8:00 AM ET Nearly 100,000 people flooded onto the floor of the 2021 National Sports Collectors Convention in suburban Chicago, all jostling for space while peering into glass cases. Some were there to buy, shelling out anywhere from a couple of bucks to hundreds of thousands on cards. Others just wanted a glimpse of what
11:25 PM BST ESPN staff Wallabies great Toutai Kefu is in hospital fighting for life after he was injured in a home invasion in Brisbane on Sunday night. Multiple news agencies have reported that Kefu is in a serious condition after he was stabbed in the abdomen during the incident at his Coorparoo home around
1:59 PM ET Retired quarterback Alex Smith, who returned to play last season after suffering a devastating leg injury two years earlier, has been hired by ESPN as an NFL analyst. Smith, who retired in April to end his 16-season career, will appear on various ESPN shows, including SportsCenter, Monday Night Countdown and Sunday NFL
2:37 PM ET What a weekend in European soccer! Three of the top five leagues (English Premier League, German Bundesliga, Spanish LaLiga) kicked off their 2021-22 campaigns, and the games didn’t disappoint. Manchester City‘s title defense got off to a rocky (but predictable) start against Tottenham, Barcelona began their post-Lionel Messi era with a big
9:17 AM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Thibaut Courtois has signed a new contract at Real Madrid that will keep the goalkeeper at the club until June 2026. A new deal for Courtois was one of the club’s top priorities, sources told ESPN, with both parties displaying a “fantastic” attitude during negotiations. – ESPN+ viewers’
9:05 AM ET Associated Press Nine of the teams that were part of the ill-fated launch of a breakaway Super League have been welcomed back into the decision-making organisation overseeing the European club game. Six English clubs — Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham — will be members of European Club Association
8:39 AM ET Christian Pulisic has said he is “excited” to play alongside new Chelsea signing Romelu Lukaku after the striker completed his move from Inter Milan. Lukaku re-joined the Champions League holders for a second time for a fee thought to be worth €115 million last week. – Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+
8:50 AM ET Lindsay du Plessis Mara Gomez, the first transgender footballer to play in Argentina’s professional women’s league, has joined Estudiantes de La Plata for the new season, leaving Villa San Carlos, the club that first gave her a pro contract. Gomez, 24, made history in December 2020 when she made her debut in
8:24 AM ET Alex KirklandESPN FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta has revealed that the club’s debt now totals €1.35 billion — while defending his management from criticism by predecessor Jose Maria Bartomeu, describing an open letter published by Bartomeu last week as “full of lies.” Laporta — who took over at Barca in March after
11:22 AM ET Two-time Women’s World Cup winner Carli Lloyd officially announced her retirement from the U.S. women’s national team on Monday, putting an end to a storied career as the second-most-capped player in world soccer history with 128 international goals and two Olympic gold medals. She will retire from international play after the USWNT