HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYLE!

The 28 May is a special date in the history of the Rossoneri. On 28 May 1969, in Amsterdam, AC Milan won their second Champions Cup; on 28 May 2003, in Manchester, we won the Champions League against Juventus. Indeed, Manchester was Kyle Walker's home for many years, and on 28 May he will celebrate his 35th birthday. The English defender, who came to Milan in January, was born on 28 May 1990, just a few days after our Champions Cup in Vienna against Benfica (23 May), decided by Rijkaard's goal. Kyle's birthday perfectly fits into the history books of our Club, and it makes 28 May even more special. Happy birthday, Kyle!
The new PUMA Home Kit 2025/26 is available: buy it now!

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Chicago Tribune

2 hours ago

• Chicago Tribune

Club World Cup crowds have fluctuated wildly, from swathes of empty seats to ‘hostile' atmospheres

MIAMI — As kickoff approached it was clear — the fans weren't coming. The Club World Cup, soccer's shiny, new competition, has been billed as the event to breathe new life into the world's most popular sport. It began a week ago in the United States, where stadiums of monumental capacity and steep tickets prices awaited the rowdy crowds seen at grounds across the world. But rows and rows of empty seats inside Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday told another story. 'It's like playing football during lockdown,' observed one fan on social media. For days, world governing body FIFA didn't register the attendance for the game between Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan on its official website. It took until Friday for a figure of 3,412 to be acknowledged on the site, but by rough count, there were fewer than 1,000 fans in the stands as the game got underway. At the other end of the spectrum, more than 80,000 watched Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain versus Atletico Madrid at the massive Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. The opening week for the monthlong tournament across the U.S. has seen some wildly fluctuating attendances. The Mamelodi Sundowns-Ulsan game stands out as the low point so far for FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, who is banking on the Club World Cup becoming one of the most popular and valuable competitions in sport. So sparse was the crowd that the word 'ORLANDO' — spelled out in yellow seats on one of the main stands at Inter&Co Stadium — was almost completely unobstructed. Crowd-control stewards stood by the sidelines and monitored vast areas of empty spaces in the 25,500-capacity Florida venue. The home of MLS team Orlando City — among the smallest stadiums chosen to host games for the tournament — was still massively oversized for the match, even with ticket prices falling to $23. A group game between largely unheralded teams from South Africa and South Korea was never likely to be a big seller. And storms, which forced kickoff to be delayed by more than an hour, may have led to no-shows. Still, it was an uncomfortably low turnout and one of three games in the opening week that drew fewer than 10,000 fans. There were also swathes of empty seats for Chelsea's game against Los Angeles FC in Atlanta. It was an afternoon kickoff on a weekday, but one of the Premier League's most popular teams against an opponent from MLS couldn't manage to fill one-third of the 71,000-capacity stadium, with 22,000 fans showing up. 'I think the environment was a bit strange. You know, the stadium was almost empty,' Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said, and even with Lionel Messi in town for the second game in Atlanta — Inter Miami's win against Porto — the crowd was far from capacity at 31,783. Uncertainty over ticket sales had been a point of debate in the build up to the tournament, with prices falling dramatically before the opening game between Miami and Al Ahly last Saturday. An impressive crowd of nearly 61,000 watched that game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., though it is not known how many paid anywhere near the $349 that tickets were being quoted at in December. As of Tuesday, FIFA said 1.5 million tickets had been sold and more than 340,000 fans had attended the first eight games. Infantino proudly proclaimed the Club World Cup was growing into 'the undisputed pinnacle of global club football.' Numbers in Miami have been good — nothing lower than 55,000 and topping out at a near-capacity 63,587 for Bayern Munich versus Boca Juniors. Bayern forward Harry Kane described the atmosphere inside a stadium dominated by Boca fans as 'hostile.' Crowds have still come to Miami in a week when the Florida Panthers were playing in the Stanley Cup Final. Boca and Real Madrid fans queued up for hours in sweltering heat after arriving early for games. The biggest crowd of the opening week was 80,619 for PSG-Atletico Madrid in LA. For context, that is just short of the 84,163 who watched the English FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium and well above the 64,327 attendance for the Champions League final — European club soccer's biggest game. While there was not a sellout game in the opening week, 10 of the first 24 matches have seen crowds in excess of 40,000, for an average of around 36,000. The average for the Champions League last season was just under 46,000, according to soccer data website Transfermarkt, but like-for-like comparisons are difficult, given this is a totally new format bringing club teams from around the world to the U.S. At the 2022 men's World Cup in Qatar there was an average attendance of just under 50,000 for the opening week. Of the 20 games played over that period, the highest attendance was 88,103 and all but two of those games had crowds in excess of 40,000. Focus on the Club World Cup has been intense for more than one reason. There is still uncertainty over how much of an appetite there is among fans for another elite soccer tournament, and it was unknown how many would be prepared to follow their team to the U.S. According to FIFA, the biggest take up of tickets from abroad was from Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. Perhaps more significant is what this tournament says about the men's World Cup, which is largely being staged in the U.S. next year. The Club World Cup could be seen as a gauge of how America's interest in soccer has grown since last hosting the planet's biggest sporting event in 1994. In that sense, it's not just about statistics, but optics as well. Which is why FIFA will hope to avoid a repeat of the scenes at Mamelodi Sundowns versus Ulsan.

Newsweek

3 hours ago

• Newsweek

Daniel Ricciardo Slammed by Fans Over Controversial Social Media Post

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Former Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo is under fire from fans after making a controversial social media post. Since leaving the F1 grid, Ricciardo has remained silent. He stepped away from the sport and the spotlight in totality. He broke his silence on June 18, opting to release a controversial advertisement on his X (formerly Twitter) account. Ricciardo partnered with the Australian sports betting company Dabble. Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills and Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo pose for a photo before a game against the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium on November 3, 2024 in Orchard Park, New... Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills and Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo pose for a photo before a game against the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium on November 3, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. More Photo by TimothyHe announced a competition that will have a winner and a guest who will travel from an English airport to the United States for an American football weekend extravaganza. The prize offers flights, a three-night stay, VIP tickets to the tailgate party, and a meet-and-greet with the driver. The contest is named The Ultimate Texas Tailgate with Daniel Ricciardo. To enroll, people have to create an account on the Dabble app. I've given retirement a crack, but It's not for me. So, I've teamed up with the legends at Dabble to start a Tailgate business... Check it out at What are you really gambling with? For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit… — Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) June 18, 2025 All over the world, sports gambling is growing as more areas continue to legalize it. In the United States, sports betting is everywhere, essentially inescapable for a sports fan. As the industry grows, people are becoming more and more aware of gambling addictions and the risks of making them more accessible. The aftermath of Ricciardo's announcement was a wave of negative comments under the post, many of which were disappointed by his promotion of a gambling company. "Would have supported the tailgate business idea without the direct link to a betting company, man. Disappointed," a user commented. "What a shame. You're shilling for a gambling company. JFC. Surely you don't need the money that badly," another said. "Seriously mate? Money that tight is it? Of all the things you choose to put your name and face on you chose gambling? So bloody disappointing," a third added. "Yikes! Considering Aussies gamblers have the highest losses per capita in the world and a high rate of teenagers on gambling sites, this isn't it DR," a person posted. "Come on mate I'm a massive fan but this isn't at all something good to put your name to. Gambling destroys lives, surely there's better things to work with," a fifth person said. Ricciardo is far from the only athlete to take money from a gambling company, but his set of fans have shared their disappointment over his willingness to promote the vice. The Australian racer left F1 back in 2024 after being replaced during the season by Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls. Red Bull Racing gave him another opportunity with the team in 2023, hoping he would beat out teammate Yuki Tsunoda and rebuild his confidence, but it never clicked. After several races, the higher-ups at Red Bull decided to give Lawson a look, leaving Ricciardo on the outside looking in. Since leaving, Ricciardo has promoted his wine company and clothing brand while staying away from the limelight until now. Given the negative reaction, it will be interesting to see if he continues to advertise Dabble or calls an end to the tailgate party.

Yahoo

4 hours ago

• Yahoo

Victor Osimhen waiting for €75m release clause to expire to drop his price

Key Manchester United target Victor Osimhen is playing a waiting game until his €75m release clause expires and he could be available more cheaply, according to reports in Italy. The clause in the Nigerian's contract only applies to clubs outside of Italy and expires in mid-July, frustrating any hopes of wrapping up a quick deal but making a more affordable one more likely. Advertisement Although on the other hand the risk is that with no clause to be triggered Napoli could dig their heels in and ask for more or, with the player having several known suitors, a bidding war could ensue. Gazzetta dello Sport claim that the player is not taking this pessimistic view and is actively waiting because 'he hopes that once the clause expires the price will drop'. However, Napoli have the option to extend his contract – currently due to expire in 2026 – by a further 12 months which would likely ratchet the price right back up again. There seems to be no discussion of the 26-year-old staying on in Naples, so any contractual wrangling would be purely with a view to the club getting as much money as possible for the player while keeping him away from their direct rivals. Advertisement Fellow Serie A giants Juventus are very keen, but Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis is determined not to strengthen a potential title contender, and 'hopes to find a foreign club that will settle the bill and satisfy the Nigerian'. The report suggests that Osimhen's decision to wait is encouraging to Juventus, but notes that if another club comes along in the meantime, or if the Turin side fail to sell Dusan Vlahovic, his future could like beyond Serie A. Osimhen spent last season on loan at Galatasaray where he was as prolific as ever, scoring 37 goals in 41 games and supplying eight assists. He would be an ideal striker to drop into Ruben Amorim's goal-starved squad, with the experience and mentality to hit the ground running and drag the Red Devils up by their bootstraps. Advertisement Even amongst Premier League clubs United do not have a clear run at the player, however, with Liverpool reportedly entering talks for him and Chelsea long holding an interest. Osimhen declined a gigantic offer from Saudi side Al-Hilal earlier this summer which boosted hopes for prospective employers across Europe. Ultimately, however, it feels like a long-running saga with the end not yet in sight for either the player or United. Featured image Ahmad Mora via Getty Images Follow us on Bluesky: @