Sports
Tim Bradley delivers honest verdict on Rolly Romero vs Teofimo Lopez: “He’s got freaky strength”
Tim Bradley has considered the “freaky strength” of Rolando Romero, believing it could play a factor in his welterweight showdown with Teofimo Lopez.
The pair will collide at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, on August 22, with Romero making a first defence of his WBA world title.
He became the sanctioning body’s regular champion by defeating Ryan Garcia, who he floored in round two before winning their contest by unanimous decision in May 2025.
Since then, the American has been elevated to full WBA champion, only to remain out of the ring after attempting to secure fights with the likes of Devin Haney and Conor Benn.
Now, though, Romero will finally return to action against Lopez, who comes off a wide unanimous decision defeat to Shakur Stevenson in January.
As a result of being comprehensively outboxed, the 28-year-old was relieved of his WBO super-lightweight title but now looks to reinvent himself at 147lbs.
According to Hall of Famer Bradley, however, facing the hard-hitting Romero in his first outing at the new weight could prove to be a catastrophic mistake for Lopez.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Bradley highlighted the difference in power as a major factor when assessing their WBA title fight next month.
“What [version of] Rolly gonna show up? Do we need the more calculated Rolly – the one that fought Ryan Garcia … a very awkward boxing style?
“Or, do we need the Rolly that’s gonna bring it to Teo? Teofimo Lopez ain’t got no power. 140lbs – he ain’t knocked nobody out.
“He going to [147lbs], jumping up 7lbs. Rolly is thumping – he can punch. He’s been at [147lbs] for some time now. It’s a different feeling when you get hit with them bricks, and Rolly got that freaky strength.”
Bradley went on to admit that his comments can also be applied to Lopez, in terms of wondering which version of ‘The Takeover’ will actually show up.
The footballing world is set to witness the showdown it has been waiting for.
France and Spain will renew one of the most tantalising international rivalries in Dallas on Tuesday, with a place in the World Cup final at stake.
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2018 champions France are aiming to reach a third successive final, while 2010 winners Spain are bidding to become just the fourth team to hold both world and European crowns at the same time.
Both squads are bursting with talent, but all eyes will be on Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.
Mbappe’s global breakthrough came at the 2018 World Cup, when his quickfire double helped France beat Lionel Messi‘s Argentina in the last 16 on their way to winning a second champions’ star.
Outshining one of the greatest players of all time was the first indicator that a changing of the guard was on the horizon – but now there is a new global star.
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Eight years later, teenager Lamine Yamal is looking to replicate what Mbappe did to Messi and ignite on the biggest stage after a quiet debut World Cup so far.
‘Mbappe will become the greatest player we’ve ever had’
It is hard to look past Mbappe as the best player in the world right now.
After scoring 42 goals in 44 games for Real Madrid last season – making him the top scorer in both La Liga and the Champions League – he has helped establish France’s attack as the most fearsome at this World Cup.
The second-most expensive player in history leads the Golden Boot race along with Messi with eight goals in six games, and has made more goal contributions (11) than any other player.
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With 19 goals, if it were not for Messi (20), Mbappe would be the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer after surpassing Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record (16).
The only blot on his CV is that despite enjoying two magnificent individual seasons at Real Madrid, he is yet to win a major trophy in the Spanish capital.
After scoring in his first World Cup final, Mbappe scored a hat-trick in his second – but ended up on the losing side.
This summer the 27-year-old captain overtook Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time leading goalscorer, and now has 64 in 104 games.
“For me it’s just ambition and confidence,” Giroud told BBC Match of the Day when asked about Mbappe’s remarkable rise.
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“He knows where he wants to go. He is a leader and you could see from a young age he was very at ease. He was mature for his age.”
Mbappe wants to break every record he can, but only if they serve the collective – it is no secret he is obsessed with equalling Pele’s record of three World Cup triumphs.
“He’s carried this team through three successive World Cups where he has been the pivotal player,” says French football journalist Luke Entwistle.
Yet, after his arrival in Madrid coincided with back-to-back trophyless seasons for Real Madrid, he came into this World Cup with something to prove.
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“He’s put in great numbers, but the perception in France and abroad is that he’s a player who is detrimental to the collective,” adds Entwistle.
“There was talk about needing to run more off the ball, doing more defensive work. He has put that into action. The way France have been winning the ball back high this tournament would not have been possible otherwise.”
Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini are widely regarded as the two greatest France players of all time, but French football expert Julien Laurens believes Mbappe will surpass them.
“I predict him to be the number one by the end of his career. He has at least one more World Cup after this and the Euros to play in so he will probably become the greatest player we have ever had.”
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‘The next 15 years belong to Lamine Yamal’
Lamine Yamal only turned 19 on Monday, but he is already the best young forward on the planet.
A breakout 2023-24 season with Barcelona ended with him being included in Spain’s Euro 2024 squad, and like Mbappe in 2018, he shone in his first major tournament and inspired his team to glory.
Last year he was the Ballon d’Or runner-up aged 18, but a hamstring injury sustained in April disrupted his preparations for the World Cup.
With just one goal in five starts, he certainly has not sparkled like Mbappe, Messi or Jude Bellingham.
“I ask him to be calm,” said manager Luis de la Fuente. “He came of age last year. He is 19. Now imagine I just told him to be calm, enjoy and forget about any anxiety. He should enjoy his football. The big day for Lamine has yet to come at this World Cup.”
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Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams‘ lack of fitness has forced manager Luis de la Fuente to tweak Spain’s style – the European champions created chaos down the wings, whereas the current side prioritise control.
“It means Lamine Yamal is working with less space, more defenders doubling up on him, and less dynamism in Spain’s game as a whole,” says Spanish football journalist Ruairidh Barlow.
“So to a certain extent, it’s logical that he isn’t dazzling. What De la Fuente and Spain need from him – banking on control of the game and a solid defence – is two or three moments per game in which he unlocks or unbalances the defence. So far he has more or less provided that.”
De la Fuente reinforced that idea before Lamine Yamal won more duels than any of his team-mates in the quarter-final victory against Belgium.
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“This is the moment for him,” the manager said. “Not the moment to score 10 goals, but the moment to be decisive in decisive matches.”
The strength of this Spain team is rooted in the collective, but there is still a level of deference to the 19-year-old.
“We sometimes forget his age and perhaps we demand too much of him, but he’s so capable,” Xavi, who gave Lamine Yamal his Barcelona debut, wrote in The Athletic.
“He has such an ability to do so many things on the pitch that his influence has grown. Team-mates search for him more. When there are problems at various points in the match, the ball goes to Lamine.
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“He’s a leader on the pitch who makes the difference at a young age – something we’ve only seen with Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Pele and maybe Ronaldo [Nazario].
“The next 15 to 20 years belong to Lamine, if he wants.”
There is no denying Mbappe has far outperformed Lamine Yamal in front of goal this summer.
The Frenchman has scored eight goals from his 30 shots (27%), while Lamine Yamal has converted just one of his 23 shots (4%).
Mbappe has provided three assists to Lamine Yamal’s none and created 11 more chances, though the winger does edge it on expected assists (xA) though, which suggests he has created better chances but his team-mates simply have not been as clinical.
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Lamine Yamal has been far more successful with his dribbling, completing twice as many as the France forward, while he has also worked harder for his team defensively, making eight tackles to Mbappe’s one and winning the ball high up the pitch twice as often.
While France and Spain have only met once before at a World Cup – France came from behind to win 3-1 in the last 16 of the 2006 tournament – Mbappe and Lamine Yamal featured when the pair last faced each other at a major tournament.
Lamine Yamal scored a stunning equaliser as Spain came from behind to win 2-1 in the semi-finals of Euro 2024.
Last summer Lamine Yamal scored twice and Mbappe once as Spain prevailed 5-4 in a thrilling Uefa Nations League semi-final.
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The Spaniard has ended up on the winning side in eight of his 10 previous meetings with Mbappe, though the Frenchman has scored an incredible nine goals in those 10 games compared with Lamine Yamal’s six.
The latest edition of this growing rivalry is undoubtedly the most important – the victor will be expected to go on to lift the World Cup in New Jersey on 19 July.
Graphic and stats provided by Chris Collinson.
Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has appeared to respond to criticism following his return to South African club Chippa United.
Less than a day after Chippa United confirmed his comeback, the Nigerian international shared a series of posts on his Instagram Story that many fans believe were directed at those who questioned his decision.
One of the posts featured a viral video by Nigerian comedian and content creator Emmanuel Obrutse, popularly known as Ghe Ghe. The clip included part of Wizkid’s hit song The Matter, with lyrics that many interpreted as a message of confidence and defiance.
Although Nwabali did not write any caption or explain the post, its timing has sparked reactions on social media.
The goalkeeper also reposted Chippa United’s official “Welcome Back” announcement and followed it with several laughing memes, suggesting he is not bothered by the criticism surrounding his return.
Nwabali’s move back to Chippa United surprised many fans. The 30-year-old had left the club earlier this year hoping to secure a move elsewhere, with reports linking him to clubs such as Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, Simba SC and teams in Saudi Arabia. However, no transfer materialised.
His return has divided opinion. While some supporters welcomed him back, others questioned whether returning to South Africa was the best decision.
Despite the mixed reactions, Nwabali appears focused on football. His return to Chippa United gives him the chance to play regular first-team football again after several months without a club.
Regular playing time could also boost his chances of keeping his place in the Super Eagles squad under head coach Eric Chelle ahead of future international matches.
For now, Nwabali seems determined to answer his critics with his performances on the pitch rather than with words.
PHILADELPHIA – Kyle Schwarber was scripted to be the homecoming king of this Home Run Derby. Instead, he was powerless to stop a little magenta baseball from sailing out of Citizens Bank Park, again and again and again.
And Jordan Walker joined Bryce Harper in the very exclusive club of pulling the rug out from Schwarber in a Home Run Derby.
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Walker, the St. Louis Cardinals slugger enjoying a breakthrough season, put on one of the greatest clutch displays ever in this Derby, needing to cash in on his last swing – and then two more after that – to match Schwarber’s 11 home runs in the final.
Instead, Walker hit four in a row to win it, becoming the first Cardinal to win a Home Run Derby after future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols failed in three tries to do so.
Ever hear the sound of 43,000 ticked-off people?
It sounds like nothing at all, and that was perhaps Walker’s greatest accomplishment on this Monday, July 13, hearing the thunderous boos of Citizens Bank Park, turning on an electric smile, relaxing and pasting baseballs easily into the crowd.
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The throng grew quieter with every moon shot. And Walker couldn’t get mad at the hate, because he knew it was just love for their guys.
“My first thought was, Philly’s brutal,” says Walker. “I think it’s pretty special because they love all their players. That’s what you want from your home crowd. I’d never heard people cheer so loud for Schwarber and Harper. Those guys did their thing.
“I can’t hate ’em. I just gotta play the game.”
That he did, with every home run in the finals traveling between 407 and 452 feet. Absolute bombs, more than enough to get the attention of Schwarber, who’s blasted 88 home runs, most in the major leagues, since the start of the 2025 season.
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“He was hitting some laser beams. I’m hitting these little fly balls out,” says Schwarber, “and he’s hitting laser beams.”
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Schwarber and Harper, the two Phillies, were practically anointed to win this thing. They were announced last when the streaming service announced the participants. The crowd roared. It was all setting up.
Instead, Harper flamed out in the first round.
In the final, Schwarber put up 11. And then, powerless, as Walker finished his round with four straight homers and five in his final six swings.
“I didn’t ever think I had it won,” says Schwarber, “because I know anything can happen. Especially when it gets down to that last ball, right?
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“You get to that last ball. It was three to tie, and he went four to win. You tip your hat to him.”
Jordan Walker and Kyle Schwarber before the final round.
Not unlike 2018, when Harper, then a Washington National, unleashed a furious rally as the clock counted down to nudge Schwarber by one home run in the finals. So Schwarber was on the wrong side of the equation as both the visiting villain and the hometown hero.
Tough beat.
The scenario salvaged what was a generally underwhelming Home Run Derby. The format change – a limited amount of swings instead of batting against a clock – had its upside, but also drained the tension from most of the competition.
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If a guy needs seven homers to tie and has eight swings left, well, we know how that round is gonna end, right?
And the streaming service that took over broadcast rights was only a little better than its opening-night abomination. They trotted out Will Ferrell and Luke Wilson and a Third Guy that perhaps the youth were more familiar with, adding a dash of humor and a sea of schlock to the pregame.
Had Schwarber and Harper both bowed out in the semifinals – and that nearly happened – this would have been a disaster, a finals playing out while most of the 43,000 fans filed out disgruntled.
Instead, Schwarber and Walker added some spice to it, and Walker actually did hit three and then four in a row to win.
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“I think I just had fun, no matter what. Every round I said, have a good time,” says Walker. “As a kid growing up, my favorite thing to do is hitting home runs. There’s a competition dedicated to it.
“Have fun doing it.”
Even if he made an entire stadium miserable.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: In Home Run Derby, Jordan Walker shushes Philly – and shuts out Kyle Schwarber
Michigan AD Warde Manuel, hired in 2016, could not be in his role for much longer.
The Wolverines made the perfect hire to move on from the long-tenured Athletics Director.
On today’s episode of Locked On College Football, Spencer McLaughlin predicts Colorado’s 2026 record, with a big season ahead for Deion Sanders.
Quarterback JuJu Lewis should be much more supported this Fall than he was in limited action last year.
Memphis has been one of the premier G6 programs in the country for a while, and head coach Charles Huff takes over in 2026 with dozens of new players via the portal.
Will they navigate their schedule to contend for a Playoff spot?
00:00 Board meeting on athletic leadership
05:28 Kyle Whittingham’s coaching success
12:14 High school recruitment in Colorado
14:08 College football scheduling strategy
18:46 Analyzing early-season game predictions
21:15 Evaluating Memphis and playoff chances
24:03 Discussing Game Predictions and Schedule
25:47 Expectations for Memphis this year
Canelo Alvarez is preparing for his return to the ring but he has already dismissed ever taking on one rival in particular.
Canelo hasn’t fought since losing his undisputed super-middleweight crown to Terence Crawford at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas last September.
Crawford subsequently retired, resulting in those belts becoming fragmented, and Canelo will now seek to regain one of them when he challenges Christian Mbilli for the WBC super-middleweight title in Riyadh in October.
While his attention is fully on that bout for now, another major clash that is often touted is a battle against three-weight world champion David Benavidez, who currently holds the WBC light heavyweight title, along with the WBA and WBO cruiserweight belts.
Canelo has revealed that he has no interest in that bout though, telling Inside The Ring that Benavidez is simply seeking a pay day, and that the current difference in weight makes it ‘impossible.’
“Every fight he is calling me out, always looking for the payday. There is a reason they are always calling me out.
“When we were both at 168, I fought every champion in the division. I said to myself why did he never fight those champions? Then if he was a champion at that point I would fight him because my goal was being undisputed, right now it is impossible.
“He can fight with heavyweights. I understand why he’s calling me out or they’re calling me out, it’s fine.”
Benavidez extended his unbeaten record to 32-0 when he stopped Gilberto Ramirez in May, and with a fight against Canelo ruled out, he instead looks likely to take on WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian next, in a bid to become a three-belt unified champion.
Jul 4, 2026; Joliet, Illinois, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) before qualifying for the eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images Ryan Blaney had plenty to celebrate following his win at the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway over the weekend, but he also had a two-word reaction when learning about Bubba Wallace’s controversial penalty during his postgame interview.
“That sucks,” Blaney said.
For Wallace, it absolutely does, delivering him a damaging points reduction during his playoff drive.
Wallace was delivered the penalty for a sequence that occurred on the race’s final lap Sunday, as Wallace chased Blaney with Carson Hocevar alongside.
Wallace dipped below the double yellow line to avoid contact, and NASCAR officials ruled he had advanced his position beneath the line, assessing a penalty per guidance outlined in the rule book.
But Wallace maintained he gained no advantage from the maneuver, protesting that he had remained alongside Hocevar coming out of the turn despite the opportunity to race ahead.
“It says advancing your position, which I did not do,” Wallace said. “I stayed third, and I was all over the brakes to make sure I did not advance. As soon as I turned, I was like, ‘I’m going to wreck,’ and got on the brakes, kept it underneath me and still ended up side-by-side. That move should have propelled me to the lead, and it didn’t because I knew it was wrong because my car did not like that move.”
Wallace eventually ended up ahead of Hocevar, then met with NASCAR officials for nearly a half hour following the race to plead his case, but to no avail. The penalty dropped Wallace from a second-place finish down to 29th instead, providing a brutal hit to his points standing in the process.
The 27-point swing kept him at 13th place in the standings, much closer to the playoff cut line.
Fellow Toyota racer Ty Gibbs took issue with some of Wallace’s driving, and though he steered clear of talking about the penalty, he didn’t exactly shy away from letting Wallace know how he felt.
Gibbs, who finished fourth, confronted Wallace on pit road after the race, then spoke about the confrontation on Monday. “I wouldn’t tell him sorry because he cleared himself,” Gibbs said. “Unfortunately, I showed a lot of disrespect. I don’t know. It seems like it didn’t really work out for him, but I was just trying to help him at the end by pushing him to the win.”
Wallace’s interpretation of events differed slightly.
“He had the opportunity to give there a lot, and he didn’t do that,” Wallace said. “So, when I told him that, he quickly went on the defense and said, ‘Don’t block.’ When you hit me square in the bumper, it means you just ran right into me. The block was clean. So, yeah, that’s Toyota teammates. Don’t race very well together.”
–Field Level Media
German football has produced some of the finest players the game has ever seen, from Franz Beckenbauer to Gerd Muller. The likes of Oliver Kahn, Michael Ballack, and several others have gone on to make a name for themselves both in Germany and across the world. However, over the last decade or so, an imbalance has emerged. While Germany has continued to produce elite midfielders like Ilkay Gundogan, Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, and several others, it is lagging behind some of the world’s other top teams in creating world-class strikers. The emergence of Nick Woltemade, Kai Havertz, and Deniz Undav does offer hope, but the country still has a long way to go before it can truly replace No. 9s of the quality of Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez.
The situation raises questions over the exact nature of the youth model in Germany. To understand this complex and ever-evolving topic, NDTV caught up with Maximilian Koegel, the Sports Director for the Transition Program (U16 to U21) at Talentwerk, for an exclusive interview. Bochum’s success rate in producing elite talent from its academy remains among the best in the country. Koegel explained exactly why that is the case, while also sharing interesting insights into the culture that exists in German youth academies.
Q. For readers who may not be familiar with the German academy system, how would you describe the core principles of youth development in Germany? More specifically, what makes the VfL Bochum academy different?
Maximilian Koegel: Germany has many excellent academies that develop young players to a very high standard. For us at VfL Bochum, our environment is quite unique because we’re located in one of the strongest football regions in Europe, surrounded by clubs like Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke.
Our objective is, of course, to develop players, but just as importantly, we want to be a family. Every player who joins Bochum understands that we may not have the biggest budget, luxury facilities or the financial power of some other clubs. What we do offer is highly qualified coaches, personal attention and a clear pathway to professional football.
Our academy graduates are essential to the club’s future. We want to help them, ideally, make the leap into the first team or move on to bigger challenges.
Another strength of our academy is continuity. Many of our coaches have been at the club for eight years or more. They know the region, they know the culture and, most importantly, they know the players from the youngest age groups all the way through to the U19s. That creates strong relationships and a genuine family atmosphere alongside high-quality football education.
Q. Every academy faces the classic dilemma of winning versus developing players. How do you balance competitive success in youth football with long-term individual development?
Maximilian Koegel: It’s a question every academy has to answer. One of our core principles is that every player up to the U16 level should receive meaningful playing time. We have an internal guideline where each player should play at least 50 per cent of the available minutes across the season.
The reason is simple. At 13 or 14 years old, you cannot always predict who will become the better player. Some develop physically later than others, so if you only focus on winning matches, you might lose talented players who simply need more time.
From the U17 level onwards, the focus naturally becomes more performance-oriented because players are preparing for professional football. Of course, we still want to win every game-that mentality is an important part of football-but individual development always comes first.
A good example was last season with our U21 team. We promoted several Under-19 players to the Under-21 squad earlier than planned because we believed it would accelerate their progress toward professional football. Perhaps we would have had a stronger U19 team if those players had stayed, but helping individuals reach the next level was more important than chasing youth trophies.
That’s our philosophy: don’t evaluate success only by results or league positions. Evaluate it by how many players become professionals.
Q. How closely does the academy work with the first-team coaching staff? Is there a defined playing identity that every age group follows?
Maximilian Koegel: The connection with the first team is very important. We have regular meetings-roughly once a month-between the academy staff and the professional coaching staff. We discuss promising players, their development, and how they can move closer to the first team.
We also focus on developing players for every position on the pitch – full-backs, central midfielders, wingers, strikers – so that they understand the responsibilities of these roles, regardless of the formation. Naturally, the playing style changes slightly because professional football in the 2. Bundesliga is very different from youth football. Youth teams usually have more possession and space, while senior football is much more physical and direct.
Even so, we want every player to understand the same basic principles: be brave with the ball, be aggressive without it, press with intensity and transition quickly when opportunities arise.
Q. Germany has consistently produced technically gifted midfielders, while Bundesliga clubs have also helped develop international stars like Kevin De Bruyne and Jude Bellingham. What makes the German development system particularly effective at producing intelligent midfield players?
Maximilian Koegel: I think it reflects the way football is generally played in Germany. Midfielders are expected to control the game, connect different phases of play and be heavily involved both in possession and in transition. That’s something you see across the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga.
German football has traditionally placed a lot of emphasis on transition play, which means midfielders have to make good decisions, understand space and influence the game in both attacking and defensive situations. They’re not simply there to support counter-attacks-they’re expected to dictate the rhythm of the match.
Perhaps another reason is that Germany has traditionally developed players who think strategically. We may not always produce the fastest or most explosive athletes, so our players learn to solve situations through intelligence, positioning and decision-making. Those qualities are especially valuable in midfield.
Modern football also demands midfielders who can hold the team together, organise the game and create solutions under pressure. I think those are characteristics that German football has consistently developed well over many years.
Q. Germany currently appears to lack elite centre-forwards. France continues to produce outstanding talent across every position, while England has recently developed several clinical No. 9s. Are German academies actively studying or adopting elements from these systems to address the striker shortage?
Maximilian Koegel: This discussion isn’t new. A few years ago people were saying Germany needed to produce more possession players. Now the conversation has shifted towards finding more number nines. Football debates often move from one position to another depending on tournament results. Personally, I believe it’s more about the overall football culture than any specific position.
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Jordan Pickford is confident England will be streetwise enough to keep their cool in Wednesday’s intense World Cup semi-final clash with Argentina.
Thomas Tuchel’s side have the chance to become the nation’s first men’s team to reach the final since Sir Alf Ramsey’s heroes lifted the trophy in 1966.
World champions Argentina stand in their way and the eyes of the nation will be on Atlanta for what is sure to be an electric encounter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday.
This is the nations’ first knockout meeting since David Beckham saw red for tripping Diego Simeone in England’s agonising World Cup 1998 exit, but Pickford believes they will avoid similar drama.
“I think you’ve seen throughout the tournament our desire to win tackles, we’ve not got into any scuffles or anything,” England’s all-time leading appearance maker at World Cups said.
“We’ve been very well respected within the game. Decisions go our way, they don’t go our way, we just reset, we go again and we let the football do the talking.
“I think that’s what we’ve done throughout the tournament. Apart from Jarell (Quansah’s red card in Mexico), we’ve not had any suspensions, no second yellow cards or anything like that.
“It just shows the mentality we have and we don’t get wrapped up in things like that. We stay focused, we stay together.”
That focus will be vital in what is sure to be a febrile atmosphere as Argentina’s players and fans will Lionel Messi, one of the greatest players in the game’s history, to another World Cup crown.
The 39-year-old has been a force of nature this summer as Lionel Scaloni’s men scraped through to the semi-finals, but England have their own stars in Hary Kane and Jude Bellingham.
“Everyone will talk about Messi because he’s one of the GOATs (greatest of all time) of the game,” Pickford said.
“But you can’t look past the ability and the talent we’ve got in the squad – going forward, defensively, togetherness. We’ve got it all there and that’s what we need to put on show on Wednesday.
“But we also can’t just talk about Messi. They’re a good side and they’re reigning champions. They’re a good side but we’ve got so much ability in our squad going forward and we’re hard to break down. We’ve got that resilience, we’ve got that togetherness and we’ve got that mentality. That’s what makes a good team.”
England against Argentina holds a lot of history for a variety of reasons, including Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ in 1986 and the Beckham moment 12 years later.
But the background matters little to Pickford and this current crop, who are looking to make it to the World Cup final after reaching the last two European Championship showpieces.
“I think it’s just solely focus on us as England now and us being at our best to beat another top nation,” Pickford said.
“It’s us against them to get a place in the final, and it’s a game of football. 90 minutes, 120, penalties. We’re ready for anything, and it’s us against them and it’s about who comes out on top. We’re fully prepared for that.”
New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has made it clear that he wants midfielder Enzo Fernández to remain at the club.
Alonso spoke during his first press conference at Stamford Bridge on Monday after officially taking charge of the Blues.
The Argentina international has been linked with a move away from Chelsea in recent weeks, with reports suggesting interest from Real Madrid. However, the Spanish giants have denied trying to sign him.
When asked if he wanted Fernandez to stay, Alonso gave a simple answer.
“Yes,” he said.
“We have spoken. But, as you can understand, what we said will remain private.”
The 25-year-old midfielder is currently away with Argentina and is preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final against England.
Alonso also confirmed that striker Nicolas Jackson will return to the squad after Bayern Munich decided not to make his loan move permanent.
“Nico Jackson is joining the tour in Asia and we are looking forward to him working with us,” Alonso said.
The Chelsea boss also revealed that winger Alejandro Garnacho is not training with the first team because he is looking for a move away from the club. Italian side Roma are among the clubs interested in signing him.
Alonso admitted Chelsea’s failure to qualify for European competition has changed some plans but insisted it will not affect the club’s main objectives for the new season.
He said he is working closely with the sporting directors to strengthen the squad in the right positions before the transfer window closes.
Describing his appointment as a “privilege and honour”, Alonso said he is excited by the opportunity to lead one of England’s biggest clubs.
“The excitement is the club, the squad and the opportunity to build something successful here,” he said.
“We want to build a competitive mentality, win games and enjoy doing it.”
Alonso added that returning Chelsea to European football is one of his main targets.
“For sure, that’s a goal,” he said. “But to achieve it, we have to do many things right. We are ambitious, and at Chelsea you need the hunger to succeed.”
The 44-year-old has already begun working with his squad at Cobham as he prepares the Blues for the new Premier League season.
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