Brazilian forward Endrick rejected comparisons with Pele and criticised negative stories that have been published about him.

Real Madrid confirmed a deal to sign the 16-year-old from Palmeiras in December, with the move to LaLiga set to go ahead in July 2024 when he turns 18.

Endrick has suffered a loss of form since his future move to the Santiago Bernabeu was announced, scoring just once in 13 appearances across all competitions, and has struggled with the increased media attention he has received.

"Sometimes I ask myself: Why are there so many stories about me? I didn't ask for this. There are situations that cross a line," he told GQ.

"'Ah, he's the new Pele.' Man, nobody is going to be Pele, he's the king of football.

"But there's nothing I can do, I can't ask people not to talk about my life. I always said I'd like all Brazilians to be able to be close to me, but I understand more and more that that's not possible, there will always be people who attack me."

Endrick also criticised the false stories that have been published about him, adding: "I used to be aware of what people were saying about me. But not anymore.

"I like TikTok, but when I see something about me, I move on quickly.

"Recently a story came out saying that I was in therapy, but that's a lie. The press don't know what's happening, and they publish it. But I can't do anything. If I come out and contradict everything they say, I'd spend all my time doing it."

Erling Haaland is back in Manchester City training after he missed out on their 4-1 rout against Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday.

The forward was forced to withdraw from Norway duty last month after he sustained a groin injury heading into the international break.

Ahead of City's return to action against Jurgen Klopp's Reds last week, Pep Guardiola was non-committal on whether Haaland would feature.

Now, in a boost as they look to keep pace with Arsenal at the summit, the striker is back on the training pitch ahead of this weekend's trip to Southampton.

Jason Roy has joined Kolkata Knight Riders for the remainder of the Indian Premier League season as an injury replacement for Shreyas Iyer.

The England opener has signed up on a deal worth approximately INR 2.8 crore (£275,000), up on his pre-season auction price of INR 1.5 crore (£147,000).

Roy's return to the IPL comes amid a minor player crisis for KKR, who have lost India's Iyer to a back injury, as well as Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.

Though English players are typically not allowed to sign after the start of March, those on ECB contracts are an exemption to the rule, allowing his move.

The Surrey batter last played in 2021, scoring 150 runs in five games for Sunrisers Hyderabad, and will hope to maintain his strong white-ball start to 2023.

With 245 runs in seven games for Quetta Gladiators during the Pakistan Super League, Roy also posted the tournament's highest individual tally, with 145 not out.

A member of the England team that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup, he was dropped from their 2022 T20 World Cup-winning squad.

Ahead of his side's 50-over defence in India later this year, the 32-year-old will be hopeful he can use his time with KKR to consolidate his spot in the squad.

Roy's return to the IPL may come too soon to feature in his new team's next match, which is against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday.

However, he could be included for their trip to face defending champions Gujarat Titans on Sunday, as KKR look to bounce back from an opening loss against Punjab Kings.

Steve Cooper is still Nottingham Forest manager despite claims he was set to be sacked, owner Evangelos Marinakis said in a statement.

Forest lost 2-1 at Leeds United on Tuesday, extending the Premier League's longest active winless run to eight matches.

It was a familiar story for Forest, who failed to win a league-high eighth game after scoring first and still have a joint-low six away points.

The loss leaves the promoted side in 17th place, outside the relegation zone only on goal difference.

Reports in the British media suggested Cooper was therefore set to lose his job on Wednesday.

However, Forest are again standing by their manager, as they did earlier in the season when Cooper was handed a new contract following a 4-0 defeat at Leicester City.

Marinakis said: "No one denies that our club is in a difficult position in the Premier League, but we wish to end the speculation and the false and disruptive reporting in the media to confirm that Steve Cooper remains our manager at Nottingham Forest.

"We have all been disappointed with recent performances, and it is very clear that a lot of hard work needs to be done to address this urgently. Results and performances must improve immediately.

 

"Now is the time for everyone connected with our club, from us as owners, to the board, our supporters, backroom staff, coaches and players, to come together and fight to secure our status in the Premier League.

"There can be no time for distractions, rumours and speculation.

"There is only time for hard work, determination, a commitment from Steve and the players to getting the results we need and, of course, the continued magnificent support of the fans of Nottingham Forest."

When the season paused at the end of March for an international break, Forest had the third-hardest run-in in the Premier League, according to Opta's power rankings.

They have since taken only a single point from a double-header against fellow strugglers Wolves and Leeds.

Forest's next five games are against top-half opposition, while they are also still to welcome league leaders Arsenal to the City Ground.

Thomas Muller was left feeling bitter after Bayern Munich were saddled "with the shambles" of another DFB-Pokal failure against Freiburg.

The Bundesliga leaders slipped to a 2-1 defeat in the quarter-finals, after Lucas Holer's 95th-minute penalty condemned them to a late loss.

Dayot Upamecano had handed Bayern the lead in Thomas Tuchel's second game in charge, before Nicolas Hofler squared matters in the first half.

It means the club will miss out on the DFB-Pokal final for the third straight season, and Muller concurred the loss represented a blow to their pride.

"[There is] a certain bitterness," he told Sky Sport Germany. "We're eliminated. You can't make amends anymore. You're standing there with the shambles.

"It's over again. Of course that scratches your sense of honour. Freiburg hardly had a chance to score, but if you lose in the end, you have to face the questions."

The result means it is one win and one loss for Tuchel since he succeeded Julian Nagelsmann, having picked up a 4-2 win over Borussia Dortmund in his first game.

Muller appreciated the need to adapt to their new coach, but still stressed the blow of their exit would linger, particularly with a rematch in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

"We [have] now had two games with a new coaching line-up," he added. "Now, we're emotionally down to earth. We have to manage that as a group.

"We will get back together on Thursday, we will try to improve. But now, there is disillusionment and brutal disappointment."

Andrew Wiggins believes his court comeback is just a matter of time after he returned to the Golden State Warriors following a personal absence.

The small forward has missed 22 games for the Warriors since taking a temporary leave from the team in order to deal with a family illness.

Wiggins has declined to elaborate on the specifics, but was back with Steve Kerr's side for Tuesday's 136-125 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Now, with his return to the fold, the 28-year-old has set his sights on playing once again, having last featured against the Washington Wizards in February.

"I don't think it will be too long before I am out there," he said. "I felt really good right before I left. I felt like I was in a rhythm, was making shots, moving well.

"Hopefully, I'll be right back where I left off. [But] when you're in a certain situation and your family needs you and requires your attention and love, that's my first priority.

"My career, everything, family is always first for me. When I felt like I was in a safe space to come back, we got everything settled in a safe place."

Coach Steve Kerr effectively ruled out a role for Wiggins in Friday's trip to the Sacramento Kings, noting they would assess him over the coming week.

"We'll have a better idea in the next couple of days," he added. "There's no way he's playing in the next few days, I can tell you that.

"But I think once we have an assessment over the next couple of days, we'll have a better idea of when he might be able to play."

The Warriors follow their trip to Sacramento with their last regular season fixture, against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.

The Denver Nuggets are all but certain to be the number one seed in the West, but Michael Malone does not expect a deep playoff run if his team continue to play as they did on Tuesday.

The Nuggets had the opportunity to clinch the top seed with three games of the regular season remaining, yet instead they lost 124-103 at the Houston Rockets, who are last in the conference.

Denver had won the teams' past 10 meetings, including the previous four by at least 15 points, but struggled even with Nikola Jokic back in the lineup.

Although they are still on course to finish first, theirs is now on course to be the worst record by the number one seed in the West since the 1976-77 Los Angeles Lakers.

And this defeat did not do wonders for Malone's hopes of finally guiding the Nuggets to the NBA Finals.

No team across the United States' four major sports have made more playoff appearances without reaching the championship round. This will be their 29th postseason campaign.

"If that's how we're going to play, we'll be out in the first round," the coach said.

"When we don't do our jobs, there's accountability, and I speak the truth.

"I just called our team 'soft,' and I dared someone to challenge me. No one did, because we as a group were soft tonight.

"I'm not saying we are soft, but tonight, we were."

Indeed, the Nuggets were out-rebounded 55-47, although the Rockets lead the league in average rebound margin.

With the Memphis Grizzlies two games back, the Nuggets have three more opportunities to make sure of top spot, continuing their road trip against the Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz before returning home to play the Sacramento Kings.

The Golden State Warriors might not like being where they are, but Steve Kerr is nevertheless enjoying the thrill of the chase.

Reigning NBA champions Golden State have endured a disappointing campaign, yet find themselves in the playoff places heading into their final two regular-season games.

The Warriors are fifth in the Western Conference after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 136-125 at home on Tuesday, although they will drop down to sixth after the Los Angeles Lakers face the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

Golden State trailed by four heading into the final quarter against the Thunder, but Jordan Poole turned on the style to lead them to victory, while Stephen Curry top scored with 34 points and Draymond Green chipped in with 17.

It got the Warriors, who were without Klay Thompson, back to winning ways following a loss to the Denver Nuggets. They have now won six of their last eight games, and head coach Kerr is revelling in the excitement.

He told reporters: "It's fun, this is all what it's about.

"We love the competition and even though we'd prefer to be home free in the playoffs right now, this is where we are.

"I'm really proud of the guys what they've done here in recent weeks to put ourselves in this position but now we've got to go finish the deal and get into the top six."

Poole starred down the stretch, with 13 of his 30 points coming in the final quarter.

"They all matter. You try to lock in as much as possible and put us in a really good position to be successful," Poole said.

"He's obviously extremely talented," Curry said of Poole. "He can create off the dribble. He's fast in transition.

"We kind of read the gameplan from them, so we just gave JP space, let him go to work. Our biggest thing is just being decisive on offense. Any time we fall late is because we haven't been decisive in our intention or play calls.

"JP played amazing down the stretch, then our defense allowed us to connect the game."

Moses Moody added: "It definitely had that playoff feel to it being out here in these games, how much each game matters, how much each possession matters."

Romelu Lukaku's representatives have demanded an apology from Juventus and called on the Italian authorities to take action after their client suffered "despicable" racist abuse.

Inter forward Lukaku netted a 95th-minute penalty to salvage a 1-1 draw in Tuesday's Coppa Italia semi-final first leg between the two Serie A heavyweights.

However, Lukaku subsequently received a second yellow card after his celebration, which included holding a finger up to his lips in a "shushing" gesture to Juve's fans, resulted in a melee between the teams. Juve winger Juan Cuadrado and Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic also saw red.

Lukaku's agency, Roc Nation Sports International, said the 29-year-old had been subject to racist abuse from sections of the home fanbase in Turin.

In a statement shared on Twitter, Roc Nation Sports International president Michael Yormark wrote: "The racist remarks made towards Romelu Lukaku by Juventus fans in Turin were beyond despicable and cannot be accepted.

"Romelu scored a penalty in the game. Before, during and after the penalty, he was subjected to hostile and disgusting racist abuse.

"Romelu celebrated in the same manner he has previously celebrated goals. The referee's response was to award a yellow card to Romelu.

"Romelu deserves an apology from Juventus, and I expect the league to condemn the behaviour of this group of Juventus supporters immediately.

"The Italian authorities must use this opportunity to tackle racism, rather than punish the victim of the abuse. I am certain that the footballing world shares the same sentiment."

Inter coach Simone Inzaghi also came to the forward's defence.

"I see a player who scores, celebrates, and everything happens there. Lukaku's celebration was misunderstood," he said.

"It certainly wasn't a nice sight to see in a well-conducted and fair match until the 94th minute."

On Wednesday, Inter tweeted: "We are brothers and sisters of the world. Since 9 March 1908, this has been our story.

"We want to firmly reiterate that we stand united against racism and all forms of discrimination."

The Los Angeles Lakers needed LeBron James to drag them through against the Utah Jazz, but he might not be available to face the Los Angeles Clippers.

A 135-133 overtime win in Salt Lake City on Tuesday ensured the Lakers guaranteed their spot in the play-in tournament in the Western Conference.

Yet with three games remaining of the regular season, the seventh-placed Lakers could still force their way into the playoffs without having to compete in the play-in round. They face the Clippers on Wednesday, with their city rivals sitting a place above them while holding an identical 41-38 record. 

James was crucial against the Jazz, scoring 37 points and playing 38 minutes – the most he has managed since returning from a foot injury that kept him out for four weeks. 

However, that strain might limit James' availability for Wednesday.

"The extra five minutes definitely didn't help. It definitely didn't help but we needed to get the win," James told reporters, before explaining his process of deeming whether or not he would be able to feature against the Clippers.

"How my foot feels when I wake up and I step out of bed," he added.

"That's been the most important since I've injured it five weeks ago. The next day after either rehab or training or treatment, whatever. It's always that."

Anthony Davis was unusually slack with his shooting, managing just seven-of-16 from the field and seven-of-12 from the free throw line for 21 points, though he still contributed 14 rebounds and six assists.

Davis has not played in back-to-back games since returning from a right foot issue earlier in 2023, and like James, he was unsure on whether he would face the Clippers.

"I haven't played in a back-to-back in a long time," Davis said.

"So, I mean, we'll all get on a phone call or something tomorrow morning and go from there."

Coach Darvin Ham confirmed no decision had yet been taken.

"We have our short-term business that we need to take care of and our long-term business that we need to take care of," Ham said.

"We prioritise a player's health, first and foremost. Regardless of what the stakes are or the implications of with a win or a loss or all of that.

"We need our players to know that we care about their health, first and foremost.

"If we see that they won't have any issues, in terms of their health, and we're not putting them at risk, then we'll proceed.

"If there's any kind of question marks, we'll walk through them, talk through them, and go from there."

Joel Embiid's stellar showing against the Boston Celtics led Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers to declare the MVP race "over".

Embiid is a likely contender, alongside Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, for the NBA's MVP award.

But with just five days of the regular season remaining, the Sixers star made an almighty push for the gong with a remarkable display against the Celtics.

Embiid scored 52 points, over half of Philadelphia's total in a 103-101 victory on Tuesday, while adding 13 rebounds and six assists.

The 29-year-old is the first player in the stop-clock era to score more than half of his team's points and shoot 80 per cent from the field.

Wilt Chamberlain, meanwhile, was the only other player to have previously shot 80 per cent from the field and record at least 50 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

For Rivers, it means job done in the MVP race.

"The man just scored half our points, in an NBA game," Rivers said. 

"I'm biased, but the MVP race is over.

"We did so many things wrong, but what we did right was Joel Embiid."

Embiid's team-mate James Harden echoed Rivers' sentiment, adding: "Joel should win it.

"He's been in contention for it the last few years. He led the league in scoring last year. It looks like he's going to lead the league in scoring this year.

"We're the third seed in the East. He's been consistent all year."

When the comments of Rivers and Harden were put to him, Embiid quipped: "They're probably right, but we got bigger goals.

"We understand we got a chance, but it's not going to be easy. For me, it was kind of disappointing because we found so many ways to lose the game, and that's on all of us.

"I'm part of it. I could've been better. You know, I had a couple of dumb plays. I could've been better, and we could've been better as a team.

"Like I said, we got bigger goals in mind, but we got to be better than that."

As for how to stop Embiid, who is second in the NBA for points this season (2,162) and leads the way for points per game (33.3), Celtics guard Derrick White is non-plussed.

"I think the whole league's trying to figure that out right now," said White. "So, if you got any ideas, I think every other NBA team would like to know."

Philadelphia 76ers center and MVP hopeful Joel Embiid put together arguably his best game of the season on Tuesday to deliver a 103-101 home win against the Boston Celtics.

Embiid put up 52 points – over half of his team's total and the third-most in his career – while shooting a remarkable 20-of-25 from the field. He also grabbed 13 rebounds, dished six assists and blocked two shots in his 39 minutes.

The 29-year-old, who has finished as the runner-up in the past two MVP votes, had never scored more than 50 points in a game prior to this season, but he has done so three times this campaign, highlighted by a 59-point, 11-rebound, eight-assist, seven-block showing against the Utah Jazz in November.

Against the Celtics, Embiid was supported in style by James Harden as the 76ers' second star chipped in 20 points (seven-of-17 shooting) and 10 assists with no turnovers. It was only his second game this season without a turnover.

Meanwhile, the Celtics were left short-handed as All-Star Jaylen Brown was ruled out in the hours leading up to tip-off, and Jayson Tatum was disappointing in his highly anticipated showdown against Embiid, delivering just 19 points on seven-of-20 shooting with six rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Tatum had a plus/minus of minus 13 in his 38 minutes, meaning Boston were plus 11 in the 10 minutes he was on the bench.

LeBron lifts the Lakers in overtime

The Los Angeles Lakers have now won seven of their past eight fixtures after a 135-133 overtime victory on the road against the Utah Jazz.

It was a mediocre offensive showing from the red-hot Anthony Davis as he shot just seven-of-16 from the field and seven-of-12 from the free throw line for his 21 points, but he added 14 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks.

Instead it was LeBron James coming through for the Lakers, producing his best game since the All-Star break with 37 points (14-of-27 shooting), six assists and five rebounds. Austin Reaves stepped up in D'Angelo Russell's absence, contributing 28 points (eight-of-13) and six assists in an equal team-high 42 minutes.

The win improved the Lakers' record to 41-38, leaving them tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for the sixth-best record in the West – with the Lakers and Clippers to face off on Wednesday.

Warriors stay out of the play-in

The Golden State Warriors were at risk of being leapfrogged by the Lakers and falling into the play-in tournament placings, before coming from behind to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 136-125.

It was the Thunder leading 106-102 heading into the fourth quarter, but with Klay Thompson missing through injury, Jordan Poole stepped up as the Warriors' hero.

Poole scored 18 points in the fourth quarter while the Thunder scored 19 as a team, with the fourth-year guard finishing with 30 points (eight-of-19 shooting). 

Stephen Curry was just as good, dropping a game-high 34 points (11-of-25), while Most Improved Player candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points (11-of-17) and seven assists for the Thunder.

The win means the Warriors have jumped the Clippers into the fifth seed with just two games remaining, while the Thunder's loss keeps the Dallas Mavericks alive, with just a half-game separating the 10th and 11th seeds.

The Tampa Bay Rays are the only unbeaten team remaining after improving their record to 5-0 with a come-from-behind 10-6 road victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.

Tampa Bay began their season with a three-game series sweep at home against the Detroit Tigers, and they have now won all five of their games by at least four runs.

But it was far from smooth sailing against the Nationals, despite the Rays jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

Alex Call brought home two runners for Washington in the bottom of the first with a single, and after Jose Siri put Tampa ahead 4-2 with his solo home run in the second frame, the Nationals began to take over.

Lane Thomas tied the game up in the second with a two-RBI double, and Thomas then gave the Nats their first lead with his next at-bat in the fourth inning with an RBI single in an impressive three-hit, three-RBI showing from the right-fielder.

The Rays did not score from the third inning through the seventh, but Randy Arozarena injected some life back into the visitors with his second RBI double of the contest to cut the Nationals' lead to 6-5 going into the last.

Tampa Bay first baseman Luke Raley tied the contest with a solo home run from the very first pitch of the ninth inning, and just three pitches later the Rays had the lead after Josh Lowe followed suit with his own solo homer.

A single from Taylor Walls and a double from Siri put two more runners on base, setting up Yandy Diaz for the 414-foot, three-run bomb to seal the comeback win.

Alcantara shuts out the Twins

The Minnesota Twins came into Tuesday's action unbeaten, before running into a spectacular showing from reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara in a 1-0 Miami Marlins triumph.

Alcantara, who had a shaky start in his season opener against the New York Mets, looked right back to his best against the Twins. He pitched the complete nine innings for only three hits and one walk, while striking out five in his 100 pitches.

The only run of the contest came from a solo home run in the second inning from Miami right-fielder Avisail Garcia, snapping a three-game Marlins losing streak.

Another Riley rocket lifts the Braves

Atlanta Braves slugger Austin Riley hit his second home run in as many days to help lift his side to a 4-1 road win against the St Louis Cardinals.

Despite the loss, all 10 Cardinals players to take an at-bat finished with exactly one hit each, but they could not match the power of the Braves.

Following his monstrous 473-foot blast in the opening inning of Monday's game, Riley again went deep in the first inning, this time taking Steven Matz 410 feet over the left-field wall. Orlando Arcia followed Riley's two-run shot with his own solo home run in the second inning.

In his very first start in the majors, 24-year-old Braves rookie Dylan Dodd collected the win as he made it through five innings while giving up six hits and no walks for one run, striking out three in his 73 pitches.

World number five Ons Jabeur is through to the third round of the Charleston Open after making a winning start in a 6-3 6-3 triumph over Lesia Tsurenko on Tuesday.

Jabeur, a finalist at both Wimbledon and the US Open this past season, received a bye through to the second round thanks to her status as the second seed, and she had to save three break points in the opening game of the match against Tsurenko.

After repelling the early push, Jabeur rattled off the first five games to take a commanding lead, and she secured another break to begin the second frame.

Meanwhile, with half of the field still completing their first-round matchups, 12th seed Paula Badosa proved too strong for Egypt's Mayar Sherif in a comfortable 6-3 6-1 victory.

Spain's Badosa will play Canada's Leylah Fernandez in the second round after the promising 20-year-old took just 72 minutes to dispatch Russia's Evgeniya Rodina 6-3 6-2.

Rodina was the only loss from the four Russians in action on Tuesday, with Anna Kalinskaya defeating Alize Cornet 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-2, 19-year-old Diana Shnaider eliminating Alycia Parks 6-4 6-3, and Varvara Gracheva prevailing 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 against Anna-Lena Friedsam.

Bernarda Pera advanced past Clare Liu 6-4 6-7 (1-7) 6-3 in one of the all-American showdowns, while ninth seed Madison Keys beat Emma Navarro 6-4 6-3 and Shelby Rogers took out Danielle Collins 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-1 in the others.

Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, handled the challenge of Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-1, and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka came back to defeat Sloane Stephens 3-6 6-3 6-2.

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