Rafael Benítez, the 65-year-old Spanish football manager, arrived in Athens to head Panathinaikos F.C. The Greek club announced his appointment as head coach on Oct. 24, and on Oct. 26 Benítez will make his debut in a home Super League game against Asteras. The contract is signed for two years.…
SportsPro, a British magazine, has released its latest ranking of the 50 most marketable athletes in the world. Formula 1 driver and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton tops the list. Hamilton previously led the ranking in 2014, marking his second stint at the top. Among athletes, only three have achieved…
Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane has already scored 20 goals for the Bundesliga club since the start of the season. It took him just 12 matches to reach this milestone, outperforming Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in this regard, OptaJoe reported on X. UEFA Champions League Matchday 3, Oct. 22…
A new list from the British outlet GiveMeSport highlights the world’s tallest football players. Among those featured are seven goalkeepers and three outfield players. Topping the list is Konstantin Veretinskiy, a 19-year-old goalkeeper from Belarus who stands 2.10 meters (6 feet 10 inches) tall. Born in Pinsk, Brest region, Veretinskiy…
FC Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal played his 25th Champions League match on Oct. 21. He became the youngest player to reach this milestone in Europe’s premier club competition, according to Squawka. UEFA Champions League Matchday 3, Oct. 21 FC Barcelona vs. Olympiacos: 6-1 Goals: Fermín López 7’, 39’, 76’; Lamine…
Kairat Almaty drew 0-0 with Cypriot Pafos FC on Oct. 21 in the UEFA Champions League Matchday Three at Central Stadium in Almaty. The visitors had been playing short-handed since the fourth minute. Champions League 2025-2026 Matchday 3. Oct. 21 Kairat (Almaty, Kazakhstan) vs. Pafos (Cyprus): 0-0 Sent off: João…
The Salary Leaks portal has released a ranking of the world’s highest-paid national football team coaches, with Carlo Ancelotti, head coach of Brazil, leading the list with an annual salary of $11 million. Following his high-profile appointment, the Italian manager took charge of the five-time World Cup champions in May.…
On Oct. 19, Manchester United beat Liverpool away in the English Premier League. Delivering an assist, Portuguese player Bruno Fernandes moved into Manchester United’s top five assist leaders in Premier League matches, according to OptaJoe. English Premier League Matchweek 8, Oct. 19, 2025 Liverpool vs. Manchester United: 1-2 Goals: Cody…
FC Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski might continue his career with Turkish club Fenerbahçe. According to the Turkish media outlet Fanatik, the Istanbul football club is ready to start negotiations with the 37-year-old Polish footballer. The outlet noted that Fenerbahçe President Sadettin Saran wants to create a sensation in the transfer…
The Guardian published a ranking of the world’s most talented young footballers. The outlet selected the 60 most promising players born in 2008. Dastan Satpayev, forward for Almaty’s Kairat and the Kazakhstan national team, is placed right in the middle of the ranking — 30th. The Guardian called Satpayev «the…
Cristiano Ronaldo, the forward for the Portugal national football team, set a new record for the number of goals scored in World Cup qualifying matches. On Oct. 14, he scored a brace in a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Hungary. 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Group F, Oct. 14, 2025…
The upcoming 2026 World Cup sees more first-time qualifiers: following Uzbekistan and Jordan, the national football team of Cape Verde has secured a spot in the tournament, becoming the 22nd team to qualify. In the final match of the African qualification phase in Group D, Cape Verde swept the national…
The club football calendar continues to pause for national team matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Pafos, the upcoming opponent of Kairat on matchday three of the UEFA Champions League, has sent seven players to their national teams. Cyprus vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Oct. 9, 2-2) and San Marino…
Japan Football Association (JFA) technical director Masanaga Kageyama has received a suspended prison sentence in France for possessing and viewing child sexual abuse material, L’Équipe reported. Kageyama was detained at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris while traveling to Chile for the Under-20 World Cup. According to Le Parisien, flight…
On Oct. 9, the Algeria national football team defeated Somalia 3-0 as visitors, with goals from Mohamed Amoura (7’) and Riyad Mahrez (19’), securing its spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and marking the fifth successful qualification for the team. More African national teams are on their way to…
Eurosport journalist Guillaume Di Grazia has died at age 52 following an accident during a bullfighting event in southern France, RMC Sport reported. Di Grazia was seriously injured during an abrivado, a traditional event in the Gard department in which bulls are driven through the streets under the supervision of…
The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced two preseason games between the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns in Macau, marking the league debut in the world’s largest gaming hub and its return to China, Reuters reported. The matches are scheduled for Oct. 10 and Oct. 12 at the Venetian Arena…
Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo has officially become the first footballer to reach billionaire status, according to Bloomberg. The latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimates his net worth at $1.4 billion, which includes sponsorship deals, club wages and commercial income. The bulk of his wealth comes from club earnings. His transfer to…
The UEFA Executive Committee «reluctantly» greenlighted requests from the Spanish and Italian football federations to hold two national championship matches abroad «on an exceptional basis amid regulatory gaps at the global level.» Yet, UEFA remains strongly opposed to staging national league matches overseas, according to the organization’s press release. UEFA’s…
Polish football manager Michał Probierz could head Kazakhstan’s national team, as reported by Kanalsportowy.pl, citing Mateusz Borek, a well-known journalist in Poland. According to him, the 53-year-old specialist has reached an agreement with the Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFF). The official announcement of the appointment is expected later. A native of…
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the planned UFC event on White House grounds will take place on June 14. «And on June 14, next year, we’re going to have a big UFC fight at the White House, right at the White House on the grounds,» The Hill cited Trump as…
After a devastating 5-0 defeat against Real Madrid, Almaty’s Kairat responded with an identical victory in the 2025 Kazakhstan Premier League against Taldykorgan’s Zhetysu, returning to the top of the table. 2025 Kazakhstan Premier League. Postponed match of the 24th round. Oct. 5. Kairat (Almaty) vs. Zhetysu (Taldykorgan): 5-0 (4-0)…
Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin, acclaimed former middleweight champion and current president of Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee, has landed on the ballot for the 2026 International Boxing Hall of Fame. Other candidates on the IBHOF ballot include Vernon Forrest and Steve Collins, according to IBHOF Executive Director Edward Brophy via BoxingScene. Golovkin…
Sayat Abdrakhmanov, the manager of Kazakh UFC fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov, denied reports that the athelete had suffered a recurrence of his knee injury. On Oct. 3, sports journalist Vladimir Kolos wrote on his Telegram channel that Rakhmonov was «saying goodbye to the UFC.» According to Kolos, Rakhmonov had sustained another…
