There are currently 15 MLS players who earn more than $1 million per season, headlined by Kaka at $7.17 million and Clint Dempsey at $6.7 million.

- Kaka (Orlando City): $7.17 million
- Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders): $6.7 million
- Michael Bradley (Toronto FC): $6.5 million
- Jermain Defoe (Toronto FC): $6.18 million
- Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy): $4.58 million
- Thierry Henry, New York Red Bulls: $4.35 million
- Robbie Keane, Los Angeles Galaxy: $4.5 million
- Tim Cahill, New York Red Bulls: $3.63 million
- Jermaine Jones, New England Revolution: $3.25 million
- Marco Di Vaio, Montreal Impact: $2.6 million
- Obafemi Martins, Seattle Sounders: $1.75 million
- Pedro Morales, Vancouver Whitecaps: $1.41 million
- Omar Gonzalez, Los Angeles Galaxy: $1.25 million
- Gilberto, Toronto FC: $1.21 million
- Liam Ridgewell, Portland Timbers: $1.2 million

Arsene Wenger dropped Alexis Sánchez from Arsenal's starting XI in their past two Premier League matches.

Goal reports that Sánchez was dropped due to how he slows the team's passing game.

Wenger has used Sánchez as a substitute.

Arsenal is convinced that more training-ground work will make Sánchez a better fit.

Diego Simeone has defended the style of play used by Atlético Madrid as they have received criticism that they play violent football.

“We succeeded with a style that is different in Spain, especially based on the imprint of Barcelona,” Simeone told Mundo Deportivo.

“We showed that there are other weapons, in other forms, and with them you can compete well.

“We embraced the characteristics of the players we had, and we became practical, solid, strong and stable from empowering these individuals.

“I am very much guided by intuition. I trust my intuition. And from the moment I stepped into the Vicente Calderon locker room, I felt a special empathy with a group of extraordinary guys.”

Simeone said he wouldn't reevaluate Atleti's play in light of the criticism.

“This is no time to stop and evaluate what we are doing," he added. "We can’t stop even for a second. The important thing is tomorrow.

“Today we enjoy a wonderful story, an amazing fellowship with all the parts that make this club. Assessment can come at another stage.”

Lionel Messi is confident that Luis Suárez will give Barcelona a new dimension to their attacking play.

"It's special that he chose to come here [from Liverpool]," Messi told Fox Sports Magazine. "We will be stronger as a team with him. We will have a lot more variety."

Barcelona hasn't advanced to the Champions League Final since they won it in 2011.

"We have to get back to winning trophies," Messi added.

"The objectives are always the same: to win titles and to show good football. Last year, we failed when we should not have done so.

"For us, it's not vengeance to return to the Champions League final because it's our duty to be there. We will try to do it again, as we have always done."

A report this week indicated that Real Madrid has interest in Raheem Sterling.

Sterling has been unable to get a new contract with Liverpool.

“It shows that he’s playing exceptionally well,” said Brendan Rodgers. “I think you could probably link Raheem with every club in the world at the moment. He’s a fantastic young talent.

“I’ve nothing really to add to it. There’s obviously lots of speculation every day about players coming and going here at Liverpool.

“He’s a wonderful boy who’s developing very, very well here. I’m sure at some point in the future, whatever contract we’re looking to work with will be sorted, but he’s still got three years left and there’s no rush from my perspective.”

Roberto Martínez attempted to shrug off reports that Manchester City will pursue Ross Barkley by taking it as a compliment.

Barkley is one of the most coveted young players in England and there were published reports this week that Chelsea and Manchester City will try to pry him from Everton.

“It’s a rumor and we’ll leave it there," said Martínez. "We’ve spoken enough in the past about potential interest and I always mention the same – we take it as a footballing compliment and we’ll move on.

“All we want from Ross now is to be able to get him fully fit and get him ready to enjoy his football and help the team. We are looking forward to that day.”

Paris Saint-Germain has struggled to start the season and Laurent Blanc has received criticism for how he has used Zlatan Ibrahimović.

Ibrahimović has failed to score in three straight matches as works back from injury.

"He's a major player," Blanc told a news conference. "You don't take off that kind of player. He's an extraordinary competitor."

Blanc took Ibrahimović off the pitch early in a match earlier this season that PSG was winning by several goals.

"I do sometimes take him off, because he's going to be 33," he said. "I allow myself to substitute him, because I tell myself the season is long. I take him off when the match is won to protect him. You may remember that his injury last season was a problem for us."

Arsène Wenger believes Abou Diaby is capable of playing the holding midfield role for Arsenal once he returns to full fitness.

Diaby ruptured knee ligaments in March of 2013.

The Frenchman stepped up his recovery with an hour-long appearance in the League Cup defeat to Southampton on Tuesday night, eight days after playing a full match for the club's Under-21s, and Wenger says he could adapt his game to provide an option at the base of his midfield.

"I tried to develop [Diaby] in a deeper role, I think he can do it. He can be very interesting because he has all the attributes to do it. After, he must love it as well because he's more of an offensive-minded player," Wenger told reporters on Tuesday.

"I try to transform it, yes because I feel because he was injured for a long time and he has the physical potential to win the challenges, to face the game will be easier for him than to play with his back to goal with the injuries he had."

After Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals against his club on Tuesday, Elche manager Fran Escriba compared him to Michael Jordan.

"Ronaldo is an extraordinary player with tremendous scoring ability," Escriba told reporters.

"This is like when Michael Jordan was playing and scoring 50 points every night.

"And on top of that he got two penalties. He doesn't need the help."

Ronaldo has recorded 25 hat-tricks for Real since his move from Manchester United in 2009.

Bayern Munich defeated Paderborn by a final score of 4-0 on Tuesday to climb to the top of the table in the Bundesliga.

Pep Guardiola was more pleased with how Bayern played than he was in the result.

“We played very well for the first 25 minutes," Guardiola told reporters. 

"Overall, I’m pleased because our build-up play has improved. We’re top now, but that’s not what matters at the moment. What matters is the way we play.”