United News of Bangladesh

Cristiano Ronaldo said he considered ending his international career after the World Cup, while acknowledging that some critics in Portugal want him to leave the national team. The 41-year-old forward was confirmed by coach Jorge Jesus as a starter for his 234th appearance for Portugal, against Wales on Thursday in the Nations League. Asked at a pre-match news conference whether he had considered retiring from international football after Portugal's round-of-16 defeat to Spain in July, Ronaldo said he had. “Yes, I did. Of course, I'm always thinking about my decisions, my future, the present also,” he said. Ronaldo said he had discussed his future with Portugal's president and Jesus, who previously coached Ronaldo at Saudi club Al-Nassr and led the team to the Saudi league title in May. “I still believe that I'm able to help the national team to reach what they want, and I will finish when I feel like I'm not doing anything here,” he said. Ronaldo, who led Portugal to the Nations League title in 2025, is also closing in on 1,000 career goals. “This is a new young generation,” he said. “But for me, the basic point is to be able on the pitch to score goals and help the team win games.” Ronaldo also acknowledged that he remains a target of criticism in his home country. “I feel the Portuguese fans like me, but I do understand that some TV channels want to criticize me,” he said. “They are dying for me not to come to the national team any more, but I can still move away from it.” Ronaldo said he has become accustomed to criticism after more than two decades in the spotlight. “I'm used to it. For over 20 years I have been doing this, but my memories are with people who love me,” he said. He added that he hopes to remain an example for younger generations even after retiring. “I know why young kids love Cristiano, because they see me as an example, and I will continue to do that. Even when I am retired… in 10 years,” Ronaldo said with a smile.

Saudi Arabia will host the eight-team Arabian Gulf Cup from Wednesday as conflict continues across the Middle East, with the hosts looking to recover from a disappointing World Cup campaign. Yemen is the only team among the eight that has never won the title in the tournament's 26 previous editions. It will open its campaign against the United Arab Emirates in Jeddah on Thursday, only days after Yemen's Houthi rebels said they had targeted the Saudi capital with missiles. The attack was the first on Riyadh since an escalation in fighting with the Tehran-backed rebels opened a new front in the Iran war. On the football field, much of the pressure will be on Saudi Arabia, which was eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup after failing to win any of its matches. Coach Giorgios Donis remains in charge, but preparations for the tournament have been overshadowed by Saturday's announcement that star midfielder Musab Al-Juwayr had been left out of the squad. "Musab Al-Juwayr is one of the most promising talents, but we have regulations and rules, and the player violated them and was punished," Fahad Al-Mufarrij, executive director of the national team, told reporters. Al-Mufarrij dismissed reports that the midfielder had been dropped for ordering food from an outside restaurant while staying at the team hotel. "It is unreasonable to exclude a player because of a meal; this is not true," he said. Al-Juwayr has apologized for his actions. Saudi Arabia will begin its campaign against Kuwait on Wednesday, while Iraq faces Oman in the other Group A match. Australian coach Graham Arnold signed an extension with Iraq last month despite the team losing all three of its World Cup matches. "I want the players to go to the Gulf Cup believing they can win it," Arnold said. "It is a great opportunity to make your country proud." In Group B, Qatar will also seek to recover from a disappointing World Cup, where it failed to win a match and was eliminated early. Julen Lopetegui has remained as Qatar's coach and will face defending champion Bahrain in the tournament. The top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinals, while the final will be held in Jeddah on Oct. 6. The tournament will also serve as preparation for the 2027 Asian Cup, which Saudi Arabia will host beginning in January.

US star Christian Pulisic scored his first goal of the season as he made his first start for AC Milan on Sunday, helping the Italian side beat Lecce 3-0 at home. Pulisic opened the scoring in the 14th minute as Milan secured a comfortable victory in the Italian league. The American forward had made two previous appearances for Milan this season in all competitions, coming on as a substitute at halftime in both matches. His previous goal for the club came in December 2025, when he scored in a league victory over Verona. “It hasn’t been an easy year,” Pulisic told DAZN. “I’m happy about the goal today, but right now all that matters is to keep winning.” The victory was important for Milan, which had won only one home match since March. The team had also faced criticism from its fans after losing 2-0 at home to Benfica in the Europa League on Wednesday, when players were booed off the field. Milan will look to build on Sunday’s win as it continues its Italian league campaign.

Ten days ago it was Dubai. Today it was Japan. Same opponent, same result. Bangladesh's women lost to India in the Asian Games cricket semi-final on Sunday, going down by 114 runs after being bowled out for 81 while chasing India's 195 for 4. It is the same story that played out at the Women's Asia Cup on September 10, just with a bigger margin this time. The loss ends Bangladesh's shot at gold. Nigar Sultana's side will instead play Pakistan for bronze on Tuesday. Shafali Verma was the difference again. She made 64 off 40 balls in the Asia Cup meeting to set up India's total there; this time she went past that entirely, finishing 100 not out off 49 balls as India posted 196 for 4 in their 20 overs — more than half the total from her bat alone. Bangladesh's chase was worse than the one in Dubai. There, they at least batted out their overs, reaching 109 for 7 before losing by 40 runs. This time the innings did not survive 16 overs — all out for 81 in 15.4 overs, with more than four overs still unused. Pakistan's tournament ended the same way earlier in the day. Fatima Sana's side put up 177 for 4 in the first semi-final, but Sri Lanka ran it down with two wickets and 14 balls in hand, winning by 8 wickets. Sri Lanka now face India in the gold-medal match on Tuesday – the same day Bangladesh and Pakistan meet for bronze.

Raphinha scored his second hat-trick in two matches as FC Barcelona defeated Sevilla 3-1 on Saturday, maintaining a perfect record with seven wins from their opening seven La Liga matches. Sevilla took the lead in the 19th minute through Youssouf Fofana's header, but Raphinha equalized three minutes later off an Andreas Christensen pass. Lamine Yamal set up Raphinha's 52nd-minute header and assisted his third goal, putting pressure on Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid ahead of Sunday's derby. In other matches, Celta Vigo thrashed Racing Santander 5-0 with goals from Hugo Gonzalez, Ilaix Moriba, Miguel Roman, and a brace from Pablo Duran. Osasuna drew 1-1 with Rayo Vallecano as Ante Budimir's acrobatic volley was leveled by Sergio Camello. Athletic Bilbao and Alaves played to a 0-0 draw after Alaves goalkeeper Antonio Sivera saved a penalty. On Friday, 10-man Elche earned their first win of the season, beating Espanyol 3-1 despite Federico Redondo's red card, led by Fer Nino's quick double and German Varela's late goal following a Victor Chust own goal.

The trophy unveiling, partnership celebration with the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), and mega auction for the ‘BGMEA Cup 2026’—one of the country's largest corporate football tournaments—were held on Saturday at the BGMEA Complex in Uttara. State Minister for Sports Md. Aminul Haque attended the event as the chief guest at the Nurul Quader Auditorium and officially unveiled the trophy alongside BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan and BFF Vice-President Fahad Mohammad Ahmed Karim. Speaking at the event, State Minister Md. Aminul Haque gave a positive assurance regarding the allocation of a playground in the Uttara Phase-3 area following a demand raised by BGMEA leaders. He noted that the government has initiated steps to introduce sports allowances for athletes and engage corporate houses in sports development to modernize the sector. Presiding over the event, BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan stated that despite being a trade organization, BGMEA plays a key role in various social and national causes. He added that plans are underway to include sports in the curriculum of BGMEA University. Addressing the gathering, BGMEA Vice-President (Finance) Mijanur Rahman urged the State Minister to allocate abandoned fields in Dhaka to BGMEA, assuring that the organization would renovate and maintain those using corporate sponsorships. BFF Vice-President Fahad Mohammad Ahmed Karim highlighted the joint efforts of BGMEA and BFF to elevate Bangladesh's image on the global stage. During the event, BGMEA Director and Sports Committee Director-in-Charge Shah Rayeed Chowdhury presented a PowerPoint demonstration outlining the collaborative partnership between BGMEA and BFF. A special Online Video Commercial (OVC) featuring women garment workers was also screened. Later, BFF Vice-President Fahad Mohammad Ahmed Karim handed over special jerseys to the chief guest and the BGMEA President. The event concluded with a mega auction involving 16 participating teams, marking the official countdown to the final competition scheduled to kick off on October 22, 2026. BGMEA Senior Vice-President Inamul Haq Khan, Vice-President Md. Rezwan Selim, Directors, Sports Committee Chairman Md. Sajjad Ali Khan, Sustainable Energy Committee Chairman Md. Saifur Rahman Sapu, BGMEA Secretary General Major General Dr. Md. Shahedul Islam (Retd.), along with garment sector entrepreneurs, were present at the event.

Brentford moved up to third in the Premier League after a convincing 3-0 victory over west London rival Chelsea on Friday. The defeat extended Chelsea’s winless league run to three games and left manager Xabi Alonso searching for answers after a poor second-half performance. Jaidon Anthony, Igor Thiago and Fabio Carvalho scored in the second half to give Brentford all three points. “Disappointed with the second half, disappointed with the result,” Alonso said. “This is not how to compete in the Premier League. We were punished.” He added that Chelsea need to become more consistent throughout matches. “At the moment we are not being consistent enough to compete during the whole game. Forty-five minutes is not enough, you need to compete for the whole game,” Alonso said. “It’s about everything, it’s about tactical things that we need to keep improving and do much better.” New-look Chelsea Chelsea’s lineup reflected several of the changes made during the offseason, with experienced players Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck making their first league starts for the club. The visitors looked more organized defensively in the first half than they have at times this season. They matched Brentford physically, won several duels and prevented Keith Andrews’ team from controlling second balls. However, Chelsea’s defensive problems returned after halftime. Brentford took the lead in the 61st minute when Mikkel Damsgaard delivered a corner that was headed on by Jannik Schuster before Anthony finished the move. Thiago then found himself unmarked and scored after Kevin Schade’s shot was saved. Carvalho completed the victory in stoppage time, firing home a low cross to send the Brentford supporters into celebration. Andrews praises Brentford “It was a really good evening,” Brentford manager Andrews said. “It’s important that you enjoy evenings like this because you work so hard and there are so many tough days in this game.” He said the rivalry with Chelsea made the victory even more satisfying. “When you play against a west London rival, you build up to a game and you go on a bit of a journey with the team,” Andrews said. “There are always bumps along the way, but we were in a really good place and it’s nice to see it come into fruition tonight.” Brentford now have nine points from five matches, three behind joint leaders Arsenal and Manchester City, who play on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Chelsea remain seventh with seven points from five games.

Lionel Messi was seen pointing his finger at Major League Soccer (MLS) commissioner Don Garber several times during a postgame exchange following Inter Miami’s match against Cruz Azul on Wednesday. Video from after the game showed Messi pointing at Garber while speaking to him before walking away. He later returned and appeared to point at Garber again as they continued their conversation. In another video, the two were seen pointing at each other while talking. MLS declined to comment on the exchange, while Inter Miami did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The incident came after Inter Miami beat Cruz Azul 2-0 to win the Campeones Cup. Messi scored the 100th goal of his Inter Miami career during the match. The victory added another trophy to Inter Miami’s collection since Messi joined the club three years ago. The team won the Leagues Cup in 2023, the Supporters’ Shield in 2024 and the MLS Cup in 2025.

One more time. That's it, that's all. Lionel Messi will wear the Argentina shirt once more, and then that's the end of it. The plan had been rumored ever since Messi announced his international retirement last month: the Argentine Football Association (AFA) wanted him back for one home friendly during a FIFA window, so the fans who'd watched him for twenty years could actually be there to say goodbye. Now it's confirmed. Argentina play Benin on October 6 at the Monumental in Buenos Aires — 85,000 seats, and Messi's name is on the squad list Lionel Scaloni released. It's his last game in the shirt. AFA president Claudio Tapia put it plainly in a video message: the federation invited Messi so he'd get, in his words, "the proper farewell he deserves." It's going to be a lot, that night. The AFA invited every player from the 2022 World Cup-winning squad, plus their families, and Tapia says the whole match is being dedicated to Messi. There was a real chance this wasn't how his story with the national team would end. Argentina lost the World Cup final to Spain 1-0 back in July, and Messi — 39 now — posted his retirement on social media on August 31. For a while, it looked like that final loss would just be the last thing anyone remembered. The AFA clearly didn't want that to stick. Two friendlies come first: Bolivia in Córdoba on September 30, then Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on October 3. Benin will be cap number 208 for Messi. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has played more internationals and scored more international goals than him. Within Argentina alone, Messi already owns both records — 207 caps, 125 goals. There's a wrinkle hanging over the home games. FIFA hit Argentina with a disciplinary sanction last month for using a match to make a political statement, and ordered the next home game capped at half capacity. So the Bolivia match at Estadio Mario Kempes will be played with the stands half-empty. That goes back to the World Cup semi-final win over England, when a group of Argentina players unfurled a banner reading "The Falklands are Argentina's." Separately, suspensions from the brawl between Argentine and Spanish players after the World Cup final are due to kick in around these same friendlies — Leandro Paredes gets 10 matches, Nahuel Molina seven, Thiago Almada one.

Lionel Messi scored his 100th goal for Inter Miami as the club defeated Cruz Azul 2-0 on Wednesday night to win the Campeones Cup. Messi gave Miami the lead in the 24th minute, heading in a cross from Luis Suárez. It was his 100th goal in 115 appearances for Inter Miami across all competitions. The milestone came against the same team Messi faced when he scored his first goal for Miami. He found the net with a stoppage-time free kick to give Miami a 2-1 victory over Cruz Azul in his debut in July 2023. Brazilian midfielder Casemiro doubled Miami's lead in the 81st minute, heading in a corner delivered by Messi. Casemiro has now scored four goals in his last five matches, all with headers. He scored in three straight games against CF Montreal, Atlanta United and Chicago before failing to score against Nashville on Saturday. The victory gave Inter Miami another trophy three years after Messi joined the club. Miami previously won the Leagues Cup in 2023, the Supporters' Shield in 2024 and the MLS Cup in 2025. Up next Inter Miami will return to MLS action Sunday when it hosts San Diego FC at Nu Stadium. Miami currently sits second in the Eastern Conference standings.