Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina forward Lionel Messi has won the Best FIFA Men's Player award for a second time.

Messi saw off competition from club-mate Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid's Karim Benzema to collect the award at Monday's ceremony in Paris.

The award spans the period between the start of the 2021-22 season through to the end of the World Cup, which saw Messi end Argentina's 36-year wait to win the competition.

Former Barcelona superstar Messi claimed the Golden Ball award in Qatar – given to the best player of the tournament – after scoring seven goals and assisting three more.

Those 10 direct goal involvements were matched by Mbappe, who finished as top scorer, but that was not enough to see the France forward win his first Best FIFA award.

Messi made a slow start to life at PSG by his own personal high standards, scoring 11 goals and assisting 14 in 34 games in his maiden campaign at the Parc des Princes.

However, the 35-year-old – who has also won a record seven Ballons d'Or – matched those figures in his first 18 games this season ahead of the World Cup.

Messi, who previously won the Best FIFA award in 2019, joins Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski as two-time winners, having also finished as a runner-up three times.

Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from next month's Indian Wells Open as he continues to recover from knee surgery.

The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up has not been in action this season, having been forced to pull out of the Australian Open in January due to a small lateral meniscus tear.

Kyrgios underwent surgery soon after and was targeting the opening Masters 1000 event of the season at Indian Wells for his first tournament back.

However, event organisers confirmed on Monday the 27-year-old is still not ready to return.

"Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from the 2023 BNP Paribas Open due to an ongoing knee injury," a statement read.

Indian Wells gets under way on March 6 and is followed by the Miami Open at the end of the month.

Kyrgios' last competitive singles match came in October at the Japan Open, which he withdrew from ahead of the quarter-finals.

The Australian, a two-time quarter-finalist on the hard courts at Indian Wells, has slipped down to 19th in the ATP Rankings.

The Chicago Bears are seriously considering trading their number one pick ahead of this year's NFL draft.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bears are "leaning towards" accepting a trade from one of the many teams looking to bring in a top quarterback prospect, believing their priorities to lie elsewhere.

The Bears have the top pick heading into the draft after a disappointing 3-14 season in 2022.

General manager Ryan Poles has already given his support to Justin Fields as Chicago's starting quarterback heading into the 2023 season, recently saying that a QB prospect would have to amaze him for the Bears to draft one with their top pick.

"We're going to do the same as we've always done," Poles said last month. "We're going to evaluate the draft class, and I would say this: I would have to be absolutely blown away to make that type of decision."

Fields was one of the few positives in a Bears campaign that concluded with a franchise-worst 10-game losing streak.

The number 11 pick in the 2021 draft claimed 1,143 rushing yards overall, averaging a league-leading 7.14 yards per rush and had an NFL-best four rushing touchdowns of 50-plus yards.

In terms of his throwing, though, among the 32 quarterbacks with a minimum of 250 pass attempts, Fields ranked 25th in passer rating (85.2), 31st in completion percentage (60.4) and 32nd in yards per game (149.5).

Of teams in the top 10 picks of the draft, at least five could be looking to select a quarterback first, including the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers.

Alabama's Bryce Young, Kentucky's Will Levis and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud are three quarterbacks all projected to be drafted in the top 10 in late April.

Defending champion Andrey Rublev was able to find another gear to get through his first-round match at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday, beating Filip Krajinovic 7-5 6-2.

The number two seed got off to a rocky start, finding himself 5-2 down in the first set before dramatically turning the tide, winning five straight games.

Rublev's first serve percentage improved from 49 to 58 in the second set as he stepped up his game against his Serbian opponent.

"Filip is one of my good friends, and we always have tough battles," Rublev said after his win. "So, today I was going on court thinking that it was going to be a really tough match, and when he started the way he did, I didn't know what to do because he was playing so good.

"Somehow I calmed myself and said 'OK, restart at the bottom and raise my level', and I started to play much, much better. I was able to turn the match around and finish the match in a good way."

He will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round after the Spaniard took just 52 minutes to beat Malek Jaziri 6-2 6-0, converting all five of his break points as he strolled to victory.

Seventh seed Alexander Zverev had to come from behind to beat Jiri Lehecka 4-6 6-3 6-4, while Tallon Griekspoor set up a second-round clash with top seed Novak Djokovic after the Dutchman beat Constant Lestienne 6-4 3-6 6-2.

Lionel Scaloni is set to lead Argentina into the 2026 World Cup after signing a new deal with La Albiceleste.

Scaloni, with more than a helping hand from Lionel Messi, guided Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar last year.

It was Argentina's third world title but their first since 1986, when Diego Maradona starred in Mexico.

Messi, with seven goals and three assists, was the driving force in 2022, as Scaloni scooped his second prize as Argentina coach, after winning the Copa America in 2021.

Scaloni's contract had expired, but he always outlined his intention to stay on and news of his new deal was confirmed on Monday.

It means Scaloni is set to take charge of Argentina at next year's Copa America and at the next World Cup.

The United States will stage both the Copa America and the 2026 World Cup, though Mexico and Canada are also co-hosts for the latter tournament.

Scaloni, who counted Newell's Old Boys, West Ham, Lazio and Atalanta among his clubs across a 20-year playing career, took charge of Argentina in 2018 following a stint as the nation's under-20 coach.

He has been nominated for the FIFA Best Men's Coach for 2022, alongside Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

KSI is actively pursuing a fight against Jake Paul four years on from defeating his brother Logan, the Briton's promoter has confirmed.

YouTube star Olajide Olatunji, known as KSI, faced fellow streamer Logan Paul in his first and so far only professional boxing match in November 2019.

He won by split decision and now wants to face Jake Paul, who lost to Tommy Fury by the same close margin on Sunday.

Kalle Sauerland, KSI's promoter, revealed talks had already taken place ahead of the Fury fight, with the 29-year-old's camp confident the bout will soon be agreed.

"Regardless of [the Fury fight], it's still the blockbuster fight of crossover boxing," Sauerland told Sky Sports.

"It's a fight I expect to take place. We've been in discussions before Sunday, and we'll see what happens now with the situation of the [Fury v Paul] rematch.

"But KSI and our side have made it very clear we want that fight and I have no reason to believe that Jake Paul and his team don't want that fight either.

"It's a fight that will fill any stadium in the world, and a fight that I do believe will happen this year."

Finlay Bealham has been ruled out of Ireland's remaining two Six Nations games with a knee injury.

The 31-year-old prop started Ireland's wins over Wales, France and Italy, but he twisted his knee during Saturday's 34-20 victory in Rome.

The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) confirmed on Monday that Bealham will play no further part in the 2023 tournament.

However, Bealham's lay-off coincides with Tadhg Furlong's return to the Ireland squad for this week's mini-camp.

Furlong has recovered from a calf injury that has ruled him out of his side's opening three games, while scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Parker is back from a hamstring problem.

Skipper Johnny Sexton and centres Robbie Henshaw and Gary Ringrose are also part of Andy Farrell's 27-man training squad.

Ireland top the Six Nations standings and are on course for a first Grand Slam since 2018 ahead of facing Scotland at Murrayfield on March 12.

The world's top-ranked side conclude their campaign against England at the Aviva Stadium six days later.

Giuseppe Marotta says Inter have "never lacked trust" in Simone Inzaghi but the club must find "therapy" following a 1-0 Serie A defeat to Bologna on Sunday.

Riccardo Orsolini scored the only goal of the game to leave the second-placed Nerazzurri 18 points behind runaway leaders Napoli.

Striker Lautaro Martinez warned Inter will "get nowhere playing like this" after their six-game unbeaten run came to a halt.

Inter CEO Marotta has full faith in head coach Inzaghi, yet he wants more consistency.

He told Sky Sport Italia: "We are protagonists in the Champions League and in the Coppa Italia, but in what is the most important competition, the championship, there is discontinuity in results.

"We believe in Inzaghi, he is doing an excellent job and trust has never failed. Today it is difficult to win and be competitive, but one fact emerges: we are inconsistent, especially when the team faces teams clearly within reach.

"It is on this point that an analysis must be made and a therapy identified, it being understood that the club must support this activity."

He added of Inzaghi: "Our obligation is to give satisfaction to the fans. Inzaghi is a good, young and well-prepared coach. We have never lacked trust in him."

Marotta is unsure whether on-loan striker Romelu Lukaku will be at San Siro next season.

He said: "Talking about it now is premature. In June, he will return to Chelsea and then a new scenario will open up and we'll see what to do.

"He wants to stay, surely knowing him we will see if it will be the case to be able to negotiate his return with us."

It was quite the performance on Sunday from Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, who combined for all three goals as Paris Saint-Germain won 3-0 at Marseille in Ligue 1.

In the absence of the injured Neymar and with PSG trying to get back on track after a recent run of three consecutive defeats before a 4-3 win against Lille last week, the star duo took it upon themselves to rip apart Marseille.

As well as both achieving personal landmarks on Sunday – Mbappe scoring his 200th PSG goal and Messi scoring his 700th career goal – they also improved their already impressive record as a pair in the league this season.

The two standout players from December's exciting World Cup final between France and Argentina have proven there is no ill will from Qatar as they continue to lay chances on a plate for the other.

Mbappe and Messi have combined for 10 goals in Ligue 1, three more than any other two players in Europe's top-five leagues this season.

In fact, the second-most productive combination in France's top-flight also involves Messi, who has combined with Neymar for six goals, while Lille pair Jonathan David and Remy Cabella have five.

It is perhaps no surprise with Napoli seemingly strolling to the Scudetto in Italy that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen sit in second place in Europe with seven goals, but it may raise eyebrows to learn that they are joined on the same amount by another Serie A duo of Roma's Paulo Dybala and Tammy Abraham.

Lazio's Ciro Immobile and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic are the third-most efficient in Italy after providing one another with a total of five goals.

In the Premier League, it did not take a fortune-teller to predict that Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland would work well together when Manchester City signed the Norwegian striker from Borussia Dortmund last year, and they lead the way in England with six combinations so far, ahead of Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, as well as Jack Harrison and Rodrigo Moreno at Leeds United (both five).

There are also three pairings in Europe's top 12 from the Bundesliga, though interestingly, none from Bayern Munich or Dortmund.

Borussia Monchengladbach's Alassane Plea and Marcus Thuram and Bayer Leverkusen duo Jeremie Frimpong and Moussa Diaby have both combined for six goals, while surprise title contenders Union Berlin have been boosted by Jordan Siebatcheu and Sheraldo Becker producing five goals for one another.

Spain's LaLiga has not been quite as filled with potent partnerships, with three pairings tied on four goals each.

They include Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski of Barcelona, who have shone together at Camp Nou since the latter arrived from Bayern, while Atletico Madrid's Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann have also managed four, as have Brais Mendez and Mikel Merino of Real Sociedad.

None can compare to the efficacy of Mbappe and Messi though, and while two of the world's best players continue to link up at the Parc des Princes, expect more and more magic moments from them.

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has officially been credited with his side's second goal in Sunday's 2-0 EFL Cup final win against Newcastle United.

The goal, which arrived six minutes after Casemiro had opened the scoring at Wembley, was announced at the time as a Sven Botman own goal.

Rashford's shot took a deflection off Newcastle defender Botman and looped over goalkeeper Loris Karius.

However, both United and the competition organisers confirmed on Monday that Rashford was indeed the goalscorer.

That means the in-form England international finishes as the 2022-23 EFL Cup's top scorer with six goals, having found the net in every round United played in.

He now has 25 goals in 38 games for United this season – only Kylian Mbappe (29) and Erling Haaland (33) have scored more among players from Europe's top five leagues.

Rashford's latest strike helped propel United to their first trophy under Erik ten Hag and their first of any sort since 2017 when they won the Europa League under Jose Mourinho.

Massimiliano Allegri accepts it will take time for Paul Pogba to get fully up to speed as the midfielder prepares to make his long-awaited second debut for Juventus.

The France international has yet to feature for Juve since rejoining the club last July following his Manchester United exit due to a succession of setbacks.

He sustained a knee injury in pre-season that required surgery, forcing him to miss the entire season to date and France's World Cup campaign.

Pogba was on the substitutes' bench for Juve's shock 2-0 home loss to Monza in January, but Allegri opted against bringing him on and he has not featured in the squad since.

However, Allegri confirmed at his pre-match news conference on the eve of Tuesday's Serie A match with city rivals Torino that the 29-year-old is finally ready to play.

"He's feeling better and he's been called up for tomorrow's game," Allegri said. "If necessary, we'll play him. We know he won't have much playing time, but he can play.

"I've talked to him like I have all the others. He understands it's an important part of the season to get back playing. He must remain motivated to help us finish the season well."

Pogba, who signed a four-year deal with Juventus, has not played a competitive game since his former club United's 4-0 Premier League loss to Liverpool last April.

Allegri also confirmed Federico Chiesa, who has missed Juve's past two matches, is in contention to play against Torino.

"He trained with the team yesterday," Allegri said. "He can't start from the beginning. Players who come back from a long period of inactivity must be managed. He's fine, though.

"We have Pogba, who has not played for 315 days, and Chiesa, who missed 10 months. It'll take a little patience. It's normal – they're humans. We need to help them grow."

Juventus, who were docked 15 points last month following an investigation into the club's past transfer dealings, have won their past three Serie A games without conceding.

The Bianconeri are now eighth, 12 points off the top four ahead of their midweek Derby della Mole showdown with Torino, who are one point and one place further back.

Juve are unbeaten in their past 17 derbies in all competitions, with 13 wins and four draws.

"The derby is always an important game for both teams, especially for us. We must continue this climb by increasing our points in the league," Allegri said.

"This match has the value it must have. On the pitch, regardless of what happens outside, we have to get the points to stay in the top-four battle."

Not since April 1995 have Torino won away at Juventus, losing 11 times and drawing five since then.

Temba Bavuma expects South Africa to put the "trauma" of a hammering in Australia behind them when they start a new Test era against West Indies on Tuesday.

Bavuma has replaced Dean Elgar as captain in the longest format after the Proteas were emphatically beaten 2-0 in Australia, where they probably would have been whitewashed but for the weather in Sydney.

The opening Test against the Windies at Supersport Park will also be Shukri Conrad's first as head coach, with Malibongwe Maketa having taken over on a temporary basis following Mark Boucher's departure.

Bavuma says it is time to heal the wounds from a chastening tour of Australia.

The skipper said: "No one died. We went to Australia and got a good beating. With that there were lessons that guys took individually from it. It was quite hard to have a team de-brief on it because the management who were there, some of those guys are not here now.

"From a personal point of view, I went back and looked at areas I could work on.

"Here within the Test team, guys would've dealt with the challenges that they faced. I also think that guys need to be kind to themselves and understand that Australia is another tough place to tour. That's why people respect Australia for the country that they are.

"Another thing is not to hold on for too long to the trauma or that baggage. At some point you have to move on from it and I trust that the guys have done that."

Tony de Zorzi could make his debut and Aiden Markram has been recalled, while fellow batters Keegan Petersen and Ryan Rickelton have recovered from injuries and Neil McKenzie has been appointed as a batting consultant.

Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne and Lungi Ngidi were overlooked, but Elgar will hope to thrive at the top of the order without the captaincy.

Batter Alick Athanaze and seamer Akeem Jordan will be hoping to make their debuts for the Windies, who arrived in South Africa with three series wins from four after a 1-0 success in Zimbabwe.

Windies overdue a win over Proteas

You have to go back to December 2007 for the first time the Windies beat South Africa in a Test, with the Proteas winning eight and drawing two of the 10 since then.

Only against Bangladesh (14) do the Proteas have a longer active unbeaten streak in the format.

South Africa have won each of their eight multi-game bilateral Test series against West Indies.

Chanderpaul must build on impressive start

Tagenarine Chanderpaul has looked very much at home in the Test arena since making his Windies debut last year.

The left-hander scored a magnificent unbeaten 207 in the first Test against Zimbabwe this month and averages 69.66 from his seven innings.

West Indies will need Chanderpaul to stand up when they attempt to improve a poor record against South Africa.

Pep Guardiola believes "everyone is going to drop points" between now and the end of the season in the Premier League title race.

Manchester City appeared to take the initiative when they beat rivals Arsenal at Emirates Stadium recently, but then drew at Nottingham Forest to allow the Gunners to reclaim top spot, before both won again at the weekend.

With Manchester United also closing in from third place, it promises to be a close race, but Guardiola is not concerned by the various ups and downs.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of his team's FA Cup fifth-round trip to Bristol City, he sarcastically quipped: "After Nottingham we were not consistent, but now we are consistent because we won one game [against Bournemouth on Saturday].

"In our game we are playing it is good, the results could be better in terms of winning at Spurs [1-0 away defeat] and Nottingham, but it is football, sometimes that happens. Of course, it is not exceptional, it is okay, it is good. No complaints for the way we are playing and fighting.

"After the last game I said the mood is exceptional and the guys are doing everything, that is enough for me.

"We are closing right to the last 10 games of the season and that will define [it]. I have the feeling in the Premier League many things are going to happen, everyone is going to drop points, but we cannot drop any, we want to fight until the end."

Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and Aymeric Laporte were all absent from the 4-1 win at Bournemouth, though the Belgium midfielder was an unused substitute, and Guardiola updated to say: "[We] have training this afternoon. Kevin still has a little bit of illness but is much better."

City's trip to Bristol City on Tuesday will see them come up against a side who have not lost in 12 games (W6 D6) and sit 13th in the Championship.

"From my experience in this country when you go away from home in the FA Cup against a Championship side, always, always it is tough," Guardiola said. "At home it would be a little bit different. Away, always it is tough in the FA Cup.

"That is why we are flying there tomorrow to do a good game and go through. It is a nice competition and we will do what we have to do."