Off the Pitch

England captain Harry Kane said he joined Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich to improve as a player, adding that he is relishing the pressure that comes along with playing for the serial winners.

Kane signed for Bayern on Saturday for a reported $109.17 million. He had been at Spurs since the age of 11, but in his 10 Premier League seasons with the club, he failed to win any trophies, which will not be an option at the German club.

Lionel Messi's transfer to Inter Miami has set MLS on a path to the stars. Literally. And the Magic Messi effect on MLS is just getting started.

LONDON — Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion, according to media reports on Sunday which said the fee would be a British record.

Sky Sports reported that Chelsea will pay 115 million pounds ($145.98 million), eclipsing the previous mark set when they bought Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for 106.8 million pounds in January.

It added that Caicedo would sign an eight-year contract, with the Blues paying 100 million pounds plus 15 million in add-ons.

Cristiano Ronaldo has yet again left the competition behind as the five-time Ballon D'Or winner was named Instagram top earner for the third year in a row. He beat out some of the world's most famous celebrities, influencers, and athletes to earn his crown as the top paid person on Instagram in 2023.

Ronaldo, who in July was ranked as the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes for the first time since 2017 following his move to Saudi Arabia, has now topped the 2023 Instagram Rich List, a global marker of online influence.

Netherlands forward Lineth Beerensteyn didn’t hold back when she was asked about the United States women’s national team being eliminated from the 2023 Women’s World Cup in the Round of 16.

The U.S. women’s defeat to Sweden on Sunday was the earliest exit from a World Cup in the team’s history.

Beerensteyn, who was out with an ankle injury when the USWNT and Dutch played each other in the group stage, was elated with the Americans being eliminated.

Sacramento Republic FC of the United Soccer League made history on Tuesday by signing a 13-year-old player to a professional contract.

Da'vian Kimbrough, who is 13 years, 5 months and 13 days old, signed with Sacramento to become the youngest pro player in U.S. soccer history. The record most recently belonged to Maximo Carrizo, who signed with New York City FC's senior squad on his 14th birthday in February 2022.

The club also claims that Kimbrough is the youngest professional athlete in American team sports history.

There has been a ludicrous amount of transfer drama in the summer 2023 window and Major League Soccer might have one last trick up their sleeve. Yes, there are transfer rumors of a Kylian Mbappé MLS move.

The 24-year-old has been on the outs with Paris Saint-Germain for a while now as he has one year left on his contract and it’s widely agreed he’s seeking a move to Real Madrid. PSG don’t want to allow Mbappé to leave for free next summer when he's out of contract and instead are looking to sell him this transfer window for around $165 million.

England's Lauren James issued an apology on Tuesday after she was sent off for a stamp on Nigeria player Michelle Alozie during their Women's World Cup last-16 game.

James, England's top scorer at the tournament with three goals, received a red card for a bad-tempered stamp on Alozie's back in the 87th minute of Monday's game.

Lauren James steps on Michelle Alozie's back

Lauren James is seeing red and will be sent off