Vincenzo Spadafora discussed the top flight in Italy, which is looking to return as Germany's Bundesliga prepares to resume on May 16

As the Bundesliga prepares to restart on May 16, the former Arsenal midfielder believes the league could have waited before ending the French season

Arsenal reportedly must decide on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's future by next month amid Real Madrid links.

London, May 10: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is out of contract in June 2021 and the Gabon international is no closer to signing a new Arsenal deal. The former Borussia Dortmund star is not short of suitors amid uncertainty over his future

SHOWS:

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (FILE - JULY 11, 2010) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

1. STILL PHOTO SHOWING ANDRES INIESTA SCORING THE WINNING GOAL IN THE FINAL OF THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP AS SPAIN BEAT THE NETHERLANDS 1-0

2. STILL PHOTO SHOWING INIESTA CELEBRATING AFTER SCORING

3. STILL PHOTO SHOWING INIESTA CELEBRATING AFTER THE FINAL WHISTLE AS SPAIN WERE CROWNED WORLD CHAMPIONS

4. STILL PHOTO SHOWING INIESTA HOLDING THE WORLD CUP TROPHY ALOFT WITH HIS TEAMMATES

5. STILL PHOTO SHOWING HOLDING THE WORLD CUP TROPHY ALOFT AMONGST PHOTOGRAPHERS

MADRID, SPAIN (FILE - JULY 12, 2010) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

6. INIESTA (RED HAT) NEXT TO XABI ALONSO ON OPEN TOP BUS PARADE AFTER SPAIN RETURNED HOME FROM THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP AS CHAMPIONS

7. BUS DRIVING PAST AS FANS CELEBRATE

MADRID, SPAIN (FILE - JULY 14, 2010) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

8. THEN SPANISH PRIME MINISTER JOSE LUIS RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO INTRODUCTING INIESTA AS SQUAD AND FANS START CHEERING HIS NAME

9. SQUAD AND FANS CHEERING INIESTA'S NAME

INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA (FILE - JUNE 10, 2008) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

10. STILL PHOTO SHOWING INIESTA IN GROUP D ACTION AGAINST RUSSIA AT EURO 2008, WHICH SPAIN WON

KIEV, UKRAINE (FILE - JULY 1, 2012) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

11. STILL PHOTO SHOWING INIESTA IN ACTION DURING THE EURO 2012 FINAL AGAINST ITALY WHICH SPAIN WON

NICE, FRANCE (FILE - JUNE 16, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

12. INIESTA JOGGING DURING TRAINING

SAINT-MARTIN-DE-RE, FRANCE (FILE - JUNE 24, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

13. INIESTA PASSING THE BALL DURING TRAINING

14. INIESTA DRIBBLING WITH BALL

MADRID, SPAIN (FILE - MARCH 26, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

15. INIESTA BEING HELPED UP AND WARMING UP DURING TRAINING

16. INIESTA JOGGING

SAINT-MARTIN-DE-RE, FRANCE (FILE - JUNE 23, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

17. INIESTA GREETING HIS WIFE

18. INIESTA HOLDING HIS CHILD

LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - MAY 27, 2011) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

19. INIESTA TRAINING WITH BARCELONA INSIDE WEMBLEY STADIUM AHEAD OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL WHICH THEY WON AFTER BEATING MANCHESTER UNITED

BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - MAY 29, 2011) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

20. INIESTA AND LIONEL MESSI POSING WITH CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TROPHY

BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - JUNE 7, 2015)

21. INIESTA ON OPEN TOP BUS WITH TEAMMATES CELEBRATING WINNING THE TREBLE DURING PARADE

22. TROPHIES AND INIESTA CELEBRATING

BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - MAY 15, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

23. INIESTA ON OPEN TOP BUS DURING PARADE CELEBRATING BARCELONA WINNING LA LIGA

LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - FEBRUARY 19, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

24. INIESTA PASSING BALL IN CIRCLE DURING TRAINING

BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - SEPTEMBER 9, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

25. INIESTA JOGGING DURING TRAINING SESSION

BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - MARCH 18, 2017) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

26. INIESTA WALKING OUT FOR TRAINING

27. INIESTA WARMING UP

BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - MAY 20, 2018) (MEDIAPRO - ACCESS ALL)

28. VARIOUS OF INIESTA WAVING TO BARCELONA FANS DURING FAREWELL CEREMONY

BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - DECEMBER 18, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

29. INIESTA RECEIVING SPAIN NATIONAL TEAM MVP AWARD AT AN AWARDS CEREMONY ORGANISED BY MARCA SPORTS NEWSPAPER

TOKYO, JAPAN (FILE - MAY 24, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

30. INIESTA ARRIVING ON STAGE FOR SIGNING CEREMONY WITH VISSEL KOBE CHAIRMAN HIROSHI MIKITANI

31. INIESTA AND MIKITANI POSING FOR PHOTOS WITH VISSEL KOBE SHIRT

32. INIESTA'S NUMBER 8 VISSEL KOBE SHIRT

33. INIESTA AND MIKITANI

STORY: A shy village boy who could not bear to leave his parents' bed, Andres Iniesta may have seemed an unlikely candidate to become one of the best footballers of all time, but anyone who saw him play rarely had serious doubts.

Iniesta, who turns 36 on Monday (May 11), weaved his magic for Barcelona for 16 years and was one of the architects of the club's greatest era, playing a defining role as they won 32 trophies including nine Spanish titles and four Champions League crowns.

"This kid is going to retire us all," said Pep Guardiola when he first watched a teenage Iniesta in action while Spain coach Luis Enrique describes the diminutive midfielder as "Harry Potter, waving his wand".

Iniesta conducted an equally mesmerising orchestra for Spain and clinched his country's finest sporting achievement when his extra-time goal against the Netherlands sealed victory in the 2010 World Cup final.

That cold-blooded strike in Johannesburg's Soccer City Stadium forever endeared Iniesta to Spaniards no matter their allegiances, earning him standing ovations even when playing away to Barca's sworn enemies Real Madrid and Espanyol.

Most touching, though, was how he celebrated that career-defining goal -- ripping off his shirt to pay tribute to his late friend and fellow footballer Dani Jarque who died the previous year.

Jarque's sudden death and a series of injuries had led Iniesta into a severe bout of depression, things getting so bad that he asked to sleep in his parents' bed, just as he had done as a 10-year-old when home from Barcelona's academy.

He conquered his demons with the help of a psychologist and a supportive coach in Guardiola, who had never forgotten how Iniesta backed him when he got off to a rocky start in his first season at Barca.

That campaign ended with Barcelona winning the Champions League, helped by Iniesta's stoppage-time goal against Chelsea to reach the final, sparking a 50% surge in the birth rate in Barcelona.

Last week, he honoured the anniversary of the "Iniestazo" by calling up some of the children his goal had given life to.

"Iniesta is the boyfriend every mother would want for her daughter," said his former Spain team mate Sergio Ramos, summing up the player's universal appeal.

Iniesta called time on his magnificent spells with Spain and Barcelona in 2018 to see out his career in Japan with Vissel Kobe, where he is a role model for the club's future generations.

The only major thing missing from Iniesta's honours list is the prestigious Ballon d'Or, and when he announced he was leaving Barca, organisers France Football felt a pang of guilt for not giving him the award for best player in the world.

"Forgive us, Andres," said their editorial.

"Of all the absences on the list of Ballon d'Or winners, his is particularly painful."

(Production: Stefan Haskins)

Emirates Cricket Board has offered to host the Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) amid the coronavirus pandemic in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As per a report, Emirates Cricket Board has made the proposal to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The Government's new "stay alert" slogan for the next stage of the UK's fight against coronavirus has divided opinion.The "stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives" message that has been drilled into the public for weeks is expected to be dropped for a call to "stay alert, control the virus, save lives".

The former Bulgaria international recalled a League Cup game against Leeds where he played in defence for Sir Alex Ferguson's team

According to Smith's Australia's teammate David Warner, it's him and Indian opener Rohit Sharma who make Smith and Kohli the best batsman by taking the shine of the new ball. The Aussie southpaw made the claim jokingly while talking to Rohit during a live Instagram session.

Sergio Perez has revealed that the financial problems at the former Force India squad were evident on the first day he visited its factory before the 2014 Formula 1 season

The former Buccaneers assistant coach feels that his boss at the Chilli Boys doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the financial support he provides

The Brazilian shot-stopper has cemented his status as one of the best in the world since his move from Roma two years ago

The former leg-spinner thanked all the health care workers and others who are going on with their work so that everyone else can stay safe at home.

Former Toulouse manager Antoine Kombouare said there should be direct action after the French top division was called to a premature halt

A major U.S. airline trade group on Saturday said it backed the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checking the temperatures of passengers and customer-facing employees during the coronavirus pandemic.

Tesla Inc sued local authorities in California on Saturday as the electric carmaker pushed to re-open its factory there and Chief Executive Elon Musk threatened to move Tesla's headquarters and future programs from the state to Texas or Nevada.

China's central bank said on Sunday it will step up counter-cyclical adjustments to support the economy and make monetary policy more flexible to fend off financial risks.

They were first women to overwinter in the Arctic Circle without a man. Now Sunniva Sorby and Hilde Fålulm Strøm face a longer stay due to the pandemic.

The popular saying "April showers bring May flowers" might not be the case this year. The northeastern United States is experiencing an unusual Mother's Day weekend as most restaurants remain closed amid coronavirus concerns and a historic polar vortex packing snow shatters temperature records. Freeze watches and warnings along with frost advisories were put into effect Friday night for many places across parts of the Midwest, down into the Southeast and into the Northeast.

The season officially begins June 1, but some meteorologists who have been tracking ocean and atmospheric dynamics over the past few months say conditions are ripe for storms.

"The persistence of the drought conditions, in the Colorado River basin especially, is essentially unprecedented in human history," John Fleck, author of "Water is for Fighting Over," said.

A review from Alberta's Occupational Health and Safety has found that Cargill did not attempt to engage worker representation as it investigated the circumstances that led to the largest COVID-19 outbreak linked to a single facility in Canada.

B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced 15 new coronavirus cases in the province on Saturday, bringing the current total to 2,330.

Provincial health officials will open a second centre to test for COVID-19 in the southern Alberta city of Brooks, as an outbreak connected to a nearby slaughterhouse continues to grow.

Eleven people, including five children, died and a Philadelphia neighborhood burned down in the airstrike against a black liberation group. Now an effort at reconciliation is under way

Frank Powell, a Philadelphia police officer who in 1985 was chief of the city’s bomb disposal squad, remembers vividly the moment he was given his instructions. “Wow,” he recalls thinking. “You want me to do that?”

On 13 May 1985 Powell was handed an army-style green satchel containing a bomb made of C-4 plastic explosives of the sort widely deployed in Vietnam. He boarded a state police helicopter, and took up his position balanced precariously on the skids of the aircraft.

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With London’s Victoria & Albert Museum in lockdown, its director shares his favourite artefacts

It is pretty dusty in South Kensington at the moment. Without millions of visitors wandering through the V&A galleries, the dust begins to settle and the past takes over. Under the steely eye of Vernon Rapley, head of security, our objects are resting safely at the moment. But the purpose of a museum is predicated upon dialogue and difference: the interaction between citizen and object, the journey into a web of histories, and then the flourishing of curiosity.

“Unvisited museums dwindle into very sleepy and useless institutions,” said our first director Henry Cole, who was an early proponent of blockbuster exhibitions.

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The new Bank of England governor’s predictions about a swift bounce-back don’t inspire confidence

Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, is only a few months into the job and already his reputation for sound management of the economy is in danger. Last week he published a scenario for the next two years that amounted to his best guess on the depth of the recession in front of us, and the prospects for a recovery.

The recession would be deep, he said. Most likely the deepest in more than 300 years. It would last for much of the year and cause severe hardship to many, with increases in unemployment not seen since the 1980s.

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Volunteer Services Lewisham’s food delivery service is a lifeline to vulnerable people suffering under lockdown

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Brown bread. Baked beans. Tea. And would you happen to have any custard, dear?

Some things stand out in the middle of the prodigiously energetic food-parcel line being run from a community hall in south-east London.

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One person was killed after a fire broke out on Saturday at a Moscow hospital treating patients infected with the new coronavirus, the authorities said.

China and the United States both supported a draft United Nations Security Council resolution confronting the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday and it was "shocking and regretful" that Washington changed its mind on Friday, a Chinese diplomat said.

Coronavirus patients were being turned away from hospitals in the Mexican capital on Saturday, as both public and private medical facilities quickly fill up and the number of new infections continues to rise.

Thailand reported five new coronavirus cases but no deaths on Sunday, bringing the total to 3,009 cases and 56 deaths since the outbreak started in the country in January.

Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Sunday the government is looking to lift the state of emergency in "many of 34 prefectures" that are not among the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic before the nationwide deadline of May 31.

Singapore registered 876 new coronavirus infections, its health ministry said on Sunday, taking the city-state's total to 23,336 cases.

South Korea warned of a second wave of the new coronavirus on Sunday as infections rebounded to a one-month high, just as the authorities were starting to ease some pandemic restrictions.

China's National Health Commission reported 14 new confirmed coronavirus cases on May 9, the highest number since April 28, including the first for more than a month in the city of Wuhan where the outbreak was first detected late last year.

The British government wants to slowly and cautiously restart the economy, housing minister Robert Jenrick said on Sunday ahead of a televised address from the prime minister to set out plans to begin easing the coronavirus lockdown measures.

Washington has yet to respond to Iran about a prisoner swap, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei was quoted as saying by the government's website on Sunday, reiterating that Tehran was ready for a full prisoner exchange with the United States without preconditions.

The Department of Homeland Security has issued new regulations, set to take effect Monday, that will limit visas for Chinese reporters to 90 days.

Although health officials have pointed to a flattening rate of daily cases in many provinces, Trudeau said Canada was "not in the recovery phase yet."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday he is "very worried" about residents of Montreal, the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, where the province is preparing to loosen confinement measures despite a rash of fatal outbreaks at nursing homes.

The idea is to identify the problem of burnout early and stop it before it happens.

For more than six weeks the 15-member council has been trying to agree on a text that ultimately aims to back a March 23 call by U.N. chief Antonio Guterres for a ceasefire in global conflicts so the world can focus on the pandemic.

More than 77,000 people with COVID-19 have died in the United States and more than 1.27 million people have tested positive.

A Pickering long-term care home has suffered a possible privacy breach, Ontario's minister of long-term care said Saturday.

Quebec's public health institute says deaths could spike in the greater Montreal area if physical distancing measures designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 are lifted.