The Ballon d’Or nominees for 2023 will be announced on September 6th at 6:30 PM local time (September 7th at 00:30 AM Beijing time). Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland are currently the favorites to win the award, followed by Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, Ilkay Gundogan, Karim Benzema, Harry Kane, and Jude Bellingham. The Ballon d’Or will include 30 nominees for the men’s award, 20 nominees for the women’s award, 10 nominees for the Yashin Trophy (best goalkeeper), and 10 nominees for the Kopa Trophy (best player…

Spanish outlet La Sexta’s Fran?ois Gallardo reports Kylian Mbappé will make a statement regarding his future after Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 clash with Lens this weekend. The journalist claims that the forward will confirm his departure from the club, with Real Madrid expected to be his destination as has been widely reported. Mbappé has enjoyed an improved relationship with PSG in recent weeks, starting and scoring in the second game of the Ligue 1 season.

Edgar Paz, the president of Colombian second-tier club Tigres FC, was assassinated following his team’s loss on Saturday. According to local media reports, the 63-year-old Paz was shot and killed by two gunmen on motorcycles as he was driving home with his daughter after their 2-3 defeat to Cortuluá at their home stadium. His daughter emerged unharmed from the attack. Authorities are currently investigating the murder. “Tigres FC and the entire sports community are deeply shocked by this event,” the club said in a statement. “Paz’s commitment to the team…

Saudi Pro League has unveiled its global broadcasting plans with broadcast deals in over 130 countries and territories as part of its aim to grow its reach around the world, The Athletic understands. Backed by investment from the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the Saudi Pro League has looked to expand its reach and has struck broadcast deals in over 130 territories, with high-profile signings such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Vincent Aboubakar making the move to the division. The Athletic understands that DAZN has acquired the exclusive UK broadcast rights…

Despite recent speculation surrounding Toni Kroos’ potential return to the German national team, former Germany international Lothar Matth?us has expressed concerns about the risks involved. “If Kroos could play as a defender, then yes,” Matth?us said in an interview. “But the midfield is the one area where Germany doesn’t need any more players. We have enough midfield talent with Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Thomas Müller, and Jamal Musiala, and Kroos is not a defensive midfielder. If Hansi Flick suddenly decided that Kroos should play as a number six, it would…

The Chinese women’s football team, including overseas players, arrived in Guangzhou at 5 am on August 4, after completing the group stage of the 9th Women’s Football World Cup. The team departed from Adelaide at 9 pm local time on August 3 and took a Southern Airlines flight from Melbourne at 3 am local time on August 4, arriving in Guangzhou at 5 am Beijing time. It is reported that all team members, including overseas players such as Wang Shuang, returned with the main group. Sources reveal that the Chinese…

Former Zenit head coach Vlastimil Petrzela has expressed doubts about Leonid Slutsky’s ability to succeed in the Chinese Super League (CSL). Petrzela, speaking to Match TV after Slutsky was named as the new manager of Shanghai Shenhua on Wednesday, said: “It will be difficult. People go to China mainly for the money. But the football boom there is already starting to wane, and many big players have left and gone to play in Saudi Arabia. Chinese football is also still not at the level of Russian football.” Meanwhile, agent Dmitry…

In the 31st round of Serie A, the Rome derby between Roma and Lazio will take place on April 7th at midnight Beijing time. Before the match, Roma is temporarily ranked fifth in the standings, 5 points behind the fourth-placed Bologna, while Lazio is temporarily ranked seventh in the standings, 4 points behind the sixth-placed Atalanta. According to pre-match statistics, Roma has not scored in the past four Rome derbies: Lazio 1:0 Roma in the Italian Cup this season; Lazio 0:0 Roma in the first round of Serie A this…

In the current season’s top five leagues, Harry Kane leads the chart of goal involvements (goals + assists), contributing 32 goals, followed by Ollie Watkins with 26 goal involvements. | Player | Club | Goal Involvements | |—|—|—| | Harry Kane | Bayern Munich | 32 | | Ollie Watkins | Aston Villa | 26 | | Lautaro Martinez | Inter Milan | 25 | | Kylian Mbappé | Paris Saint-Germain | 25 | | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 24 |

China’s women’s football team is facing a challenging battle at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is set to kick off on July 20th, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The team is currently in Australia for their final preparations. Analysts at the Tianjin Daily believe that China’s opening match against Denmark will be a crucial test. China’s team is grouped with Denmark, Haiti, and England in the tournament, and must finish in the top two of their group to advance to the Round of 16. Although the team…