A terrifying fact you should know:
Imagine a parallel world where 39-year-old Maradona was the best player at the 1998 World Cup and led Argentina to the final.
Where 39-year-old Zidane was the best player at the 2010 World Cup and led France to the final.
Where 39-year-old Ronaldo Nazário was the best player at the 2014 World Cup and led Brazil to the final.
Where 39-year-old Ronaldinho was the best player at the 2018 World Cup and led Brazil to the final.
Sounds absurd, right?
Yet that’s exactly what Lionel Messi did at the 2026 World Cup.
Messi’s longevity is something football may never witness again and to maintain that level at 39 years old is simply unprecedented. 🐐
Tus lágrimas son las nuestras, Capitán 👑🇦🇷
Nos diste las alegrías más grandes de nuestras vidas. Gracias por la entrega, por la magia y por dar la vida hasta el último segundo 🙌
¡Te amamos para siempre, Leo! 🩵🤍
He got more criticism for leading his team to a final than the other guy got for not even sniffing the business end of the competition. Hilarious standards
🚨🇦🇷 Lionel Messi vs England... 🪄
• 9 dribbles complete (most in match)
• 7 touches in opposition box (most in match)
• 6 passes into final third
• 4 chances created (most in match)
• 2 recoveries
• 2 assists
39-years-old. 👑
Madame Celeste Amarilla,
Vous êtes une femme méprisable et indigne de sa fonction.
Vous ne représentez pas le Paraguay, ce pays qui a transpiré la passion et l’honneur tout au long de la compétition. Par votre inconscience et votre racisme décomplexé, le monde entier a déjà oublié le parcours et l’effort historique que vos joueurs ont réalisés durant cette coupe du monde pour laisser place à une dame incompétente donnant la pire image possible de son pays.
Je ne laisserai jamais aux gens comme elle, la liberté de laisser propager leur haine et leur racisme à travers le monde.
El Club Deportivo Palestino lamenta profundamente el sensible fallecimiento de Saleem Al-Ashqar, arquero palestino de 32 años que defendía los colores del Khadamat Khan Younis y que perdió la vida a manos del ejército israelí.
Nos destroza que hechos como este sigan ocurriendo. Exigimos justicia y paz para #TodoUnPueblo 🇵🇸
The world may have forgotten Peter Parker, but he hasn't forgotten them.
Watch the new trailer for #SpiderManBrandNewDay, in theatres July 31. Tickets on sale NOW.
EUROPA LEAGUE was never the dream.
Not because I didn’t want it.
Because if I’m being honest, I never thought it was possible.
What kid would?
Especially when 12 years ago I was playing non league football in the Ryman Premier and Conference South, just trying to stay alive in the game.
What kid dreams about Europe when, two weeks into the off season, his dad has to tell him he’s been released by Watford F.C. over the phone?
I was heartbroken.
My dad looked at me and said:
“What are we doing tomorrow?”
To which I replied with the words he’d drilled into me my whole life:
“We’re training, Dad.”
So we trained.
Every single day.
My dad emailed every EFL club asking for an opportunity.
One club replied.
One.
That was all I needed.
An opportunity.
@WealdstoneFC and @wwfcofficial , I’ll always be indebted to you.
Then came the move to @SunderlandAFC .
A massive club.
A massive opportunity.
And I couldn’t wait to prove myself.
But 45 minutes into my debut… hooked.
“Rabbit caught in headlights. Waste of money. Get rid.”
Then came the Championship.
“He’s not good enough for this level.”
Then the Premier League.
“Let’s give him a debut and then get rid of him.”
I understood the doubt.
I’ve faced it my whole career.
And truthfully, you doubt yourself too at times.
But I’ve always tried to live by one mindset:
Outwork your doubt.
You don’t always need to see the full journey.
You just need to take the next step.
Then the next one.
And then another.
Even when social media tells you you’re not good enough.
Even when the voice inside your own head whispers the same thing.
Keep working.
Keep learning.
Keep showing up.
Because sometimes the places you end up are bigger than anything your younger self could’ve ever imagined.
To any young player reading this, don’t put a ceiling on yourself too early.
You genuinely have no idea where this game and life can take you.
And to the boys… thank you.
You removed the glass ceiling I’d placed on myself.
What a team.
What a club.
What a fanbase.
Sunderland… rocking all over Europe ❤️🤍
And in the words of Granit Xhaka:
“This is just the beginning.”