History

The first place a match-worn soccer jersey usually goes is the washing machine, however that wasn’t the case for six Lionel Messi shirts worn at the 2022 World Cup. A Messi shirts auction saw six of the Argentine’s World Cup jerseys sold for a staggering $7.8 million.

Messi shirts auction

New York based auction house Sotheby sold the six jerseys for a price tag higher than nearly any other jersey in history. The most expensive in sports history was a Michael Jordan jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals that sold for $10.1 million.

LONDON — Rebecca Welch will become the first female referee to officiate a Premier League match when she takes charge of Fulham's home game against Burnley on Dec. 23.

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) confirmed the appointment on Thursday and also said Sam Allison would become the first Black official to take charge of a Premier match for 15 years.

Allison will be the referee for Sheffield United v Luton Town on Dec. 26.

Premier League female referee

Christian Pulisic netted his first Champions League goal in 637 days during AC Milan’s 2-1 victory vs. Newcastle on Wednesday. The result wasn’t enough for Milan to advance to the Round of 16 but did qualify the Italian club for the Europa League knockout playoffs.

In order to advance out of their Champions League group Milan needed to defeat Newcastle and required some help from Borussia Dortmund to best Paris Saint-Germain, however that game ended 1-1.

MANCHESTER — Manchester United's slim chance of a Champions League last-16 spot ended with a 1-0 defeat by group winners Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on Tuesday, piling more misery on Erik ten Hag's beleaguered team in an already rocky season.

The three-time European champions needed to beat Bayern in their group stage finale on Tuesday and hope Copenhagen's game against visiting Galatasaray ended in a draw.

Pelé's former club Santos were relegated for the first time in their 111-year history on Wednesday following a 2-1 home loss to Fortaleza in the final round of Brazil's Serie A.

The costal city team were one of three clubs, along with Sao Paulo and Flamengo, never to have been relegated from Brazil's top flight but a woeful run of five games without a victory saw them drop to 17th in the standings with 43 points.

America Mineiro, Coritiba and Goias had already been assured of relegation from the 20-team division.

It’s no secret that Sweden have been the biggest thorn in the side of the United States women’s national team in recent history. The Swedes knocked the USWNT out of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the 2016 Olympics and thrashed the Americans 3-0 in the group stage of the 2020 Olympics.

Sweden are the USWNT’s kryptonite. They won’t be able to hurt the USWNT in Paris next summer though because they failed to qualify due to a 1-0 loss to Switzerland on Friday.

Sweden fail to qualify for Olympics

The beginning of a new era for the United States women’s national team means saying goodbye to the previous generation. Ali Krieger is the next USWNT legend to receiver her flowers as she will be honored before the team’s friendly vs. China on Dec. 5 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

Krieger announced she was retiring at the end of the 2023 NWSL season and finished her career in style by leading Gotham FC to their first championship. The 39-year-old’s club career ended in the best way possible and now she will be recognized for her national team contributions.

UPDATE: After an MRI scan it was confirmed that Pulisic didn't suffer any major injury and could return soon.

Christian #Pulisic: la risonanza ha escluso lesioni ai muscoli flessori coscia sinistra. Ieri sera ha riportato solo una contrattura.