However, together with Atalanta as a whole, Lookman’s form has dropped off in 2025 and he has not managed a single assist this year, although he has still added eight goals.
Sports
Just in: Messi reveals plan to retire from football
Just in: Messi reveals plan to retire from football
Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi has expressed his intention to end his illustrious playing career with Inter Miami, but he doesn’t plan on retiring anytime soon.
Messi, under contract with the MLS team until the end of the 2025 season, shared his thoughts in an interview with ESPN.
“Yes, as of today, I think it’s going to be my last club,” Messi told ESPN. However, the soon-to-be 37-year-old added, “I’m not ready to leave football either.”
The record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who became a legend with Barcelona by winning four Champions League titles and 10 La Liga championships, also led Argentina to victories in the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup. He is set to play for Argentina in this month’s Copa America, hosted in the United States.
After playing for Barcelona from 2004 to 2021, Messi moved to Paris Saint-Germain for two years before joining Inter Miami last year, where he quickly helped the team win the Leagues Cup.
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“It was a difficult step to leave Europe to come here,” Messi said, adding that becoming a world champion helped him see things differently.
Messi’s move has significantly boosted the profile of MLS in the United States, with matches selling out and his jersey becoming the most popular in the league.
Looking ahead, Messi is considering playing for Argentina in the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada, while also contemplating the end of his extraordinary career.
“My whole life I did this. I love playing ball. I enjoy the training, the day every day, of the matches. A little afraid that everything will end,” Messi said.
“I try to enjoy. That’s why I enjoy everything much more, because I’m aware that there’s less and less to go and I have a good time at the club. How lucky I am to have colleagues and friends by my side. I had a good time in the selection, where I have teammates and friends too, and many of them, and I enjoy the little details that I know I’m going to miss when I don’t play anymore.”
Just in: Messi reveals plan to retire from football
Sports
Taiwo Awoniyi out of induced coma, begins recovery
Taiwo Awoniyi out of induced coma, begins recovery
Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi is out of an induced coma and recovering steadily following emergency surgery on an abdominal injury sustained in a frightening collision with the goalpost during Sunday’s clash against Leicester City.
The Nigerian forward underwent a procedure on Monday night, with doctors placing him in a medically induced coma to limit movement and regulate his heart rate. While the injury was not considered life-threatening, the precautionary measure was taken to aid his recovery.
According to Mail Online, the second stage of the procedure was completed on Wednesday, and Awoniyi is now awake and recuperating in hospital, surrounded by family.
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In the aftermath, Nottingham Forest issued a strongly worded statement defending club owner Evangelos Marinakis, who stormed onto the pitch after the match.
The club clarified that the severity of Awoniyi’s injury prompted his reaction and dismissed reports claiming he confronted manager Nuno Espírito Santo as “fake news.”
Taiwo Awoniyi out of induced coma, begins recovery
Sports
Liverpool eye Ademola Lookman in stunning swap deal
Liverpool eye Ademola Lookman in stunning swap deal
Liverpool are reportedly considering a sensational swap deal that would see Nigeria International Ademola Lookman and his Italian counterpart Federico Chiesa change clubs.
Italian media outlet, Quotidiano Sportivo, claimed that Chiesa is likely to leave Liverpool and return to Serie A after a miserable first season at Anfield. Despite picking up a Premier League winners’ medial, Chiesa barely featured at all – making just five league appearances totalling 41 minutes, all of them from the substitutes bench.
Incidentally, Liverpool are among the clubs who are big fans of Atalanta’s star Lookman, and the report further claimed that the Reds could consider a swap deal that sees the Nigerian move to Anfield in exchange for cash plus Chiesa.
The African Footballer of the Year is expected to leave Atalanta at the end of the season if the Italian club receives a suitable offer believed to be around €60 million.
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Lookman has been heavily linked with virtually every top team in Europe over the past months.
A return to the Premier League is believed to be the likeliest destination for the 27-year-old, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool and Newcastle all interested. Barcelona and PSG are also big fans.
Earlier this year, Lookman was crowned African Footballer of the Year and finished 14th in the 2024 Ballon d’Or race after a stunning 2024.
He scored a legendary hat trick for Atalanta in the 3-0 Europa League final victory over Bayer Leverkusen last May. He hit 27 goal contributions for the season before taking that brilliant form into the 2024/2025 season.
In the first half of the season he was arguably the best player in Serie A, as Atalanta looked a good bet for the Scudetto.
Sports
Awoniyi in induced coma after surgery on abdominal injury
Awoniyi in induced coma after surgery on abdominal injury
Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi is in an induced coma after having the first phase of surgery on a serious abdominal injury.
The Nigeria international, 27, collided with the post in the 88th minute of the 2-2 draw against Leicester at the City Ground on Sunday as he attempted to get on the end of a cross from Anthony Elanga.
He had surgery on Monday night and remains in hospital, with the rest of the procedure set to be completed on Wednesday.
In a statement earlier on Tuesday, Forest said Awoniyi was “recovering well” following the operation.
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After the incident on Sunday, he received treatment on the pitch and was able to continue but was visibly struggling when the match restarted.
Awoniyi, who joined Forest from Union Berlin in June 2022, had only been on the pitch for five minutes, having come on as a late substitute for Ibrahim Sangare.
Owner Evangelos Marinakis took to the field after the game to express his concern to manager Nuno Espirito Santo over how Awoniyi’s injury was handled.
Marinakis is being kept updated on the forward’s condition.
On Tuesday, Forest said that Awoniyi’s injury was “a powerful reminder of the physical risks in the game and why a player’s health and wellbeing must always come first”.
Awoniyi in induced coma after surgery on abdominal injury
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