Football

Two-time European champion Paris Saint-Germain sold yet another player on transfer deadline day, with Ibrahim Mbaye joining Aston Villa as the French club continues its metamorphosis from big spender to big earner. The Senegal forward joined on a permanent transfer, both clubs said. PSG has been the European club generating the highest transfer revenues from departures this summer, with a total of more than 400 million euros ($464 million), ahead of Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Manchester City. PSG parted ways with a big name - France forward Bradley Barcola - in the biggest signing of the summer transfer window, but has only sold players who were used in a substitute role by coach Luis Enrique, a deliberate strategy of the club. The 18-year-old Mbaye, a product of PSG youth academy, has 15 caps with Senegal and became the youngest African player to score at the World Cup this summer in a 3-1 defeat against France. Two years ago, he also was the youngest PSG player to make

Gabriel Jesus completed a transfer deadline day move from Arsenal to Barcelona on Tuesday on a three-year contract. The 29-year-old Brazil striker was part of Arsenal's Premier League title-winning squad last season after lifting four league crowns with Manchester City. He joins Spanish champion Barcelona following the departure of Robert Lewandowski at the end of last season. Jesus joined Arsenal in 2022 after six trophy-laden seasons at City. Despite enduring an injury-disrupted time at the Emirates Stadium, he was part of the squad that ended the London club's 22-year wait to be crowned English champion. Jesus is the latest arrival in a busy transfer window for Barcelona, following deals for Anthony Gordon, Rodri, Joao Cancelo, Karim Adeyemi and Dominik Livakovic.

Arsenal beat Aston Villa 1-0 away from home to maintain its winning start to the Premier League while Barcelona and Roma preserved their perfect records in Spain and Italy with convincing wins on Monday. Osasuna beat Getafe 1-0 to continue its unbeaten start in La Liga, while Atalanta had to wait until the final minute to get the goal that beat Bologna in Serie A. Rampant Barcelona top La Liga ==================== Lamine Yamal and Raphinha both scored a brace and English winger Anthony Gordon grabbed two assists as Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano 5-2 to record its 21st consecutive home victory. Rayo was looking for its first win of the season and it took an unexpected lead in the 12th minute when Sergio Camello hammered home a cutback from Alvaro Garcia on the left. Barcelona, however, bounced back almost immediately and it was 2-1 up before the first period was even halfway over. Raphinha equalized with a well-taken goal in the 18th and Lamine Yamal put them ahead 90 seconds late

United States striker Folarin Balogun is set to head to Premier League team Everton on a transfer from Monaco, British media reported on Monday. The transfer fee offered by Everton is reported to be in the range of 40 million pounds ($54 million) on a four-year deal, the British Press Association said. It said personal terms had yet to be worked out before the deal could be completed prior to Tuesday's transfer deadline. The 25-year-old Balogun, who had two years remaining on a contract at Monaco, gained attention this summer scoring three goals for the United States as it reached the knockout stage of the World Cup. He was the top scorer for the U.S. team. He also made headlines after drawing a red card and a one-game suspension in a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in a round-of-32 match. The one-game suspension was deferred by FIFA after U.S. President Donald Trump intervened, allowing Balogun to play in the round of 16. Balogun eventually played in the 4-1 loss to Belgiu

Messi featured in six World Cups and seven Copa Americas before bringing the curtain down on his international career with Argentina

In his 21-year-long career with the Argentina national team, Messi went on to break multiple records that would be hard to match or break for generations to come

If one moment defines Messi's international legacy above all others, it is the image of him lifting the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Lusail

Messi ended his Argentina career as one of their greatest, but in his 21-year journey in the blue and white jersey, he also had to endure his fair share of heartbreaks before achieving success

The retirement of 2016 looked like the end of Messi's Argentina story. Instead, it became the beginning of his greatest chapter

Messi retires as Argentina's most-capped player and its all-time leading goalscorer, with 207 appearances and 125 goals

Jude Bellingham starred as Real Madrid made it three wins in three games under Jose Mourinho in the Spanish league while former coach Xabi Alonso, now at Chelsea, also enjoyed another victory. Bellingham scored one goal and created another, and Kylian Mbappe and substitute Arda Guler also scored, as Madrid eased to a 4-0 home win over promoted Malaga, back in La Liga after eight years. Chelsea emerged with a 4-3 win over Brighton in the Premier League, where Bruno Fernandes scored a hat trick as Manchester United bounced back from an early setback against Ipswich with a 5-2 victory. Bellingham unstoppable in Spain ==================== Bellingham, who scored Madrid's first goal of the season, got the first again Sunday after surging past a couple of Malaga defenders and shooting past goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero from a narrow angle. Some fans in the stadium responded by singing the Beatles hit "Hey Jude." He forced the ball over again shortly afterward, heading the rebound from an .

According to media reports, UEFA has launched legal proceedings in the US and Switzerland over Infantino's handling of a controversial proposal to bring private-equity investment into FIFA

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin says he won't run against FIFA President Gianni Infantino but warned the beleaguered head of world soccer that he must either quit or face a leadership challenge in March. Infantino has come under increasing pressure to step down over his plan, now aborted, to sell stakes in soccer's biggest tournament, the World Cup, to private equity investors. Three of the sport's continental confederations accused him of "deception" and European soccer body UEFA threatened a boycott of FIFA competitions. "One option is that he realizes that he doesn't have the support, and that's not only a political support of the ones who vote, but the political support of football community, the political support of fans, the political support of the players, former players, coaches," Ceferin said in an interview with "The Rest is Politics: Leading" British podcast which is set to be broadcast Monday. "And the second option is that he goes to the elections in March, but in th

Arsenal got its title defense off to a perfect start Friday with a 3-0 win over newly promoted Coventry City in the opening match of the Premier League. In France, a second-half double from Amine Gouiri set Marseille on its way to a 4-0 victory over Strasbourg on the first night of this season's Ligue 1 action. Elsewhere in Europe, Real Betis beat Real Sociedad 1-0 in the Spanish league while fan trouble overshadowed the first round of the German Cup. Arsenal sweeps Coventry aside in Premier League opener ========================================= Newcomer Christos Tzolis helped set up two goals as defending champion Arsenal opened the Premier League season by dismantling promoted Coventry 3-0 to spoil the visitor's long-awaited return to the top flight. After ending a 22-year wait for the Premier League title, Arsenal showed why it's favored to repeat as champion by completely dominating Frank Lampard's side in a game that was one-sided from start to finish. Kai Havertz, Bukayo

The Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro will host the opening match and the final of the Women's World Cup next year, FIFA announced Thursday. Brazil is the first South American nation to host the tournament and will play in the opener on June 24 against a yet-to-be-determined opponent in the 73,000 seat Maracana, which also hosted the 2014 men's World Cup final. The hosts will also play in Sao Paulo and Brasilia during the group phase of the 32-team competition spread across eight Brazilian cities. The final is scheduled for July 25. The Maracana is one of soccer's most iconic venues, having hosted the decisive match of the 1950 men's World Cup, with Uruguay crowned champions after beating the hosts 2-1. In the final of the 2014 edition, Germany lifted its fourth title after a 1-0 extra-time win against Lionel Messi's Argentina. So far, only Sweden's Rasunda Stadium and California's Rose Bowl have hosted both the men's and women's World Cup finals. Spain is the defending champion

Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala said he's dealing with a neurological issue but doing well despite collapsing during a preseason game Tuesday at Heidenheim, three days after a similar incident against Leipzig. The 23-year-old Germany international went down shortly after entering Tuesday's friendly as a substitute in the second half. Players from both teams made a circle around Musiala as he received medical treatment. He was then helped as he walked off the pitch. Musiala had collapsed Saturday during a friendly against Leipzig. German news agency DPA reported he had left the field on his own but still appeared dazed. After Tuesday's game, Musiala posted a message on his Instagram account, explaining that he had been diagnosed with temporary "but easily treatable absence seizures" caused by a neurological problem. "These can lead to the moments that happened recently, such as against Leipzig or even now in Heidenheim," Musiala wrote. Bayern, in its report on Tuesday's game

Senegal hired Patrick Vieira as its new coach on Tuesday to replace Pape Thiaw, who was fired after the team was eliminated from the World Cup in the round of 32. Senegal announced the news in a post on Instagram, without giving any details of the length of the 50-year-old Vieira's contract. Vieira won the World Cup with France as a player during a glittering club career with Inter and AC Milan, Arsenal and Manchester City. His coaching career has not been anywhere near as successful, however. Vieira has previously coached New York City FC, Nice, Crystal Palace and Strasbourg. His last job was in charge of Genoa, but - despite an initially positive start - he was fired after less than a year with the team in last place in Serie A. Senegal was eliminated from the World Cup by Belgium despite leading 2-0 with about five minutes of regulation time remaining. The team also came close to elimination in the group stage after losses to France and Norway. Thiaw and his technical staff we

Barcelona made official the signing of Spain captain Rodri on Tuesday, adding the World Cup's best player to a squad already filled with world champions. The midfielder who helped Spain secure its second World Cup title transferred from Manchester City to join international teammates such as Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Pau Cubarsi, Gavi and Pedri. The 30-year-old Rodri's contract will run to 2030, Barcelona said. The announcement was made after the midfielder underwent a medical and the clubs finalized transfer details. Barcelona agreed to a transfer worth 76.5 million euros ($88.5 million), according to a person with knowledge of the transaction confirmed to The Associated Press on Sunday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details of the deal have not been made public. Rodri, who had one year left on his City contract, said upon arriving in Barcelona on Monday that it was "a dream to play" for the Catalan club. "Very happy to arrive," he told reporters brief

SC Delhi produced a remarkable second-half comeback to defeat debutants FC Raengdai of Manipur 5-1 on Sunday and set up a semifinal clash against Kolkata heavyweights East Bengal in the Durand Cup. After Chongtham Kishan Singh's (9th) stunning long-range strike had put Raengdai ahead in the first half, substitute Joseph Sunny's (57th, 67th) second-half brace turned the game around. Rodriguinho (82nd), Juan Sebastian Pena (90+3) and Augustine Lalrochana (90+8) were the other SC Delhi goal scorers in the quarter-final match. In Kolkata, a first-half header from PV Vishnu saw East Bengal FC edge past a spirited Indian Army FT side 1-0 in another quarterfinal. The East Bengal versus SC Delhi semifinal will be played at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on August 19. In Ranchi's Birsa Munda Stadium, it was FC Raengdai who took the lead in spectacular fashion against SC Delhi. Chongtham Kishan Singh unleashed a bullet of a shot from around 20 metres that dipped late, st

In 2025, Bill Chisholm-led group bought the Boston Celtics at a $6.1 bn valuation, just a few months before Mark Walter, a financier, bought a majority stake in the Lakers with a valuation at $10 bn