Wolfsburg's Germany midfielder Julian Draxler says facing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is any footballer's dream ahead of Wednesday's Champions League home quarter-final, first-leg, clash against Real Madrid.

"You can only be impressed with Cristiano Ronaldo," Draxler told SID, an AFP subsidiary.

After two successive season-opening wins, Nico Rosberg is "living the moment" but says he remains fearful of Ferrari following their demonstration of potential in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix.

The 30-year-old German leads the embryonic drivers' championship by 17 points ahead of his Mercedes team-mate, defending three-time champion Lewis Hamilton.

Gonzalo Higuain's impressive scoring streak in Serie A is expected to be halted by an imminent ban that could end Napoli's bid for a long-awaited Serie A title.

Higuain hit his 30th league goal of the campaign on Sunday to pull to within five goals of retired AC Milan striker Gunnar Nordahl's all-time record of 35 goals in a single, 20-team Serie A season.

South Korea's world-record holding short track speed skater Noh Jin-Kyu has died after a battle with bone cancer, his family said Monday. He was 23.

Noh's sister, speed skater Noh Seon-Yeong, posted on her brother's Facebook page that he had died Sunday evening.

Stephen Curry scored 39 points as the Golden State Warriors bounced back from defeat with a 136-111 rout of the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.

The Warriors, whose charge towards a season record of 73 wins stumbled with a defeat to Boston on Friday, improved to 69-8.

Australia's Olympic hurdles champion Sally Pearson expects to be competing by late next month as she continues her fightback from a badly broken wrist, reports said Monday.

The 29-year-old, who won the 100 meters hurdles gold at London in 2012, broke two bones and dislocated her wrist in a tumble during the Rome Diamond League meeting in June last year and has not raced since.

Louis van Gaal is convinced Manchester United are on track to claim a Champions League place from the wreckage of one of Old Trafford's most difficult seasons in recent memory.

Van Gaal's job as manager, in his second campaign at the club, has been the subject of widespread speculation since United's early exit from the Champions League group stage in December.

Asked whether, having watched his Leicester City team move seven points clear at the Premier League summit, he was worried they might choke, manager Claudio Ranieri responded: "What is 'choke'?"

The question was more a reflection of his imperfect English than a display of brazenness, but after having the word explained to him, the 64-year-old Italian put his hand around his own throat and mimicked a throttling noise.

World number one Novak Djokovic surpassed Roger Federer as the highest-earning player in ATP Tour history on Sunday after capturing a third consecutive Miami Open crown with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Japan's Kei Nishikori.

Djokovic's win -- his sixth career victory in Miami to equal Andre Agassi's record -- saw him pocket $1.028 million (902,000 euros), taking him past Federer as the all-time ATP earnings leader with $98,199,548 to the Swiss great's $97,855,881.

Disgraced FIFA officials, suspended UEFA chief Michel Platini and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi were amongst the names found Sunday in leaked documents which reveal offshore financial dealings.

'The Panama Papers' claim the law firm of a FIFA ethics watchdog had business relationships with three men recently indicted in football's global corruption scandal.