Japanese forward Kazuyoshi Miura may be the world’s oldest professional football player but he is not ready to hang up his boots just yet and the 56-year-old, known as King Kazu, extended his loan deal with Portugal’s second-tier club Oliveirense on Tuesday.

Former Japan international Miura, who earned nearly 90 caps between 1990-2000 scoring 55 goals, joined Oliveirense in January on loan from promoted Japanese J1 League side Yokohama.

“Miura Kazu continues at UD Oliveirense,” the Liga Portugal 2 side said on Twitter on Tuesday, without specifying the length of the new contract.

In November the owners of Yokohama, restaurant operator Onodera Group, became a majority shareholder of Oliveirense.

Miura, considered one of Japan’s football greats, started his professional career in Brazil in the 1980s, where he played for Santos, Palmeiras and Coritiba, among others.

He joined second-tier Yokohama in 2005 from Japanese top-tier side Vissel Kobe.

Miura also briefly represented Japan’s futsal team in 2012, and was called up for the 2012 Futsal World Cup at the age of 45.

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar remains in intensive care but is in a stable condition and out of immediate danger following his bleed on the brain last week, his wife Annemarie confirmed on Tuesday.

Van der Sar was admitted to a Split hospital on Friday while on holiday in Croatia.

“Edwin is still in the intensive care unit but is stable. He is not in life-threatening danger,” Annemarie was quoted as saying by Ajax Amsterdam, where Van der Sar was until recently a director.

“Every time we get to visit him, he’s communicative. We have to wait patiently to see how his situation will develop.”

Van der Sar, 52, spent six years as a player at Old Trafford before leaving in 2011. He quit Ajax before the end of last season as the club finished third in the Dutch league and missed out on Champions League football for the first time since 2009.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Ryan Sessegnon has undergone surgery on his left hamstring following an injury he sustained in pre-season training, the Premier League club said on Tuesday.

“Having previously suffered with his hamstring it is anticipated that the surgery following this injury will provide a permanent solution to the problem,” Tottenham said in a statement.

As a consequence, the left back will not be available for Tottenham’s upcoming Asia-Pacific pre-season tour, the club added, during which Spurs will face West Ham United, Leicester City and AS Roma.

Tottenham did not say when the 23-year-old is expected to return to training.

Novak Djokovic said he considers himself “favourite” to lift this year’s Wimbledon title even if it makes him sound “arrogant”.

The Serb star reached his 12th Wimbledon semifinal and record-equalling 46th at the Grand Slams with a four-set victory over Andrey Rublev on Tuesday.

Djokovic, chasing an eighth title at the All England Club and 24th career major, came through 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 and will face Italy’s Jannik Sinner for a place in the final.

He has now reached as many semifinals at the Slams as the retired Roger Federer.

“I don’t want to sound arrogant, but of course I would consider myself favourite,” said Djokovic.

“Judging by the results I had in my career here, the last four times at Wimbledon that I won, so I do consider myself favourite, yes.”

The 36-year-old was playing in his 400th Grand Slam match on Tuesday and insisted he was enjoying being the man to beat.

“I love it. Any player wants to be in the position where all the other players want to beat you,” he said after preserving his record of not being defeated on Centre Court since 2013.

“The pressure never goes away every time I come on court.

“They want to get a scalp and the win – but it ain’t happening!”

Rublev, the world No 7, has now lost all eight quarterfinals he has played at the majors.

“I had these little chances but I didn’t make them. He made them. That’s why he’s Novak, one of the greatest players in history,” he said.

Despite Djokovic’s confidence, world No 1 and US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz is still in the tournament and plays his quarterfinal against fellow 20-year-old Holger Rune on Wednesday.

Daniil Medvedev, who shattered Djokovic’s bid for his first calendar Grand Slam in the US Open final in 2021, faces unseeded Christopher Eubanks.

On Tuesday, Rublev enjoyed a promising start against a player who allowed him just seven games when they met at the same stage of the Australian Open in January.

Djokovic saw three break points come and go in the first set and was made to pay when Rublev broke for a 5-4 lead.

The 25-year-old Russian claimed the opener in the next game when Djokovic netted a service return.

That was the second set dropped by Djokovic at Wimbledon this year and he was suitably fired up in response.

He raced to a 5-0 lead in the second set, allowing Rublev just six points in that stretch, before going on to level the quarterfinal.

In the third set, Djokovic saved two break points in the second game, broke in the fifth and moved to a two sets to one lead in the 10th game.

It was not a smooth conversion, however, with the champion needing five set points to finish the job while at the same time saving three break points.

The outcome was inevitable as he broke for a 2-1 lead in the fourth before wrapping up the match having fired 42 winners past Rublev.

Former Arsenal and Nigeria forward Nwankwo Kanu has been appointed chairman of Nigerian league champions Enyimba, a local government official said.

The appointment was announced by the newly elected Governor Alex Otti of the southeastern state of Abia.

Kanu has taken over from Felix Anyansi-Agwu, who headed “The People’s Elephant” for 24 years during which the club won two Caf Champions League winners’ medals.

Kanu’s former Super Eagles teammate Finidi George coached state government-owned Enyimba to a record ninth league title last term and a place in next season’s Caf Champions League.

John Sam Obuh, who has recently been involved with the Roma Academy in Abuja, has also been named as the chairman of another Nigeria Premier League side, Abia Warriors.

Argentine star Lionel Messi landed in Florida on Tuesday ahead of putting the final touches on his move to US Major League Soccer club Inter Miami.

Argentine television footage showed Messi, with members of his family, walking off a private jet at a small, executive airport adjacent to Inter Miami’s stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

The World Cup winner is expected to put pen to paper on a two and a half year deal, reported to be worth $60 million a year, before being presented to fans at a stadium event on Sunday.

“We are happy with the decision we made. Prepared and eager to face the new challenge, the new change,” Messi said in an interview with Argentine TV show, Llave a la eternidad, released on Tuesday.

“My mentality and my head are not going to change and I am going to try, wherever I have to be, to give my best for myself and my new club and continue to perform at the highest level,” he added.

Messi is the biggest name to ever move to MLS and the greatest player to head to the United States since Brazilian great Pele signed for the New York Cosmos in 1975.

MLS hope that Messi will massively increase the profile of the league and boost subscriptions to their streaming broadcast deal with Apple TV. Ticket prices for games likely to involve Messi have already sky-rocketed.

Fans had begun to gather at the club’s DRV PNK stadium early in the morning ahead of his expected arrival.

One of the supporters, Julio Iglesias, 42 said he founded the ‘Messias 305’ fan group when he learned the Argentine star was coming to Miami. He didn’t previously  watch MLS games but said he now won’t miss any Miami matches.

“For us, Messi coming means everything, wherever he goes there is always incredible happiness,” he said, while standing by a banner declaring ‘We are waiting for you Messias”.

World Cup fever

Messi’s arrival will also add to the momentum around the sport ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States along with Canada and Mexico.

He is expected to be joined at the club by former Barcelona team-mate Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, while ex-Argentina and Barcelona coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino recently took over as coach.

Miami owner Jorge Mas has suggested Messi and Busquets could be part of “three to five” new signings for the South Florida club in the current transfer window.

Another former Barca player, Spanish full-back Jordi Alba, has also been strongly linked with a move to the team, which is co-owned by former England and Manchester United star David Beckham.

Messi is expected to make his debut for his new club in the July 21 Leagues Cup match against Mexican club Cruz Azul.

Miami are currently bottom of MLS’s Eastern Conference with just five wins from 21 games and are ranked 28th out of the 29 teams in the league.

But the club are in the semi-finals of the US Open Cup, where they have been drawn against league-leaders FC Cincinnati.

The seven-times Ballon d’Or winner has spent the last two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain, after moving from Barcelona in 2021, where he spent the majority of his career.

During his time with Barca, Messi won ten Spanish league titles, seven Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) titles and four Champions League winners medals.

He scored twice for Argentina in the World Cup final which they won on penalties in Doha in December, after the game ended 3-3 after extra-time and raised the trophy as captain.

Messi also won an Olympic gold medal with Argentina in 2008 and the Copa America in 2001.