Yamal, Porro Train Apart but Spain Expect Both Fit for World Cup Final

Fiorentina have signed 21-year-old Spanish right back Alex Jimenez from Bournemouth on a season-long loan with an option to make the move permanent, the Serie A club said on Thursday.

Jimenez made 32 appearances across all competitions for Bournemouth last season, but the Spaniard was dropped in May as the Premier League club omitted him from their squad while ⁠investigating social media ⁠posts linked to the player.

According to Reuters, Bournemouth did not provide further details and Jimenez did not respond to requests for comment made to his representatives at the time.

Fiorentina did not disclose the ⁠financial terms of the deal, although Italian and British media reported the option to buy is worth about 20 million euros ($22.88 million).

"ACF Fiorentina announces that it has acquired, on a loan basis with an option to buy, the sporting rights of player Alejandro Jimenez Sanchez from AFC Bournemouth," the Italian club ⁠said ⁠in a statement.

Jimenez joined Bournemouth permanently from AC Milan in February after an initial loan spell and made 31 Premier League appearances last season, scoring one goal.

A product of Real Madrid's academy, Jimenez moved to Milan in 2023 before joining Bournemouth, where he established himself as a regular in the first team.

Nike's swoosh will be notably absent from the World Cup final. Argentina's semi-final win over England on Wednesday crushed the sportswear giant's hopes of sponsoring a team on the tournament's biggest stage on Sunday.

Amid a fierce brand battle on and off the pitch, the outcome represents an assured visibility boost for rival Adidas , which outfits both finalists: Argentina and Spain, Reuters reported.

Adidas had sponsored a total of 14 national teams in the tournament. None of Nike's 12 teams, including semi-finalists England and France, managed to secure a spot in the final match. Both companies have invested heavily in the soccer tournament, but Nike has been relying on it for sales and visibility as it tries to right its ship amid years of steadily shrinking market share. Even a World Cup lift was unlikely to shift Nike's trajectory. The sportswear company last month signaled that CEO Elliott Hill's turnaround strategy faced significant obstacles, as persistent weakness in China and a cautious outlook overshadowed a modest fourth-quarter revenue beat. The company's shares have lost nearly a third of their value this year as investors grow impatient with Hill's progress.

"There are more important issues, such as footwear innovation, inventory control, and stabilizing sales and margins in China," said Morningstar analyst David Swartz. "Adidas got more publicity, but that’s just the way it goes."

A Nike spokesperson said the company always wants its athletes and federation partners to go as far as possible, but that "our vision for football has never been tied to a single moment."

Adidas called the World Cup final a "proud moment" for the company, while declining to share sales projections.

Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon announced his retirement on Thursday, hanging up his gloves after a career spanning more than two decades.

The 43-year-old made 682 appearances for boyhood club Heart of Midlothian, Cowdenbeath, Sunderland and Celtic and won 84 caps for Scotland.

"I've never wanted it to end, but end it must. I have lived my dreams and for that I am so ⁠thankful," Gordon said ⁠in a video announcing his decision on social media.

He was part of Scotland's squad for the 2026 World Cup and was the oldest player at the tournament, although he did ⁠not play in any matches, acting as backup to Angus Gunn.

A product of the Hearts' youth academy, Gordon made his senior debut while on loan at Cowdenbeath in 2001 before breaking into Hearts' first team the following season.

In 2007, he joined Premier League side Sunderland for a reported 9 million pounds ($12.16 million), a ⁠British ⁠record fee for a goalkeeper at the time. Injuries hampered his spell at the Stadium of Light, as he made 95 appearances over five years.

Gordon returned to Scotland with Celtic in 2014. During six trophy-laden seasons in Glasgow, he won five Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and five League Cups before rejoining Hearts in 2020.

Click here to read article