Liverpool's club-record signing Florian Wirtz has been named Germany's player of the year, further cementing the attacking midfielder's status as a rising star.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta lavished praises on the club’s new big-money signing Viktor Gyokeres, who scored his first goal for the Gunners in their 3-0 win over La Liga side Athletic Bilbao in their final pre-season friendly.

New Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko has all the attributes needed to help bolster their attack, manager Ruben Amorim said as he hopes to unlock the 22-year-old Slovenian's full potential after his big-money move to Old Trafford.

Son drew a penalty in the 77th minute that new teammate Denis Bouanga converted to clinch the draw in the 81st minute -- VAR confirming the spot kick after the referee initially let play continue.

Nunez departure will help finance Liverpool's outlay of almost 300 million pounds so far for the 2025-26 season.

Chelsea want to start the new season with a spring in their step after winning the inaugural Club World Cup last month and bolstering their already huge squad with another string of new young players.

For the third year in a row, Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo was left out of the top 30 list for the Ballon d’Or, which was recently announced by the French authorities.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot said it is completely normal for his side to be viewed as favourites to retain their Premier League crown, citing last campaign's success rather than their close-season transfer activity.

Ousmane Dembele, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Desire Doue, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha are all on the list of 30 players nominated for the big prize.

Rodrigo de Paul produced his first goal in a Miami jersey to pull the Herons level just before halftime.

Sources report the value as $26.5 million, which would be an MLS record for a player transfer.

Advocates have charged that Morocco was indiscriminately ridding its streets of strays ahead of the global sporting event it will jointly host with Portugal and Spain.

Mascherano: "He usually recovers very well from injuries."

Former Barcelona president Joan Gaspart lauded the club for bringing in English forward Marcus Rashford for a season-long loan from Manchester United, claiming he is better than Nico Williams.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes let rip at his teammates following their 2-2 pre-season draw with fellow Premier League side Everton, saying their performance was "lazy" and calling for further reinforcements.

The 38-year-old Argentine legend suffered an upper right leg injury early in Miami's penalty-kicks home win over Mexico's Necaxa on Saturday in a Leagues Cup match.

Brazil great Marta forced extra time with a late equaliser and the veteran struck again in the 105th minute to seemingly seal victory.

The 38-year-old Argentine superstar forward appeared to be having treatment on his upper right leg or groin before making his exit under his own power and walking to the locker room.

Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano is optimistic that Argentine World Cup winner Lionel Messi will extend his stay at the club.

West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been cleared of spot-fixing charges by an independent regulatory commission, the club announced on Thursday.