Jordi Alba has rubbished comparisons between Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal, claiming that Barcelona’s all-time leading goalscorer “has no rival”. Teenage wonderkid Yamal has been thrust into an obvious debate ever since he stepped out of the La Masia academy system. He has become a global superstar in his own right, but there will never be another Messi.

• Messi vs Yamal: La Masia graduates always being compared

  Alba, who spent many happy years alongside the iconic Argentine at Camp Nou and is now a club colleague of the all-time great at MLS side Inter Miami, has always considered Messi to be the best in the business.

  Yamal, at 18 years of age, is showing signs that he could tread a similar path. Records have tumbled around the youngster on the back of making his senior debut at just 15. As a left-footed forward that glides past opponents and boasts an unerring eye for goal, he was always going to be likened to Messi.

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  Nobody like Messi! Alba steers clear of Yamal debate

  Alba is, however, eager to steer clear of that discussion. He told when naming three other Barca stars that deserve the same amount of credit as Yamal: “I think he's a great player, but there are others at Barca, like Pedri, Gavi, [Frenkie] de Jong. And I'm leaving out many. I think comparing him to Leo… there's no comparison, but that's because Leo has no rival.”

  Alba is preparing to sever professional ties with Messi. While the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has committed to a new three-year contract at Inter Miami, his close friend has decided to retire at the end of the 2025 MLS Cup play-offs.

  Explaining that decision, 36-year-old full-back Alba said: "Honestly, physically I could have lasted another year or two. But because of how I've felt, especially at the beginning of the season, and because of the new projects that are coming up…

  “It's a well-considered decision, and I'm very clear about it. I'll miss football, but I'm happy with what I've been able to achieve. I still enjoy the matches, but the day-to-day grind and traveling every week is harder. The enthusiasm you have at 20 years old fades. When you have a family, it shows.”

• Retirement calls: Will Suarez follow Alba & Busquets?

  Sergio Busquets is heading into the same direction, as he prepares to hang up his boots, with Alba adding on his fellow former Barcelona legend: “His retirement? Obviously, these decisions are very personal. We've talked about the situation we were in during the year. It's a decision for each of us. I'm lucky to share a team and a friendship with him; our families also get along very well. We live very close to each other in the same residential area.”

  Luis Suarez is another ex-Barca star that is yet to decide what the immediate future holds for him. The Uruguayan striker has struggled with knee problems in recent times, but continues to score goals ahead of turning 39 in January.

  Alba added on Suarez potentially playing on alongside Messi: “There he is, the guy. I don't know if he has a contract for years, but it's everyone's own decision. It's not just about changing teams anymore, it's about quitting football, what you've done your whole life. I'll be sad, but it hasn't been hard for me. I've accepted it and I'm taking it calmly.”

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  MSN reformed: Will Neymar reunite with Messi & Suarez?

  It has been suggested that Messi and Suarez could see their fabled ‘MSN’ strike force with Neymar reformed in 2026. That is because the Brazilian superstar is running down his contract at Santos and heading towards free agency.

  Any move to Florida would generate plenty of interest, with some headlines being stolen away from Yamal in Europe. The teenage wonderkid does, however, appear to be destined for greatness himself – with some suggesting that he could go on to eclipse Messi’s record-shattering haul of Ballons d’Or. Yamal finished second in the 2025 Golden Ball vote, behind Ousmane Dembele, but has time very much on his side – unlike Alba and Busquets.

After finishing last in 2024, Mumbai Indians retained their Indian core, bought a couple of experienced New Zealand players, and have invested in a lot of untested youth

Vishal Dikshit17-Mar-20255:07

Can Hardik-led Mumbai Indians bounce back this season?

Where they finished last yearMumbai Indians (MI) finished in tenth place, at the bottom of the league, after winning only four out of 14 games. Their campaign was marred by hostile receptions for the new captain Hardik Pandya at the Wankhede and around the country amid reports that their dressing room was not a happy place.What’s new in 2025A year later, those issues appear to have been sorted out. Jasprit Bumrah was MI’s top retention; Rohit Sharma led India to two ICC titles in the last 12 months; Hardik won back popular support by being part of the T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy triumphs; and Suryakumar Yadav was elevated to India’s T20I captaincy.Related

Suryakumar Yadav confident his T20 runs will come

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Jayawardene banks on MI's core group and 'old faces' to 'paint our destiny' in IPL 2025

Suryakumar to lead in Hardik's absence in Mumbai Indians' IPL 2025 season opener

Not having Bumrah at the start of IPL 2025 'a challenge', says Jayawardene

MI have reinforced their pace attack this season, bringing back Trent Boult and buying Deepak Chahar, but now must contend with the injury-forced absence of Bumrah for their first few matches. They also picked up the experienced and reliable Mitchell Santner, who comes into the IPL in good form after leading New Zealand to the Champions Trophy final.The rest of the MI overseas contingent doesn’t have much – or any – IPL experience. South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton, who is likely to open with Rohit, and Corbin Bosch, and New Zealand’s Bevon Jacobs are playing their first season. Reece Topley played five IPL games across the last two years; Will Jacks made his IPL debut last season; and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who was out with injury for much of 2024 but proved his fitness by finishing as Paarl Royals’ highest wicket-taker in the recent SA20, will be playing the league for the first time since 2021.With their batting order packed with power, MI’s biggest challenge will be to balance their bowling attack during Bumrah’s absence at the start of the season. Boult and Chahar have the powerplay covered between them, but the death overs could pose a problem.Likely best XII1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Ryan Rickelton* (wk), 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Robin Minz, 7 Naman Dhir, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Corbin Bosch/Mujeeb Ur Rahman*, 10 Mitchell Santner*, 11 Karn Sharma, 12 Trent Boult*Full MI squad.How do you replace the irreplaceable is a question MI are going to have to answer•ICC/Getty ImagesBig questionWatch out forBevon Jacobs, 22, had played fewer than ten T20s on New Zealand’s domestic circuit when MI bid for him at the mega auction in November 2024. In the 2023-24 Super Smash, Jacobs had a strike rate of 188.73 for Canterbury. He returned to Auckland this season and scored 263 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 140.64, including a 90 off 56 against Northern Districts. Earlier this month, he struck his maiden century in senior cricket – 157 against Central Districts in first-class cricket just before he left for India for the IPL.The MI franchise also picked Jacobs for MI Emirates in the ILT20, but he faced only 27 balls there for 26 runs in three innings. Whether he can replicate his big hitting in Indian conditions at the IPL is always the question for rookies who make a splash at home.Deepak Chahar played only eight games for CSK last season because of injury. He was far from his best, conceding 8.59 runs an over and picking up just five wickets. He is likely to get more help at Wankhede than at the M Chidambaram Stadium in terms of pace, bounce and the swing he is known for. With Bumrah likely to miss the first few games as he recovers from his back injury, MI will want Chahar to stay fit through the season and provide wickets in the powerplay.Key stats MI have made the playoffs just once in the last four seasons, in 2023, and finished at the bottom twice, in 2022 and 2024. Suryakumar is heading into the IPL in wretched T20 form. His scores against England earlier this year were 2, 0, 14, 12, 0. He had a middling run before that as well, recording a strike rate of only 132 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Boult was the Player of the Final for MI Cape Town in their victorious SA20 campaign. He finished the league with 11 wickets and an economy rate of 6.94. Mujeeb, who played for Paarl Royals but is with MI in the IPL, took 14 wickets while conceding 6.77 runs an over in the SA20.Who’s out or in doubt?Bumrah has been managing back trouble since India’s tour of Australia ended in January. He missed the Champions Trophy, and after going to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for rehab, it has emerged that he is set to miss MI’s first few games before joining the squad in April. How the BCCI and MI manage his workload before the five-Test tour of England in June-July will be key. Apart from him, MI replaced the injured Lizaad Williams with Bosch and AM Ghazanfar with Mujeeb.

Saransh Jain bagged his second successive five-wicket haul, while Kumar Kartikeya finished with a four-for as the Central Zone spinners ran through South Zone on the opening day of the Duleep Trophy final.Under cloudy skies and on a surface with a greenish tinge, Jain picked 5 for 49 and Kartikeya returned 4 for 53 to bowl out South Zone for 149 in 63 overs at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. In reply, the Central Zone openers Danish Malewar and Akshay Wadkar were steady in their approach before bad light ended the first day early.At stumps, Central Zone were on 50 for 0, trailing South Zone by just 99 runs.South Zone’s new opening pair of Mohit Kale and Tanmay Agarwal weathered the new-ball storm, adding 24 runs in 15 overs. When spin was introduced in the 16th over, Kale’s went for a slog, only to be cleaned up by Kartikeya.Related

• Patience and precision: how Kartikeya turned the Duleep final on its head

• Hungry and on the move, C Andre Siddarth sets sights on Ranji Trophy glory

Soon after, R Smaran swiped Kartikeya across the line, but could only manage a top-edge and was caught at square leg 1.There were immediate signs of extra zip and bounce for both Kartikeya and Jain, who operated in tandem. South Zone then lost Tanmay Agarwal through a run-out. Looking for a second run, Tanmay and Ricky Bhui collided in the middle and the former was found well short.Kartikeya struck for a third time when South Zone captain Mohammed Azharuddeen was squared up and bowled for 4 as South Zone went to lunch at 64 for 4. Jain joined in on the wicket-taking fun after lunch, trapping Bhui lbw.Salman Nizar took 13 balls to get off the mark by going on the assertive against Kartikeya, striking for a six and four. C Andre Siddarth also clipped Kartikeya through mid-on for four. But aggression got the better of Siddarth when he waltzed down to Jain, got beaten in the flight and was stumped as South Zone slipped to 97 for 6. That became 116 for 7 when Jain got a length ball to kick off the surface, rapping Nizar’s gloves, with Patidar taking a low catch at slip.Kartikeya then picked his fourth trapping Gurjapneet Singh lbw. Vasuki Koushik and Ankit Sharma tried to delay the end, but Jain picked his fifth wicket with a straight delivery that breached Ankit’s defences and trapped him in front.South Zone started with the spin of Ankit at one end and the left-arm pace of Gurjapneet at the other.Wadkar and Malewar hit Gurjapneet for three fours in an over to kickstart the charge as they reached the 50 mark in 17 overs. There was an appeal for lbw by Ankit against Wadkar but replays suggested that the ball would have clearly missed leg stump.Koushik got the ball to move around late in the day, but the two batters hung on.

يستعد فريق برشلونة، بقيادة المدرب هانز فليك، لخوض مباراة جديدة في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم، وذلك يوم السبت المقبل بعد فوزه المثير يوم الثلاثاء.

وخاض برشلونة مباراته المقدمة من الجولة التاسعة عشر من بطولة الدوري الإسباني، موسم 2025/26، على ملعب “كامب نو” ضد أتلتيكو مدريد.

وتمكن برشلونة من قلب الطاولة على أتلتيكو مدريد حيث حقق فوزًا بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف، بعدما كان متأخرًا في النتيجة، ليعزز صدارته في جدول الليجا برصيد 37 نقطة (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا). موعد مباراة برشلونة القادمة بعد فوزه على أتلتيكو مدريد في الدوري الإسباني

من جهة أخرى، يخوض برشلونة مباراته في الجولة الخامسة عشر من الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم يوم السبت المقبل ضد خصمه فريق ريال بيتيس، على ملعب الأخير، في تمام الساعة 7:30 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 8:30 بتوقيت السعودية.

The Philadelphia Phillies already boast one of MLB's best starting pitching rotations, and that five-man group is set to welcome another member in the coming days.

Manager Rob Thomson told reporters today that Aaron Nola will be making his return to the Phillies after missing the last three months with an ankle injury and a subsequent stress fracture to his ribs.

Nola is set to make his return to the rotation on Sunday against the Nationals, and Thomson informed reporters that Philadelphia will go with a six-man pitching rotation for the time being, via ESPN. He didn't specify how long that would last, though he said the team will go through the rotation "once, for sure" and reassess after that.

Given the performance of their starting pitchers this season, it's a move that makes plenty of sense. The Phillies have two Cy Young candidates in Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez, and four starters––Wheeler, Sanchez, Ranger Suarez and Jesus Luzardo––with a bWAR of 2.4 or greater. Taijuan Walker has also been a solid rotation member since returning to starting duties, and he owns a 3.05 ERA over his last five starts.

It's not a bad problem to have, as the Phillies map out their pitching plans for the remainder of the season. Getting a sixth man in the rotation will allow all of the starters to get a bit more rest, which could prove valuable down the stretch run of the season.

Nola had uncharacteristically struggled before landing on the IL. The 32-year-old had a 6.16 ERA in his first nine starts, and had surrendered 11 home runs in 49 2/3 innings. After a lengthy spell on the shelf, he'll hope to return to his previous form as he gets back to the mound.

The two hottest National League teams over the past two months also happen to have been waiting the longest to win their first World Series. The Brewers (37–10 since June 20) and the Padres (29–20) have been around since 1969. The way they have been playing baseball gives their fans reasonable hope that this is finally the year.

Both teams are fun to watch. Both excel at traditional baseball values. The Brewers and Padres each rank among the three best pitching staffs in baseball, the four best defensive units as far as turning batted balls into outs and the five toughest teams to strike out. What’s not to like?

They don’t hit many home runs.

There is a difference between playing regular season baseball and tournament baseball. If the Brewers or Padres are going to win the World Series, they must defy a decade of data that suggests you need more power than those teams possess to win it all.

Milwaukee ranks 18th in home runs and 13th in slugging. San Diego is even more power starved. It ranks 29th in home runs and 25th in slugging.

Why does that matter? The past five World Series champions ranked among the four top home run hitting teams in baseball (in order from 2020: 1, 3, 4, 3, 3).

No team has won the World Series ranked in the bottom half of home runs or with fewer than 199 home runs since the 2015 Kansas City Royals, who ranked 24th with 139 homers. The Brewers are on pace to hit 174 homers. The Padres are on pace to hit 136 homers, which would be the lowest for a full-season world champion in 28 years.

We love to think that putting the ball in play and small ball wins in October. That may have been true once. Not now. The game is far different today than in 2015, when a team like the Royals could slash their way to a title. Compared to 2015, today’s game has 13% more homers, 10% more walks, 7% more strikeouts, 4% fewer hits and 52% fewer sacrifice hits.

Consider how baseball changed in the postseason last year as compared to the regular season. As you might expect, hitting and slugging decreased. The batting average dropped by 12 points. Counterintuitively, home runs went .

You would think small ball tactics would play up in a more difficult hitting environment. But home runs became even more important. As hits become rarer, the quick strike of the home run swing becomes more necessary. Winning a game without a home run was harder to do in the postseason last year than in the regular season.

The notion that teams who put the ball in play are best equipped for the postseason has not been true for years. The correlation between winning it all and home runs has become much stronger than the one between winning it all and avoiding strikeouts.

Ideally, you want it all, like the championship Astros teams: power with the ability to make contact. But if you had to lean toward one, you would take the power.

Milwaukee is not power-starved. Though it ranks below average in home runs, its power is on the upswing, as the addition of Andrew Vaughn and the revival of Brice Turang lengthen the lineup. The Brewers have improved their slug for a third straight month. Their .532 slug this month threatens to set a franchise record, eclipsing the .510 mark from June 1982. If they keep this up, we will have to look at them differently.

MORE: SI:AM | The Brewers’ Streak by the Numbers

San Diego has a low power ceiling, though the deadline additions of Ramon Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn help. Three players—Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Gavin Sheets—have hit almost half of the team’s home runs (52 of 105). Only four teams in the wild card era ever made the playoffs with a slug worse than the Padres’ .382 mark (2014 Cardinals, Royals and Athletics and the '22 Rays).

The Padres have the potential for more power, especially if Jackson Merrill (six HR in 81 games since returning from a hamstring injury) recovers to his 2024 form and Tatis (no home runs in his past 79 at-bats) gets on a run, though expectations should be recalibrated. Since he returned from his PED suspension and shoulder surgery, Tatis has good power but not the elite power he showed in his first three seasons.

The Brewers and Padres each have a well-defined identity and a clear path to the title. Milwaukee pressures teams with baserunning, bunting, putting the ball in play, catching the ball and clean baseball. Their pitching staff has wipeout stuff at the front of the rotation and back end of the bullpen. In a telling measurement of pure stuff—and a harbinger of what it takes to win in October—Brewers pitchers allow the fifth lowest slugging percentage on pitches

The toughest team to slug against on challenge stuff? The Padres. Their path to victory is built on putting the ball in play and shortening games with a deep bullpen.

Neither team relies heavily on power. If the usual rules of engagement apply to tournament baseball, the Yankees (first in home runs), Dodgers (second) and Mariners (third) are best equipped for the title, with the Cubs (seventh), Mets (eighth) and Tigers (ninth) in the next tier.

But past is not always prologue. Home runs may be the coin of the postseason realm in recent years, but at any point that can change in the small sample size theater of the postseason. The Brewers and Padres were not built to follow the unwritten rules of October, but to break them.

MatériaMais Notícias

A novela Maracanã ganhou mais um capítulo nesta sexta-feira (19). O Consórcio RNGD, da Arena 360, gestora do Mané Garrincha, entrou com recurso para seguir na disputa pelo estádio do Rio de Janeiro. O grupo alega que falta clareza ao edital elaborado pelo Governo do Estado e questiona perda de pontos no processo por conta das datas oferecidas.

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O Consórcio RNGD foi desclassificado por não alcançar o número mínimo de jogos previsto no edital da licitação. No entanto, a Arena 360 contesta a decisão, afirmando que as datas pertencem às Confederações, como a CBF, e não aos clubes. A empresa ressalta também que o instrumento convocatório não especifica como cada um dos concorrentes deve comprovar o número de jogos propostos e que irá cumprir o requisito de 70 partidas.

Confira, na íntegra, a nota oficial da Arena 360 sobre a licitação do Maracanã:

O consórcio RNGD, da Arena 360, entrou com recurso para seguir na disputa pelo Maracanã. O grupo alega que falta clareza ao edital elaborado pelo Governo do Estado e questiona de forma veemente a perda de pontos por conta das datas oferecidas.

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Segundo a diretoria da Arena 360, as datas pertencem às Confederações, como a CBF, e não aos clubes, e ressalta que o instrumento convocatório não especifica como cada um dos concorrentes deve comprovar o número de jogos propostos. A Arena destacou em sua proposta o compromisso da realização de, no mínimo, 70 jogos.

A concorrente ressalta que o próprio edital cita a vocação do Estádio do Maracanã como o Templo Mundial do Futebol, e que a concessionária deve realizar esforços para realizar o maior número possível de jogos de futebol por ano. Além disso, afirma que, durante toda a análise das propostas, a Comissão de Licitação conduziu o trabalho sem manter contato com o consórcio, deixando de fazer diligências para esclarecimentos.

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Além da Arena 360, consórcio Maracanã para Todos, formado por Vasco e WTorre, também recorreu. Apesar de ter sido habilitado à próxima fase da licitação, o concorrente alega que o processo beneficiou a dupla Flamengo e Fluminense, atual gestora do estádio e favorita para ganhar a disputa, já que a pontuação dos rivais foi muito superior às outras.

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Maracanã

Alan Gardner, Andrew Miller and Vithushan Ehantharajah chat about the first Test of the summer as England face Zimbabwe after a gap of two decades

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2025The arrival of Zimbabwe for their first Test against England since 2003 kickstarts a concentrated eight-month period for Brendon McCullum’s team, encompassing a five-match India series and the Ashes in Australia. On this week’s podcast, Alan Gardner is joined by Andrew Miller and Vithushan Ehantharajah to preview the game. Topics for discussion include Sam Cook’s Test debut, Bazball’s need to reconnect, and the challenge for Zimbabwe, as well as the announcement of England’s white-ball squads to face West Indies.