Category sport-news

Gavi, a Barcelona midfielder who had knee surgery, will miss up to five months, the club announced on Tuesday.

“Gavi has undergone an arthroscopy to repair a medial meniscus injury that was sutured to keep the meniscus in place. According to Barcelona, recovery time is thought to be between four and five months.

The Spanish international, age 21, tore the same knee ligament in 2023.

READ ALSO: Guardiola and Man City have “Recovered Many Things.”

Gavi hasn’t played since August, with Barcelona initially hoping conservative treatment would solve the issue without having to have surgery.

Real Sociedad will host Barca on Sunday, followed by a game against Real Oviedo on Thursday in La Liga, before hosting Paris Saint-Germain the following week in the Champions League.

One of the most well-known officials of his time, former test umpire Harold “Dickie” Bird, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 92, according to the Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

Between 1973 and 1996, Bird participated in 66 Tests, as well as 69 men’s one-day internationals, including three World Cup finals.

Bird, “one of cricket’s most beloved figures,” was declared unharmed at home by his hometown of Yorkshire, where he lived.

The club stated that “Dickie Bird had a distinguished career as an international umpire, making him the most well-known and well-known official in the history of the game.”

Yorkshire claimed that he had “developed into a national treasure” who was “known for his eccentricities and warmth as well as his outstanding umpiring skills.”

He leaves behind a legacy of sportsmanship, humility, and joy, according to the statement.

Djokovic Will Play At Shanghai Masters In October, read more.

Although he started his career in Yorkshire and Leicestershire as a batter, Bird established himself as an international umpire while sporting his signature white cap.

Before his final Test, England and India players gave him an honor guard at Lord’s.

In 2014, Bird was appointed Yorkshire president after selling more than a million copies of his autobiography.

The Yorkshire and England batting legend Geoffrey Boycott and Bird have a long-lasting friendship since they were both young players at Barnsley Cricket Club in the 1950s.

The 84-year-old described Bird’s eccentricity as being “Grey” despite his protestations.

My name is not Gerald, it is Geoffrey, according to Boycott, who wrote in the Telegraph. It was irrelevant to tell him, because he would then say, “OK, put the gloves on for me, Gerald.”

“Dickie was a character that was always entertaining. He was loved, admired, and respected. A fond farewell will be spoken for him.

One of the Best

Before their League Cup game against Brighton on Tuesday, Barnsley, Bird’s hometown football team, announced they would hold a minute’s applause in honor of the umpire.

David Gower, the ex-english captain, praised Bird as “one of the best umpires ever taking the field.”

You just knew Dickie was in the place he loved best, Gower said, “He certainly set himself high standards as an umpire, but that smile on his face at all times, whether he’s giving you out or not out, whatever he was doing out in the middle.”

He simply had a very good umpire job. He was humorous in the best way. He had the ability to get along with everyone in his own slightly eccentric and cliched way.

Former England captain Graham Gooch fondly recalls Bird’s habit of getting involved in unusual circumstances while playing.

The Shanghai Masters competition’s organizers announced on Tuesday that former world no. 1 Novak Djokovic will compete there next month.

The organizers announced on social media that “He’s back… Our 4-time champ will return to Shanghai this year” just before the competition’s opening day on October 1.

Since losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open semifinals earlier in September, the 24-time Grand Slam champion has not played in a formal game.

The 38-year-old remained ambiguous about his schedule for the season’s end, having played fewer tournaments in 2025 than in previous years, despite that loss.

Also read: Dembele, Yamal, Donnarumma: The 2025 Ballon d’Or’s Biggest Winners

The world no. 4 had made a commitment to playing the 250-event from November 2 through November 8, which would have replaced the Belgrade tournament this year.

His participation in the two biggest tournaments scheduled after Shanghai, the Paris Masters (October 27 through November 2), and the ATP Finals in Turin (November 9 through November 16) has not yet been confirmed.

According to various reports citing sources close to the deal, Atletico Madrid’s owners are currently in advanced talks to sell a majority stake in the Spanish football team to US private equity firm Apollo Global Management.

When contacted by AFP, both Atletico and the American company both declined to confirm the reports.

At a sports and business event on Tuesday, which was partially hosted by Expansion, Atletico CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin stated, “You have to keep investing significant money in players and infrastructure to get good results and keep the fans happy.”

“We are open to a new investor entering the ownership group,” the statement states. “That investment has to come from outside.”

According to Spanish newspaper Expansion, Apollo plans to purchase some of the shares from the four current partners.

READ ALSO: Guardiola and Man City Have “Recovered Many Things” (Rosa).

The current owners are Gil Marin, Enrique Cerezo, Ares Management, and Quantum Pacific.

CEO Gil Marin controls 27.81 percent of Atletico, while Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer controls 27.39 percent.

Gil Marin owns 50.82 percent of Holdco’s shares, while Cerezo owns 15.22 percent and Ares Management owns 33.96 percent.

According to Expansion, Apollo values Atletico at 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion).

Apollo, who is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and has over $800 billion in assets, is reportedly thinking about executing the deal through a $5 billion sports investment fund.

Atletico, who won La Liga last in 2021, are currently 12th in the standings at the start of the season.

After last year’s trophyless campaign, Pep Guardiola claimed that Manchester City had “recovered many things” and that his team had promised more from them.

Over the past two transfer windows, the City manager has rebuilt his squad, with the departures of many veteran players, including Ederson, Kevin De Bruyne, and Ilkay Gundogan.

Guardiola defended his side against Arsenal on Sunday, conceding a late goal to draw 1-1 and letting go of runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool.

READ MORE: Guardiola and Man City appear to be Champions League opponents.

At a press conference prior to his team’s League Cup third-round encounter with third-tier Huddersfield on Wednesday, he was asked how his team’s tactics against the Gunners had gone.

He declared, “I’m really proud of this fight.” We “recovered a lot of things” from the previous season’s missed activities. Our spirit is incredible.

We don’t want to play the way we did, and we can’t sustain that for the entire season. But I give Arsenal, the opponent, incredible power and credit.

Guardiola emphasized the importance of a point won against a team that was widely anticipated to be Premier League contenders, Mikel Arteta’s Gunners.

The Spaniard finished last season without a major trophy for the first time in eight years, saying, “Especially since (Manchester) United (a 3-0 win), we start to recover many things that have defined our teams for many, many years.

He continued, “We can do better, yes, we do it.” We could make a few decisions, and yes, we do it.

“Yes, we will play a little bit more with the opponent,” the player says. But first, the spirit that we have displayed this week.

And like a father or a mother takes care of their son, we must take care of this kind of thing.

After five matches, City is currently eight points adrift of champions Liverpool.

Under Guardiola, the team has won the League Cup four times.

Aitana Bonmati, a star of Barcelona and Spain, won the Women’s Ballon d’Or for the third time in a row at a ceremony in Paris on Monday.

Mariona Caldentey, Bonmati’s teammate, was eliminated from the Spain side that lost to England in the Women’s Euro 2025 final in July.

The 27-year-old midfielder also lost to Caldentey’s Arsenal in the Women’s Champions League final last season.

Despite missing either of Spain’s first two matches as a result of a viral meningitis outbreak, Bonmati was named Euros player of the tournament.

One of the nominees for the triumphant England European Championship team, Alessia Russo, placed third.

The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious individual award in both men’s and women’s football, and Bonmati’s three-game winning streak comes after her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas won it twice.