Rafael Leao's pace, power and flair invokes memories of Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario, while only Cristiano Ronaldo was as talented as the Milan winger aged 18 at Sporting CP.
That is according to former Sporting coach Tiago Fernandes, who worked with Leao as he came through the ranks at the Portuguese club and coached a young Ronaldo before he joined Manchester United.
Leao has become central to Stefano Pioli's plans at Milan this season as the Rossoneri seek a first Scudetto since the 2010-11 campaign, sitting two points clear of Inter with two Serie A games left to play.
The 22-year-old starred in the 3-1 comeback victory at Hellas Verona on Sunday, driving down the left flank to provide two almost identical assists for birthday boy Sandro Tonali to score.
Leao leads Milan charts for most goals (10) in the league this campaign, while only Theo Hernandez (6) boasts as many assists.
He has created 38 chances in total in the Italian top flight this season, a tally that only Hernandez (49) and Tonali (42) can better.
Fernandes, speaking to Italian publication Tuttomercatoweb, heaped praise on Leao as he drew comparisons between the forward and Brazil great Ronaldo.
"Leao has the power of Ronaldo, he has the talent to solve matches on his own," said Fernandes, who worked at Sporting between 2011 and 2018.
"He reminds me of the 'Phenomenon' [Ronaldo] with speed, technique and explosiveness in decisive moments, qualities that this season have emerged every game to drag Milan towards great results."
Fernandes reflected on his memories of developing Leao when he was at Sporting's academy, with Portugal compatriot Ronaldo the only other youth player to display so much potential.
"We are talking about a very special guy for me, I'm so happy with what he's doing," he added on the Milan star. "I met him when he was just 12-13 years old, coaching him in almost all the youth teams of Sporting until his first team debut at 18.
"I can assure you that only Cristiano Ronaldo in Lisbon had the same talent as him at that age. It is very exciting. It repays the many hours of work spent together on the pitch at Sporting.
"I am proud that he has landed in a great club like the Rossoneri, he is doing very well. I want him to win the Scudetto, now there are only two games left to finish the job."
As for the future of Leao, Fernandes believes he could play for any of Europe's elite given the qualities he possesses.
"Rafael has the talent to play in the best clubs in the world, from Real Madrid to Barcelona," Fernandes added. "I am convinced that he has an incredible career ahead of him."
Joe Root captaining England "at the most horrendous time" for his side in Test cricket is "one of the great sporting achievements", according to new men's managing director Rob Key.
Root succeeded Alastair Cook as red-ball captain in 2017 and resigned last April after a torrid run of one win in 17 Tests, with a 1-0 series defeat to West Indies the final straw.
Yorkshireman Root still delivered remarkable returns with the bat in 2021, despite England's struggles, scoring 1,708 runs in 15 matches, including two double centuries and a further four tons.
Only Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf (1,788 in 2006) and West Indies legend Viv Richards (1,710 in 1976) have ever managed more in a single calendar year.
Key, tasked with transforming English cricket in his new role, appointed Ben Stokes as the new skipper of the Test side but was quick to credit Root for his efforts during a tumultuous period.
"I remember just thinking: Oh, my God. Joe Root. How well has he done?," Key told Sky Sports. "We obviously know he's had a great year but he has had that year when he was doing everything as well it seemed.
"There was so much put on his shoulders. He was trying to be the ambassador for the England team that he is as a captain, and in a team that was struggling and the way that he was playing and what he was able to do. It's honestly one of the great achievements.
"Statistically it will just look in history as 'He got this amount of runs and he did this and he was this as a captain', but it won't actually say in there, 'Oh, and by the way, it was the most horrendous time to be an England cricketer, where you are under so much pressure and the captain was the lone man doing it all'.
"It's one of the great sporting achievements. And as well for him to then now seem to have somehow parked it all to some degree and he's like, right, what do you need? How do we move on from here? How can I help Ben? We probably don't realise how lucky we are to have him."
James Anderson and Stuart Broad have 1,177 Test wickets between them but were surprise omissions for the tour of West Indies, as Root travelled with a new-look side under the interim stewardship of Paul Collingwood.
However, Key and Stokes have both made it clear that England plan to reintroduce the pair for the three-Test series against New Zealand, which starts on June 2 at Lord's.
Key also acknowledged why Broad and Anderson were left out of the squad, even if he would not have done the same thing.
"I don't look at everything as just black or white, I always look at the reason," Key said. "I always thought this as a pundit; if there's logic behind what they're doing to some degree, then fine, I can understand why people are doing it.
"There was no logic to me when England in the World Cup in 2015, dropped Alastair Cook and then brought in Gary Ballance. There's no part of me that can understand why you would do that.
"But there's part of me that can understand with Broad and Anderson away from home, getting on a bit as well when you wanted to try and find out about other people. I can understand that. It doesn't mean that I would have done it – but I've shown now that they've come back."
The New York Islanders have fired Barry Trotz as head coach after a disappointing 2021-22 season.
Trotz spent four years in New York, and reached the playoffs in each of his first three, but the Islanders have struggled this season, ending in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 37-35-10.
A statement on the organisation's website on Monday simply read: "New York Islanders President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello announced today that Barry Trotz has been relieved of his duties as Head Coach."
Trotz was brought in by the Islanders in 2018 having just won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals, but he was unable to repeat the feat in New York.
They were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the playoffs in 2018-19, though Trotz won the Jack Adams Award for the second time in his career that year, having also won it with the Capitals in 2016.
The Islanders were beaten by the Tampa Bay Lightning in each of the next two seasons, who went on to win the Stanley Cup on both occasions.
Suryakumar Yadav has been ruled out of the remainder of the Indian Premier League season with a left forearm injury.
Mumbai Indians confirmed Suryakumar would miss the final four games of the campaign prior to Monday's clash with Kolkata Knight Riders.
Suryakumar has enjoyed a fine season in a poor campaign for Mumbai, scoring 303 runs at an average of 43.28 - including three half-centuries.
But with bottom-of-the-table Mumbai already out of contention having won just two of their 10 games, the news is likely to be of greater concern to India ahead of next month's T20 International series with South Africa.
A brief statement on Mumbai's Twitter account read: "Suryakumar Yadav has sustained a muscle strain on his left forearm, and has been ruled out for the season.
"He has been advised rest, in consultation with the BCCI medical team."
Suryakumar has featured in 14 T20Is for India, scoring three half-centuries and averaging 39.
His 31-ball 65, which featured seven sixes, saw him named player of the series in February when India secured a 3-0 whitewash of West Indies.
India host South Africa for five T20Is next month, the series opener taking place in Delhi on June 9.
The fit-again Stan Wawrinka secured a first win in 15 months by defeating Reilly Opelka at the Internazionali d'Italia on Monday.
Three-time grand slam champion Wawrinka, whose most recent major success came at the 2016 US Open, was competing in just his second ATP Tour match in 14 months after recovering from a foot injury but battled past American Opelka 3-6 7-5 6-2 in Rome.
Opelka seemed to hold the initiative after dominating the first set and boasting a 4-2 advantage in the second, but the 37-year-old Swiss recovered well to fight back against the world number 17.
Wawrinka managed to release his heavy-hitting forehand and close the court by nearer to the net, with Opelka providing no response as the former world number three triumphed in two hours and five minutes.
Laslo Djere or Borna Coric will be the second-round opponent for Wawrinka, who registered his first tour-level win since February 2021.
Before defeating Opelka, Wawrinka had not won a match since he defeated Pedro Sousa at the Australian Open last season.
His only other ATP Tour match since then ended in defeat to Alexander Bublik in Monte Carlo last month.
Nikola Jokic has won the NBA MVP award for the second successive season, according to reports.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday reported Jokic will be officially announced as MVP later this week.
It follows a 2021-22 season in which the Denver Nuggets center led the league in points/assists/rebounds per game with 48.7.
That average marked an improvement on his 2020-21 numbers, which saw him rack up 45.5 PAR per game.
His reward for that increased production is to become the 13th player in NBA history to win the MVP award in back-to-back years.
Giannis Antetokounmpo achieved the feat in 2019-20, with Stephen Curry and LeBron James the two other active NBA players to go back-to-back.
Bill Russell was the first to win successive MVPs, heading a list that also features Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan.
Tim Duncan won in 2001-02 and 2002-03 and Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash was named MVP for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.
Jokic's regular-season form did not translate to success in the postseason for the Nuggets, who lost 4-1 to Curry and the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.
Jurgen Klopp has questioned why Liverpool would stop believing they can win the Premier League title and dismissed Pep Guardiola's claim that the entire country wants the Reds to be crowned champions.
Manchester City moved three points clear at the top of the table with three games to play by thrashing Newcastle United 5-0 on Sunday after Liverpool were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham.
A visibly angered Klopp heaped criticism on the defensive style of football Antonio Conte employed at Anfield and Guardiola also delivered a notable post-match interview the following day.
The City boss suggested "everyone in this country supports Liverpool" in a thrilling title race.
However, Klopp explained Guardiola may have been talking in the heat of the moment after the game, as was the case following the Tottenham stalemate when Klopp suggested he could not coach like Conte.
"I live in Liverpool, here a lot of people want us to win the league but even here it is only 50 per cent," he told a pre-match news conference ahead of Tuesday's clash with Aston Villa.
"As managers, after a game, we're obviously massively influenced by games and situations. What I said after Spurs [the criticism of Conte], I wouldn't say it again.
"I said: 'they play like they play and are still only fifth', but that was just my feeling at the moment and I couldn't respect Antonio more.
"I don't know how Pep reacted after getting knocked out of the Champions League and of course, Liverpool made it to the final, we played Villarreal, they played Real Madrid.
"I have no idea if the whole country is supporting us, it is not the feeling when we go and play around the country. Maybe he knows more than me."
Liverpool are also four goals behind City on goal difference and Klopp says they must beat Villa, Southampton and Wolves to have any chance of dethroning City.
"It's easy to describe our situation. We drew, they won, the goal difference too. We can decide for ourselves how we see it. There are some facts but I try to help the boys see it like me," he added.
"I am not sure I said [the title race is still on] because it is obvious. We both have three to play, my concern is how can we win our games. We shouldn't add on points before games are played.
"Why should we stop believing? The perfect situation would be we were nine points clear, 30-plus goals but it's not possible, so let's go from here.
"Whatever happens tomorrow night if we win, it helps. If not, we train for the FA Cup final [against Chelsea on Saturday].
"Ideal world, we win them all. We have to respond. The only chance to win is to win all the games."
Klopp is looking forward to seeing how Liverpool respond after coming up against a well-organised Spurs side at the weekend.
"Having another game is cool but it's not that we have to overcome something," he continued. "When I said about it being a funeral, I meant the press conference, not the players.
"A draw was a normal result, especially against Spurs. We played a good game against a well-organised team.
"It's not possible to be perfect due to the part of the season we are in now. We have to keep going."
Tottenham supporters utilising unemployment and poverty to poke fun at Liverpool fans at Anfield on Saturday is unacceptable.
That was the message from the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust, who condemned their own visiting supporters that sang about the number of people out of work in Liverpool during the 1-1 Premier League draw.
Liverpool fans have long been mocked by rival supporters with songs dating back to the 1980s, when there was a severe economic recession.
The chant, sung on the riff of Liverpool's famous club anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone', has also been directed at Merseyside neighbours Everton, and the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust says there is no place for it.
"Singing about the opposition has long been a feature of English football, and we are reluctant to tell fans how they should support the team," a statement on the organisation's website said.
"Nevertheless, we were disappointed to hear the 'sign on' chant at Saturday's away match at Anfield.
"Poverty and joblessness are not fair game for banter. There is a cost of living crisis throughout England, including in London. Our club represents an area and community with the fastest growing rate of unemployment in the country.
"We are rightly proud of our away support, and we want it to be noticed for positive reasons. For most of the game at Anfield our fans gave superb backing to a great team performance.
"Spurs fans have provided financial backing to Marine FC on Merseyside, and regularly contribute to food banks and community initiatives in London. This is what we are about.
"The 'sign on' chant is not what we are about. We're Tottenham Hotspur. We're better than that."
The Liverpool fan group 'Spirit of Shankly' responded to the statement being posted on social media, with the Reds supporters replying on Twitter: "Well said".
Manchester United supporters will not forget the damaging impact some Red Devils players have had this campaign, while Jesse Lingard did not have a "god-given right" to an Old Trafford send-off.
That is according to United great Gary Neville, who referenced legendary captains of the club, Steve Bruce and Bryan Robson, not being given special treatment in their final games for the club.
Lingard was not in the squad for the final home game of the season against Brentford last Monday, his last chance to feature at Old Trafford with his contract set to expire at the end of the campaign.
Louie Scott, Lingard's brother, subsequently took to Instagram to take aim at United, venting his anger how the England international could spend 20 years at the club without being offered a farewell.
Neville – speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast – labelled the situation as "nonsense" as he suggested Lingard did not merit a send-off.
"There was a lot of nonsense spoken about Lingard. He's been at the club a long time and done a good job," he said.
"But I've seen Bryan Robson and Steve Bruce not play in their last games for the club and not get a send-off in cup finals.
"They were both great captains and one of them probably is the greatest captain Manchester United have ever had. They didn't get the send-off they wanted so I'm not sure why Lingard deserved it.
"I was thrown away in West Brom in a toilet – sometimes it just doesn't work out, Jesse!
"To feel like you've a god-given right to get some minutes on the pitch based on how they played. Not one of them, other than David de Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo, can complain about what will happen to them this summer."
Lingard was again not present as Brighton and Hove Albion thumped United 4-0 on Saturday, the Red Devils have now conceded more goals (56) than in any previous Premier League campaign.
The result represented a new low in a dire season for United, who will also set their lowest-ever Premier League points tally, sitting on 58 – six fewer than their 2013-14 mark with only one game to play.
Bruno Fernandes accepted the assessment from United supporters that the players "were not fit to wear the shirt", while interim manager Ralf Rangnick apologised for the humiliation at the Amex Stadium.
Neville believes he has never seen the United fans turn on their own players as they did on the south coast, which he suggests shows how bad the performance was.
"It's been a shocking few months. I can't wait for the season to end and to stop talking about them," he added.
"I was delighted not to be on the Brighton game before it, during it and after it. I can't watch them because it doesn't represent anything that a football club should be, let alone Manchester United.
"The players are only damaging themselves to a point where the fans won't forget. They were singing 'you're not fit to wear the shirt" – I have never, ever, heard United fans resort to that chant. That's a chant you would hear at QPR a few years ago or Sunderland when the fans were walking out.
"I have never known a United fanbase turn on a team like this one. It's now really clear the players have thrown the towel in. They really have. It's been a disgrace for a couple of months. It's embarrassing.
"[Incoming manager Erik] ten Hag has got a massive job to do."
Netherlands head coach and former Australia ODI wicketkeeper Ryan Campbell has been discharged from hospital and is expected to soon return to the Dutch side.
Campbell suffered a cardiac arrest in England last month when visiting after the Netherlands' tour of New Zealand.
He has only recently been removed from an induced coma by doctors with no signs of any brain damage, and follow-up tests led to the conclusion a heart attack did not cause the cardiac arrest.
The 50-year-old is expected to re-join the Netherlands camp ahead of their three-match ODI series against West Indies, which starts on May 31, before Eoin Morgan's England visit for three 50-over games in June.
Campbell, who was appointed as the Netherlands coach in 2017 after playing for both Australia and Hong Kong at an international level, was quick to pay tribute to the medical staff who looked after him.
"I want to take this opportunity to thank the amazing doctors and nurses at the Royal Stoke Hospital critical care unit for their incredible professionalism, kindness and compassion," he said.
"I also want to thank Beci Bassett, a parent at the adventure playground in Cheshire who immediately administered CPR. Her courage and quick intervention quite simply saved my life.
"My wife Leontina was at my bedside hour after hour and kept our families informed of my progress. She dealt bravely with every development thrown her way. LT, I thank you and love you.
"LT was joined early on by my great mate Simon Millington, who flew out from Nevada to be there for her and her family and assisted them throughout the ordeal. For this, I will be eternally grateful.
"Finally, I want to say a big thank you to all my well-wishers from around the world. The amount of messages of love and support my family and I received was extremely humbling."
Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Internazionali d'Italia due to an Achilles injury she suffered at the Madrid Open.
The four-time grand slam winner was beaten 6-3 6-1 in the second round in Madrid by Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo last week, who she was due to face again in Rome.
Osaka looked uncomfortable throughout in the Spanish capital and appeared to struggle with the injury during a disappointing second-set display.
Her place in the first round will be taken by lucky loser Nuria Parrizas Diaz, who will now face Sorribes Tormo.
"Unfortunately I’m going to have to withdraw from Rome as the injury which I picked up last week in Madrid hasn't healed yet," Osaka said in a statement on the WTA's website. "It's an Achilles injury so I need to be careful especially in advance of Roland Garros.
"I love this city and always enjoy playing in front of the Italian fans so I will be sorry to miss them – but look forward to coming back next year."
The WTA confirmed on Monday that Clara Tauson of Denmark has also withdrawn from the tournament with a back injury, and will be replaced by Madison Brengle as a lucky loser.
Eben Etzebeth is open to the idea of South Africa playing in the Six Nations in future, saying he would "love" to participate in the competition.
The Springboks are committed to playing in The Rugby Championship with Argentina, Australia and New Zealand until 2025, but it has been rumoured that the organisers of the Six Nations are considering inviting them to join beyond that.
South African club sides now take part in the United Rugby Championship, also involving teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.
While Etzebeth plays for Toulon in France, he has signed on to play for the Cell C Sharks from the 2022-23 season.
Speaking to the Rugby Roots programme, the lock said: "I think the Six Nations would be good for us.
"Obviously, it just makes sense with us playing in the URC at the moment against the same competition."
The 30-year-old – who has 97 caps for South Africa – would still like to be able to play against the other Southern Hemisphere sides, and hopes a balance can be found.
"Maybe we could have a full June series against New Zealand, play in the Six Nations and then have an end-of-year tour in Australia or Argentina," he added.
"I would love to join the Six Nations, but I would also love to still play those other teams as well. Maybe they (World Rugby) can get a good balance.
"At the end of the day, for me, it's just about playing for South Africa."
Marco Verratti declared Paris Saint-Germain are "left feeling p***** off" they have nothing to play for after Champions League disappointment and winning Ligue 1.
PSG cruised to a record-equalling 10th French top-flight title – only Saint-Etienne can boast as many – in April, while no player in Ligue 1 history has won as many championships as Verratti (eight).
However, Mauricio Pochettino's side remain in search of an elusive Champions League crown, having been dumped out at the last-16 stage by a remarkable Karim Benzema-inspired Real Madrid turnaround.
Kylian Mbappe scored in either leg to hand PSG a 2-0 lead, before Benzema delivered a second-half hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabeu to stun the visitors and reopen fresh Champions League wounds.
Meanwhile, since securing the title, PSG have thrown away two-goal leads in consecutive games, allowing Strasbourg and Troyes to share the spoils on both occasions.
Verratti vented his frustrations after the stalemate with Troyes as he acknowledged finding motivation is difficult with the league already in their hands.
"There is a bit of frustration. I think these are matches where you have to have fun, it's about winning and playing well as a team," the Italy international told Amazon Prime Video.
"We are in one of the quietest moments of the season because there is no pressure. We just have to have fun. When you are free in your head, you can enjoy it even more.
"I'm a little frustrated about that. We're coming to the end of the season and we always come out of games feeling p****** off. It's not the thing you dream of at the end of the season, especially when you are already champions.
"I honestly think that we could do much better with the team we have. In difficult times, we could be better. When we are good as a team, we manage to take more pleasure from those matches.
"It was a tough season. Even if we are champions, at the start of the season it was tough, we won a lot of matches late on.
"That means we have great character, because we're still there two minutes from the end to score a goal, but I think we could be better as a team.
"It's true that we changed the team a lot with several rookies. It is not an excuse, but it's the truth. It's difficult to create a big group when you change a lot. You have to take the good things of this season and try to build on it for next season."
Whether Pochettino stays in charge for the next campaign remains to be seen, with reports in France suggesting Zinedine Zidane as a potential target if he is not waiting until after the 2022 World Cup to take DIdier Deschamps' job with France.
Whoever is at the PSG helm, Verratti knows it will take another sizeable effort next year to reset and attempt to banish the Champions League demons.
"We fought hard against Madrid and did 150 minutes very well," he added.
"We won the championship, that's good and I think there's not much missing. Everyone has to give more so at the end we can say: 'OK, we have no regrets, we gave everything, they were stronger'.
"We do have this little regret. We had a dream in the Champions League. If you reach the semi-final then you can find yourself in the final having played two games well. Madrid hit us hard."
Emma Raducanu says being a "loner" has helped her to discover a lot about herself after the US Open champion split with coach Torben Beltz last month.
The 19-year-old employed Beltz last November, but the German was only in her corner for five months.
Raducanu had turned to Beltz after splitting with Andrew Richardson, who helped her sensationally win a maiden grand slam at Flushing Meadows last year, and was previously coached by Nigel Sears.
The teenager says she is happy to go it alone as she prepares to face Bianca Andreescu in the first round of the Internazionali d'Italia.
She told reporters in Rome: "I'd describe myself as a loner.
"For the past year... I've had a lot of people around me a lot and very often. To be on my own is interesting because I'm kind of finding out a lot about myself, understanding what I need and what I don't need."
Raducanu was beaten by Anhelina Kalinina in the third round of the Madrid Open last week after being knocked out by number one Iga Swiatek at the quarter-final stage in Stuttgart.
The world number 12 is pleased with the progress she is making on clay.
"Clay is very new to me," she added. "I definitely feel like I have been progressing with each week, improving, getting a better understanding of how to play points, when to stay in the point or when to stay aggressive.
"I don't think I'm like the finished product at all. But, yeah, I'm heading in a good direction."
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