Football

Sid Lowe, Spain writerJan 19, 2024, 03:22 PM ET Head coach Xavi of Barcelona watches during the Spanish Super Cup final between Real Madrid and Barcelona in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Jan. 14. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images) “It would have to be the coup of a lifetime, like ‘Money Heist,'” the Unionistas de Salamanca

Julien Laurens, CorrespondentJan 19, 2024, 01:34 PM ET Open Extended Reactions After being sacked by Roma on Tuesday, José Mourinho is in talks to join Al Shabab of the Saudi Pro League. Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images It shouldn’t come as a surprise. José Mourinho is in talks to join Al Shabab in Saudi Arabia, and

Jan 19, 2024, 10:44 AM ET Open Extended Reactions United States women’s national team legend Sam Mewis has retired from professional football at 31 as a result of long-standing knee injury. Mewis won the World Cup with the USWNT in 2019 and won four NWSL titles in her illustrious career, playing for the now defunct

Noah Davis, ESPNJan 18, 2024, 09:37 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Matt Turner is the USMNT’s clear No. 1 in goal right now, but he’s had a rough go of it in the Premier League. MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images The list reads like one of those T-shirts: Tony + Kasey + Brad + Tim. From

Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff WriterJan 18, 2024, 06:16 PM ET Close Covers the Pac-12. Joined ESPN in 2014. Attended Washington State University. Open Extended Reactions The match schedule for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada will be unveiled Feb. 4, FIFA announced Thursday. As part of the announcement, FIFA

Jan 18, 2024, 09:45 AM ET Open Extended Reactions United States and AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic was named U.S. Soccer’s male player of the year for 2023 on Thursday, tying Landon Donovan for the most wins by a USMNT player with four. Pulisic, 25, had previously been named the top U.S. men’s player for

Jan 17, 2024, 07:17 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Kylian Mbappé has said European football’s increasingly busy schedule is beginning to mirror the NBA season, and warned of the effects of basketball-style load management. In an interview with British GQ, Mbappé said such practices could create a wedge between players, teams, and supporters who attend

Open Extended Reactions You may have seen the headlines about the Premier League‘s new domestic “record TV deal” being worth £6.7 billion ($8.4bn) for the 2025-2029 cycle, and your eyes might have glazed over as they often do around big numbers. You may have thought, “OK, it’s the most successful soccer league in the world,

Adriana Garcia Jan 17, 2024, 05:19 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Benfica have denied reports that they are negotiating with Manchester United over the potential transfer of João Neves. Amid reports that United’s priority is to sign the holding midfielder, Benfica stated they have no intention to sell Neves to United or any other club

Sophie Lawson Jan 17, 2024, 04:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions With the winter break coming to an end and the UEFA Women’s Champions League returning on Jan. 24, it’s a good time to assess the strength of the top clubs across Europe. The transfer window is open until the end of the month, so

Julien Laurens, CorrespondentJan 16, 2024, 01:42 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Giovanni Reyna is determined to leave Borussia Dortmund in January and has already been offered to top European clubs, sources have told ESPN. United States international Reyna has hardly played for Dortmund this season, appearing for just 320 minutes in 12 games in all

Multiple Contributors Jan 16, 2024, 12:25 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández is fighting to keep the players onside with a section of the first-team squad losing faith in him, several sources have told ESPN. Barça were beaten 4-1 by Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa final on Sunday, but sources say

Tom Hamilton, Senior WriterJan 16, 2024, 03:39 AM ET Close • 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 Open Extended Reactions Jose Mourinho has left Serie A side Roma with immediate effect. Mourinho’s contract was up

Gabriele Marcotti, Senior Writer, ESPN FCJan 15, 2024, 11:59 AM ET Open Extended Reactions It’s been another wild weekend in European soccer, with the return of the German Bundesliga aligning with some eye-opening results in the Premier League, Spanish Supercopa and Serie A. We had the transcendent return of Kevin De Bruyne, as Man City

Open Extended Reactions Video Assistant Referee causes controversy every week in the Premier League, but how are decisions made, and are they correct? After each weekend, we take a look at the major incidents to examine and explain the process both in terms of VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game. – How VAR

Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Jan 14, 2024, 07:57 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Vinícius Júnior defended his on-field behaviour after scoring a hat trick in Real Madrid’s 4-1 Clásico win over Barcelona in the Spanish Supercopa final, while admitting that “I’m no saint.” The Brazil forward scored twice in the first ten minutes to put

Sam Marsden Alex Kirkland Jan 14, 2024, 05:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Vinicius, second from left, scored three times and set up he fourth as Real Madrid thumped their biggest rivals, Barcelona, to claim the Spanish Supercopa. FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images Sunday’s Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona in the Spanish Supercopa final offered

Open Extended Reactions Sir Jim Ratcliffe expects the Premier League to ratify his move to take charge of Manchester United‘s football operations by “mid-February” as he spoke for the first time about his investment in the club ahead of Sunday’s game against Tottenham. Ratcliffe, 71, agreed to buy 25% of United from their American owners