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Real Madrid are close to finalising a loan move for out-of-favour striker Endrick as rumoured suitors Manchester United fall behind in the pursuit of the Brazilian wonderkid. The 19-year-old has struggled to find minutes under Xabi Alonso, and a temporary transfer has been arranged to relaunch his career after a frustrating few months at the Spanish capital.

• Lyon beat Manchester United to the punch

  According to , Real have approved a deal in principle after lengthy talks with Lyon. The French giants are currently seventh in the Ligue 1 standings under Paulo Fonseca and beat competition from United and Aston Villa, who were exploring late loan offers. The Red Devils wanted to bring the Brazilian in after Benjamin Sesko got injured, but their approach came too late, and Endrick's mind was already made up. The teenager sees Lyon as a platform to rediscover his form, with regular minutes and a starting role that could potentially reignite his hopes of making Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad. 

  When Los Blancos secured Endrick from Palmeiras in 2022, in a deal worth up to €60 million (£53m/$70m), he was billed as the next great Brazilian export, following in the footsteps of Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo. Yet his transition to Europe has not gone to plan. In his debut season under Carlo Ancelotti, he showed flashes of promise, scoring seven goals in 37 appearances, but his second campaign has been derailed by injury and competition. A hamstring problem forced him to miss the Club World Cup and the opening months of the season, and once he regained match fitness, Alonso had moved on to more established names in his roster. To put things into perspective, Endrick has managed just 11 minutes of league football so far in 2025-26, with his lone cameo coming in September’s 4-0 win over Valencia.

  "Of course, I’d like him to have played already," the Real Madrid coach admitted. "But the situations in our recent matches have been very tight since Endrick returned. I hope he can get those minutes soon. He’s training well, he’s ready, but the right moment has to come."

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  What are the details of the loan deal for Endrick?

  The transfer to Lyon will be sealed closer to the January transfer window. Both clubs have agreed to insert a mid-season recall clause allowing Madrid to bring Endrick back if an injury crisis hits the Spanish giants. It is claimed that negotiations began in mid-October, and according to sources close to the player, Endrick himself was eager to make the switch. He has already started house hunting in Lyon, which indicates that personal terms are agreed and only formal paperwork remains to be done. For Lyon, this is being considered a massive coup. Fonseca’s men have struggled for goals this season, with Czech forward Pavel Sulc leading their scoring charts with only five strikes to his name. 

• Real Madrid's long-term faith remains unshaken

  Real Madrid have no intention of parting ways permanently with Endrick. The club views the Lyon move as part of his growth plan, similar to how they handled Dani Carvajal’s early development when he was loaned out to Bayer Leverkusen. Sporting director Juni Calafat, who spearheaded the original transfer from Palmeiras, remains convinced Endrick will fulfil his potential in Spain. Madrid had originally preferred to loan him within La Liga, which would have eased his integration into Alonso's squad. Moreover, the forward is just six months away from obtaining a Spanish passport, which was another reason for searching for a club in Spain. But Endrick pushed for a move abroad, prioritising a club that could offer him consistent starts. Carlo Ancelotti, who is now the head coach of the Brazil national team, mentioned that Endrick must rack up minutes to make a case for himself.

  "It’s important for Endrick to start playing again," said the Italian coach in an interview with . “I spoke with him at the start of the season. He was injured, but now he’s fine. He needs to think with his team about what’s best, talk with the club, and decide what suits him."

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  A new chapter for the Brazilian talent

  For Endrick, this move could be a defining moment in his career. Lyon offer a stage away from the glare that comes with wearing Madrid's iconic white shirt. It is a club where he can rediscover his sharpness with regular game time. If all goes to plan, the young Brazilian will return to Spain next summer rejuvenated, as there is no buy clause in the loan deal, ready to stake his claim in the Real Madrid starting XI.

In recent years, National Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. has been spotted at multiple sporting events working as a photographer. His most recent gig? The 2025 MLB Home Run Derby.

Griffey Jr. was spotted at Truist Park in Atlanta on Monday night hours before the Derby began. He was seen talking with various All-Stars on the field, possibly even giving some of the participants for Monday night's event advice since he was a three-time Derby winner.

It's fitting that Griffey is back at the Home Run Derby as he holds the record for the most Derby wins (three) and appearances (eight). He is a staple of the event, and now he's back with a new gig.

The MLB legend also covered the HBCU Swingman Classic and Futures Game over the weekend as a part of the All-Star events.

Griffey went viral earlier this year during the Masters as he shot some pretty iconic photos of golfers, such as Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth.

Griffey's photography resume includes him covering some MLB games (including this year's opening series in Tokyo), NFL games, MLS games and IndyCar events. Photography has been something Griffey's been working on for years now, and his passion continues to grow for it. So, don't be surprised if you keep seeing Griffey's name attached to sports photos in the future.

The two sides will play each other in an ODI for the first time since the 2023 World Cup

Andrew McGlashan18-Aug-2025

Big Picture: Another World Cup build begins

There’s always another World Cup to plan for. The recent T20I series had the more immediate focus of next February’s tournament, but these three ODIs – the first for Australia and South Africa since the Champions Trophy – are the first step towards the 2027 50-over edition which the visitors will jointly host with Zimbabwe and Namibia.These two teams have so much ODI history and in 2023 traded blows in India with South Africa winning the group game but Australia taking the semi-final. They were due to meet at the Champions Trophy but the match was washed out.Related

• Labuschagne eyes Test return: I thrive on proving the doubters wrong

• How Bavuma found a role model in a 14-year-old

• 'Show off more' – Conrad tells his players after last-over defeat in final T20I

Since the Champions Trophy there have been three significant retirements between the sides: Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell from ODIs and Heinrich Klaasen from all internationals. They leave considerable holes to fill on the way to 2027.Australia have had to make changes to their initial squad for this series with Matt Short (side), Mitchell Owen (concussion) and Lance Morris (back) ruled out which has opened the door for Cooper Connolly, Aaron Hardie and Matt Kuhnemann. Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins continue to rest but Marnus Labuschagne is in the squad and could play for the first time since losing his Test place in the West Indies.South Africa will be led by Temba Bavuma who was last seen holding the World Test Championship mace aloft in emotional scenes at Lord’s. Keshav Maharaj also returns to bring experience to the spin attack.

Form guide

Australia LWLLL
South Africa LWWLL

In the spotlight: Marnus Labuschagne and Wiann Mulder

Does Marnus Labuschagne‘s road to the Ashes start in Cairns? It’s perhaps a stretch, but despite the different format, runs in this series would certainly not be a bad thing as he embarks on trying to regain his place to face England in November. Labuschagne was dropped before the 2023 World Cup but earned a reprieve when called up as cover on a tour of South Africa and ended up making a vital 58 not out in the final against India. In a 12-month period from September 2023 to September 2024 he averaged 52.11 in ODIs with a strike rate of 85.43 but his last eight innings have brought a top score of 47.Last month, Wiaan Mulder sent the cricket world into meltdown when he declared on 367 against Zimbabwe. He’ll do well to stir quite as big a talking point in this series. His ODI record needs some work if he’s to cement a long-term spot. At the Champions Trophy his bowling had more of an impact than his batting where he finished as South Africa’s joint-leading wicket-taker including career-best figures of 3 for 25 against England.Dewald Brevis lit up the T20 series•Getty Images

Team news: Hardie could fill allrounder role; Brevis likely to debut

Green will return to the middle order, or potentially No. 3, while Josh Inglis and Alex Carey are set to continue featuring together. There will likely be some rotation among the quicks with three games in five days. Josh Hazlewood played all three T20Is so may be due to sit out.Australia (possible): 1 Travis Head, 2 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 3 Cameron Green, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Alex Carey, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Xavier Bartlett, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodBrevis is set to make his ODI debut after a starring role in the T20Is. Kwena Maphaka has been added to the one-day squad after his success but may not make the XI with tall left-armer Nandre Burger available. Bavuma confirmed he would bat at No. 3.South Africa (possible): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Ryan Rickelton, 3 Temba Bavuma (capt), 4 Matthew Breetzke, 5 Dewald Brevis, 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Lungi Ngidi

Pitch and conditions

Conditions were good for batting in the deciding T20I although there were occasional signs of the ball holding in the surface and slower deliveries from the quicks gripped. Dew will be a factor for the bowling side in the second innings although Aiden Markram said he would have batted first on Saturday. When Australia played New Zealand in three matches in Cairns in 2022 there was help for the bowlers with the highest total across six innings being 267. There won’t be any concerns with the weather.

Stats and trivia

• The 2022 series between Australia and New Zealand in Cairns were the first ODIs at venue in 19 years.
• Green’s highest ODI score of 89 not out came on this ground in that New Zealand series. Since that innings he has averaged 42.72 in ODIs
• Marsh has won the toss 20 times as captain across T20Is and ODIs – choosing to bowl on every occasion
• If Bavuma and Maharaj play two matches in this series they will reach 50 ODIs

Quotes

“Getting ready to spend three-and-a-half hours in the field will be a little bit different for a few of the boys. But as a group and as a whole, nothing really changes. [There’s a] bit of a mindset change, it’s obviously different format. But the same stuff rolls on.”
“It’s always exciting when you see the young faces. Obviously the big talk has been on Brevis…excited to see what he can also bring within the one-day stuff.”

England’s Bajan boys Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell had a party of their own in front of family, friends and fans in the first T20I

Cameron Ponsonby10-Nov-2024There’s many reasons why you’re sat reading about the West Indies vs England T20I, and Phil Salt was out there playing it.Talent, for one. Desire, another. And that’s before we mention ability, the coach at Under-13s who didn’t back you and that knee injury you had at 16. You could have made it.But one of the main reasons is because on Thursday, Salt was invited to a party with Rihanna and turned it down in favour of an early night. You choose to have five beers on a Friday with your mate who works in finance and says “inflation” every other word, Salt chooses not to hang out with one of the world’s most successful and talented mega stars even with 48 hours to spare to pop a Berocca or two.Related

• Jafer Chohan leaves England tour to prepare for Lions, Big Bash

• The second coming of Saqib Mahmood, the 'King of Barbados'

• Bethell hoping to dodge Barbados boos on homecoming

• Salt's century, Mahmood's four power England to big win

“Rihanna’s parties can wait,” Salt joked after the game.It is, objectively, the wrong decision and one might think less of Salt as a result. When the new era of player welfare came in, where they were asked to prioritise themselves as much as the game, this is what they were talking about. Going to parties with pop stars. Not golf.But he did score a century. So there’s that.On a genuinely wonderful evening at Kensington Oval, Salt, who spent part of his childhood here, registered his third hundred in five matches against West Indies, while Jacob Bethell, for whom Barbados is home, registered his maiden T20I fifty in front of a crowd that appeared to be 90% friends and family.The Bajan boys did the business for England. Both of them played their cricket for Harrison College down the road, a school where Bethell was a pupil, while Salt was a loanee, attending a nearby private school but being released on daycare to play cricket.Salt himself described Kensington Oval as the ground he has watched the most cricket at through his youth. The tale of him watching Paul Collingwood carry the T20 trophy past him in 2010 is well trodden for a reason. This place means something to him and when he reached three figures, the outpouring of emotion spoke to that.”I don’t get very emotional on the cricket field,” he said afterwards. “But that’s as close as I’ve come I think for so many reasons. That’s number one for me.”Jacob Bethell scored his first T20I fifty in front of a crowd that looked 90% friends and family•Getty ImagesA lifelong Manchester City fan, Salt added, “It’s something you can’t really put into words without wanting to sound too cheesy. That’s what you dream of as a kid. That is the cricket equivalent of the 30-yard screamer at Maine Road in the 89th minute.”Barbados is a small place. As of 2023, the population stood at 282,000. So when one of their own takes to the field people know about it. Salt has played here for England many times, but for Bethell it was a first.His school coach, Corey Edwards, a former Barbadian seamer, said he knew Bethell was destined for the top from the beginning. While Barry Wilkinson, a local commentator, remembered Bethell from when he was three years old and described watching him walk out at Kensington Oval as the closest thing to “watching his son” do the same. Whether he would play at this ground as an international cricketer seems of less debate than who it would be for. Wilkinson always thought it would be for West Indies, Edwards wasn’t so sure.Regardless, the locals supported both as their own. Mainly because they are.”There was a turning point in the chase where we could both sort of feel the crowd had turned and were now supporting us,” Salt said of their partnership.”Is that his old school?” Salt asked, looking over to a throng of supporters still in the stands supporting their friend. “Good on him, I love that. I’m more pleased for him than I am myself right now, seeing that. There’s a lot of happy people with smiling faces there, it was Beth’s first 50 on this ground.”Phil Salt made his third T20I century, all of them in the Caribbean•Getty ImagesFor Salt, his innings added to his incredible record against West Indies. In his last five matches against them, he has made three centuries and scored 456 runs at an average of 228 with a strike rate of 193.The three centuries represent his only in T20I cricket and one of the two innings where he didn’t reach three figures was an 87 not out in the World Cup. On the surface, asking Salt what the secret sauce against these lot appears to be a dull question, it is surely a coincidence, but it is one he has wondered himself.”The secret is there is no secret,” he said. “I had a look into it to see if there is anything I could take in other places in different conditions and there really wasn’t that much. It just seems to be that I’ve played a bit better here, that’s it.”On paper, it was a routine victory for England. But everywhere you looked across the evening there was entertainment to hand. Andre Russell launching Liam Livingstone onto the roof and out of the stadium before being caught next ball. Jos Buttler snaring a one-handed catch at slip before being caught even more preposterously by Gudakesh Motie at third for a golden duck. Motie himself walking out at 117 for 8 and blazing his first two balls for sixes. It was full throttle, played out in front of an invested, passionate crowd that was evenly split between tourists and locals. If there is a way to watch cricket that is better than a T20 on a Saturday night in Bridgetown, I’m yet to see it.But even after all that, you’d think you’d still rather party with Rihanna on a Thursday.