Man City Striker Erling Haaland Signs New Contract Until 2034

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Brentford v Manchester City - GTech Community Stadium, London, Britain - January 14, 2025 Manchester City's Erling Haaland applauds their fans after the match REUTERS/Toby Melville
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Brentford v Manchester City - GTech Community Stadium, London, Britain - January 14, 2025 Manchester City's Erling Haaland applauds their fans after the match REUTERS/Toby Melville
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Man City Striker Erling Haaland Signs New Contract Until 2034

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Brentford v Manchester City - GTech Community Stadium, London, Britain - January 14, 2025 Manchester City's Erling Haaland applauds their fans after the match REUTERS/Toby Melville
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Brentford v Manchester City - GTech Community Stadium, London, Britain - January 14, 2025 Manchester City's Erling Haaland applauds their fans after the match REUTERS/Toby Melville

Erling Haaland has signed a new contract at Manchester City that ties him to the Premier League champions until 2034.
City announced the new 9½-year deal on Friday for the 24-year-old Haaland, who has scored 111 goals in 125 games since joining the club from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, The Associated Press reported.
“Now I want to keep developing, keep working to get better and look to do my best to try and help us achieve more success going forward,” Haaland said in a City statement.
The Norway striker will be age 34 when the contract expires.
“Everyone at the club is absolutely delighted that Erling has signed his new contract,” said Txiki Begiristain, City’s outgoing director of football. “The fact he is signed for so long demonstrates our commitment to him as a player, and his love of this club.”
The new deal for Haaland comes as City awaits a verdict after being charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.
“Now I am City no matter what,” Haaland said.



Ronaldinho Poised for Ravenna Start and, Perhaps, One Last Goal

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
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Ronaldinho Poised for Ravenna Start and, Perhaps, One Last Goal

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)

Ronaldinho will roll back the years this weekend when the 46-year-old Brazilian starts his first competitive match in over a decade, and in the unlikely setting of an Italian third-tier derby the World Cup winner may realize his dream of scoring one last time.

The Brazil great and Ballon d'Or winner signed for Ravenna in June, also taking a stake in the club, but because he had not played since his final appearance for Fluminense in 2015, doubts remained over whether fans would ever see him in action.

Ravenna revealed ‌three weeks ago ‌that the former Barcelona and AC Milan player ‌would ⁠make his return ⁠in Sunday's home clash with local rivals Forli, and on Friday, manager Andrea Mandorlini told reporters that Ronaldinho would start the match.

"He will play from the start, there's no doubt," Mandorlini said.

"Then together we will decide how long he plays. He is one of the greatest players of the modern era. And we have to get a ⁠result. We always play with three forwards. He will ‌be one of the three."

Ronaldinho was ‌welcomed by the Ravenna fans in August, without committing to a return ‌to the pitch. He returned to Italy on Friday afternoon and ‌will have just one training session with his teammates on Saturday before making his club debut.

A temporary stand has been erected at the Stadio Bruno Benelli to cater for the crowd, and if this does turn out ‌to be one last hurrah for Ronaldinho, he may well get the chance to score his 300th ⁠professional goal.

"I ⁠scored my first Italian goal in the derby," Ronaldinho told Corriere della Sera, referring to his first official goal for AC Milan, which came against Inter Milan.

"It was a special evening that will remain in the memory of all AC Milan fans. It was September 28, 2008. I scored with a header, which is not my specialty. Who knows if I'll be able to repeat that feat tomorrow."

"... Returning to the pitch at 46 is the best move of my career."

Simone Rabbi will play alongside the Brazilian up front for Ravenna, and in Friday's press conference he said that if his side are awarded a penalty on Sunday, Ronaldinho will take the spot kick.


Andreeva Says She Is Learning to Move on Faster from Defeats After WTA Finals Sweep

Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Andreeva Says She Is Learning to Move on Faster from Defeats After WTA Finals Sweep

Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Mirra Andreeva said she has learned to recover more quickly from setbacks after the Russian teenager completed an unbeaten run through the WTA Finals round-robin stage on Friday.

Andreeva won her third group-stage match in straight sets after a late opponent change, having already secured a semi-final berth. The 19-year-old said the match against tournament alternate Diana Shnaider presented a new mental challenge because her progression was guaranteed, but she still wanted to preserve her momentum.

"Before the tournament started I was afraid ‌that I ‌wouldn't win a match in the group," ‌Andreeva ⁠told reporters. "Now you ⁠see how it turned out."

The victory set up a first career meeting with American Jessica Pegula on Saturday. Andreeva described Pegula as one of the calmest players on tour and said coach Conchita Martinez would help prepare a detailed tactical plan.

Andreeva's poise in the desert marked a contrast with her emotional ⁠exit from Indian Wells in March, when ‌she lost her title defense ‌to Katerina Siniakova. Frustrated by the defeat, Andreeva launched into a profanity-laced ‌tirade toward spectators and was booed as she left ‌the court.

The French Open champion said her response to losses has changed significantly over the course of the season.

"Before it was super bad. I was very dramatic," Andreeva said. "It would take me a ‌good two, three days. I wouldn't talk to anybody. I would just sit in the ⁠room locked ⁠up, not wanting to practice."

Now, she said, disappointment generally lasts a day at most before the demands of the tour force her attention back to training or the next match.

Andreeva said the Indian Wells setback came while she was trying to incorporate changes made in practice into her match play, which produced inconsistency and frustration. She said continued work on court, along with sessions with psychologists, helped her make progress.

The results have followed. Andreeva won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros this year and arrived at the WTA Finals for her singles debut after a 50-win season.


Uruguay Beats Argentina 2-1 in the First Match Since Messi’s Retirement

 Uruguay's players celebrate after Argentina's Leonardo Balerdi scored an own goal during an international friendly soccer match in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP)
Uruguay's players celebrate after Argentina's Leonardo Balerdi scored an own goal during an international friendly soccer match in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP)
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Uruguay Beats Argentina 2-1 in the First Match Since Messi’s Retirement

 Uruguay's players celebrate after Argentina's Leonardo Balerdi scored an own goal during an international friendly soccer match in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP)
Uruguay's players celebrate after Argentina's Leonardo Balerdi scored an own goal during an international friendly soccer match in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP)

The post-Messi era began with an Argentina defeat on Friday.

Argentina fell 2-1 to Uruguay on Friday in an international friendly at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires, marking the team’s first match since Lionel Messi’s international retirement in early October.

Leonardo Balerdi opened the scoring with an own goal in the 48th minute, before Maximiliano Araújo doubled Uruguay’s lead in the 53rd minute under new coach Diego Forlán.

Julián Álvarez pulled one back for the hosts in the 73rd minute.

This clásico rioplatense also kicked off a new chapter for the Argentine national team under Lionel Scaloni, who extended his contract through 2030 earlier this week.

The most prominent absentee: Messi. The 39-year-old legend’s retirement remains a fresh wound for Argentine fans; notably, the stadium fell short of a sellout, a rare departure from the norm.

While most supporters in the stands wore the albiceleste jersey with Messi’s iconic No. 10, Scaloni chose not to assign the number to any player for the match. The coach explained that he has yet to select a successor and, as it is not mandatory, he prefers to leave the jersey vacant for now.

On the pitch, Argentina maintained its signature polished possession, but lacked the explosive, incisive spark that Messi typically delivered in the final third. Neither Nicolás Paz nor Thiago Almada was able to fill that void.

Argentina will look to bounce back against Costa Rica in Córdoba on Tuesday, while Uruguay returns home to host the Dominican Republic on the same day.