Informational/Did You Know

Lionel Messi's transfer to Inter Miami has set MLS on a path to the stars. Literally. And the Magic Messi effect on MLS is just getting started.

Saudi Arabia is attempting what China failed to do in the late 2010s and attract the big soccer names away from Europe to their country’s top league. The list of players going to Saudi Arabia or that have been linked grows by the day.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the first major domino to fall in December when the Portuguese star joined Al Nassr and is expected to make $75 million a year.

It's a record that you'd imagine can never be broken, but that's exactly what you would've thought about the previous mark. In 2022, on a Wednesday night in Sunderland, the world record for the longest penalty shootout ever was set when Washington and Bedlington Terriers went 27 rounds — taking 54 penalties total — after a 3-3 draw in the Ernest Armstrong Memorial Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo has yet again left the competition behind as the five-time Ballon D'Or winner was named Instagram top earner for the third year in a row. He beat out some of the world's most famous celebrities, influencers, and athletes to earn his crown as the top paid person on Instagram in 2023.

Ronaldo, who in July was ranked as the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes for the first time since 2017 following his move to Saudi Arabia, has now topped the 2023 Instagram Rich List, a global marker of online influence.

BREAKING: In a shocking twist the deal between Tyler Adams and Chelsea collapsed at the very last minute after Moisés Caicedo turned down Liverpool's offer and chose Chelsea.

Tyler Adams deal, currently OFF after Chelsea decision to bid again for Moisés Caicedo — as @skysports_sheth called earlier #CFC

There can be zero question over the value of MLS Season Pass on Apple TV now. Lionel Messi's arrival at Inter Miami turned the streaming service into the hottest thing since the first guy to open a sandwich shop, and it certainly doesn't hurt when you also get to see Sergio Busquets apply tennis ball-like spin to his entry passes in 1080p. Oh, Jordi Alba's here too.  

So when does Messi play again? Messi next match for Miami is part of a string of fixtures coming in hot for the Herons as they fight on three fronts: Leagues Cup, U.S. Open Cup and MLS.

Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has retired from football, the 45-year-old announced on Wednesday, after 28 years in which he reached exceptional milestones for club and country.

Buffon, who in 2006 lifted the World Cup, won 10 Serie A titles with Juventus and a Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain.

"That's all folks! You gave me everything. I gave you everything. We did it together," Buffon said in a statement.