Superstar Lionel Messi, the MLS Golden Boot winner and MLS MVP favourite, leads an MLS Best XI list this season that features representatives from nine clubs.

With 29 goals and 19 assists, the Inter Miami forward was one goal contribution shy of the league-record 49 set by Carlos Vela in 2019 and could be the first back-to-back MVP in league history.

Argentina's Messi is joined on the list, announced by MLS on Wednesday, by players from seven different countries, including six players who are honoured on the list for the first time.

The Philadelphia Union, with defenders Jakob Glesnes and Kai Wagner, and the Vancouver Whitecaps, with defender Tristan Blackmon and midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, were the only teams with more than one member.

The Best XI is determined annually by the media, MLS players and MLS club technical staff members.

The 2025 MLS Best XI:

Forwards: Denis Bouanga (LAFC), Anders Dreyer (San Diego FC), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF)

Midfielders: Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Evander (FC Cincinnati), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)

Defenders: Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps), Alex Freeman (Orlando City), Jakob Glesnes (Philadelphia Union), Kai Wagner (Philadelphia Union)

Goalkeeper: Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United FC)

Cristiano Ronaldo said he will retire "soon" and while he admits it will be difficult to bring his glittering career to an end the 40-year-old has been planning for his post-football life for some time.

The Al Nassr striker is the all-time leading goalscorer with 952 goals for club and country combined and said last month he is targeting 1 000 goals before quitting the game.

"Soon," the five-time Ballon d'Or winner said when he was asked when he would hang up his boots.

"I think I will be prepared. It will be very, very difficult," he said on Piers Morgan's Uncensored in an interview published on Tuesday.

"But, I have prepared my future since 25, 26, 27-years-old. I think I will be capable to support that pressure. Nothing will compare to the adrenaline you have to scoring a goal in football.

"But everything has a beginning and everything has an end. I'm going to have more time for myself, for my family, to raise my kids."

The former Manchester United forward says he still follows their results, despite bringing an unhappy second spell at the club to an end three years ago.

United endured their worst top-flight finish last season since they were relegated in 1973–74, coming 15th.

"I'm sad, because the club is one of the most important clubs in the world and a club that I still have in my heart," Ronaldo said.

"They don't have a structure. I hope that changes in the present and future, because the potential of the club is amazing.

"They are not on a good path. And it's not only about the coach and players, in my opinion... He (manager Ruben Amorim) is doing his best. What are you going to do? Miracles are impossible."

No filters. No scripts. Just us.

Coming soon with my friend @piersmorgan pic.twitter.com/UE1HSi2UOA

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) November 3, 2025

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed he plans to retire "soon" as the Portugal and Al Nassr star prepares for a tearful end to his glittering career.

Ronaldo discussed his thoughts on retirement and his life after football in an interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored.

The 40-year-old, who has scored a remarkable 952 goals, is one of the most decorated players in the history of the game, but the end is in sight for his astonishing career.

Asked when he would consider hanging up his boots, Ronaldo, who is under contract with Al Nassr until 2027, replied: "Soon. But I think I will be prepared.

"It will be tough, of course. It will be difficult? Yes. Probably will cry, yes. I'm an open person. It will be very, very difficult, yes.

"But Piers, I prepare my future since 25, 26, 27 years old, I prepare my future. So I think I will be capable to support that pressure."

Ronaldo is confident he will be able to cope without football because he wants to focus on his family and his off the pitch interests.

"Nothing will be able to compare that the adrenaline that we have for football to score a goal," he said.

"But everything has a beginning, and everything has an end. I have other passions. I'm going to have more time for me, I'm going to have more time for my family to raise my kids.

"I want to follow Cristiano Junior because he's at an age when kids do stupid things. I was the same. Mateo loves football as well.

"I want to do more fun things. I love playing Padel with my closest friends. We are getting quite good."

After starting his career with Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo enjoyed successful spells at Manchester United and Real Madrid, Juventus.

He won three Premier League titles and the Champions League among other trophies in his first stint in Manchester.

Ronaldo joined Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr after leaving United for a second time in 2022.

He still looks out for the Premier League club's results, given his affinity with their current manager – his former Portugal teammate Ruben Amorim.

But the five-time Ballon d'Or winner warned United fans to not expect miracles from Amorim, who is in the midst of a rollercoaster reign at Old Trafford following his arrival 12 months ago.

"He's doing his best," Ronaldo said. "What are you going to do? Miracles. Miracles is impossible.

"He's not going to do miracles. They have good players but they don't have, some of them, in mind what Manchester United is.

"Manchester United is still in my heart. I love that club. But we have all to be honest and look for ourselves and say, 'Listen, they are not in a good path'. So, they need to change and it's not only about the coach and players, in my opinion."

Al-Hilal secured a 2-1 win over Qatar's Al-Gharafa in Doha on Monday as the Saudi Pro League side continued their perfect start to the western league phase of the Asian Champions League Elite.

A ninth-minute header from Salem Al-Dawsari sent Simone Inzaghi's side on their way to victory, the Al-Hilal captain nodding in Joao Cancelo's clipped centre from the right byline.

Kaio Cesar doubled the visitors' lead in the 66th minute when he beat Khalifa Ababacar from distance while Ayoub Al-Ouwi's 97th minute strike was not enough to stop Al-Hilal notching up a fourth victory in a row.

The win takes Al-Hilal to 12 points, two clear of second-placed Al-Wahda from the United Arab Emirates in the 12-team standings. The top eight finishers in the league phase advance to March's knockout rounds.

Qatar's Al-Duhail claimed their first victory in the competition with a 4-1 thrashing of Paulo Sousa's previously unbeaten Shabab Al-Ahli with Edmilson Junior setting his side up for victory with a superb early strike.

The Belgium-born Qatar international burst down the left before cutting inside to bend a right-footed strike into the top corner with two minutes on the clock.

Benjamin Bourigeaud thumped home a second from 25 yards six minutes before the interval although Breno Cascardo's header halved the deficit three minutes later.

But an emphatic 57th minute strike by Adil Boulbina restored Al-Duhail's two-goal cushion and Luis Alberto sealed the win two minutes into added time.

"This is our first win in the Asian Champions League and all of the team played very well," said Edmilson Junior.

"When we play like that we are a good team and we need to keep going in this way."

Al-Wahda needed an 89th minute header from substitute Caio Canedo to pick up a 2-1 win over Uzbekistan's Nasaf in Qarshi as the side from the UAE battled back to claim a third victory of the campaign.

Nasaf had taken the lead through Sardorbek Bakhromov's perfectly struck curling effort from 20 yards out in the 43rd minute but Al-Wahda equalised through Favour Ogbu's header seven minutes into the second half.

The game looked to be heading for a draw until Caio pounced at close range to head in the winner after goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov had saved Mohammad Ghorbani's initial effort.

Iran's Tractor FC, meanwhile, moved up to third when Dragan Skocic's side sealed a narrow 1-0 win over Al-Shorta from Iraq with Mehdi Torabi scoring the game's only goal in the 26th minute.

Celtic beat bitter rivals Rangers 3-1 to reach the Scottish League Cup final on Sunday and maintain Martin O'Neill's perfect start since returning as interim manager.

O'Neill was taking charge for just the second game of his second spell after Brendan Rodgers resigned on Monday amid acrimonious relations with the club's board.

Celtic were on course to cruise towards the final against St. Mirren next month when Jonny Kenny opened the scoring and Thelo Aasgaard was sent-off before halftime.

But Rangers rallied to send the game to extra-time through James Tavernier's penalty.

Callum McGregor's long-range strike restored Celtic's advantage before teenager Callum Osmand steered in his first goal for the club.

Both sides of the Glasgow divide are under new management after poor starts to the season that has allowed Hearts to open up a nine-point lead in the Scottish Premiership.

Rangers boss Danny Rohl is also less than two weeks into his role and was given another example of the job he has to turn around a side that is 14 points behind Hearts in the league and bottom of the Europa League table.

The struggles of both teams showed in a tepid 0-0 draw in August, but the fire often associated with this fixture was back in abundance at Hampden.

Rangers escaped conceding a calamitous opener when Nasser Djiga blasted a clearance off teammate Nico Raskin and the ball rebounded into the net.

However, a VAR review spotted an offside against Daizen Maeda in the build-up.

Celtic did take the lead midway through the first half when Kenny headed in Arne Engels' corner.

The holders appeared on course for a comfortable passage to the final when Aasgaard was then shown a straight red card for a wild studs-up challenge on Anthony Ralston.

Celtic were lucky not to also be reduced to 10 men before halftime when Auston Trusty caught Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland on the head.

The unhappy final days of Rodgers' reign were beset by his frustration at Celtic's failure to add more quality in the final third during the transfer window.

That flaw remains very much an issue despite the departure of the former Liverpool boss as O'Neill could not contain his frustration at Celtic's inability to put the game beyond the 10 men in the second period.

A lack of killer instinct came back to haunt the Scottish champions when Ralston was penalised for handball 10 minutes from time.

Tavernier fired home the resulting penalty to send the game to extra-time.

However, Celtic finally made the man advantage count against a tiring Rangers in the extra 30 minutes.

Butland should have done better when McGregor blasted in from outside the area.

Osmand, who only made his debut off the bench in Wednesday's 4-0 win over Falkirk, then made sure of Celtic's place in the final when he slid in to meet Kieran Tierney's cross.

Bradley Carnell’s Philadelphia Union sailed past the first hurdle in the Major League Soccer playoffs as they beat Chicago Fire for a second week in a row to advance to the next stage in search of the title.

The former South African international coached his side to the top of the regular season standings in the North American league and on Saturday, they became the first team to clinch a spot in the Conference semifinals.

They produced a convincing 3-0 win away in Chicago to win the three-match series 2-0 and now wait to see whether they will play Charlotte FC or New York City FC, who are 1-1 after their second game of the playoffs and have a deciding game in Charlotte on Friday.

Union striker Tai Baribo scored twice in the opening 16 minutes, and Bruno Damiani added the other goal before halftime as the Union kept up their winning ways.

The 21-year-old former Stellenbosch centre-back Olwethu Makhanya was again in the starting line-up for Carnell’s side while Union goalkeeper Andre Blake saved Brian Gutiérrez's penalty kick in Chicago’s only real chance of the game.

“There is momentum and swings and sways of a game that determine the outcome, and if you concede a goal there, we are under pressure even at two to one,” Carnell said of Blake's heroics.

“In the last game, we scored a goal, and five minutes later, we are two up. When they scored a goal, five minutes later, it was two to two. These five-minute increments of the sway of the game are vitally important.”

Union now have time to prepare for the Conference semifinal and will host the match on either November 22 or 23.

“The guys seem to be galvanising in a really good way, positive energy,” said Carnell of his players. “Understanding roles, responsibilities, as they should by now. These guys empty the tank every single day.”

An 89th-minute goal from Lionel Messi was too little, too late as Nashville SC beat Inter Miami 2-1 on Saturday to stay alive in their MLS Cup round one playoff series.

First-half goals from Sam Surridge and Josh Bauer put Nashville in control at rainy Geodis Park in Tennessee and a Miami side led by Argentine superstar Messi couldn't find a way to respond.

Surridge converted a penalty in the ninth minute to put the hosts on top, slotting a low shot to the right of diving Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo.

Nashville were awarded the spot kick after Rios Novo hesitated coming off his line against a charging Surridge.

Bauer put Nashville up 2-0 on the stroke of halftime, sliding in a left-footed shot off a corner floated in by Hany Mukhtar.

Miami opened the second half in determined style, but Luis Suarez's close range shot in the 66th minute was parried by Nashville keeper Joe Willis.

Miami regained control of the ball but Ian Fray's quick attempt from inside the area was blocked.

Messi stepped it up in the waning minutes, his awkwardly angled shot from the right in the 85th minute blocked and a blast from the centre of the box saved in the 86th before he found the back of the net in the 89th.

Rodrigo De Paul found Messi at the top right corner of the box and the newly crowned MLS Golden Boot winner wrong-footed his defender and fired a left-footed shot into the top right corner to cut the deficit to one.

Miami had seized control of the series with a 3-1 game one win fueled by a Messi brace, but now they'll have to host a decisive game three.

It's an unwelcome reminder of last year, when Miami went into the playoffs having posted the best record in the regular season and won their opening game against Atlanta United only for Atlanta to win the next two and send them packing.

The winner of the series will play either Columbus or Cincinnati. Cincinnati take a 1-0 series lead into their game two on Sunday.

PHILADELPHIA ADVANCE

Philadelphia Union, the Eastern Conference top seeds and winners of the Supporters Shield with the best record in the league, reached the second round with a 3-0 victory over Chicago Fire.

Tai Baribo scored twice with crisp finishes in the eighth and 16th minutes and Bruno Damiani added a third in the 35th.

Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake saved a penalty from Brian Gutierrez in the 32nd and was rarely called on otherwise.

Philadelphia, who beat Chicago in a penalty shoot-out after playing to a 2-2 draw in game one, next face either Charlotte FC or New York City FC.

Charlotte forced a game three against NYCFC with a penalty shoot-out victory at Yankee Stadium.

Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina saved Agustin Ojeda's attempt on New York City's eighth attempt of the shoot-out, diving left to punch the ball away.

Charlotte triumphed in the shoot-out 7-6 after the teams played to a goalless draw, Nathan Byrne credited with the game-winner in the shoot-out with his blast up the middle past NYCFC keeper Matt Freese.

Charlotte, who dropped the opening game 1-0, will host game three on Friday.

Southampton manager Will Still insisted he will fight to save his job after a 2-0 home defeat against Preston sparked calls for his sacking on Saturday.

Still's side have lost three successive Championship matches and sit just three points above the relegation zone.

Already angered by last season's relegation from the Premier League, Saints fans made their displeasure clear by calling for owners Sport Republic to "get out of our club" and chanting "sack the board".

While the majority of the crowd's anger was aimed at the boardroom, Still, who arrived from French Ligue 1 club Lens in the summer, knows some supporters already want him out as well.

"I know where we are in the league and what that looks like from the outside," said the 33-year-old, whose coaching career was partly inspired by his passion for the video game Football Manager.

"I am not going to give up or feel sorry for myself. I will fight as long as I'm here. I'm not going to stop trying but I don't think it is an instant fix either – you don't come into a place like this and click your fingers.

"It is a fragile environment. The players are struggling for confidence in games.

"There is no point looking for excuses or saying 'this isn't fair' or 'isn't nice'. We need to grow a pair and get on with it."

Rob Edwards suffered a dismal return to Vicarage Road as Watford shocked second-placed Middlesbrough with a 3-0 victory.

Sacked by Watford after just 10 league games in 2022 before leading the Hornets' arch rivals Luton into the Premier League, Edwards received a frosty reception at his old club.

Edwards was taunted by the Hornets fans after losing to a goal from Imran Louza and Luca Kjerrumgaard's brace.

"We've have more shots today, but Watford scored three of theirs and we haven't scored any. We need to be more ruthless at the top end. It's a work in progress and we'll get there," Edwards said.

"Late on we chucked the kitchen sink at but it wasn't our day. We've done a lot of things right over the first 13 games, we've been very solid and there's been a lot to like."

Divin Mubama's first ever hat-trick inspired Stoke's 5-1 rout of play-off rivals Bristol City at the Bet365 Stadium.

The England Under-21 international had not scored since August but netted a first-half brace before completing his treble after the break.

Dutch winger Million Manhoef and Junior Tchamadeu also scored for Mark Robins' side, who leapfrogged the visitors in the play-off spots.

Oxford's Przemyslaw Placheta struck deep into stoppage-time to earn a 2-2 draw against fourth-placed Millwall, who were denied a fifth successive victory.

Hearts smashed Dundee 4-0 on Saturday to move nine points clear of reigning champions Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Goals from Lawrence Shankland and Landry Kabore in the space of seven first-half minutes put the hosts 2-0 up by the interval.

Kabore added his second before substitute Tomas Magnusson bagged his first goal for the club.

Hearts, held by St Mirren in midweek, took advantage of second-placed Celtic's involvement in Sunday's League Cup semifinal against Rangers.

Derek McInnes's team remain undefeated in 11 league games after the first quarter of the Premiership season, while back-to-back defeats leave Dundee second-bottom of the pile.

"A few weeks ago we set a challenge to the players, 'Can we be above Celtic before we play them?' And then 'Can we be top of the league after the first round of fixtures?'" said McInnes

"We've boxed off that little section now and we need to go again for the start of the next round.

"It's a good reference point for me in the sense of what can be done, and there are some difficult fixtures among that, some difficult challenges, and I feel as though the squad's getting stronger."

The home side opened the scoring in the 31st minute when Harry Milne sent a great ball into the box for Shankland to drill into the bottom right corner for his 10th goal of the season.

They doubled their lead in the 38th minute when Milne's corner from the left bounced around the box and fell to Kabore, who slammed into the net from close range to open his account for the club.

Kabore put Hearts 3-0 up in the 56th minute and substitute Magnusson made it four late on.

Celtic, under new manager Martin O'Neill following the shock departure of Brendan Rodgers, remain the bookies' favourites to win the Scottish Premiership.

But Hearts are in pole position to end the Celtic-Rangers domination of Scottish football.

No team outside the Glasgow giants have won the Scottish Premiership since Aberdeen in 1985.

Zamalek have parted ways with Belgian coach Yannick Ferrera following a 1-1 draw against National Bank of Egypt, which extended the side's winless streak in the Egyptian Premier League to four matches.

Ferrera, 45, was appointed in July, following success in his homeland such as winning the Belgian Cup with Standard Liege and leading Sint-Truiden to promotion. He also held managerial roles in Saudi Arabia.

Despite early optimism at the 14-time domestic champions, Ferrera struggled to produce consistent results. Zamalek are fourth in the league standings with 19 points from 11 matches - four behind leaders Ceramica Cleopatra, and trailing Al Ahly (22 points) and Al Masry (19) on goal difference.

"Following consultations with sporting director John Edward, the club’s board appointed former midfielder Ahmed Abdel Raouf as interim head coach," the club said in a statement.

Abdel Raouf is expected to remain in the role through the Egyptian Super Cup, set to be held in the United Arab Emirates later this month.

Kieffer Moore scored a perfect second-half hat-trick as Wrexham came from behind to beat Coventry 3-2 on Friday to hand the English Championship leaders their first league loss of the season.

Defeat for Coventry, managed by former England midfielder Frank Lampard, ended the Sky Blues' run of six straight league wins and left them just three points clear of second-placed Middlesbrough.

Victory took Wrexham, owned by the Hollywood duo of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, into the top half of the table.

Wrexham had their chances in the first half before Ephron Mason-Clark opened the scoring for Coventry.

You know it makes sense. Tonight’s hat-trick hero and Player of the Match 🤩

🔴⚪️ #WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/gGkhHpGGJ4

— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) October 31, 2025

But even at 1-0 up at halftime, Lampard said he "smelt" danger.

"We have had a challenging week because we lost three of the back four," he told Sky Sports.

"But that's not pointing at the players who came into those areas, that's looking at us as a whole and saying we were not quite at it today."

Lampard added: "I smelt it at halftime, even at 1-0 up. I could smell it. We just dropped a bit. Maybe that happens when you are 12 unbeaten and win six on the bounce.

"We can't believe our own hype. This league is long."

Wrexham boss have enjoyed three successive promotions under their famous owners, with manager Phil Parkinson saying: "That was a proper Wrexham performance, which our fans have been used to over the years."

Coventry, bidding for promotion to the Premier League, went ahead in the 22nd minute.

Mason-Clark swept home a first-time finish on the half-volley from Tatsuhiro Sakamoto's excellent cross out on the right after beating the offside trap.

But Wrexham were level on the hour mark to the delight of the home crowd at the Racecourse Ground.

Issa Kabore fed Josh Windass down the right and his cross was turned home by the sliding Moore with a right-foot finish.

Nine minutes later, a throw down the right wing led to another assist from Windass with his ball nodded in by Moore.

The Wales striker then took his impressive goal tally this season for Wrexham to nine in 16 appearances seven minutes from time when, with Windass the provider again, Moore drilled a low, left-foot shot into the far corner of the net.

Coventry game themselves a lifeline in the 88th minute when Japan forward Sakamoto let fly with a superb left-foot shot that curled into the far corner.

But Wrexham, beaten by Welsh rivals Cardiff in the League Cup in midweek, saw the game out.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) on Friday suspended 149 referees accused of betting on matches.

The TFF said in a statement that its disciplinary committee had handed out suspensions ranging from eight to 12 months, the TFF said, adding that investigations are continuing into three other referees.

An investigation by the federation into 571 referees in the Turkish professional leagues revealed on Monday that 371 of them had sports betting accounts and 152 were actively betting.

"Refereeing is a profession of honour," said TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu on Thursday."

"Anyone who tarnishes that honour...will never again be involved in Turkish football,"

The TFF said on Monday that 22 of the officials (seven match referees and 15 assistants) work in the top league.

Ten of the referees listed by the TFF placed more than 10 000 bets, with one of them alone placing 18 227 bets.

Forty-two referees each bet on more than 1 000 football matches, the head of Turkish football said on Friday.

However, he did not specify whether any of them were suspected of betting on matches they had officiated.

An investigation has also been launched by the Istanbul public prosecutor's office.

🚨🇹🇷It has been discovered that out of the 571 Turkish referees, 371 of them have betting accounts used for football…

42 of them have placed bets on over 1000 matches

A HUGE scandal is about to be unfolded🤯 pic.twitter.com/J3Qei4rST3

— The 44 ⚽️ (@The_Forty_Four) October 28, 2025

Saudi Arabia declined an offer to sign Lionel Messi for a short-term stint in the Saudi Pro League before next year's World Cup, according to a senior sports official.

"During the last Club World Cup, Messi's team contacted me and offered for him to play in Saudi Arabia because the MLS will stop for nearly four months," Abdullah Hammad, CEO of the Mahd Sports Academy, said during a podcast with Saudi platform Thmanyah.

"The player wanted to remain in shape and prepare himself for the upcoming 2026 World Cup."

"This happened with David Beckham when he was with Los Angeles Galaxy and went to AC Milan (in 2010)," he added.

Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi moved to Inter Miami in 2023 after being linked with a switch to Saudi Arabia. That followed a two-year spell with Paris Saint-Germain, the club he joined in 2021 after ending his long association with Barcelona.

Hammad explained that he relayed the offer to the minister of sports, who rejected it. "The minister made it clear that the Saudi league would not serve as a preparation platform for other tournaments," he said.

In response to a question about whether Saudi Arabia had rejected Messi, he replied: "That's true."

Since the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr after the last World Cup, the Saudi league has attracted numerous stars from major European clubs, including Neymar and Karim Benzema, while the kingdom has been awarded the hosting rights for the 2034 World Cup.

Michelle Agyemang suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament during England's friendly victory over Australia earlier this week, with the injury set to keep the forward sidelined for the rest of the season, her club Arsenal confirmed on Thursday.

England won 3-0 at Derby's Pride Park but the friendly was overshadowed by Agyemang's knee injury as she was carried off the field on a stretcher.

Agyemang had joined Brighton & Hove Albion on loan for the 2025-26 season.

"We can confirm that Michelle Agyemang suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury while playing in England's 3-0 win over Australia in Derby on Tuesday," Arsenal said in a statement.

"The 19-year-old forward... will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season as a result of the injury. We are in close contact with Brighton as we determine a treatment and recovery programme for Michelle."

England's Football Association said she would also have their full support as she starts her rehabilitation.

"Disappointed that results show a torn ACL," Agyemang wrote on Instagram.

"Recovery starts now, I will be back stronger than before."

Mikel Arteta hailed Max Dowman's "special" performance after the 15-year-old prodigy became Arsenal's youngest-ever starter in Wednesday's 2-0 win over Brighton in the League Cup fourth round.

Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka scored in the second half at the Emirates Stadium as Premier League leaders Arsenal earned a quarterfinal at home to Crystal Palace.

But it was Dowman, still two months shy of his 16th birthday, who stole the show with a dazzling display that climaxed when he was given a standing ovation after coming off in the second half.

Gunners boss Arteta was delighted with Dowman's composed performance, which belied his tender years, even if his shy response to being picked was more in keeping with someone still of school age.

"A tiny smile, that's what you get with him," said Arteta when asked how Dowman reacted when he told him he was starting.

"For him everything is natural, for him everything is OK. It's the way he plays and that's the secret, that he doesn't make a big fuss of it.

"He just does what he does best, which is to play football. To play football with a lot of courage and determination and today again, he has shown some incredible skill, some capacity to run past players at that level in the Premier League at 15. It's definitely something special."

The highly-rated teenager previously came off the bench in the league against Leeds and Liverpool and the last round of the League Cup at Port Vale.

Having got a taste of starting, Arteta expects Dowman to be pushing for more regular action.

"For sure, if you ask him. That's what we have to manage and not only that, there's a lot of things that are new in his life," he said.

"We have to make sure that he takes the right steps and he needs be able to cope with it, too, because it's happening very, very fast and we all need to be aware of that.

"Let's encourage him to keep going that way, but let's protect him as well."

Harry Kane grabbed a double as Bayern Munich set a European record of 14 successive victories to start a season with their 4-1 win at Cologne in the German Cup second round on Wednesday.

Kane's first, an incredible curling strike on the turn, and a second-half header brought his tally to 22 goals in 14 games this season.

Wingers Luis Diaz and Michael Olise also got on the scoresheet for the 20-time German Cup winners.

Cologne's Ragnar Ache scored the opener, which put Bayern behind for the first time in a match this season.

Bayern's victory bettered the record of 13 wins to start a season in all competitions set by Fabio Capello's AC Milan in 1992-93 – the previous best mark in Europe's top-five leagues.

The in-form England captain Kane has scored two hat-tricks and six braces in Bayern's record-breaking run, only failing to score in two of the 14 matches.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany was careful to praise Kane's all-round contribution, as the striker continued to drop deep and create.

"It's funny sometimes – at the end of the game I asked someone if Harry scored today, and he said 'yes, two goals'," Kompany told Germany's ARD.

"Sometimes you don't even notice it, because of all the other stuff he does for the team."

Earlier, Bayer Leverkusen scored two goals after the 120-minute mark to win 4-2 at a 10-man Paderborn.

A frustrating night for the 2024 German domestic double winners looked destined to go to spot-kicks until 19-year-old Ibrahim Maza netted to spare Leverkusen's blushes against their second-division opponents, who had not lost since August.

Aleix Garcia then added gloss to the result with Paderborn pushing for an equaliser.

In regulation time, Alejandro Grimaldo's 60th-minute free-kick for Leverkusen – his fourth dead-ball goal this season – was cancelled out when Paderborn's Stefano Marino scored in the 90th minute.

Then in extra-time, Paderborn, who were reduced to 10 men before the hour for a last-man foul which led to Grimaldo's free-kick, stunningly took the lead through Sven Michel on 96 minutes.

But former Liverpool centre-back Jarell Quansah made it 2-2 shortly before the extra-time interval.

Winners in 2023-24, Leverkusen will be joined by current cup holders Stuttgart, who won 2-0 at Mainz thanks to goals from Luca Jaquez and captain Atakan Karazor.

Centre-back Jaquez rose high to head in a corner with six minutes gone. With 73 minutes played, Karazor blasted in on the counter after Germany midfielder Angelo Stiller's clever dummy fooled the home defence.

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius endured an unhappy night as his Schalke side were thumped 4-0 by fellow second-division side Darmstadt.

Wednesday's other winners Union Berlin, Freiburg, Magdeburg, and Kaiserslautern join Borussia Dortmund, Hertha Berlin, RB Leipzig, Hamburg, St Pauli, Borussia Moenchengladbach, Holstein Kiel and Bochum in the last 16.

Lucy Bronze scored a birthday goal as England's women beat 10-player Australia 3-0 in a friendly in Derby on Tuesday.

Australia hoped to avenge their World Cup semifinal loss to the Lionesses in 2023, but European champions England were on top form in the second game of their 'homecoming tour' at sold-out Pride Park.

England bounced back from their defeat to Brazil three days earlier, taking advantage of Alanna Kennedy's 19th-minute red card.

Sarina Wiegman's side have been accused of starting slowly recently, but first half goals from Aggie Beever-Jones and Bronze, on her 34th birthday, ensured they made a fast opening this time.

🎂 pic.twitter.com/3Hbdo4dBPp

— Lionesses (@Lionesses) October 28, 2025

A celebratory evening for the hosts was marred by the sight of England striker Michelle Agyemang being stretchered off after she went down clutching her knee.

Georgia Stanway put the seal on England's one-sided victory with a stoppage-time penalty.

Australia have just two wins from their first five games under coach Joe Montemurro.

PUTELLAS SCORES AGAIN TO LEAD SPAIN INTO  NATIONS LEAGUE FINAL

Elsewhere, two-time Ballon D'Or winner Alexia Putellas scored again Tuesday to ensure Spain will defend their women's Uefa Nations League title against the victors of the France-Germany semifinal.

After putting four goals past Sweden in the first leg of the last-four draw, Spain came away with a 1-0 victory in Gothenburg to advance with a 5-0 aggregate.

The two-legged final will be held on November 28 and December 2.

Putellas, who bagged two goals in the first leg, scored in the 74th minute from only Spain's second strike on target despite dominating possession.

She calmly slotted into the top corner with a classy first-time finish after Claudia Pina, teed up by Aitana Bonmati, played a clever pass.

The best! pic.twitter.com/2nQuq0fhmX

— Team Alexia Putellas (@TeamPutellas) October 28, 2025

Adidas and Orlando Pirates Football Club are proud to unveil the Club’s Third Jersey, a bold new chapter in South African football design and culture.

As the Club continues to excel across multiple competitions, a third kit has become both a necessity of performance and a reflection of creativity - a canvas that blurs the lines between football and fashion, sport and art, and club and culture.

The Orlando Pirates Third Jersey draws inspiration from the iconic Orlando Towers - a landmark that stands as a symbol of Soweto pride, community, and artistic expression.

The design features vibrant brushstroke patterns that flow across the jersey to form the bones of the legendary skull and crossbones, a symbol synonymous with Orlando Pirates’ spirit of pride, resilience, and defiance.

The blue dawn colour highlighted by the light orchid echoes the vibrancy, diversity and beauty of kasi living, and the dynamic energy that unites players, fans, and the township streets.

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐲

💻 Full Details: https://t.co/KSeHNTZcDg

⚫⚪🔴⭐#OrlandoPirates#OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/xMdYDhNd1e

— Orlando Pirates (@orlandopirates) October 28, 2025

The kit’s interlock base fabric ensures performance comfort on the pitch, while the crew-neck collar and shell cuffs with subtle tipping details deliver a premium lifestyle aesthetic off it.

Designed for fans who live and express their football identity daily, the jersey becomes both a symbol of pride and a statement of individuality.

As Orlando Pirates chase glory across all competitions, this Third Jersey stands as a testament to evolution - a club unafraid to innovate, express, and celebrate its roots.

The Orlando Pirates Third Jersey will be available from 14 November in limited quantities at adidas stores, select retailers, and online at www.orlandopiratesfc.com and adidas.co.za

A Togolese international footballer who broke his neck during a match in China has made an extraordinary recovery and may return to playing in a matter of months, his agent and club told AFP on Tuesday.

Samuel Asamoah, 31, ploughed head-first into a pitch-side LED advertising panel after being shoved by an opponent while jostling for the ball earlier this month.

The midfielder's club, second-tier Guangxi Pingguo, said at the time he had fractures in his neck and nerve damage and was at risk of "high-level paraplegia" – warning his "career may also be seriously affected".

But Asamoah's agent Avram Marius told AFP in a message that "he is okay" and "doing the recovery".

"In two months he can play normally," he added.

His club was more cautious and put Asamoah's return to football at an estimated "three to six months".

"Currently (Asamoah) is doing some basic strength recovery," a Guangxi representative who wished not to be named told AFP in a separate message.

In a video posted by his team on Friday, Asamoah looked to be walking with ease as he visited a fruit shop.

He shook hands as he met people at an elderly care centre.

"I always thank God for the gift of life," said Asamoah, wearing a neck brace, in the video.

Asamoah spent most of his career in Belgium before moving to China last year.

He has played six times for Togo, according to football statistics website transfermarkt.com.

Lionel Messi wants to play for Argentina in next year's World Cup, but he says he will listen to his body before deciding whether he can make that dream come true.

The 38-year-old striker for Inter Miami of MLS led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title and yearns to be on the field when the "Albiceleste" defend the crown next year in North America.

Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi told NBC News in an interview broadcast on Monday that he will see next year how his body feels before deciding on whether or not he can play in the World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

"It's something extraordinary to be able to be in a World Cup and I would love to," said Messi, who turns 39 next June.

"I would like to be there, to be well and be an important part of helping my national team, if I am there.

"And I'm going to assess that on a day-to-day basis when I start preseason next year with Inter and see if I can really be 100 per cent, if I can be useful to the group, to the national team, and then make a decision."

Messi, who has been playing professionally since 2004, wants the chance for one more star turn on football's biggest stage.

"I'm really eager because it's a World Cup. We're coming off winning the last World Cup and being able to defend it on the field again is spectacular because it's always a dream to play with the national team, especially in official competitions."

Messi, who debuted with Barcelona in LaLiga at age 17, joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 and moved to MLS in 2023.

"The truth is that I like everything about living here," Messi said of Miami.

"I spent a lot of time in Barcelona, which for me is an extraordinary city, where I grew up and had many spectacular moments, and which we miss a lot.

"But Miami is a city that allows us to live very well, that makes us enjoy life, that allows us to be calm, that allows the kids to be themselves and live day to day."

Messi has 195 appearances for the Argentine national team, scoring 114 goals.