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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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Titterrell urges England U20 to make New Zealand fear them in rare Junior World Championship bronze final
England U20 head coach Andy Titterrell has made four changes for Saturday's Junior World Championship third-place play-off against New Zealand in Georgia, calling on his side to make the Baby Blacks 'fear' them in a fixture England have not played in nearly a decade.
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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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Jake Paul targets Nate Diaz MMA debut and Mayweather rematch as broken jaw heals
Jake Paul says he is weeks away from being cleared to spar after suffering a broken jaw in his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua, with Nate Diaz topping his MMA wish list and Floyd Mayweather among the boxing names in early discussions.
MMA -
Cannae Holdings CEO confirms 100% commitment to investing in Exeter Chiefs women's rugby
Cannae Holdings CEO Ryan Caswell has publicly committed to growing Exeter Chiefs' women's rugby programme, citing the group's track record at AFC Bournemouth and the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights as proof of their investment model.
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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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Coulthard recalls Spa crash that broke his leg and left him in tears on the grass
David Coulthard has revisited a violent early-career accident at Spa-Francorchamps, describing how a T-bone collision in the Formula Opel Lotus Euroseries compressed his chassis and fractured his right leg at Eau Rouge.
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Red Bull abandons 'Macarena' rear wing for Belgian GP after two Verstappen crashes
Red Bull has reverted to its conventional rear wing ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen suffered high-speed crashes in Austria and Britain linked to the rotating 'Macarena' concept. The team is working on modifications at its Milton Keynes factory before reintroducing the design.
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Red Bull drops 'Macarena' rear wing in Belgium after two Verstappen crashes
Red Bull has reverted to its conventional rear wing for the Belgian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen suffered high-speed incidents in Austria and Britain linked to the team's rotating 'Macarena' concept. The team is working on modifications at its Milton Keynes factory before reintroducing the design.
Formula 1 -
Covington refuses to pile on injured McGregor while blasting Poirier as 'fake nice guy'
Colby Covington has offered a measured response to Conor McGregor's knee injury at UFC 329, declining to criticise the Irishman while taking aim at Dustin Poirier for calling McGregor a 'dirtbag' shortly after the loss.
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Townsend makes 14 changes as Scotland overhaul XV to face Fiji at Murrayfield
Gregor Townsend has made 14 changes and one positional switch to his Scotland starting XV for Saturday's Nations Championship clash with Fiji at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, leaving Gregor Brown as the only survivor from the side beaten 42-28 by South Africa in Pretoria.
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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.
Football
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