Football

10:00 AM ET Barcelona spent the final few hours of the January transfer window desperately trying to generate interest in a player president Joan Laporta has said is “better than Kylian Mbappe” and coach Xavi Hernandez insists can be “the best in the world in his position.” However, as Laporta worked until midnight at the

8:40 AM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Diego Simeone has hit out at Xavi Hernandez’s criticism of Atletico Madrid‘s playing style, saying his opposite number “doesn’t understand” life outside of Barcelona. Barca host champions Atletico at Camp Nou on Sunday with just a point separating the two teams in the LaLiga table, as they battle

1:38 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City don’t do cup upsets. Not recently, anyway. And so, while Manchester United were dumped out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough and both Chelsea and West Ham were made to struggle past Plymouth Argyle and Kidderminster Harriers, Pep Guardiola’s team allowed Fulham to dream for

6:00 PM ET Manchester United console Anthony Elanga after his penalty miss in an FA Cup loss to Middlesbrough. Getty Middlesbrough shocked Manchester United in an 8-7 penalty shootout win to advance from the FA Cup fourth round at Old Trafford on Friday night after 120 minutes of regular and extra time ended in a 1-1

7:09 PM ET MANCHESTER, England — There will be no FA Cup triumph to paper over the cracks for Manchester United this season. Unless they win the Champions League — and that seems as likely right now as Ralf Rangnick’s team taking a midseason break on the moon — the club’s trophy drought will stretch

3:45 AM ET Manchester United are plotting a midfield overhaul after a quiet January window — ESPN’s Insider Notebook has the latest. Jump to: Spotify Camp Nou? | West Ham wary of Rice interest | Real Madrid keen on Brazil wonder kid | Dembele seeks bumper pay deal | Why Jones’ United exit broke down

3:19 AM ET It’s now five long years since Arsenal last played in the Champions League, and in fact this season is their first without any kind of European football since 1995-96. Mikel Arteta is trying to put that right, but finds his team in sixth place which, at best, is only going to be

1:48 PM ET Ranking things across eras — teams, players, or anything — is a fool’s errand. How do you compare Tom Brady to Johnny Unitas? George Mikan to Shaquille O’Neal? Soccer’s no different. Club rosters are far more cosmopolitan than they used to be, wins are worth three points instead of two, and money

Feb 2, 2022 Real Madrid have not fared particularly well in the Copa del Rey this season, needing extra time to beat lesser opponents. Yet this year, there’s a good reason to give it their all. Quality Sport Images/Getty Images At face value, Thursday’s hostile Copa del Rey tie — when Real Madrid visit San Mames

12:25 AM ET ST. PAUL, Minn. — The U.S. men’s national team can breathe again. It can feel its fingers and toes again, too, as a 3-0 win over Honduras in frigid conditions has the U.S.’s World Cup qualifying campaign back on track. It’s a win that is most welcome for the players and manager

9:22 PM ET Austin Lindberg Christian Pulisic came off the bench to score in the United States’ 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Honduras on Wednesday. Getty Images ST. PAUL, Minn. — The United States men’s national soccer team bounced back from Sunday’s disappointing defeat to Canada to stroll to a comfortable 3-0 World Cup qualifying

10:27 AM ET Caitlin Murray The National Women’s Soccer League’s 2021 Rookie of the Year, Trinity Rodman, 19, will become the highest-paid player in league history after she signs a contract extension with Washington Spirit on Wednesday, the club announced. The four-year deal is reported to be worth $1.1 million, according to Sportico. Rodman, the

5:48 AM ET Barcelona have confirmed the signing of Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a free transfer. The clubs had been locked in talks ahead of the transfer deadline, with the 32-year-old flying into Catalonia on Monday in an attempt to push through a deal. Arsenal were keen to offload Aubameyang’s wage — which starts

2:31 PM ET The U.S men’s national team are approaching the end of World Cup qualifying and — surprise surprise! — their trip to Qatar is still not booked after Sunday’s 2-0 defeat in Canada. The USMNT are in second place, level on points with Mexico, with the top three teams guaranteed a World Cup

5:00 AM ET The coronavirus pandemic continues to impact football’s finances, but unlike recent times, the January window will be open as normal for Europe’s top leagues. (Find out when each league’s window opens and closes here.) 2 Related Clubs across Europe in Italy’s Serie A (€550 million), Germany’s Bundesliga (€415m), France’s Ligue 1 (€375m)

4:30 AM ET Tor-Kristian Karlsen Given the financial challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the January transfer window was surprisingly busy as clubs made mid-season moves to try and strengthen their sides. 2 Related According to Transfermarkt, the Premier League (€335 million) spending was actually the second-highest in history, with Liverpool‘s move for FC Porto winger

11:43 AM ET The 2022 January transfer window has firmly shut, but what a Deadline Day it brought. All eyes were on Barcelona, as they worked to bring in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Arsenal in addition to attempting to send Ousmane Dembele to the Premier League. Aaron Ramsey left Juventus for Rangers on loan. Everton were

5:16 AM ET The 2022 January transfer window has reached its final day (find out when it closes here), and there’s plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings and goings and, of course, done deals! – Liverpool sign Porto’s Luis Diaz for €45m–