Football

10:03 AM ET On the morning of June 11, 1975, a pack of rubbernecking New Yorkers gathers on West 52nd Street. They’re standing outside the venerable “21” club, a former speakeasy turned posh canteen to presidents, plutocrats and Hollywood grandees, drawn there by the steady drone of a police helicopter overhead — and, no doubt,

3:53 PM ET Pele. Four letters, two syllables. And a universal code word. A concept understood by everyone, regardless of proximity — or distance — from the beautiful game. Pele — the word — meant something not just to fans, but also to folks who had never watched a football game, as well as to

1:54 PM ET Associated Press Pele, the Brazilian king of football who won a record three World Cups and became one of the most commanding sports figures of the past century, died Thursday. He was 82. The standard-bearer of “the beautiful game” had undergone treatment for colon cancer since 2021. He had been hospitalised for

8:43 AM ET Paris Saint-Germain‘s Kylian Mbappe has dismissed taunts from Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez over France‘s World Cup final defeat as “futile.” Mbappe scored a hat trick in the final but still found himself on the losing side as France were beaten on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga,

6:32 PM ET Erling Haaland said missing out on the World Cup was an “irritation and motivation” that drove him “a bit mad” after becoming the first player to score 20 Premier League goals before January by netting twice in Manchester City‘s 3-1 win against Leeds at Elland Road. The summer signing from Borussia Dortmund,

5:20 PM ET LEEDS, England — Erling Haaland became the first player to score 20 Premier League goals in a season before January by hitting two against his hometown team Leeds on Wednesday as Manchester City won 3-1 at Elland Road. With league leaders Arsenal beating West Ham on Monday, it was crucial that City

4:42 AM ET Alex Kirkland Sam Marsden With the World Cup over, all of Europe’s major leagues are gearing up to restart the 2022-23 season. In Spain, LaLiga will be back on Thursday (matches, replays, highlights on ESPN/ESPN+) and, as often is the case, Barcelona and Real Madrid will be battling for the top spot.

6:04 AM ET How do you solve a problem like Darwin Nunez? Liverpool‘s response to that dilemma has now been made clear by their move to sign Cody Gakpo in a £37 million transfer from PSV Eindhoven — a deal that has been done so quietly and efficiently that the Netherlands forward could be signed

3:00 PM ET Danny Lewis Having previously gone without a win in their past five Premier League matches, Chelsea enjoyed a 2-0 victory against AFC Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday in the Blues’ return from the World Cup break. Chelsea got on the front foot in the 16th minute when a sweeping move culminated

5:00 AM ET Robert Lewandowski has been superb since arriving at Barcelona, but it’s also fair to say he changes the way they play. Seeing what they do while he’s suspended will be fascinating. Eric Alonso/Getty Images Given that he has scored 18 times in 19 matches throughout his debut season, it would be nonsensical to

Arsenal recovered from a goal down to beat West Ham United 3-1 at Emirates Stadium and move seven points clear at the top of the Premier League. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.)– Premier League table | Upcoming fixtures Said Benrahma put the Hammers in front with a 26th-minute penalty after William

3:09 PM ET Adam Brown In their Premier League return from the World Cup break, Liverpool closed the gap for Champions League qualification to five points after they secured a 3-1 victory against Aston Villa on Monday. The Reds got off to the perfect start after five minutes as defender Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s exquisite pass with

6:51 AM ET Brazil legend Pele’s family members gathered at the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo on Saturday, where the 82-year-old, widely considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, has been since late November. Doctors said this week that Pele’s cancer had advanced and that he requires care related to renal and

Dec 24, 2022 Manchester United have triggered one-year contract extensions for four first-team players, including England forward Marcus Rashford, manager Erik ten Hag said. Rashford, Diogo Dalot, Fred and Luke Shaw were all in the final year of their deals but had an option to extend their contracts by 12 months. – Stream on ESPN+:

Dec 23, 2022 The 2022 World Cup is over, but just two weeks later the transfer window opens for the majority of Europe’s top clubs on Jan. 1. 2 Related This year, more than most, the focus on the star performers from Qatar will be evident as clubs look to strengthen their energy-sapped, injury-laden squads

7:04 PM ET Nick JuddTransfer writer Chelsea are looking to strengthen their defence, and Benoit Badiashile of Monaco could be on his way to west London. CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images With the opening of the January transfer window coming closer, there’s plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the

9:33 AM ET The World Cup final ended nearly a week ago but the drama around it continued as the match referee showed a photo on his phone during a news conference to respond to claims that Lionel Messi‘s extra-time goal should not have stood. Argentina won the final in Lusail, Qatar, 4-2 on penalties

6:28 AM ET Patrick Vieira has criticised Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez for his celebrations after their World Cup final win over France. Martinez saved Kingsley Coman‘s penalty in the shootout and threw the ball away before Aurelien Tchouameni dragged his spot-kick wide. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Following the epic final, Martinez