Griffey sets Sounders goal of becoming Yankees of MLS

Baseball great Ken Griffey Jr wants to help the Seattle Sounders become the closest thing MLS has to the New York Yankees.

The former Seattle Mariners star has joined the ownership group of the Sounders, which also includes Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and chart-topping rapper Macklemore.

Griffey, a Baseball Hall of Famer who hit 630 MLB home runs in his career to sit seventh on the all-time list, spent 13 years with the Mariners and retired in 2010.

The 50-year-old father-of-three said of his and wife Melissa s investment in the MLS side: I wanted to be a part of something, not only for myself, but for my kids to be proud of. This is it.

A club true to its city. 

We welcome Ken Griffey Jr. and his wife, Melissa, to the Sounders Family!

Haaland targets historic goal as Salzburg aim to deny Liverpool – Champions League in Opta numbers

Champions League holders Liverpool need at least a point against Salzburg to secure their progression from Group E, though they will come up against an Erling Haaland in sensational form.

Salzburg s youngster has found the net in all of their group games so far this season and will become the first player to convert in his first six Champions League appearances should he score for Salzburg against the Reds.

Barcelona have top spot in Group F secured but Inter still have it all to play for on Tuesday as they look to edge out Borussia Dortmund, and Antonio Conte s side have no Lionel Messi to worry about, with Ernesto Valverde resting Barca s talisman.

Chelsea will look to end a five-match winless run at home in the Champions League to ensure their place in the las…

Juventus 2-0 Napoli: Ronaldo inspires Supercoppa glory for Bianconeri

Cristiano Ronaldo s 760th goal in professional football helped deliver Supercoppa Italiana glory for Juventus as they beat Napoli 2-0 after Lorenzo Insigne s penalty miss.

Having seen their aspirations of again retaining the Serie A title dealt a blow by a 2-0 loss to rivals Inter, Juve could have been considered vulnerable to a Napoli side coming off a 6-0 thumping of Fiorentina.

But Andrea Pirlo s men grew into the game in the second half and Ronaldo rewarded their efforts with what proved to be the decisive goal in the 64th minute.

Pirlo s first title as Juve head coach came with a dramatic conclusion, however, Insigne incredibly chipping wide from the spot after Weston McKinnie had felled Dries Mertens before Napoli were caught cold on an injury-time counter …

Club World Cup: Sextuple takes Bayern to the top of the mountain, but where do they go now?

For 12 months, Bayern Munich have won and won again.

This time a year ago, Bayern were just a point clear at the top of the Bundesliga with the knockout stages of the Champions League still to negotiate.

But an outstanding, record-breaking 23-match winning run – the longest by a German club since the formation of the Bundesliga – took in four titles: the league, the DFB-Pokal, a sixth European crown and the UEFA Super Cup.

Since the conclusion of that remarkable stretch, which started on February 16 and ended with defeat on September 27, Bayern have added the DFL-Supercup, three days after the Hoffenheim loss, and now, with victory over Tigres UANL on Thursday, the FIFA Club World Cup.

Hansi Flick s side have bettered the efforts of their class of …

Messi bids to end goalless home return – Champions League in Opta numbers

Lionel Messi is bidding to score at home in the Champions League for the first time this season as Barcelona take on Borussia Dortmund.

The Argentina international fired his latest blank in the 0-0 draw with Slavia Prague three weeks ago, leaving his side with work to do if they are to progress to the last 16.

Barca will be through if they beat Dortmund or if they draw and Inter fall to defeat at Slavia in the other Group F contest taking place on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, holders Liverpool host Napoli at Anfield aiming to avenge a 2-0 defeat from the reverse fixture, while Chelsea will reach the knockout stages with victory against Valencia.

Below, we have highlighted the key data ahead of Wednesday s eight matches.

 

Barcelona v Borussia D…

June 4th: Sunday’s La Liga Double – 6/1 Special, Betting Tips & Predictions

With Barcelona eventually breezing their way to a first domestic crown since 2019, it will be the other end of the La Liga table that steals all of the headlines this weekend.

Opening the final round of La Liga fixtures with just two points separating Valladolid in 18th and Cadiz who currently sit in 12th, the race for top-flight safety is certainly going down to the wire.

For those of you that are looking to place a final weekend flutter, we have created your ultimate Sunday Double ahead of what looks set to be a rollercoaster evening from across Spain s elite.

17:30 Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao

While Real Madrid might have suffered a public Champions League nightmare last month as they slumped to a 5-1 aggregate defeat against Manchester City, Los …

Ronaldo as hungry as ever as Portugal set sights on second European crown

Cristiano Ronaldo will head into his record sixth European Championship as hungry as his first as he targets a dream second title with Portugal.

The 39-year-old scored 10 goals in Euro 2024 qualifying only Belgium s Romelu Lukaku (14) had more as Portugal cruised to the finals.

Ronaldo is no longer a guaranteed starter under Roberto Martinez, but he continues to show his importance for his country when called upon.

The five-time Ballon d Or winner struck twice in Tuesday s 3-0 friendly win over Republic of Ireland his 34th brace at international level.

And heading into what could be his final major tournament for 2016 winners Portugal, Ronaldo is relishing the chance to go out on a high.

For me, playing for the national team is a passion, a love,…

Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool (aet, 10-11 pens): Substitution backfires for Tuchel as Kepa misses decisive p

Liverpool won the EFL Cup by beating Chelsea on penalties following a goalless draw at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, with Kepa Arrizabalaga missing the 22nd kick of the shoot-out.

A tight encounter saw several big chances missed and four goals disallowed in all, before Kepa – who was brought on specifically for the shoot-out – missed the decisive penalty.

The remarkable finish means Liverpool have now won a record nine EFL Cups – one more than Manchester City – with this Jurgen Klopp s first domestic cup since arriving at Anfield in 2015.

European and world champions Chelsea will rue their wasted opportunities even before the spot-kicks in their fourth consecutive domestic final defeat.

Klopp had been dealt a blow before kick-off when Thiago…

´If they want me, I will stay´ – Fernandes on Man Utd future

Bruno Fernandes says he will stay at Manchester United if the club wants him to be part of their future.

As the transfer window draws closer, the United captain is reportedly attracting interest from several Saudi Pro League clubs and Bayern Munich.

Fernandes, who joined the Red Devils from Sporting CP in January 2020, has two years left on his current contract after signing an extension in 2022.

Speaking to Sky Sports after their 3-2 win over Newcastle United on Wednesday, Fernandes stated his commitment to the club.

If they want me, I will stay, he said. I will be here until I said the club needs to want me.

I feel that the club wants me to be a part of the future, so, as I said always, I don t want to be a player that the club doesn t want to…

Alaba makes Madrid return for Champions League final

David Alaba has taken his place in Real Madrid s starting line-up for the first time in over a month for the Champions League final against Liverpool on Saturday.

Alaba had been out of action since being substituted at half-time during Madrid s 4-3 semi-final first-leg defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, with Nacho starting instead when Carlo Ancelotti s men sealed a 6-5 aggregate victory with a stunning comeback at the Santiago Bernabeu earlier this month.

The Austria defender s selection in Paris was the only change to the Madrid side that started that second leg, with attacking duo Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema again leading the line.

Those two have assisted one another a combined 18 times in all competitions this season, the most of any pa…