D. The Leicester City star played in all three Group D games of the Super Eagles at the tournament.

Nigeria forward Ibrahim Alhassan has joined Portuguese Primeira Liga side (top division) Maritimo Madeira from Austrian top flight club Austria Wien after just one season. Alhassan’s move to Maritimo Madeira was confirmed on the Portuguese club’s official website on Thursday. According to the details of the move, Alhassan joined Maritimo Madeira on a four-year deal. Alhassan, 21, made 26 appearances in all competitions for Austria Wien, scoring two goals and one assist. The former Akwa United player featured for both the former Golden Eagles and Flying Eagles. He was part of the Flying Eagles squad that won the 2015 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations held in Senegal. Also he featured for the home-based Super Eagles during the qualifiers for the 2018 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN).

The Super Eagles have crashed out of the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup after losing 2-1 to Argentina in their final Group D game here in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday. Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the first half before Victor Moses equalised from the penalty spot. The Barcelona star’s goal was the 100th of this summer’s World Cup. But late into the game Marcos Rojo scored the winner to send Argentina into the last 16. The win for Argentina was their fifth straight win against the Super Eagles at the World Cup. The last time the Super Eagles crashed out in the group stage was at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Argentina now join Croatia who beat Iceland 2-1 in the round of 16. Croatia will now face Denmark who finished second in Group C while Argentina will meet France. Ahmed Musa had the Super Eagles’ first attempt on goal on eight minutes but his shot from outside went just over the bar. Argentina eventually opened the scoring through Messi on 14 minutes w

adidas Football has today revealed the Official Match Ball for the knockout stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™. The Telstar Mechta comes with a new vivid red design inspired by the colours of the host nation, as well as the rising heat of knockout-stage football. The name Mechta translates as ‘dream’ or ‘ambition’ in Russian and is constructed with the same design elements as the Telstar 18, the ball used throughout the group stage, but adapted to reflect the added intensity and opportunity the knockout stage brings. The ball has a brand-new carcass that retains the best of the Brazuca, the Official Match Ball of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™, while building in new technology to maximise performance. It went through extensive testing to ensure it suits the needs of the best players in the world. Some of the leading national and club sides have been involved in the testing process. A progression from Official Match Balls of the past, a brand-new panel design features a meta