Lewis Hamilton dubbed a second-place finish at the French Grand Prix as a "great result" while revealing he encountered issues with his drinks bottle during the 300th Formula One race of his career.
The seven-time champion leapfrogged Red Bull's Sergio Perez at the start to take third place, then rising to second after Ferrari's Charles Leclerc crashed out while in the lead.
It caps off another weekend of resurgence for Hamilton, who has encountered numerous problems across the 2022 season, with the podium representing his fourth in a row.
"What a great result, considering we've been so far off these guys all weekend," he said on the grid after the race.
"Reliability is one thing that my team has been amazing at, so a huge congratulations to the team back at the factory and the team here, without them we couldn't get this podium, and George [Russell] did an amazing job today as well."
Hamilton may not have had problems with the car, but he did reveal a different sort of issue during one of the hottest races of the season as his drinks bottle was broken.
"I didn't see my weight just now but I imagine [I lost] about three kilos. It's enough, I'm looking forward to downing the rest of this drink!"
Hamilton's stellar drive came on the back of what has been a disappointing build-up for Mercedes, with a new package introduced for the French Grand Prix that did not result in what the team would have expected.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff highlighted that Hamilton has remained positive throughout the variety of challenges presented this season, including the issues in France prior to Sunday's race.
"Sometimes we've been talking about what would happen if we were not winning again, how we could recover, and we had some really difficult times at the beginning of the year," he told Sky Sports.
"In a way, we've all set into the situation that we've been handed and he is absolutely on it, he keeps pushing the team, not just driving the car, he has a positive mindset.
"Even if the day is really grim, like yesterday and we are tenths off, he never stops pushing."
Brooke Henderson found a strong finish to win the Evian Championship, sealing the second major title of her career with a birdie on the final green.
The Canadian overnight leader put an error-strewn start to Sunday's final round behind her to pick up shots at the 14th, 15th and 18th, delivering a level-par 71 for a 17-under-par aggregate of 267 for 72 holes.
The first of Henderson's big-stage triumphs came when she was just 18 years old at the 2016 Women's PGA Championship, and six years later she has another of golf's great prizes to her name.
American Sophia Schubert went into the outright lead at 16 under when she made birdie at the 15th hole. Henderson at that point was only beginning to repair the damage that had seen her reach the 14th tee on three-over par for her round, with a double-bogey six at the sixth giving hope to her rivals.
The late flurry of birdies from Henderson salvaged the situation, though, as Schubert was unable to pick up any further shots, finishing alone in second after a 68, one shot behind the champion.
Henderson said: "To make the birdie on 18, that makes it really nice. I was definitely not at my best today, but I just tried to stay patient and remind myself I was still in it. I'm super excited to have my second major championship win."
Third place was shared by five players – Spain's Carlota Ciganda, Kim Hyo-joo of South Korea, England's Charley Hull, New Zealand's Lydia Ko and Japan's Mao Saigo – as they finished on 15-under par for the week.
Jamaica's golfing community has been thrown into mourning once more with news of the passing of stalwart and many-time national amateur representative Biah Maragh. Maragh represented Jamaica at the national senior level between 1975 and 1990 before retiring from competitive golf in 1991.
The stalwart of Jamaican golf passed on June 22 at the age of 73 and was buried on Saturday, July 23 following a service of thanksgiving at the Sandy Bay Seventh Day Adventist Church in Hanover.
"The Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) is saddened to learn of the passing of Biah Maragh," said Jamaica Golf Association President Jodi Munn-Barrow.
"Biah was a national representative for many years. He was the top amateur also for quite some time and performed well in our regional tournaments. It is sad to know that we have lost another stalwart in the game so shortly after the passing of Turo Ziadie. I extend sincere condolences to his family. I will miss him too. A lot of these players were those that I looked up to when I was a junior and who helped me in my junior career so Biah's passing on a personal note is also quite difficult for me."
Maragh was honoured at the 53rd staging of the Jamaica Open Golf Championship at the Tryall Golf Club in Hanover, where he worked for 35 years at the time he was honoured in 2020. He also competed in the Jamaica Open a number of times.
Maragh worked at the Half Moon Golf Course from 1965-1968 and eventually moved to Kingston in 1974 to become the superintendent at the Constant Spring Golf Club. Over the years, he thrived due mainly to the support of his friend David Mais and successive administrations of the Jamaica Golf Association.
His contemporaries were Lee Edler, Seymour Rose, Garfield Sobers, Lindy Delapenha and Stafford DeMercardo.
Staying cool and overcoming the challenge of tyre wear in the searing heat of the French Grand Prix were the keys for Max Verstappen as he took advantage of Charles Leclerc's crash to prevail.
The defending Formula One world champion extended his lead at the top of the standings to 63 points with victory in France for the second year in a row, capitalising after Leclerc spun into the barriers while leading in the opening quarter of the race.
That allowed Verstappen to take the lead under the safety car, and he remained there throughout even though the high temperatures put the tyres under pressure and another pit stop was not possible due to the long length of the pit lane at the Circuit Paul Ricard.
"I think we had really good pace at the start, I was putting pressure on Charles but following around here with this heat, the tyres were overheating a lot, I could never really go for a move," he said on the grid after the race.
"We just tried to stay calm, tried to stay close, we pitted a bit earlier. From there onwards, you never know how the race is going to go.
"The car was quick today and it was unlucky for Charles, I hope he's ok. From there onwards, I just did my race and looked after my tyres.
"With the pit lane being so long, you couldn't do another stop but the tyres were wearing a lot. It was all about looking after the tyres until the end."
Asked whether the win felt different as Leclerc wasn't there to battle with on the track, Verstappen added: "I was just trying to get the most points possible.
"Of course, sometimes you see moves are on and then you need to back out, wait maybe for the end of the race.
"That is what we did, there are plenty more races to come where we have to score points and, in that aspect, I think today was a great day."
Hungary is up next before F1's summer break, with the Hungaroring a track many consider to be favourable to Ferrari and Verstappen admitted improvements need to be made.
Verstappen said: "We still have a lot of work to do, over a single lap especially, so we will just keep working."
Forecasting which players will break out in a given NFL season is a difficult exercise.
New stars can come from anywhere. Highly drafted rookies can swiftly justify their selection, while others who have endured a less linear path to the highest level often emerge from the wilderness to become well-known names.
But, for those players who have already had the benefit of experience in the league, Stats Perform can look at the data to judge who is in a spot to potentially make the jump to stardom.
Such ascents are regularly a product of situation. Here we look at three offensive players and three defenders who find themselves in spots conducive to a possible breakout year in 2022.
Jalen Hurts - Philadelphia Eagles
Hurts making the leap in his third season in the league is largely contingent on how his skill set is utilised by the Eagles.
Playing behind an excellent offensive line that ranked fifth in pass-block win rate last season and with a host of playmakers now including A.J. Brown, Hurts looks set up for success in 2022.
But for that success to be realised, the Eagles must tailor their offense to what he does well. In 2021, where Hurts clearly excelled was in the play-action game. Hurts produced a well-thrown ball on 80.4 per cent of play-action pass attempts, averaging 16.78 air yards on those throws.
Though they averaged 9.2 yards per play when they ran play-action, the Eagles did so on only 13.07% of their passing plays. By contrast, they ran straight dropback pass plays on 39.21% of snaps but averaged just 7.35 yards per play. Philadelphia went to the quick game on 21.57% of snaps with an average of 5.31 yards per play.
Having acquired Brown, who thrived playing in a heavy play-action offense with the Tennessee Titans, the Eagles must lean more into the play-action looks to give Hurts the best chance of improving on a quietly efficient 2022.
It would not be a seismic shift in their offensive approach, but with the talent level on their roster, it is one that could propel the Eagles to a deep playoff run and allow Hurts to end questions about his legitimacy as the long-term starter.
Brandon Aiyuk - San Francisco 49ers
Drafted from the star-studded receiver class of 2020, Aiyuk has not produced at the same level of Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb and Tee Higgins.
That is partly a product of the many mouths there are to feed in the San Francisco offense and partly a result of him falling out of favour with head coach Kyle Shanahan early last season.
However, Aiyuk worked his way back to being a focal point of the Niners offense down the stretch in 2021, producing a string of key plays during their surge into the postseason.
Aiyuk produced a big play on 40.8% of his 98 targets last season – fourth among wide receivers with at least 50 targets in 2021. Delivering a burn, which is when a receiver wins his matchup with a defender on a play where he is targeted, on 65.3% of his targets, his 16 receptions of 20 yards or more were tied for 12th in the NFL.
His numbers in that regard appear likely to improve as the 49ers transition from Jimmy Garoppolo to Trey Lance at quarterback. Only one quarterback with a minimum of 50 attempts last season – Drew Lock (10.20) – averaged more air yards per attempt than Lance (10.10). Garoppolo’s 7.38 per attempt was below the league average of 7.99.
Aiyuk is an excellent route runner who brings yards-after-the-catch upside and has already shown signs of building a rapport with Lance, catching four passes for 94 yards in the 2021 third overall pick’s second start against the Houston Texans.
If that rapport is furthered with a quarterback who should greatly improve the downfield threat posed by the San Francisco passing attack, 2022 could be the season in which Aiyuk establishes himself as another gem from a receiver class that has already emphatically lived up to its billing.
David Njoku - Cleveland Browns
The Browns have been waiting for an Njoku breakout since drafting him in the first round in 2017, and they are seemingly banking on it coming in the near future.
Cleveland signed Njoku to a four-year, $56.75 million extension this offseason having initially placed the franchise tag on the former Miami Hurricanes tight end. Those moves were made despite Njoku having a career-high in receiving yards of 639, which was in 2018.
Njoku has struggled with injuries – never starting more than 14 games in a season – but there’s evidence to suggest this will be the year he puts it all together. Last season, Njoku had a mediocre burn rate of 57.7%, but Rob Gronkowski (12.87) and Dallas Goedert (12.39) were the only tight ends with at least 25 targets to average more burn yards per target.
He was tied for 10th in burn yards per route (2.3) and 14th in big play rate (29.9%) and, assuming he stays healthy, will likely be the number two target behind Amari Cooper for the Browns in 2022.
The Browns' offense has recently been built around the running ability of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, but Deshaun Watson (if and when he is allowed to play) offers the passing game a significantly higher ceiling.
With the Browns’ wide receiver options beyond Cooper lacking in experience, Njoku stands to benefit greatly from that additional upside through an increased target share and the efficiency numbers from 2021 paint the picture of a player who will take advantage of his extra opportunities.
Christian Barmore - New England Patriots
New England suffered a self-inflicted talent drain in the secondary, but the impact of the loss of J.C. Jackson and Co. may be minimised if the Patriots can get more from the defensive front.
The Patriots were seventh in pass-rush win rate last year, so it is fair to question how much more of a jump they can make in that regard. But Barmore is the one who may fuel such a leap.
New England's second-round pick from 2021 had just 1.5 sacks last season. However, he ranked eighth among defensive tackles with at least 100 one-on-one pass rush matchups with a stunt-adjusted win rate of 38.34%.
He achieved a top-10 finish in that metric despite being double-team blocked 127 times. Only seven defenders were double teamed more often.
Converting those pass-rush wins into sacks will be the aim in 2022 and, if he continues to dominate his matchups in his second year and the Patriots get the consistency from edge rushers Matthew Judon and Josh Uche to reduce the number of double teams, Barmore's production should see a significant improvement.
Pete Werner - New Orleans Saints
Off-ball linebackers might not move the needle like they once did, but Werner is set to step into a starting role alongside Demario Davis on a Saints defense that is still expected to be among the best in the NFL.
Werner allowed a burn on 13 of his 27 targets in coverage, and his ratio of 48.1% was above the league average for linebackers with at least 25 targets (50.8).
His burn yards per target allowed average of 8.08 yards was 18th for the players at his position to meet that threshold. Werner allowed a big play on 17.4% of his targets, also putting him comfortably on the right side of the ledger for that metric (the average was 19.8%).
On top of that, his run disruption rate of 12.1% was eighth for all linebackers with a minimum of 50 run defense snaps.
In a hugely encouraging rookie year, Werner proved he is ready to step up to the starting role.
Playing on a defense stacked with talent on the front and in the secondary, he is in a situation to make a massive impact for a unit that may have to carry the load if the Saints are to return to the playoffs in 2022.
Rashad Fenton - Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs suffered an underrated loss in free agency as cornerback Charvarius Ward departed for San Francisco. Ward allowed a burn on just 39.8% of targets in 2021 – the fourth-best rate among corners with at least 50 targets.
His departure will likely see Fenton and L'Jarius Sneed start at corner this season, though the Chiefs did add Trent McDuffie to their secondary in the draft.
The numbers indicate Fenton will rise to the challenge. He was second in burn yards per target (7.71) and third in burn yards per snap (1.22) allowed last year (min. 50 targets).
He gave up a big play on just 15.2% of targets – the third-best ratio in the league for the position. Fenton's consistency in producing tight coverage should fuel optimism he can ensure Ward's exit is not one that will cause the secondary to struggle.
Fenton has only two interceptions and 18 pass breakups to his name in three seasons. Another year of stingy coverage combined with more on-ball production for a Chiefs team likely to go deep into January again would raise the profile of an under-the-radar but very talented corner.
Max Verstappen extended his advantage at the top of the championship to 63 points with victory at the French Grand Prix after Charles Leclerc crashed while leading.
Leclerc's latest retirement may prove to be the final dent in his 2022 title ambitions, with Verstappen looking to be heading into clean air as he bids to win back-to-back F1 championships.
The Dutchman finished over 10 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton in what turned into a routine win, while George Russell took third to secure Mercedes' first double-podium of the season.
A strong start from Hamilton saw him leapfrog Sergio Perez on the opening lap and put Verstappen under pressure, though the reigning champion defended well to remain ahead of his pursuer.
The Red Bull's advantage in straight-line speed saw Verstappen stick right on the gearbox of Leclerc in the opening 10 laps, but he was unable to make a move, with the aggressive approach potentially harming the longevity of his tyres and altering the team's plans.
Verstappen was the first of the leading pack to pit at the end of lap 16, taking hard tyres, with Leclerc staying out and appearing to be on a one-stop strategy, but there was misery for the title hopeful just two laps later.
For the third time this season, Leclerc retired while leading a grand prix, smashing into the tyre wall. A safety car was deployed as Verstappen took the lead – with Ferrari's woes increasing as Carlos Sainz was issued a five-second penalty for an unsafe release after he pitted under the safety car.
Ferrari's instability continued to be evident towards the end of lap 41 when Sainz made an overtaking move on Perez to claim third place while his team called for him to pit, which then came at the end of the following lap – serving his penalty and coming out ninth.
Russell, having collided with Perez, was unhappy he was not given the third-place position back after the stewards decided no investigation was necessary, but the Mercedes man took advantage of a slow reaction from Perez after a virtual safety car restart to snatch the final podium spot.
Au revoir Paul Ricard
Though yet to be confirmed, it is widely expected that the French Grand Prix will be removed from the calendar next year, with the 2022 race bringing the end of Formula One's contract with the Circuit Paul Ricard.
F1 owners Liberty Media have made a clear push to grow the motorsport in the United States, with the introduction of Miami and Las Vegas, while there is a continued desire to add more modern street circuits to the schedule.
That has seen the likes of the Circuit Paul Ricard, Monza, Spa and even Monaco shrouded in speculation, though there may still be an avenue for each to feature moving forward with a rotation of venues.
Perfect plan falls apart
Ahead of this weekend, Leclerc was adamant he was still in the title battle, but he admitted the team would need a 'perfect' finish to the season – which came apart at the first hurdle with another retirement.
Now well adrift of Verstappen in the championship, Leclerc's title ambitions look to be dead in the water with 10 races remaining this season, and he took full responsibility for the incident in what was far from the weekend that Ferrari wanted.
IN THE POINTS
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +10.587
3. George Russell (Mercedes) +16.495
4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +17.310
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +28.872
6. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) +42.879
7. Lando Norris (McLaren) +52.026
8. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) +56.959
9. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) +60.372
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +62.549
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 233
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 170
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 163
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 144
5. George Russell (Mercedes) 143
Constructors
1. Red Bull 396
2. Ferrari 314
3. Mercedes 270
4. Alpine 93
5. McLaren 89
Charles Leclerc accepted all the blame for an "unacceptable" crash at the French Grand Prix as Ferrari suffered the misery of seeing the race leader blow a chance of victory.
The 24-year-old from Monaco sent his car into a wall of tyres of Turn 11 at Circuit Paul Ricard on lap 18, having started on pole position.
He had been chasing a fourth win of the season and was set to narrow the gap to championship leader Max Verstappen.
Yet Verstappen took advantage of Leclerc's blunder to win the race and tighten his grip on first place in the drivers' standings.
A regretful Leclerc said: "I think I'm performing at the highest level of my career, but if I keep doing those mistakes then it's pointless to perform at a very high level.
"I'm losing too many points: seven in Imola, 25 here, because honestly we were probably the strongest car on track today.
"If we lost the championship by 32 points at the end of the season I will know where they are coming from, and it's unacceptable."
He said he would go away and look again at what went wrong, but Leclerc had little doubt it was all on him.
"I'll try to understand if there's nothing I don't know yet, but to me, it's a mistake," he said.
"It's just trying to push too much, and then I lost the rear. It's been a very difficult weekend for me, I struggled a lot with the balance of the car.
"When it's warm like this, it's very difficult to be consistent, and I've been [finding it] very difficult to put laps together, and I did a mistake at the wrong moment."
Robert Lewandowski feels like he has been at Barcelona "for months" after making his first appearance for the Blaugrana in Saturday's El Clasico win against Real Madrid.
The exhibition game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas was decided by a wonderful goal from another new man, Raphinha, as Xavi's side ran out 1-0 winners.
Lewandowski could not find the net on debut but saw a fierce strike at goal pushed away by Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the first half.
The Polish striker only officially became a Barca player last week, but explained after the game to Barca TV and TV3 how settled he is already feeling.
"Although it was a friendly, the Clasico is the Clasico and it is always different and special, and we are very happy with the quality and intensity that we have shown," Lewandowski said.
"I'm very happy to be here and to be part of this team. I don't feel like I've been with the team for days, it feels like I've been with the team for months. I feel very supported by both my team-mates and the staff."
Despite their well-reported financial issues, Barca have been very active in the transfer window, bringing in Lewandowski, Raphinha, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen so far, while also being linked with a move for Jules Kounde from Sevilla.
The former Bayern Munich hotshot is anticipating a successful first campaign in Spain, and discussed the winning mentality at his new club.
"We always think about winning," he added. "We have a very winning mentality, not only in games but also in training.
"We have the opportunity to look forward and think that this can be a great season."
Barca begin their LaLiga campaign at home to Rayo Vallecano on August 13.
Ian Foster is confident he has full backing from the New Zealand squad, despite two of his assistant coaches losing their jobs after a poor run of form.
All Blacks management announced on Sunday that John Plumtree and Brad Mooar have left their roles on the back of a first home series defeat to Ireland last weekend.
Jason Ryan will join from Crusaders as Plumtree's successor as forwards coach ahead of the Rugby Championship, which begins in two weeks' time.
Former Ireland boss Joe Schmidt has also now started his role as an independent selector and will work closely with Foster, who looks set to retain his job heading into the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Amid growing calls for Scott Robertson to take over as New Zealand head coach, Foster is focusing on the task at hand.
"I believe I've got the group and now I've got to deliver the plan," he told Sky Sport. "Part of the changes I've made is about making sure I'm not taking for granted their belief in the direction that I'm heading.
"But I'm also listening to them and making the changes that we all feel we need for this team."
Regarding whether he has the absolute backing of the players, Foster said: "That's one of the questions I got them to talk about.
"I'm not in the room. It was just them and with all the noise around, there's been a lot of people putting me under pressure for a long, long time, so in many ways this isn't new.
"They also did a similar process with New Zealand Rugby as is normal after a series. I think we got a clear mandate that there's a strong belief in the direction we're going.
"But there's a feeling we need to get a new voice in there and make some changes to get the gains we really want to get."
Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has declared his squad as "better than last year", and suggested there will be no more arrivals at the Santiago Bernabeu in this transfer window.
Los Blancos won LaLiga and the Champions League in 2021-22, and have since added Antonio Rudiger from Chelsea and Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco.
However, questions have been asked about a perceived lack of attacking options, with Luka Jovic having left for Fiorentina and doubts about the immediate future of Marco Asensio.
Madrid faced El Clasico rivals Barcelona on Saturday as part of their pre-season preparations in Las Vegas, losing 1-0 to a stunning Raphinha strike.
As well as the former Leeds United man, Barca have signed Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich to complete a formidable looking set of forward options ahead of the new campaign.
Madrid's star striker Karim Benzema was not involved, though Ancelotti confirmed the France international will return in their next outing against Club America.
When asked by reporters following the defeat to Barca if he needed another striker, Ancelotti replied: "The squad is closed and it is better than last year. Our two new arrivals are going to contribute a lot.
"There are 27 players, a lot of them, and training them is not easy, but the ones I have are intelligent and understand the difficulty I have."
On the futures of Asensio and midfielder Dani Ceballos, Ancelotti simply said it was "up to them" and "up to the club".
Eden Hazard started the game at Allegiant Stadium playing as a false nine in between Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, and Ancelotti hinted that could be where the Belgian predominantly features in the coming season.
"He can play in several positions, it was seen last year," he said. "He has the quality to be false nine, but he has to get used to it."
Thomas Muller has admitted that Bayern will face a stern test following the departure of Robert Lewandowski, but says there were "good reasons" for the striker's departure.
The Poland international brought an end to a trophy-laden stint in Bavaria by completing a move to Barcelona, leaving a significant void in Bayern's attack ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Bayern have moved for a replacement, landing Sadio Mane from Liverpool and being vocal with interest in Tottenham striker Harry Kane, and Muller has defended the club's decision to allow Lewandowski to leave.
"All parties decided that Lewy should leave the club, there were good reasons for that," he told BILD.
"But, without a doubt, we don't know what to expect when a player who has always scored between 30 and 50 goals per season is no longer with us on the field.
"There was no plan to always play for him, but when you know you have a striker like that, you do it. Now things will change, and it will be exciting to see how our attack develops."
While the loss of Lewandowski's goals will certainly present a difficult adjustment for Bayern, Muller identified occasions in the past where the club has coped with similar high-profile departures.
"We're not going to play with ten simply because Lewy left," Muller said. "Now there will be opportunities and scoring chances for other players. Maybe we score less, but that doesn't mean we won't succeed as a team.
"For example, Mario Mandzukic replaced Mario Gomez in 2012. Mandzukic didn't get the records Gomez had, but we won the treble and were invincible as a team."
Bayern will once again begin the season as favourites for the Bundesliga, having won the past 10 titles, but Dortmund's transfer activity prior to the start of the campaign has caught the eye.
Muller, heading into his 15th season as a Bayern player, believes it's a good thing that their arch-rivals are bolstering their ranks.
"[It's good] that something is also stirring at BVB. It is not known whether BVB will now score ten more points," he said. "But it's good for the league. There is anticipation and excitement in the air."
Lionel Messi could return to Barcelona one day, according to club president Joan Laporta, who feels "indebted" to the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Messi's 21-year association with Barcelona, 16 of those spent as part of the senior squad, came to an end last August when he signed for PSG as a free agent.
The Argentina international won every trophy available with Barca and departed as the club's all-time record scorer with 672 goals across 778 appearances.
Last year's departure came as a huge shock at the time, with the Catalan giants' financial situation meaning they could not agree fresh terms that adhered to LaLiga's salary cap rules.
Messi has another year to run on his PSG deal, which will take him through to the age of 36, though that contract contains the option of a third season in Paris.
But Laporta, who was re-elected as president in March 2021, has opened the door for the club great to return to Catalonia one day.
"For Barca, he has possibly been the best player in history, the most efficient, only comparable to Johan Cruyff in the history of Barca," Laporta told ESPN.
"But it had to happen one day. We had to make a decision as a consequence of the legacy we had received, the institution is above players and coaches.
"I don't believe Messi's chapter at Barcelona is over. And I believe it is our responsibility to make sure that chapter is still open, that it hasn't closed.
"To have a moment to do it how it should have been done so that he may have a much more splendid ending than what he had."
Messi was directly involved in 937 goals for Barcelona, with his most prolific season coming in 2011-12 when scoring 73 goals in all competitions and assisting a further 28.
That is in stark contrast to the 11 goals and 14 assists managed in 34 games across all competitions during his first season at the Parc des Princes.
As the poster boy of the most successful period in Barca's history, Laporta feels a sense of gratitude towards the superstar forward.
"Do I feel indebted to him? Yes. Morally, as president of Barca, I did what I had to do," Laporta said. "But also as president of Barca and on a personal level, I think I owe him."
Casper Ruud mounted an impressive comeback to defend his Swiss Open crown, after seeing off Matteo Berrettini in a three-set thriller in Gstaad.
The Norwegian, the beaten finalist at this year's French Open, made it successive triumphs at Roy Emerson Arena, after overcoming a first-set deficit to win 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-2.
It takes clay specialist Ruud to an eighth overall title on the surface and a third of the year, following victories at the Argentina Open in February and Geneva Open in May.
For Berrettini – also chasing a third title of the year after victory at the Stuttgart Open and Queen's – he will be left to rue letting his first-set advantage slip, after getting the drop on his rival.
The Italian was competing in his first event since he was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon with COVID-19, and made an impressive start under glorious sunshine on Sunday.
Yet Ruud was able to take him to the wire in the second set, before breaking his serve twice in the decider to emerge triumphant in Gstaad for the second year in a row in the end.
Erling Haaland declared "it's going to be fun" working with Pep Guardiola after he scored his first goal in a Manchester City shirt.
Haaland netted the only goal of the game as City beat Bayern Munich 1-0 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Saturday.
Stormy weather conditions disrupted the friendly contest, but that did not stop the former Borussia Dortmund striker from getting on the end of a Jack Grealish cross in the 12th minute to tap in.
Speaking after the win, Haaland said: "As you probably all know, I've been watching a lot of City games in the last years, and in the last years it has been without a striker, so of course I've been seeing myself in these situations today, so I'm not surprised."
The Norwegian scored 86 goals in 89 appearances across all competitions during two and a half years at Dortmund, with only Robert Lewandowski (123 in 108 games) and Kylian Mbappe (93 in 111 games) from Europe's top five leagues scoring more in that time.
On his new manager, Haaland added: "Guardiola is a bit crazy and I like that, so it's going to be fun. It's one week so I cannot tell too much, but I've been training good and I'm ready for what's next."
Haaland's debut goal in the United States came courtesy of neat passes from Kevin De Bruyne and Grealish, and the 22-year-old is looking forward to playing with the England international.
"[Grealish is] good. He has to get better, I have to get better, but [it's a] good link. I like the vibe around him, so it's going to be fun."
Guardiola was pleased with the first sighting of his new number nine, saying after the game: "He scored a goal, which is important. These type of goals in front of keeper – always he's there.
"The first minutes, he needs more rhythm and time but already he had 45 minutes which is good for him.
"We'll see how he reacts to the niggles that he had in the previous weeks. After we come back we have long weeks to prepare every weekend game. In those two or three weeks we will get the best form."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
