The 2030 men’s soccer World Cup is set to feature games in six countries on three continents in a unique format that will allow the tournament to celebrate its 100th anniversary in Uruguay. FIFA reached an agreement Wednesday between soccer’s continental leaders to accept a bid spearheaded by co-hosts Spain, Portugal and Morocco as the only candidate for the hosting rights. The agreement also includes staging games in South American…
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes played the most minutes of football among elite players over the past year, the global players’ union (FIFPRO) said on Wednesday. The 29-year-old Fernandes accumulated 6,666 minutes of play in 72 appearances between Sept. 15, 2022, and Sept. 15, 2023, for Portugal and Manchester United. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) According to FIFPRO, the midfielder has logged a total of 29,486 minutes…
Ajax Amsterdam have hired their former head coach Louis van Gaal as an adviser, the Dutch club said on Tuesday, as they look to end a string of disappointing results. Ajax are in 15th place in the 18-team Eredivisie table, and have not won a match since the opening weekend, despite spending over €100 million ($104.71 million) on new players in the close-season. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more…
Celta Vigo’s Rafa Benitez has become the latest high-profile manager to hit out at VAR after his side had a goal ruled out in their 2-1 LaLiga defeat at Las Palmas on Monday. The visiting side thought they opened the scoring in the first half through Jørgen Strand Larsen but it was disallowed after a VAR review adjudged Las Palmas defender Mika Mármol was fouled in the buildup. – The…
The summer transfer window has closed for Europe’s top leagues, but there are still moves in the works and plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals! Manchester United have identified two centre-backs in Benfica’s António Silva and Nice star Jean-Clair Todibo as potential reinforcements in January, according to the Daily Mail. The Red Devils are…
A football team is only as good as its goal scorers, and for Manchester United that usually means their fortunes are directly linked to the form of Marcus Rashford. Right now, that’s not good news at Old Trafford. United are enduring their worst start to a season since 1989-90, having lost four of their first seven Premier League games. Rashford, who became the club’s highest-earning player by signing a £325,000-a-week,…
The summer transfer window has closed for Europe’s top leagues, but there are still moves in the works and plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals! AC Milan are looking to secure goalkeeper Mike Maignan to a new contract amid interest from Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, according to Calciomercato. Talks between the club and the…
After a summer off for good behaviour, the Women’s Super League (WSL) returned on Sunday with an entertaining a day filled with goals, cards and debuts. These are the key talking points from the WSL weekend, along with some highlights from European action. With WSL referees encouraged to mirror the men’s game and clamp down on things like dissent and time-wasting, we saw an influx in cautions over the weekend,…
The summer transfer window has closed throughout most of Europe, but there are still moves in the works and plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals! Inter Miami president David Beckham is believed to have spoken to Luka Modric about a potential move in the January transfer window or at the end of the current…
Not so long ago, Real Mallorca manager Javier Aguirre called his best striker a “weird, ugly monster,” but the striker didn’t care. “He’s right: I am ugly. I think there’s something wrong with my wife’s eyesight,” Vedat Muriqi replied. “And he’s [Aguirre] not so handsome either.” And that’s exactly the way they like him. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) A great storyteller, a born leader, exceptionally charismatic,…