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David Beckham has thanked Lionel Messi and Co for delivering Supporters’ Shield glory to Inter Miami, but has also set a “one more” trophy challenge.

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Herons posted best regular season recordEx-Barcelona stars starring in the StatesChallenge now is to win the MLS CupFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Herons collected their first piece of silverware in 2023 after seeing Messi inspire them to Leagues Cup glory shortly after his arrival in Florida. The history books are being rewritten a year on, with another major honor being secured.

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Inter Miami have posted the best regular season record in MLS, with Messi once again leading the charge when clear of injury. He has been ably assisted by the likes of Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba – with club co-owner Beckham helping to assemble a star-studded cast at Chase Stadium.

InstagramWHAT BECKHAM SAID

The Manchester United and England legend is reveling in more tangible success, after seeing Messi and Jorge Mas lead wild celebrations after a 3-2 victory away at the Columbus Crew. Beckham has sent a “Gracias” message to his former Barcelona contingent.

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WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI & INTER MIAMI?

Inter Miami will not be settling for just one trophy in 2024, though, with the challenge now being to go on and land the MLS Cup. Premier League and Champions League winner Beckham is eager to see the Herons cross that line, adding on social media as Tata Martino’s side begin to count down the days to playoff action: “Big win. One more to go.”

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In what is proving to be a busy summer transfer window so far, Rangers are still expected to sign another of Philippe Clement's targets soon, despite earlier reports suggesting there had been a worrying twist.

Rangers transfer news

The Gers have already welcomed Oscar Cortes, Jefte, Clinton Nsiala and Connor Barron, while Liam Kelly is reportedly on his way in a hectic start to the window. That said, a flurry of arrivals should hardly come as a shock following the number of players who left on free deals at the end of their contracts. Borna Barisic, Kemar Roofe, Ryan Jack and John Lundstram were all among those to leave Ibrox at the end of the season.

Speaking for the first time after welcoming Nsiala, Director of Recruitment Nils Koppen told the club's official website: "We are excited to add a talented young player in Clinton to the squad.

“He joins as an exciting talent who we believe can develop and take his next steps under our manager, Philippe Clement, and his staff. We look forward to welcoming Clinton to Glasgow as we continue to shape the squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.”

Rangers could ditch Goldson by signing a star who was once "generational"

The Light Blues are reportedly in the race to sign the central defender this summer.

ByDan Emery Jun 19, 2024

Barron looks unlikely to be the last name through the door, however. According to Chris Jack, Yusuf Kabadayi "will be a Rangers player", despite earlier reports suggesting that Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce were interested in the Clement's target and that Besiktas had also stolen a march on the Scottish giants.

Those reports have now been rubbished by Jack, with Rangers seemingly destined to welcome their fourth signing of the summer in what is only a matter of time.

Kabadayi can replace Sima

Whilst Rangers did manage to welcome Cortes back on loan for a second consecutive season, the same can't be said for Abdallah Sima as things stand, leaving quite the hole in Clement's frontline. That's where Kabadayi should come in, however. The left-winger, who can play all across the front three, spent last season on loan at Schalke, scoring five goals.

Now back at Bayern and unlikely to get minutes, it's the Scottish Premiership where the young German may discover his best form once and for all. At 20 years old, he's certainly got plenty of room for the improvement that Clement would undoubtedly help accelerate.

As Rangers look to finally dethrone Celtic once again in Scotland, it looks increasingly likely that they'll be aiming to do so with a youthful exuberance rather than prior experience, turning to the likes of Kabadayi, Jefte and Cortes to take Clement's project forward.

The allrounder will play his fourth season for the club as they look to bounce back from the wooden spoon

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2020Afghanistan allrounder Mohammad Nabi will return as one of Melbourne Renegades’ overseas players for the BBL.Nabi, who is the No.1-ranked T20I allrounder, has been part of three previous campaigns for the Renegades: in 27 matches he has scored 476 runs at a strike-rate of 130.76 and has taken 21 wickets with an economy rate of 7.17.He is the second signing for the Renegades in recent days following the return of James Pattinson from the Brisbane Heat. They have lost Dan Christian (Sydney Sixers), Tom Cooper and Jack Wildermuth (both Brisbane Heat) as they look to rebuild the squad having finished bottom last season following the title-winning 2018-19 season.Nabi is also the first overseas player from outside of England to be confirmed for this year’s BBL. ESPNcricinfo revealed earlier this week that teams will be able to have three overseas players in their XI instead of the previous two.”Nabi’s versatility makes him a very valuable member of our team. He can bat and bowl in a number of different situations and he reads the game so well,” Renegades coach Michael Klinger said. “We’ll again be looking for Nabi to play a key role in our middle order and he’ll be called upon to bowl some important overs.”Current Renegades squad: Cameron Boyce, Zak Evans, Aaron Finch (capt), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Jon Holland, Shaun Marsh, Mohammad Nabi, James Pattinson, Kane Richardson, Will Sutherland, Beau Webster.

Pep Guardiola has offered his opinion on the long-running GOAT debate, with the ex-Barcelona boss calling Lionel Messi “the greatest player ever”.

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Catalan coach worked with Argentine iconHelped to make him a global superstarBelieves South American is the greatestFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Guardiola found himself in the fortunate position of inheriting a star-studded Barca squad when taking the managerial reins at Camp Nou in 2008. Messi would earn superstar status under the demanding Catalan coach, becoming one of the most fearsome attackers that the world has ever seen.

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Messi’s output increased every year under Guardiola, across four seasons, with his final campaign working with the now Manchester City boss delivering 73 goals in all competitions. The Argentine superstar also won four successive Ballons d’Or between 2009 and 2012.

WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

He now has eight Golden Balls to his name, a record-breaking haul of major honours and countless entries in the history books. With that in mind, Guardiola has told Italian TV show Che Tempo, Che Fa when asked to offer his take on Messi: “For me it’s easy to say he’s the best of all time, but the stars came together at the right moment. The GOAT? Maybe that’s a lack of respect to Pele and [Diego] Maradona, but for me, he is. I’ve never seen someone like him as a coach, you can’t imagine him maintaining this continuity for 15-20 years. When you see him up close, you think of Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan, we were lucky to work with him.”

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Messi is still going strong at 37 years of age, with more trophies being collected at MLS side Inter Miami. His eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo is also playing at 39 with Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr, while Guardiola is into the final year of his contract at reigning Premier League champions City.

Sri Lanka coach says cricket may as well “wait for a vaccine” if home series cannot be fulfilled

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Oct-2020Mickey Arthur, Sri Lanka’s coach and a member of the ICC’s cricket committee, is insistent that more international cricket must be played over the next few months if the game is to rebound from a difficult year.Although Sri Lanka has largely kept a lid on Covid-19 transmissions through the course of the year, the men’s national team has been out of action since February, with series against England, India, South Africa and Bangladesh all postponed.There are two possible international tours coming up – a Test tour to South Africa in December and January, plus a home Test series against England later in January. That England series is the two-Test tour that was postponed from March this year, and which the boards have tentatively agreed to reschedule for January.ALSO READ: England’s winter tours – what is the current state of play?”We need to get cricket back up and running otherwise we may as well shut the whole thing down and wait for a vaccine,” Arthur told the PA news agency. “I’m really positive. I’m hoping we can fulfil our fixtures in South Africa come December and then have England over here to start a really busy 2021.”We are an industry that needs to be playing, and being broadcast, to keep the lifeblood of the game going,” he said.”The government [in Sri Lanka] has done a remarkable job. We have been able to go out, go to a restaurant or sip a gin and tonic on the Galle Face, but we’ve had no international cricket.”The latest postponement – the home Test series against Bangladesh – was especially frustrating for Arthur and the Sri Lanka team, largely because the players had been training for months and were described as “cherry-ripe” for action, by Arthur.That tour did not go ahead because Bangladesh would not agree to the extremely strict quarantine protocols players and officials were asked to undergo by the Sri Lankan government. Where foreign players traveling to the UK during the English summer had been allowed to train during their quarantine, visitors to Sri Lanka are required to remain in their rooms for two weeks, prompting concerns about deterioration of fitness levels. That was also cited by Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, as a sticking point before January’s tour is ratified.”We have to do it or boards are going to be put under more and more pressure,” said Arthur. “Already we can look at the sight of people losing jobs at the ECB and Cricket Australia and it’s really sad.”I understand the bigger picture and I’m not here to push cricket from the rooftop – people are losing their lives and losing their jobs out there – but from a cricket sense we need to play.”Although Sri Lanka’s government has generally drawn praise for its handling of the pandemic, it was felt within the team and coaching staff that health authorities could have allowed a more lenient quarantine for Bangladesh in order to make that tour viable, particularly as high-profile cricket had already begun in England, Australia and the UAE. Health authorities had argued, however, that it is their insistence on these protocols that had protected the Sri Lankan public from the kinds of outbreaks seen overseas.It seems unlikely that England will tour if there is no relaxing of the quarantine protocols, but SLC is hopeful that the governement will relent in time to confirm that series. The England tour is worth much more to SLC than the Bangladesh one had been. The other complicating factor with Bangladesh – that players in contact with the likely touring squad had tested positive for Covid-19 in the weeks before the team was set to travel – may not be in play for England either.

Chelsea value a highly-rated first-teamer at around £100 million if they even entertain the notion of selling him this summer, coming after claims that Bayern Munich are targeting him and he'd be open to a move.

Players who could be sold by Chelsea this summer

Ian Maatsen looks set to swap Chelsea for Aston Villa, which would come as another departure after Thiago Silva's move back to Brazil, but it is believed that many more players could follow them out of the Stamford Bridge exit door.

Real Madrid set sights on £146,000-per-week Chelsea 29 year-old

Carlo Ancelotti’s side think he’s ideal.

2 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 21, 2024

Villa agreed a £37 million fee to sign Maatsen, according to Fabrizio Romano, with Midlands talent Omari Kellyman going the other way in a separate move for around £19 million – coming as an unofficial kind of swap deal.

After Maatsen, an array of Enzo Maresca's squad have been linked with high-profile exits. Romelu Lukaku, Armando Broja, Conor Gallagher, Malang Sarr, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Trevoh Chalobah, Omari Hutchinson, Lesley Ugochukwu, Marc Cucurella and Conor Gallagher come as players who could be sold by Chelsea this summer, with Todd Boehly looking to balance the books and comply in terms of PSR regulations.

Cole Palmer

7.48

Conor Gallagher

7.13

Nicolas Jackson

7.07

Moises Caicedo

6.85

Noni Madueke

6.84

Arrizabalaga is attracting interest from Real Madrid, who could look to bring the Spaniard back to the Bernabeu on a permanent deal after he spent last season there on loan. Meanwhile, Juventus have even been linked with a surprise move loan move for Cucurella, so it will be interesting which of these claims come to fruition in the next few weeks.

According to Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, another big-name European club have their eyes on versatile defender Levi Colwill. Indeed, Vincent Kompany's Bayern are said to be real admirers of the Englishman who is highly-rated in west London.

Earlier this month, Plettenberg even claimed that Bayern could make a move for Colwill in addition to Jonathan Tah. A separate Sky Germany report, via The Mail, also stated that Colwill is open to joining Kompany at Bayern and willing to consider the possibility.

Chelsea think Levi Colwill is worth around £100 million

Now, as per The Athletic, Kompany's side may run into a serious roadblock if they decide to pursue Colwill further. According to their information, Colwill could fetch close to £100 million if Chelsea even decided to sell, which would surely rule Bayern out immediately in terms of doing a deal.

The 21-year-old is apparently viewed as an elite Cobham talent with the potential to blossom into one of England's best centre-backs, which is why he is deemed not for sale by the club.

Chelsea star Wesley Fofana has defended France team-mate Kylian Mbappe after reports emerged of him partying at a Swedish nightclub.

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Mbappe not in France squadReportedly spotted in nightclubFofana defends French team-mateFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Real Madrid star was not included in France's squad for their Nations League matches against Israel and Belgium as manager Didier Deschamps wanted to allow him more time to get "100 per cent fit". The 25-year-old was reportedly spotted in a Stockholm nightclub while France beat Israel 4-1 on Thursday. While some have criticised the former Paris Saint Germain star, compatriot Fofana has come to his aid, saying "he does what he wants."

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He told reporters: "People can do what they want with their free time. It isn't something we [the France squad] have talked about today, I hadn't heard about this story. He does what he wants; he is a great guy and a great professional. Are we making too much of it? I don't know. He's the best French player, so it's normal that it is very publicised. I think that from time to time [the media] go a little too far. You should ask Kylian Mbappé for more information."

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Mbappe finally made his blockbuster move to Madrid from PSG this summer but the 2018 World Cup winner hasn't been as impressive as many would have hoped. He has scored seven goals in 11 matches this season but three of those have been from penalties. And when things aren't quite going as well as expected, players of Mbappe's fame may get treated harsher than others – rightly or wrongly.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

While Mbappe will soon get ready for Madrid's next run of fixtures, his France side travel to Belgium in the Nations League on Monday night.

Paul Mullin will always be a Liverpool fan, but time spent working with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney means he will now “watch Wrexham everywhere”.

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Forward joined Welsh outfit in 2021Has registered over 100 goalsPursuing third successive promotionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Merseyside native Mullin joined an ambitious project in North Wales a matter of months after two Hollywood superstars completed their stunning takeover at SToK Racecourse. He was a marquee addition for the Red Dragons as a step down into the National League was taken from the EFL ranks.

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Reynolds and McElhenney have enjoyed a remarkable return on their investment, with three-time Wrexham Player of the Year Mullin registering 108 goals while helping to fire Phil Parkinson’s side to back-to-back promotions.

WHAT MULLIN SAID

The Red Dragons now hold a special place in Mullin’s heart, with the 29-year-old striker saying of switching club allegiance: “I used to watch Liverpool home and away, and go all over the world. But that would change if my career ended tomorrow. I'd be going to watch Wrexham everywhere. I absolutely love the place for everything it's given me and the support the fans have given me. I've been here long enough now, Wrexham's become part of me. I'm really attached to this club. So I always want to do well.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Mullin, on the back of summer surgery, has had to be patient in pursuit of regular game time this season. He was, however, on target in Wrexham’s latest fixture – as he netted inside 16 seconds against Rotherham – and will be looking to cement a second-placed standing in the League One table when lining up against Huddersfield on Tuesday.

Manchester City have failed to make any signings during the transfer window thus far, but Pep Guardiola wont be pushing the panic buttons just yet.

He led the club to their fourth straight Premier League title last season, therefore, the squad is in a pretty solid shape.

If the Spaniard wishes to add another Champions League title to his collection, however, might he go big on a few star signings ahead of the 2024/25 campaign?

Man City eye move for Real Madrid superstar

According to a report from TEAMtalk earlier this month, City are the only team with a genuine interest in signing Rodrygo from Real Madrid this summer.

Any potential move will cost Guardiola, however, as the La Liga champions will demand a fee in excess of £100m for the Brazilian to leave the club he joined in 2019.

Arrivals of Kylian Mbappe and Endrick this summer mean competition for places will be extreme in the Spanish capital next term, which could suggest Rodrygo’s departure ahead of the new season.

Guardiola could sign his own version of the French sensation by swooping for Rodrygo in the next few weeks, as the pair offer similar qualities going forward.

Player

Year joined

Games

Danilo

2017

60

Ederson

2017

332

Gabriel Jesus

2016

236

Fernando

2014

102

Fernandinho

2013

383

Robinho

2008

53

Geovanni

2007

23

Elano

2007

80

How Rodrygo compares to Kylian Mbappé

Mbappé ended months of speculation by finally signing for Madrid at the start of June. The Frenchman could be the final piece of the jigsaw for Carlo Ancelotti’s side as they chase more history.

Will his arrival spark the end of things for Rodrygo, however? The Brazilian scored 17 goals and registered nine assists across 51 matches for the Spanish side last term and there is no doubt he could offer a wonderful attacking threat for Pep next term.

According to FBref, Mbappé is the third-most comparable player to the 23-year-old in Europe’s top five leagues, which suggests Guardiola could land a player with incredible talent in the final third.

Indeed, the duo registered similar statistics domestically with regard to assists (five vs seven), shots per 90 (1.32 vs 2.09), shot-creating actions per 90 (4.2 vs 4.04), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.52 vs 0.79) and touches in the attacking penalty area (206 vs 207), demonstrating how impressive the pair where from an attacking standpoint last season.

U23 talent scout Antonio Mango hailed Rodyrgo as “sensational” late last year, and he has emerged as one of the finest attacking players on the continent since moving from his homeland five years ago, with his finishing levels having even been dubbed "terrifyingly good" by journalist Sam Tighe.

Across 216 appearances for the current Champions League holders, the winger has registered 95 goal contributions – 54 goals and 41 assists – which works out as a goal involvement every 2.3 matches, a sublime statistic.

Man City chase "extraordinary" £205k-p/w star as potential Grealish upgrade

The Cityzens are keen to strengthen their ranks this summer.

ByBen Browning May 31, 2024

Numbers like this would make him an instant hit in a City team full of quality players on their own merit. The likes of Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden would help Rodrygo potentially improve on his figures from last season.

£100m may sound a lot on the surface, but it could be a wise move should Guardiola lure him to Manchester this summer.

Despite ‘challenges’, Dravid says move would be ‘great for the game’

George Dobell13-Nov-2020Rahul Dravid has thrown his weight behind the idea of cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics, suggesting it would be “great for the game”.While Dravid, the director of cricket operations at India’s national academy, accepted the move had “its challenges”, he felt it would help the “expansion” of the game and suggested “cricket should endeavour to try and get into the Olympics”.”I think it would be great for the game if the T20 format can become an Olympic sport,” Dravid said at the virtual launch of , a book written by Manoj Badale and Simon Hughes that investigates the business of sport through the lens of the IPL.”There’s cricket being played in so many countries. I’m certainly for the expansion of the T20 game.”The ICC recently provided a boost to the prospects of a return of the sport to the event – it was contested in the 1900 Paris Olympics – by asking members to report on the potential financial benefits of inclusion.But while Dravid acknowledged there could be hurdles to overcome on issues such as pitch preparation and the already bursting cricket schedule, he was keen to press for the sport’s inclusion.”Obviously, it [Olympic inclusion] comes with its challenges,” Dravid continued. “Not least of all cricket’s a game that requires certain kinds of facilities for it to be successful. As we’ve just seen, the success of the IPL was in a large part due to the quality of wickets that were put out for the teams. The Olympics is played in countries where cricket is not played.”But if you can get a lot of that right and if it works in the schedule and if you can get the facilities in place, then why not? If it’s possible, I think cricket should endeavour to try and get into the Olympics at some stage. It might take some time, but why not?”Andrew Wildblood, one of the original architects of the IPL, and Badale, the owner of Rajasthan Royals, agreed with Dravid’s assessment.”Why wouldn’t you want to be part of something that is part of arguably the biggest global sporting platform?” Wildblood asked rhetorically. “Surely that has to be a positive if it grows the interest levels in cricket and grows the audience. It has to be good for the game. Why wouldn’t you do that if you can?”Badale said: “For me, the executive function of any sport should be to broaden the appeal. If you broaden its appeal, you broaden its reach. That means more kids get to experience what you and I think is the best game in the world. It means more people get to see what you and I think is the best game in the world.”Success breeds success. We all live off the same ultimate source of income: media rights. So the bigger the audience is, the bigger the media rights are and the bigger the economy is.”