Football

4:06 PM ET Alex KirklandESPN FC Gareth Bale was absent from Real Madrid’s LaLiga title celebrations on Saturday, blaming a “bad back spasm” for his failure to attend their decisive 4-0 win over Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu. Rodrygo scored twice, Marco Asensio grabbed a third and substitute Karim Benzema added his 26th league goal

10:12 AM ET Mino Raiola, one of the most high profile agents in world football, has died following a battle with illness, a statement from his family said on Saturday. He was 54. Raiola represented some of the game’s biggest players including Erling Haaland, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba. Matthijs de Ligt, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Jesse

5:30 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola believes Jurgen Klopp is wasting his time moaning about Premier League fixture chaos and suggested managers could take jobs in the “Maldives League” if they are unhappy with the schedule. Liverpool were in action against Villarreal in the Champions League on Wednesday, winning the first

6:15 PM ET Former United States women’s national team goalkeeper Hope Solo tweeted on Friday that she is voluntarily entering an in-patient alcohol treatment program and requested that her induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame be postponed until 2023. Solo, 40, was arrested on March 31 after she was found passed out behind

12:36 PM ET The consortium led by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly is in exclusive negotations to buy Premier League club Chelsea for $3 billion (£2.4bn), a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday. Boehly’s consortium was one of a number of bidders that had approached New York bank Raine with bids

4:00 AM ET Erik ten Hag wants full focus on Ajax before his rebuilding job at Manchester United — ESPN’s Insider Notebook has the latest. PLUS: Paulo Dybala is a man in demand. Jump to: Dybala in demand | Fireworks at the World Cup | USMNT’s Dest gets Barca reprieve | Neves set to leave

Cristiano Ronaldo rescued a point for Manchester United in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea in Thursday’s Premier League clash at Old Trafford. Ronaldo, who has now scored United’s last five goals, found the net just two minutes after Chelsea had taken a deserved 60th-minute lead through Marcos Alonso. Despite dominating the game, Chelsea failed to

7:00 AM ET Tor-Kristian Karlsen The world’s best male players are getting younger but, as the likes of Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, Barcelona‘s Pedri and Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden make headlines every week, is it finally time to crown successors to the legendary Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo? 2 Related For the fourth

4:32 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Ralf Rangnick has proposed that the Manchester United squad vote on whether they want Harry Maguire to stay on as captain next season. Maguire was installed as skipper by former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer shortly after his £80 million move from Leicester in 2019. – Stream ESPN FC Daily on

5:46 PM ET LIVERPOOL, England — Don’t be fooled by the narrow margin of the scoreline. Liverpool‘s 2-0 victory over Villarreal at Anfield was the most one-sided semifinal you are likely to see and could and should have been so much more for the six-time European champions. But 2-0 may well be more than enough

10:56 AM ET Tom Hamilton Close Senior Writer • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Bill Connelly Close ESPN Staff Writer Bill Connelly is a staff writer for ESPN.com. Alphonso Davies won his fourth Bundesliga

5:58 PM ET MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City had their Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid signed and sealed three times, but still ended up with their prospects of a place in next month’s final in the balance. Pep Guardiola’s team have become football’s most exciting team, but their sense of adventure could cost them

5:04 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City and Real Madrid played out a pulsating Champions League semifinal first leg at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday with Man City earning the 4-3 advantage. Although City looked poised to run away with it, Madrid kept it close and there will be plenty to play

7:02 AM ET Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has agreed a new contract until 2026 with his release clause rising to €1 billion ($1.16bn), the club have announced. Araujo’s previous deal was due to expire in 2023 and ESPN revealed last month that both Manchester United and Liverpool were keen on signing

2:17 PM ET After Gabriel Jesus had put four goals past his Watford side on Saturday, Roy Hodgson compared the Manchester City striker to Ronaldo — the Brazilian original. It is a comparison that O Fenômeno himself made — but almost six years ago, and it is not a view that has been voiced since.

2:55 PM ET James Tyler Close Senior Editor, ESPN FC James Tyler is an ESPN editor for soccer. Austin Lindberg Another week, another LAFC victory, another edition of MLS Power Rankings topped for Steve Cherundolo & Co. Behind the Black and Gold, though, their closest rivals are steadily sneaking up the order. The LA Galaxy

8:40 AM ET Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City squad could not get out of the Estadio do Dragao quickly enough after losing last season’s Champions League final against Chelsea in Porto. Guardiola gave the briefest of postmatch interviews and his players headed out of the stadium with barely a word to any media outlet

5:03 PM ET Barcelona have lost three consecutive home games in the same season for the first time in their illustrious history after slumping to a shock 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou on Sunday. Alvaro Garcia struck the only goal of the game after just seven minutes, with Barcelona struggling to build