Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit landed in the Chechen capital on Wednesday to the cheers of hundreds of Terek Grozny supporters who hope to see him make their side the new darling of Europe.

The two-time world footballer of the year draped a green Chechen republic scarf around his neck and smiled broadly as fans chanted Gullit's name and performed traditional Caucasus dances around the global superstar.

Rafael Nadal and Olympic skiing champion Lindsey Vonn won this year's individual Laureus Sports Awards on Monday, with Spain's World Cup winners taking the team prize.

The No. 1-ranked Nadal — winner of three Grand Slam tennis titles in 2010 — was named sportsman of the year, beating nominees including Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao and Barcelona footballers Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi.

Beirut Marathon Association founder May el-Khalil won this year's Laureus “Sport for Good Award” on Monday.

The No. 1-ranked tennis player Rafael Nadal — winner of three Grand Slam tennis titles in 2010 — was named sportsman of the year, beating nominees including Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao and Barcelona footballers Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi.

Kenny Dalglish refused to revel in revenge over Fernando Torres as Liverpool spoiled the Chelsea striker's debut with a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

Torres ignored Dalglish's pleas to remain at Anfield as he handed in a transfer request in a successful attempt to force through a British record 50 million pound transfer last week.

Real Madrid, one of the world's richest football clubs, have announced they have reached an agreement with Saudi Arabia's Prince Salman Foundation to build a sports academy in the Middle Eastern country.

The deal will officially be signed in Madrid on Monday, the Spanish club said in a statement published on their website late on Friday.

Maria Sharapova hopes her first Fed Cup outing in three years will help erase the misery of her latest Grand Slam blow-out.

The three-time major winner, and former world number one who has struggled to rediscover her best form since a 2008 shoulder injury, suffered a tame fourth round defeat at the Australian Open.

Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski will miss the rest of the season following shoulder surgery, Gunners manager Arsene Wenger said Thursday.

The Pole was injured during the warm-up ahead of Arsenal's Premier League match against Manchester City last month and has not played since.

Serbian world number three Novak Djokovic wants to pair up with Andy Murray, whom Djokovic beat to win the Australian Open, for the doubles tournament in Indian Wells, Sportske Novosti reported Wednesday.

"We spoke in Melbourne of the possibility of playing doubles together in Indian Wells and I will raise the issue again with him," Djokovic told the Serbian sports daily.

Mercedes GP team boss Ross Brawn on Wednesday backed seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher to come back stronger this season after his disappointing return to Formula One last year.

Having come out of retirement, the 42-year-old Schumacher failed to reach the podium at all in the 2010 season and his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg finished 70 points ahead of him in the World Drivers' Championships.

Fernando Torres was sold from Liverpool to Chelsea on Monday for a British record transfer fee, said to be 50 million pounds ($79.5 million).

Monday's deal is soccer's third-most expensive transfer, exceeded by Real Madrid's 2009 purchases of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for 80 million pounds ($131 million) and Kaka from AC Milan for 65 million euros ($92 million). It will be a similar figure to that received by Inter Milan when the Italian team sold Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Barcelona the same year, a deal that sent Samuel Eto'o to Inter.