Europe

United States women’s national team star defender Naomi Girma looks set to become the most expensive women’s player in history. Women’s Super League giants Chelsea are closing in on the most expensive women’s transfer ever and pay San Diego Wave FC $1.1 million, per The Athletic.

Girma, 24, will surpass Bay FC’s Racheal Kundananji who previously held the highest transfer fee in women’s soccer with a $787,600 move from Madrid CFF.

Charlotte FC acquired veteran forward Wilfried Zaha on loan from Turkish powerhouse Galatasary on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old Ivory Coast international joins the MLS club through January 2026 with an option to extend the loan to June of that year.

Zaha will occupy a Designated Player spot on the Charlotte roster alongside forwards Liel Abada and Karol Swiderski.

Wilfried Zaha Charlotte FC transfer

World-class players in front of a world-class atmosphere.

LISBON — Raphinha scored deep into stoppage time to hand Barcelona a dramatic 5-4 comeback win at Benfica and a place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday after a hat-trick from Vangelis Pavlidis gave the hosts a two-goal halftime lead.

Barcelona vs Benfica highlights

Greek striker Pavlidis opened the scoring after two minutes with a tap-in before Robert Lewandowski equalized from the spot as VAR awarded Barca a penalty for a Tomas Araujo foul on Alejandro Balde in the 11th minute.

Fans have uncovered old tweets from Real Madrid's Dani Ceballos and Jude Bellingham that have shown their soft side for FC Barcelona prior to becoming UEFA Champions League winners with Los Blancos.

The tweets, posted long before both players became key figures at the Bernabéu, show the two players expressing strong opinions that now seem to conflict with their current affiliations.

LONDON — Substitute Darwin Nunez's stoppage-time double gave Liverpool a 2-0 win at Brentford on Saturday, as the Premier League leaders left it late to record their first league win of 2025.

Brentford held firm and seemed on course for a deserved point until Nunez tapped in Trent Alexander-Arnold's cross from close range in the 91st minute to end the Bees' dogged resistance.

Darwin Nunez brace vs Brentford

Manchester United’s historic stadium, Old Trafford, is in just as bad a shape as the team’s form this season. The latest blow to the building’s reputation was a Manchester United mice situation as the little creatures have been spotted on the field and in the stands.

Two videos of mice in the stadium have gone viral from Manchester United’s win vs. Southampton on Thursday. One hopped onto the field while another was spotted in the stands.

Manchester United mice problem

MADRID — The Miami Dolphins will play one of their nine home games of the 2025 season in Spain at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium, the National Football League (NFL) and the Spanish soccer giants announced on Friday.

The NFL continues to push into new markets after establishing an international toehold in Europe with regular games in London and Germany and expanding into Mexico and Brazil and they will now play a first-ever regular-season game in Spain at the iconic soccer stadium.

AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic will not be available when the newly-crowned Italian Super Cup champions travel to Juventus in Serie A on Saturday, coach Sergio Conceicao said.

Why is Pulisic not playing vs. Juventus?

The United States international limped off the pitch on Tuesday against Como and was substituted at halftime, after suffering a knock.

However, the 26-year-old avoided a major injury and is only dealing with muscle fatigue, Italian media reported.

MANCHESTER — Three late goals from Amad Diallo dragged a below-par Manchester United to an unlikely 3-1 comeback victory over bottom side Southampton in the Premier League on Thursday.

United will have fancied their chances of getting back to winning ways against struggling Saints but the hosts were second best from the off, deservedly falling behind to a Manuel Ugarte own goal just before halftime.