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Barcelona teenage sensation Lamine Yamal recently admitted that reaching to levels of club legend Lionel Messi would be impossible for him, and deemed the comparison between him and the Argentine as ‘unfair’.
Lamine Yamal has been tipped by many fans and pundits to be a successor to ex-Barcelona star and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi. He had a brilliant debut season last year, scoring seven goals in 50 appearances. The 17-year-old winger was also a breakout star at the 2024 Euros in Germany, becoming the youngest player to ever feature, score and win the coveted tournament. He considers Messi as his idol, with a photo of him at six months old with Messi, emerging on social media.
The forward, however, in a recent interview, humbly brushed aside comparisons between him and Messi, whom he labeled as the ‘greatest player in the history of football’. Moreover, he added that reaching to the Argentine’s level would be impossible, owing to the fact that he is the club’s all time top-scorer and holds several records. Lamine went on to state that he wanted to make a name of his own, and that Messi had passed on some of his powers to him.
I like being compared to the best player in football history, but I want to be myself. Reaching Messi’s level is impossible. Lamine Yamal said on El Hormiguero (via Mundo Deportivo)
Yamal has already started the new season on a positive note, under newly appointed manager Hansi Flick. He has already scored a goal and assisted four times in four back-to-back wins for the Catalan club. Barca are on top of the La Liga table, with 12 points.
Lamine Yamal expresses wish to play alongside Nico Williams every week, amid Barcelona transfer rumors
FC Barcelona were in the race to sign Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams this summer, but the 22-year-old opted to stay in Basque. His fellow national teammate Lamine Yamal spoke about the prospects of playing alongside the Bilbao winger.
Williams and Yamal shone at the Euros in Germany, while cementing their place on the side. In a recent interview, the 17-year-old spoke about his close friend and teammate Williams, and admitted that he wants to play alongside the left-winger at Barcelona someday, in case he decides to join the Catalan club.
We like the same things, the same music, we dance on TikTok. I would like to play every week with him, hopefully, but he is now at Athletic. Lamine Yamal said on El Hormiguero
Yamal’s wish of playing alongside his compatriot might come true, in case Barca decides to persuade Williams to join the club in 2025. However, in a recent interview, sporting director Deco stated that the club has other priorities over signing an additional winger.
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How much Darwin Nunez will earn at Al-Hilal compared to Liverpool after ‘full agreement’ reached
Liverpool set to sell big-name forward to finance Alexander Isak deal
Liverpool is on the verge of offloading striker Darwin Nunez to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal in a deal reportedly worth up to £56.6M, approximately $75M. The move would bring an end to Nunez’s three-year stint at Anfield, where he registered 40 goals in 143 appearances after arriving from Benfica in 2022 for an initial £64M plus add-ons. The Reds are poised to take a financial hit on the 26-year-old, marking a significant loss on their original investment. Despite flashes of promise, Nunez struggled to deliver consistent performances in a Liverpool shirt. He gradually slipped down the pecking order, drawing increasing criticism for his inefficiency in front of the goal. Al Hilal is said to be offering a fixed fee of £46.2M, with performance-related bonuses taking the potential total to £56.6 million. Nunez is expected to sign a lucrative multiyear contract. While the transfer represents a financial setback, it aligns with Liverpool’s wider strategy of refreshing its squad under new head coach Arne Slot. The club has already spent close to £275M ($350M) this summer on high-profile signings, including Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, showcasing a bold rebuild following last season’s Premier League title triumph. Funds from the Nunez sale are expected to be redirected toward Liverpool’s pursuit of Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak. The Reds’ initial £120M package for the Sweden international was rejected, but they are reportedly preparing a revised bid. Isak has recently been training away from Newcastle’s first team following his return from injury, and Liverpool is hopeful of capitalizing, although a deal may hinge on Newcastle securing a replacement. The Magpies are said to be wary of losing out on RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, with Manchester United attempting to hijack that move. Still, Liverpool currently faces little direct competition for Isak and views him as a key piece in its attacking plans. Moving Nunez is a critical step in freeing up both funds and squad space as Liverpool aims to land yet another marquee forward it believes can lead its frontline in the Slot era.
Padres already demoting one of their trade-deadline acquisitions
The Padres announced they’ve optioned JP Sears to Triple-A El Paso. They recalled reliever Sean Reynolds and will go with a nine-man bullpen in the short term. Sears will spend at least 15 days in the minors unless he’s brought up to replace a player going on the injured list. San Diego acquired Sears alongside Mason Miller in last week’s massive deadline deal. The 29-year-old southpaw made his team debut Monday night. He allowed five runs in as many innings on 10 hits and a walk against the Diamondbacks. Sears took the loss in a 6-2 defeat. He’d carried a 4.95 earned run average over 22 starts with the A’s. Monday's performance pushed his ERA to 5.12 across 116 innings. It’s a bottom-10 mark among pitchers to log at least 100 frames. Sears had the highest home run rate among that group, offsetting his nearly league-average 20.3% strikeout rate and solid 6% walk percentage. This is the first time in two-and-a-half years that Sears heads to the minors. He broke camp with the A’s in 2023 and has been in the majors since then. Sears has also avoided the injured list for that entire time. As a result, he’s tied for fifth in MLB with 87 starts since the beginning of the ’23 season. The durability is the big selling point, as his production (4.62 ERA/4.56 SIERA) over that stretch is that of a fifth or sixth starter. The demotion shouldn’t have any impact on Sears’ service trajectory. He has already surpassed the three-year mark and will qualify for arbitration next winter. He’s under team control for three seasons beyond this one. While he’ll probably be back up at some point this year, it may require an injury elsewhere in the rotation. San Diego optioned Randy Vásquez over the weekend. They have a four-man rotation of Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish and deadline acquisition Nestor Cortes. Darvish and Cortes will get the ball for the next two outings. San Diego is off Thursday and could turn back to Pivetta and Cease on extra rest for their first two games of the weekend series against the Red Sox. That’d point to the series finale on Aug. 10 as Michael King’s return date. King threw 61 pitches in what is expected to be his final rehab start on Sunday, via the MLB.com injury tracker. He’d be on six days' rest for his first MLB appearance since he went on the injured list in late May with a nerve problem in his throwing shoulder.
Sophie Cunningham, Sparks HC react to third incident of object tossed onto court
Over the past couple of years, the WNBA has seen a major uptick in ratings and overall fan engagement. Unfortunately, that has also come with negative attention. It may have reached a new low, as there have now been three separate incidents in which a fan has thrown a sex toy on the court. This time, it nearly hit Indiana Fever veteran Sophie Cunningham during a matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday. Cunningham had already joked about it on social media, and given her outspoken nature and reputation as a bit of an instigator, she didn't shy away from it: She also laughed it up on her Instagram story: Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, however, didn't think it was a laughing matter. Following the game, she put the fans on blast for their "stupid" behavior. "It's ridiculous. It's dumb. It's stupid," Roberts said, per Yahoo Sports. "It's also dangerous, and you know, player safety is No. 1, respecting the game, all those things. I think it's really stupid." There's no place for any of this in sports, much less in women's sports. The league needs to crack down on this and take the necessary measures to prevent it from happening ever again. The WNBA is finally thriving after years of surviving, and while the fans will eventually grow to respect the product, not all publicity is good publicity.
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Commanders offense suffers in joint practice with Patriots
The Washington Commanders gave their coaching staff a glimpse of what could be if the front office's negotiations with star wide receiver Terry McLaurin result in a trade. It wasn't good. Per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, McLaurin's absence crushed the Commanders' passing offense during their joint practice Wednesday with the New England Patriots. Not even newcomer Deebo Samuel could save the unit. "With Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown both out, the Commanders’ lack of receiving depth has been a glaring issue in recent practices, especially so on Wednesday," Jhabvala wrote. "Deebo Samuel, a versatile playmaker who can be a chess piece for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, doesn’t (and shouldn’t) take on the workload expected of a leading wideout or even a No. 2. "And so far, none of the Commanders’ 10 other receivers has emerged as consistent playmakers or a reliable pass catcher capable of taking on more." Washington has to find a way to pay McLaurin soon. He's too critical to the offense and, more importantly, to the long-term development of second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels. McLaurin had his best career season in 2024, catching 82 passes for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns in Daniels' rookie season. He earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors for his efforts. The Commanders made aggressive moves like trading for Samuel in the offseason, not to be a No. 1 wide receiver, but to help take a team that overachieved in 2024 and get them past the Philadelphia Eagles, who knocked them out in the NFC Championship game. Washington needs McLaurin on the field to help free up its other weapons like Samuel and Austin Ekeler or last season may end up just being a fluke.
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