Todd Boehly and fellow co-owner Mark Walter have sold their stakes in Chelsea, the English Premier League club said on Wednesday.”Chelsea Football Club today announced affiliates of Clearlake Capital Group will acquire the ownership interest of Todd Boehly,” it said in a statement.”As part of the transition, Clearlake will also acquire Mark Walter’s ownership interest and therefore acquire full control of the club.”Reporting by The Associated Press. Source link

James Rodriguez, one of the most talented midfielders in Colombian soccer history, announced the end of his 15-year international career Tuesday.The 35-year-old Rodríguez recently signed with Atlético Nacional — concluding a long stint playing abroad—and has now decided to step aside from the national team.”After many years, matches, moments of joy, and tough times, I feel the moment has come to close a chapter of my life: my journey with the Colombian national team,” Rodríguez said in a video posted to his social media channels. “Wearing the jersey was a dream, but also an enormous responsibility.”Rodríguez made his senior national…

By comparison, predicting the United States men’s national team’s 26-player roster before the 2026 FIFA World Cup was a breeze.There were a couple of minor surprises — Alex Zendejas and Miles Robinson in! Diego Luna and Tanner Tessmann out! — but by and large, the players Mauricio Pochettino selected for the eventual round of 16 run were no-brainers for anyone who had been paying attention in the months leading up to the tournament.Signed to a new four-year contract afterward, Pochettino’s first post-World Cup squad will drop on Thursday ahead of stateside exhibition games against Peru, Chile, Canada and historic rival Mexico.Who…

Last year’s winner Ousmane Dembélé, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé are among the top contenders for the men’s Ballon d’Or.The 30 men’s and 30 women’s nominees were revealed by France Football magazine on Tuesday, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in London on Oct. 26.In the women’s field, two-time winner Alexia Putellas, Ewa Pajor and Melchie Dumornay are among the favorites to take over Aitana Bonmatí. The winner of the past three women’s awards, Bonmatí did not make the cut after missing most of the season through injury. She returned at the end of Barcelona’s quadruple-winning season…

With an on-fire Raphinha leading its attack, Barcelona doesn’t seem to need another striker after all.The fiercely competitive Brazilian kept up his great start to the season on Wednesday by scoring twice to lead Barcelona’s 5-1 rout over Feyenoord in their Champions League opener.His double combined with his La Liga-leading six goals makes Raphinha the top scorer in Europe with eight.Raphinha got going at Camp Nou just three minutes into the match when he took a pass from Lamine Yamal in the box. He used one tap to send a pair of defenders sliding the wrong way, leaving him to…

Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele scored titleholder Paris Saint-Germain’s first goals of the new Champions League campaign, and his first goals the season, when he netted twice in a 6-1 home win against Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday.He also set up a goal in each half for new signing Ferran Torres, whose well-taken hat trick took Spain’s World-Cup winning forward onto five goals since joining from Barcelona in the offseason.It was a welcome return to form for Dembélé, one of France’s World Cup stars with six goals, following a frustrating start to the domestic season.He was taken off at halftime in…

Carlo Ancelotti started his complete overhaul of Brazil’s national team on Wednesday by announcing a squad with few of the players he took to the World Cup three months ago and several young talents.His team will play two friendlies against Australia, on Sept. 25 in Townsville and 29 in Brisbane, and its first ever match against India on Oct. 3 in Kolkata, where it has millions of fans.Ancelotti, as he promised in an interview with The Associated Press in July after the round of 16 World Cup elimination against Norway, called up several players who will also be eligible for…

A day after revealing his disappointment over the lack of a new contract offer by Liverpool, Alexis Mac Allister delivered the perfect response with the winning goal in a 2-1 victory against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday.Mac Allister unleashed a ferocious strike from outside of the box as Liverpool came back from a goal down at Anfield.The Argentina international, who joined Liverpool in 2023, raced away to celebrate in front of the home fans. It was in stark contrast to his sombre tone ahead of the game when discussing the uncertainty over his position at the club.”I…

Mexico had so many memorable moments as co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup and one of their most dynamic players has made the short list for soccer’s most prestigious awards. Julián Quiñones has earned a spot on the 2026 Ballon d’Or shortlist, making him only the second Mexican player in history to be nominated for the award. Recently retired goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa was the first, earning a nomination in 2007.The 29-year-old forward, who plays for both the Mexico national team and Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah, put together a season that combined individual scoring records with a standout World Cup run.Quiñones…

Kylian Mbappé believes this could be the year he wins the Ballon d’Or for the first time.He’s optimistic after winning his second consecutive World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals, the most in 56 years. He also overtook Lionel Messi for the most all-time World Cup goals with 22. There were also 42 goals in 44 matches for Real Madrid, although the club finished last season without a major trophy.”There are many people who speak about me and the Ballon d’Or. Of course, I’ve made history in the most important competition. Maybe it’s a good year for this, but people…