Football

Jon Molyneux-Carter, Senior EditorJun 14, 2023, 04:00 AM ET It’s easy to forget that at one stage Lionel Messi could have joined Manchester City, while Erling Haaland could have ended up across town at Manchester United. Would the entire course of Premier League history have changed if Cristiano Ronaldo had moved to Arsenal instead of

Jon Molyneux-Carter, Senior EditorJun 14, 2023, 04:00 AM ET Once again, in spite of a global financial crisis, soccer clubs around Europe spent an incredible amount of money to sign players in January and this summer may not be any different. Indeed, clubs spent a record $1.57 billion (£1.27bn) on transfers in the January transfer

Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondentJun 13, 2023, 07:28 PM ET Close Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Former United States coach Gregg Berhalter is in the running for the vacant managerial posts at Eredivisie side Sparta Rotterdam and Liga MX giants Club América, sources have confirmed to ESPN. The

Ryan Rosenblatt Jun 13, 2023, 03:47 PM ET Lionel Messi has played at the top levels in Spain and France, but MLS is going to be a uniquely American adventure for one of the game’s legends. Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images Lionel Messi is making the move to MLS, following a long line of stars who

Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Jun 13, 2023, 07:35 AM ET Real Madrid are ready to bid for Kylian Mbappe this summer rather than waiting to sign him as a free agent when his Paris Saint-Germain contract expires next season, sources have told ESPN. Mbappe’s future is uncertain once again after L’Equipe reported on Monday that

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJun 12, 2023, 04:24 PM ET The blue double decker bus carrying Manchester City’s treble winners pushed slowly through the streets of Manchester city centre on Monday evening to give the crowd a chance to celebrate a team that didn’t just complete the most successful season their club has seen, but one of

The summer transfer window for the Premier League officially opens on June 14, and clubs have almost three months to reshape their squads before it closes at 23.00 BST on Sept. 1. Some deals have already been finalised, with Liverpool signing Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister for an initial fee of £35 million (potentially rising

Adriana Garcia Jun 12, 2023, 06:11 AM ET Neymar has said Lionel Messi‘s move to Inter Miami will be a game-changer for Major League soccer. Messi announced last week his decision to join Inter Miami once his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires at the end of this month. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more

ISTANBUL — Whatever else they might say about Manchester City‘s first-ever treble (first of many? We’ll find out…) let them not say that it was painless. Or that it didn’t involve suffering. And maybe even a smattering of self-doubt. We got to the conclusion most expected: a City win over Inter Milan. But the journey

Julien Laurens, CorrespondentJun 11, 2023, 10:00 AM ET ISTANBUL — Romelu Lukaku can’t have got much sleep on Saturday night in Istanbul. He might not on Sunday or on Monday either. His failure to score for Inter Milan in the 88th minute of the Champions League final against Manchester City will haunt his nights as

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJun 10, 2023, 04:59 PM ET Manchester City lifted the Champions League trophy with a 1-0 win over Internazionale at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium. After a goalless first half, Rodri scored the only goal of Saturday’s game as Pep Guardiola’s side completed the treble, having also secured the Premier League title and the

ISTANBUL — It was mission accomplished for Pep Guardiola on Saturday night at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, and he did it with the big boss watching from the stands. By delivering Manchester City‘s first Champions League title, Guardiola has done precisely what he was hired to do by owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan,

Jun 10, 2023, 02:00 PM ET This is it. Europe’s premier club competition has arrived at its showpiece event. It’s the Champions League final on Saturday (8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET) at Turkey’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul. Manchester City dominated reigning continental kings Real Madrid in the semifinals to reach their second final in

Gab Marcotti, Senior Writer, ESPN FCJun 9, 2023, 09:00 AM ET ISTANBUL, Turkey — This city straddling Europe and Asia (you can literally drive across the bridge from one continent to the other) is a fitting venue for a UEFA Champions League final. It’s the European Cup, yes, but the finalists are two Asian-owned teams

Jun 9, 2023, 05:31 PM ET Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani has reached an agreement to sell his stake in the club to 49ers Enterprises, the second-tier English side said Friday. 49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, has been a shareholder at Leeds, recently relegated from the Premier League, since

Luis Miguel Echegaray, ESPNJun 9, 2023, 12:49 PM ET Each week, Luis Miguel Echegaray discusses the latest from the soccer world, including standout performances, what you might have missed and what to keep an eye on in the coming days. ONSIDE Lionel Messi is coming to America This is huge. To call Messi’s move to

Jun 9, 2023, 05:58 AM ET Ben Foster came out of retirement to sign for Wrexham in March. Matthew Ashton/AMA/Getty Images Ben Foster has signed a new one-year contract at Wrexham, the team announced on Friday. The former Manchester United and England goalkeeper played a pivotal role in the latter stages of Wrexham’s 2022-23 National League

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJun 8, 2023, 12:00 PM ET MANCHESTER, England — John Stones has been so good during Manchester City‘s charge toward the treble that during a party to celebrate winning the Premier League title, Kyle Walker grabbed the microphone and began singing the song dedicated to the England centre-back by the club’s fans. Walker