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Aaron Boone is in the process of rapidly backtracking his latest update of Aaron Judge's injury.

On Tuesday, the New York Yankees manager went on WFAN and said superstar Aaron Judge's throwing could be compromised for the rest of the season due to a right elbow injury.

"I don’t think we’re going to see him back to throwing like he normally does at any point this year, but that’s OK, too," Boone said. "We’ve got to feel like he can go out there and be able to protect himself and represent himself."

Judge seemed puzzled by those comments later in the day. The two-time AL MVP said, "I don't know why he said that. He hasn't seen me throw for the past two weeks, so I'm pretty confident I'll get back to [100 percent]."

For his part, Boone then admitted he may have gone overboard with his comments on WFAN saying, "Maybe I overstated that."

So it's unclear whether we'll see Judge throwing normally this season or not.

Aaron Judge Elbow Injury Timeline

Judge was placed on the 10-day injured list with a flexor strain on July 27 after initially injuring it on July 22. Luckily for the Yankees, there was no damage to the 33-year-old slugger's ulnar collateral ligament, so he avoided Tommy John surgery.

On August 5, Judge returned to New York's lineup and has been working solely as the team's designated hitter since. He has not looked like his usual self since coming off the IL. While he does have an OPS of .854 in those 11 games, he's only hitting .229 with two home runs and six RBIs.

The injury put a damper on what has been another incredible season for Judge. He currently leads all of MLB in batting average (.333), on-base percentage (.447), slugging percentage (.687), OPS (1.134), WAR (6.9), fWAR (7.4), and wRC+ (200). He's a shoo-in to win his third MVP.

Judge seems confident he'll be able to return to the field this season and now it sounds like someone clued his manager in to that fact.

Sri Lanka may sack T20 captain Charith Asalanka two months out from a home World Cup. Chief selector Upul Tharanga insisted no decision over the captaincy had yet been made, but did confirm that the selectors were mulling changes.According to Tharanga, Asalanka’s poor form in T20Is has prompted this re-evaluation. That Asalanka was sent home ahead of the ongoing tri-series in Pakistan was only due to illness, or so at least team management has claimed. In any case, it is possible he has captained his last T20 match for Sri Lanka.”We have to weigh our best options after this series,” said Tharanga, when asked whether the selectors were considering a change in captaincy. “With a World Cup so close we can’t make a lot of big changes. The selectors, after talking to the coach, will have to make a decision on what’s best for the team.”Related

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Tharanga indicated that the selectors had been mulling a change to the leadership even before the ongoing tour of Pakistan, which is why they had appointed Dasun Shanaka – who has captained Sri Lanka before – vice-captain for the tour. “That was to give us another option,” Tharanga said.Still, no firm decision has been made, he said.”Still Charith is our captain. It’s because of an illness to Charith that we appointed Dasun as our stand-in captain. Charith is still the captain in our plans. We haven’t made a decision to change that. We’ve planned all along for Charith to captain this World Cup. We’ll see what happens. We haven’t made a decision about that yet.”Charith hasn’t been among the runs in T20s, and because of an illness he was forced to return home, unfortunately.”Asalanka had never quite established himself as a reliable T20I batter, with a strike rate of 126 across 68 innings. He’s been modest in 2025 too, having scored only 156 runs in 12 innings this year, with a strike rate of 122. Sri Lanka have won 11 and lost 14 matches under Asalanka’s captaincy.Still, his return from Pakistan ahead of the tri-series serious prompted speculation in local media. One theory suggested Asalanka had been among the players who opposed remaining in Pakistan following a suicide bombing in Islamabad, and that his being sent home was punishment for voicing opinions that ran counter to board wishes. As the tri-series runs for two weeks, teams would generally keep a player in the squad until they make a recovery, especially if that player is captain.Tharanga said it was illness that forced the selectors’ hand.”He had a viral fever, and he had body aches,” Tharanga said of Asalanka. “The physio told us that it’s hard for him to predict when Charith would get better, and that’s why we had to make that decision.”We’ve also had a problem in the middle order, and we’ve not been consistent there. If he couldn’t play, we needed to have someone else there. That’s why we brought Charith to Sri Lanka.”Tharanga envisioned Asalanka playing a role in Sri Lanka’s World Cup campaign with the bat.”Charith is a very talented cricketer, with a lot of experience. I’m sure he’ll be an important cricketer for Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup. We’ve seen what he can do in the middle order, where sometimes he’s won games by himself. He’s in our World Cup plans.”

A new global tournament, the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy, involving eight teams from four continents, will be played from November 20 to 30 in Bangkok. Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Netherlands, UAE, Scotland, Namibia, Tanzania and Uganda will take part in the inaugural edition.The trigger for the tournament, an ICC statement said, was the success of the recent ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, where “more than 500 million viewers in India” were recorded and there was also “significant growth in viewership across countries”.”Nearly 300,000 fans attended matches across India and Sri Lanka and the event concluded with India becoming the first Asian team to lift the Women’s Cricket World Cup, a watershed moment in the evolution of the sport and the socio-cultural context of gender roles,” an ICC statement said. “Building on the extraordinary impetus provided by the marquee event, the ICC continues to invest in creating a sustainable future for women’s cricket. The Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy is part of a new three-tier development pathway designed to offer high-performance exposure to emerging nations.”Sanjog Gupta, the ICC chief executive, said, “It is the ICC and the Chair’s [Jay Shah] vision to sustainably expand cricket’s footprint across the world and grow the women’s game. Providing elite athletes from emerging nations more opportunities to play at the highest level is aimed at fast-tracking their development and improving the competitiveness of their teams.”It also drives the visibility of the sport in participant nations, serving as a driver of girls’ involvement in the sport and inspires women from other nations to stay committed to the development pathways.”The opening day will feature Thailand vs Netherlands and Papua New Guinea vs UAE.

Both powerhouses are through to the semis, but there is plenty to play for in Indore

S Sudarshanan21-Oct-20252:09

Preview: England’s middle order in the spotlight

Big picture: First defeat in store, but for whom?Australia and England. Two powerhouses of women’s cricket. Two sides that know how to push oppositions back to the wall. They will clash at Holkar Stadium on Wednesday, at the end of which only one will remain undefeated at the Women’s World Cup 2025. Both teams have already secured their semi-final spots.On paper, Australia sure have the edge. But England would quietly be confident ahead of this contest for two reasons. One, they played in Indore only a couple of days ago. And two, Australia are coming back after a six-day gap.Australia trained on each of the two days leading up to the contest. Their last two games were ones where the top order (read Alyssa Healy) flexed their muscles. Healy scored back-to-back centuries but she is out with a minor calf strain she picked up when Australia had a fitness session on Saturday morning. Their senior pros in Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney have stepped up in different games.Related

Knight and Smith stay cool in the heat of the battle

Alyssa Healy to miss England match with 'minor calf strain'

Scenarios – Four teams fight for one spot

Only Tahlia McGrath, who has aggregated 43 in three innings, is yet to fire but captaincy could be the right potion for her. She revels under responsibility, and freed of the baggage of worrying about qualification, she could well join the party in batting-friendly conditions. There is little concern in their bowling.Which may make England rethink their strategies. Amy Jones, Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt have had at least one big innings with the bat. But the others haven’t yet stepped up. England’s lower-middle order has been a concern: Nos. 5 to 7 average only 9.25 at this World Cup, the lowest among all teams. At the start of the year, England also lost the multi-format Women’s Ashes 16-0, unable to win a single game. But their leadership has undergone a change since and they will look to turn a leaf on that episode.Charlotte Edwards’ tactics and Sciver-Brunt’s captaincy have served them well. Their come-from-behind win against India would only act as a further boost. They will perhaps play scant respect to the fact that they have lost each of the five meetings against Australia in India.While teams often maintain that “the past doesn’t matter”, Sciver-Brunt would want to pay Australia back after her heroics went in vain at the 2022 World Cup final. A small step will be on Wednesday, when one of the teams will have a first taste of defeat at this World Cup.Form guideAustralia WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WWWWLIn the spotlight: Phoebe Litchfield and Amy JonesWith Healy absent, the onus will now be on Phoebe Litchfield to lay the platform with the bat for Australia. She is coming on the back of 84 not out against Bangladesh. The flat surface in Indore will only play into her hands. England have a plethora of spinners, and Litchfield is a superb exponent of the sweep and the reverse sweep. She showed a glimpse of that in Australia’s opening match at this venue, now it’s time for a longer exhibition.Amy Jones was a little surprised when Edwards first mentioned that she could be back to opening the batting for England. She had played in the middle order for a good part of the last five years. She showed her hunger at home against West Indies but it wasn’t until her half-century against India that she made her presence felt at this World Cup. “I thought at the halfway stage of the tournament, it was a rocky phase,” Jones said. “I have been riding a wave of ups and down with opening, as you do in cricket. But I was pleased to get a bit of a start last game.” Australia better beware.Team news: Voll in for Healy?Georgia Voll is likely to take Alyssa Healy’s batting spot against England•ICC/Getty Images

Healy’s injury makes it a straight swap for Georgia Voll at the top with Mooney to keep wickets. Australia could also bring back left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux after she was rested for the Bangladesh game.Australia (probable): 1 Georgia Voll, 2 Phoebe Litchfield, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Annabel Sutherland, 5 Beth Mooney (wk), 6 Ashleigh Gardner, 7 Tahlia McGrath (capt), 8 Sophie Molineux, 9 Alana King, 10 Darcie Brown/Kim Garth, 11 Megan SchuttEngland may consider bringing Danni Wyatt-Hodge in place of either of Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey or Emma Lamb. The trio has been low on runs and England would not want to take chances against a strong Australian team.England (probable): 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Amy Jones (wk), 3 Heather Knight, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Sophia Dunkley, 6 Alice Capsey, 7 Emma Lamb/Danni Wyatt Hodge, 8 Charlie Dean, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Linsey Smith, 11 Lauren Bell/Lauren FilerPitch and conditions: Another batting belter in storeA black-soil pitch will be used for this fixture. It is expected to be flat. This track is right next to the red-soil one that was used for India vs England. It is the centre pitch at the venue, so expect the square boundaries to be more-or-less equidistant. Indore is expected to be humid and a little cloudy, with a slight probability of rain. There is no threat of a washout, however.Stats and trivia Mooney is 89 away from 3000 ODI runs. She will be the seventh from Australia to the mark Among bowlers, Megan Schutt is three wickets away from leapfrogging Lisa Sthalekar (146) to third on the ODI wicket charts for Australia. She also has 38 wickets in ODI World Cups and needs two more to go past Lyn Fullston as the leading wicket-taker for Australia in the tournament. Sciver-Brunt is four away from 1000 ODI World Cup runs. She will be the third from England to get there Sophie Ecclestone is two away from becoming England’s second-leading wicket-taker in ODI cricket. Jenny Gunn has 136 while Ecclestone has 135. One more wicket will push Ecclestone into the top five among wicket-takers in all women’s internationals. She is currently level on 317 with Shabnim Ismail.Quotes”I don’t think there’s any special ingredient. I feel like we prepare really well. Our players are really adaptable and we try to communicate around conditions. The girls have been fantastic at adapting and being able to get us out of some sticky situations and having different players step up and perform has been really critical for us.”
“Linsey’s been brilliant. For her to get the opportunity [to open the bowling] in 50-over cricket is brilliant. It was a big goal of hers to break into the 50-over team. In the summer, there were questions around: could Linsey and Sophie [Ecclestone] play in the same team. And it’s brilliant to see how she has taken on a different role opening the bowling.”

سجل محمود حسن تريزيجيه، هدف الأهلي الثالث أمام شبيبة القبائل الجزائري، في المباراة المقامة بينهما الآن، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، لتصبح النتيجة 3-1 لصالح المارد الأحمر.

ويلتقي الأهلي مع شبيبة القبائل، في إطار الجولة الأولى من عمر مواجهات دور المجموعات لبطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي.

طالع.. فيديو | خطأ فادح من محمد الشناوي.. شبيبة القبائل يسجل الهدف الأول أمام الأهلي

وأحرز تريزيجيه، هدف الأهلي الثالث في الدقيقة 84 من عمر اللقاء، بعدما سدد كرة رائعة من داخل منطقة الجزاء، وصلته بعد تسديدة قوية من إمام عاشور لترتطم في قدم طاهر محمد طاهر وتنتهي أمام تريزيجيه ليضعها في الشباك. هدف الأهلي الثالث أمام شبيبة القبائل.. تريزيجيه

وكان تريزيجيه ومحمد شريف قد سجلا هدفي الأهلي الأول والثاني، بينما جاء هدف شبيبة القبائل عن طريق الخطا من محمد الشناوي.

Tottenham Hotspur’s activity in the transfer market in the last few months has been a huge success, with the board completing deals for numerous top-level talents.

Thomas Frank will no doubt have been hoping the hierarchy would have given him the opportunity to improve the options at his disposal ahead of his debut campaign in North London.

The biggest deal came in the form of Mohammed Kudus, with the winger costing a total of £55m from Premier League rivals West Ham United – a fee that already looks to be a bargain.

He’s already registered four assists in his first two league outings for the Lilywhites, with the Ghanaian currently the joint highest goal creator in the entire division.

However, with January rapidly approaching, the Dane will no doubt be eying up further deals to help his side be competitive in England’s top-flight and in the closing stages of the Champions League group stage.

Spurs’ hunt for added attacking reinforcements in January

Over the last couple of days, Spurs have been named as just one Premier League club currently in the race to sign Brentford forward Kevin Schade in January.

The German has caught the eye of Frank once more, after the 51-year-old previously signed the attacker during his stint in charge at the GTEC Community Stadium.

It’s been reported that the Lilywhites are already working on a winter deal for the 23-year-old, with a fee in the region of £48m mooted for his signature at present.

However, he’s not the only forward-minded player on their radar, with the hierarchy also currently considering a move to sign Real Sociedad star Takefusa Kubo.

The latest report from one Spanish outlet states that the board see the Japanese international as a priority target for the upcoming window, with a £52m price tag, the ballpark figure right now.

It also states that the 24-year-old is keen on a switch to the Premier League in the coming months, seeing such an opportunity as a chance to take his career to the next level.

Why Spurs’ £52m target would be a huge upgrade on Johnson

Spurs haven’t been alien to a big-money attacking signing, as seen by Kudus’ arrival in the summer, but Brennan Johnson is another player who falls into such a category.

The Welsh international cost a staggering £47.5m back in the summer of 2023, joining the Lilywhites from Nottingham Forest in an attempt to improve the right-wing position.

His time in North London over recent years has certainly been topsy-turvy, with numerous highs often being overshadowed by various moments to forget for the 24-year-old.

He’s previously been subject to vile online abuse from his own supporters on social media, but it’s safe to say he proved all of them wrong with his Europa League-winning goal last season.

Frank’s arrival gave the winger the chance to build on his success in 2024/25, but it’s been a couple of months to forget for Johnson, as he’s dropped down the pecking order – whilst being sent off in Kudus’ absence against FC Copenhagen.

It could be about to get a whole lot worse for the forward should Kubo arrive, with the Japanese star certainly pushing last campaign’s top-goalscorer down the order further.

He may be an unknown quantity to many, but when comparing his stats to those of Johnson from 2025/26, they highlight how much of an upgrade he would be on the current winger.

Games played

9

10

Goals & assists

1

2

Progressive carries

3.8

2.3

Progressive passes

2.9

1.4

Pass accuracy

72%

66%

Key passes per 90

1.8

0.7

Take-ons completed

33%

25%

Carries into final third

1.6

0.7

Crosses completed

3.7

3.5

Kubo, who’s been labelled “world-class” by former Barcelona star Xavi, has completed more progressive carries and passes per 90 – numbers which showcase his desire to get balls into dangerous areas whenever possible.

He’s also completed more of the passes he’s attempted, whilst notching more key passes per 90 – which could allow him to add a more creative presence to Frank’s first-team squad.

Other tallies, such as more take-ons completed and more carries into the final third per 9,0 reaffirm his ability with the ball at his feet, which could take some of the responsibility off Kudus in the process.

£52m would be yet another huge statement of intent from the board after the summer deal to land the Ghanaian, but it showcases the ambition they do have to take the Lilywhites to the next level.

As for Johnson, such a deal would all but end his career in North London, with the board desperately needing to offload him to avoid losing a small fortune on their investment.

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Cristiane deseja que o Santos retorne aos momentos de glória, como acontecia quando a atacante fazia dupla com a ‘Rainha’ Marta no clube. Com a dupla, as Sereias alcançaram as maiores conquistas de sua história.

+ Veja tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro-2023 clicando aqui

Em 2009, por exemplo, o Santos conquistou a primeira edição da Copa Libertadores Feminina e o Paulistão da modalidade. Mesmo após a saída de uma das maiores jogadoras de todos os tempos, Cristiane ainda liderou o Peixe rumo ao bicampeonato do torneio continental.

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Após a temporada vitoriosa, o projeto do futebol feminino terminou em 2012, mas foi retomado em 2015. Desde então, o Santos até chegou a conquistar títulos importantes, mas distante da hegemonia do começo da década de 2010. A meta de Cristiane é devolver o Santos aos tempos de protagonismo.

– Temos uma história linda nas sereias, onde começou tudo com Libertadores, Copa do Brasil e Campeonato Paulista. Vamos tentar trazer o Santos para essa elite já que ficamos muito tempo fora de semifinal e final de competição – disse a jogadora, em entrevista ao Lance!.

Na semifinal do Paulistão 2023, as Sereias encaram o São Paulo. As jogadores estão em busca da grande conquista estadual que não acontece há cinco anos, e Cristiane está orgulhosa em liderar o time de Rei Pelé em busca de taças.

– Tenho um orgulho gigante de vestir essa camisa do nosso eterno Rei Pelé. Esse ano jogamos a semifinal do Brasileiro e estamos na semifinal do Paulista mais uma vez. É sempre uma alegria muito grande para o torcedor e para a história do clube também – concluiu a histórica goleadora do Brasil.

A partida de ida em busca de uma vaga na grande final do Paulistão acontecerá no dia 6 (segunda-feira), às 19 horas (de Brasília).

Cristiano Ronaldo is officially a billionaire.

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which ranks the world’s richest people based on their net worth, has included the Real Madrid legend for the first time, revealing his net worth – which includes career earnings, investments and endorsements – has now reached $1.4bn (£1.04bn).

The 40 year-old Portugal star is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers and goalscorers of all time, and has earned lucrative contracts throughout his career with Manchester United, Madrid, Juventus and Al-Nassr.

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He also has endorsement deals with global companies such as Nike and Armani, as well as his own CR7 brand that sells clothing and fragrances worldwide.

Ronaldo’s contract in Saudi Arabia makes him the highest-paid player in football history, taking home an estimated $400m (£298m) from the two-year deal he signed this year.

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But while the goalscoring machine is now hundreds of millions ahead of rival Lionel Messi, he does not rank first when it comes to net worth amongst active footballers.

Brunei prince is world's richest footballer

The richest player in the world is Faiq Bolkiah, a winger for the Brunei national team and Ratchaburi FC, a Thai football club.

Bolkiah is the nephew of Hassanal Bolkiah, the current Sultan of Brunei, and his net worth is believed to be around $20bn (£15bn), despite receiving a monthly salary of just $2,900 from his club.

Boasting over 250,000 followers on his Insatgram page, Bolkiah unsurprisingly lives a lavish life away from the pitch, trying his hand at modelling and reportedly owning a pet tiger, while his father is thought to own in excess of 2,000 cars.

Born in Los Angeles, USA, the 27 year-old was raised in the United Kingdom, and began his footballing career at A.F.C Newbury, in Berkshire. A winger by trade, he joined the famous Southampton academy in 2009, where he spent four years and played alongside the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Luke Shaw and James-Ward Prowse.

Bolkiah signed a two-year youth contract at Chelsea in 2014 after an unsuccessful trial at Arsenal, but after failing to break through in West London eventually landed at Leicester City, where he penned his first professional deal at the age of 17 and lived in a converted hotel.

Despite spending four years with the Foxes, Bolkiah never made a first team appearance, but did play five times in the UEFA Youth League in the 2015/16 season, registering an assist in a 2-1 defeat to Club Brugge.

With a breakthrough into senior football difficult to come by in England, he joined Portuguese side Marítimo in 2020, a move he later he admitted was a mistake: “Marítimo said to me, ‘You’ll come here, you’ll play’, so I said, ‘I just want to be here for a year. The main thing for me is I want to play.’ Obviously, that didn’t happen.

“I definitely regret moving there. I feel like there was a lot of politics to do with it as well, why Marítimo wanted me. I didn’t feel like they were being fully honest.”

Bolkiah then moved to Asia in 2021 to join Thai outfit Chonburi, where he spent two years before the switch to his current club, Ratchaburi. They are third in the Thai League 1, the top flight of the Thai football league system, but Bolkiah has played just 35 minutes so far this season.

He has also scored once in six caps for his national side of Brunei, but has not featured for them since 2018.

علق عمرو أبو العز، المدير الإداري السابق لنادي الزمالك، على الأزمة المثارة مؤخرًا بشأن إيقاف نبيل عماد دونجا عن المشاركة مع الفريق في بطولة السوبر المصري، وذلك على خلفية العقوبة الصادرة ضده في الموسم الماضي.

وقال عمرو أبو العز في تصريحات عبر برنامج “اللعيب”، على قناة “mbc masr”: “بغضّ النظر عمّا إذا كان قد وصل خطاب أو فاكس أو بريد إلكتروني، فالأمر الطبيعي لأي مدير إداري أو مدير كرة يستعد لبطولة يشارك فيها، أن يرسل خطابًا إلى الاتحاد أو الجهة المنظمة للبطولة، يستفسر فيه عمّا إذا كان هناك أي عقوبات على لاعبي الفريق أم لا”.

وتساءل: “هل قمنا بإرسال هذا الخطاب للاستعلام؟ بالتأكيد لم نفعل، لأنه لو كنا أرسلنا لاستفسرنا وعرفنا أن هناك إيقافًا لكل من نبيل دونجا وشلبي وكابتن عبد الواحد السيد”.

طالع أيضًا | بعد أزمة دونجا.. شوبير يفتح النار على اتحاد الكرة: “فوضى وقرارات تُتخذ بالتليفون”

وتابع: “حتى لو لم تصل أي رسائل أو مراسلات رسمية، فإن الطبيعي قبل انطلاق أي بطولة، سواء كانت الدوري أو الكأس، أن أرسل إلى اتحاد الكرة أو رابطة الأندية لأعرف من اللاعبين الذين لديهم إنذارات أو إيقافات، ويأتيني الرد الرسمي بذلك”.

وأضاف: “اتحاد الكرة بالفعل أرسل الخطاب، وقد شاهدته بعيني، وكان من الممكن أن يتواصلوا مع الكابتن عبد الواحد أو معي شخصيًا للاستفسار عمّا إذا كان هناك أمر مشابه، وكنا سنؤكد لهم وجود الخطاب أو نفيه”.

واختتم: “لقد تعلمت من اللواء الراحل فاروق أبو العز، رحمه الله، أن أقول الحقيقة مهما كانت، حتى وإن كانت على رقبتي، لا يصح أن يسألني أحد عن أمر رأيته بعيني وأنكر ذلك، لأن هذا يعني أنني رجل كاذب، وهذا لا يليق”.

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A chance de jogar no futebol brasileiro, uma liga de maior competitividade e evidência na América do Sul, perto da família e dos negócios, além da chance de de atuar ao lado de Rafinha novamente foram alguns dos pontos que fizeram com que James Rodríguez deixasse encaminhada a assinatura de um contrato de dois anos com o São Paulo. O acordo ainda não foi assinado e o astro colombiano de 32 anos é esperado até o final de semana para a realização de exames médicos.

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O Lance! apurou com fontes da alta cúpula tricolor que as tratativas com o meia, que não joga desde o início de abril, quando rescindiu o seu contrato com o Olympiacos, da Grécia, iniciaram há cerca de um mês. Nesse período, o colombiano já havia recusado a investida do Botafogo. E afastou outros clubes brasileiros que fizeram sondagem sobre sua situação.

Com o São Paulo, contudo, a conversa foi diferente. James enfatizou a Jorge Mendes, poderoso empresário português que cuida da sua carreira, que a prioridade seria continuar na Europa. Não aconteceu. A sequências de atuações pouco convincentes do meia em Real Madrid, Bayern de Munique e Everton, seus últimos clubes de destaque no Velho Continente, afastaram interessados em seu futebol nas maiores ligas do mundo.

O tempo foi passando e o Tricolor deixou seu interesse na mesa ao mesmo tempo que viu outros interessados aparecerem. À reportagem, fontes confidenciaram que James recebeu propostas para ir à MLS, liga dos EUA, e o mundo árabe.

No primeiro caso, o colombiano recusou a investida por acreditar que, com 32 anos, ainda tenha ‘lenha para queimar’. Ou seja, jogar no Brasil representaria uma exigência técnica maior. Já com os árabes, o meia recusou pelo fato de que sua família não teria se adaptado bem quando ele atuou no Qatar, anos atrás.

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E, claro, pesou o fator Rafinha. O atual capitão são-paulino jogou junto com o craque colombiano entre 2017 e 2019 no Bayern de Munique. Juntos , conquistaram duas Bundesliga e uma Copa da Alemanha. E Rafinha fez sua parte. Conversa com o colega desde o início das negociações para falar sobre como é o futebol brasileiro e a estrutura que encontrará no clube do Morumbi

Os dois teriam se encontrado pessoalmente no último final de semana, quando Rafinha foi liberado pelo São Paulo para participar de um evento do Bayern na Alemanha onde ele e James foram homenageados. E novamente o Tricolor e o futebol brasileiro foram assunto.

Em entrevistas passadas, James também sempre deixou aberta a possibilidade de atuar no futebol brasileiro. O jogador gosta do país e viveu sua melhor fase na carreira por aqui, na Copa do Mundo de 2014.