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Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees returned to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers for the first time since the 2024 World Series this weekend. The Dodgers won the first two games if the Fall Classic in LA on their way to a 4-1 series win. Judge went 4-for-18 in the series with a single home run.

Judge went 2-for-5 and homered at Dodger Stadium on Friday, but the Yankees still lost 8-5. Before the second game of the series on Saturday, Judge spoke with the MLB on Fox crew and was asked by Derek Jeter about how he felt returning to a stadium where he lost a World Series.

"Excited for a new chapter," said Judge. "You know I think that's what it really comes down to. Obviously I feel like any stadium I go to I'm sick about what happened last year. Just excited for the new chapter. We've got a great new team. You know, a lot of new faces. Some veteran guys who have been around the game. Just excited to have them in our clubhouse and wearing the pinstripes."

Interestingly, Judge also referenced a "new chapter" when asked about Juan Soto leaving the Yankees for the Mets in the offseason.

It feels like Judge might not totally enjoy how the old chapters ended.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele picked up the 2025 Ballon d’Or, but who will lift the famous individual honour in 2026?

With the 2025/26 season well and truly underway, players are beginning to make their case to land the historic award, and in a World Cup year, there could be many twists and turns.

Here are the 20 players who are best placed to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or right now, based on current form and their respective team’s chances of silverware.

Ranking factors: To help rank the players in order, we have considered the following criteria:

Current form – how well a player has performed in the past few months Importance to their teams – how influential they are to their teams’ performances Reputation – what others say about them

2026 Ballon d’Or Power Rankings

Rank

Player

Age

Club

Nation

1

Kylian Mbappe

26

Real Madrid

France

2

Declan Rice

26

Arsenal

England

3

Lamine Yamal

18

Barcelona

Spain

4

Harry Kane

32

Bayern Munich

England

5

Erling Haaland

25

Man City

Norway

6

Vitinha

25

PSG

Portugal

7

Pedri

23

Barcelona

Spain

8

Michael Olise

23

Bayern Munich

France

9

Ousmane Dembele

28

PSG

France

10

Gabriel Magalhaes

27

Arsenal

Brazil

11

Luis Diaz

28

Bayern Munich

Colombia

12

Lionel Messi

38

Inter Miami

Argentina

13

Vinicius Jr

25

Real Madrid

Brazil

14

Cristiano Ronaldo

40

Al-Nassr

Portugal

15

Jude Bellingham

22

Real Madrid

England

16

Raphinha

28

Barcelona

Brazil

17

Scott McTominay

28

Napoli

Scotland

18

Joao Neves

21

PSG

Portugal

19

Mohamed Salah

33

Liverpool

Egypt

20

Gianluigi Donnarumma

26

Man City

Italy

10 Gabriel Magalhaes Arsenal and Brazil

An injury halted the Brazilian’s progress but he is currently the most in-form defender on the planet, scoring goals, dominating in both boxes and leading Arsenal’s incredible defensive record.

While the spotlight often went to William Saliba in recent seasons, Gabriel has emerged as the true rock at the heart of the best defence in world football.

9 Ousmane Dembele PSG and France

Could he go back to back? Well, if PSG continue their dominance in France and in Europe, and if Ousmane Dembele helps his country to a World Cup win, there is every chance.

The forward netted his first goals of the season at the end of August before a hamstring injury halted his progress. Still, the 28-year-old has plenty of time to return to full fitness and make his claim of another Ballon d’Or.

8 Michael Olise Bayern Munich and France

Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise has continued his fine form at the Allianz Arena into his second season.

A regular on the right wing under Vincent Kompany, Olise is already into double figures for goal contributions with Munich. Meanwhile, his national manager, Didier Deschamps, has said Olise “has everything”, with France and Bayern teammate Dayot Upamecano calling the attacker a “magician”.

7 Pedri Barcelona and Spain

Pulling the strings in Barcelona’s midfield, Pedri is seen as one of the greatest midfielders in football and will be looking to improve on his 11th place finish last time out.

The Spaniard has even caught the eye of iconic midfielder Paul Scholes, with the Man Utd legend calling Pedri his “new favourite footballer”.

Hansi Flick has also called Pedri a “special” player, adding that he “is also becoming a better leader” for his side.

6 Vitinha PSG and Portugal

Vitinha’s stunning hat-trick against Tottenham in the Champions League vaulted him up the rankings, with the all-action midfielder providing a mixture of end product, tenacity and control in Paris, averaging over 100 passes per game this season.

The Portugal star has gone from strength to strength in recent seasons having won the quadruple with PSG in the 2024/25 campaign, and will look to cement himself as one of the best in world football at next summer’s World Cup.

5 Erling Haaland Man City and Norway

Jamie Carragher has recently called Erling Haaland the “greatest goalscorer to ever play in English football”, with his ridiculous start to the season leading to the forward himself saying he’s in his best form ever.

Scoring goals for fun with Man City and Norway, Haaland will now play at his first World Cup in 2026, which will be his country’s first since 1998. A strong performance to take them on a knockout run would cement his status as a legend of Norwegian football.

4 Harry Kane Bayern Munich and England

Harry Kane is continuing to do what he does best – score goals on a regular basis. With Bayern Munich, Kane scored a remarkable 17 goals in the first nine games for the German champions, becoming the fastest player this century to reach 100 goals for a side playing in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

The England captain will also have his eyes on the 2026 World Cup, which could be his last at the age of 32. Delight for club and country in 2026 will put him in a strong position.

3 Lamine Yamal Barcelona and Spain

Lamine Yamal has won the Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d’Or awards for the last two years, so it feels as if it is just a matter of time until the Barcelona star takes home the major individual honour.

However, Barca currently trail Real Madrid in La Liga and have already dropped points in the Champions League group stage.

Still, if Yamal carries the Catalan giants to silverware and stars in his first World Cup, 2026 could be his year.

2 Declan Rice Arsenal and England

Now a vital member for club and country, Declan Rice is arguably the best midfielder in the world right now, shining in a slightly further forward role at the Emirates under Mikel Arteta.

After his two stunning free-kicks against Real Madrid in the Champions League last season, Rice has continued to add end product to his game and has been praised by England legends David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

1 Kylian Mbappe Real Madrid and France

Leading the way as the current 2026 Ballon d’Or favourite is Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe.

The Frenchman has begun the 2025/26 campaign in red-hot form in front of goal, registering the second fastest Champions League hat-trick of all time in a win over Olympiacos, even scoring a fourth for good measure.

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal has even called Mbappe the “best in the world”, and on current form, it’s hard to argue against the Madrid fan.

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E o Fortaleza conseguiu, enfim, vencer uma decisão por pênaltis. Com 100% de aproveitamento, o Laion bateu o CRB e conquistou o tricampeonato da Copa do Nordeste. Agora, com três taças, a equipe empatou em títulos com o Ceará e ficou a um troféu de Bahia e Vitória, maiores campeões.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Agora é 3 a 3!

Com o título do Fortaleza, os dois rivais cearenses estão empatados em número de taças da Copa do Nordeste. O Fortaleza foi campeão em 2019, 2022 e 2024, enquanto o Vozão levou as taças em 2015, 2020 e 2023.

Clique e assista final da Copa do Nordeste na Star+

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
CRB X Fortaleza
Final – Copa do Nordeste
🗓️ Data e horário: domingo, 9 de junho de 2024, às 16:30 (de Brasília);
📍 Local: Estádio Rei Pelé (AL);
📺 Onde assistir: SBT (Nordeste); ESPN e Star+.
🟨 Árbitro: Emerson Ricardo de Almeida (BA);
🚩 Assistentes: Alessandro Álvaro Rocha (BA) e Daniella Coutinho (BA);
🖥️ VAR: Pablo Ramon Gonçalves (RN).

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⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES:

CRB (Técnico: Daniel Paulista)
Matheus Albino, Hereda, Saimon, Fábio Alemão e Matheus Ribeiro; João Pedro, Falcão e Gegê; Facundo Labandeira, Léo Pereira e Anselmo Ramon.

Fortaleza (Técnico: Juan Pablo Vojvoda)
João Ricardo, Brítez, Kuscevic e Titi; Yago Pikachu, Matheus Rossetto, Zé Welison, Moisés e Bruno Pacheco; Lucero e Pochettino.

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CearáCopa do NordesteFortaleza

When the Rays called up prospect Bob Seymour on Thursday, they inadvertently ended one of Major League Baseball's greatest droughts: lacking players who go by "Bob."

Remarkably, no major leaguer has gone by Bob since relief pitcher Bob Howry retired in 2010 according to MLB's . That's 15 years without a single Bob gracing a major-league diamond. That is, until Thursday.

Sure, the great Bob drought isn't a complete surprise with less and less Roberts deciding to go by Bob, but the name was once extremely popular across the MLB. There's Giants manager Bob Melvin, legendary Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker and Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson. And as pointed out in their Bob-less baseball investigation in '19, five members of the 1971 Pirates World Series team went by Bob.

You'd think there'd be at least one Bob to play in the major leagues in the past decade-plus, but no Bobs until Seymour.

Our latest Bob was drafted by the Rays in the 13th round of the '21 MLB draft and has slashed .263/.327/.553 with 30 home runs and 87 RBIs in Triple-A Durham this season. Per the ' Marc Topkin, he's expected to join the team in San Francisco Friday ahead of the Rays' weekend series with the Giants. That means Seymour's debut could miraculously come against another Bob—Melvin. Hopefully the two link up for a photo to commemorate the historic moment.

Welcome, Bob.

Cubs second baseman Nico Hoener wasn't expecting to hit a low slider by Reds relief pitcher Yosver Zulueta in the eighth inning of Wednesday afternoon's game. He attempted a check swing, but ended up hitting the ball instead of avoiding contact.

Luckily for Hoerner, his swing had enough power behind it for him to hit a single to left field. As he eyed the ball to make sure it dropped, Hoerner got extremely excited when he realized his mistaken hit was turning into an RBI for him and a run for the Cubs. He was able to bring in his teammate Matt Shaw from second base to home.

Marquee Network caught the perfect shot of Hoerner's reaction once he realized his hit was a happy accident.

Hoerner's RBI single brought in the sixth and final run of the day for the Cubs. Chicago beat Cincinnati 6-1, pushing the Cubs to a 66-48 record to secure a stronger second-place hold in the NL Central behind the MLB-best Brewers.

قال أحمد عبد الرؤوف المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، إن فريقه قدم مباراة كبيرة أمام كايزر تشيفز الجنوب أفريقي في الجولة الثانية لمباريات دور المجموعات لبطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

وتعادل الزمالك مع نظيره كايزر تشيفز الجنوب إفريقي، بهدف لكل فريق في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما على ستاد بيتر موكابا في الجولة الثانية لمباريات دور المجموعات لبطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الأفريقية.

طالع|فيديو | خطأ قاتل من محمد صبحي.. كايزر تشفيز يسجل هدف التعادل أمام الزمالك وأضاف في المؤتمر الصحفي عقب اللقاء :” أشكر اللاعبين على ما قدموه في المباراة، فريق كايزر تشيفز له اسم كبير، ولكنه لم يصل لمرمى الزمالك في الشوط الأول، بينما كانت له فرصة واحدة في الشوط الثاني، في حين أهدرنا العديد من الفرص على مدار الشوطين، واستقبال هدف من خطأ في الدقائق الأخيرة وهو مسؤوليتي الشخصية، ومحمد صبحي حارس كبير”.

وواصل: “حصلنا على نقطة التعادل وسنستعد للمباريات المقبلة من أجل المنافسة على صدارة المجموعة، وأرفض الحديث عن التحكيم في لقاء اليوم”.

وتابع أحمد عبد الرؤوف: “خسرنا نقطتين في مباراة اليوم، واستقبال هدف من خطأ في آخر دقيقة يحزننا جميعًا، والزمالك فريق كبير ينافس على كافة البطولات التي يشارك فيها”.

وبعد نهاية مباريات الجولة الثانية من المجموعة الرابعة، يتصدر فريق المصري الترتيب برصيد 6 نقاط، يأتي الزمالك في المركز الثاني برصيد 4 نقاط، ثم كايزر تشيفز ثالثا بنقطة، وأخيرا زيسكو دون نقاط.

As the Dodgers put a sudden end to Game 6 of the World Series in Rogers Centre, beating the Jays 3–1 on Friday night, the first question on everyone's mind: Who is pitching tomorrow?

For Toronto, we've known for some time that Max Scherzer would be the starter. As Joel Sherman reported Friday night Shohei Ohtani will start. The Dodgers made the decision official Saturday afternoon.

There were at least two options to consider. Tyler Glasnow was due up in the rotation, but Ohtani was the leading option, especially after Friday night.

Glasnow came in for the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6. Ordinarily, that would tilt the scales of decision entirely to Ohtani, but he only threw three pitches.

For what it’s worth, Glasnow did tell reporters after the game that he’ll be available to pitch in Game 7.

Immediately after the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked about his thoughts on Ohtani pitching in Game 7.

"Right now there's no wrong answer. [Ohtani is] certainly going to be a part of the pitching plan. With Shohei, it could be two innings, but it could be four innings. I'm not sure where we're going to slot him. We're going to have to talk to him first and see where he feels most comfortable."

Another consideration for Roberts and the Dodgers was that if Ohtani enters in relief and comes out of the game, Los Angeles will lose its designated hitter position. Using him as a starter is the only way to get the Dodgers DH flexibility while working him into the pitching plan.

Scherzer vs. Ohtani in Game 7. Get your popcorn ready.

There's bad news for MLB teams that lost Game 1 of their wild-card series on Tuesday. Based on past results, it's unlikely that they'll come back to win the series.

As USA Today's Bob Nightengale noted, since MLB moved to its current postseason format in 2022, there have been 12 wild-card series. Ten of those 12 series have ended in sweeps. In addition to that, no team that lost the first game has wound up advancing to the next round.

That's really bad news for the Guardians, Padres, Yankees, and Reds, who all lost the opening games of their respective matchups on Tuesday. All head into Wednesday facing elimination, and the numbers suggest they'll all wind up on vacation soon.

The only teams to force a third game under the current format were the Mets in 2022 and the Brewers in 2024.

The 2022 Mets were hosting the Padres at Citi Field, but lost the opener of the series 7-1. They won Game 2 7-3, but lost Game 3 6-0 in the infamous Joe Musgrove ear game.

Last season, the Brewers lost Game 1 of their wild-card series against the Mets 8-4 at American Family Field. They bounced back in Game 2 to win 5-3, but New York bested Milwaukee 4-2 in Game 3.

We'll see if any of the trailing teams can reverse the trend this year.

India have appealed the guilty verdict against Suryakumar Yadav, who was fined 30% of his match fee

Danyal Rasool and Nagraj Gollapudi26-Sep-20254:11

Suryakumar: ‘A few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit’

India captain Suryakumar Yadav has been found guilty by the ICC of breaching the code of conduct for his comments that alluded to the military skirmish between India and Pakistan, after their group match in the Asia Cup on September 14.It is understood Suryakumar’s not-guilty plea was rejected by ICC match referee Richie Richardson and that he was fined 30% of his match fee. India have appealed against the verdict.Two Pakistan players, Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf, also faced disciplinary hearings on Friday, following their actions in the Super Four game between the two sides on September 21. Farhan was pulled up for his gun celebration after reaching his fifty, while Rauf was captured on camera making gestures that alluded to the downing of aircraft. They are still waiting to hear what sanctions, if any, they face.The PCB had complained to the ICC that Suryakumar’s remarks following the game on September 14 – both at the presentation ceremony and the post-match press conference – constituted a breach of the ICC regulation to avoid political messaging.In its complaint to the ICC, seen by ESPNcricinfo, the PCB quoted Suryakumar’s remarks where he “dedicated today’s victory to our armed forces”. He later specified this dedication was made to India’s armed forces who took part in a military operation against Pakistan in May, which triggered a skirmish between the two sides.Related

SKY fall: Suryakumar's slump becomes starker amid off-field controversies

Suryakumar told to refrain from making political comments

BCCI lodges complaint with ICC against Farhan and Rauf

Abhishek: Didn't like Pakistan 'coming at us without any reason'

The PCB had demanded the ICC impose a Level 4 sanction – reserved for the most serious breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct – on Suryakumar. It cited past examples of players who were either prevented from what was deemed political messaging or fined for deploying it. The PCB pointed out that in the past the ICC had deemed messages calling attention to the humanitarian disaster caused by Israel’s war in Gaza to be political in nature, most recently when it blocked Usman Khawaja’s attempt to wear shoes with the message “Freedom is a human right” inscribed on them.It could not be confirmed whether the appeal by India has been heard, or when it will take place. Generally, the match referee decides on a time and venue but India face Sri Lanka in the last Super Four match on Friday evening and then play Pakistan in the final on Sunday. If Suryakumar is found guilty after the appeal too, his sanction will be increased accordingly.There was heightened tension between India and Pakistan before their group game began on September 14, with India refusing to shake hands with Pakistan at the toss and after the game, which India won by seven wickets. In the Super Four match between the sides, there were a number of confrontations between Pakistan’s bowlers and India’s openers. Abhishek Sharma later accused Pakistan of “coming at us for no reason”.In that game, Farhan celebrated his half-century by miming the firing of a gun, which he later said was a “spur of the moment” decision. Rauf, meanwhile, made numerous gestures depicting the downing of aircraft while fielding on the boundary, in apparent reference to the recent military conflict.ESPNcricinfo understands Farhan and Rauf also pleaded not guilty and contested that the gestures were not political in nature. While no official verdict has been reached on the two players, the PCB privately accept that they are also likely to cop fines.

Even as the humidity went up due to the extended monsoon, both batters kept their cool and raised maiden Test tons, putting South Africa well on top

Mohammad Isam29-Oct-20241:47

Stubbs: ‘Getting to three figures was a big relief’

In local cricket circles, they say that if you have survived Mirpur, Sylhet or Chattogram is a breeze. This is obviously about the pitches at these venues. South Africa’s batters navigated the Shere Bangla National Stadium surface well last week, so when they got to the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram, it was time to cash in. They did, finishing the first day on 307 for 2, and it was thanks mainly to the tenacity of the young pair of Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs.The two of them hit centuries – the first in Tests for both of them – after South Africa opted to bat, added 201 for the second wicket, and complemented each other when they batted together. Stubbs said afterwards that de Zorzi helped him through his nervous start and a tough period after lunch to keep the pressure on Bangladesh throughout the day.”To get to the three figures was a big relief more than anything,” Stubbs said. “This definitely ranks as my favourite hundred. Till lunch, I was scoring quite freely. After lunch, I was trying hard to get off strike. The ball was [reversing]. It was a good period for them. I grafted it out and once I got the rhythm back, I felt quite comfortable.Related

De Zorzi and Stubbs hit maiden tons to make it South Africa's day

“When the ball got a bit softer after lunch, we thought Taijul [Islam] got one or two to spin. He beat me on the outside [edge]. There was also a little bit of tail on the ball to keep you thinking. They also got the ball to [reverse] just enough to get you thinking. It was a good batting wicket but it was hard to score freely. You were going to get yourself out by giving them your wicket.”Stubbs got through his 198-ball stay by banking on the reverse sweep, his most profitable shot after the cover drive. Stubbs struck three fours with the reverse sweep, including one that went through the covers. De Zorzi, too, was strong on the sweep, which encouraged Stubbs to stick to what worked for him best.”My plan was to sweep before the game, but then I struggled with the actual sweep,” he said. “So it was more the reverse sweep today. Tony was sweeping very well today. Sometimes when it is working on that day, you commit with it. He did it really well.”I was really nervous up front. It was nice batting with Tony. He was very calm. He was flowing quite nicely. I give huge credit to him. Straight after lunch, he started cramping. The mental strength to go through the whole day was unbelievable. We kept reminding each other to not take anything for granted. It was really enjoyable batting with him.”De Zorzi ended the day having batted through the 81 overs for 141 not out, to Stubbs’ 106.Tony de Zorzi batted through the opening day•AFP/Getty ImagesSouth Africa’s major challenge in Bangladesh has also been the unseasonal heat. The extended monsoon has caused the humidity to go up, too, so the visitors have had to endure some tough weather in both Dhaka and Chattogram, where it usually cools down around this time of the year.”It was flippin’ hot in the Caribbean [too],” Stubbs pointed out. “Then we went to the UAE last month. It is about getting used to the uncomfortable heat. I sweat a lot so it is all about trying to keep my gloves dry. Fortunately, I have a nice sponsor who has given a lot of gloves for this tour. That’s the biggest challenge.”Incidentally, Chattogram has been a happy place for South Africa’s batters over the years, especially when it comes to putting together partnerships.In 2003, Boeta Dippenaar and Jacques Rudolph put together 429 for the unbroken third-wicket stand at the old MA Aziz Stadium across the city. It is still the highest Test stand against Bangladesh. And five years on from that, Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie added 415 for the opening stand at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium – a world record for the opening wicket. De Zorzi and Stubbs haven’t threatened those numbers, but theirs is a partnership that is likely to have a similarly big impact on this Test match.