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Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to visit the White House on Tuesday as part of a Saudi Arabian delegation that includes Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). The visit coincides with MBS’s first trip to the United States in seven years. Ronaldo has been a prominent figure in the Saudi Pro League since joining Al Nassr in December 2022.

GettyFace of the league

Ronaldo's association with the Saudi government has long been called into question. But recent events have shown how strong the ties are between the league's biggest superstar and the crown. In an interview with Piers Morgan last week, Ronaldo dubbed MBS "our boss", while the meeting at the White House would seem to reinforce that notion. 

AdvertisementAFPTrump’s increasing involvement with FIFA and the global game

U.S. President Donald Trump has increasingly sought to build relationships with key figures in global soccer. FIFA President Gianni Infantino attended his inauguration, and Trump presented the trophy to Chelsea after their Club World Cup win last summer. Infantino and Trump have also held multiple joint press conferences at the White House.

Ronaldo embraces Trump

Ronaldo has recently interacted with the President as well. In July, Trump received a signed jersey from the Portuguese forward with the inscription, “To President Donald J. Trump, Playing for Peace.” Ronaldo said at the time that he hoped to speak with Trump about global issues, explaining:

“He is one of the guys who can help to change the world. One of the most important guys is the U.S. President. If we can help each other to make this happen… He is one of the guys I wish to meet to sit and have a nice talk. If it is here, or in the U.S., wherever he wants, I know he was here in Saudi Arabia with our boss, MBS (Mohammed bin Salman). I wish one day to meet him." 

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Getty Images SportWhat's next for Ronaldo?

Following the reported meeting, he is set to return to Saudi Arabia as his Al-Nassr side hosts Al-Khaleej. Ronaldo is currently second in the league in scoring, with nine goals. 

Costa Rica’s World Cup hopes have taken a severe hit. A 1–0 loss to Haiti has left Miguel Herrera’s side on the brink in the CONCACAF qualifiers, with their direct path now hanging by a thread. Pressure around Herrera grew louder after the match as Los Ticos have a difficult path to next year's tournament.

AFPCosta Rica drop to third in Group C

Herrera’s team entered the match with a chance to seize control of the group, especially after Nicaragua stunned Honduras earlier in the day. Instead, slipped to third place, and their fate now depends on a combination of unlikely results.

Haiti struck the decisive blow just before halftime. Josué Casimir slipped a pass into the box for Ruben Providence, whose low cross found Frantzdy Pierrot for the opener. Keylor Navas immediately expressed his frustration, shouting toward a back line that reacted far too slowly. Despite pushing forward in the second half, Costa Rica never found the equalizer.

AdvertisementAFPLos Ticos must beat Honduras

The math is now unforgiving for Herrera. Costa Rica must defeat Honduras in San José next week and hope Haiti fail to beat Nicaragua. Anything less than a victory eliminates them entirely from direct qualification and could even shut the door on the playoff route.

AFPHerrera faces growing pressure

Pressure around Herrera grew louder after the match, including a tense exchange during his arrival to the postgame press conference. Asked whether he still believed he should lead the team for the decisive match, he didn’t hesitate.
“It’s not my decision. If we don’t qualify, then we’ll have to consider what comes next. I’m committed to this project.”

Herrera took full responsibility for the team’s poor return – one win, one loss, and three draws in the final round – but emphasized that decisions about his future lie with federation president Osael Maroto.

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AFPNavas and Costa Rica now need a miracle

Costa Rica will now carry their fading World Cup hopes into a must-win showdown against Honduras – the group leader, but one that also arrives under significant pressure after a 2–0 defeat on the road to Nicaragua.

Although Major League Baseball did release new uniforms for All-Star weekend in Atlanta, the league thrilled fans when they announced the jerseys would be worn for everything but the All-Star Game.

The MLB decided to revert its All-Star Game dress code back to a previous format where players would wear the uniforms of their respective teams, rather than donning the ASG-specific attire. Players wore the All-Star jerseys at other events over the festivities in Atlanta, including Monday night's Home Run Derby.

For the All-Star Game on Tuesday, National League players wore their home white uniforms at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves, while American League players wore their road jerseys. Both squads did rock All-Star specific hats, though. With the traditional threads back in action for the Midsummer Classic, fans were thrilled at the league's aesthetically pleasing decision:

Tradition is back—and hopefully it's here to stay.

At Manchester United, there is a newfound sense of hope and optimism. Much has changed in recent weeks for Ruben Amorim, who has overseen a five-match unbeaten run in the Premier League and is knocking on the top four door.

The Red Devils have strengthened their spine, core players reborn in an alliance of security and stability stretching down the Old Trafford pitch.

But something is still lacking, and it’s clear that the Old Trafford side need a centre-midfielder to take their resurgence to the next level.

Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton is among those at the top of INEOS’s shopping list.

Man Utd's interest in Adam Wharton

The engine room bears one of the most glaring holes in Amorim’s Manchester United squad. Casemiro has been resurgent this season, but the Brazilian is 33 and new deep-lying midfielders must be signed.

That’s where Wharton comes in.

It has been felt for a number of months that the 21-year-old Three Lions star ranks high on United’s list of targets, and he would certainly open up avenues in the middle of the park, ranked among the top 10% of midfielders across Europe for shot-creating actions and the top 5% for through balls per 90, as per FBref.

This is an up-and-coming superstar who is never content with where he is. By completing a transfer to the Theatre of Dreams, he could at least take a giant step toward the very top of the European game.

However, Palace will not let their prized prospect leave easily, and have actually priced him at around £100m as interest continues to swell.

While Wharton would be a credit to the Red Devils project, Amorim actually has his own version of the England international, and he must start unleashing him.

Amorim must unleash his "future £100m" star

If it’s not clear already who the man in question is here, Kobbie Mainoo will no doubt feel that he has what it takes to nail down a regular starting role in Amorim’s Man United project. But he’s got a long way to go.

While the thought of adding Wharton to the ranks is exciting, United might have their own version in Mainoo, with the 20-year-old out of favour right now but having been hailed by former teammate Rasmus Hojlund after winning the FA Cup – and scoring against City in the final – as being a “generational” talent.

Paul Scholes noted that watching the powerful star on the ball and in his groove was “poetry in motion”.

But there’s no question that he has regressed since Amorim took to the dugout, left out in the cold all too often by a manager who has not been won over by his skillset.

Matches (starts)

24 (24)

25 (19)

Goals

3

0

Assists

1

0

Touches*

49.0

46.0

Pass completion

87%

87%

Big chances created

0

4

Key passes*

0.6

0.6

Dribbles*

1.3

0.9

Ball recoveries*

4.0

3.5

Tackles + interceptions*

2.9

2.6

Duels (won)*

5.0 (52%)

4.4 (45%)

This season, the England international’s statistics are not worth collating, having been reduced to seven cameos in the Premier League, averaging out at 22 minutes per match.

Amorim does not have a vendetta against Mainoo, and rather, harbours concerns over the Carrington graduate’s intensity and tactical suitability within the system.

But he’s shown that he has what it takes, and with a little fine-tuning over the coming months, Mainoo’s technical quality and natural athleticism could see him win the head coach over and cement a position of prominence under the Theatre’s spotlights.

After all, the homegrown hero has been hailed as a “future £100m+ footballer”, and so the last thing United want is for him to slip through their fingers.

The new Ronaldo: Man Utd preparing British-record bid for £200m superstar

Manchester United are looking to make further attacking investments after this summer’s spending.

2 ByAngus Sinclair Nov 17, 2025

Pat Cummins has led his team to more success but there could be some further tough selection calls to come this year

Alex Malcolm06-Jan-20251:19

Manjerkar: Cummins tactically brilliant, led by example

How long can Khawaja play?Usman Khawaja has bristled at the thought of retirement any time it has been raised publicly. Despite turning 38 during the series he has declared age is just a number and he has no timeline on when he will finish. His series on the whole was not good. He scored 184 runs at 20.44, passing 20 just four times with one half-century in Melbourne and an important 41 in Sydney. It was a difficult series for top-order batters. But Yashasvi Jaiswal was the second leading scorer for the series with 391 at 43.44, KL Rahul averaged 30.66 and Sam Konstas averaged 28.25 in four innings. Marnus Labuschagne was under pressure throughout but averaged 25.77 with three half-centuries.Related

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Cummins likely to miss Sri Lanka tour but no end in sight for captaincy

Australia’s hierarchy will argue that Khawaja had one problem, which was Bumrah. He fell to him six times for 33 runs from 112 deliveries faced. He was 3 for 93 off 141 against Mohammed Siraj, falling twice to the pull shot against him. He scored 58 off 124 without losing his wicket to the five other India bowlers he faced. Some of the deliveries he got from Bumrah were unplayable, but the last one that got him on the first night in Sydney was not one of them, where he played back to a very full ball that did not appear to deviate off the seam.To say he only has a Bumrah problem also masks the fact that he has averaged 28.68 in his last 24 Test innings. But his captain Pat Cummins believes Khawaja is playing as well as ever and can continue as long as he wants while he’s still contributing.”I felt very comfortable when he was out there batting,” Cummins said after the win Sydney. “He looked so assured. We said it with Nathan McSweeney as well, it doesn’t get any harder than opening batting on these pitches against a quality bowling attack. It’s the hardest job in cricket, and I thought he looked really good at times. Sometimes he got some really good balls. He looks like he’s batting as well as any other time. So probably, overall, [he] didn’t get the runs he would have liked but you get an innings like today where he just shows his maturity and experience is so valuable. He took some good catches in the field as well. Still moving all right. No end date from our end. We’ll see as long as he’s still scoring some runs.”He did take some good slip catches late in the series but also dropped a couple in Perth. He was long thought to be needed in Sri Lanka given he was far and away Australia’s best batter across the three tours to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India in 2022 and 2023. He was also Australia’s leading run-scorer in the 2023 Ashes in England and his experience in those conditions would suggest he will be valuable for the WTC final.Beyond that, Australia have three Tests in the West Indies in June-July at the start of a new WTC cycle before the home 2025-26 Ashes where Khawaja will turn 39 during the third Test in Adelaide. Time will tell whether age is just a number for him.Webster and Green in the same XI?Beau Webster brought up his debut half-century off 92 balls•Getty ImagesBeau Webster’s performance in Sydney was significant. He looked the most assured batter on both sides in difficult conditions. He bowled 17 overs including 13 in the first innings, which is more than Mitchell Marsh has bowled in a Test innings since 2019. He only took one wicket but he had three catches spilled in the cordon. He also took two very sharp catches in the slips.It is hard to see how Marsh plays in front of Webster again in the short term. He is also two years younger, without physical issues and can bowl offspin on top of his medium pace. Cameron Green is recovering well from his back surgery and there is an outside chance he could play Test cricket as a batter only in the winter before being cleared to bowl later in the year. In that scenario there is almost certainly a chance the two could feature in the same side. And even when Green returns to bowl, both men could continue to play together given Green’s success at No. 4 in the four Tests he played there last year. It would be an incredible luxury for Cummins to have, as it was having Green and Marsh in the same team for a period of time.”If they’re in the best six batters, but also they can contribute a little bit with the ball, both amazing gully, second, third slip fielders as well,” Cummins said. “Absolutely, just because [Webster is] an allrounder doesn’t mean that you can’t have two of them.”But the question would be how to reshape the top six to accommodate both given the issues Australia faced last year with the same conundrum. Webster is a true No. 6 as he showed in his debut and in his recent Sheffield Shield success. Steven Smith’s successful return to No. 4 and Travis Head’s brilliance at No. 5 creates a headache for the selectors.It is very unlikely Smith will open again after his brief experiment and Head will likely only ever open in the subcontinent. Smith could move back up to No. 3 given Labuschagne’s form and his record there as a short-term option. Australia’s selectors will only make a decision when they need to. That moment could come as soon as June.Boland’s bid to be first-choiceAustralia’s bowling quartet – Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Pat Cummins – walk back after India’s innings•Getty ImagesScott Boland has 56 Test wickets at 17.66. Yet, when Josh Hazlewood returns to full fitness he could well be left out of the best XI as he has been many times before. Boland played the last WTC final in 2023 when the selectors opted not to risk Hazlewood after injury, but the only time he has played when the big three were all officially available was the Edgbaston Ashes Test which followed when Mitchell Starc was left out.”He’s so good, Scotty. I love him,” Cummins said. “Whenever he comes in you just know he’s a seasoned pro. He’s been doing it for years for Victoria, and he’s well and truly good enough in Test cricket. He proves it time, time again. As a captain he’s a dream, because he just loves bowling. He bowls uphill into the wind a lot of time as well so his figures are probably better than what they show. But you just know what you’re going to get from Scotty and it’s class every day.”What Australia’s selectors can learn from this series is they can be more calculated and less biased towards incumbency in the immediate future, especially for next year’s Ashes. Boland’s contribution in Melbourne and Sydney especially, combined with Hazlewood’s injuries and Starc’s soreness by the end, showed the value of fresh legs late in a five-Test series. England proved that in 2023 when they brought in Mark Wood and Chris Woakes for the final three Tests and the pair dominated Australia.The concern for Australia is that Boland is 35 and managing a long-term knee issue. Starc turns 35 this month. Hazlewood is 34 on Wednesday and has mounting injury concerns. Australia’s other favoured back-up quick Michael Neser turns 35 in March and has missed two months this summer with a significant hamstring injury. Sean Abbott (32), Brendan Doggett (30), and Nathan McAndrew (31) are the next most durable trio.Jhye Richardson (28), Lance Morris (26), Xavier Bartlett (26), and Spencer Johnson (29), are viewed as Australia’s next generation of red-ball quicks but none have anywhere near the durability of Cummins, Boland and Starc at the moment. Fergus O’Neill is 23, and has dominated Shield cricket without any injury concerns. But his average speeds are under 130kph, meaning any opportunity at Test level, rightly or wrongly, would likely be conditions based.Looking to the futureSam Konstas attempts the reverse ramp•Getty ImagesAustralia only fielded two players under 30 for the entire series against India but neither of them featured together with 19-year-old Konstas replacing McSweeney, 25, after three Tests. But despite concerns about the age of the side and when a transition should occur, it seems it may already be underway.Konstas’ debut was a breath of fresh air despite some of the reactions to it. McSweeney will likely get another opportunity at some point and showed signs of being capable at Test level despite getting Bumrah’d. Green will return with a reinforced spine, aged 26. Todd Murphy is likely to return in Sri Lanka and is only 24. Josh Inglis, 29, is being looked at as a batting option for Sri Lanka and is four years younger than Alex Carey. Webster is 31 but has a lot of good cricket ahead of him. Richardson’s return to fitness is promising and the selectors have confidence he can play sooner rather than later, although his injury history will always cast a shadow.The selectors have not shown a desire to retire anyone early in order to hasten the transition. Cummins said the future is constantly being discussed and believes it will happen organically.”We’ve had three debutants this series,” Cummins said. “You’re always balancing between kind of the here and now, but also you’ve got a bit of an idea to the future. So they’re conversations that we always have. I don’t think there’s any point in doing things just for the sake of it. So those can play out over the next couple of years. But of course, we’re always thinking about that.”

While India are the most recent winners of the tournament in 2023, it was played in ODI format

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Sep-20252:05

Jaffer: Hasaranga’s return big boost for SL

As far as Sri Lanka are concerned, they are defending champions at this year’s Asia Cup. The case they are making is that the ODI version of the Asia Cup – which India last won in 2023 – is a different tournament entirely.The tournament alternates between the two white-ball formats based on which World Cup is around the corner. In 2023, it was the 50-over World Cup. In 2025, it is the T20 World Cup. And as far as the T20I version of the Asia Cup goes, Sri Lanka are the most-recent victors, having taken the title in 2022.”Mentally, the fact that we are defending champions is a really good thing,” Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka said ahead of his team’s first Asia Cup game, against Bangladesh on Saturday. “It was a lot of these players that played in that last tournament here [in UAE] as well. We know that because we are champions we can go far. The players are using that as motivation.”Related

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Hasaranga fit for Sri Lanka's Asia Cup campaign

At home, both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh tend to play on slower tracks not especially suited to batting. But Asalanka expected the Abu Dhabi surface to be different.”When you’re rating these conditions with other venues in the UAE, I think Abu Dhabi is the best pitch for batters. Once the ball gets softer it’s much easier to bat here, and the outfield is very nice. Every batsman wants to play in Abu Dhabi.”Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are very familiar with each other, having played three T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests since the start of the year. Sri Lanka won the ODI and the Test series but Bangladesh took the T20I series.