A-LEAGUE WOMEN
Wellington sign Priestman
Bev Priestman, who was sacked as Canada’s women’s coach for her part in the use of drones to spy on the opposition at the Paris Olympics, is to make her return to the game in New Zealand with the Wellington Phoenix. The 39-year-old Englishwoman, who led Canada to Olympic gold in 2021, has just completed a one-year FIFA ban from soccer-related activity for her role in flying a drone over a closed New Zealand training session at last year’s Summer Games. Priestman was handed a two-year deal by the Phoenix to coach their women’s side, who finished ninth of the 12 teams in the otherwise Australian A-League Women earlier this year. “We’re really pleased to be able to welcome Bev back to football,” Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison said in a club statement. “We all know she’s had a period of time away from the game, but we understand the circumstances and we’re really comfortable with this appointment. This is a step up in an exciting era for the Phoenix women’s team.” Priestman is no stranger to her new home, having previously served as New Zealand Football’s director of soccer development and married former Football Ferns midfielder and Phoenix academy director Emma Humphries.
Photo: AFP
LA LIGA
Mbappe to wear No. 10
Kylian Mbappe is to follow Real Madrid greats Ferenc Puskas, Clarence Seedorf and Luis Figo by wearing the iconic No. 10 jersey after Luka Modric’s departure to AC Milan, the club said on Tuesday. The 26-year-old France forward wore the No. 8 shirt in his debut season after arriving from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. He scored 44 goals in all competitions in the 2024-2025 season, although he failed to lift a major trophy. Among the other elite players to wear the No. 10 shirt for Real Madrid are Gheorghe Hagi, Michael Laudrop, Robinho and Mesut Ozil.
LA LIGA
Barcelona honor Bryant
Spanish club Barcelona are paying tribute to NBA legend Kobe Bryant with their second uniform launched on Tuesday. The La Liga champions said that their new jersey would replace the usual Nike swoosh logo “with the Kobe Sheath — the sword in the sheath logo that identifies the Kobe Bryant brand.” Barcelona said that the club had a special relationship with Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in southern California in 2020. He made appearances alongside club members and first-team players during his visits to Barcelona and when the club visited the US. “The shorts are black with Persian violet details and a textured snakeskin outline, a reference to the Black Mamba alter ego of Kobe,” Barcelona said. The change, made in collaboration with Nike, would last three seasons. “All in all, it is part of a brand collaboration between the NBA legend and FC Barcelona that is born out of a shared culture of sporting excellence that characterized Bryant and is also part of FC Barcelona’s DNA,” the club said. “This agreement aims to keep alive that notion of brotherhood and at the same time create a link between Kobe fans and FC Barcelona to make the global impact of the American’s legacy even greater amongst the sporting community and fans.”
Kylian Mbappe struck from the penalty spot as Real Madrid beat a dogged CA Osasuna 1-0 on Tuesday to make a winning start in Spanish La Liga under new coach Xabi Alonso. The France striker, last season’s European Golden Shoe winner, scored early in the second half, after he was fouled in the area by Osasuna defender Juan Cruz. It was enough to seal the points in Alonso’s first game in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Madrid now unbeaten in their opening fixture of a league campaign since 2008. “You can see that Kylian wants to do even more
Spanish champions Barcelona opened their Spanish La Liga campaign on Saturday with an island cruise as they played almost an hour against nine men on their way to a 3-0 victory in RCD Mallorca. Barcelona’s second-half stroll did not please coach Hansi Flick. “They’re three important points, but I didn’t like the match,” he told broadcaster Movistar. “After going two goals up and following Mallorca’s two red cards, I think the team only gave 50 percent, and I didn’t like that,” he said. “Playing at 50 or 60 per cent is not possible against nine players.” Two of Barcelona’s Ballon
Manchester City signaled their intent to take back the English Premier League title as Erling Haaland struck twice in a 4-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday to begin their campaign. After four consecutive titles, City finished a distant third last season as Pep Guardiola’s men failed to win any trophy for the first time in eight years. New signings Tijjani Reijnders, who was the star of the show at Molineux, and Rayan Cherki were also on target to give Guardiola hope his side would be back in the title race this season. “We knew he is a top signing
Kevin de Bruyne is to lead SSC Napoli’s Serie A title defense today when he makes his full debut at promoted US Sassuolo, but the champions head into the new season rocked by a long-term injury to star striker Romelu Lukaku. De Bruyne was, alongside aging icon Luka Modric, the big new name to arrive in Italy this summer and fans were hoping his linkup with Belgium teammate Lukaku would push Napoli to success both at home and in their return to the UEFA Champions League. The 34-year-old has suffered from hamstring injuries which caused him to miss significant chunks of the
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