Hertha Berlin hired Sandro Schwarz on Thursday as its coach after the Bundesliga club narrowly escaped relegation.

Schwarz is the latest in a string of coaches tasked with bridging the gulf between Hertha's grand ambitions of establishing itself as a major European club and its years of underachievement on the field.

German international defender Antonio Rudiger has joined Spanish and European champions Real Madrid from Chelsea, the two clubs confirmed on Thursday.

The 29-year-old center-back, who was out of contract at Chelsea, has signed a four-year deal in the Spanish capital, Real announced.

Gareth Bale confirmed he is leaving Real Madrid on Wednesday, saying he was happy to have fulfilled his dream of playing with the Spanish powerhouse.

The 32-year-old Bale, whose contract expires at the end of this month, joined Madrid from Tottenham in 2013. He played on loan with the English club in 2020-21.

Rafael Nadal insists he can't know for sure whether any match at Roland Garros might be his very last at a place he loves, a place he is loved.

For now, if he keeps winning and keeps performing the way he did during his monumental quarterfinal victory over longtime rival Novak Djokovic that began in May and ended in June, Nadal will have more chances to play.

The third edition of the Nations League begins this week with many participants already thinking about the World Cup.

National teams will get a rare opportunity to play several matches in a row — practically serving as a preseason — as the international dates were moved to June because of the World Cup beginning in November.

French President Emmanuel Macron and government members said they are "sad and sorry" for 2,700 Liverpool fans who had a ticket but couldn't get into the stadium amid disorder and chaos at the Champions League final in Paris, where Liverpool lost to Real Madrid 1-0.

The issue has been discussed at the weekly Cabinet meeting at the Elysee presidential palace on Wednesday, French government spokesperson Olivia Grégoire said.

This French Open is the first Grand Slam tournament in a year with both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the field. And anyone who enjoys men's tennis — or, indeed, sports — should be thrilled that those two titans of the game will face each other for a record 59th time.

Is it a shame Tuesday night's match is "only" a quarterfinal, instead of something with more at stake? Perhaps. Will that dissuade anyone from watching from afar or dull the atmosphere that'll envelop Court Philippe Chatrier? Doubtful.

Robert Lewandowski's time at Bayern Munich appears to be over.

The Poland striker, who has been linked with a move to Barcelona, said at a news conference ahead of his national team's training camp on Monday that a transfer would be the best outcome for all sides.

According to Lionel Messi, there is "no doubt" that Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema deserves to win his first Ballon d'Or award this year.

Messi has won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards as the world's best player, but saw his new club Paris Saint-Germain eliminated by Madrid in the round of 16 of the Champions League this year — after Benzema scored a hat trick in the second half of the return leg.

The Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid was marked by massive fake ticket fraud, France's interior minister said on Monday, as Paris faced criticism over the event's organization. 

"What has been confirmed is a massive, industrial-scale and organized fraud in fake tickets... this was the root cause of the delay to the match" said Gerald Darmanin following a crisis meeting at France's sports ministry.