MANCHESTER — Soccer fans are buzzing about a Women's World Cup ad featuring French stars Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann - or so it seems at first.
In Telecom company Orange's campaign aimed at challenging people's perceptions of women's soccer, the two-minute ad appears to show a display of magical soccer skills from diving headers to curling free kicks by Mbappe, Griezmann and others.
Then comes the twist.
Nike went all out on their latest commercial featuring United States women’s national team star Sophia Smith.
Released on Saturday, the 60-second commercial features an unnamed defender being haunted by Smith ahead of the 2023 World Cup.
The ad is a nod to the 2022 film “Smile” which I had to look up when writing this article and boy was that a little too spooky for me.
Thankfully Nike’s ad is a little more family friendly but will still be fear-inducing for defenders going up against Smith in Australia and New Zealand.
Lionel Messi had a close call today nearly getting into a car accident leaving Inter Miami practice. A video posted by TyC Sports shows Messi in a white car running a red light and almost getting hit by cars going through the intersection.
Everton midfielder Dele Alli has revealed that he was sexually abused as a child and dealt drugs before he was adopted by an "amazing" family who helped him to turn his life around.
Alli, a former England international, also said in an interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap that he recently spent six weeks in rehab as a result of an addiction to sleeping pills.
The Brazil women's national team has arrived in Australia to begin preparations for the World Cup, where they'll open play on July 24 against Panama in Adelaide.
The squad played one final send-off match on July 2 in Brasília — hammering Chile 4-0 in front of over 15,000 — before heading to the local airport the following day.
It was an emotional send-off for 23-year-old forward Nycole Raysla, who's from the city and whose father actually works for the airport. The pair brushed away tears as Nycole said her goodbyes before jetting away to fulfill her life's ambition.
The U.S. women's national soccer team will receive the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at next month's ESPYs in recognition of their fight for equal pay with their male counterparts, ESPN said on Wednesday.
The award, which is given to an individual or group in the sporting world that makes a difference beyond the field of play, will be presented on July 12, before the women's squad kick off their bid for a third consecutive World Cup title on July 22.
We spent over a decade thinking Lionel Messi was Cristiano Ronaldo's biggest nemesis, but how wrong we were: the player's real enemy is no other than the wrinkles surrounding his eyes.
He hates them.
I know it sounds egregious, but we have proof.
Cristiano scores a bazillion goals every season and keeps his body in perfect shape, masking the fact he's already 38. But he's no fool. He knows that the passage of time is ruthless, and he's very conscious of it.
Take, for instance, his last game against Iceland.
New Zealand Football (NZF) said it will contact FIFA about protecting players from racism after the men's national team abandoned a friendly against Qatar at halftime in protest at an alleged racist slur against one of their players.
New Zealand said a Qatari opponent directed a "significant racist slur" at All Whites defender Michael Boxall, who has Samoan heritage, shortly before the interval.
Ajax Amsterdam's women's team will not be honored with a public celebration in the Dutch capital on Monday despite claiming the Eredivisie title, as club officials fear the poor performance of the men's team this season will solicit a lukewarm response.
Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema had invited the triumphant women's team for a customary balcony ceremony in the city's famous Leidseplein square, but Ajax declined the offer, leading to a significant backlash.
MANCHESTER — As a big fan of Apple TV's popular soccer comedy "Ted Lasso", Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he was happy to appear as himself on the show's penultimate episode that aired this week.
"As a family, my little daughter Valentina and my wife, we enjoy a lot to watch the show," Guardiola told a press conference on Friday. "We are big fans, and when they offered a cameo, I said why not and I could meet the actors.
"We are so proud, honestly, we are so proud to make known around the world Man City who we are."