All posts by n8rngtd.top

For the last eight years, the home of the Chicago White Sox has carried the decidedly conventional corporate name of Guaranteed Rate Field.

In 2025, however, the park will have a radical new moniker: Field.

That's per an announcement from the White Sox Tuesday evening—a change that lines up with Guaranteed Rate's July rebrand, but one that was roundly mocked by fans and rivals of a team coming off a record-breaking 41-121 season.

If you want to gaze into the souls of baseball fans at rock bottom, check out the social media post in which Chicago announced the change.

Jokes about the meaning of the "guarantee" being removed from the park's name abounded…

…as did all your favorite memes denoting a microscopic change.

The White Sox will begin life at Rate Field on March 27 against the Los Angeles Angels. Whether their rate of winning can creep above .253 remains to be seen.

German giants Bayern Munich are eyeing Midtjylland striker Franculino Dju for a summer move. The Bundesliga champions see Dju as a potential replacement for Nicolas Jackson, who is currently on loan at the club but is not expected to be signed permanently. Bayern are also monitoring Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic, who is set to become a free agent with his contract expiring this summer.

• Bayern's interest in Franculino

  According to Germany outlet , Bayern are not expected to make any signings in the winter transfer window, even if Sacha Boey departs the club in January. The Bavarians feel their squad is well covered for the remainder of the season and prefer to focus on long-term planning rather than short-term fixes. In the summer, Bayern brought in Jackson on deadline day as a backup to Harry Kane, but despite the forward scoring three goals and providing one assist, the club are not convinced he is worth the €65 million (£56m/$75m) option to buy. As a result, they could allow his loan to expire without activating the clause. 

  Bayern are instead targeting 21-year-old Midtjylland striker Franculino as backup to Kane. The young forward has been in outstanding form this season, scoring 19 goals and providing three assists in 26 matches, establishing himself as one of Europe’s most exciting attacking prospects. Looking ahead, Bayern are also monitoring Juventus striker Vlahovic as a potential backup to Kane. With the Serbian entering the final year of his contract and possibly available as a free agent next summer, the club view him as a strong long term option to reinforce their frontline. For now, though, Vlahovic remains a secondary plan, with Franculino considered the main target.

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• Bayern's great start to the season

  Bayern’s remarkable start to the season has seen them go unbeaten in 16 matches across all competitions, including the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, DFB-Supercup and Champions League. This run is even more impressive considering they sold key attackers such as Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman and Thomas Muller, while also missing out on transfer targets like Nick Woltemade and Rafael Leao.

  Despite these setbacks, Vincent Kompany has crafted a clear playing strategy built on perseverance, collective understanding and fluid attacking movements. His system has unlocked the very best of Harry Kane, who has reached extraordinary goalscoring levels. Kane’s strike against Club Brugge in the Champions League took him to 20 goals in just 12 games – an astonishing milestone that neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi achieved at such speed.

• Bayern's Upamecano headache

  Bayern face a challenging task as they work to extend Dayot Upamecano’s contract, which expires in 2026. The club are under pressure, especially with Real Madrid showing strong interest in the French defender and already initiating contact with his entourage. Bayern hope that  Kompany, who has quickly earned the players’ trust, can help persuade Upamecano to commit his future to the club.

  However, they are also preparing for the possibility that he may not renew. Bayern have identified Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck as a potential replacement. Schlotterbeck’s contract runs until 2027, but he has remained non-committal about signing an extension, making him a realistic target.

  In addition, Bayern are monitoring Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate and Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi as alternative options, ensuring they remain well-covered defensively should Upamecano choose to leave.

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• getty
  

  Bayern action resumes after the International break

  Bayern are keen to extend Upamecano’s contract at the earliest, with the defender emerging as a key pillar under Vincent Kompany. Meanwhile, Jackson will look to impress both the manager and the club hierarchy as he pushes to establish himself as the ideal backup option. Kompany would have used the international break to assess his squad depth, plan effective rotations and introduce fresh tactical ideas. With these foundations in place, Bayern remain fully committed to their ambitious target of challenging for and potentially winning the treble this season.

  The German champions are set to host St. Pauli as club football resumes after the international break.

Celtic have won both of their matches with Martin O’Neill as the interim manager, after Brendan Rodgers tendered his resignation at the start of last week.

Following a 4-0 win over Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership, the Hoops beat Rangers 3-1 at Hampden Park in the semi-final of the League Cup.

Kieran Tierney, as shown in the clip above, came off the bench to provide an excellent assist for Callum Osmand’s first goal for Celtic, and he is a player who the next manager should look to get more from.

Why Celtic's next manager needs to make Kieran Tierney a priority

The Scotland international, who re-joined the club on a free transfer from Arsenal in the summer, should be a priority for the next manager because of his potential to be an elite attacking force down the left.

Tierney has delivered two assists in 12 appearances in the Premiership and European competitions, but he has also delivered two assists in three League Cup outings, per Sofascore.

The left-footed defender provided a regular threat at the top end of the pitch as a creator during his first spell at the club after coming through the youth ranks, as shown in the graphic below.

It was recently reported that Celtic are considering an approach for Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna, who has a £5m release clause, and he could make Tierney completely unplayable at left-back.

Why Kieran McKenna would make Kieran Tierney unplayable

The 4-2-3-1 head coach could make the Hoops star completely unplayable because he has done an amazing job with Leif Davis during his time at Portman Road.

McKenna swooped to sign the English full-back from Leeds in 2021, after he managed one assist in 14 games for Bournemouth on loan, and has turned him into an assist machine.

The Northern Irish head coach, whose work with Ipswich was hailed as “incredible” by Jermaine Jenas, leans heavily on overlapping runs from his left-back to create chances by playing out from an opposition press to create overloads on the flank.

That is not limited to Davis’ individual quality, as shown in the clip above, as Conor Townsend proved to be effective in that tactic against Bournemouth in the Premier League.

McKenna’s way of using his left-back to create chances consistently has proven to be an effective tool, as he won promotion from League One and the Championship in successive seasons.

As you can see in the table above, Davis has been unplayable for the majority of his Ipswich career under McKenna, with at least 12 ‘big chances’ created in all three of his full seasons at Portman Road, including in the Premier League last term.

These statistics show that the Ipswich manager’s tactics are effective and can allow an attack-minded left-back to truly thrive as a creative force at the top end of the pitch.

Given Tierney’s quality when he gets into advanced positions, as evidenced by his assist haul from his first spell, the Scottish defender could be unlocked under McKenna’s management.

The former Arsenal man, who has registered four assists in all competitions for the club this season, could become completely unplayable, just like Davis, because of his ability to provide overlapping runs and quality crosses.

Tierney, as shown in the clip above, has the quality to take players on to assist his teammates, so imagine how effective he could be in a side that is constantly looking to create space for him down the left.

Their own Klopp: Celtic can replace O'Neill with "kamikaze" 4-3-3 manager

Celtic could find their own version of Jurgen Klopp by hiring this reported managerial target.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 5, 2025

The Scottish star could become completely unplayable for the Hoops, which is one reason why McKenna could be an exciting appointment for the club.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are struggling yet again to kick off this MLB season, going 2-6 through the opening slate of games. As expected, Paul Skenes has been immaculate, allowing only two earned runs through his first two starts of the year. But the rest of the team has struggled to pick up the slack, and the lack of offense that doomed Pittsburgh more often than not in 2024 has reared its ugly head a few times already in 2025.

The Pirates opened this year with a seven-game road trip and dropped five of those contests. It didn't make for a very warm homecoming on Friday for the organization's home opener at PNC Park (which the Pirates also lost) as fans chanted for owner Bob Nutting to "sell the team." Speaking on the situation on Saturday ahead of Pittsburgh's matchup with the New York Yankees, Skenes delivered a strong message to those fans about who's really at fault for the poor start.

"Mr. Nutting and (manager Derek Shelton) aren't the ones playing," Skenes said, per ESPN. "We're the ones playing. If we were 8-0 through however many games we've played right now, the fans aren't booing. We've got to play better."

The Pirates have finished with a record above .500 exactly once since their last playoff season in 2015 and are generally consistent residents of the NL Central basement. The frustration of the fans has been boiling over for quite some time, regardless of the right party to blame. But Skenes wants everyone to remember it's still early days, and there's plenty of time to prove to the fanbase this season can be different.

"It's a long season," the reigning NL Rookie of the Year said. "I want to believe that it all evens out. But we aren't getting these games back. We will go on a stretch where we will go … 7-2 or wherever we are right now in an opposite way."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is gearing up for another important Premier League test at home to Brentford on Wednesday, looking to extend the club’s incredible unbeaten run.

Arsenal set for Brentford after 1-1 draw at Chelsea

It’s been 17 matches since the Gunners last tasted a single defeat in all competitions, and a lot has changed since that 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.

Arne Slot’s English champions are now all but out of the title race, despite barely playing a third of 2025/2026, while Arsenal are flying high and five points clear atop the table.

10-man Chelsea came the closest to beating Arteta’s side last weekend, taking a 1-0 lead through Trevoh Chalobah at Stamford Bridge, only for in-form makeshift number nine Mikel Merino to equalise with his 20th goal this calendar year.

Arsenal’s imperious early-season has been made all the more impressive when factoring in their extensive injury list this term.

Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard, Noni Madueke, William Saliba, Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz have all been sidelined at various points, with Arteta doing very well to adjust.

In Havertz’s case, the £280,000-per-week star hasn’t played at all this season since Arsenal’s opening day win over Man United at Old Trafford.

The Germany international, after just coming back from a hamstring problem which kept him out for months at the back end of 2024/2025, sustained a knee injury against United, with Havertz hauled off after just half an hour.

Fabrizio Romano: Berta eyeing "bargain" move for player likened to "top" Arsenal star

He could be a snip.

By
Emilio Galantini

Dec 2, 2025

Havertz required surgery with the former Chelsea star working hard to come back.

Reports suggest that Havertz has impressed Arsenal rehabilitation staff with his recovery, but he still hasn’t been available since August.

Mikel Arteta without Kai Havertz for 'weeks' after Arsenal injury update

The 26-year-old was, at one point, contending to be fit for Arsenal’s 4-1 triumph over Tottenham in the North London derby (Standard Sport).

Havertz was seemingly on the verge of a return to the field, but according to Arteta in his latest pre-match press conference, it will now be ‘weeks’ before the attacker makes his long-awaited return.

News of this setback for Havertz comes as a blow for Arsenal, with Arteta yet to have the desired conundrum of choosing how to fit both him and Gyokeres into his new Arsenal system on a regular basis.

Unable to display his best throughout 2025 due to consistent injury problems, Arteta will be desperate to have Havertz available once again as soon as possible.

With both Gabriel and potentially Saliba unavailable for Brentford too, summer signings Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera will likely partner one another yet again tomorrow evening.

In 2022, a group of American and British investors purchased a third division Danish team, and have turned a bar in Brooklyn in a community that draws dozens to watch the club.

Joe Gordon put a hat on the moose’s head that peered over the musty back room of a Williamsburg bar. It was the centerpiece of a crowded space, and Gordon knew, for some reason, that the trophy screwed onto the wall needed dressing up. He could neither confirm nor deny whether placing that headwear – branded with the badge of the Danish club he owns, Akademisk Boldklub (AB) – had any impact. But his team was down 1-0, and he was feeling superstitious.

Ten minutes later, they scored. Gordon glanced across the room, shrugged, and pointed at the cadaver that loomed over Mugs Bar – a cramped back room tucked inside an otherwise unremarkable watering hole on one of Williamsburg’s busiest streets. Seventy-five people were there that day, standing shoulder to shoulder. Most matchdays, they are wedged into that space, chanting in a room that barely contains them.

But on that Friday at noon, for the final game of the regular season before the Danish league takes a winter break, they spilled out of their usual corner and onto the main floor. The whole bar was devoted to Danish soccer. It was a scene typical of Mugs, which routinely hosts an ever-expanding group of New Yorkers who watch and, in 2022, invested in AB, a struggling third-division club at the time.

What started with five industry veterans and a few friends has become fully fledged American ownership in Danish soccer. At first, it was a tiny group. Now, there are more than 150 owners, all bought in at various price points. As sports ownership goes, it’s cheap. It’s fun. And for the dozens that routinely show up at an otherwise unremarkable bar, it’s a joyful way to interact with the beautiful game.

“It’s changed my view of sports,” Chairman Brian Grieco, a business lawyer based in New York, said. “I have more excitement now for the team that I’m involved in than any of the other teams ever before.”

There are hundreds of bars in New York. Many show soccer these days. Almost every English club has an affiliation somewhere. Spike Lee owns an Arsenal pub called Gooners. There are at least two dedicated solely to Liverpool. There are bars for teams in Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Argentina, and Brazil. Walk anywhere in New York, and the odds are there’s a screen showing soccer from somewhere in the world.

But Mugs is almost certainly the only bar dedicated to showing Danish third-division soccer. And it’s without question the only one where the people watching actually own the team. It’s not just about ownership – it’s about belonging, identity, and finding community through soccer.

• Andy Glockner
  

  ‘The best opportunity for us’

  The attendance was “above average,” Gordon remarked as he walked around the bar, exchanging greetings and smiles with every other person. Those gathered in the space took in quite the scene. In the corner, there were two kegs of beer. On the right, there were multiple television screens. And on the left, a massive projector displayed a remarkably high-quality stream of a midseason clash between AB and FC Helsingor – set up, very much legally, thanks to club ownership.

  This is a fairly average scene at Mugs when AB play, never mind the fact that it was a Friday afternoon kick off. In 2022, Five Castles Football Group LLC – named as such because two of the five founding members lived somewhat close to some real-life castles – started a hunt for a football club. They had some spare cash, time for investment, and a desire to expand their portfolios. And as they peered around Europe, it quickly became clear that Denmark was the right place to look.

  “When we looked at different countries there, you're looking at price point, you're looking at the affordability, you're looking at some of the rules in terms of contracts, work permits, that type of stuff. We just evaluated that we thought that this was, all in all, the best opportunity for us,” Andy Glockner, an original investor, told GOAL.

  AB, too, made perfect sense. The Danish third division was a unique place, especially at the time. Back then, it was a step above amateur soccer, but slow to professionalize. With shrewd investment, any club could be lifted up the standings. And AB were a fine one to go for. They had all of the right pieces: a stadium that seats just under 8,000 – and can fit another 5,000 standing – proximity to Copenhagen and a loyal fanbase that has supported the club since its inception in the late 1800s. But crucially, they also had a fine history. They have won nine first division titles, the fourth most ever.

  This was a team that had been mistreated, cast aside, and fallen on hard times. For fans, that was a point of frustration. For soccer nerds looking to get involved, it represented an immense opportunity. Still, they couldn’t do it alone. The original five decided, then, to reach out to friends. Gordon, of the moose and the hat, was one of them. He had some spare cash kicking around, and joined forces with dozens of others – all of whom put in stakes of various sizes – to become part owners of the club. In the winter of 2022, their takeover was finalized.

  This was community football, de facto fan investment, done from thousands of miles away.

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• Joe Gordon
  

  A wide-ranging crowd

  And they gather a few times per year at Mugs. On the Friday GOAL attended, the atmosphere was jovial. AB were hosting Helsingor, a struggling side who seemed on that unfortunate march towards relegation.

  The room was packed and full of green and white stripes. Kits were dotted throughout the crowd. Pints flowed from before kick-off. The youngest in the room were still infants, brought by their parents. Some were well into their 70s, part owners of the club in retirement. There were kids – let off early after a half day at school. Some owners and shirt sponsors were huddled nervously around a screen. A woman stood in the corner with a newborn. Her husband is an owner, but she still wanted to support.

  Some were there for the first time. Others haven’t missed a single game. Every single attendee wore a label with their name. They were encouraged to mingle. You could buy exclusive merch for a decent enough price (business, the sellers said, was pretty good).

  European football is known for its hardcore ultra culture, the sort of do-or-die, verging on intense fan who will give anything for their club. And certainly, there are some in the AB ownership collective who treat the team that way.

  “I’m pretty chill. I get excited, but if we win or lose. It's actually like it doesn't make my day, good or bad. I like it when we win, trust me, but I don't cry. There are some people you don't want to talk to,” Zach Smith, a board member who works primarily in sponsorship deals.

  But on Nov. 14, it was a family thing. Gordon played the main man, working the room. Yet there were loads of other familiar faces – young and old. And newcomers were welcome, too. The beer was free and provided by Carlsberg, which the club brought on as a front-of-shirt sponsor. The Danish beer brewer has been famously on the front of Liverpool kits for three decades, from 1992 to 2010.

  “It just goes to show that people are sort of in on this, you know what I'm saying? Like, Carlsberg is not putting their name on a club that they can't trust, that they think is going to be bad partners, that is going to be bad product,” Glockner added.

• AB
  

  'I grew up a 10-minute bike ride from the stadium'

  Troels Gadegaard Frølich’s tale is one of those magical stories that only football can bring.

  Two years ago, he moved to New York to work for the Danish Consulate General. There, he was introduced to Gordon, a quick hello between soccer fans. Gadegaard Frølich was unlikely to have heard of the club, Gordon assumed. After all, theirs was a third-tier team, which played outside of the city, in the suburbs. The stadium sat less than 10,000. In all likelihood, Gadegaard Frølich would support a Superliga club – likely FC Copenhagen.

  But Gadegaard Frølich knew it well. AB were, in fact, his boyhood club.

  “In Denmark, we measure distances in bike rides,” he said. “I grew up a 10-minute bike ride from the stadium.”

  He hadn’t engaged with the team in a while. They had fallen on hard times, slipping from the top division. He has a couple of Football Manager video game saves and follows from afar. But he couldn't watch the team in Denmark, where the games aren't streamed. And besides, there were other priorities.

  But after meeting the owners, he’s a regular at Mugs. He also now invests, too.

  “I'm pretty sure I'm, like, the smallest investor. I mean, I'm not sure if my money would buy me even, like, a couple of blades of grass, but it was like, when do I get the chance? If not now?” he said.

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• AB
  

  ‘Club of Nerds’

  Sponsors were a big focus on the day. Smith affectionately refers to AB as a “club of nerds.”

  And he has a point.

  AB were founded when two students studying in Copenhagen wanted to merge academics and sports. For a few years, in the late 1800s, AB only played cricket. But when English Football Association rules proliferated throughout Europe, the youngsters insisted on starting a team. They joined up with students from the Technical University of Denmark to form what is now AB in its footballing form.

  That academic heritage makes for a nice story. And it’s also something the club has leaned into.

  “AB stands for the academics. And it's really a nerd club. It started out of the university, like many clubs did in the late 1800s, and we've had this kind of history of entrepreneurs and scientists and whatnot related to our club. And so we were like, ‘Hey, let's figure out if we can build a nerd theme,’” Smith said.

  Smith has no real soccer background. He is a self-professed “soccer Dad” who has grown into the game through his kids. But he is also immensely successful in the tech space. He works for Datum, a tech startup that does networking for artificial intelligence. It was a fine excuse for him to get involved in soccer in a more official capacity. He kicked in some cash and brought his tech nous, and also utilized his industry connections to bring in sponsorship revenue.

  “Technology kind of permeates the world. It goes everywhere, but so do sports. And so it's been really fun to add this kind of nerd appeal,” Smith said.

  These days, the club has three tech sponsors on its jerseys. Those patches, along with the Carlsberg front of shirt sponsor, make for a unique vibe – but a strangely appropriate one. Beer and science? This is, after all, a university club.

The Los Angeles Angels lost Wednesday night, and they have every right to be upset.

The New York Yankees beat the Angels 1-0 in a tight battle, but they got a lot of help in the final inning from home plate umpire Ben May.

Angels designated hitter Logan O'Hoppe was facing Mark Leiter Jr. in the bottom of the ninth inning when May took the bat out of his hands.

L.A. had Matthew Lugo on first with two outs, and O'Hoppe faced a 2-2 count. That's when Leiter uncorked a curveball that was clearly far off the plate, but May rang O'Hoppe up to end the game.

Video is below.

Here's a look at the location:

That is a brutal call, made even worse by the fact that it ended a close game. Given the context, it has to be one of the worst calls of the year.

This is why MLB needs to implement the ABS challenge system as soon as possible. This call would have quickly been overturned, and Leiter would have faced O'Hoppe with a 3-2 count.

Instead, the game is over, and everyone was cheated out of what could have been an exciting finish.

Are the glory days heading back to Stamford Bridge?

Having enjoyed so much success during the two decades of Roman Abramovich’s ownership, Chelsea supporters cannot help but hark back to the past and hope that current players can replicate those from then.

While they may never see a player as good in their position as Petr Čech, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard or Dider Drogba ever again, did an up-and-coming Chelsea youngster put in a display reminiscent of a Chelsea superstar from more recent times against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday?

N'Golo Kanté's Premier League legacy

Given how widespread football and football coverage is in the modern era, it is very rare that any player can be truly described as completely unique.

However, N’Golo Kanté certainly falls into this category, considering we’ve not seen the like before or since.

He was a key figure in Leicester City’s title triumph against all odds a decade ago, before winning another Premier League title, the FA Cup and Champions League with Chelsea, as well as the World Cup with France.

At just 5 ft 6 in (168 cms) tall, he possessed seemingly endless amounts of energy, covering every blade of grass match after match, racking up more tackles, blocks, interceptions and distance covered than anyone else to ever grace the Premier League.

Now 34 years old and playing for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, his unique skillset is underlined by the fact that Didier Deschamps recalled him to his French national team squad last week after a year away, starting against Ukraine at Parc des Princes, still unable to find someone better at being Kanté than Kanté.

Now though, which current Chelsea player put in a Kanté-esque display at Turf Moor?

Chelsea's new N'Golo Kanté

The major talking point ahead of kick off between Burnley and Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime was the fact that Moisés Caicedo was left on the bench.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

With games against Barcelona and Arsenal up next, Enzo Maresca decided to rest his star midfielder, after he had completed 90 minutes in both of Ecuador’s matches during the international break, these friendlies against Canada in Toronto and then New Zealand in Harrison, New Jersey.

This presented Andrey Santos with an opportunity to stake a claim, and he certainly did just that.

The table below documents the Brazilian’s impressive display in Lancashire.

The table emphasises Santos’ excellent display against Burnley, leading the match when it comes to defensive actions, interceptions and ball recoveries, as well as winning seven of his ten duels and putting in three tackles, all Kanté-esque traits.

Matthew Judge of Goal noted that deputising for Caicedo is always an ‘unenviable’ task, but the Brazilian put in an ‘excellent’ display, given that he provided ‘a solid shield’ in front of the Chelsea backline, a key reason why Burnley rarely threatened, awarding him an 8/10 rating.

Meantime, Nizaar Kinsella of BBC Sport asserted that it was Santos’ “best performance to date” for the club.

The 20-year-old joined Chelsea from Vasco da Gama back in January 2023, but did not make his debut for the club until the Club World Cup in June against Espérance Sportive de Tunis.

He spent last season on loan at BlueCo’s other club Strasbourg, impressing all Ligue 1 observers, including Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout, who asserted that he is an “incredible midfielder in the making”.

Well, with massive games against Barcelona and Arsenal up next, was this the game Santos came to the fore and asserted himself as a key figure in this Chelsea team, as Kanté was during an ultra-successful period?

Chelsea have Palmer 2.0 with a "left foot made of gold" & it's not Estevao

The promising talent could be the perfect solution to Chelsea’s Cole Palmer problem.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 22, 2025

Lionel Messi has lifted the lid on the impact that Omar Souto, the long-serving general manager of Argentina's national teams within the country's football association, had on his career. The 73-year-old passed away this week, sending Argentina's football community into mourning, with flags at the nation's two footballing hubs to fly at half mast in tribute.

• Souto gave birth to Messi's Argentina career

  Posting on Instagram to his 509 million followers, Messi shared his tribute to Souto with the world.

  The Inter Miami megastar credits Souto with making his international career possible. Messi has clinched two Copa America titles and the World Cup in 196 appearances and counting since 2005, scoring a South American record 115 goals along the way.

  Messi, who had been living and playing in Spain with Barcelona from the age of 13, first represented Argentina at Under-20 level in 2004, making his senior debut aged 18.

  "You were always there, and you were the one who paved the way for the AFA to notice me," he posted in memory of Souto. "A tremendous human being, impossible to forget for all of us who had the privilege of playing for the National Team. Your mark will remain forever. We will never forget you, Omar. Rest in peace."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Argentina in mourning

  The news of Souto's passing had been shared publicly in a statement by his long-term employer.

  "The Argentine Football Association reports with enormous sorrow and sadness the passing of Omar Souto, long-time Manager of National Teams," the body's announcement read.

  "All the employees at the AFA headquarters bid farewell to 'Papua' with unparallelled affection and love. Thank you, Omar, for carrying the AFA flag high until your final days. For your unwavering commitment to the national teams and for leaving an unparallelled legacy at the Ezeiza training complex. 

  "You will forever remain in the hearts of all who knew you and those who worked with you. We embrace your family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.

  "The Argentine Football Association has declared three days of mourning, with flags at half-mast at its headquarters on Viamonte and in Ezeiza. A minute of silence will also be observed at all matches played that weekend."

• Messi could have been poached by Spain

  With Messi based at La Masia in Barcelona, leaving South America behind while still a child, Spanish football officials seemingly knew about his enormous talent before their equivalents in Argentina did. Growing up and attending school in Spain, it's plausible that he could have become eligible and eventually switched allegiance while waiting for Argentina to get in touch.

  Souto and a colleague actually ended up being tipped off about the kid known as 'Leo' by the Spanish cohort at an Under-20 World Cup tournament in 2003, confused as to why Messi wasn't involved.

  "In the Under-20 World Cup, we were always with Spain in the hotels, and a person from their technical staff approached us and said, 'How come you didn't bring the kid from Barcelona? He is much better than everyone here,'" Souto revealed to in 2021.

  "In that team, we had [Fernando] Cavenaghi, [Javier] Mascherano, Maxi Lopez, and one day when we returned to Buenos Aires, [Hugo] Tocalli told me we had to get that player [Messi]. I thought his name was Leonardo because everyone called him Leo. I went to a call centre in Monte Grande and asked for a directory of the city of Rosario where all the Messis were listed.

  "I called the grandmother who gave me the uncle's phone number, when I called him, he gave me the father's number, who when I called said, 'Finally, you are going to call him up. My son wants to play for the Argentine national team.'"

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• AFP
  

  Extra World Cup motivation

  Forget being the first men's team to retain the World Cup in more than half a century, doing it for 'Papua' is all the motivation that Messi and Argentina will need heading into the 2026 tournament.

  Souto has left a lasting impression on every player that has been through the national team system for decades, and so every player named in Lionel Scaloni's final squad will have a personal reason to win it for him all over again.

Rarely do internal conflicts in baseball erupt into the open the way Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers's with Red Sox management has.

Devers moved from third base to designated hitter this offseason after Boston signed third baseman Alex Bregman, and now it appears the Red Sox want to move him to first base. On Thursday, Devers called out general manager Craig Breslow in nixing the idea and sent Boston to the brink.

How urgent was the situation? Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Red Sox owner John Henry flew to Kansas City to personally meet with Devers.

"(Rafael) expressed his feelings. John did the same thing," manager Alex Cora said. "I think the most important thing here is we're trying to accomplish something big here. And obviously there's changes on the roster, situations that happened, and you have to adjust."

Breslow termed the discussion "an honest conversation about what we value as an organization and what we believe is important to the Boston Red Sox."

Boston is 20-19—second in the American League East division and two games back of the first-place New York Yankees. Devers, who Boston has under contract until 2033, is slashing .255/.379/.455 with six home runs and 25 RBIs.