List of All Articles with Tag 'ps'

Anadolu Efes Istanbul said goodbye to Ergan Ataman and Vasilije Micic this summer. The head coach and star guard were instrumental in delivering the organization's first-ever EuroLeague titles. How do they replace such significant contributors?

The leading goalscorers in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League.

Lionel Messi is the only footballer whose shadow carries a gun. While he plays for Inter Miami, his bodyguard stalks the touchline: Yassine Cheuko is an ex-Navy Seal with a thick beard and a shaved head who treats his client like a president in a warzone, staring down giddy autograph-hunters and swatting away selfie-chasing children. During a recent match, a young pitch-invader in a Messi shirt made a dash towards his hero only to be walloped by Cheuko’s torso on arrival. Messi is like the sun: by all means enjoy his presence and bask in his glow, but by god do not look him in the eye – and if you touch him, you’re dead. It is just one of the more bizarre symptoms of Messi fever which has gripped Miami and Major League Soccer since his arrival in June. It began before he kicked a ball: Messi’s pink shirt outsold any sports jersey in history in its first 24 hours, generating $600m to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United and Tom Brady’s move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Miami’s Instagram account exploded from 1 million to 15 million followers, a bigger audience than every NFL team. Kim Kardashian bought tickets to his debut, while the list of special guests to watch him play at Los Angeles Galaxy was like Wimbledon’s Royal Box on steroids, featuring LeBron James, Selena Gomez, Owen Wilson, Gerard Butler, Leonardo DiCaprio and genuine royalty in Prince Harry, to name but a few. On the pitch Messi has been phenomenal, even at 36 years old and in the winter of his career: 11 goals and five assists in 11 games, and one trophy already. He has turned a terrible team into a good one, lifting Miami off the bottom of the table to be in with a chance of reaching US soccer’s Super Bowl equivalent, the MLS Cup, in December. He has brought with him from Barcelona two close allies: the left-back Jordi Alba, who built a career pretending to cross the ball only to cut back for Messi to score, and the great midfield conductor Sergio Busquets. It is a bit like a singer bringing along his sound and lighting technicians – not the full band but enough to put on a show. Perhaps his most memorable moment so far came in the final of the Leagues Cup against Nashville: as the ball bounced to Messi arriving on the edge of the box, the commentator let out a foreboding “uh oh” before he shuffled away from two defenders and curled the ball into the top corner. Major League Soccer is rightfully indulging in the moment. “The 🐐 plays here,” reads the Twitter bio these days. This is now an unprecedented window of opportunity: the US will host the Copa America in 2024, the Club World Cup in 2025, the men’s World Cup in 2026 and quite possibly the women’s World Cup in 2027 too. The football landscape is more competitive than ever amid the aggressive emergence of the Saudi Pro League and the greed of Europe’s superpowers, but if MLS cannot shed its image as a paid vacation for retirees and establish something serious now, it never will. That mission was part of Miami’s sales pitch to Messi. David Beckham and his fellow owners knew they couldn’t compete with the base salary being offered in Saudi Arabia, but they could offer other benefits which the Saudis couldn’t. They appealed to Messi’s family – he already owned a home in Miami, from where it is relatively easy to fly back to Argentina, and the Messis have enjoyed partying with the Beckhams behind the scenes. And they included huge commercial investments, like a share in sales of MLS broadcaster Apple, with whom Messi had an existing relationship, and a stake in Inter Miami which he can activate when he departs. Messi was convinced by the long-term opportunities for his brand and his legacy in North America. He was also wooed by some romantic history. Pele became a pioneer when he turned down offers across Europe to join the New York Cosmos in 1975. It had appealed to his ego to be the catalyst who made US soccer catch fire, and he was certainly that: the Cosmos played in front of 200 people before Pele, yet two years later they were filling the Giants Stadium with 77,000 converts. Beckham himself has had the greatest impact in America since Pele, and Messi is next in the dynasty. The problem for MLS is where to go next. Each new star since Beckham delivered another flurry of excitement – Thierry Henry, Kaka, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney – but there is no footballing high greater than watching Messi, no bigger dopamine hit than seeing his feet shuffle into life and create magic. Messi is football hedonism, and when he goes he cannot simply be replaced by a bigger, shinier star. The come down will hurt. How do you sell yourself as a serious sporting product when one player is that much better than the rest? So MLS has a plan to harness the hype and turn it into something that will last. Last year the league ditched long-term broadcast partner ESPN and signed with Messi’s friends at Apple, in what represented the tech company’s biggest step yet into the sports arena. Apple committed to a 10-year contract worth $250m per year for the right to show MLS on its platforms, and more lucrative media deals will follow. Long-time MLS commissioner Don Garber wants to invest in youth development, better stadiums and infrastructure for the long-term success of American soccer. But the league’s immediate need is to acquire talent, and here the clubs are met with restrictions. The MLS adheres to a strict salary cap designed to stop clubs overspending. It can be dodged via the designated player rule – or Beckham Rule – which allows each team to pay three star players more than the salary cap, but unless restrictions loosen further it will be impossible for the biggest teams in the league to sign more elite talent. Miami have certainly filled their quota and are in no position to sign more ex-Barcelona stars until those rules change. All the while, the danger is that Messi makes football look so easy, he undermines the league’s integrity. The drop-off from European football or the World Cup to MLS is a void – not just physically and technically, but in its tactical sophistication and defensive organisation. The worst MLS teams, of which Miami were one before Messi, match the upper echelons of England’s League Two, according to the models of consultancy Twenty First Group. That’s like dropping Messi into Gillingham’s first XI: how do you sell yourself as a serious sporting product when one player is that much better than the rest? It will be a hard journey to raise standards across the board, but Messi does at least provide the best possible platform from which to grow. Most European football fans have been devotees for a long time, but now the gospel of Messi is spreading throughout the United States. New followers are flocking to see him in the flesh. So enjoy watching Messi, America. Seize the moment. Just don’t try to touch him. Read More Every Lionel Messi goal, assist and key moment for Inter Miami Mbappe and Haaland begin new Champions League rivarly after Messi-Ronaldo era When does Lionel Messi play next? Inter Miami schedule and fixtures Cristiano Ronaldo declares rivalry with Lionel Messi ‘is over’ Messi favourite for men’s Ballon d’Or with four Lionesses on women’s list It turned out wrong – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Man Utd return

Hugo Ekitike’s future will be decided in the coming months as he attempts to play his way into Luis Enrique’s plans at Paris Saint-Germain. He is wanted by Premier League sides Brentford, Crystal Palace, Everton, West Ham and Wolves.

Spain players have ended their boycott of the women’s national team after showdown talks with the Spanish Football Federation (Rfef) which lasted more than seven hours. The squad was named at the start of the week with several World Cup winners included, despite the fact they had publicly stated their intention to not represent the national team following the sexism row which erupted following Luis Rubiales kissing Jenni Hermoso after the final. That fallout of that moment, which outrageously overshadowed Spain triumphing on the biggest stage of all, included the team’s head coach Jorge Vilda losing his job and Rubiales being suspended from his duties by Fifa, though he refused to resign his post initially before succumbing to pressure and exiting. But the issues within Spanish football have not stopped there, with players called up for action after saying they would not make themselves available - though it now appears they have reached an agreement with their FA. “The players have expressed their concern about the need for profound changes in the Rfef (Spanish Football Federation), which has committed to making these changes immediately,” said Spain’s National Sports Council (CSD) president, Victor Francos. “It is the beginning of a long road ahead of us,” Futpro - the players’ union - president Amanda Gutierrez said. “Once again, they [the players] have shown themselves to be coherent, and the vast majority have decided to stay for the sake of this agreement.” A joint commission is to be set up to oversee changes and “follow up on agreements” from the meeting, though it was not confirmed what those agreements were. The now-former Rfef president continued to insist his kiss with Hermoso, one of the team’s forwards, was consensual - but Hermoso rejected that notion and filed a complaint against Rubiales with the state prosecutor, with an investigation for sexual assault now underway. He has also been handed a restraining order, preventing him from being in close proximity to the World Cup winner. Hermoso was not called up to the latest Spain squad, with new head coach Montse Tome saying the national team wanted to “protect” the 33-year-old. Hermoso responded with a question of “from what?” to that claim, saying that the national team call-ups for players who had made themselves unavailable only proved that “nothing had changed” despite Rubiales’ forced exit. Spain face Sweden and Switzerland in the Nations League across the next week or so, with the competition also serving the purpose of qualifiers for the Paris Olympics next year. Read More Jenni Hermoso says Spain call-ups are a ‘strategy of manipulation’ by Rfef Spain plunged into fresh chaos after boycotting women’s players selected to play Jenni Hermoso not included in Spain’s first squad since winning Women’s World Cup

The advisory comes a day after tensions between the countries escalated over the killing of a Sikh separatist.

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for

The actress and singer became the most-followed woman on Instagram earlier this year.

Shares of UK companies whose fortunes are tied to interest rates soared after data showed a softening in

Lionel Messi is the only footballer whose shadow carries a gun. While he plays for Inter Miami, his bodyguard stalks the touchline: Yassine Cheuko is an ex-Navy Seal with a thick beard and a shaved head who treats his client like a president in a warzone, staring down giddy autograph-hunters and swatting away selfie-chasing children. During a recent match, a young pitch-invader in a Messi shirt made a dash towards his hero only to be walloped by Cheuko’s torso on arrival. Messi is like the sun: by all means enjoy his presence and bask in his glow, but by god do not look him in the eye – and if you touch him, you’re dead. It is just one of the more bizarre symptoms of Messi fever which has gripped Miami and Major League Soccer since his arrival in June. It began before he kicked a ball: Messi’s pink shirt outsold any sports jersey in history in its first 24 hours, generating $600m to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United and Tom Brady’s move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Miami’s Instagram account exploded from 1 million to 15 million followers, a bigger audience than every NFL team. Kim Kardashian bought tickets to his debut, while the list of special guests to watch him play at Los Angeles Galaxy was like Wimbledon’s Royal Box on steroids, featuring LeBron James, Selena Gomez, Owen Wilson, Gerard Butler, Leonardo DiCaprio and genuine royalty in Prince Harry, to name but a few. On the pitch Messi has been phenomenal, even at 36 years old and in the winter of his career: 11 goals and five assists in 11 games, and one trophy already. He has turned a terrible team into a good one, lifting Miami off the bottom of the table to be in with a chance of reaching US soccer’s Super Bowl equivalent, the MLS Cup, in December. He has brought with him from Barcelona two close allies: the left-back Jordi Alba, who built a career pretending to cross the ball only to cut back for Messi to score, and the great midfield conductor Sergio Busquets. It is a bit like a singer bringing along his sound and lighting technicians – not the full band but enough to put on a show. Perhaps his most memorable moment so far came in the final of the Leagues Cup against Nashville: as the ball bounced to Messi arriving on the edge of the box, the commentator let out a foreboding “uh oh” before he shuffled away from two defenders and curled the ball into the top corner. Major League Soccer is rightfully indulging in the moment. “The 🐐 plays here,” reads the Twitter bio these days. This is now an unprecedented window of opportunity: the US will host the Copa America in 2024, the Club World Cup in 2025, the men’s World Cup in 2026 and quite possibly the women’s World Cup in 2027 too. The football landscape is more competitive than ever amid the aggressive emergence of the Saudi Pro League and the greed of Europe’s superpowers, but if MLS cannot shed its image as a paid vacation for retirees and establish something serious now, it never will. That mission was part of Miami’s sales pitch to Messi. David Beckham and his fellow owners knew they couldn’t compete with the base salary being offered in Saudi Arabia, but they could offer other benefits which the Saudis couldn’t. They appealed to Messi’s family – he already owned a home in Miami, from where it is relatively easy to fly back to Argentina, and the Messis have enjoyed partying with the Beckhams behind the scenes. And they included huge commercial investments, like a share in sales of MLS broadcaster Apple, with whom Messi had an existing relationship, and a stake in Inter Miami which he can activate when he departs. Messi was convinced by the long-term opportunities for his brand and his legacy in North America. He was also wooed by some romantic history. Pele became a pioneer when he turned down offers across Europe to join the New York Cosmos in 1975. It had appealed to his ego to be the catalyst who made US soccer catch fire, and he was certainly that: the Cosmos played in front of 200 people before Pele, yet two years later they were filling the Giants Stadium with 77,000 converts. Beckham himself has had the greatest impact in America since Pele, and Messi is next in the dynasty. The problem for MLS is where to go next. Each new star since Beckham delivered another flurry of excitement – Thierry Henry, Kaka, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney – but there is no footballing high greater than watching Messi, no bigger dopamine hit than seeing his feet shuffle into life and create magic. Messi is football hedonism, and when he goes he cannot simply be replaced by a bigger, shinier star. The come down will hurt. How do you sell yourself as a serious sporting product when one player is that much better than the rest? So MLS has a plan to harness the hype and turn it into something that will last. Last year the league ditched long-term broadcast partner ESPN and signed with Messi’s friends at Apple, in what represented the tech company’s biggest step yet into the sports arena. Apple committed to a 10-year contract worth $250m per year for the right to show MLS on its platforms, and more lucrative media deals will follow. Long-time MLS commissioner Don Garber wants to invest in youth development, better stadiums and infrastructure for the long-term success of American soccer. But the league’s immediate need is to acquire talent, and here the clubs are met with restrictions. The MLS adheres to a strict salary cap designed to stop clubs overspending. It can be dodged via the designated player rule – or Beckham Rule – which allows each team to pay three star players more than the salary cap, but unless restrictions loosen further it will be impossible for the biggest teams in the league to sign more elite talent. Miami have certainly filled their quota and are in no position to sign more ex-Barcelona stars until those rules change. All the while, the danger is that Messi makes football look so easy, he undermines the league’s integrity. The drop-off from European football or the World Cup to MLS is a void – not just physically and technically, but in its tactical sophistication and defensive organisation. The worst MLS teams, of which Miami were one before Messi, match the upper echelons of England’s League Two, according to the models of consultancy Twenty First Group. That’s like dropping Messi into Gillingham’s first XI: how do you sell yourself as a serious sporting product when one player is that much better than the rest? It will be a hard journey to raise standards across the board, but Messi does at least provide the best possible platform from which to grow. Most European football fans have been devotees for a long time, but now the gospel of Messi is spreading throughout the United States. New followers are flocking to see him in the flesh. So enjoy watching Messi, America. Seize the moment. Just don’t try to touch him. Read More Every Lionel Messi goal, assist and key moment for Inter Miami Mbappe and Haaland begin new Champions League rivarly after Messi-Ronaldo era When does Lionel Messi play next? Inter Miami schedule and fixtures Cristiano Ronaldo declares rivalry with Lionel Messi ‘is over’ Messi favourite for men’s Ballon d’Or with four Lionesses on women’s list Julian Alvarez proves Man City’s man for all occasions as the unlikely No 10

Lina Mukherjee, who identifies as Muslim, said an Islamic phrase before eating crispy pork skin.

It was an early reminder of what Manchester United could have had. Or, more pertinently, who they could have had. For years, there was a certain irresistible logic to Harry Kane joining United. Instead, as Thomas Tuchel outlined: “We took the skipper of England out of England, out of the Premier League, so it is a huge deal.” Because when Kane left Tottenham for one of the European aristocracy, it was for Bayern Munich, for a club with 10 league titles since United won their last. The vagaries of the Champions League draw may rub it in for United: Kane’s European debut for Bayern is against them. And if the serial German champions opted to send a message by putting Kane on media duties the day before the game, it was understandable. It allowed England’s record scorer to confirm that Bayern was his first choice and, if he was never going to say anything else, that probably served a purpose for his employers anyway. “Over the summer, I know there were some talks between a few clubs in the background but Bayern was a team I was really interested by and really excited by,” Kane said. “There weren’t too many other discussions once they came in.” Which underlined the reality that United had bowed out of the race at a relatively early stage. Perhaps they had assumed Daniel Levy would refuse to sell to anyone and thus Kane could be available on a free transfer in 2024. Certainly, however, they could not afford Kane and the other signings they wanted as well; but while he cost £86m, a date in the Allianz Arena provides a chance to evaluate if the £72m striker Rasmus Hojlund, the man they bought instead, the £55m midfielder Mason Mount, who is not fit to feature yet, and the £43m goalkeeper Andre Onana, who has conceded 10 goals in his last four games, are overpriced or integral. For Hojlund, a comparison with Kane may be unavoidable. Tuchel did not mention the young Dane by name but, surveying the summer transfer market, nonetheless concluded that Kane was the outstanding striker. “Everybody in Europe who is looking for a number nine would have been very happy to have Harry because he makes your team better and gives you what you expect from a number nine: personality, goals, quality,” the 2021 Champions League winner said. “He can drop deep on a number 10 position, turn and use the speed of the players around, he can arrive in the box with the right timing, he is excellent [at] finishing, he is a good penalty-taker so everybody wanted to have him.” That appraisal of Kane’s abilities may brook little dissent at Old Trafford. Kane was, along with Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, one of three dream signings the former executive vice president Ed Woodward wanted for years; he only secured one and the reunion with Ronaldo did not go as planned. Each of the four permanent managers from Louis van Gaal onwards has admired Kane. His appeal is obvious. In each of the last nine seasons, Kane outscored United’s leading marksmen in the respective campaigns, accumulating 275 of his record 280 Tottenham goals in that time. That average – slightly above 30 – is the kind of guarantee United could do with. Marcus Rashford got exactly 30 last season, but no one has topped it since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. Kane reached 20 in six Premier League campaigns; no one has for United since Robin van Persie. And now it is Harry Kane for Bayern, kein Harry for United. Thus far, he has four goals for Bayern. Hojlund, whose United debut was delayed by injury, is yet to get off the mark for his new club. “Whenever there is a big transfer there is more pressure and expectation to see how you start,” said Kane. “I am really pleased to score the four goals and I think I can play better.” A greater understanding with his new teammates will help, he feels: Tuchel expects him to be a catalyst for them. “He will always be a difference maker in any game; not only in goals,” the manager said. “In time he will make our players around him better, he will learn how to make them shine, he will assist and not only score.” There is a different sort of expectation, not directly connected to his goal tally or his price tag. Erling Haaland was deemed the final piece in the jigsaw for Manchester City as they won the Champions League. Kane is yet to win a trophy in his career but noted: “There is a reason that Bayern Munich brought me to the club: they were eager to get back to winning the Champions League. They feel I can be a big help.” And it feels a difference with his long-term suitors. Bayern begin as one of a handful of the most serious candidates to win the Champions League; 13th in the Premier League, United do not. “I don’t know about the perfect time [to face them],” Kane said. “United they have been going through a bit of a tough spell but that can be dangerous.” Or an opportunity for Bayern in a fixture where they may still want revenge for 1999, for a Champions League final turned by a striking signing from Tottenham, in Teddy Sheringham, who got a goal and an assist in injury time. It is the kind of impact United may have envisioned Kane having. He still might, just not in a United shirt. Read More Harry Kane finally gets his move — but it’s not the one he wanted Manchester United are a mess — and it could be about to get even worse Champions League 2023/24: Schedule, groups, fixtures and match dates