The Guardian

Two-time Ballon d’Or winner joins on a free transfer Mary Earps and Nicole Anyomi also new recruits London City Lionesses have announced the signing of Alexia Putellas at an event in New York, confirming the arrival in the Women’s Super League of one of the women’s game’s all-time greats. The two-time Ballon d’Or winner was available on a free transfer after leaving Barcelona at the end of the se…

A goalkeeper with 27.5m Instagram followers and a forward whose future is opaque make our team of players looking for new clubs As late bloomers and cult heroes go, few have made an impact on a World Cup quite like the goalkeeper who first defied Spain’s attackers and, after Cape Verde’s qualification for the knockouts, reduced Lionel Messi to a single goal. Vozinha departed Chaves in Liga Portug…

Blues defeat Maroons 12-30 in Game 3 to win series 2-1 Nathan Cleary secures legacy with Wally Lewis medal Queensland will cry blue murder at a couple of contentious calls but history will speak only of New South Wales delivering one of the all-time great Origin boilovers on Wednesday night. Despite being outplayed in Sydney and smashed in Melbourne, the Blues did the unthinkable, silencing Sunco…

Country’s model prioritises joy while offering choice – and Erling Haaland’s World Cup exploits show that it works At full time, the arithmetic felt wrong. A team from a country of 5.5 million people, back at a World Cup after 28 years away, had just beaten the five-time champions to reach a first quarter-final. During Norway’s victory over Brazil on Sunday there was little between the fast feet …

The Frenchman is a footballer, flautist and a thespian. There’s no question he is the most thrilling and compelling figure at this year’s tournament This has been the World Cup of characters, bold fashion statements, and bantz: we’ve had Thomas Tuchel rubber-banding around the England dressing room like a teen at his first all-ages rave, and Iván Barton booting Miguel Almirón from the field as if…

We pick six of the best analysts to feature at the World Cup in North America on screens in the UK, US and Australia Joe Hart There’s long been a feeling that, when it comes to punditry, only goalkeepers should talk about goalkeepers given the unique nature of the role. That view will have been strengthened by Hart’s appearances during this World Cup. The former England No 1 has been an authorita…

Updates from Wednesday’s last-eight action in SW19 Arthur Fery: the wildcard carrying GB hopes | Mail Katy Noskova and Mertens are winding their way through the No 1 Court tunnel , and tardily arrive on court just past 1pm. They look a little nervous – or perhaps slightly shy – as they enter; for both this is a first Wimbledon quarter-final, though the 21-year-old Noskova did get this far at the …

The Australian superstar returns to the US after a seven-year absence – and will find a vastly changed landscape When Sam Kerr last played for the National Women’s Soccer League’s Big Apple-adjacent club, it was called Sky Blue, and the playing conditions were comparatively abysmal. The Australian striker spent three years (from 2015-17) accruing accolades for a team infamously bereft of locker r…

Updates from the 158.3km stage from Lannemezan Stage-by-stage guide | Stage four report | Mail Tom After stage four: 1. Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost): 12 2. Alex Molenaar (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA): 10 3. Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon CMA CGM): 9 4. Raul Garcia Pierna (Movistar Team): 7 5. Marco Frigo (NSN Cycling Team): 5 6. Jan Tratnik (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe): 5 7. Brandon McNulty (UAE Tea…

Carrick set to welcome player back after World Cup Club preference is to ease wage bill by offloading player Marcus Rashford is set to be re-integrated at Manchester United following the World Cup, with the forward currently expected to start next season as part of Michael Carrick’s squad. Due to a breakdown in the relationship between the player and club, the 28-year-old, who has two years left …

On the eve of the first women’s Test at Lord’s, nine England players and one Australian from 1976 are gathering On Thursday, in a room in central London about three miles from Lord’s, a group of 10 women will gather together for a very special reunion. Fifty years ago, on 4 August 1976, they made history when they were among the first female cricketers to play a match at the so-called Home of Cri…

Give or take the odd error, officials have got it right on most occasions, while VAR has helped them when they haven’t Thomas Tuchel was critical of the refereeing at the World Cup after England’s win against Mexico , describing it as unreliable, erratic and not good enough. His comments struck me as reverse psychology – the referees have generally been OK, with some positive decisions made, but …

From Philly’s blockbuster coup to LeBron James once again dominating the market, here are the early winners and losers from a frantic first week of NBA free agency Once again, it’s time to pass judgement prematurely. After all, I would have my basketball writer card revoked were I to not evaluate before the dust has fully settled: that’s why they pay me the modestly-sized bucks, I’m told. So, wit…

England coach Brian McDermott has just one cap for his country – and so do a surprising number of brilliant players By No Helmets Required Brian McDermott may have ended as many England careers as he has launched. The new head coach has picked a pool of 38 players who will train together in the buildup to the World Cup in October. He may have inadvertently handed a few players membership to an ex…

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning , Archie Rhind-Tutt , Barney Ronay and Alexander Abnos as Argentina pull off an all-time great World Cup comeback against Egypt Continue reading...