French- Algerian football legend Zinedine Zidane expressed his hopes of becoming France‘s head coach as early as 2022 in an interview with the sports newspaper L’Équipe​​​​​. 

His dream has now become reality: Zidane was appointed on Tuesday and will take over upon the departure of Didier Deschamps.

The president of the French Football Federation made little effort to keep the identity of the future manager a secret during an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro in March. Without revealing a name, Philippe Diallo said that a new manager had been selected, adding that he had to be “someone who can tick many boxes [. . .] There must be a connection between the manager and the French”.  

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Zidane had frequently voiced his ambition to take over the team. “When I say I want to manage France’s team one day, I mean it, he told L’Équipe on his 50th birthday in 2022.

More recently during an Adidas event, the legendary midfielder known as “Zizou” said he felt at home with the French national team, where he played for more than a dozen years.  

“Of course, it’s a dream and I can’t wait.”

Full circle

Zidane has long seemed destined to become France’s head coach, given his legendary success as a player for the team. “I want to come full circle with the French team. I have known the team as a player and it’s one of the best things that ever happened to me,” he told L’Équipe.

Zidane played a total of 108 games for France, scoring 31 goals. Millions of people still remember his role in helping France win its first World Cup in 1998 with a 3-0 victory over Brazil, with Zidane scoring the first two goals.

Zidane is also remembered for losing his composure in the 2006 World Cup Final and headbutting Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the chest. His playing days came to an end with a red card delivered by a referee and a defeat against Italy (a 1-1 tie and later 5-3 in the penalty shootout).

Zidane forged his legend as a professional footballer, but he has also stood out as a coach. The transition from one role to the other wasn’t easy: of the six French players to have won the Ballon d’Or – Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zidane, Karim Benzema and Ousmane Dembélé – Zidane is the only one to have successfully made the switch.

In 2016, barely 10 years after his retirement as a professional footballer, he became the main coach at Real Madrid after managing its reserve team Real Castilla and serving as assistant manager to Carlo Ancelotti. After joining Madrid, Zidane clinched an 11th Champions League trophy for the Spanish club. At the time, Zizou was only 44 years old; it was his first stint as a coach of a professional club. His achievements have yet to be matched.

Flamboyant at Real Madrid

The rest of the story belongs to football history: Real Madrid won two Champions League titles under Zidane in 2017 and 2018. In three years, he won three consecutive titles in the most prestigious European competition as well as two Spanish league titles (2017 and 2020), three Spanish Super Cups (2017, 2019 and 2020) and two European Cups (2016 and 2017).  

Ancelotti praised his colleague in glowing terms after picking the reins back up at Real Madrid upon Zinedine’s departure. “He won three World Cups. He did a fantastic job up until the last day. He knew success – but it’s football, a coach comes and another one leaves. What he achieved is incredible.”

The Spanish sports magazine Marca also celebrated Zidane’s achievements: “He is not only a coach leaving with an enviable record (11 titles, one for every 23 matches) including three consecutive Champions Leagues. An icon of the greatest club is leaving, a legend, an exemplary citizen of Madrid who made a flag out of simplicity, elegance and honesty, on and off the stadium.”

Out of management since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, Zidane had to wait for this moment to take over Deschamps’ role. The previous coach set a record for the longest time spent at the helm of the French national team, with 168 games, 121 victories, 35 ties and 31 losses. Deschamps is leaving behind a solid and talented team, despite their elimination from the World Cup in a semi-final defeat against Spain (2-0). As he begins his tenure, Zidane will rely on a core group of key players like Dayot Upamecano, Koundé, Adrien Rabiot, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé. Yet he also faces challenges, especially on the full-back positions and, to a lesser extent, central defence.

Zidane will also likely try to overhaul the coaching staff, beginning by naming World Cup champion Fabien Barthez as the new goalkeeping coach. The impact of Zidane’s coaching on Les Bleus remains to be seen. Supporters of the team will have to wait until October 2 to see the coach on the bench. Ironically, the match is against Italy – coming 20 years after Zidane’s loss to Italy as a player.

This article has been adapted from the original in French. 

Mike Tyson insists he would “never go against” one man if Oleksandr Usyk and David Benavidez were to collide at heavyweight.

Admittedly, it seems unlikely that the pair will ever square off, especially now that Usyk has vacated his world titles and announced he has one fight left.

Instead, the Ukrainian has expressed an interest in facing Deontay Wilder, the former WBC titleholder, in order to complete a trilogy of wins over his generation’s flagship heavyweights.

With two respective victories over Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, though, the 39-year-old has already cemented himself as the greatest heavyweight of his era.

Benavidez, meanwhile, has promised to follow in Usyk’s footsteps and eventually move up to heavyweight, perhaps even with the same ambition to become a two-division undisputed champion.

While this may seem like a slim possibility, the 29-year-old appears to be closing in on a three-belt unification match with WBC champion Noel Mikaelian.

Victory would therefore put him on the cusp of an undisputed showdown at 200lbs, before the ‘Mexican Monster’ chases even greater challenges at heavyweight.

As a fierce admirer of the three-weight world champion, Tyson has told Ring Magazine that he would back Benavidez against any fighter, including Usyk.

“That [would be] beautiful. Usyk is not a big heavyweight; he’s a cruiserweight that’s fast and smooth.

“[He] has fast hands, just like Benavidez. I think Benavidez punches more than Usyk; he throws more punches.

“I love Benavidez – I’m never going to go against him.”

While a move up to heavyweight seems inevitable, Benavidez is still acclimating to 200lbs after dethroning Gilberto Ramirez with a sixth-round stoppage in May.

Five years after his last major league pitch, Trevor Bauer, a 10-year MLB veteran, continues to attribute his absence from an organizational roster to others, particularly the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In a recent interview on the YouTube channel “La casa de los Dodgers,” the 35-year-old right-hander, currently pitching for the Diablos Rojos del Mexico, expressed regret over his three-year, $102 million deal with his hometown club.

“I wish I had never played for them,” Bauer stated. “… The front-office people, I wish them nothing but the worst because they treated me like s–t and I just don’t appreciate it. I don’t think you should treat a human being like that.”

Bauer’s tenure with the Dodgers was cut short after he was accused of sexual assault by one woman following two separate encounters during his first season in 2021.

The Pasadena Police Department confirmed these allegations.

While the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office ultimately did not file charges, citing a lack of evidence, the Dodgers elected to part ways with Bauer in April 2022, following an investigation that uncovered “disturbing details” about the relationship between Bauer and his accuser.

This incident occurred against a backdrop of Bauer’s history of combative social media interactions and outspoken political views.

The 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner, who earned the honor with the Cincinnati Reds, claimed he had the support of Dodgers teammate Mookie Betts and received emotional support from manager Dave Roberts on one occasion.

However, he offered criticism of Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior.

Since his last appearance in the majors, Bauer has played in Japan and Mexico, including seven starts earlier this season with the independent Long Island Ducks before his contract was transferred to the Diablos Rojos in June.

Bauer acknowledged that signing with the Dodgers “was really cool for me” as a childhood fan, but he found the clubhouse atmosphere “wasn’t as good as some other places I’ve been.”

He maintains his ability to compete at the highest level, yet concedes, “I’d love to be back in the big leagues at some point, but it is pretty obvious at this point that the league will never allow that to happen.”

He added, “I think what they are doing is illegal and I just don’t want to waste my time and energy and money and everything suing them because I don’t think that is good for baseball.”

Bauer concluded his MLB career with an 83-69 record and a 3.79 ERA across 222 games (212 starts) with four teams from 2012-21.

FILE– San Miguel Beermen’s CJ Perez during a game in the 2026 PBA Governors’ Cup. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIREr.net

MANILA, Philippines–CJ Perez was forced to miss his first-ever PBA game on Saturday when San Miguel Beer fell short against TNT with a 93-89 overtime loss in a thrilling 2026 Governors’ Cup showdown at Mall of Asia Arena.

Perez could only play the role of cheerleader from the bench due to a pulled groin as the Beermen failed to complete a fourth-quarter comeback against a Tropang 5G side that continues to find its rhythm despite its own injury woes.

“The streak is over,” said Perez, who made 279 straight appearances since his PBA debut in 2019 before the streak was snapped.

CJ Perez was forced to miss his first PBA game in San Miguel Beer’s 93-89 overtime loss to TNT due to a groin injury.

Perez had made 279 appearances with missing one prior to sitting out Saturday’s thriller at Mall of Asia Arena. #PBA50 | @jonasterradoINQ pic.twitter.com/Dg8k2nGEro

— INQUIRER Sports (@inquirersports) August 1, 2026

The San Miguel star got hurt during the first half of the Beermen’s 110-96 loss to the NLEX Road Warriors last Sunday, and was able to play briefly in Wednesday’s 143-105 rout of the Titan Ultra Giant Risers.

That kept his streak alive, and would have tied Dante Gonzalgo for sixth all-time in consecutive games played had he been inserted, even for one second, against the Tropang 5G.

“It’s their decision and it’s beyond my control,” Perez said, noting that it was the team that made the call in sitting him out.

“But if you ask me as a player, I can play because that’s how I honor the game of basketball, even if there’s little pain.”

San Miguel dropped to 4-2 after the defeat, but stayed second in Group A.

Ever since Bing Crosby first brought his friends together for a golf extravaganza in the California desert, celebrity events have been a staple of the game.

Their purposes are many. They allow A-listers to cut loose in competition while raising money for good causes, and they give fans a rare close-up view of actors, athletes and entertainers they usually see only from afar. Spectators often leave star-struck. As it turns out, the celebrities are frequently impressed by one another, too.

On a recent episode of GOLF’s Subpar podcast, former MLS standout and current Apple TV soccer commentator Taylor Twellman shared stories from the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe and the participants who left the deepest impression on him.

First and foremost: Charles Barkley.

“Charles Barkley is an unbelievable individual,” Twellman said.

Without naming names, Twellman noted that some participants show only the slightest interest in the people around them. Barkley, by contrast, shares himself, looks you in the eye and makes you feel heard.

That’s especially rare, he added, for a figure of Barkley’s prominence.

“I don’t think he gets enough credit,” Twellman said.

Barkley was on-hand for a pre-tournament get together for the players. Not every star showed up. But Larry David did, giving Twellman a chance to see another side of the golf-obsessed Curb Your Enthusiasm creator, who made a point of circling the room and shaking everyone’s hand.

“He’ll never say this publicly, but I think he was excited but also very nervous,” Twellman said. Unlike some celebrity events, after all, the American Century is not a hit-and-giggle. “It’s a real tournament,” Twellman said. No handicaps. No gimmes. No modified tees.

If actor Michael Peña was rattled by that prospect, he didn’t show it. Twellman described him as another standout, present and approachable, stopping to sign every autograph.

Not all stars exert the same gravitational pull. Twellman recalled playing behind Jason and Travis Kelce in previous editions of the tournament and getting a firsthand look at the frenzy they inspired, with security guards surrounding the brothers and fans trailing them six people deep. This year, with Travis absent after his recent wedding, only Jason competed but still drew a crowd.

“I understated how popular that phenomenon is,” Twellman said.

Co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz know both tournament golf and celebrity golf well, and Barkley’s name prompted Knost to tell a Barkley story of his own. It’s worth hearing. You can check out the full episode of Subpar here.

Indian women boxers lived up to their billing with five gold medals while Sachin Siwach and Ankush Panghal sealed men’s titles as the country produced its best-ever performance at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday. Reigning world champion Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), Asian Games medallist Preeti Pawar (54kg), Asian champion Priya Ghanghas (60kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (51kg) and Arundhati Choudhary (70kg) won gold medals, while Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) settled for silver.

In the men’s competition, Sachin (60kg) and Ankush (70kg) struck gold, while Jadumani Singh (55kg) and Asian Games bronze medallist Narender Berwal (+90kg) finished with silver medals.

India’s previous best boxing campaign at the Commonwealth Games came in Gold Coast in 2018, when it won seven medals, including three gold.

With chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “India, India” reverberating around the SEC arena, the Indian boxers enjoyed near home-like support.

“The crowd support was brilliant, it really pumped me,” said the 20-year-old Priya.

Preeti kick-started India’s golden run with a commanding 5-0 victory over Canada’s Scarlett Delgado in the women’s 54kg final.

Jaismine followed with another clinical 5-0 win, defeating Northern Ireland’s defending champion Michaela Walsh in the 57kg summit clash.

Fighting from long range and relying on her sharp footwork, Preeti made a measured start before gradually finding her rhythm. Once she settled in, the Indian dictated the pace, keeping Delgado at bay with crisp counters and timely combinations to cruise to victory.

Jaismine, meanwhile, was made to work much harder against the vastly experienced Walsh. Commanding the centre of the ring and making full use of her superior reach, the Indian edged the opening two rounds 3-2 before closing out a deserved unanimous victory.

Sakshi, who dropped down from 54kg to 51kg, upset local favourite Ruby White of England in another impressive display.

Priya, sporting a tricolour gumshield, recovered from a slow start to beat Canada’s Marie-Bathoul Al-Ahmadieh 4-1. Trailing 2-3 after the opening round, she unleashed a barrage of punches over the final two rounds to turn the contest around.

Arundhati completed the women’s golden sweep with a unanimous 5-0 victory over England’s world championship bronze medallist Chantelle Reid in the 70kg final.

Spurred on by chants of “Bajrang Bali Jai”, the Rajasthan boxer celebrated her triumph with a bow-and-arrow gesture.

“The celebration was to send all the negative talk away. I dedicate this win to my family, who have made a lot of sacrifices for me,” she said.

Sachin produced one of the comebacks of the day. Trailing after the opening round and suffering a point deduction in the final round, he forced a standing count against Namibia’s Tryagain Morning Ndevelo before clinching a dramatic 3-2 split verdict.

“Even though I was losing the first round, I knew I could win the bout,” Sachin said.

Ankush then capped India’s golden evening with a composed 4-1 victory over England’s Dimeji Shittu. Despite being booed by the home crowd, the Army boxer remained unfazed and boxed with discipline throughout.

Lovlina, however, fell just short, losing a closely fought women’s 75kg final to Australia’s Emma-Sue Greentree.

Narender also had to settle for silver after going down to England’s Damar Thomas in the super-heavyweight final.

Jadumani ended with silver after losing 0-5 to Australia’s Jye Dixon in the 55kg title clash. The Indian had taken the opening round 3-2 after overcoming the height disadvantage, but Dixon responded emphatically with a dominant second round before carrying the momentum into the decider to deny India an eighth gold.

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Spain’s Royal Family Welcomes World Cup Champions To Zarzuela Palace

Much remains uncertain at quarterback. Not so at QB3.

Max Brosmer is trying to take down the elder statesman but appears very unlikely to do so. Carson Wentz got brought back for a reason. The Vikings’ passer battle is mostly focused on chasing a high ceiling with Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy squaring off. Mr. Wentz is in town to ensure that the ship can remain afloat if something terrible happens. That’s a perspective that appears close to certain unless Brosmer goes nuclear.

The Vikings’ Passer Battle Knows its QB3

Wentz has been through a ton in his career. Presumably, he envisioned things going different after getting chosen at No. 2 in the 2016 NFL Draft, but the NFL can be a cruel spot.

To his great credit, Wentz has responded by embracing his job and doing very well within his role.

Recent seasons have involved being a depth guy. Some of the reason for the modest assignment is that he’s getting older. What’s been more of an issue, though, has been injury. Vikings fans can think back to the missed opportunity after that magical 2017 season when Nick Foles and the Eagles demolished Minnesota in the NFC Championship Game. Don’t forget, folks, that Wentz was the starter for that team before being lost for the year due to injury.

What followed has been somewhat of a rollercoaster.

An initial stop in Philadelphia led toward an opportunity in Washington. There was then a chance in Indianapolis, in LA (Rams), and in Kansas City. Those final two stops are of particular note since Sean McVay and Andy Reid are brilliant strategists for offensive football.

Now entering his second season as a Viking, Carson Wentz understands his job.

The QB3 is being leaned on for steady leadership. Grind through film as he shepherds the younger arms in the quarterback room. At times, Josh McCown and Kevin O’Connell likely turn to him to get his sense of how things are going. He demands a pile of respect inside TCO.

If disaster strikes, Wentz is going to go in there and be totally unflappable. That doesn’t mean he’ll be elite. It does mean he’ll inspire confidence in his teammates. Even better, he’ll give his guys a shot. Justin Jefferson cleared 100 yards a pair of times with Wentz throwing the pigskin. That matters.

The Vikings went 2-3 last season with Wentz. A vital detail to remember is that he was playing hurt toward the end. His toughness got to the point of cruelty. Every hit felt terrible for those watching; imagine how he felt.

His overall stats show somebody who completed a tidy 65.1% of his passes. The yards come in at 1,216 and his TD-to-INT ratio was a humdrum 6/5. Again, though, the health issue. Moreover, he got added very late, a misstep by the Vikings’ front office. Giving him a full offseason in Minnesota could have led to a better performance once he was needed.

Carson Wentz put pen to paper on a single-season contract coming in at $3 million. He secures the team’s floor while offering great leadership, meaning the deal is a bargain.

In the past, Wentz has been to the Pro Bowl and finished as a second-team All Pro in 2017.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Zinedine Zidane will be unveiled on July 28 as the new coach of the French national football team, succeeding his World Cup-winning teammate Didier Deschamps. The 54-year-old is a national icon with multiple successes as player and coach. He steps into the job after five years out of the game.

The 2026 AIG Women’s Open concludes on Sunday, Aug. 2, with the fourth round at Royal Lytham and St. Annes in England. You can find full AIG Women’s Open tee times for Sunday’s fourth round at the bottom of this post.

AIG Women’s Open Sunday tee times: What to know

If you didn’t have Yealimi Noh in your office pool this week, you’re not alone. The 25-year-old Californian arrived at Royal Lytham and St. Annes with just two top-10 finishes in majors and one LPGA Tour victory to her name.

Now, after a tidy two-under 69 on a wind-swept Saturday, she heads into the final round at seven-under, holding a three-shot lead. It’s the first time she’s ever been the front-runner at any point in a major.

Can Noh hang on?

To do so, she’ll have to hold off a pack of pursuers. Haeran Ryu, who teed off Saturday with the lead while seeking her third consecutive major title, stumbled to a three-over 74 to fall back to four-under. She’s joined there by fellow American Lucy Li, Germany’s Esther Henseleit, Japan’s Shiho Kuwaki and World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, who is seeking her first major championship.

Fan favorite Charley Hull, meanwhile, isn’t out of the mix. Playing in her home country, she’ll begin the final round at two-under, five shots behind.

Noh tees off at 9:35 a.m. ET alongside Henseleit.

You can watch Sunday’s final round of the AIG Women’s Open from 7 a.m.-noon ET on USA and then from noon-2 p.m. ET on NBC. Additional Sunday streaming coverage will be provided by GolfChannel.com, the Golf Channel app and the NBC Sports app.

You can check out the complete Round 4 tee times for the 2026 AIG Women’s Open below.

2026 AIG Women’s Open tee times for Sunday: Round 4 (ET)

3:45 a.m. – Casandra Alexander, Mi Hyang Lee

3:55 a.m. – Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, Aunchisa Utama

4:05 a.m. – Aki Iwai, Julia Lopez Ramirez

4:15 a.m. – Arpichaya Yubol, Anna Nordqvist

4:25 a.m. – Auston Kim, Nasa Hataoka

4:35 a.m. – Amanda Doherty, Jin Young Ko

4:45 a.m. – Alison Lee, Kajsa Arwefjall

5 a.m. – Minji Kang, Alice Hewson

5:10 a.m. – Maja Stark, Patty Tavatanakit

5:20 a.m. – Amelia Garvey, Cara Gainer

5:30 a.m. – Yana Wilson, Rose Zhang

5:40 a.m. – Ariya Jutanugarn, Yuna Araki

5:50 a.m. – Annabell Fuller, Yunseo Yang (a)

6 a.m. – Hyo Joo Kim, Nastasia Nadaud

6:15 a.m. – Manon De Roey, Lindy Duncan

6:25 a.m. – Jenny Shin, Amy Yang

6:35 a.m. – Sara Kouskova, Pia Babnik

6:45 a.m. – Paula Martin Sampedro (a), Mao Saigo

6:55 a.m. – Hannah Green, Brooke M. Henderson

7:05 a.m. – Dewi Weber, Sei Young Kim

7:15 a.m. – Chizzy Iwai, Yuka Saso

7:30 a.m. – Celine Boutier, Mimi Rhodes

7:40 a.m. – Alexandra Forsterling, Jing Yan

7:50 a.m. – Lauren Coughlin, Robyn Choi

8 a.m. – Nelly Korda, Rio Takeda

8:10 a.m. – Shannon Tan, Wei-Ling Hsu

8:20 a.m. – Carla Tejedo Mulet, Jin Hee Im

8:30 a.m. – Ashleigh Buhai, Soo Bin Joo

8:45 a.m. – Lydia Ko, Charley Hull