Cristiano Ronaldo is already in Saudi Arabia. Karim Benzema looks sure to be next. And as the oil-rich kingdom pursues Lionel Messi as well, it is making sure that money continues to flow into the domestic football league.

Saudi Arabia's push to attract the world's best players entered another phase Monday when the sovereign wealth Public Investment Fund took a majority ownership stake in four of the country's top clubs, including Ronaldo's Al Nassr. The move is part of a "privatization project" that encourages public sector organizations to invest in sports, with football teams a priority under the initiative backed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Andres Iniesta said goodbye to old friends as he played for his Japanese club Vissel Kobe against his former club Barcelona in a friendly at the National Stadium on Tuesday.

Barcelona won the match 2-0. Iniesta played 674 games for Barcelona from 2002-18, winning 30 trophies. He also scored the winning goal for Spain in the 2010 World Cup final.

Barcelona has not given up hope of seeing Lionel Messi returning to the club despite increasing speculation about a pending move to Saudi Arabia, and his father said Monday that his son prefers to go back to the Catalan club.

Jorge Messi was in Barcelona and briefly answered questions from reporters after reportedly meeting with club president Joan Laporta.

Staring down a 2-0 deficit in the NBA Finals, as the visitors in a hostile arena where no road team had prevailed in more than two months, the Miami Heat decided to do what they've done throughout the postseason.

They found a way. Against all odds. Again.

Hanging from a highway bridge in Madrid, an effigy of one of the world's most famous Black soccer players stands as a graphic reminder of the racism that sweeps through European soccer.

In truth, the signs are everywhere.

Barcelona has not given up hope of seeing Lionel Messi returning to the club despite increasing speculation about a pending move to Saudi Arabia.

The Catalan club continued to work on restructuring its finances to make sure it could afford Messi's return in case the Argentina star decided to come back to the Spanish league after his stint with Paris Saint-Germain.

Karim Benzema will not stay with Real Madrid next season, the club said.

Real Madrid said it reached an agreement with the French striker to "to bring his brilliant and unforgettable time as a player at our club to a close."

The highlight of Game 1 for Jamal Murray came when he dribbled into the middle, planted his surgically repaired left knee in the paint, made a full clockwise turn, then faded away and swished a mid-range jumper.

His most important contribution to Denver's first win in the franchise's first appearance in the NBA Finals — well, take your pick.

The French Open crowd was not happy with American player Taylor Fritz after he beat one of their own — indeed, their last man in the bracket — so they booed and whistle relentlessly. Fritz's response? He told them to shush. Over and over again.

Fritz, a 25-year-old from California who is seeded No. 9 at Roland Garros, got into a back-and-forth with the fans at Court Suzanne Lenglen after his 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 comeback victory over 78th-ranked Arthur Rinderknech in the second round on Thursday night.

Coco Gauff thought she was about to head out on the court to play her second-round match at the French Open.

"I was probably about 70% done with my warmup," last year's runner-up at Roland Garros would say later.