Leonardo Jardim, the former SC Braga and Sporting manager, was sacked in October after a poor start to the season.


He had previously overseen one of the most successful periods in the club’s history leading a youthful side to the 2017 Ligue 1 title and a UEFA Champions League semi-final in the same year.


His place was taken by the legendary Thierry Henry but after overseeing just five wins in all competitions and with the club wallowing in the relegation zone Henry was also shown the door.


Monaco’s chief executive Vadim Vasilyev said, “we have to acknowledge that during the summer transfer window, we sold too many key players and, despite considerable investments, mistakes were made with respect to their replacement. This did not allow us to create a new, competitive team. The decision to dismiss Leonardo Jardim was also premature.”


Jardim is now back as manager on a two-and-a-half year contract, just three months after being sacked!


Further afield well travelled former Portugal international winger Paulo Machado continues to make an impact on Indian football.
Having made the move to South Asia last summer to join Jorge Costa’s Mumbai City Machado, now 32, scored the only goal of the game and his second for the club as Costa’s Mumbai beat Bengaluru 1-0 to go top of the Indian Super League. Ten years ago Jorge Costa, who captained FC Porto to the UEFA Champions League title under Jose Mourinho in 2004, steered SC Olhanense to promotion to the Primeira Liga.


Since then he has coached in Romania, Cyprus, Gabon, Tunisia and France. Closer to home former Benfica right-back Nélson Semedo got his first goal for Spanish champions Barcelona in their 2-0 win at Girona last Sunday.


With less than ten minutes played, Semedo found himself in the Girona penalty area to sweep home with his left foot to put the Liga champions ahead.


Lionel Messi scored the other goal in the second half to maintain Barca’s five point lead at the top of the table. Juventus survived a scare in their bid to remain undefeated this season in Serie A, and it was the Portuguese duo of João Cancelo and Cristiano Ronaldo who rescued the Italian team after they went a goal behind at Lazio.


An own goal from Emre Can gave Lazio the lead and threatened to consign Juve to their first league loss on their twenty-first outing.
Cancelo came off the bench with twenty minutes remaining and moments later the former Benfica man was on-hand to slot in after Lazio keeper Thomas Strakosha had parried Paulo Dybala’s effort.


With only minutes to go Cancelo was held back in the penalty area and Ronaldo stepped up to take the resulting spot-kick which he calmly dispatched high into the roof of the net. Juventus now have an eleven point lead at the top of Serie A.