Central & South America

BUENOS AIRES — Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona will undergo surgery for a subdural haematoma, a blood clot on the brain, his personal physician told reporters on Tuesday, after he was admitted to hospital a day earlier.

The operation was expected to begin within hours to address the condition, which is a pool of blood, often caused by a head injury, that can put pressure on the brain.

Leopoldo Luque, Maradona's personal physician, said the procedure was a "routine surgery".

BUENOS AIRES — Diego Maradona celebrated his 60th birthday on Friday with tributes from around the world and a 100-metre long billboard being erected in his honour in the centre of Buenos Aires.

However, the Gimnasia y Esgrima coach is expected to spend a quiet day at home and could miss the restart of the Argentine league due to fears about COVID-19.

On the pitch, Neymar is one of the most skillful footballers of all time, the undisputed leader of five-time world champion Brazil and the talismanic figure of PSG’s run to the 2020 Champions League final. Off the pitch, Neymar is one of the most recognizable, influential and marketable individuals on the planet. Piece those two facets together and you begin to understand the enormous value of Neymar net worth 2021.  

Santos and Robinho decided on Friday to suspend the deal that brought the former Real Madrid player back to Brazil after sponsors reportedly threatened to cut contracts with the club for signing a player convicted of rape charges in Italy.

“Santos and Robinho have by mutual agreement resolved to suspend the contract signed on 10 October so that player can concentrate exclusively on his court defence in Italy,” the club said in a statement posted on Twitter.

NOTA À IMPRENSA

Neymar overtook Ronaldo and moved into second place behind Pele on Brazil's all-time goalscoring list after notching a hat-trick in a 4-2 victory over Peru on Tuesday in a World Cup qualifier.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker now has 64 goals, two more than Ronaldo and 13 behind Pele, who heads the list with 77, according to the count by world governing body FIFA.

Brazil coach Tite was reluctant to compare his current star with past greats.

SAO PAULO — Roberto Firmino scored twice and Marquinhos and Philippe Coutinho also got goals as Brazil hammered Bolivia 5-0 in their opening World Cup qualifier in Sao Paulo on Friday.

Brazil had never lost a World Cup qualifier at home, a run that stood at 54 matches going into Friday's game, and they never looked in danger of losing that record.

Brazil vs Bolivia Highlights (All Goals)

Premier League club Everton have signed a partnership agreement with their Chilean namesakes Everton de Vina del Mar and their Mexican owners Grupo Pachuca.

The South American club, four-times champions of Chile, took the name Everton after the Merseyside club toured the country along with Tottenham Hotspur in 1909.

From one Everton to another.  

Luis Suárez has said he was reduced to tears by Barcelona's treatment of him in his final weeks at the club before leaving for LaLiga rivals Atletico Madrid and revealed he was not allowed to take part in training matches.

"Those days were very difficult. I cried because of what I was having to go through," Suarez told the Uruguay national team's official media after scoring in Thursday's 2-1 win over Chile in a World Cup qualifier.

Argentina got their World Cup qualifying campaign off to the perfect start on Thursday when Lionel Messi's early penalty gave them a 1-0 win over Ecuador in a lackluster match in Buenos Aires.

The Argentine FA piped fan noise around the empty Bombonera stadium and the chants of "Messi! Messi!" were vindicated as early as the 12th minute when he put Argentina ahead from the spot after Lucas Ocampos was fouled inside the penalty area.