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Ancelotti: Bellingham is Great, but I'll Stick with Madrid Youngsters

Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti waits for the start of a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Valladolid and Real Madrid at the Jose Zorrilla stadium in Valladolid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)
Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti waits for the start of a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Valladolid and Real Madrid at the Jose Zorrilla stadium in Valladolid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)
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Ancelotti: Bellingham is Great, but I'll Stick with Madrid Youngsters

Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti waits for the start of a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Valladolid and Real Madrid at the Jose Zorrilla stadium in Valladolid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)
Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti waits for the start of a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Valladolid and Real Madrid at the Jose Zorrilla stadium in Valladolid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)

Carlo Ancelotti hailed English midfielder Jude Bellingham, who has been linked with a move to his Real Madrid team, but said Friday he has plenty of young talent at his fingertips already.

Los Blancos have three of the most exciting midfield prospects in world football in Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Fede Valverde, AFP said.

Borussia Dortmund's Bellingham played well for England during the World Cup in Qatar until Gareth Southgate's side were knocked out by Tchouameni and Camavinga's France in the quarter-finals.

"Bellingham showed at the World Cup that he is a great midfielder," Ancelotti told reporters on Friday ahead of his team's La Liga clash with Villarreal.

"A lot of youngsters stood out, like Enzo (Fernandez) with Argentina, and the Spaniards Pedri and Gavi had a very nice tournament.

"There are a lot of young midfielders emerging but I'll stick with mine. We have very good ones, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Valverde. We have a lot of youngsters."

French duo Tchouameni and Camavinga finished as runners-up, defeated in the final by Argentina.

Bellingham's deal with Dortmund expires in 2025 and the 19-year-old has been linked with various teams, including Spanish champions Madrid, who sold Casemiro to Manchester United last summer.

Long-serving Madrid midfielders Toni Kroos and 37-year-old Luka Modric have contracts that expire in the summer of 2023.

Los Blancos signed Camavinga, 20, from Rennes in 2021 and then last year brought in Tchouameni, 22, from Monaco.

Valverde, 24, joined Madrid's youth ranks from Penarol in 2016, but has often been deployed on the right flank instead of in central midfield.

They are all establishing themselves at Madrid, who are level on points with league leaders Barcelona ahead of their first match of 2023, a tricky test at Quique Setien's Villarreal on Saturday.

"They have changed a bit, they have a very clear identity, different from (Unai) Emery's Villarreal," added Ancelotti.

"Setien likes attacking football, their players are well positioned on the pitch. To win there, you have to be at your best."

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Sports

Injured Serena’s Wimbledon Doubles Bid with Sister Venus in Doubt

US player Serena Williams waves as he leaves the court after being defeated by Australia's Maya Joint during their women's singles first round tennis match on the second day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 30, 2026. (AFP)
US player Serena Williams waves as he leaves the court after being defeated by Australia's Maya Joint during their women's singles first round tennis match on the second day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 30, 2026. (AFP)
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Injured Serena’s Wimbledon Doubles Bid with Sister Venus in Doubt

US player Serena Williams waves as he leaves the court after being defeated by Australia's Maya Joint during their women's singles first round tennis match on the second day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 30, 2026. (AFP)
US player Serena Williams waves as he leaves the court after being defeated by Australia's Maya Joint during their women's singles first round tennis match on the second day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 30, 2026. (AFP)

Serena Williams could be forced to pull out of the Wimbledon doubles event after the American legend suffered a knee injury in her first-round singles defeat.

Williams, playing her first singles match in four years, was beaten by Australia's Maya Joint in a three-set epic on Centre Court late on Tuesday evening.

The 44-year-old, who retired in 2022, made a sensational comeback in June, playing doubles tournaments at Queen's Club and Berlin.

She is due to join forces with sister Venus Williams in the women's doubles first round against Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra.

There had been no indication of any injury to the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion during the Joint loss.

But Serena did not attend the mandatory post-match press conference, instead issuing a short quote through tournament organizers.

Players can be fined for skipping media duties, but it was revealed on Wednesday that Williams is dealing with a knee problem.

A statement from the seven-time Wimbledon singles champion's agent Jill Smoller read: "Serena tweaked her right knee at the end of the first set and was therefore excused from her media obligations by the Wimbledon and WTA medical teams.

"She left site that night unaided and is doing everything she can to be ready for her doubles match later this week."

Williams later added on Instagram: "It felt so good to be back on the grass at Wimbledon. I'm incredibly thankful for the wild card - and even more grateful my daughters got to see that it's never too late to chase something you love.

"I tweaked my knee late in the first set, but I'll be doing everything I can to be ready for doubles with Venus Williams.

"Congratulations to Maya Joint on a great match, and thank you to everyone who showed up and showed me so much love. That feeling will never get old."

Serena and Venus, 46, who were given a wildcard entry into the tournament, have won the Wimbledon doubles six times, with their most recent title coming in 2016.

Serena has not won a Grand Slam singles crown since the 2017 Australian Open, while Venus last lifted a major singles trophy at Wimbledon in 2008.

Serena said her astonishing comeback was motivated by a desire to play in front of her two young daughters.

Her children watched their mother's loss to Joint alongside her husband Alexis Ohanian and Venus in the players' box on Tuesday.

Sports

Three People Die in Mexico World Cup Celebrations as Fans Crowd Streets

A football fan wearing a sombrero attends a watch party for the World Cup match between Mexico and Czechia on Reforma Ave., near the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP)
A football fan wearing a sombrero attends a watch party for the World Cup match between Mexico and Czechia on Reforma Ave., near the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP)
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Three People Die in Mexico World Cup Celebrations as Fans Crowd Streets

A football fan wearing a sombrero attends a watch party for the World Cup match between Mexico and Czechia on Reforma Ave., near the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP)
A football fan wearing a sombrero attends a watch party for the World Cup match between Mexico and Czechia on Reforma Ave., near the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP)

Three people died from suffocation as thousands of fans crowded Mexico City streets during World Cup celebrations, the capital's health secretariat said in the early hours of Wednesday.

The deaths occurred near the Angel of Independence landmark, where thousands of football fans had gathered to celebrate Mexico's 2-0 victory over Ecuador in the round of 32.

Emergency teams tended to three unconscious people at ‌different locations around ‌Paseo de la Reforma, authorities ‌said. ⁠The capital's most emblematic ⁠boulevard and the streets around it had been closed to traffic and set up for the soccer celebrations.

"After receiving advanced resuscitation efforts, the deaths of a 44-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman from suffocation have been confirmed," the health authority initially said ⁠on social media.

The third fatality was a ‌48-year-old woman who was ‌treated on a nearby street after suffering asphyxiation and died ‌after being taken to hospital, the secretariat added ‌in a later post.

Mayor Clara Brugada expressed her condolences to the families of the victims on X and urged everyone to "always celebrate with responsibility, care, and empathy".

Mexicans took ‌to the streets to celebrate after the national team ended a 40-year wait for ⁠a ⁠World Cup knockout victory at the Azteca Stadium in the capital, with the win against Ecuador sending the co-hosts into the last 16.

The fans' euphoria, amid cheering and chants, contrasted with images shared on social media of emergency responders and paramedics tending to distressed people lying on the ground in nearby streets.

With more than 20 million residents, Mexico City's metropolitan area is one of the most populous on the planet and is accustomed to large celebrations and huge crowds of people.

Sports

Messi Will Score More but I Want the Trophy, Mbappe Says

France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between France and Sweden at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on June 30, 2026. (AFP)
France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between France and Sweden at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on June 30, 2026. (AFP)
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Messi Will Score More but I Want the Trophy, Mbappe Says

France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between France and Sweden at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on June 30, 2026. (AFP)
France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between France and Sweden at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on June 30, 2026. (AFP)

Kylian Mbappe has been on Lionel Messi's heels as both players break new ground in World Cup scoring, but the Frenchman is more obsessed by lifting the trophy in New York on July 19 than becoming marksman supreme.

The 27-year-old netted a double as Les Bleus crushed Sweden 3-0 in the round of 32 on Tuesday to move one shy ‌of Messi's ‌record 19 goals at World Cups and join ‌him ⁠on top of ⁠the scoring charts in this edition with six.

"I think the goal, as I said, is to go as far as possible - to make it to (the final on) July 19th and come back here," Mbappe, who scored his 18 goals in 18 games, told reporters.

"We’re trying to win; we’re taking it one step at a time. ⁠Of course, the more goals you score, the ‌higher you climb in the rankings - ‌I’m not telling anyone anything new there.

"But I’m also convinced that Leo ‌is going to score more goals, so I don’t focus ‌too much on that. I’m more focused on the opponents we might face and how close we’re getting to our goal: the final."

Messi's Argentina face minnows Cape Verde in the last 32 on Friday. France next ‌take on Paraguay for a place in the quarter-finals, where they would face either co-hosts Canada ⁠or Morocco.

Paraguay took ⁠an ultra-defensive approach against Germany to knock the four-times world champions out on penalties in the last 32 on Monday and there is little chance that they will go out swashbuckling against France in Philadelphia on Saturday.

Les Bleus will not take anything for granted and will do their homework, Mbappe warned.

"I think we’ll keep working between now and the Paraguay match to see what we can improve, because there are still some sequences that aren't quite clear enough, there’s room for improvement," he said.

"Still, I think it’s positive overall, and our ability to score goals means we always have the chance to take the lead in matches."