Football

1:46 PM ET Major League Soccer said on Thursday that it will open an investigation on Real Salt Lake owner Dell Loy Hansen’s alleged use of racist language. The Athletic published a story detailing alleging that Hansen has a history of making racially charged remarks in his time as owner of the club. The announcement

11:56 AM ET Plot twists are to be expected when transfer rumours are involved, but it appears Lionel Messi might actually be leaving Barcelona. It feels like something both impossible and inevitable, and the emotional shockwaves will continue to resonate for a while even if he stays, but how would this actually work? If Messi

4:00 AM ET Any club from top teams like Manchester United, Liverpool and Barcelona to lower-league and semi-pro sides can produce a terrible kit. ESPN Illustration After compiling and ranking the best 101 soccer kits ever, it was only fair that we once again enlisted ESPN’s soccer writers and editors from around the globe to help

8:56 PM ET Most of Wednesday’s matches in Major League Soccer were postponed as players chose not to play in protest of racial injustice, and in particular the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by police on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The development came as players in both the NBA and WNBA declined to

9:21 AM ET Sid LoweSpain writer The letter (well, “burofax”) arrives, recorded delivery. That way, no one can pretend that they didn’t get it. Someone opens it — Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, himself? — and reads it. What does it say? Wait, what? It says that Lionel Messi, the greatest player in the club’s

3:00 AM ET Arsenal technical director Edu has already been busy this summer, but the club still have a number of huge calls to make. Having taken over just before Christmas, manager Mikel Arteta is overseeing the rebuild, and there were positive signs after the restart, including winning the FA Cup. However, after four consecutive

7:24 PM ET Rodrigo Faez Moises Llorens Pep Guardiola and Lionel Messi spoke on the phone last week to discuss the possibility of the Barcelona forward making a move to Manchester City this summer, sources have confirmed to ESPN. Messi shocked Barca on Tuesday when he informed them of his intention to leave this summer,

5:32 PM ET It’s incredible to think about, but there’s precedent for Barcelona and Lionel Messi ending up in court over their latest battle, which escalated Tuesday when he informed the club he wanted to leave after nearly 20 years of service. That the positions adopted by both parties — the wounded genius vs. the

2:37 AM ET Reuters Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email Manchester City left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko set aside some time on his wedding day to clarify comments he and his new bride Vlada Sedan made about manager Pep Guardiola in the wake of the club’s Champions League defeat to Lyon. Television reporter Sedan delivered a scathing

10:14 AM ET It’s finally over. As Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer lifted the European Cup following the German club’s Champions League final victory over Paris Saint-Germain in Lisbon on Sunday, the 2019-20 season reached its delayed conclusion. Or so it seemed, anyway. Supporters of Spanish club Elche would argue that their 1-0 victory over

3:24 PM ET Moises Llorens Rodrigo Faez Manchester City are crunching the numbers to work out if they would be able to sign Lionel Messi without breaching Financial Fair Play rules if the Barcelona star becomes available, sources have told ESPN. – Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)– Don’t have ESPN? Get instant

7:30 AM ET It is 12.40 a.m. and Thiago Silva is the first Paris Saint-Germain player to get off the bus at the Myriad hotel in Lisbon city centre, for the last time. Unlike in his dreams, though the captain is not holding the Champions League trophy. Instead, he passes to the entrance of the

6:34 PM ET The Champions League that almost was not — the one played against a backdrop of fear and insecurity (but also solidarity and self-scrutiny) — ended with the European Cup trophy returning where it has been before. Bayern Munich’s 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain marks the German club’s sixth time as champions of

4:51 PM ET Bayern Munich celebrated their sixth European crown on Sunday. Getty Bayern Munich won their sixth European title after defeating Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the Champions League final in Lisbon on Sunday. Kingsley Coman scored a header in the 60th minute to put the German giants level with Liverpool for third-most all time in

7:33 AM ET Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has credited manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after he achieved his best goalscoring tally at the club last season. Martial scored 24 goals in all competitions and finished the campaign as United’s top goalscorer. – Stream FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)– Insider Notebook: Arsenal, Man City battle

8:28 PM ET Ethan Zubak and Sebastian Lletget each scored a goal as the LA Galaxy earned their first victory of season with a 2-0 decision at LAFC on Saturday in a match that saw reigning MLS MVP Carlos Vela exit early with a left leg injury. – Stream MLS matches on ESPN+ Despite LAFC

Aug 21, 2020 When the Champions League returned post-lockdown, the one-legged format and general 2020 uncertainty suggested we were ripe for a string of upsets. And while some heavyweights — Manchester City, Juventus, Atletico Madrid — did fall to less illustrious opposition, we ended up with two super clubs in the final: Paris Saint-Germain and

4:00 AM ET Gabriele Marcotti Mark Ogden It is now seven years since Manchester United last won the Premier League title and, in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, it has been a story of chop and change both in terms of managers and players at Old Trafford. 2 Related Now United finally appear to be