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Manchester City are now preparing an offer for an “excellent creator”, as Pep Guardiola believes the midfielder would be a perfect fit in his system, according to a report.

Man City eyeing Kevin De Bruyne replacement

Kevin De Bruyne’s time at the Etihad Stadium is set to come to an end this summer, and there is now a feeling he could end up remaining in the Premier League, as Aston Villa are ready to back Unai Emery with a move for the Belgian.

As such, Guardiola will be tasked with bringing in a replacement for De Bruyne at the end of the campaign, and a number of top-level attacking midfielders have been identified as potential targets, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Desire Doue recently emerging as an option.

Doue will not come cheap, with the Blues preparing a £102m offer for the Frenchman, and he is not the only expensive signing they are considering, as Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz is also of interest, and the £129m German would be keen on a move to the Etihad Stadium.

Related Development: Man City now close in on move to sign "world-class" £54m star

The Blues have received a boost in their pursuit of a defender, who they are expected to make a move for this summer.

Posts ByDominic Lund Apr 29, 2025

Man City have set their sights on some renowned attacking midfielders from across Europe, but there is also an indication they may take a gamble on an up-and-coming talent, with a report from Spain revealing they are preparing a super offer for River Plate’s Franco Mastantuono.

Guardiola believes Mastantuono would be a perfect fit for his system, which means City chiefs are now seriously considering making a big offer for the 17-year-old, who has caught the eye with his performances for River Plate this season.

A number of other major clubs have set their sights on the Argentine, including Manchester United, but he is protected by a €45m (£38m) release clause and isn’t expected to leave his current club until 2026 at the earliest.

"Excellent" Mastantuono could be De Bruyne heir

De Bruyne has a remarkable assist record during his time with City, setting up 177 goals in 417 games, so it will be a very difficult task to replace the 33-year-old, but there are signs the River Plate youngster could be the ideal heir.

Football scout Ben Mattinson believes the teenager is an impressive playmaker, while also taking the time to praise his ability from free-kicks.

Most recently, the starlet scored a remarkable free-kick for River Plate in his side’s 2-1 victory against bitter rivals Boca Juniors.

At 17-years-old, it would be a tall order for Mastantuono to replace De Bruyne any time soon, but there is every indication that he could be a future star.

And which player made a hundred and took a hat-trick in the same Test?

Steven Lynch30-Jul-2024Did I hear right from the TV commentary from Trent Bridge that Shoaib Bashir was the youngest ever to take a Test five-for in England? asked Keith McDonald from Scotland

That’s nearly right: the tall Somerset offspinner Shoaib Bashir was the youngest to take five Test wickets in an innings for England in England during the second Test against West Indies at Trent Bridge earlier this month. He was 20 years and 282 days old, 16 days younger than Jimmy Anderson when he took 5 for 73 on his debut against Zimbabwe at Lord’s in 2003.Seven visiting bowlers have taken a five-for in a Test in England when younger than Bashir. Youngest of all was Mohammad Amir, who was 18 when he took 5 for 52 for Pakistan at The Oval in 2010. The others are Ramakant “Tiny” Desai for India at Lord’s in 1959 , Graham McKenzie for Australia at Lord’s in 1961 , Alf Valentine for West Indies at Old Trafford in 1950, Craig McDermott for Australia at Lord’s in 1985, Chetan Sharma for India at Lord’s in 1986, and Kapil Dev for India at Edgbaston in 1979. Apart from Desai, who was 19, the others were all 20 years old. Dwayne Bravo (for West Indies at Old Trafford in 2004) also took a five-for before turning 21, but he was older than Bashir and Anderson.This was Bashir’s third Test five-for: the only younger man to take one for England anywhere is Rehan Ahmed, who was just 18 when he claimed 5 for 48 against Pakistan in Karachi in December 2022. The only other man to take five wickets in a Test for England before turning 21 was the Nottinghamshire left-arm seamer Bill Voce, who was 20 (and 182 days) when he took 7 for 70 against West Indies in Port-of Spain in 1929-30. For the list of the youngest men to take five wickets in an innings in all Tests, click here.The first three innings of the Nottingham Test all produced more than 400 runs. How often has this happened? And was it really the first time England had reached 400 twice in a Test? asked Keith D’Souza from Spain

The match between England and West Indies at Trent Bridge provided only the tenth instance of a Test containing three totals in excess of 400. In three of those, one of the 400s came in the fourth innings of the match. They included two of the most famous of all Tests: the ten-day timeless Test between England and South Africa in Durban in 1938-39, which ended in a draw when England – 654 for 5 chasing 696 to win – had to leave to catch the boat home, and the Headingley Test of 1948 , when the “Invincible” Australians led by Don Bradman chased down 404 to win on the final day, the 39-year-old Don finishing with 173 not out, his 29th and last Test century.Surprisingly, this was indeed the first time in all of their 1073 Tests that England had reached 400 in both innings. Perhaps it’s not so surprising when you discover that there have been only ten other instances of a side passing 400 twice, one of them earlier this year by India against England in Rajkot.Ollie Pope has now made six Test centuries, all against six different countries. Is this a record? asked Andrew Brownjohn from England

Ollie Pope’s 121 in the recent second Test at Trent Bridge was indeed his sixth Test century, all against different opponents. I was rather surprised to discover that he was the ninth batter to make his first six Test tons against different countries, following Quinton de Koc (South Africa), Dhananjaya de Silva (Sri Lanka), Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka), Henry Nicholls (New Zealand), Ricky Ponting (Australia), Ashwell Prince (South Africa), Thilan Samaraweera (Sri Lanka) and Virender Sehwag (India). Straying into what-if territory, Pope has a chance to become the first to score his first seven centuries against different opponents later this summer in the series against Sri Lanka. De Kock made six hundreds in his Test career, which appears to have ended in December 2021 – but he could make it seven if he were to make a return.The record in one-day internationals is held by Ireland’s William Porterfield, whose first nine centuries were all against different opposition. Sean Williams of Zimbabwe comes next: his eight ODI hundreds to date have all come against different countries.Peter Moor (right) played his last Test for Zimbabwe in 2018, and became the ninth man to play against his old country when he turned up for Ireland last week•Munir Uz Zaman/AFP/Getty ImagesPeter Moor, who used to represent Zimbabwe, played a Test against them last week. How many others have played a Test against their former country? asked Richard Stone from Zimbabwe

When he made his debut for Ireland against Bangladesh in Mirpur in April 2023, Peter Moor became the 17th man to have represented two countries in Test cricket. Interestingly, the last of Moor’s eight Tests for Zimbabwe was also against Bangladesh in Mirpur, in November 2018; he made 83, his highest Test score to date. Moor faced his former countrymen in the first Test played at the Stormont ground in Belfast, in Northern Ireland, last week.Moor is the ninth of those 17 men to play for his new country against the old one. The first to do this was Billy Midwinter, who remains the only man to appear on both sides in England-Australia Tests (and also the only one to be kidnapped by WG Grace). The England pair of Frank Hearne and Frank Mitchell both played for England against South Africa, then emigrated to South Africa and played against England (Mitchell as captain).The Nawab of Pataudi senior played for England, scoring a century on debut in Sydney during the 1932-33 Bodyline series, and later captained India in England in 1946. Abdul Hafeez Kardar and Amir Elahi represented India before Partition and Pakistan against India afterwards. Wicketkeeper Sammy Guillen played for West Indies in New Zealand in 1951-52, and liked the place so much he decided to go and live there: he was given special permission to play against West Indies in 1955-56, and was instrumental in New Zealand’s first Test win after 26 years, in Auckland. And finally Kepler Wessels played for Australia, then returned to his native South Africa and captained them in Australia in 1993-94.Four of the others – Billy Murdoch, Jack Ferris, Sammy Woods and Albert Trott – played against England for Australia, then for England against South Africa (but did not oppose Australia). And four more – Gul Mohammad, John Traicos, Boyd Rankin and Gary Ballance – played for a second country against different opposition entirely. For the full list of men who have represented two countries in a Test, click here. No women have yet represented two different countries in Tests.Which player scored a hundred and took a hat-trick in the same Test? asked Joel Pojas from the Philippines

The only man to achieve this remarkable all-round feat is the Bangladesh offspinner Sohag Gazi, who followed his unbeaten 101 against New Zealand in Chattogram in 2013-14 with a hat-trick towards the end of the visitors’ second innings. “As much as the hat-trick, I was happy with the hundred,” he said afterwards. “I helped the team in a vital moment, and I batted with the tail.”But the first person to do it in a Test match was a woman: Australia’s Betty Wilson enjoyed a remarkable match at St Kilda in Melbourne in 1957-58. After taking 7 for 7 and rounding off England’s innings of 35 with a hat-trick, Wilson scored exactly 100 as Australia – skittled themselves for 38 in the first innings – made 202 for 9 before setting a target of 206 in what became 64 overs. England survived – just, finishing with 76 for 8: Wilson took 4 for 9 this time, and finished with eye-popping match figures of 29.3-18-16-11.Only eight other men have taken a hat-trick and scored a century at some point during their Test career: Johnny Briggs, Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali (England), Wasim Akram and Abdul Razzaq (Pakistan), Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan (India), and James Franklin (New Zealand). For the list of Test hat-tricks, click here.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Netherlands’ coaching consultant had spent seven days in an induced coma after going into cardiac arrest in the UK in April

Tristan Lavalette29-Oct-2022On the long journey from Sydney to Perth, Ryan Campbell found himself struggling to focus on watching films during his flight.So, instead, he decided to stare at the flight path and his emotions stirred when he realised the plane was flying over Kalgoorlie, Western Australia’s famous gold-mining town where he spent some of his formative years.”There was this calmness that I felt. I’m home,” Campbell, the former Australia wicketkeeper-batter and Netherlands coaching consultant, told ESPNcricinfo.Two days ahead of the T20 World Cup game between Netherlands and Pakistan at Optus Stadium, Campbell returned home to Perth for the first time since April. Back then, Campbell had enjoyed a long-awaited homecoming after two years due to WA’s strict Covid-19 hard border.”It was the first time I saw mum and dad since Covid-19. I saw mates and watched the (AFL team) Dockers play,” Campbell said. “I was fit and healthy.”But just days after he left Perth, Campbell went into cardic arrest in the UK while playing with his two children in a playground. He was given CPR at the scene before spending seven days in an induced coma.Related

• T20 World Cup scenarios: Pakistan rooting for India to stay alive

• Netherlands coach Ryan Campbell in hospital following heart attack

• Ryan Campbell reflects on 'humbling' recovery

He was given only a seven percent chance of survival, but rallied and has since made a full recovery.”That’s why everyone who had seen me in Perth couldn’t quite believe what happened to me literally just a few days after I left,” Campbell said. “They were all shocked.”Having endured so much, Campbell, who has children aged seven and four, savoured spending time with close mates at a bar shortly after arriving in Perth on Friday. Some of them hadn’t seen him since his near-death experience.”It’s great to be back, almost a bit surreal,” he said. “When we were in Geelong [for the first round], I had a reunion with friends. Guys from Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne flew in.”It was emotional to see them, emotional for them too. Grown men were in tears and giving me hugs. I’m lucky to have those people around me.”

“Grown men were in tears and giving me hugs. I’m lucky to have those people around me.”Ryan Campbell, the former Australia player and current Netherlands coaching consultant

His mates like to rib him by dubbing him the ‘Prince of Perth’ due to Campbell’s popularity as a flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter. He had also carved an effective opening partnership with Mike Hussey during WA’s heyday in the late 1990s. He was a prominent figure in the local media after he retired from cricket in 2006 before heading abroad.But that moniker might not be a stretch of the truth with Campbell, who played two ODIs in 2002, warmly embraced by several patrons at the popular watering hole.”There were times I didn’t think I would ever be back in Perth,” he said. “I’ve spent five years in the Netherlands and the five before that in Hong Kong, but I’ll always call Perth home. I’m the most proud person of this wonderful state.”Ryan Campbell forged a strong opening partnership with Mike Hussey during Western Australia’s heyday in the late 1990s•Getty ImagesWhile in Perth he’ll also catch up with his parents, having not seen his dad since April. “We’ll talk a lot of rubbish and what’s going on,” he said. “Of course, he’ll have an opinion on the cricket, as he always watches it.”On the Netherlands’ team bus from the airport to hotel, Campbell excitedly pointed out the city’s landmarks to his wide-eyed players who were mostly making their first visit to Perth.”I’m like a proud dad wanting to show off their babies,” he said. “On the bus I was pointing out the stadium and the Swan River. The guys were in love with it already.”Having passed the head coach reins to Ryan Cook, the T20 World Cup is a swansong for Campbell with the Netherlands after almost six years. With his young family entrenched in the Netherlands, with his children speaking fluent Dutch and proudly supporting the Netherlands at the upcoming FIFA World Cup, Campbell was uncertain about his next move.”My family is very settled in Europe. The kids are in school. We’ll only move if there is something set in stone,” Campbell said. “The romantic in me would be keen to coach in Australia but it’s tough to get a job there. If it means in the UK or somewhere else, so be it.”Before then, Campbell is helping steer the Netherlands’ T20 World Cup campaign, which started by them memorably navigating through the first round.After losses to Bangladesh and India in the Super 12s, Campbell’s local knowledge is hoped to help muster a highly competitive effort against a wounded Pakistan, whose semi-final dreams are hanging by a thread.No matter the result, watching his adopted country play at the 60,000-seat Optus Stadium will cap a memorable return to Perth for Campbell.”In my dream of dreams, I would love to see Scorchers fans dressed in orange and throw their support for the Dutch,” he said. “I can’t wait for the guys to play at the stadium in front of the passionate Perth fans. It will be an amazing experience.”

And what’s the most catches taken by someone who bagged a pair in the same Test?

Steven Lynch24-Mar-2020Which bowler holds the record for dismissing the highest number of century-makers in Tests? asked K Lokaraj from India

The name at the top of this list is an unsurprising one – Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker Muttiah Muralitharan dismissed 34 batsmen after they got to 100 – but the man in second place is a bit more of a shock: Harbhajan Singh accounted for 28 century-makers in Tests. Jimmy Anderson is currently third, with 26, ahead of the Indian pair of Anil Kumble (25) and Zaheer Khan (24).At the other end of the scale, Glenn McGrath inflicted 104 ducks in Tests, and Murali and Shane Warne 102 apiece.Who was twice stranded on 99 not out in the Sheffield Shield? asked Justin Kelly from Australia

I was rather surprised to discover that there have only been seven cases of a batsman scoring 99 not out in a Sheffield Shield match. The unfortunate man who bagged two – in the space of three matches in 2008-09 – was the Tasmanian allrounder Brett Geeves, who played three white-ball internationals for Australia around this time (and was also called into the Test squad, without winning a cap). Geeves’ first near-miss came against Victoria in Melbourne, and was soon followed by another 99 not out against New South Wales in Newcastle. Both times he was stranded when No. 11 Tim McDonald was dismissed. Poor Geeves never did make a first-class hundred.The others to make 99 not out in a Sheffield Shield innings were Roger Woolley (Tasmania v Western Australia in Devonport in 1978-79), Adam Gilchrist (WA v South Australia in Adelaide in 1995-96), Jimmy Maher (Queensland v WA in Brisbane in 1998-99), Michael Klinger (Victoria v Tasmania in Hobart in 2000-01), and Michael Hussey (WA v South Australia in Adelaide in 2012-13).I spotted that Sachin Tendulkar took part in 72 Tests that ended as draws. I assume this is the record. Who’s next? asked Hasan Narayan from India

Rather surprisingly, perhaps, Sachin Tendulkar’s total of 72 drawn Tests only puts him second on this particular table. On top is Kapil Dev: although he played 69 fewer Tests than Tendulkar (131 to 200), well over half of them – 75 – ended in draws. Two more Indians come next: Sunil Gavaskar (67 draws in 125 Tests) and Dilip Vengsarkar (64 out of 116). Javed Miandad played in 62 drawn Tests, and Allan Border and Rahul Dravid 59 each.Out of the 131 Tests that Kapil Dev was a part of, 75 ended as draws•Getty ImagesWhat’s the most catches taken by someone who bagged a pair in the same Test? asked Kelly Morgan from New Zealand

Two wicketkeepers have taken seven catches in a Test in which they also bagged a pair – South Africa’s Dave Richardson, against Pakistan in Johannesburg in 1994-95, and David Williams for West Indies against England in Port-of-Spain in 1997-98. Ian Healy made eight dismissals, two of them stumpings, to go with a pair for Australia against West Indies in Adelaide in 1992-93 (the match West Indies won by one run). Gary Wilson also took six catches in the match for Ireland against England at Lord’s last year.The record for an outfielder who also bagged a pair is three catches, which has happened seven times now. It was most recently done by the Zimbabwean legspinner Brandon Mavuta, against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2018-19 (he also managed 0 for 189 with the ball).Following on from the recent question about who has played the most Tests on one ground, I wondered who had played on the most different grounds? asked Michael Clements from England

Sachin Tendulkar does come out on top of this list, helped by having played a record 200 Test matches in all. He played at 42 different grounds, with 11 matches in Kolkata and Mohali, and ten each in Chennai and at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Rahul Dravid played Tests at 36 different venues, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul at 35. VVS Laxman played at 32 different grounds, and Alastair Cook and Jacques Kallis at 30.The former West Indian batsman Faoud Bacchus played 19 Tests at 19 different grounds, a record recently equalled by England’s Adil Rashid.Chanderpaul holds the overall record for having played first-class cricket on the most grounds – 116, one ahead of Tom Graveney and Mushtaq Mohammad. The former England captain MJK Smith played on 114 different grounds, his sometime Test team-mates Jim Parks and Peter Richardson on 113, and Dravid and Tendulkar on 112.Use our
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MatériaMais Notícias

Não é porque a Seleção Brasileira está sendo comandada por Dorival Júnior, que o atacante Calleri vai deixar de torcer pela Argentina. Mas a sua relação com o ex-treinador do São Paulo fez com que ele balançasse na hora de tomar a decisão.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Tricolor agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! São Paulo

O centroavante são-paulino trabalhou somente uma temporada com Dorival, mas foi o suficiente para a dupla conquistar a inédita Copa do Brasil para o Tricolor, com o camisa 9, inclusive, sendo decisivo e marcando no jogo de ida da final, no estádio do Maracanã, contra o Flamengo.

Ainda assim, o patriotismo de Calleri e a admiração do jogador por Lionel Messi falam mais alto na hora de escolher a torcida na competição que acontece nos Estados Unidos, entre os dias 20 de junho e 14 de julho.

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– Tomara (que a Argentina ganhe). Eu também tenho um carinho pelo Dorival. Meu coração vai estar dividido. Mas que ganhe o melhor, e espero que Messi, outra vez, seja o melhor – disse o centroavante após a vitória do São Paulo por 2 a 0 sobre o Cruzeiro, no Morumbis, pelo Brasileirão.

As melhores e mais variadas ofertas para o Brasileirão estão no Lance! Betting! Abra já a sua conta!

A Argentina é a atual campeã do torneio continental. Em 2021, os “hermanos”, venceram o Brasil na final por 1 a 0 em pleno Maracanã. No ano seguinte, foi a vez de conquistar a terceira Copa do Mundo, na competição disputada no Qatar.

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Calleri nunca teve oportunidade de representar o seu país na seleção principal, mas esteve nos Jogos Olímpicos de 2016, disputados no Rio de Janeiro, onde foi titular e marcou um gol na campanha vexatória da Argentina, que venceu apenas um jogo e foi eliminada na primeira fase. Na ocasião, o Brasil foi campeão e garantiu a, então, inédita medalha de ouro no esporte.

Tudo sobre

ArgentinaCalleriFutebol NacionalSão PauloSeleção Brasileira

Leeds United are on the lookout for attacking potency in January and could be set to back Daniel Farke in his pursuit to bring a talented forward to Elland Road.

The Whites find themselves embroiled in a fight against the drop, and not everyone is feeling wholly confident in the former Norwich City boss, even if his side has produced some encouraging moments this term.

All too often, fine margins determine the outcome of Premier League matches, and Farke’s side has been on the wrong side of them, leading some to question his ability to lead the Whites forward.

With that in mind, Leeds are keen to source proven quality in the form of Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling, even if his £325,000 wages may prove to be a stumbling block in negotiations.

Signings or no signings, Farke has vowed that his side won’t change as they aim to secure top-flight football for next term, claiming that their approach to being successful will pay off in the long run.

He said before his side took on Aston Villa: “If you follow our way of working over the past two and half years, you know exactly what we are doing, how we try to approach a game and try to be successful. This won’t change at all.”

Sticking by your principles can be the defining choice that determines whether a manager is successful in keeping their job. Farke has been a nice fit for Leeds since arriving at Elland Road, though he has routinely come under scrutiny and is now back under the spotlight.

Either way, the January transfer window is creeping closer, and the 49ers could now be set to back their man as they pursue an exciting striker.

Leeds in pursuit of Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Garcia

According to The Mirror, Leeds are willing to sign Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Garcia on an initial six-month loan with a £20 million mandatory purchase option in the summer as the 49ers aim to back Farke in the New Year.

However, there has been a twist as Los Blancos boss Xabi Alonso is said to have blocked the move, notifying the forward that he is still part of his plans both in the immediate term and further down the line.

Gonzalo Garcia at Real Madrid – all competitions

Appearances

21

Goals

5

Assists

3

Intriguingly, Leeds were confident that they could lure Garcia to England before the ex-Liverpool star’s intervention, and the Spain Under-21 international was also said to be keen on a move to the Premier League after finding regular minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu hard to come by.

Alonso is aware he will need to utilise his whole squad, potentially offering more openings for the 21-year-old to feature as Real Madrid chase more silverware both domestically and in Europe.

Leeds are also eyeing an alternative £20m forward

Bursting onto the scene at the Club World Cup, Garcia would certainly be a viable option in the Leeds attack if they were able to complete a deal, though any chance of that now looks to be unlikely unless circumstances change.

Lamine Yamal maintains that he is not looking to be another Lionel Messi, with the Barcelona wonderkid tiring of constant comparisons to the Argentine GOAT. That discussion was inevitable, given that both stepped out of the fabled La Masia academy system, but a teenage superstar of the present remains determined to “follow his own path” and create a new legacy.

Just like Messi: Yamal treading similar career path

Yamal burst onto the senior stage at 15 years of age, with it becoming impossible for Barcelona to hold his mercurial talent back. The record books have been rewritten from there, with the 18-year-old Spain international a La Liga and European Championship title winner.

He has also landed Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy awards, while finishing second in the 2025 Ballon d’Or vote. The expectation is that he will soon have a Golden Ball of his own, which will allow him to start chasing down Messi’s historic haul of eight.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALYamal took inspiration from Messi when changing his game

Yamal is, however, adamant that he will not be looking to follow in the footsteps of a Barca great. He has told : “I think that Lionel Messi is the best footballer of all time, but he also knows that I’m a good player. There will be mutual respect if we play against each other. He knows that I’m not trying to be him, to play like him, or wear the 10 like him. I want to follow my own path.”

While Yamal is not looking to emulate Messi, he admits to taking inspiration from Barcelona’s all-time leading goal-scorer and the most decorated player to ever lace up a pair of boots. He added: “As a kid, I used to study Messi’s passes. Other players made good passes, but Messi’s passes were pretty much goals. I always thought passing was more interesting than dribbling. They’re somewhat more clever. It’s weird, because as a kid I was never really a dribbler. I was more of a goal-scorer and I ran a lot.”

Future plans: What Yamal is aiming to achieve

Yamal now boasts the ability to glide beyond defences with ease, much like Messi. The future appears to be bright, but the talented youngster insists that he will not get caught up in his own hype.

He went on to say of his future plans: “I don’t have any expectations. I just think about playing, not setting expectations. I think expectations are ultimately bad; when you meet them, you might feel like there are no goals left, and when you don’t meet them, you might feel frustrated. Playing football is the only thing that makes me forget everything else. I might have the biggest problem, but if I have a match, that’s the only thing I think about.”

Time is still well on Yamal’s side when it comes to breaking many more records, but he is giving little thought to individual accolades. The teen sensation added: “My goal isn’t to break all records, to score a million goals, to play a million matches. I’m an athlete who wants to enjoy himself. I hope kids want to be like me. In the end, the goal is for people to enjoy and deliver a bit of a show in football.”

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GettyElite mindset: How Yamal approaches the game

Yamal continues to get audiences on their feet, with it clear that he is cut from similar cloth to Messi. Both like to run at opponents, with there no fear in their respective games when it comes to making things happen.

Yamal said of his mindset when stepping onto the field: “If I see three players in front of me, I take them on. I have a great sense of self-confidence, and that’s my playing style. Even though they take the ball off of me, it happens. I would be a very different player if I stopped every time I saw two or three players.”

Yamal has registered seven goals and as many assists for Barcelona through 14 games this season. He has helped them to top La Liga, one point clear of Clasico rivals Real Madrid, and is counting down the days to a bid for World Cup glory with Spain in 2026.

No thrilling finish but draw with Gloucestershire is enough for Foxes combined with stalemate at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Sep-2025There was no thrilling finale on the field but Leicestershire could celebrate nonetheless after securing the draw with Gloucestershire that, in the event, ensured their promotion to Division One of the Rothesay County Championship.With two fixtures still to play, the result at the Uptonsteel County Ground combined with the draw between Middlesex and Derbyshire at Lord’s guarantees that Leicestershire will finish in the top two in Division Two and end a 22-year-exile from the top division.Set 316 to win from a minimum 74 overs when Gloucestershire, who felt their outside chance of a promotion required them to win here, declared four overs before lunch on 175 for 3 in their second innings, Leicestershire were 93 for 1 from 30.3 when the afternoon’s third interruption for rain proved heavy enough for the final day’s play to be abandoned at around 4.10pm.It is a first promotion for Leicestershire since the County Championship adopted its current two-division format in 2000. Led for most of the season by Australian international Peter Handscomb – now back home preparing for his domestic season – Leicestershire have been the dominant side in Division Two all season after winning five of their first seven matches and suffering only one defeat.They last played in Division One in 2003 and have since become almost perpetual stragglers, finishing bottom of DivisionTwo on eight occasions. In four of those, the last as recently as 2022, they failed to register a single victory, famously going 37 matches over 933 days without a Championship win between September 2012 and June 2015.Leicestershire, whose next target is to secure the points they need to guarantee they are crowned Division Two champions, went into the final day in the comfortable knowledge that while a victory would seal the deal in terms of confirming promotion, a draw might do it anyway depending on the result at Lord’s, or at worst leave them needing minimal gains from their final two fixtures.Gloucestershire’s need for a win, therefore, put the onus on them to set up a finish, to which end they added 165 in 21 overs before declaring just before lunch, setting the home side 316 to win in a minimum 74 overs.Against a Leicestershire attack that was a man down because of Ben Mike’s ongoing hamstring problems, 21-year-old opener Joe Phillips further enhanced his growing reputation with an unbeaten 69 from 73 balls.Ben Charlesworth cleared the midwicket boundary off Logan van Beek and landed back-to-back sixes off Chris Wright in his 56-ball 61 before a miscue to deep third man ended his charge. Ian Holland limited Ollie Price to just 8 but Miles Hammond plundered another 28 from 26 before top-edging into the off side, Holland veering away in his follow-through to be under the ball when it came down.Gloucestershire asked Leicestershire to face four overs before lunch possibly more in hope than expectation. The wicket of Sol Budinger perhaps came as a bonus, the opener making no attempt to rein in his natural attacking instincts but perishing after just 13 deliveries, tempted by a widish ball from Ajeet Singh Dale despite having collected three boundaries already and picking out the fielder at wide third.The visitors’ cause was not helped by showers after lunch, which eventually washed out 43.3 overs of the scheduled 74.Yet there never seemed enough jeopardy in the fourth-day surface to make 10 wickets a realistic possibility. Rishi Patel finished unbeaten on 42 with acting captain Holland on 27. Gloucestershire’s frustration was cushioned a little by taking 15 points for the draw, but the gap between themselves and second-placed Glamorgan remains at more than 30 points.

Jordan Montgomery is running it back with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2025.

MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported Thursday that Montgomery has exercised his $22.5 million player option for next season. He now is set to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2025 campaign.

It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that Montgomery opted in and took the guaranteed money, as he struggled through the '24 season and registered an 8–7 record, 6.23 ERA and 11.5 hits per nine innings in 25 appearances (21 starts).

It is a bit surprising, however, given Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick's comments earlier this month in which he openly admitted that he regrets giving Montgomery a contract.

"Looking back, in hindsight, a horrible decision to invest that money in a guy who performed as poorly as he did," Kendrick said on Arizona Sports radio's show. "It's our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint, and I'm the perpetrator of that."

Montgomery had an interesting offseason last winter. Fresh off a career-best season in '23 when he logged a 3.20 ERA and helped the Texas Rangers win the World Series, the left-hander entered free agency as one of the most intriguing arms available.

But Montgomery never landed the deal that he and agent Scott Boras desired, and he ended up signing a one-year contract with a player option for '25 with Arizona in late March, just two days before the season opener.

Montgomery missed the entirety of spring training and struggled to find a rhythm in 2024. He fired Boras in August and will head into free agency after the '25 season with new representation.

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O atacante Breno Lopes encontrou-se com os principais líderes da Mancha Alviverde nesta segunda-feira (18) para pedir desculpas pessoalmente por conta dos insultos direcionados para a maior torcida organizada do Palmeiras, na última sexta-feira, no Allianz Parque.

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O camisa 19 e autor de um dos gols mais importantes da história do Verdão mostrou-se arrependido após ter xingado a torcida alviverde depois do gol que garantiu a vitória sobre o Goiás.

Após o encontro, o atacante gravou um vídeo a todos os palmeirenses ao lado de quatro líderes da torcida.

– Vim aqui na quadra da Mancha me desculpar com todos vocês que se sentiram ofendidos pelo meu gesto no último jogo contra o Goiás. (…) Quero pedir meu sincero perdão para vocês. Foi uma semanas muito turbulenta para mim depois do clássico contra o Corinthians. Eu estava emocionalmente muito abalado e acabei tomando uma decisão muito equivocada. Estou totalmente arrependido. Por isso venho aqui pedir um voto de confiança de vocês. Isso jamais vai voltar a acontecer e vou lutar sempre pelos interesses do Palmeiras – disse Breno Lopes no vídeo.

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De acordo com o jornalista Flávio Latif, do UOL, pessoas próximas ao atacante telefonaram para o presidente da Mancha Alviverde, Jorge Luís, na manhã desta segunda-feira (18), pedindo para que a torcida pudesse se encontrar com o jogador de 27 anos.

A diretoria do Palmeiras decidiu não multar Breno Lopes pelos gestos ofensivos à torcida. O jogador possui 143 jogos, 21 gols e sete títulos com a camisa do Palmeiras.

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