Soccer

2:33 AM ET Cristiano Ronaldo is set to play in Saudi Arabia for the first time since joining Al Nassr after he was named as captain of Riyadh ST XI for an exhibition match against Lionel Messi‘s Paris Saint-Germain, officials announced on Monday. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) The 37-year-old will lead

4:27 PM ET If you visit Rio Ferdinand’s social media accounts, you’ll discover him sharing a clip from Sunday’s Spanish Supercopa final, in which Barcelona dismantled Real Madrid 3-1 to win Xavi’s first Camp Nou trophy as a coach. The world-class former Manchester United sweeper announces, “The Xavi impact is here. I know what this

1:11 PM ET It’s back! The first Marcotti Musings of 2023 is here, and the European soccer weekend offered up plenty to talk about, from Arsenal, Barcelona and Man United getting memorable, morale-boosting wins over their rivals Tottenham, Real Madrid and Man City respectively to more pain at Liverpool. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga,

12:32 AM ET Another weekend of European football is in the books and, once again, there is drama everywhere you look. Barcelona have lifted the Spanish Supercopa, humiliating Real Madrid in the process, while Arsenal, Manchester United and Napoli all secured statement wins. ESPN correspondents Julien Laurens, James Tyler, Rob Dawson, Alex Kirkland and Sam

4:33 PM ET Alex Kirkland Sam Marsden Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-1 in the Spanish Supercopa final on Sunday to win the first trophy of coach Xavi Hernandez’s 14 months in charge. Midfielder Gavi opened the scoring in the 33rd minute at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by converting Robert Lewandowski‘s

1:37 PM ET Aaron Ramsdale appeared to be kicked by a Tottenham Hotspur supporter following Arsenal‘s 2-0 North London derby victory on Sunday. Ramsdale, who was involved in an incident with Spurs striker Richarlison moments earlier, was collecting his goalkeeper gloves from behind the goal after the final whistle when a fan appeared to kick

1:32 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent MANCHESTER, England — After scoring the winner in the 189th Manchester Derby, Marcus Rashford stayed on the Old Trafford pitch to fulfil his postmatch media duties. That done, he saluted the Manchester United fans who had stayed behind to celebrate the 2-1 comeback win over Manchester City in the Stretford

2:49 PM ET Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp blasted his side’s effort in a humiliating 3-0 Premier League defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion that he called the worst ever in his reign. Winger Solly March scored twice and created a third for Brighton as they dominated the game from start to finish, with Liverpool barely

1:12 PM ET Chelsea look set to hijack Arsenal‘s pursuit of Mykhailo Mudryk after agreeing a €100 million deal with Shakhtar Donetsk for the winger, sources have told ESPN. The bid comprises a fixed fee of €70m with a further €30m in add-ons, matching the Ukrainian club’s valuation for the transfer of the 21-year-old. –

8:47 AM ET Associated Press Benjamin Mendy was cleared on six counts of rape and one of sexual assault. Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy was found not guilty on Friday on six counts of rape and one of sexual assault. Jurors at Chester Crown Court in northwest England could

5:30 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Erik ten Hag says he “doesn’t care” about Pep Guardiola’s tactical plan for the Manchester derby after the Manchester City manager suggested he has a “ridiculous” idea about how to win the game. Guardiola has since claimed he was joking when he said he had “a few ideas, thoughts, ridiculous

9:46 AM ET Mark Ogden Bill Connelly Close Bill Connelly ESPN Staff Writer Bill Connelly is a staff writer for ESPN.com. Manchester United are back. Maybe not yet to the level they enjoyed under Sir Alex Ferguson as the dominant force of English football, but the Premier League’s most successful club are finally showing signs

4:00 AM ET Cristiano Ronaldo and his long-standing agent Jorge Mendes could be set to part company, while Chelsea are still looking to splash some serious cash on a Ukraine international coveted by Arsenal ESPN’s Insider Notebook has the latest. Jump to: Chelsea still in talks over Mudryk | De Gea and Fred wait on

5:36 PM ET Joao Felix was sent off on his Chelsea debut Thursday as Fulham beat the Blues 2-1 at Craven Cottage to heap more pressure on Graham Potter. Willian opened the scoring against his former club on 25 minutes with a deflected shot from inside the box before Kalidou Koulibaly equalised two minutes after

11:16 AM ET Paris Saint-Germain are hoping to make a big step forward in negotiations with Lionel Messi over his new contract by the end of the month, sources have told ESPN. Messi, 34, was linked with a shock move to Al Hilal on Thursday but is happy in Paris and won’t be joining Cristiano

5:30 PM ET Graham Potter has described managing Chelsea as “the hardest job in football.” Chelsea travel to Fulham on Thursday night seeking to improve on a disappointing run of six defeats in nine games, which has seen them drop to 10th place in the Premier League table. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more

5:33 PM ET Foley, an NHL team owner who recently acquired Bournemouth, is one of many U.S. investors in the Premier League. Could they end up flexing their collective muscle to make English soccer’s top division look more like sports back home? Warren Little/Getty Images With Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley acquiring AFC Bournemouth last

9:32 AM ET Christian Pulisic is expected to be out for up to two months with a knee injury, Chelsea head coach Graham Potter confirmed on Wednesday. The United States international limped out of last week’s Premier League home defeat to Manchester City and has since undergone a series of tests to determine the extent