Europe

Dani Alves And Juventus Are In The Champions League Final

Kylian Mbappe became the youngest player to score in the Champions League semifinals, and that's cool, but it was the olds who stole the show on Tuesday.

Dani Alves (34), Andrea Barzagli (36), Gianluigi Buffon (39), Mario Mandzukic (30), Giorgio Chiellini (32), Leonardo Bonucci (30), Sami Khedira (30), Mehdi Benatia (30) and Claudio Marchisio (31) all featured for Juventus, and they did the damn thing. Juventus' 2-1 victory (4-1 on aggregate) was decisive and ruthless and efficient.

The Cost Of Premier League Relegation Is At Least $50 Million

Although Chelsea has all but secured a second Premier League title in three seasons, the relegation battle is just heating up. Sunderland and Middlesbrough are going down to the Championship next season, and Hull City and Swansea City are trying to avoid the same fate. 

Relegation certainly adds drama and raises the stakes for the final games of the season, but exactly how much do these teams stand to gain by staying up?

Watch 5 Of Gigi Buffon's Greatest Saves

Gigi Buffon is a legend. At 39 he sports a six-matche shutout streak in the Champions League, and he’s on the verge of returning to the UCL final for the third time. 

A Champions League title has eluded him to this point, but Buffon has won just about everything else:

UEFA Cup (Europa): 1999

Supercoppa Italiana (6 times)

Coppa Italia (2015 and 2016)

World Cup (2006)

Golden Foot Award (2016, only GK to win)

UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (2003)

Iranian Messi Lookalike Taken To Police Station Because People Kept Taking Pictures With Him

That man in the picture above is not Lionel Messi. He is an imposter. We wouldn't blame you for thinking he's real, though. A lot of people thought he was real, so many that the police had to get involved.

Here are three very alarming sentences from the BBC:

So many people in the city of Hamaden wanted a picture with Reza Parastesh that police took him to the station and impounded his car to stop the chaos.

Chelsea Are One Win Away From The EPL Title, And Middlesbrough Are Relegated

Brad Guzan's favorite spice is nutmeg. Or maybe it's his least favorite spice, but Chelsea's favorite spice. I'm not sure which variation of the joke I'm supposed to make here. Diego Costa, Marcos Alonso and Nemaja Matic nutmegged the Middlesbrough keeper three times for three goals to move one step away from a second EPL title in three years.

Middlesbrough, meanwhile, started Monday one step away from being relegated to the Championship, and that step has been taken. Goodbye Middlesbrough.

N'Golo Kante Named FA Player Of The Year By The Football Writers' Association

N'Golo Kante is the best player in England. So say the Professional Footballers' Association, and now the Football Writers' Association.

Last season, Kante's Leicester City teammates Riyan Mahrez and Jamie Vardy split the awards. This season, with Chelsea, Kante has reminded everyone who the real engine of that Leicester City team was.

Kante's PFA win was announced in April, and his FWA win was announced on Monday.

Lionel Messi Close To Signing New Barcelona Contract, Says Club

Lionel Messi has scored 51 goals in 49 games this season for Barcelona. So, it's no wonder that club executives are in a hurry to get negotiations over with and to get Messi's contract finalized.

It appears today that the club and Messi's agents may be close to a deal. Only a day after we reported that Messi's camp rejected Barcelona's initial offer, Barcelona VP Jordi Mestre said "it won't be long" before Lionel Messi signs a new contract with FC Barcelona.

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