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Love it or hate it, you can’t avoid the debut season of the Baller League UK.

Social media has been full of action and talk about the six-a-side tournament – set up in Germany by entrepreneur Felix Starck alongside footballers Mats Hummels and Lukas Podolski – and which is now in its first season in the United Kingdom.

The UK version of the competition is fronted by influencer KSI, the teams are managed by celebrities and the games are live streamed on Twitch.

Rather than the players on the pitch, many of whom are free agents, semi-pros or former professionals, most of the attention is directed towards the multi-millionaire managers on the touchline.

Angry Ginge, Maya Jama and Chunkz are the stars of Baller League. They attract the crowds. They sell the product.

“Baller League – a new era of football” reads Starck’s LinkedIn bio. Influencers are the draw for now, but his real goal is to futureproof football by making it more entertaining.

Marvin Sordell is a name most football fans will recognise,

He starred as a youngster for Watford, appeared for Bolton and Burnley in the Premier League, and featured in Stuart Pearce’s Team GB squad at the London 2012 Olympics.

But, after a 10-year career, Sordell retired from the professional game aged 28 back in 2019, citing the impact on his mental health. The pressure of the professional football industry was not worth the toll it was having on him.

Instead of stepping away from football completely, Sordell runs a video production company focused on combining entertainment, art and sport, and a marketing agency which helps brands connect with the worlds of sport, music and entertainment.

Already working in the intersection between sport and entertainment, the 34-year-old didn’t hesitate to join Baller League when the opportunity arose – and now plays for Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards’ Deportrio FC side.

“Football has been something I’ve loved since I was a kid,” says Sordell. “I was willing to hold on to that love that I have for the game and I knew that wasn’t going to stay from being a professional. It just wasn’t working, it just wasn’t right.

“I was potentially doing some work with them (Baller League) through my marketing agency. We had quite a few conversations before it was even announced and then in one of the meetings they asked if I’d be interested in playing.”

Without any trepidation, he jumped at the chance to have fun on a football pitch again.

Sordell had already been playing at different levels and in different formats of the game since he retired from professional football in 2019. From five-a-side games with mates to semi-pro matches with Kettering Town, he was more than ready to roll back the years in Baller League.

Despite the cameras broadcasting the action for Sky Sports, Sordell feels none of the pressure he did as a pro.

The big talking points after matches usually surround the antics of the celebrities rather than the actual gameplay, allowing many of the players to enjoy their football under the radar.

Timelines are filled with videos of ex-England defender Richards dancing, John Terry clashing with former referee Mark Clattenburg on the touchline or Troy Deeney receiving a red card for an unnecessary foul.

“From my perspective, I get to go on Monday, play football and catch up with loads of people I know from the world of football,” adds Sordell. “I don’t feel like there’s the same level of pressure or scrutiny as players in the professional level get because people are there to be entertained.

Remy Mitchell always dreamed of becoming a professional footballer.

From the age of nine to 18, he progressed through the ranks as a goalkeeper at Arsenal’s academy, but was released without the offer of a contract.

He joined Swansea shortly after but, without a senior appearance, Mitchell was again released last summer and has since played non-league football while studying for a degree in business and football management.

The 21-year-old is currently a free agent, but in goal for YouTuber and Sidemen member Tobi “TBJZL” Brown’s team VZN FC.

“I’m quite a big fan of a lot of the managers there,” says Mitchell. “I’ve always watched them and it’s quite a cool experience to see them all in person. I’ve watched [TBJZL] since I was 10 and it’s quite cool to be coached by him every week.”

It’s a familiar tale for many players who choose to chase the dream of going pro.

It’s a precarious path with no guarantees. Only 0.012% of boys playing organised youth football in the UK will ever play a minute of Premier League football.

Lasse Lehmann, director of Operations and Sports UK for Baller League, reached out to Mitchell directly to offer him a chance to play ahead of former players, such as his idol Ian Wright.

“It’s the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of, 6,000 people,” adds Londoner Mitchell. “And then there’s hundreds of thousands of people watching on YouTube, Sky Sports and Twitch.

“I think if you think about it (the media attention) too much, you’ll get a bit inside your head and get pretty nervous. I just try to enjoy it as much as I can.”

Baller League is essentially fulfilling its promise – entertaining football that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Mitchell, says: “It does put you in a good spotlight and I’ve had a lot of good things out of it, like I’m sponsored by a glove brand.

Jalen Brunson scored 39 points as the New York Knicks beat the Boston Celtics 121-113 to leave the reigning NBA champions on the brink of elimination from the play-offs.

The Knicks stormed back from 14 points down in the third quarter to go 3-1 up in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final and are in sight of the finals for the first time since 2000.

The Celtics also lost forward Jayson Tatum, who scored 42 points before being carried off in the fourth quarter with what coach Joe Mazzulla described as a “lower body injury”.

The six-time All Star, who was later seen being taken to the Madison Square Garden locker room in a wheelchair, will have a scan on Tuesday to assess the damage.

“He’ll get the MRI and we’ll see what it is,” said Mazzulla.

“Obviously you’re always concerned about someone’s health. It’s two-fold, we’re concerned about his health and where’s he’s at. And then we’re concerned what we’ve got to do better in game five.”

The Knicks can clinch the series with a win in Boston on Thursday (00:00 BST).

Boston, who won game three on Saturday, started strongly with Tatum and Payton Pritchard leading the charge.

A Derrick White three-pointer gave the Celtics their biggest lead of the night early in the third quarter (72-58) but from then on the Knicks took over, taking an 88-85 lead into the final quarter.

Brunson controlled matters and when OG Anunoby grabbed a steal off Tatum in the incident that left the Celtics star writhing in pain before making a dunk, the Knicks were 118-106 ahead.

“I was just in a flow and doing whatever. I wasn’t really trying to take over. It was just ‘whatever we’ve gotta do’,” Brunson said.

The Minnesota Timberwolves went 3-1 up in their Western Conference semi-final series against Golden State Warriors thanks to a 117-110 win on the road.

Anthony Edwards finished with a 30-point tally in the win over the Warriors, who are missing injured star player Stephen Curry.

The Timberwolves hit 17 unanswered points in the the third quarter which helped them build an 85-68 advantage which they never looked like losing.

A win on their home court in game five on Thursday (02:30 BST) will see them advance to the finals.

Edwards revealed a half-time dressing down by Minnesota coach Chris Finch had sparked the second-half revival.

“We came out like we had won the series already, and when we went in at half-time coach said we were playing like losers,” he said.

Euro 2025 is just around the corner, with the first match kicking the tournament in Switzerland off on 2 July.

With squads expected to be confirmed in early June, injured players face a race against time to prove their fitness.

23 years old, 27 caps

Forward Lauren James suffered a hamstring injury midway through England’s 5-0 win over Belgium in April and there is no timeline for her return.

26 years old, 75 caps

Georgia Stanway was one of four players to start every match as England won Euro 2022 while she also helped the Lionesses reach the final of the 2023 World Cup, and has scored 21 goals in 75 caps.

33 years old, 139 caps

The Chelsea midfielder, who will be leaving the Blues this summer, hasn’t featured this season after damaging her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a pre-season victory over Feyenoord. Ingle, who captained Wales for nine years, is their most experienced player after Jess Fishlock and has a long-standing partnership with Angharad James-Turner in the centre of the midfield.

23 years old, 51 caps

Lena Oberdorf was named young player of the tournament as Germany reached the final of Euro 2022 and started every game at the 2023 World Cup.

28 years old, 124 caps

Vivianne Miedema suffered a hamstring injury during the Netherlands’ Nations League victory over Austria in early April. Manchester City’s interim manager Nick Cushing later confirmed she would likely miss the remainder of the Women’s Super League season but did not comment on her chances of playing at the Euros.

35 years old, 178 caps

Centre-back Maren Mjelde hasn’t featured for club side Everton since 30 March after picking up an unspecified injury before Norway’s Nations League fixtures at the beginning of April.

22 years old, 43 caps

Barcelona forward Kika Nazareth was ruled out for four months in mid-March after undergoing surgery on damaged ligaments in her left ankle and is not expected to be available for Portugal.

29 years old, 54 caps

Defender Luana Buhler hasn’t played since mid-March due to an unspecified injury but Tottenham manager Robert Vilahamn has been positive about her recovery. “She’s on grass now, with her studs on and running but not with the collective group. Plan is to get her back for the Euros and it looks like a good possibility she will be,” he said on 8 May.

25 years old, 44 caps

Teresa Abelleira suffered a ruptured ACL in her left knee in February while training at Wembley before Spain’s Nations League match against England. Real Madrid later confirmed she had undergone surgery in March.

You’re unlikely to see global superstars such as Erling Haaland or Kevin de Bruyne doing their weekly shop in the giant supermarket just across from Manchester City’s Etihad complex.

But head to the nearby area of Collyhurst and you may just spot City’s latest gem Nico O’Reilly picking up some milk and bread.

O’Reilly has been a breakthrough star in a disappointing City season – and was called “very humble” by team-mate Ilkay Gundogan following another vital contribution in the victory over Everton last month.

That’s an accurate description, as BBC Sport met the shy, but confident 20-year-old, before Saturday’s FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.

He says his friends and family help him stay grounded as he prepares for the biggest game of his fledgling career.

“I would say I’ve still got the same friends, I still do the same stuff, I still go to Tesco with my mum, stuff like this,” O’Reilly says.

In football, O’Reilly knows Manchester City and little else.

A boyhood fan of the club, he has progressed through City’s age groups since signing with the academy aged eight and insiders say the potential he displayed always made him destined for the first-team.

After captaining the Under-18s side to the Premier League title in that particular category in 2023 – and impressing in the elite development squad last season – he made his breakthrough into the senior side at the start of this term.

It was capped with a dream first appearance which came in the Community Shield penalty-shootout win over rivals Manchester United at Wembley.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” says the 20-year-old. “Even just being around the team every day is an amazing feeling.

“At the start of the season, because it is my first full season with the first team, it was a bit crazy to get my head around, but as the season has gone on, I have felt more comfortable.”

Despite being an elegant midfielder and describing himself as a box-to-box player, City’s injury crisis in defence has meant most of O’Reilly’s 18 games this season have come at the unfamiliar position of left-back.

Manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that is not his position, highlighted by the five goals he has scored so far, and although O’Reilly watched the likes of Yaya Toure and David Silva growing up, he was keen to stress he is his own man.

“Obviously there’s very big players here at the club and I watched them quite a lot,” he says. “Maybe I have attributes from certain players, but I don’t compare myself to anyone.

City – and O’Reilly – have grown accustomed to winning but the team have fallen short of the high standards they have set in recent seasons.

They have been deposed at the top of the Premier League by new champions Liverpool, relinquishing their four-year grip on the trophy, while being knocked out of the Champions League at the play-off stage.

Last Saturday’s shock goalless draw against rock-bottom Southampton leaves them in a fight to finish in the top five with two games remaining and, in turn, qualifying for the Champions League next season.

“I have found that the players have been positive for the majority of it,” said O’Reilly.

“These are players that have won everything and they are still trying to improve so we can get these wins. I think it has helped my mindset and how to approach things.

“We have had a tough season, however there are positives to take out of it. We are just going to try and finish as well as we can now.”

O’Reilly says boss Guardiola “drives the intensity” at the club and “gets us all going”, telling the players to “go out there and enjoy it”.

At one stage in the campaign, City went on a wretched run of one win in 13 games but boss Guardiola told BBC Sport the upturn in results since “would be difficult to imagine” without O’Reilly’s contributions.

Victory on Saturday can provide some satisfaction to an otherwise disappointing campaign.

His standout performances have come in the competition, scoring in the 8-0 thrashing of Salford in the third round, netting twice against Plymouth and turning the game around against Bournemouth by creating both goals after appearing as a half-time substitute.

Now for O’Reilly, getting his hands on a first major trophy in his maiden season as a professional awaits.

“Personally, it would mean a lot for me to get some silverware,” he says.

“Obviously coming through the youth stages, you have got the FA Youth Cup, which is – I’d say – the biggest tournament in youth football. Everyone wants to play in that.

“Then to transition through to the first team, you have got the FA Cup, where a lot of youth players do get chances.