A senior sports official said that Saudi Arabia turned down an offer to bring Lionel Messi to the Saudi Pro League for a short-term break before the World Cup next year.
The Mahd Sports Academy’s CEO, Abdullah Hammad, stated in a podcast with Saudi platform Thmanyah that Messi’s team reached out to me and offered to play in Saudi Arabia because the MLS will be shut down for nearly four months.
Read more about Lionel Messi signing a new Inter-Miami contract.
The player wanted to stay healthy and get ready for the 2026 World Cup.
When David Beckham joined the Los Angeles Galaxy and later transferred to AC Milan, he continued.
Messi, who has won eight Ballon d’Or titles, left for Inter Miami in 2023 after being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.
After completing his long association with Barcelona, he joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, where he spent two years before moving to Paris Saint-Germain.
Prior to the 2025 MLS Cup Playoff game between Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC at Chase Stadium on October 24, 2025, Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami FC receives the MLS Golden Boot from Don Garber, the commissioner of major league soccer, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Leonardo Fernandez/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFP)
Hammad explained that he had rejected the offer to the sports minister.
The minister made it clear that the Saudi League would not be used as a staging area for other competitions, he said.
He responded, “That’s true,” to a question about whether Saudi Arabia had rejected Messi.
The Saudi league has attracted numerous stars from major European clubs, including Neymar and Karim Benzema, since Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at Al-Nassr following the last World Cup.
The 2034 World Cup will be held in the kingdom’s hosting country.
Celia Imrie has been labelled Celebrity Traitors’ answer to Miss Marple, as a body language expert says she can do something ‘most people lack the courage to do’
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(Image: BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry)
Celebrity Traitors star Celia Imrie has been branded the as a ‘perfect’ Miss Marple of the series, following the latest episode where the Faithfuls finally caught out Traitor Jonathan Ross.
While Celia previously admitted that she has “a bit of a crush” on Jonathan, she didn’t let that cloud her judgment as she voted for Jonathan on several occasions before her fellow Faithfuls joined together to vote him out for good.
Celia was also praised by body language expert Judi James, who labelled the actress the ‘leader of the Faithfuls’ and said she can do something ‘most people lack the courage to do’.
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Judi told Paddy Power Bingo: “Celia is a delight for so many reasons, notably her one-liners and her apparent lack of deception and her fearlessness. She will front people out and her fronting out of Alan saw him squirming for real, mainly because she does something most people lack the courage to do when confronting others, which is to sustain the scrutiny.”
She added: “Celia has become the leader of the Faithfuls, possibly without realising it. She is the perfect Miss Marple on the show, but she has a non-verbal trait that most actors in a role lack, which will help her popularity with the viewers.”
Judi added that ‘Celia’s facial muscles and her lines’ pull perfectly into ‘all the personality traits she is showing on this show’. “She has achieved the state of appearing to ‘be herself’ but to still be wildly entertaining, theatrical, and engaging. Her congruence is probably why she should win this competition.”
It comes as Jonathan’s reign as lead Traitor has ended after he was voted out by not only the Faithfuls but his fellow Traitors, Cat Burns and Alan Carr.
Jonathan was a Traitor on the series from the very first episode but it took the Faithfuls quite some time to find him out. The presenter made a shocking exit speech where he tried to convince everyone he was Faithful until the end. However, he then lifted the veil and revealed the real truth.
The star didn’t hold back when it came to his exit speech, with him branding his fellow contestants as “idiots” before revealing his Traitor status.
“I’ve got no idea what everyone’s doing wrong,” he told them. “I can’t believe you’ve done it again. I can’t believe that I’m standing here for no good reason I don’t want to be rude, but, you’re idiots!
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“I’m not judging, because it’s fiendish – I’m not blaming the players, I’m blaming the game. I am now, and have been all through the game, completely Faithful,” he insisted, as heads went into hands around the table, before he added: “To the Traitors!”
Everyone cheered that they had finally managed to catch a Traitor after weeks of not being able to. Cat Burns and Alan Carr are the two remaining Traitors in the game.
Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium Kick-off time: Saturday, November 1:40 GMT
In Saturday’s opening Nations Series game at Murrayfield, Edinburgh back row Liam McConnell will make his debut against the United States.
If the hooker leaves the bench, Harri Morris will also win his first cap, and tighthead D’Arcy Rae will start for Scotland for the first time.
Due to the absence of the international window, head coach Gregor Townsend was only allowed to select players from the Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors.
On November 8, New Zealand will face a full-stack squad in the second game of the autumn series.
After leading the team against Portugal and New Zealand Maori last November, Warriors center Stafford McDowall did so during the summer.
After recovering from an injury, Jack Dempsey, his Glasgow teammate, will feature at number eight for the first time since the Six Nations this year.
First Scotland appearance since 2022 will be available for Edinburgh back rower Magnus Bradbury starting from the bench.
Scotland and the US will face off.
Kyle Rowe (Glasgow Warriors), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Ollie Smith (Glasgow Warriors), Stafford McDowall (Glasgow Warriors, capt), Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh), Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors), Jamie Dobie (Glasgow Warriors), Rory Sutherland (Glasgow Warriors), Patrick Harrison (Edinburgh), D’Arcy Rae (E
A star-studded Christmas advertisement for Debenhams has been released that features celebrities like Olivia Attwood, Peter Crouch, and Judi Love all dressed up in festive attire.
Debenhams Delivered, a star-studded 2025 Christmas campaign featuring Judi Love, Olivia Attwood, Abbey Clancy, and Peter Crouch, has been unveiled by Debenhams.
An ordinary British street is transformed into a true winter wonderland by the first Christmas TV campaign to be produced this year.
Ben Bader, a famous actor, passed away “extremely suddenly” at the age of 25. His ailing girlfriend has now shared details about their final moments, including the last call they had.
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Ben Bader’s girlfriend, Reem, has recalled their last conversation(Image: Ben Bader )
A neighbor discovered a popular TikToker “not breathing,” leading to his tragic death at the age of 25.
Influencer from Miami, Ben Bader, passed away “extremely suddenly” on Thursday, October 23.
Police reported that neighbours discovered the star unresponsive, according to TMZ. First responders reportedly performed “lifesaving measures” at the scene, which continued once medical personnel arrived.
Later, Bader was taken to a hospital, but tragically, he passed away. Authorities have not yet excluded foul play, and the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner has not yet declared the cause of death.
Reem, Bader’s girlfriend, confirmed his passing in an emotional online condolence. She wrote, “The past few days have been the most difficult few days of my entire life, and I’ve never dealt with this before.”
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“Especially not with the loss of someone who was as significant to me as he was.” He was so enthusiastic about each and every person he met and genuinely loved everyone. Reem added that it is still unknown what caused Bader’s death.
Bader rose to internet fame for offering lifestyle and financial advice to his 135,000 TikTok followers. On Instagram, where he had nearly 50,000 followers, he often shared photos from sporting events and with luxury cars.
The lifestyle creator had celebrated his 25th birthday just a month earlier, on September 22. “He made a profound impact on everyone who knew him through his wisdom, humour, and compassion,” Bader’s family said in a statement to People.
Ben “inspired those around him to look for meaning, connection, and purpose in their own lives by living each day to the fullest.”
“Though our hearts are broken, we will carry on Ben’s legacy in everything we do,” the family continued. “We will keep his memory alive by leading with love, living with purpose, and carrying forward his passions that made the world brighter.”
The star’s girlfriend revealed that the couple planned to have dinner the night of his death.
No one really knows how he died, she said, and she shared that it appeared to have happened suddenly. We were supposed to have dinner that night, but he seemed so normal, he said, “There really weren’t any signs of this happening.”
She claimed in a now heartbreaking phone call that she had spoken with him just before his passing.
He was just smiling and being so funny, she said when I first spoke to him on FaceTime a few hours prior to his passing. Ben was “the most generous, kind, and caring person I’ve ever met.”
Reem referred to Bader as “hero” and “inspiration.” She continued, “I realize this is selfish, but I just feel like I gave him everything and he gave it everything, only to have him go.” Because it’s so simple to just move on, I feel so fortunate to have been loved by him.
The final TikTok of Bader featured him offering his fans financial advice on the day he passed away. He urged viewers to “pick one business idea and stick to it,” making a comparison between commitment and finding a purpose in learning a new sport.
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The reason why you feel “like empty or directionless” is because you haven’t clearly defined what you want, Bader powerfully stated in the video.
“Focus, focus, and focus on affordability” in New York City.
Robert Wood, a 47-year-old writer and lead volunteer for mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, believes that the key to winning voters in New York City’s tense election campaign is in the simple message.
Mamdani’s surprise victory in the June Democratic primary and his dominating lead in the polls ahead of the election day on November 4 have a symbolic impact that extends far beyond the city’s five boroughs.
A rebuke to the wealthy donor-dominated Democratic establishment has been deemed by many to be a path forward for liberal politics that was abandoned by US President Donald Trump.
Mamdani supporters are aware that he must actually make it into City Hall for a movement that has spread across the nation and indeed the globe to fully realize. That begins and ends with door-knocking: there is a lot of door-knocking.
A door opened to reveal Nadia on a windswept October day in a row of townhouses in the Crown Heights neighborhood, which Mamdani and her main rival Andrew Cuomo split in the primaries. She claimed she is already anticipating Mamdani.
We must ensure that our friends and families get out and vote, Wood argued, noting that a resounding mandate would boost Mamdani’s ambitious plans, which included increased taxes on corporations and the wealthiest New Yorkers, to increase rent freezes on stabilized apartments, free buses, and universal childcare.
The governor and state legislators will have to veto hard-fought victories in order for execution.
Another man claimed to be unsure at a nearby, rent-stabilized apartment complex. Wood cited Mamdani’s pledge to freeze rents in similar buildings, which account for about a quarter of the city’s housing stock.
The man is gracious but reluctant to say, “Thank you, I’m still deciding,”
Onika Saul, a 45-year-old property manager, was greeted down the street as she climbed a steep concrete stoop. She was concerned that “realism is kind of skewed” in Mamdani’s pledges.
Anyone can say anything, she said, but “action always speaks louder than words.”
“So I personally want to see more action than words because I have been so many times deceived by so many politicians and so many promises,” I say.
In the final stretch of the mayoral race, Joseph Stepansky/Al Jazeera, Mamdani’s campaign relied on tens of thousands of volunteers.
Wood, however, inserted. He described Mamdani’s activism as a state assemblyman, which included a hunger strike led by taxi drivers, and his arrest in front of US Senator Chuck Schumer’s residence in connection with the US’s funding of the Gaza war. He also noted that Mamdani has relied on small donations, in contrast to the donations made by billionaire business and real estate executives who have helped Cuomo’s campaign.
He also cited Mamdani’s vocal support for Palestinian rights, a rarity in mainstream US politics, as one of the most important issues in the race.
Wood said that Zohran is undoubtedly the only politician in the race to refer to what is happening in Gaza as a genocide.
Saul reaffirmed that it was a genocide.
Saul had her reservations by the conclusion. After all, Mamdani’s most important promises, such as universal childcare for children under five, do not directly apply to her. However, she claimed she would support his vision and vote for him.
