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شن رئيس نادي برشلونة السابق نقدًا لاذعًا على فلورنتينو بيريز، رئيس نادي ريال مدريد، وذلك عقب تصريحات الأخير عن الفريق الكتالوني خلال الأيام الماضية.

بيريز انتقد برشلونة خلال الأيام الماضية، متهمًا الفريق الكتالوني بالغش وبالاستفادة من التحكيم الذي كان مناصرًا للبلوجرانا.

ويعتقد بيريز أن برشلونة لم يكن ليحقق إنجازاته خلال السنوات الماضية لولا المساعدات التحكيمية، ليرد رئيس البلوجرانا، خوان لابورتا على بيريز ويقول أن ريال مدريد مهووس بالبارسا.

وانضم خوان جاسبارت، رئيس برشلونة ، إلى قائمة منتقدي بيريز، قائلًا إن الأخير هو نيجريرا الحقيقي، على هامش القضية الشهيرة التي كانت بين نائب رئيس لجنة الحكام السابق بالاتحاد الإسباني لكرة القدم والبلوجرانا.

اقرأ أيضًا.. بواتينج يعترف: صفقات برشلونة كانت لا تتم إلا بموافقة ميسي

وقال جاسبارت في تصريحات نقلها صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو”: “نيجريرا كرة القدم الإسبانية هو السيد فلورنتينو بيريز، ريال مدريد يتصرف مثل نيجريرا منذ 100 عام وفلورنتينو بيريز يتصرف كواحد منهم منذ 25 عامًا، الغشاش الوحيد هنا هو فلورنتينو بيريز”.

وأضاف جاسبارت في حديثه: “إنه يلمح إلى أن برشلونة فاز بألقاب لم يستحقها، إنه المحتال الحقيقي ويسيطر على كل شيء ومن حين لآخر، يهاجمنا ويربط برشلونة بينجريرا”.

كما تطرق جاسبارت إلى فوز برشلونة على ديبورتيفو ألافيس أمس السبت 3-1 بالدوري الإسباني، حيث اختتم: “أفضل شيء هو النتيجة التي انتهت بالفوز، وهذا هو المهم ونحن الآن في صدارة الترتيب، وننتظر ما سيفعله ريال مدريد”.

Aaron Boone has responded to the harsh assessments levied on his team by two former New York Yankees veterans.

On Fox's pregame show before Saturday night's Speedway Classic, the panel discussed the Yankees' recent struggles. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez were harsh in their assessments of the current roster and its manager. They didn't hold back.

"They make way too many mistakes," Jeter said. “And you can’t get away with making that number of mistakes against great teams. It just doesn’t happen. They had baserunning mistakes today—you saw [Trent Grisham] getting thrown out at home plate. You can’t continue to do it. You have to clean it up."

Rodriguez similarly said the team makes too many mistakes and there don't seem to be consequences for them.

"If any one of us made a mistake, we would be sitting our butt right on the bench," Rodriguez said. "I see mistake after mistake, and there’s no consequences."

When asked about those comments, Boone accepted the criticism and said it comes with the territory of being the team's manager.

"Look, we’re the Yankees," Boone said. "When we lose games, if it’s in and around a mistake, that criticism is fair game. At the end of the day, we have all the pieces to be a really good team. That’s on me and all of us to get the most out of that."

He did say he disagreed with Rodriguez's characterization of there being no accountability, but that there were no excuses, and results are all that matter.

Perhaps making things worse, Boone and Jeter were teammates on the 2003 Yankees team that lost the World Series to the then-Florida Marlins. After Boone was injured in the offseason, the Yankees traded for Rodriguez to take his third base spot, and Boone was released soon after. So, yeah, there's some history here between the three men.

The Yankees made significant additions to their bullpen at the MLB trade deadline, but if the team continues to make simple mistakes, it won't matter.

After a dismal defeat against ten men last Monday, Manchester United bounced back with a 2-1 win away to Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

The Red Devils were behind at half-time after a Jean-Philippe Mateta penalty, but two goals from set pieces were enough to ensure they would take all three points back to Manchester.

Both goals were impressive finishes from United. First, the lesser-spotted Joshua Zirkzee got himself on the scoresheet with a fantastic finish.

He controlled a Bruno Fernandes free-kick on his chest before superbly volleying low and hard into the back of the net.

That was the strike which drew United level, and the goal which won them the game, from Mason Mount, was just as good. The Red Devils’ number 7 walked onto a Fernandes layoff from yet another free-kick, driving his effort through the Palace wall and into Dean Henderson’s goal.

Despite the result and an energetic second half showing, it was far from a perfect afternoon for United. Ruben Amorim’s side could only muster an expected goals tally of 1.25 xG, and just 0.26 xG in the second half. It was an important win, but there is still a lot to improve on.

Indeed, it was a tough day at the office for some United players, including young defender Leny Yoro.

Leny Yoro's day to forget vs Palace

Young French defender Yoro did not have the best outing at Selhurst Park on Sunday lunchtime. It was his foul on Mateta, a challenge late from behind his countryman, which led to Palace’s penalty and Oliver Glasner’s side taking the lead.

Indeed, there were bright moments against the South Londoners for the former Lille star, who has struggled to find his best form for the majority of this season. He made a crucial block in the first half to prevent Palace from scoring, an important moment in the game.

Yet, it was still not the day Yoro would have hoped for. His foul on Mateta, which was ultimately quite a clumsy challenge, and the fact that he won just three duels from the six he contested, meant Amorim took him off for Noussair Mazraoui after Zirkzee’s goal.

Despite what is a tough moment for Yoro, the United squad is rallying around him. Mount was one of the players quick to support his teammate at full-time, something that football presenter Dylan Penketh said he was “glad to see” after the final whistle.

It was a disappointing day for Yoro, but he was not the only United player who struggled.

Not just Yoro: Man Utd star struggles vs Palace

Coming up against Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada was always going to be tough for United’s pivot at Selhurst Park, and Casemiro was a player who felt the brunt of that.

The Brazilian was said to be “haunted by Adam Wharton” according to journalist Samuel Luckhurst.

Indeed, it was not an easy day against the Eagles’ energetic midfield pivot, especially in the first half. The Brazilian had 65 touches in total across the game, losing the ball 11 times and creating one chance. He also won just seven of his 15 duels.

The United number 18 received a 5/10 rating from the Manchester Evening News journalist Steven Railston. He said Casemiro did improve throughout the game, although he described his start to the game at Selhurst Park as “shaky.”

After a tougher game for Casemiro, and the fact that he is one yellow card away from suspension, it will be interesting to see if he keeps his place in the side ahead of United’s next game. Next up, they have a clash with West Ham United on Thursday at Old Trafford.

It is also a game where United are likely to have the lion’s share of possession. Perhaps Amoirm opts to bring Kobbie Mainoo into their midfield, a man who is better on the ball and more capable of retaining possession and sustaining attacks.

On top of that, the Brazilian played 90 minutes at Selhurst Park. With the game as soon as Thursday and a hectic December coming up, it would not be a surprise to see him rotated out of the side to help aid his recovery.

Haaland 2.0: Man Utd can sign "one of the best STs in Europe" for £44m

Manchester United could be about to sign a new talisman like Erling Haaland in January.

By
Ethan Lamb

Nov 29, 2025

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk showed off his supreme FIFPro World XI knowledge as he successfully named the defenders of the World XI for the past five seasons. The Dutch international defender himself has featured in three of those five line-ups, while Manchester City's star centre-back Ruben Dias has featured in two of those teams.

• Van Dijk showed off supreme FIFPro World XI knowledge

  Van Dijk, over the years, has grown into one of the best defenders in the Premier League and across the world and is a key pillar in the Liverpool side, which has won two Premier Leagues, a Champions League and a couple of domestic cups in recent years. His impressive performances for the Reds have earned him a place in three out of the last five FIFA FIFPro World XI sides. He featured in the teams of 2020, 2022 and 2024. Van Dijk is followed by City's Dias, who made it into the line-ups in 2021 and 2023.

  In a chat with GOAL, Van Dijk was asked to name the defenders from the last five FIFPro World XIs and, quite surprisingly, the Dutchman named each backline accurately for all five seasons.

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• Van Dijk frustrated with Liverpool's poor defensive show this season

  On the pitch, the Reds' title defence campaign has turned out to be a nightmare. They started 2025-26 with five Premier League wins in a row but thereafter their form took a major dip as they have managed to win only two out of their next eight league games. Liverpool are currently eighth in the Premier League table and have conceded 20 goals already – the joint-most along with Manchester United among the top 10 teams in the league.

  After the club's disastrous 3-0 loss against Nottingham Forest last month, Van Dijk lashed out at his colleagues as he told reporters: "We concede too many easy goals. They scored obviously from a set piece again. You can ask if he was in front of Alisson, but it counted, so we're 1-0 down. We were not good in terms of battles, challenges, the fight, too rushed. It's a very difficult situation at the moment. There was nervousness after we conceded, but not before. We tried to rush things and that's human when you're in a difficult moment. We cleared the ones before and in the end, we'te in a very difficult moment. We don't get out of it by just speaking about it. It will take a lot of hard work. 

  "It's a problem. Everyone in the team has to take responsibility as well. Football is a team and everyone has to take responsibility. We have to digest this and take it on the chin. We need to work harder. We have to keep going. Everyone is disappointed, like they should be, because losing at home to Nottingham Forest is, in my eyes, very bad. That's the least I can say about it. Those goals we conceded are far too easy and we all have to look in the mirror. I've been at this club so long now and we've been through adversity. We will bounce back but it doesn't happen overnight. I'm not a quitter and we will keep going. I can't decide what the supporters are doing if they leave early. I know the fans have been through thick and thin with us. They will be there with us when we come out of this because we will come out of this."

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  Liverpool eyeing comeback after win over West Ham

  Arne Slot's side finally ended their three-game losing streak last weekend as they beat West Ham on Sunday, courtesy of Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo's strikes. They now have a very hectic December as they are set to play eight matches before New Year's Day. The busy schedule starts with a Premier League match against Sunderland on Wednesday.

An analysis of the trends formed in IPL 2025

Shubh Agarwal05-Jun-202514:45

IPL 2025: Do both Pandya brothers get picked in the team of the tournament?

:Indian batters on top
The dominance of Indian batters was one of the most prominent aspects of IPL 2025. Not only did they score over 16000 runs, they also achieved that at a 150-plus strike rate – both were firsts for Indian batters in an IPL season. Their average of 29.76 is also the highest in a season.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhat makes it more noteworthy is the contribution from the uncapped batters. As many as nine uncapped Indian batters scored over 250 runs. The 2023 and 2024 seasons had six uncapped batters each doing so, which was the previous record.Related

• Big scores, big chases, big aggregates – the IPL 2025 runathon

• IPL 2025: Kohli, Bumrah, Iyer headline ESPNcricinfo's team of the tournament

• Arya, Prabhsimran, Suryavanshi and Rathi make ESPNcricinfo's IPL 2025 Uncapped XII

• IPL 2025 showed the might of the uncapped Indian batter

Prabhsimran Singh became only the second uncapped Indian batter to accumulate over 500 runs in a season, after Yashasvi Jaiswal in 2023. Prabhsimran’s opening partner, Priyansh Arya, scored over 450 runs in his debut season. The 14-year-old IPL debutant Vaibhav Suryavanshi broke the record for the youngest batter to score a T20 hundred.Most impressively, the uncapped batters stood their ground against bowlers with international experience. There were 10 entries of an uncapped batter scoring over 20 runs against international bowlers at a strike rate of over 200 without getting out, the most in a season.This pattern played a vital role in deciding the top four sides. Delhi Capitals’ (DC) two home wins came in Vishakhapatnam; in five matches in Delhi, they lost four and won a Super Over to garner two points from a tied game against Rajasthan Royals (RR). Chennai Super Kings won only one of their six matches in Chepauk. In total, seven of the 10 teams lost more than 50% of their home matches.Bowling offspin against left-handers as a match-up did not prove effective this season. Left-handed batters faced only 25.54% of offspin, the lowest in a season. In this match-up, they conceded 8.87 runs per over, only the third IPL season when they went at more than eight per over against left-handers, after 2008 (8.50) and 2018 (8.26).ESPNcricinfo LtdWhere were the close games?
IPL 2025 was a season that the faint-hearted would have enjoyed without many complications, as there were only a few nailbiters. While the 200-plus run chases were exciting to watch, five of them were finished as contests before the start of the final over. None of the 37 successful chases went to the last ball. Only six matches were decided with a margin of less than 10 runs. Throughout the season, only four matches were effectively alive on the final delivery, including the Super Over contest between DC and RR.ESPNcricinfo LtdOverall, only 21.13% of matches were close (with the margin under 10 runs or less than six balls to spare having less than three wickets in hand in a successful run chase). Only 2011 had fewer close games – 20.83%.Even the playoff qualification was quite straightforward, with the top four decided after the 63rd league game. That is seven matches before the league stage was over, the earliest the top four have been confirmed in a season.

Heading into Liverpool’s highly anticipated clash with Real Madrid on Tuesday night, one obvious player was stealing all the headlines.

Indeed, it was billed as the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Anfield in the Champions League, but the former Reds prodigy turned Los Blancos star only came on for the final exchanges.

Thankfully, Arne Slot’s resurgent side backed up a 2-0 win over Aston Villa with a superb showing against Xabi Alonso’s challengers, as a full team effort guided the Reds to a memorable 1-0 win on Europe’s grandest stage.

It was a phenomenal performance but there was perhaps an even better display post-game from skipper Virgil van Dijk. Keen to dismiss Trent as a talking point, he simply responded to being asked whether he was going to speak to the right-back with one word: “No.”

So, any talk of a meltdown has subsided now, as Liverpool look to be slowly returning to the polished machine they were last season when the Premier League title was triumphantly lifted.

How Liverpool downed Madrid

There must be something in the water on Merseyside that sees Liverpool raise their game whenever the LaLiga giants stroll into town.

In 2024, the Reds cruised to a 2-0 victory over the Spanish titans, with Alexis Mac Allister on the score sheet that night.

Deja vu occurred on Tuesday evening; therefore, as another comfortable victory saw the former Brighton and Hove Albion star pop up with the decisive match-winner.

Mac Allister headed home Dominik Szoboszlai’s inch-perfect delivery, with the South American also managing to come off at the end of the clash with 100% of his tackles won.

Szoboszlai offered far more than just being a classy operator from set-pieces, with a total of five shots registered by the Hungarian, only for Thibaut Courtois to have another unbelievable night against Slot’s men.

Come the end of the contest, journalist Bence Bocsak even boldly stated that the classy number eight was the “best midfielder on the pitch”.

That’s high praise, indeed, considering the visitors boasted Jude Bellingham in their ranks, but there was no fear in Liverpool’s game, coming up against some of these world-class talents, as evidenced in Conor Bradley’s ice-cold display.

Bradley – who noted that he wasn’t “fazed at all” after the match – came up against 2025 Ballon d’Or runner-up Vinicius Junior, and had him in his pocket all night long, heroically winning seven duels and three tackles.

Yet, there is one more Liverpool hero who could be turning into Slot’s very own Philippe Coutinho in front of our eyes.

Slot has found Liverpool's new Coutinho

Coutinho is remembered for being an exceptional midfield talent at Anfield, capable of lighting up Champions League occasions with his trickery and skill.

His final season for the Reds saw the Brazilian fire home a ridiculous five strikes from five Champions League clashes, with ex-Liverpool midfielder Craig Johnston once stating that Coutinho was the “absolute jewel” in their crown.

LW

106

37 + 26

AM

84

15 + 18

Johnston also stated that he provided Liverpool with “the best of both worlds” in terms of his audacious tricks and flicks, but also his hard work and adaptability for the cause, having often been moved to the left wing during his Anfield career.

That worked a treat, too, with 37 of his 54 career strikes for the red half of Merseyside coming from the left flank.

Florian Wirtz very much put in a Coutinho-like shift against Alonso’s men on Wednesday evening, as the easily scapegoated German was equal parts skill and equal parts grit down the left channel, to ensure a 1-0 win was secured.

Only eight of his 197 games for Bayer Leverkusen would come down this channel, but he looked a natural from this spot against Madrid, with a whopping five key passes amassed come the end of the tie and completing his one and only tackle.

The big-money summer signing has not been at his best in Liverpool colours just yet but this certainly provided hope for the future. There is a player in there, for sure.

Moreover, Wirtz completed all 100% of his dribbles as a constant Coutinho-esque threat for the visitors from Spain to keep tabs on.

He also covered a staggering 11.37km of the pitch just from energetic runs alone, with the aforementioned Johnston also once praising Coutinho for his ability to “keep running.”

In an ideal world, Wirtz would want to play in that preferred number 10 position for Slot and Co week in, week out.

But, with an “outrageous” performance now under his belt on the left – as Liverpool-based account Anfield Wrap described it – the £116m summer buy could slowly be morphing into a Coutinho-like presence, with the goals and assists hopefully flowing soon.

Better than Bradley: Liverpool star looked sellable, now he's their star man

Liverpool produced their best performance of the season to defeat Real Madrid in the Champions League.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 5, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

O Flamengo venceu o São Paulo por 2 a 1, nesta quarta-feira (17), no Maracanã, pela 2ª rodada do Brasileirão. Luiz Araújo e De La Cruz foram os responsáveis pelos gols do triunfo, enquanto Ferreira descontou para os visitantes.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Mengão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Flamengo

➡️A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

Com o resultado, o Rubro-Negro ocupa a liderança do Campeonato Brasileiro pela primeira vez desde a última rodada da edição de 2020. A equipe de Tite soma seis pontos e tem dois gols favoráveis no saldo.

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
FLAMENGO 2 X 1 SÃO PAULO
BRASILEIRÃO – SEGUNDA RODADA

🗓️ Data e horário: quarta-feira, 17 de abril de 2024, às 21h30 (de Brasília);
📍 Local: Maracanã, em Rio de Janeiro, no Brasil
🟨 Árbitro: Anderson Daronco (Fifa/RS)
⚽ Gols: Luiz Araújo e De La Cruz (Flamengo); Ferreira (São Paulo)

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⚽ ESCALAÇÕES
FLAMENGO (Técnico: Tite)
Rossi; Varela,Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira e Ayrton Lucas; Pulgar, Allan e De La Cruz; Everton Cebolinha, Pedro e Bruno Henrique.

SÃO PAULO (Técnico: Tiago Carpini)
Rafael; Ferraresi, Arboleda e Diego Costa; Igor Vinícius, Alisson, Pablo Maia e Wellington; Luciano e Michel Araújo; Calleri.

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BrasileirãoFlamengoSão Paulo

Piers Morgan loves to massage Cristiano Ronaldo's ego. The outspoken British journalist is an insatiable status hunter, and reeled in his biggest fish some time ago with endless public declarations of admiration, eventually building a bromance that has earned him exclusive access to a footballing icon. But it is not one built on the foundation of truth.

Sitting across from Morgan, Ronaldo can boast until his heart is content, safe in the knowledge that he won't be challenged. Indeed, in their latest meet-up, promoting both Ronaldo's record-breaking YouTube channel and Talk TV's , there were even times when questions were ditched altogether for cringe-inducing flattery.

"I know about your aftershave, I use it, it’s very successful, I have to say," Morgan gushed. "I use it, people say ‘ooh, you smell like Cristiano’." Fans were promised the "most revealing interview" of Ronaldo's career to date, but instead got 78 minutes of bootlicking, centred mainly around the Al-Nassr superstar's vast fortune and good looks.

When the topic of football came up, they mostly trod over familiar ground. And even now, with the benefit of experience and hindsight at the ripe old age of 40, Ronaldo's answers were juvenile and born out of a lack of self-awareness. He also made a series of claims that either made no sense or were flat-out wrong.

Ronaldo's brilliance at his peak was a joy to behold, and his list of achievements is almost unparalleled. But getting friendly with Morgan has only had a detrimental effect on his legacy. Some three-and-a-half years on from his switch to Saudi Arabia, the veteran striker also seems to be completely out of touch with the modern game.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  United on a 'good path'

  The last time Morgan interviewed Ronaldo, it led to the end of his second spell at Manchester United. His contract was terminated by mutual consent in November 2022 after Ronaldo accused then-United boss Erik ten Hag of disrespecting him and slammed the mentality of the club's younger players. 

  Ronaldo also appeared to take aim at the Glazer family, saying United had made "zero progress" on or off the pitch under the American owners since his departure for Real Madrid in 2009. Now, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS are overseeing football operations, but Ronaldo doesn't feel anything has changed on their watch.

  “Right now, they don’t have a structure,” said the Portugal international. “I hope that changes in the future, because the potential of the club is amazing, it’s one of the most important clubs of the century. Manchester United is still in my heart. I love that club. But we have to all be honest and look for ourselves and say we are not on a good path. They need to change and it’s not only about the coach and players.”

  While it is true that the Red Devils have fallen to horrifying new depths as a team since Ronaldo's exit, it is ridiculous to suggest that INEOS are not taking the necessary steps to turn things around. The co-owners have targeted Premier League glory by 2028 to mark United's 150th anniversary, overhauling the club's recruitment model as a major first step towards that goal, while plans for a state-of-the-art new stadium billed as the "Wembley of the North" have also been unveiled.

  Ratcliffe has made unpopular decisions, including laying off a large portion of staff and hiking up ticket prices, but United are now a stronger business entity because of them. He's also invested in new players and a manager who fit the long-term vision, and slowly but surely, results and performances are improving. Ronaldo has clearly not been paying close attention because his old club finally on a "good path" again

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  Amorim doesn't need to be a miracle worker

  Ronaldo has also insisted that United cannot win the Premier League title season, with an eight-point gap to leaders Arsenal considered insurmountable, and expressed sympathy towards his compatriot Ruben Amorim, who replaced Ten Hag has head coach in November last year.

  “He’s doing his best,” Ronaldo said. “What are you going to do? Miracles? Miracles are impossible.”

  Amorim's job was certainly not an easy one, given the mess of a squad he inherited from Ten Hag, but United didn't need a miracle worker, they just needed a coach who would use the near-limitless resources at their disposal more thoughtfully and stamp a proper identity.

  Amorim is doing exactly that. In his first 12 months at the helm, the former Sporting CP boss has transformed United into a far more aggressive, direct outfit, prioritising discipline off the ball and speed on it. It has been a frustrating process that has included more setbacks than Amorim would ever have imagined, and a long summer of casting out the deadwood, but the proper patterns of play are clear for all to see now, and for perhaps the first time in the entire post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, everyone is pulling in the same direction.

  It probably won't translate to Premier League success come May, and 2028 might even be too soon, but United are making progress, as underlined by their current five-match unbeaten run. If Ronaldo really cared about the club, he wouldn't be trying to dampen the renewed sense of optimism, as Amorim himself seemed to suggest when responding to his comments before a thrilling 2-2 draw against Tottenham on Saturday.

  "He knows he has a huge impact in everything he says," the United coach told reporters. "What we need to do is focus on the future. We know that we, as a club, made a lot of mistakes in the past, but we are trying to change that. We are changing a lot in the structure, the way we do things, that we want the players to behave. We are improving. Let's continue and forget a little bit [about] the past."

• AFP
  

  Kidding himself

  Ronaldo is obviously trying to cling to relevancy. There would be no need to keep word-vomiting negativity about United if he felt secure. But despite his best efforts, only the real die-hard CR7 supporters are following his exploits in the Saudi Pro League with any genuine interest.

  The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored his 953rd career goal at the weekend, from the penalty spot, as Al-Nassr beat Neom 3-1 to stay three points clear at the top of the table. It was his ninth league goal of the 2025-26 campaign from just eight appearances as he chases down a third successive Golden Boot, and his 103rd overall since joining the club on a free transfer.

  Those are impressive numbers at any level, but, as ever, Ronaldo wants more credit: "I've played everywhere. Everywhere. For me, it's more easy to score in Spain, than to score in Saudi. If I played the Premier League, now in a top team, I will score the same! If I had a good team, at 40 years old, I will score the same.

  "They say things about the Saudi league, but they have never been here, they never play here. They don't know what [it is like] to run in 40 degrees [celsius]. They don't know. And I still continue and I repeat the Saudi League, it's much, much better than Portuguese League, of course. French league is only PSG. Premier League is good, of course, is the number one."

  It has to be mentioned that the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League winners, Al-Hilal, knocked Manchester City out of the Club World Cup at the last-16 stage over the summer, and household names like Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane, N'Golo Kante and Ivan Toney have all joined Ronaldo in the Middle East. But from top to bottom, the competition does not hold a candle to any of Europe's top five leagues, or the Liga Portugal.

  Although Saudi Arabia is growing as a footballing force, it is still seen primarily as a place for ageing stars to prolong their careers while earning a King's Ransom. And while Ronaldo has been prolific, a quick look at his Al-Nassr highlight reel shows he has benefited hugely from disorganised defences and terrible goalkeeping standards. 

  He would certainly not get anywhere near the same amount of time and space he does now in La Liga or Ligue 1, and is kidding himself if he genuinely believes he'd still score 20-plus in the Premier League. Let's not forget that Ronaldo only found the net once in his final 10 league outings for United, ultimately losing his place in the starting XI.

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  World Cup U-turn

  Ronaldo has repeatedly called himself the GOAT down the years, but many have disputed that claim because of his failure to win the World Cup. Portugal's latest disappointment at Qatar 2022 seemed to hit him hardest, as they were ousted in the quarter-finals by surprise package Morocco.

  In an emotional post on Instagram, he admitted that the 1-0 defeat marked the "end" of his "biggest and most ambitious dream", which was taken as a retirement hint at the time. But with the 2026 World Cup now only eight months away, Ronaldo is still turning out for Portugal and is expected to lead his country as captain once again in North America.

  However, when Morgan quizzed him on the importance of the competition, the former Real Madrid and Juventus striker performed an unexpected U-turn. "If you ask me, Cristiano, is it a dream to win the World Cup? No, it's not a dream," he replied. "Define what? To define if I'm one of the best in history, to win one competition, [of] six games, seven games. You think it's fair?"

  Ronaldo also highlighted the fact that he's already won three trophies with Portugal, including the 2016 European Championship, and said he'd retire happy if he doesn't add the most elusive piece of silverware to his collection. But could it be that, deep down, he simply doesn't believe the "biggest dream" is achievable anymore, and is covering himself for when Portugal inevitably fall short again? Or is he once again trying to diminish the accomplishments of his eternal nemesis, one Lionel Messi…

Quinton de Kock scored the first hundred since his international comeback, and 22nd overall, as South Africa drew level in the ODI series against Pakistan. Tony de Zorzi and de Kock shared a 153-run second-wicket stand, which followed de Kock and Lhuan-dre Pretorius’ 81-run opening partnership. They only lost two wickets, as de Kock completed the chase of 270 with 59 balls to spare, in Matthew Breetzke’s company.South Africa batted with fluency and flair, both of which were absent from the Pakistan line-up after they chose to bat first. Though half-centuries from Saim Ayub and Salman Agha set Pakistan up well, their strike rates of 80.30 and 65.09 meant the going was slow throughout their innings. Mohammad Nawaz’s career-best run-a-ball 59 eventually took them over 250 – to 269.Nawaz’s individual achievement was one of three in the first half of the match. South Africa’s left-arm seamer Nandre Burger and legspinner Nqabayomzi Peter, who both sat out the first game, bagged career-best figures of 4 for 46 and 3 for 55 respectively. They were well supported by disciplined efforts from Corbin Bosch, Donovan Ferreira and Bjorn Fortuin, who all conceded at under six runs an over.While Pakistan made batting look tough, South Africa found the flow with their left-handed opening pair of Pretorius and de Kock. Pretorius enjoyed the bulk of the strike in the first four overs and hit three fours off Naseem Shah in the second, before de Kock hit his first shot of intent. He punched a short, wide Afridi ball through the covers for four. Pretorius should have been out in the next over, but Naseen spilled a return chance and Pretorius made Pakistan pay.Tony de Zorzi ensured South Africa’s smooth passage in the chase•Getty Images

Pretorious went after Shaheen Shah Afridi, and then Mohammed Wasim, and appeared unstoppable before he flayed at a wide Wasim delivery and nicked off. De Kock was on 32 off 31 balls himself when he lost his opening partner, and rebuilt quietly with de Zorzi.The pair scored 35 runs off the next seven overs and de Kock got his fifty with a six off Ashraf, before de Zorzi was finally ready to take on Afridi. He sent a short ball through midwicket and a full one through deep backward square, but his full range on the legside was on display when he took on Mohammad Nawaz. He reverse-swept, slogged over mid-wicket and then reached for a wide one to send it over long-off. In total, de Zorzi took 27 runs off 13 balls he faced from Nawaz, and also reached fifty off him.De Kock helped himself to runs off Afridi, then entered the 80s with a six over cover off Agha. He was on 98 when Afridi reviewed an lbw shout off Wasim. However, the delivery pitched outside leg and de Kock reached his century two balls later. The ball after that, Afridi reviewed again; once more, it had pitched outside leg.Pakistan used eight bowling options as they tried to break through, and Faheem eventually did. De Zorzi was caught off a leading edge by Ayub at point. De Kock – who finished unbeaten on 123* – and stand-in captain Matthew Breetzke ensured it was too late for Pakistan to defend their score, which could have been much less after they were reduced to 22 for 3 in the fifth over.Nandre Burger’s four tied down Pakistan’s batters•AFP via Getty Images

Earlier in the day, Burger struck with this third ball when Fakhar Zaman gloved an attempted pull to de Kock. Bosch had Babar Azam given out lbw off with his second delivery, but Babar reviewed. Ball-tracking showed the ball was bouncing over the stumps. All the same, South Africa did not have to wait too long to dismiss Pakistan’s talisman. In this third over, Burger squared up Babar, and he edged to Ferreira at first slip. Four balls later, Mohammed Rizwan fetched a Burger ball from fifth stump and chopped it onto his leg stump. At the other end, Bosch’s opening spell read: 4-0-8-0.The change bowlers Fortuin and Ferreira kept things quiet and limited the boundaries. By the 20th over, Pakistan had collectively hit just six fours before Ayub scored the innings’ first six, off Fortuin. Ayub also got to his second ODI 50 off Fortuin.Breetzke then made an inspired bowling change, which ended Ayub’s innings: he brought Bosch back as the halfway stage approached halfway stage, Ayub drove the ball back at Bosch with some force, and Bosch took a good low catch in his follow-through to pick up his first.At the time, Agha was on 34 off 62 balls, and showed no signs of speeding up. So, it fell to his partners to up the ante. Hussain Talat attempted to flick Peter over the legside, but the ball only found a leading edge, giving Peter a return catch and leaving Pakistan at 131 for 5 after 30 overs.Mohammad Nawaz added plenty of runs at the death•Getty Images

Agha made his way to fifty off 83 balls, and then began showing signs of urgency. He also slog-swept Fortuin for four, but it was Mohammad Nawaz who danced down the track to hit the left-arm spinner for six, and then repeated the feat against Bosch. Agha tried to join in, but Bosch had the final say when he bowled him with an inswinging yorker.Faheem Ashraf took 12 of the 13 runs off Bosch’s penultimate over, but was caught at deep mid-wicket when he tried to slog a Burger slower-ball bouncer. Peter got another return catch when Afridi top-edged him while trying to go big.After that, it was all Nawaz. He reached his fifty with six off the first ball of the final over, hit another 10 runs, and then gave Peter his third caught and bowled. This final dismissal was the best of the lot, as he had to judge a high chance. Though Naseem finished the innings with a six, Pakistan did not have nearly enough.Saturday’s third ODI, also in Faisalabad, will decide the series and end South Africa’s all-format tour of Pakistan.