Twelve years after her last onscreen role, Eva Mendes is ready to resume her acting career — and a source says she wants Ryan Gosling to play Mr. Mom to their two children as she steps back into the spotlight.
"She's leaning on Ryan to pick up the slack at home and slow down his usually packed schedule," confirms the source. "Eva needs the free time to meet with filmmakers and studio executives and really see what is out there for her."
Whispers have swirled that the Hitch beauty's comeback has already begun.
While MakingStarWars.net reports that Mendes, 52, filmed a part for Star Wars: Starfighter — the highly-anticipated 2027 ******* e opera featuring Gosling, 45, as its leading man — ScreenRant previously hinted she could return for the eleventh movie in the Fast & Furious franchise ******* led Fast Forever. The latter is currently in production and expected to hit theaters in 2028.
"Eva rediscovered her taste for acting while making Starfighter last year," reveals the source. "Now she wants to be in more films that her kids and their friends will actually enjoy and talk about."

#ryan #gosling #starfighter #twelve

No team. No coach. No training facilities.
No problem.
When Salote Sisifa became CEO of Tonga Netball in 2014, she had a blank canvas. Some would call it an empty cupboard.
Twelve years and much upheaval later, the Pacific Islanders are ranked eighth in the world. For context, that's just behind Wales and ahead of Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Tonga launch their first Commonwealth Games netball campaign on Saturday in Glasgow when they face Australia, the world's preeminent team.

#islanders

In 2014, when the Commonwealth Games were last in Glasgow, a little-known teenage gymnast, Claudia Fragapane, became one of Britain's breakthrough stars as she won four gold medals on her debut.
Twelve years on, with the competition returning to the same city, another Bristol-born teenager is hoping to one day follow in Fragapane's footsteps when she makes her own Games bow.
Shantae Amankwaah, who is part of the same Bristol Hawks gymnastics club where Fragapane began her career, said it is "surreal" to be heading to the same competition.
"I've always looked up to her. Even in 2014 I was only young, and I didn't go to this gym yet, but she had so many big achievements, and when I came, she was always someone I looked up to," Amankwaah told BBC Points West.
"It's really inspiring, especially because we're from the same place, the same area."

#bristol #amankwaah #Competition

It seemed like the perfect time for the club to arrange a pre-season friendly in Dublin, where Sunderland would take on Shelbourne FC, and on a sunny midweek evening in the Irish capital, hundreds of Sunderland supporters, — including this writer — made the journey from both near and far to Tolka Park on Dublin's north side.
Having just suffered relegation in humiliating circumstances, the timely announcement of Niall Quinn's takeover from Bob Murray added a level of excitement to a fixture that otherwise would've been viewed as little more than a routine summer friendly.
I recall sitting in the stands, clad in my red and white stripes, cheering as the giant that was Quinn strode past, saluting his people while we lavished the man dubbed the "saviour" with praise at a time when the club was on its knees.
Moments later, my attention shifted to a Newcastle supporter who couldn't have been much older than my twelve-year-old self.
He shuffled sheepishly past the Sunderland end, dressed head to toe in black and white, enduring a relentless chorus of abuse from the home crowd. Looking back, I can't help but wonder whether anyone had thought to inform him that his choice of attire wasn't exactly suited to the occasion.

#time #friendly #irish

Hyperliquid (HYPE) has gone down by 7% today and has accumulated a 15% drop in the past 7 days after a handful of whales reportedly cashed out on their early HYPE bets.
Yesterday, the crypto ****** ytics firm Lookonchain revealed that Multicoin Capital transferred nearly 400,000 HYPE tokens to Coinbase Prime and requested to unstake almost 212,000 tokens less than a month after they published a bullish report on this cryptocurrency.
In a piece ****** led "Hyperliquid (HYPE) ****** ysis & Valuation," Multicoin stated that "Hyperliquid's trajectory looks eerily similar to Binance's early years."
They also set forth a long-term target of $319 for the token, claiming that, at $63, it was currently trading at 36 times its trailing twelve months (TTM) earnings. They projected $8 billion in annual profits by 2028, which, at a 20x price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple, results in a potential 5x gain.
However, this recent move to cash out of Hyperliquid's short-term gains has raised eyebrows about the firm's motivations to publish this report among the crypto community.

#hype #hyperliquid #multicoin #early

BUFR returned 14% over the past year with a built-in 10% downside buffer, while BIL offered only a 4% yield and zero equity upside.
SPY returned 20% over the same period, meaning nervous investors who parked in BIL forfeited roughly 16 percentage points of compounding in twelve months.
A partial rotation that moves a quarter to half of a BIL position into BUFR restores equity participation without fully abandoning the safety of the cash trade.
Don't wait: the ****** yst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just revealed his top 10 AI stocks. See the full list FREE now.
Investors who rotated into SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (NYSEARCA:BIL) during the March 2026 volatility spike know its appeal: a steady 4%-ish yield, no drawdowns, and peace of mind. BIL has become the default parking spot for nervous equity money, and with the 10-year Treasury at 4.56% and near the 96th percentile of its 12-month range, the cash trade looks defensible. The problem is that BIL solved yesterday's problem. With the VIX back at 15.03, in the lower 10th percentile of the past year, sitting entirely in T-bills carries a different risk: missing the recovery. A middle path exists, and it wears the ticker BUFR.

#investors #nervous

In the world of heavy machinery, Caterpillar commands a premium price without a first-place finish, forcing investors to ask if its future justifies its cost today.
Caterpillar (CAT) stock has delivered a powerful +118% return over the last twelve months, trading around $889.97 a share. For a company in the business of moving earth, it has certainly moved portfolios. But when you line it up with its direct competitors, a sharp question emerges: why does the market price Caterpillar like a leader when on paper, it isn't one?
CAT's Price Ranks Higher Than Its Performance
Among its peers, Caterpillar carries one of the highest valuations, trading at 43.7 times earnings. That's a significant premium over a rival like Deere, which trades at 33.1 times earnings. Yet for that price, investors are not getting chart-topping results. While CAT's revenue growth of 11.8% is strong, it trails the 17.0% growth posted by Terex. The story is similar for profitability, where Caterpillar's 16.5% operating margin is solid, but second to Deere's 17.4%.
The mismatch is clear: Caterpillar is priced near the top of its class but is out-delivered by at least one peer on both growth and margins. This isn't a case of paying for leading performance; it's a case of paying for something the market sees coming down the road.

#price #premium #investors #like

The fast-growing Mediterranean chain has a history of rewarding dip-buyers, but the price you'll pay to get in still requires careful consideration.
At Cava (CAVA), the strategy is clear: win on value. While many restaurant peers have been raising prices, Cava's management is playing a different game. On its latest earnings call, the company reiterated its focus on keeping prices down to drive traffic, noting that its price adjustments have been "only slightly more than half of ****** ulative CPI since 2019." It's a bold move designed to build loyalty and gain market share. For investors, however, the stock has recently served up a sharp pullback of about 29% from its recent high. That has you wondering: is this a chance to buy into a winning strategy at a discount, or is it a trap?
The answer starts with history, which offers some encouragement, though on a very small sample size. This isn't the first time the stock has seen a steep drop. The question is what happened next.
How Past Cava Dips Have Played Out
Since going public in 2023, Cava has experienced a drop of this magnitude on 3 separate occasions. For the two prior dips old enough to have a full 1-year result, the median return over the following twelve months was a sizable 123%. That's a powerful bounce-back. However, it wasn't always a straight line up. Buyers typically had to stomach a bit more pain first, with the median worst further drawdown hitting 17% before the recovery took hold. The detailed history in the table below shows the range of outcomes, but the past pattern has been one of eventual, strong recovery.

#dips

A penalty shootout is a nerve-wracking and dramatic moment, probably one of the most tense in a match. When a goalkeeper and a penalty taker face each other one-on-one, it looks like real psychological warfare. Each tries to predict the next move; each tries to use emotional pressure this way or another. The level of tension within twelve yards can be compared to head-to-head card games, where hunting for the opponent’s physical tells comes to the forefront, and is heightened at big tournaments such as the World Cup.
Both technique and the ability to read the opponent matter on the pitch. Success comes from combining these two aspects, and in no other way.
Having strong dribbling skills allows the player to beat defenders and progress the ball forward until an advantageous passing lane opens. Tackling and interceptions halt the opponent’s forward momentum and help win back possession to counterattack.
Mental strength is vital to avoid emotional paralysis after conceding, just as to resist the urge to take defensive shortcuts in the last 15 minutes. But where resilience carries a lot of weight is during penalty shootouts. This stage isn’t a test of technique but a genuine psychological test, in which the goalkeeper and the kicker engage in a silent duel.
You can be great at saving shots, but the kicker’s presence alone can sometimes be intimidating. Belgian former footballer Eden Hazard, for instance, used this – his menacing look put real pressure on goalkeepers. Meanwhile, a penalty taker might ***** ume it’s better to aim for one corner or another, but in fact, a goalkeeper has already read those intentions and prepared – no goal.

#penalty #real #pressure #head

The chipmaker sent shareholders a fortune in cash, yet the stock itself went nowhere fast. Here's what owners actually got for their patience and what the trade-off really cost them.
Qualcomm (QCOM)'s stock has seen better days, trading around $170.32 a share after a recent 25% pullback from its one-month high. But behind the stock chart's noise is a much simpler story: the company has been a quiet, large cash-return machine. Over the last five years, Qualcomm handed back $43 billion to its owners through dividends and buybacks, an amount equal to 24% of its entire current market value. The question for any investor is whether that cash was a reward for a great business or a consolation prize for a stock that dramatically lagged the market.
The company's cash machine is built on two very different engines.
That $43 billion gusher, which dwarfs the $5.7 billion returned by the median S&P 500 company over the same period, comes from a business with formidable profitability. Qualcomm's operating margin over the last twelve months was 26%, well above the index median of 18.4%. The cash is generated by its two core segments: QCT, which designs the Snapdragon chipsets that power countless smartphones and, increasingly, cars and other connected devices; and QTL, its high-margin technology licensing arm.
Of the total returned to shareholders, $26 billion came from share repurchases, and another $17 billion was paid out as dividends. This is the financial brute force that underpins the investment case: a mature, highly profitable business dedicated to rewarding its owners.

#cash

After a monumental run, the chipmaker's stock asks you to weigh resurgent demand for its core products against the steep and uncertain costs of its transformation.
After soaring +326% over the trailing twelve months, Intel (INTC) stock sits at a fascinating juncture. This isn't the slumbering giant of years past. Management is engineering the most ambitious and expensive turnarounds in corporate history, aiming to reclaim manufacturing leadership while capitalizing on a surprising resurgence in its core chip business.
The company says demand is so strong it "continues to run ahead of supply for all our businesses." Yet the stock still trades about 31% below its 52-week high. The practical question for any buyer today is whether you're paying for a comeback story that's already in motion or if the market has gotten ahead of a difficult and still unproven transformation.
Start With The Price Tag
By most conventional measures, Intel's valuation is a study in contrasts. The stock trades at a price-to-sales ratio of 9.0, versus the 3.3 multiple of the S&P 500. On cash flow, it's even richer, at 48.4 times operating cash flow versus the market's 15.4. These are not bargain-bin prices; they reflect a market betting heavily on future growth. At the same time, the company's profitability is deeply negative, with a net margin of -5.9% compared to the market's positive 13.0%. You are not paying for current earnings. Instead, you are paying a premium for the promise that Intel can successfully execute a large strategic pivot, fueled by artificial intelligence, and that today's heavy investments will generate significant profits down the road.

#Stock #ahead #trades

Visa (V) trades at $360.57 per share on a $651.9B market cap and 29.3x trailing earnings. Under a conservative 3-year scenario, the math points to roughly 42% of upside. Revenue compounding does most of the work in our scenario. Here is the picture the math sits on top of:
Where V Stands Today
Valuation: P/E of 29.3 versus a 3-year average of 29.8 and a 3-year high of 33.9.
Revenue: Revenue grew 14.4% over the last twelve months, with a 3-year CAGR of 11.6%.
Net Margin: Running at 52% LTM, against a 3-year average of 53% and a 3-year peak of 55%.

#Visa

It has been around four months, 138 days to be precise, since the Real Madrid forward Rodrygo Goes suffered his latest injury, an anterior cruciate ligament tear and ******* ociated meniscus tear in his right knee. This injury, suffered on 2nd March, brought a premature end to his club season, and more sadly for the player, also meant him missing the World Cup 2026.
At the time of his injury, he was expected to spend between ten to twelve months on the sidelines. However, as Diario AS has reported, his recovery progress is going very well, and he is expected to recover fully from this injury within the lower extreme of this time range, i.e., ten months.
After having undergone surgery right after this injury, the Brazilian forward has already overcome the most difficult phase of his recovery in these four months. He has gone through these four months with a lot of physical and mental pain, but his determination has never been shaken, as seen from the long rehabilitation and physiotherapy sessions he has undergone. Later, he also started regaining mobility in his knee and began working in the gym.
As things stand, his recovery has progressed to such an extent that he can go through daily life activities, without stepping on the pitch. He also went to the United States to see and support his Brazilian national team in the World Cup, and in North America, also met one of his idols, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Going forward, Rodrygo Goes is expected to get his medical clearance in January. However, he would still need more time to get back to his best level and gradually make his return to the pitch in competitive games.

#rodrygo

The situation surrounding the future of Rodri at Manchester City continues to evolve. It did seem that as much as the Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder wanted a move to Real Madrid, the La Liga giants were not interested in signing him this summer. Fabrizio Romano reported on his YouTube channel that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has no interest in signing Rodri. However, a new report has emerged that indicates that perhaps Real Madrid are now interested in signing arguably Manchester City’s most important player. Whatever occurs with Rodri’s future this summer, Manchester City do need a speedy resolution to the situation before it drags on for far too long.
Fabrizio Romano reported that Rodri does indeed want a move to Real Madrid at some point. However, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had no interest in bringing Rodri to the club. However, that situation may have changed. Matteo Moretto has reported that Florentino Perez is becoming open to the possibility of signing Rodri. Furthermore, it is also reported that personal terms between Rodri and Real Madrid are considered to be a formality. Lastly, it is also reported that at this stage, negotiations between Real Madrid and Manchester City over a deal that will see Rodri sign for the 15-time UEFA Champions League winners have yet to commence.
The situation surrounding Rodri threatens to be a distraction for Manchester City. Rodri will enjoy a period of holidays following his efforts at the World Cup with Spain. Manchester City’s midfield general helped his country claim their second World Cup crown and he was named as the player of the tournament. While Rodri rests, his future is now a major topic to watch for in the coming days and weeks. It is also a situation that could shape the remainder of the summer transfer window for Manchester City.
Rodri is contracted with City for next season. He is entering the final twelve months of his current deal. Manchester City are eager to sign him to an extension, but for now, there hasn’t been any movement on that front. As Matteo Moretto reports, Real Madrid are yet to enter into negotiations with City to sign Rodri. Nor has Rodri indicated to City that he wants to leave this summer. But Rodri’s contract situation does raise the possibility of him leaving City sooner than anticipated.
However, the best scenario for Manchester City is that Rodri provides clarity on his intentions in a timely manner. The longer the situation drags on, that doesn’t really suit anyone. Typically, the FA Cup and Carabao Cup holders do not keep players that don’t want to be at the club. Unless that player was Bernardo Silva. If Rodri informs City that he wants to leave this summer, and if Real Madrid do make their move, the sooner that process begins, the quicker a resolution can be found, whatever that may be.

#city #madrid

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Monday ordered Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery to halt their $81 billion merger for at least two weeks, allowing states that are challenging the deal more time to see their case through in court.
Twelve states, led by California, sued to block Paramount's pending buyout of Warner last week — alleging that such a combination would "extinguish competition" in Hollywood and lead to fewer choices for consumers, particularly moviegoers and cable customers across the U.S.
The states' top prosecutors called on Warner and Paramount to not close the transaction until after a court had time to fully evaluate their claims. And when the companies refused, they filed for a temporary restraining order — which is what District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín granted on Monday. That opens the door to a potential preliminary injunction that the states are also seeking to effectively block the deal.
"This is a critical first win in our case to ensure this megamerger never sees the light of day," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement Monday. "History tells the tale of what happens when a few people have great power over markets that are central to Americans' lives: fewer opportunities for more people, worse products and services for all people."
A Warner-Paramount tie-up would bring together two of the five last legacy studios in Hollywood — as well as a host of TV networks, ****** les filling streaming libraries and news operations. Warner's HBO Max, fan favorites like "Harry Potter" and even CNN would come under the same roof of Paramount-owned CBS, movies like "Top Gun" and the Paramount+ streaming service.

The much-anticipated listing of SK Hynix (SKHY) witnessed some initial jitters on the back of some profit booking. However, the memory semiconductor company made a strong comeback and popped 27% in yesterday's trading.
Amidst the near-term volatility, SKHY stock is worth accumulating for the medium to long term. For a company on a high-growth trajectory, a trailing-twelve-month price-earnings ratio of 18.3 looks attractive and underscores this view.
Elon Musk Dubs Him 'Scam Altman' Not Sam — Then Altman Clapped Back: 'Homeboy You're The One Selling ******* e Datacenters'
Oracle Stock Crashes to a 52-Week Low. Here's Why It Might Be Time to Buy.
Short Seller Hunterbrook Attacked Bloom Energy's Supply-Chain Claims. BE Stock Is Bruised, But Not Broken.

Argentina's dark blue jersey has become more than just an alternate strip. For many, it is part of the team's football folklore, a shirt stitched with some of the nation's most famous World Cup memories - and, perhaps, a little bit of good luck.
When the defending champions face England in Wednesday's World Cup semi-final in Atlanta, Lionel Messi and company will swap their traditional sky blue and white stripes for their dark blue away kit.
Argentina wore dark blue against England in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, when Diego Maradona scored his infamous "Hand of God" goal and dazzling solo effort later dubbed the "Goal of the Century" in a 2-1 victory.
Twelve years later, Argentina again wore dark blue when they eliminated England on penalties in the round of 16 at the 1998 World Cup in France after a dramatic 2-2 draw.
England manager Thomas Tuchel understands the thinking.

Despite crashing out of the tournament, the German press are still casting their eyes over the final four in the 2026 World Cup.
Germany’s 2026 World Cup campaign ended in absolute disaster, extending their painful twelve-year wait for a tournament knockout victory.
Despite high expectations under Julian Nagelsmann, a shock penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay in the Round of 32 sent the European giants packing early.
Now, they’re forced to sit at home and watch bitter rivals England in the semi-final.
The football rivalry between England and Germany goes back decades. Rooted in the iconic 1966 World Cup final and fueled by dramatic tournament clashes, penalty shootout heartbreaks, and the famous Frank Lampard goal that was never given.

NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is one of the 10 Best Stocks to Buy in 2026 According to Billionaire D.E. Shaw.
2026 hasn't been kind to AI GPU giant NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)'s shares, as they are up by a modest 9.6% year-to-date. With the shares currently trading around the $207 mark, Bank of America discussed the firm on July 8th as it reiterated a Buy rating and a $350 share price target. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) was in the news recently after ***** eX announced its Grok 4.5 model and revealed that it was trained on tens of thousands of NVIDIA AI chips. Throughout the year, even though rivals such as Google and Amazon have touted their custom AI chips, NVIDIA's products have remained the leaders when it comes to performance.
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)'s own GR00T made inroads into the robotics sector recently after the firm announced a collaboration with Hugging Face to integrate its physical AI capabilities into the LeRobot open source robotics library. The partnership will allow users to consolidate human data, model fine tuning and behavior validation in a single platform.
Antipodes Global Strategy discussed NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)in its Q1 2026 investor letter:
"The opportunity in NVIDIA has been created from the market's extrapolation of near-term AI uncertainty, despite a structural demand inflection for the world's dominant AI infrastructure provider. On our estimates NVDA trades on a 2027 multiple of 13x. Management now guides at least $1 trillion in AI infrastructure demand through 2027 — double the $500bn signalled twelve months ago — and frames this as a floor with NVDA the main beneficiary underpinned by the CUDA installed base. Revenue is also diversifying beyond hyperscalers, with sovereign clouds, enterprise, and robotics growing while the SaaS-to-agentic transition represents a further enterprise IT monetisation opportunity."

SOUTHPORT, England – There won’t be another Jordan Spieth miracle bogey at Royal Birkdale this time around at the 154th British Open.
That’s because the area right of right at the par-4 13th hole will be considered out of bounds. Instead of the range as it was in 2017 when Spieth was the Champion Golfer of the Year, that ****** e will be utilized as the site of the fan village with OB beginning at the cart path to the right of the dunes.
Spieth’s opening comment in his press conference after winning in 2017 was, “We’re going to skip the first twelve holes, right?”, referring to his adventurous bogey-five on the 13th, followed by a finish of birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, par to win by three strokes.
Who can forget Spieth fanning his tee shot so far right at 13 that it struck the noggin of a fan and ricocheted into an unplayable lie on the side of a dune. Then it took about a half an hour to determine his relief. Spieth ended up hitting his third shot from the club’s driving range.
That’s not the only change to the hole since the last Open was here. There is a new left tee box that alters the angle to a fairway pinched in by new bunkering to the right and an expanded dune dividing the 13th from the fan village and a ditch that runs the length of the hole to the left. The greenside bunker that Spieth had to pitch over for his fourth shot also has been pushed back nearer to the green. Spieth pitched to 10 feet and canned the putt for an improbable bogey to fall only one stroke back of Matt Kuchar. Then he rifled a 6-iron that lipped out to 5 feet at the par-3 14th. That hole had been dropped from the layout, the green saved as part of a short-game practice area. The new 14th is what used to be the par-5 15th, remodeled into a 602-yard par 5 with the green moved back some 30 yards from its previous location. The 241-yard, par-3 15th is a new short hole created to diversify the directions and lengths of the course’s par 3s.

Starting on the pole position, Tom Dillmann and Jeremy Clarke took the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA LMP2 07 to victory in Le Mans Prototype 2 category for the overall win of the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
The No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR of George Kurtz and Alex Quinn finished second. Dane Cameron and PJ Hyett were third in the No. 99 AO Racing ORECA.
It was the second class win for the No. 43 and its first since the Twelve Hours of Sebring in March 2025. The LMP2 class has produced four different winners in the past four races dating to last year's season finale.
Dillmann earned his third IMSA class victory, and Clarke got his second.
RESULTS: Click here for overall l Click here for class

The numbers are hard to look at. If you put $10,000 into American Bitcoin Corp, the Bitcoin mining company co-founded by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., around this time last year, that position is worth approximately $260 today. A loss of 97 percent in twelve months.
The stock, trading under the ticker ABTC on NASDAQ, was changing hands at around $14 a year ago on a pre-split adjusted basis.
Today it sits near $5.86, and that figure comes after a 1-for-15 reverse stock split the company executed on July 6, 2026, which mechanically inflated the per-share price without changing the underlying value.
American Bitcoin was positioned as the most politically connected Bitcoin mining play in the market. The company integrates scaled Bitcoin mining operations with disciplined accumulation strategies, with Eric Trump serving as Chief Strategy Officer.
Related: If you invested $10,000 in Bitcoin, Trump meme coin, and gold when Trump took office, here's what you'd have today

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JUNE 27: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Tonal effects have been applied to this image.) A detail of the boots of Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina as he prepares to take a free kick during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J match between Jordan and Argentina at Dallas Stadium on June 27, 2026 in Dallas, United States. (Photo by Ryan Pierse - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Every four years, one name goes on the Golden Boot. Adidas puts its logo on the trophy, and a boot company puts its logo on the player who wins it. Those two facts have always been true in isolation, but this summer, for the first time, the boot company and the trophy sponsor are in direct competition and the race between them is being played out in real time on a scoreboard watched by a billion people.
Lionel Messi joint-leads the 2026 World Cup scoring race with eight goals through five matches. He is an Adidas athlete with a lifetime contract and the award he is chasing has Adidas's name on it. Kylian Mbappé is level on eight, having played one game more, still nominally a Nike athlete but only because Nike secured a one-month contract extension to stop him switching boots mid-tournament, a deal due to expire twelve days after the final. Erling Haaland also has seven, in Nike boots, with no such complication. Harry Kane is one behind on six goals, but has a deal with Sketchers, becoming their leading soccer player when he signed in 2023.
That leaves four players in contention with different commercial arrangements competing for one trophy. Mbappé has already booked a semifinal place, while in the quarterfinals Kane's England faces Haaland's Norway in Miami on July 11, and Messi's Argentina faces Switzerland in Kansas City the same night.
Messi opened with a hat trick against Algeria, added a brace against Austria, missing a ninth-minute penalty along the way, breaking the all-time World Cup scoring record in the process, then came off the bench to score against Jordan before adding a seventh against Cape Verde in the round of 32. That one came in a 3-2 extra-time win where Cape Verde equalised twice. The eighth, against Egypt, was a first-time strike inside the box to pull it back to 2-2 before Argentina finished the job.

With PE dealmaking and exit values dropping significantly in Q2, the private credit market is eager for exit opportunities. One saving grace has been strategic, non-sponsored transactions, according to Morningstar DBRS.
Data compiled by DBRS on discontinued private credit ratings show that an increasing number of borrower sales are related to strategic buyers, a separate category from sponsor-to-sponsor exits, according to a July 8 report.
"While private equity exit activity remains generally suppressed across the middle market, we are encouraged to see growing involvement from non-private equity corporate buyers and the public markets in providing liquidity," said report author Michael Dimler, senior vice president of private corporate credit at DBRS.
For the twelve months through July 3, 2026, more than half of ratings discontinuations related to sponsor exits were attributable to strategic buyers or IPOs, according to DBRS.
Several companies in recent months have announced plans to use IPO proceeds to repay their private credit loans. Applied Aerospace & Defense Inc. announced on May 8 that it would partially repay its $1.02 billion in outstanding debt with proceeds from an IPO. Other companies paying down debt with IPO proceeds include the AI tech developer Syntiant and defense technology company Aevex Corporation.

Drake strongly believes that Conor McGregor will win his first professional MMA fight in almost five years, as the rap icon placed a massive $1 million bet on the Irishman to beat Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329.
"THE MAC IS BACK?!?!?? The proper twelve drinking, tailored suit wearing, Lambo Yacht riding man with the Dubai tan that once had both belts in both hands… Say less stake," Drake posted on Instagram.
Based on his screenshot, Drake will earn a $1.85 million profit if McGregor wins tomorrow. The five-time Grammy Award winner has made a habit of making seven-figure bets on high-profile sporting events such as the NBA Finals, World Cup, and the Super Bowl.
However, most of his bets have lost, which has given life to the infamous "Drake Curse." McGregor's last win in the Octagon was on January 18, 2020, against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246. On the other hand, Holloway's last victory was against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 last July 20, 2025.
MORE:Conor McGregor accused of HGH, anabolic steroids use while outside drug testing pool

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: Jannik Sinner of Italy plays a forehand against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their Gentlemen's Singles semifinal match on day twelve of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner didn't leave any doubt.
The defending Wimbledon champion dominated 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, to reach his second straight Wimbledon final. Sinner improved to 7-5 against Djokovic, who beat him in the Australian Open semis in January.
The Italian will face No. 2 Alexander Zverev, the Roland Garros champion, in Sunday's final (11 a.m. ET, ESPN). The winner takes home about $4.8 million.
Sinner leads their head-to-head 10-4.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: Arthur Fery of Great Britain plays a forehand against Alexander Zverev of Germany during their Gentlemen's Singles semifinal match on day twelve of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
Arthur Fery's dream run at Wimbledon came to an end in the semifinals, but the British wildcard scored a huge payday during the fortnight.
Fery, 23, entered Wimbledon with career earnings of $868,053 and will take home an additional $1.2 million after falling in the semis to No. 2 Alexander Zverev, 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4.
Had Fery scored the massive upset, he would have earned $2.415 million.
The payday doesn't include the sponsorships he will likely pick up from becoming the first British wildcard in 25 years to reach the semifinals.

The market is focused on today's costs, but the company has already sold a future that looks entirely different.
If you've held CoreWeave (CRWV) stock over the past year, you don't need me to tell you it's been a tough ride. The stock currently trades about 48% below its 52-week high, a frustrating position for a company at the center of the AI buildout. But buried in the latest earnings call is a figure so large it almost forces you to reconsider the entire narrative.
That figure isn't revenue or earnings. It's the backlog.
In the first quarter alone, CoreWeave signed more than $40 billion of new commitments, swelling its contracted revenue backlog to nearly $100 billion. Let's put that in perspective. The company's revenue over the last twelve months was $6.23 billion. This surge represents a step-change in scale that goes beyond simple growth, all of it pre-sold and locked in. The backlog grew from $66.8 billion just one quarter prior, showing that demand is both strong and accelerating. This demand is also diversifying, with management noting they now have 10 customers committed to spending at least $1 billion each, including new or expanded deals with firms like Anthropic, Meta, and Jane Street.
Because a backlog is a promise, not a profit. And right now, the costs of fulfilling that promise are hitting the income statement hard. The company's adjusted operating margin in Q1 was just 1%, which management called its expected "low point." The spending required to build out this capacity is immense, with full-year CapEx now guided between $31 billion and $35 billion, partly due to increases in component pricing. This is the question nagging investors: can CoreWeave actually execute this large build-out profitably, especially with a steep climb back to double-digit margins promised by year-end?

A road-paving company delivered explosive growth, yet its stock price has been stuck in neutral. The evidence suggests a quiet standoff between performance and perception.
Over the last twelve months, Construction Partners (ROAD) grew its revenue 49%, yet its stock returned -3.2%. That disconnect presents a stark question for investors: Is the market correctly pricing in a future slowdown that isn't in the numbers yet, or has it simply looked away while the business executed?
Why did the market ignore a near-50% surge in sales?
The numbers paint a picture of a business hitting its stride. Trailing-twelve-month revenue growth of 49% is a significant acceleration over the company's 3-year average of 32%. This performance isn't a fluke of accounting, either; operating cash flow is a healthy 270% of net income. And no, this isn't a case of profitless growth, as operating margin actually increased year over year. Despite this, the stock's price-to-sales multiple compressed 26% over the same period. The market took a business growing faster and valued each dollar of its sales at a quarter less than it did a year ago.
This valuation squeeze happened while the company was building a formidable project backlog of $3.14 billion. Management is busy executing on a wide range of projects, from paving work for data centers in Texas to infrastructure preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Houston. The company's strategy involves both organic growth and a disciplined M&A strategy, recently adding Four Star Paving in Tennessee to its portfolio. Yet, the stock trades about 26% below its 52-week high.

Amid swirling doubt over whether Manchester United will finalise a transfer for Ederson, an inside source at Old Trafford has lifted the lid on the club's plans for the Brazilian midfielder.
The Red Devils have been linked with Ederson, 27, across multiple summer windows, dating as far back as 2023.
But Atalanta's exorbitant demands, with a valuation as high as £70 million, prohibited a deal from advancing, despite the admiration from United officials. This interest was reignited this summer, however, after the Serie A club reversed their position in light of the Brazilian's contract, which is set to expire in twelve months' time.
Both Atletico Madrid and ****** nal have expressed interest in recent months, while a number of Atalanta's rivals in Italy were eyeing a raid as well. But United were lurking in the background throughout this.
Having kept a close eye on Ederson's form this season while maintaining contact with the player's camp, INEOS moved aggressively to hijack the race, with Atletico Madrid understood to have been locked in talks to agree a deal.