Messi Expresses Pain After Argentina's World Cup Final Loss to Spain

"The pain is great, and it will take time for this wound to heal," Messi wrote on Instagram. The 39-year-old praised his teammates, stating they "turned the fights by giving it all" and shared the pride of being Argentine. truewildslot.com

Despite scoring eight goals in the tournament, Messi confirmed he will not play in the World Cup in four years. He expressed gratitude to the fans and congratulated Spain on their victory.

With each passing week and each additional layer of scrutiny surrounding Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, how differently could this saga have unfolded if not for the tragic news involving Kent Syverud, who was slated to become the university’s next president? A few weeks after Manuel hired Kyle Whittingham as the Wolverines’ next football coach in late December, the Board of Regents announced that Syverud would become the 16th president at Michigan. Syverud, who was previously the chancellor and president at Syracuse University, was scheduled to take over for interim president Domenico Grasso on July 1 of this year. But in mid-April, just a few days after Michigan’s men’s basketball team won the national championship, Syverud announced that he had been diagnosed with brain cancer. He stepped down from his presidency before it even began. Grasso was eventually elevated to the full-time position, though not quite in a permanent capacity: The Board of Regents said that the search for a 17th president would begin anew. Correctly or not, it was widely assumed that one of Syverud’s main objectives after assuming his new position would be to change leadership within Michigan’s athletics department. For years, Manuel’s tenure with the Wolverines had been peppered with hiring missteps, NCAA violations and embarrassing conduct from his employees. None more so than former football coach Sherrone Moore, whom Manuel fired last December after the department found "credible evidence" of an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. That Manuel interspersed each blemish with four national championships — including one each for football (2023) and men’s basketball (2026), the most lucrative and highest-visibility sports — was enough for him to keep his job longer than most people expected. But all of that ended on July 20, when Michigan announced that Manuel will be stepping down from his position at the end of the calendar year. So what does this mean? Here’s a look at what’s next for Michigan. What Does Warde Manuel's Departure Mean For Michigan Athletics? In the same way that Michigan’s decision to hire Whittingham represented a noteworthy departure from those who were connected to the pockmarked tenure of alum Jim Harbaugh, this most recent divorce between the Wolverines and Manuel affords the institution an opportunity to do the same atop its athletics department. A native of New Orleans, where he was an All-American high school football player, Manuel matriculated at Michigan and played under legendary head coach Bo Schembechler in the late 1980s, including a spell as Harbaugh’s teammate. And though his gridiron contributions were prematurely halted by a neck injury, Manuel still won multiple varsity letters in multiple sports for the Wolverines, shifting over to the track and field team before the end of his undergraduate career. He went on to earn three degrees from Michigan between 1990 and 2005: a bachelor of general studies, a master’s in social work and an MBA. In other words, Manuel falls neatly within the framework of the proverbial "Michigan Man" persona that was popularized by Schembechler, who manned the sidelines for two decades and eventually became the school’s athletics director. That pedigree alone helps explain why Manuel, now 58, was hired by the Wolverines in 2016. Now, it’s also one of the reasons why so many fans wanted him removed. A steady stream of shameful institutional missteps and public relations nightmares during Manuel’s tenure have dulled the sheen so often associated with the proud "Michigan Man" archetype. Most notably, the stomach-turning sexual abuse scandal involving Dr. Robert Anderson, now deceased, and the university officials who overlooked — or flat-out ignored — years of accusations surrounding the physician’s suspected misconduct during a 50-year career. In 2022, Michigan eventually agreed to a $450 million settlement with more than 1,000 of Anderson’s victims. The jaw-dropping revelation that Schembechler, who coached at Michigan from 1969-89, was among those authority figures shielding in real time began to erode the outsized legacy he and his disciples left behind. Though Moore never played for Michigan prior to joining the Wolverines’ coaching staff in 2018, the decision to fire him amid another off-field controversy in December was seen as a necessary step if the program wanted to finally distance itself from anyone linked to Harbaugh, who himself is inextricably linked to Schembechler. Each victory Harbaugh amassed during an unprecedented run over his final three seasons — a period capped, of course, by winning the national championship in 2023 — seemed to be met with another round of eyebrow-raising headlines: There were plenty of other incidents, too. In effect, dismissing Moore meant that Michigan could finally move on from whatever remnants Harbaugh’s highly successful, highly controversial tenure had left behind — the good, the bad, the unethical and everything in between. It meant the Wolverines could distance themselves from a seminal figure in program history, a true Maize and Blue legend, but someone who also muddied the waters with his ongoing flouting of NCAA rules and longstanding ties to the increasingly stained Schembechler era. Parting ways with Manuel, whose time at Michigan can be connected to all of those things, offers Michigan another chance to start anew, to finally hit the reset button atop the athletics department hierarchy. His replacement should come from outside the Wolverines’ family. How Could Manuel Leaving Affect Michigan Football? As the day-to-day leader of Michigan athletics, Manuel preferred to operate beyond the spotlight whenever possible. He was far less outspoken than some of his colleagues across the country — fellow athletics directors like Pete Bevacqua at Notre Dame or Ross Bjork at Ohio State, for example — and reserved many of his regularly scheduled comments for a friendly local radio show in Ann Arbor. The only real exceptions came when Manuel puffed his chest for reporters in the immediate aftermath of championship moments for the football and men’s basketball programs, which were opportunities he seemed to relish. A connection can be drawn between Manuel’s relative disinterest in occupying the kind of mainstream, protagonist role ascribed to modern ADs and the most common critique surrounding how he approached the job. Both publicly and privately, detractors have questioned Manuel’s creativity and aggression when it comes to things like general fundraising efforts, NIL implementation strategies and negotiating contracts with Michigan’s coaches across various sports. It wasn’t until the Wolverines overhauled their pursuit of five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood prior to his senior season of high school that Michigan employed a fully modernized approach to player acquisition, and that was roughly three years after NIL was introduced on July 1, 2021. Even then, sources familiar with the inner workings of Underwood’s recruitment never included Manuel when asked about the most influential figures in that pursuit. All of which is to say that the Wolverines could benefit quite significantly from selecting a leader focused more on enhancing Michigan’s future than simply honoring, or preserving, its illustrious past. This is particularly important when considering that Whittingham, the new football coach, will turn 67 later this year and has never coached in the power conferences. He built a decorated, Hall-of-Fame caliber career while doing more with less across two decades as the head coach at Utah. And now, as college football continues to evolve on what feels like a daily basis, he’ll need strong leadership and guidance from atop the department to properly wield Michigan’s considerable institutional advantages. What About Michigan Men's Basketball? For a moment, it appeared that Manuel’s uneven tenure might not last beyond the university’s Board of Regents meeting held in Traverse City, Michigan last Thursday. The days leading up to that regularly scheduled gathering hummed with speculation and scuttlebutt surrounding an independent investigation by law firm Jenner & Block, whose bill with the school has now soared to nearly $12 million and counting since the project was commissioned. The Wall Street Journal said the investigation had already found evidence that Michigan received "repeated reports about [Sherrone] Moore’s behavior," as it pertained to the inappropriate relationship with Paige Shiver, his former executive assistant. The Board of Regents meeting Thursday came and went without any discussion on Manuel's future. Neither Manuel nor the investigation by Jenner & Block were discussed. Business, it seemed, would continue as usual for at least a while longer. And that’s exactly how Manuel had been operating. Six days before the Board of Regents meeting, Manuel announced that he was dropping the "interim" tag attached to men’s basketball coach Mike Boynton Jr. after the sides agreed on a two-year contract. Boynton, 44, served as the lead assistant and defensive coordinator for the Wolverines under head coach Dusty May the last two seasons, guiding the program to just the second national championship in school history. He’d worked tirelessly to retain the core of Michigan’s roster ever since May decided to leave for an NBA job last month. "Mike is a veteran assistant with strong head-coaching experience and a clear understanding of the standard we expect at Michigan," Manuel said in a press release. "Over the past two seasons, he has been an invaluable member of our staff, bringing stability, leadership and perspective during an important period of success." Within a week, though, members of the anti-Manuel contingent were given yet another reason to roll their eyes at the way he conducts business. Boynton’s new two-year contract, which will pay him $3.6 million for the 2026-27 season, includes a series of uncommon performance benchmarks he must meet simply to reach the second year of the deal, according to a records request by MLive and an article published Thursday. "The program can’t have any Level I or II NCAA violations," writes beat reporter Andrew Kahn, "Boynton can’t violate any policies or rules, and all players must remain academically eligible. The Wolverines must also reach the Final Four or hit at least two of the following: win at least 24 regular season games (out of 31), finish in the top four in the Big Ten, win the Big Ten Tournament, or reach the Sweet 16." All of those accomplishments feel reasonable for a program that returns several key players from a national championship-winning squad and has also welcomed another star-studded transfer portal class to Ann Arbor, not to mention five-star freshman Brandon McCoy Jr., the jewel of Michigan’s high school recruiting class. But with such specific criteria comes plenty of additional pressure for a head coach who already has immense shoes to fill.

The 2026 LIV Golf season is well into its stretch run, with live coverage continuing on FOX Sports and streaming live on FOX One. Here's everything to know to follow the rest of the season. WHAT IS LIV GOLF? LIV Golf is a unique league with tournaments played over four rounds and 72 holes across four days, anchored by shotgun starts, where every group begins play simultaneously on different holes. That's a change from prior seasons, when events ran three rounds over 54 holes. During the regular season, players compete for individual honors while the 13 four-player teams simultaneously compete for team honors. WAIT, THERE ARE TEAMS?! Yes. LIV features 13 teams of four players, including some of the biggest names in the sport: 4Aces GC, Cleeks GC, Crushers GC, Fireballs GC, HyFlyers GC, Korean Golf Club, Legion XIII, Majesticks GC, OKGC, RangeGoats GC, Ripper GC, Southern Guards GC and Torque GC. Three teams have adopted new names in 2026. Iron Heads GC became Korean Golf Club, Stinger GC became Southern Guards GC, and Smash GC rebranded as OKGC during the season under captain Talor Gooch. MEET THE PLAYERS LIV's roster for 2026 includes 57 players, including 13 team captains, and is headlined by major champions Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Sergio García, along with stars such as Joaquín Niemann. The offseason brought real turnover. Brooks Koepka received an early, mutually agreed release from Smash GC (now OKGC), with Harold Varner III taking his spot. Abraham Ancer moved to Torque GC, and Victor Pérez joined Cleeks GC. ALRIGHT, BACK TO THE FORMAT The regular-season field consists of 57 players: 52 players attached to the 13 four-player teams and five independent wild-card players. The player with the lowest score after 72 holes wins individual honors, while the team with the lowest combined score wins the team title. Competitors accumulate points toward season-long individual and team championships. HOW TO WATCH FOX One is the home base for LIV Golf in 2026. Every round of every event streams live on FOX One, with select rounds also airing across the rest of the FOX family of networks, including FOX, FS1, FS2 and FOX Business Network. More than half the schedule airs on FOX or FS1, and coverage is also available on the FOX Sports App and to LIV Golf+ app subscribers. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS AND THE WINNER IS … Jon Rahm enters the season as the defending individual champion after shooting a career-best 11-under 60 at LIV Golf Indianapolis to overtake points leader Joaquín Niemann on the final day of the 2025 season, despite not winning a single event. Rahm's Legion XIII also enters as the defending team champion, having beaten Bryson DeChambeau's Crushers GC in a playoff at the season-ending Team Championship. The individual champion is crowned after the 13th event of the season, based on points earned. The Team Championship is decided at the season-ending Michigan event, using match play in the quarterfinals and semifinals before switching to stroke play for the final round. PLAYERS' FUTURES ALSO ON THE LINE Every player's position in the final standings determines their status with the league the following season, with players sorted into three tiers: Lock Zone: 1–34; Open Zone: 35–46; Drop Zone: 47–57, which carries the risk of relegation. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!

Per Kristian Bråtveit (30) vender hjem og er klar for 1.-divisjonsklubben Haugesund.
Det opplyser klubben i en melding mandag. Bråtveit startet karrieren i Haugesund og fikk sitt gjennombrudd der før han deretter har spilt for en rekke klubber både i Norge og utlandet. Kontrakten med FKH strekker seg ut 2028.
30-åringen ble nylig løst fra kontrakten med skotske Aberdeen, der han hadde vært siden januar.
– Det kjennes veldig deilig å være tilbake. Det er godt å komme hjem igjen, så det skal bli veldig kjekt å komme i gang igjen med en gjeng hvor jeg kjenner mer eller mindre alle fra tidligere. Jeg er egentlig bare glad for at alt ordnet seg såpass fort, sier Bråtveit.
Bråtveit har spilt en rekke aldersbestemte landskamper for Norge, og han har én A-landskamp. Den kom for det berømte «nødlandslaget» mot Østerrike i 2020.
Haugesund topper 1. divisjon nær halvveis i sesongen. Bråtveits første mulighet i kamp kommer mot Bryne lørdag.
(NTB)