By Tim Stannard
Donnarumma expected to join up with PSG but Messi starts vacation with future up in the air
Quiz question to start the week. What have Lionel Messi and Gianluigi Donnarumma got in common? Actually, it's quite a lot. Both players have just won continental titles with their national teams - in the homes of their hosts for extra zing - and both were given the award of player of the tournament: Messi for Copa America and Donnarumma for Euro 2020.
To be fair, Neymar also won the award for best player in Copa America with South America's governing body following a trend for this tournament. Copa America had three different hosts at various times, so why not choose two best players, with Neymar sharing the title with Messi in an enormous cluck-cluck, chicken cop-out.
But the third really big commonality is that both Messi and Donnarumma are technically unemployed and without a club today. Both finished their contracts with Barcelona and AC Milan respectively on June 30 and can now do whatever their hearts desire.
However, this is where there is a divergency in the current existence of two furloughed soccer players. Donnarumma is expected to be announced as PSG's latest signing in a matter of days with the goalkeeper reportedly having undergone a medical already.
The same clarity of destiny does not exist for Messi who now begins his vacation in Rosario, Argentina, with his future as clear as mud. Barcelona are as far away as ever in being able to announce a new deal for the forward as Barca's beancounters try to shift hundreds of millions from the club's wage bill and reduce the debt down to a more manageable figure of a mere billion dollars.
Messi and Donnarumma may currently be amongst the world's hottest properties, but both are currently without a club to call their home.
Canada lead the way in Gold Cup
While Copa America and Euro 2020 wrapped up this weekend, the 2021 Gold Cup got underway and Canada came out best of the three North American nations in action.
Mexico were held to a goalless draw by Trinidad and Tobago - that went down as well as can be imagined - the USMNT squeaked past Haiti with a 1-0 victory on Sunday while Canada came out with a big 4-1 win against Martinique.
ANOTHER Canada goal 🇨🇦
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 11, 2021
That makes it 3-1 in the first half 😤 pic.twitter.com/akLQv1KpYw
The tournament continues today with Jamaica taking on Suriname and Costa Rica facing Guadeloupe.
If you are missing a dose of South American soccer though then beIN SPORTS has you covered with the return of the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana. The tournament has now reached the nerve-shredding knockout stages with the start of the Last 16 phase. You can find every match live across the beIN SPORTS network starting from Tuesday.
Bucks bounce back after Giannis hot streak
The NBA Finals are set to go on at least two more games after the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in game 3 on Sunday night. Giannis Antetokounmpo was the star putting up 41 points in the 120-100 victory for the Bucks which brings the series to 2-1.
🔥 Giannis TOOK OVER Game 3! 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2021
41 PTS
13 REB
14/23 FGM
13/17 FTM@Giannis_An34 joined @SHAQ as the only players in #NBAFinals history with back-to-back 40+ point, 10+ rebound games! #ThatsGame
Game 4: 9:00pm/et WEDNESDAY on ABC pic.twitter.com/lIazIIZbAo
Antetokounmpo became only the sixth player in NBA Finals history to score 40 points in consecutive games and is getting closer to making it four-in-a-row, the record held by Michael Jordan. "I'm no Michael Jordan," was the response when asked if there was a comparison between himself and the legendary player.
