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Messi eligible for Ballon d'Or at 39, organisers officially confirm
Author of a decisive performance in the World Cup semi-final against England (2-1), Lionel Messi remains a credible candidate for the Ballon d'Or. The organisers have confirmed that playing outside Europe poses no obstacle to winning the trophy.
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Real Madrid open to selling Camavinga as Manchester United hunt defensive midfielder
Real Madrid could allow Eduardo Camavinga to leave this summer amid interest from Manchester United and Manchester City, according to reports. United, who have already spent around £83m on Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, are seeking more conservatively priced options to complete their midfield rebuild.
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Adidas sweeps the World Cup final as Nike's 12 teams all fall short
Both World Cup finalists — Argentina and Spain — are outfitted by Adidas, leaving Nike without a single team on the tournament's biggest stage despite sponsoring 12 national sides and investing heavily in its 'Rip the Script' campaign.
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Liverpool hand Jeremy Jacquet the No.5 shirt vacated by Konate after £60m arrival
Jeremy Jacquet has been assigned Liverpool's No.5 shirt, previously worn by Ibrahima Konate, as the £60m signing from Rennes begins pre-season training at Anfield. The 21-year-old French defender says he is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a shoulder injury.
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Petkovic blames his players in post-World Cup report after Algeria's elimination
Eliminated by Switzerland (2-0) in the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup, Algeria faces an internal crisis: in his report to the FAF, Vladimir Petkovic names his own players as the main culprits for the debacle.
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Messi bathed baby Yamal in 2007 — now they meet in the World Cup final
Nineteen years before Argentina face Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, a five-month-old Lamine Yamal was photographed being cradled and bathed by a 20-year-old Lionel Messi after his family won a raffle to visit Barcelona's Camp Nou dressing room.
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Extended World Cup final half-time break raises injury risk for players, physiology expert warns
A 25-to-30-minute half-time interval at Sunday's World Cup final between Argentina and Spain will be driven by an 11-minute FIFA entertainment show — and a leading physiology expert says the prolonged break could reduce muscle temperature, elevate injury risk, and hurt second-half performance.
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Glen Johnson says Spence 'was not smart' as VAR ignores Messi foul in England's World Cup exit
England were eliminated from the World Cup after a 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Lautaro Martinez heading the winner in stoppage time. Former England defender Glen Johnson believes Djed Spence should have done more to draw a foul from Lionel Messi in the build-up to the decisive goal.
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Howe and Guardiola lead England manager odds as Tuchel faces semi-final fallout
Thomas Tuchel is expected to remain England manager despite a last-gasp World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, but Newcastle's Eddie Howe and free-agent Pep Guardiola have emerged as the bookmakers' frontrunners should the FA move on.
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Grealish, Foden and FA Youth Cup stars set to face Maresca in Man City's pre-season opener
Manchester City begin their 2026 pre-season on Monday, July 20, with Enzo Maresca taking his first training session. Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and several Under-18 FA Youth Cup winners are among those expected to report back early.
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Bouaddi set to stay at Lille for another season despite Manchester City interest
After an impressive 2026 World Cup with Morocco, Ayyoub Bouaddi is highly sought after, notably by Manchester City. LOSC president Olivier Létang indicated on Thursday that the 18-year-old midfielder should honour an additional year of his contract.
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Chelsea delete Fernandez celebration post after Argentina stun England in World Cup semi-final
Enzo Fernandez scored a late equaliser and Lautaro Martinez headed a stoppage-time winner as Argentina beat England 2-1 in Atlanta to reach the World Cup final. Chelsea briefly celebrated Fernandez's goal on social media before deleting the post amid a backlash from England fans.
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Dembélé clashes with Mbappé, Olise and Barcola at half-time against Spain
After France's defeat to Spain (0-2) in the 2026 World Cup semi-final, Ousmane Dembélé confronted his attacking teammates at half-time over their lack of pressing — a move that frustrated several players in the dressing room.
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Arsenal agree £34m deal to sign Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge as Trossard exits
Arsenal have reached a £34 million agreement with Club Brugge to sign Greek winger Christos Tzolis, one of Mikel Arteta's top targets, with the deal being finalised following Leandro Trossard's confirmed departure.
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NYC Mayor Mamdani watches World Cup semifinal with inmates at Rikers Island
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined more than 100 incarcerated men at Rikers Island to watch England face Argentina, as part of a jail-run World Cup programme that has hosted roughly 90 screenings for around 4,500 inmates since the tournament began.
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Rashford set to return for United pre-season as club shapes third midfield signing
Marcus Rashford is expected to report for Manchester United's pre-season after a post-World Cup break, with positive talks easing uncertainty over his future. United have already signed Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and a goalkeeper this window, and are targeting a third midfielder.
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Colombian teenager Orozco completes Manchester United move on his 18th birthday
Cristian Orozco has joined Manchester United's academy after the club finalised a deal with Colombian side Fortaleza CEIF, an agreement that had been in place for nine months pending the midfielder's 18th birthday.
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Liverpool close to securing Szoboszlai on new deal to end free-transfer fears
Liverpool are on the verge of agreeing a contract extension with Dominik Szoboszlai, who had entered the final two years of his deal. The £60m signing from RB Leipzig scored 13 goals and registered 12 assists last season.
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Messi's two assists edge him ahead of Mbappe as Argentina reach World Cup final
Lionel Messi moved clear of Kylian Mbappe in the Golden Boot standings after contributing two assists in Argentina's 2-1 semi-final comeback win over England, setting up a final against Spain in New York on Sunday.
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Pardew delivers five-point verdict on Tuchel's tactical errors in England's 2-1 defeat to Argentina
Alan Pardew has issued a detailed breakdown of where Thomas Tuchel went wrong as England surrendered a 2-1 semi-final lead to Argentina, with Enzo Fernandez equalising late before Lautaro Martinez sealed the win in added time.
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