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Leeds United are back in action in the Championship this evening as they prepare to welcome Norwich City to Elland Road in the hope of gaining further ground on the automatic promotion places.

They are currently five points behind Ipswich Town, who held league leaders Leicester City to a draw on Monday, and can cut the gap to just two points with a win over the Canaries, albeit they will have played one game more than their rivals.

Leicester

1

28

66

Ipswich

2

28

59

Southampton

3

28

58

Leeds

4

28

54

West Brom

5

28

45

Coventry

6

28

43

Daniel Farke's side are vying to secure automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking after the Whites were relegated under Sam Allardyce at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

The January transfer window is currently open for business and provides the club with an opportunity to bolster their squad ahead of the second half of the season.

Leeds make move for Premier League starlet

Farke appears to be keen to improve his options at the top end of the pitch as Leeds are reportedly attempting to sign a young attacker from Liverpool before the deadline passes.

According to Football Insider, the Whites have made a move to sign Reds academy starlet Mateusz Musialowski to add to their attacking arsenal.

The report claims that the club have registered their interest in the Polish magician and are 'firmly' in the race to land his signature, amid competition from a number of unnamed sides.

It states that Farke wants to bring in attacking reinforcements and the Yorkshire-based outfit appear to have identified the Liverpool gem as a suitable target.

His current contract at Anfield expires at the end of the season and this means that the current transfer window is the Premier League side's last chance to negotiate a fee for his services.

The talented young gem could be an exciting addition to the squad as a player who has the potential to be a dream partner for Georginio Rutter at the top end of the pitch.

Rutter's partners in the Championship this season

Farke has deployed the French magician as a centre-forward and as a number ten at times and this has meant that he has been paired alongside Joel Piroe and Patrick Bamford at different stages.

Both of those players, however, have their limitations when it comes to linking play and creating chances for their teammates to go alongside the goal threat that they provide.

Piroe, who joined from Championship rivals Swansea last summer, has plundered ten goals in 28 league matches this season – the latest of which came from the penalty spot against Preston last time out.

However, he has only provided his fellow attackers with one assist and has averaged 0.8 key passes per game, whilst the Dutch whiz currently ranks within the bottom 36% of midfielders for shot-creating actions (2.67) per 90 in the division.

Bamford, on the other hand, has contributed with two goals and zero assists in 19 Championship outings, although only three of those came as a starter.

The 30-year-old centre-forward has produced 0.3 key passes and amassed 0.49 Expected Assists in those 19 matches, which shows that both players rarely provide quality creativity when playing alongside Rutter.

Rutter's Championship brilliance

Meanwhile, the former Hoffenheim wizard has produced quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals for Leeds as either a striker or a number ten in the second tier.

The 21-year-old hotshot has contributed with five goals and nine assists in 27 Championship appearances for Farke's side, which shows that he has provided a double-sided threat in the final third.

Progressive passes (3.89)

Top 6%

Expected Assisted Goals (0.35)

Top 1%

Assists (0.36)

Top 2%

Shot-creating actions (4.45)

Top 1%

Successful take-ons (2.80)

Top 1%

As you can see in the table above, he is an exceptional creative talent who has the ability to split open opposition defences at a sensational rate, which is also evidenced by his return of 18 'big chances' created – the second most in the league.

These statistics show that Rutter is an outstanding creator who can also chip in with goals and Musialowski could come in as an exciting partner for him.

The stats that show why Leeds should sign Musialowski

The talented academy whiz is yet to make his breakthrough at senior level for Liverpool but his form in their academy system suggests that he has the potential to be a promising signing for Leeds.

Musialowski, whose "ridiculous" quality of goal was lauded by journalist Lewis Bower last year, has been in impressive form for the Premier League side's U23 squad this season with a return of six goals and two assists in 11 appearances in all competitions.

Appearances

Four

Sofascore rating

7.15

Goals

Three

Big chances created

One

Key passes per game

1.5

As you can see from the table above, the 20-year-old maestro, who can play as a centre-forward or as part of the three behind a striker, is capable of scoring and creating goals.

He produced six key passes in those four outings. Based on their aforementioned respective averages this season, it would take Piroe over seven league matches to reach six chances created and a staggering 20 games for Bamford.

Alongside his creativity, Musialowski has been an impressive scorer for the Reds with 29 goals in 74 appearances for their U23 and U18 teams combined.

There is no guarantee that he will be able to translate his performances over to first-team level but it appears to be a worthwhile gamble for Leeds to take before the end of the January transfer window.

At the age of 20, the 5 foot 9 youngster still has plenty of years left to develop and improve and could thrive under Farke's coaching, which has turned Rutter into one of the best creators in the Championship – as evidenced by his aforementioned statistics.

Therefore, Leeds could unearth an exciting partner for the French dynamo in the final third if Musialowski can translate his ability to score goals and create chances to first-team level to offer more than Bamford and Piroe as an all-round forward.

Christian Pulisic has revealed the secret weapon behind his awesome debut season at AC Milan: team-mate Rafael Leao.

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• Pulisic has enjoyed excellent season
• Star reflects on his 'secret' weapon
• Will compete at Copa America with USMNT

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Pulisic scored a career-best 12 league goals and registered seven assists to help Milan secure a second-place finish in Serie A, while he also scored three and set up one more in European competition. The United States international has received much praise for his performances since joining the Rossoneri from Chelsea last summer, with coach Stefano Pioli expressing his admiration on more than one occasion.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  USMNT supporters will be hoping that the ex-Borussia Dortmund star can bring his excellent form back home when Gregg Berhalter's team host the Copa America this summer. Sadly, however, Pulisic will be without the one factor that he says has helped inspire his improvement – Portuguese sensation Leao.

• WHAT PULISIC SAID

  "The truth is that I’ve become accustomed to playing on the right, and I’ve been scoring goals thanks to a little secret: it’s called Rafael Leao," he told . "I’ve studied and understood how he moves. Usually, he attracts two or three opponents, so the defense is not so covered on the opposite side. Therefore, I can move towards the middle of the box and I am sure I will receive a perfectly timed pass."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR PULISIC?

  Pulisic will hope to add more goal contributions to his tally when he and his Milan team-mates come up against Serie A's bottom side Salernitana in their last game of the season on Saturday. Afterwards, he will head back to his homeland to start preparing for the Copa America.

It wasn’t just the same venue; the manner in which the second ODI transpired was strikingly similar to the one that panned out on Friday. Deciding to bat first after winning the toss, Pakistan anchored their innings around a hundred from a top order player – this time it was Mohammad Rizwan – and posted 284, four more than the palpably inadequate 280 they had managed in the first ODI. Once more, Australia demonstrated this to be woefully short of what might have challenged them, an unbeaten career-best 153 from Aaron Finch and an opening stand of 209 with Usman Khawaja allowing them to canter to their second consecutive eight-wicket win.The only deviation from the first game was the chase contained even less drama than in the first ODI. Whereas Khawaja had fallen relatively cheaply then, the opening partnership this time was colossal in the face of another uninspired bowling effort from Pakistan. Finch and Khawaja amassed 209 and rarely did Pakistan threaten to break through; the ball spun very little for Yasir Shah and Imad Wasim and swung even less for the quicker bowlers.While Khawaja was the more prolific partner during the Powerplay, Finch came to life from the moment he lofted Yasir for six off the first ball of the sixteenth over. Till then, he had 28 off 43 balls but, as if the effect of a sedative had been neutralised by one stroke, he sprang to life. He completed his half-century just 14 balls later, and bludgeoned Yasir for two sixes and a four in the over that followed, and a further six and four off Imad right after. That put any qualms about the run rate to bed, and the chase was every bit a canter as the first match after that.Khawaja continued to cash in on his fine form, reaching his fifth half-century in seven innings off 60 deliveries. After a strong start he was content playing the steady hand and appeared to be cruising to a hundred until he holed out to deep midwicket 12 runs short. It gave Glenn Maxwell the opportunity to free his arms in an entertaining little cameo, two sixes off Imad quelling any fears of a Pakistan comeback, but he missed the chance to finish the game when he was run out.Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja added a double-century opening stand•AFP

One of the key points of fascination for Pakistan enthusiasts this game was the performance of teenage quick Mohammad Hasnain, drafted in for his first List A game following a stellar PSL. His introduction was one of the only times a sparse Sharjah crowd came to life, and the cheer after his first ball – a bouncer which forced Khawaja to hastily duck – was louder than perhaps at any point all day.That aside, however, it was a tough initiation for the 18-year old. His pace might have been up, but he lacked the control and consistency that will surely follow as he accumulates experience, and when Finch swatted him for six over cow corner in the 47th over, the game was for all intents and purposes done. For good measure, however, the Australian captain thwacked Faheem Ashraf for another one the following over, bringing up his 150 in 141 balls, and finishing off the game in the same over.Pakistan’s innings had been paced at the same leisurely rate as in the first game. Australia’s bright start put them on the back foot straightaway, thanks to a brilliant opening spell from Jhye Richardson who cleaned up Imam-ul-Haq for a duck in the first over. Maintaining a probing good line, he gave the batsmen little room for error as Pakistan started sluggishly. Even as the boundaries flowed from the other end, with Haris Sohail timing the ball exquisitely, Richardson gave away few runs, and also brought about Shan Masood’s downfall with one pitched slightly short of a length that was chipped to midwicket.His day turned sour, however, when he suffered a dislocated shoulder in the outfield. Diving to save a boundary at midwicket, he landed heavily on his elbow, and his reaction immediately indicated he was done for the game, and very possibly the series.The silver lining for Australia was Finch, who brought himself on to fill the gap Richardson’s overs left behind and was among the pick of Australia’s bowlers. He started off by removing last game’s centurion Haris Sohail for 34, a slight tickle to the keeper giving Finch just his third ODI wicket. So bothersome did he prove for Pakistan he ended up bowling his full quota, and, until his final over went for 12 to bring his overall tally to 41, Pakistan never looked to attack him.Pakistan found themselves in deeper trouble when Umar Akmal holed out when he lofted one slightly short by Nathan Lyon to the square-leg boundary fielder. He had gone for 16, his reaction of desperate disappointment fitting for a man given an unlikely opportunity with little room for error just ahead of a World Cup.But Rizwan and Shoaib Malik got together with Pakistan in strife and kept Australia at bay for nearly half the innings, putting on 127. Rizwan was excellent at working the gaps and using his feet to the spinners, while Malik has been in these situations with Pakistan often over a two-decade career, but his record against Australia isn’t the best. The half-century he brought up off 53 balls was just the second against Australia, and it was one of hard graft rather than cavalier flamboyance.Rizwan is in the side as Sarfaraz Ahmed rests, but looked determined to make the case for World Cup inclusion, even for his batting alone. Promoted to No. 4, he had performed the role many specialists in Pakistan had failed to perform in that position, and when he swept Adam Zampa to bring up a first ODI hundred, Pakistan were ready to launch once more.They never quite got around to doing that, with the pair falling in quick succession and they ended short of 300 again. That wasn’t just well short of 300, but also well short of anything that would have made Australia sweat. But then again, the way Finch batted, one wonders if anything would have proved out of the visitors’ grasp.

Glasgow Rangers will be hoping to take confidence from their recent run of three Scottish Premiership victories in a row into the Europa League clash against Real Betis on Thursday evening.

The Gers have secured European football after Christmas, but it remains to be seen what competition they will feature in.

A win against Betis will ensure they remain in the Europa League, but anything less coupled with a Sparta Prague win over Aris Limassol will mean they drop into the Europa Conference League.

Philippe Clement will surely aim to win every match he takes charge of, yet he has some decisions to make, especially with a crucial League Cup final coming up against Aberdeen on Sunday.

With this in mind, he could make a few changes to his last starting XI in the 3-1 win over Dundee for the trip to Seville.

We at Football FanCast have predicted the lineup that Belgian could choose for the last group stage match of the campaign on Thursday evening, with two possible alterations from the weekend.

1 GK – Jack Butland

The ever-reliable Englishman has not missed a match this term and this seems unlikely to end anytime soon.

Butland has made some big saves during European ties against PSV Eindhoven and Sparta Prague this season and his performances domestically have arguably kept the Gers within touching distance of Celtic in the chase for the title.

With 13 clean sheets in 28 matches, the former Crystal Palace shot-stopper will be aiming for his 14th against the La Liga side.

2 RB – James Tavernier

The captain scored and grabbed an assist during the previous league match against Dundee on the weekend and he will be hoping to break his goalless run in the Europa League on Thursday.

The 32-year-old has yet to register a goal contribution during the group stage this season, but this could be a good omen. As during the run to the 2022 Europa League final, Tavernier failed to score during the group stage before finishing as the top scorer in the competition.

3 CB – Connor Goldson

The Englishman was rested by Clement during the clash against the Dens Park outfit on Saturday in preparation for the two upcoming matches.

That was just the third match Goldson has missed all season, yet the breather may have done him the world of good.

The 6 foot 3 titan could be unleashed against Betis and Aberdeen over the next four days, and he could be integral to Clement with his towering presence at the back.

4 CB – John Souttar

Leon Balogun was not included in the Europa League squad by Michael Beale and this means Souttar could be unleashed from the start on Thursday.

The Scot played the whole game against Dundee and, while he has missed a few ties this term due to a niggling injury, it appears as though he is back to full fitness just as the fixtures are coming thick and fast.

5 LB – Borna Barisic

Like Balogun, Ridvan Yilmaz was also left out of the aforementioned squad for the group stages and this looks like a bigger mistake with every passing game.

This means Barisic will start his fifth group stage clash of the season, although he has yet to register an assist during those matches.

With his contract expiring in a few months, the Croatian defender will need to impress Clement if he has any ambition of securing an extended deal.

6 CM – John Lundstram

The 29-year-old ace has returned to form this season and is fast becoming one of the few players Clement can depend on, as he has started every single match since the Belgian tactician took over.

He will be hoping to have another commanding performance in the middle of the pitch that gives the Light Blues the best chance of securing a victory and a chance to repeat their heroics from 2022 in the process.

7 CM – Jose Cifuentes

The midfielder hasn’t quite hit the ground running during his spell in Scotland yet, however, there is still time for him to establish himself in the centre of the pitch.

The Ecuadorian was sent off against Dundee and, despite the club appealing the decision, Cifuentes will now miss the League Cup final and the Premiership clash with St Johnstone.

This means Clement will unleash him alongside Lundstram, yet he will face a selection headache for the following two matches.

8 RW – Ross McCausland

The youngster was dropped to the bench during the 3-1 win over Dundee, but he came on for the second half.

Rabbi Matondo was the one who replaced him in the starting XI, yet the Welsh winger will drop to the bench for the European tie as Clement may look to keep him fresh for the final on Sunday.

Clement could unearth his next McCausland in £21k-rated Rangers wizard

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ByDan Emery Dec 12, 2023

This gives McCausland a chance to shine once again in Europe, as it was on this stage that he netted his first goal for the club during the tie against Aris.

9 AM – Todd Cantwell

Since being taken off after just 36 minutes during the previous continental game, Cantwell has knuckled down and showcased his talents by being deployed in his more favoured number ten position.

The Englishman has found the back of the net just once during the current campaign and there would be no better week than this one for him to add a couple more.

10 LW – Abdallah Sima

The 22-year-old is another player who Clement can depend upon to be fit for every match as he has started every single match under the 49-year-old thus far.

Not only that, but the winger has scored four goals during that time and this has taken his tally to 13 for the entire campaign.

If he can add to this total during the next couple of matches, the Gers will stand a solid chance of winning both games.

أبدى هانز فليك المدير الفني لفريق برشلونة الإسباني، رأيه في المنافسة المرتقبة مع غريمه ريال مدريد، حيث يبدأ الألماني عامه الأول مع البلوجرانا.

وظهر فليك في مؤتمر صحفي اليوم الجمعة للحديث قبل مباراة برشلونة الافتتاحية في الدوري الإسباني حيث يلتقي مع فالنسيا بالجولة الأولى غدًا.

كما تطرق المدرب أيضًا للحديث عن تحركات برشلونة في سوق الانتقالات مع الوضع المالي الصعب للنادي.

وبشأن تحركات برشلونة في سوق الانتقالات، أكد: “أنا راضٍ عن الفريق الذي أملكه، والباقي علامة استفهام، عندما وقعت عقدي، كنت أعلم أن الأمر لن يكون سهلاً، لكنني أثق بالنادي بشكل أعمى، وأنا سعيد بالفريق، بما يقدمه، لدينا إصابات سيعود منها اللاعبون شيئًا فشيء، وسنواصل كوننا فريقًا قويًا”.

اقرأ أيضًا | رسميًا | برشلونة يعلن رحيل تياجو ألكانتارا ويكشف عن بديله

واسترسل: “أقول للفريق إن ما لا يمكن تغييره، لا نفكر فيه، نحن نركز على ما يمكننا تغييره، وصلت متقبلاً الحقائق وتلك التي لا أستطيع تغييرها، نحن نركز على المباراة وعلى الفوز”.

وشدد فليك: “لا أتحدث كثيرًا عن تشكيلتي الأساسية، وهذا شيء لا أفعله أبدًا”.

وعن التنافس مع ريال مدريد، علّق: “نحن فريق قوي وجيد وعالي الجودة، مع الكرة وبدونها، كرة القدم تدور حول الفوز أو الخسارة، إذا فزت، سيكون الجميع سعداء”.

وأتم: “المهمة أسهل بالنسبة لي أيضًا، لكن عليك الاستعداد جيدًا، وانظر ماذا سيحدث وتأقلم، هذه عملية مستمرة، ونحن نعمل باستمرار، أنا أؤمن بالفريق، هناك أجواء جيدة والجميع يعرف ما يجب عليهم فعله”.

أعربت أماني حسن، والدة أحمد الجندي، لاعب منتخب مصر للخماسي الحديث عن سعادتها، بعد تتويج نجلها بالميدالية الذهبية في أولمبياد باريس 2024.

وكتبت أماني، عبر حسابها على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “فيس بوك”: “الله اكبر والعزة لله الحمد لله حمدًا كثيرًا مباركًا كما ينبغي لجلال والعظيم سلطانه”.

طالع..فيديو | سارة سمير تقدم وعدًا بعد التتويج بفضية رفع الأثقال في أولمبياد باريس

وتابعت: “ذلك فضل الله يؤتيه من يشاء والله ذو الفضل العظيم ذهبية تاريخية لابني حبيبي أحمد الجندي أسطورة الخماسي الحديث العالمي وأفضل رياضي في تاريخ مصر الحديث، تحيا مصر”.

وتوج أحمد الجندي، لاعب منتخب مصر للخماسي الحديث، بالميدالية الذهبية، اليوم السبت، ضمن منافسات أولمبياد باريس 2024.

وحصد الجندي الميدالية الثالثة للبعثة المصرية، في أولمبياد باريس، بعد التتويج بالميدالية الذهبية.

وحطم الجندي الرقم العالمي، في منافسات الخماسي الحديث بعدما جمع 1555 نقطة، خلال مشاركته في منافسات اليوم.

AB de Villiers is “extremely excited” to play cricket again in next month’s Mzansi Super League, Cricket South Africa’s new T20 competition. De Villiers, who announced his retirement from international cricket at the end of IPL 2018, is part of the Tshwane Spartans squad, and their game on the opening weekend of the MSL in November will mark the end of a six-month break from the game for him.”I haven’t played cricket for a while, but I am getting back into the swing of things,” de Villiers said at the Tshwane Spartans launch at their home ground, SuperSport Park. “I have had these kinds of breaks before and it is always a challenge to get fit and hit balls again. I am really looking forward to that, and what will be a really good challenge in the Mzansi Super League.”The MSL is CSA’s second attempt at their own home-grown T20 league, and though they are latecomers to the global T20 league circuit, de Villiers said the development was a major milestone in South African cricket.”It is a huge step in the right direction for Cricket South Africa, and South African cricket,” he said. “As a unit, we’ll be looking to not just pull this tournament off, but make it a great spectacle for fans around the world to enjoy.”The broadening of cricket’s fan base in South Africa has been central to CSA’s thinking in re-structuring their T20 league after the aborted first attempt. Financial stability could be a trickier challenge as the MSL’s first season will cost more than it brings in, with CSA budgeting for an R40 million (USD 2.7 million) loss, while it is understood that the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) picked up exclusive television rights to the tournament for free. But de Villiers insisted that the league had great potential.”It is difficult to say [how big the MSL could get] but the potential is huge,” de Villiers added. “This tournament will give us a feel of what to expect and where it is going to go, but it will get better every single year. In the beginning, the IPL was a bit slow because people did not know where it was going to go, but look at it now.”De Villiers’ return to franchise cricket in South Africa has been accompanied by rumours of a potential recall to the national squad ahead of next year’s World Cup in England, but he was quick to squash any comeback talk.”No, there is no comeback,” he said. “I made the mistake of saying ‘never say never’, which is a philosophy that I have always followed in my life. I was actually trying to say that I am focusing on the now, but it came out horribly wrong and the next minute there were headlines around the world.”I certainly do not want to confuse anyone around the world, especially the Proteas team. It will be very selfish and arrogant of me to throw statements around that I want to play at the World Cup. I am happy where I am and focusing on the now and I will never say ‘never say never’ again. My focus at the moment is to play good cricket in the Mzansi Super League for the Tshwane Spartans. I have been working hard to be fit.”De Villiers will join a Tshwane Spartans middle order that also includes England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan. “I am very happy because he [Morgan] is a great leader and he has been in fantastic form,” de Villiers said of Morgan. “He is a match-winner and I think we got lucky with him. I don’t know how he ended up in our team because I thought he was going to be picked up earlier. I am very happy to have him in our team.”

A Champions League player is readying an exit from his club, and Arsenal are believed to be interested in bringing him to the Premier League.

Arsenal form this season

The Gunners are back to winning ways after their 5-0 thrashing of Sheffield United at the weekend. An Eddie Nketiah hat-trick, a Fabio Vieira penalty and Takehiro Tomiyasu's late strike sealed a routine victory at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta's side have made it seven wins from a possible 10 in the top flight, and it's safe to say the Spaniard was overjoyed with one player in particular as Arsenal close the gap on table-topping Tottenham.

“I’m really happy for him, an academy player, to experience in the Premier League a hat-trick,” said Arteta on Nketiah after his three-goal haul.

“He needs to enjoy the moment. He fully deserves it and hopefully there are many more to come. He’s got an eye for goal. You look at his stats from the last 10 years. What he’s done is remarkable. He needs minutes, opportunities and service. If he gets that, Eddie is going to score goals, that’s for sure. He’s a great player for Arsenal. He can be better, yes. And the best thing is the talent that he’s got, but especially his mentality is incredible. When he has that mentality with that talent, he’s going to get much better.”

Arsenal next take on West Ham in the EFL Cup on Wednesday before their very tough away game to Newcastle United on Saturday.

Arsenal transfer targets – explained:

Nketiah's performance may well give Arsenal chiefs something to think about when the January transfer window reopens, as a lot of rumours have surrounded a potential new striker. According to recent reports, Arteta is targeting Brentford's Ivan Toney as an option, while Arsenal are also interested in Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa.

Wolves winger Pedro Neto is a target for Arsenal as well, with Arteta believed to want an alternative to star winger Bukayo Saka on the right hand side. There have been sporadic links to new defenders, too.

Indeed, according to Turkish newspaper Aksam, centre-back Victor Nelsson is "preparing to leave" Galatasaray as Arsenal eye a move to sign him. The Denmark international, who's featured regularly in the Champions League for manager Okan Buruk, is extremely likely to leave in January for what will be a club-record transfer. As well as the north Londoners, both rivals Tottenham and Dutch heavyweights Ajax are targeting him as well.

It's added that the price for his signature stands at around £13-£17 million, a fee which could prove bargain-worthy given Nelsson's been lavished with praise for his defending.

"Nelsson has fantastic defensive and positional awareness and has great knowledge of the game averaging overall 1.2 interceptions p90," wrote a Scout Report in 2020.

"He is great at clearing the ball from crosses and positions himself well in the box and is also great at heading away balls from corners. Nelsson also has great decision making when either stepping out or dropping deep and is rarely caught out."

Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi has revealed he's learned a lot about NFL after making the move to the United States.

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Messi embracing new life in MiamiLearning about American footballAlso reveals his other sporting passionsWHAT HAPPENED?

Messi is known throughout the world for being one of the greatest players ever to grace soccer, but he has revealed he does take an interest in other sports. The World Cup winner says his move to the United States has led to a new interest in American football and he has other listed his other favorite sports away from his own profession.

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He told the about his favorite sports: "Tennis, padel, basketball, and American football. I'm learning a lot about American football, getting to know it better, and loving it."

Inter Miami CFTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Messi's presence at Inter Miami has already drawn plenty of celebrities and stars from the worlds of tennis and American football to the MLS side. Tennis stars Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa have been gifted Messi shirts after taking in a visit to the club, while NFL players Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase were spotting wearing FC Cincinnati shirts when Messi arrived for a game with Inter Miami last season. Messi's arrival in the U.S. has prompted more than 1 million people tune in to watch Miami games, numbers only NFL and college football can compete with.

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Messi is currently out injured and missed Argentina's fixtures with Costa Rica and El Salvador over the international break. He is expected to return for Inter Miami's Champions Cup clash against Monterrey on April 3.

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O Santa Cruz continua irresistível na Série C. No Mangueirão, o Tricolor bateu o Remo por 2 a 0 e disparou como a melhor campanha do torneio. Agora, o time pernambucano é o líder da chave A, com 36. O clube paraense é o vice-líder, com 26.

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O jogo

Apesar dos desfalques, o Santa Cruz apresentou um bom volume na etapa inicial, mas faltou capricho. No segundo tempo, Jeremias, que saiu do banco de reservas e Hélio deram os três esperados pontos ao Santinha.

Com o placar conquistado fora de casa, o Santa garantiu com antecedência a liderança do seu grupo e cumpre tabela nas rodadas finais. O Remo ainda vai precisar buscar pontos para garantir a sua vaga.