The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed safety Antoine Winfield Jr. to a four-year, $84.1million contract extension, Winfield’s agent announced Monday.

The contract makes Winfield the NFL’s highest-paid defensive back and the first safety to ever hold that distinction.

Winfield’s contract includes $45m in guaranteed money. He had been scheduled to make about $17m next season under the franchise tag.

Winfield’s agent David Mulugheta posted the news on social media with a screen capture of the moment he informed Winfield that the deal was done.

"Couldn't be happier to make this call and let Antoine know he just made HISTORY! The first time that a safety is the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL," Mulugheta wrote.

"In a year where the value of safeties has been questioned, the Buccaneer Organization, the Glazer Family and GM Jason Licht have stepped up and taken care of one of their most valuable family members.

"Congratulations Antoine, you have accomplished something that has never been done before. You will forever be etched in history as the first. I appreciate your trust and cannot wait to see you back on the field."

Winfield, 25, is the son of retired defensive back Antoine Winfield Sr. and was drafted by the Buccaneers in the second round in 2020.

The 2023 All-Pro has become one of the best and most versatile defensive backs in the league and is coming off his best season.

In 17 games last season, Winfield set career bests with six sacks, three interceptions, 12 pass deflections, six forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.

Winfield is the latest key contributor to be signed to an extension by the Buccaneers this offseason. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans and linebacker Lavonte David all signed deals this spring to remain with Tampa Bay.

The first abandoned game of the Indian Premier League ensures Kolkata Knight Riders will finish in the top two and Gujarat Titans’ elimination from playoff contention.

A combination of lightning and rain meant there was not even a toss, with the intense storm ripping banners from the stands, which later wrapped around the floodlights.

KKR had all but ensured a place in the top two due to their dominating net run-rate, but a 19th point of the season confirmed it, leaving them with one game to try and clinch top spot for the first time.

The Titans needed to win their final two games to give themselves any hope of reaching the playoffs, though it would have proven tough for the side with the lowest net run-rate in the league.

It is the first time GT have failed to make the playoffs since they joined the competition before the 2022 season.

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has urged the national side to concentrate on their football at Euro 2024 and block out the noise surrounding the RFEF.

Former RFEF president Luis Rubiales was dismissed following his unsolicited kiss on Jenni Hermoso during the Women's World Cup trophy ceremony in 2023 and was then arrested in early April as part of a corruption investigation.

Pedro Rocha, who was initially named as Rubiales’ replacement, is also under investigation amid the corruption probe.

The RFEF then created a special committee at the end of April, led by former Spain manager Vicente del Bosque, to oversee the federation until there is an official election for their next president.

However, De la Fuente told Reuters that he wants his squad’s full attention on the tournament itself. 

He said: "We have to concern ourselves with purely, strictly sporting matters - which we have enough of.

"We have to focus on what we can control. This is very, very basic, but it's very real. Stick to football.

"I'm concerned about how the facilities are going to be, the training camp, the pitches, the travel. And on the pitch, because the players know that we are going to be judged for what we do on the pitch.

"Everything else, all the media noise that exists around us, is not going to help us. So then we have to be totally and absolutely focused on what is, for us, the most important thing: the competition."

Spain will begin their Euro 2024 campaign against Croatia in Group B on June 15. Their pool also includes Italy and Albania.

LeBron James may have moved one step closer to making his dream of playing with his son a reality Monday after Bronny James was cleared to play in the NBA.

According to reports, teams were notified by the league that Bronny was cleared by a fitness-to-play panel that consists of three doctors who review medical records.

The clearance comes nearly a year after Bronny suffered cardiac arrest in practice with USC last July and underwent a procedure to repair a congenital heart defect.

He missed USC’s first eight games of the season before making his collegiate debut on December 10. Bronny played in the Trojans’ final 25 contests (including six starts) and averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.2 minutes per game.

LeBron, who just completed his 21st season in the NBA and is the league’s all-time leading scorer with 40,474 points, has said many times that he would love to play on the same NBA team with Bronny.

He can opt out of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, possibly setting him up to sign with whatever team drafts Bronny.

After the Lakers were eliminated in five games by the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs on April 29, LeBron discussed Bronny’s future.

“The kid has to do what he wants to do - and I don’t even want to say kid no more - the young man will decide what he wants to do and how he wants his career to go," LeBron said.

“I just think the fact that we’re even having the conversation is pretty cool in the sense of that. Obviously, we'll see what happens.”

Bronny is expected to take part in the NBA Draft combine this week in Chicago and undergo medical examinations.

David Beckham believes Manchester United’s issues have lasted "too long" since Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.

The Red Devils have won just four major trophies since Ferguson’s departure, with their most recent – an EFL Cup win last season – ending a six-year wait for silverware.

United have not won a Premier League title since the Scot’s final season in charge, with six managers failing to reclaim the top-flight crown since then.

This season, Erik ten Hag’s side are at risk of recording their lowest league finish and points tally, as they sit eighth on 54 points with two games remaining.

Beckham, who won 13 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League, told The Athletic: "I think it has been a difficult time over the last five or ten years, but it was always going to be when the boss left the club.

"It wasn’t just that, we lost players like Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane and Gary Neville, all of these players that had been at United for so long; you lose part of that, and you lose part of the club.

"So it was always going to be a difficult time. But we’d like it to change pretty quickly because I think it’s gone on for too long now."

United have lost 19 games in all competitions this season, their most since 1977-78 (also 19), with nine of those coming at Old Trafford – their joint-most at home in a season and the first time it has happened in the Premier League.

Their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday marked the first time they had conceded in 10 successive games in all competitions since October 2021, while the 82 goals they have let in this season is their most since 1970-71 (also 82).

Beckham was speaking at the premiere of 99, the Amazon Prime documentary covering United’s iconic treble-winning season 25 years ago.

Tyson Fury's father John Fury was left with a nasty cut on his face after appearing to headbutt a member of Oleksandr Usyk's entourage at a pre-fight media day on Monday.

WBC belt-holder Fury will face Usyk for the undisputed world heavyweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, with both men defending undefeated professional records.

With both fighters and their camps present at a hotel in the city for media duties on Monday, the build-up to their bout – the most eagerly anticipated in the heavyweight division in recent years – got off to a chaotic start.

Fury's father was pictured with blood running down his forehead after becoming involved in an altercation with a man wearing a Team Usyk tracksuit.

Widely shared footage on social media appeared to show him headbutting the man, who then had to be restrained by other members of Usyk's entourage.

It was later reported that the Saudi Arabian authorities were aware of the incident but did not plan to take any action.    

Two-time Italian Open champion Iga Swiatek advanced to the quarter-finals of this year's tournament with an impressive 7-5 6-3 win over Angelique Kerber on Monday.

Three-time grand slam winner Kerber provided Swiatek with a real step up after routine victories over Bernarda Pera and Yulia Putintseva in the first two rounds on the clay in Rome.

Kerber responded to Swiatek's first break – which came in the eighth game – with one of her own, but the world number one then recaptured her composure to force a series of break points in Kerber's next two service games, finally converting at the eighth attempt to take the opener. 

Kerber refused to go away, breaking straight back in the first game of the second set, but Swiatek upped her game to take the contest away from the 36-year-old.

Swiatek dropped just three further points on her own serve from there, adding three breaks of her own to set up a last-eight meeting with Madison Keys for Tuesday. 

Data Debrief: Swiatek unmatched on clay

While Kerber rolled back the years to trouble Swiatek early on, she lacked the staying power to live with the world number one in longer rallies on a surface where she is truly unmatched. 

Her win ratio at clay-court events at WTA 1000-level now stands at 88.2 per cent (30 wins, four defeats), the best of any player to have played a minimum of five matches since the format's 2009 introduction, ahead of Serena Williams at 88 per cent. 

Real Madrid have already secured their 36th LaLiga title but head coach Carlo Ancelotti is keen to make the most of the remaining games in the build-up to next month's Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund.

Madrid are attempting to win a third trophy this season, having also lifted the Supercopa de Espana in January, and Ancelotti says Tuesday's home match against mid-table Alaves will be a big part of their preparations.

"We have to take advantage of these games in order to build some momentum," Ancelotti told reporters on Monday following Madrid's 4-0 victory at Granada on Saturday.

"Those who were rested against Granada will play tomorrow. We'll use it to get into a rhythm and good motivation ... the aim is for the whole squad to be at full strength."

Ancelotti said the matches will give players like goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and defender Eder Militao, who have recently returned from long-term injuries, game time before the June 1 final.

"[Militao] needs to play more minutes. He's progressing very well, he's getting better every game. Hopefully, he can be at his best for the final," added the Italian. "We'll make the necessary decisions the week before the final."

Madrid are unbeaten in all competitions since January and have 90 points from 35 LaLiga games, 15 more than second-placed Girona with three league matches left.

"After the game against Alaves I'm going to give them three days' rest," Ancelotti added. "We'll then have two weeks to prepare well for the final, but the team needs to rest after such a demanding season."

Pep Guardiola knows Manchester City have no choice but to end their Premier League hoodoo at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday, saying anything but a win will hand Arsenal the title.

Following Arsenal's 1-0 win at Manchester United on Sunday, City are one point behind the Gunners at the summit with a game in hand.

Arsenal are now in the unenviable position of needing a favour from their North London rivals, as a City win will ensure they enter this weekend's final set of fixtures with the title race in their hands.  

However, City have lost on all four of their visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League without scoring, though they did manage a 1-0 FA Cup win there in January.

Only Birmingham City (seven at Old Trafford) have played more Premier League games at a specific stadium without finding the net.

Asked about the importance of ending that record, Guardiola said: "It's obvious, I would say. We have just one option, win the game. We will go from there.

"We played really well there many times but weren't able to score or win games. We are trying to do something special, so we have to do that this time.

"This is the time to do it, otherwise Arsenal will be champions."

Some Tottenham fans have expressed unease about the prospect of helping their old enemies end their 20-year wait to be crowned champions of England, but Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has hit out at those questioning his team's motivation.

"What do you think we're going to do as a team? Like any team on this planet, aren't we just going to try and win? It's a simple, basic premise," Postecoglou said. 

"Now how that makes people feel, I'm not really fussed. I don't really care."

Touching on City's hunt for an unprecedented fourth straight English top-flight title, he added: "Sometimes people think once you win it once it becomes easier, but it becomes harder.

"It's a testament not just to Pep but the whole organisation and how they want to achieve success."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Tottenham – Dejan Kulusevski 

Kulsevski has been directly involved in five goals in his four Premier League games against City, more than he has versus any other opponent in the competition (three goals, two assists).

The Swede scored a last-minute equaliser as the sides played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in December's reverse fixture, but he has failed to net in any of his last 11 Premier League matches.

Manchester City – Phil Foden

Foden and Jack Grealish both scored in City's reverse fixture against Spurs. The only previous players to score home and away against Tottenham in a Premier League season for the Citizens are Sergio Aguero (2013-14 and 2014-15), Ilkay Gundogan (2017-18) and Raheem Sterling (2017-18).

Foden netted his 25th goal of the campaign across all competitions in City's 4-0 rout of Fulham on Saturday, and the Player of the Season candidate will play a key role here.

MATCH PREDICTION – MANCHESTER CITY WIN

Arsenal supporters may not feel great about having to cheer on their old rivals, but history suggests Tottenham have a chance of providing a twist in the title race – regardless of how their own fans feel about that prospect.

Indeed, City have lost more Premier League games against Tottenham under Guardiola (six), than they have against any other side.

The champions, however, are in ominous form, going unbeaten through their last 21 Premier League matches (17 wins, four draws). 

Only once have they enjoyed a longer run in the competition, going 30 without losing between April 2017 and January 2018.

They have also won their last four away league games, the last three of them by an aggregate score of 10-0. Only once in their league history have they won four in a row on the road without conceding, doing so as a second-tier club between March and April 1903.

Regardless of their terrible record on this ground, it is difficult to see the champions slipping up.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Tottenham – 20.1%

Manchester City – 54.8%

Draw – 25.1%

Ange Postecoglou does not believe the Tottenham fans want their side to lose and insists his side will not "roll out the red carpet" for Manchester City.

The Premier League title race will go down to the final day after Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday, but it is yet to be decided who will go into the last match on top of the table.

City sit one point behind the Gunners, and if they win their game in hand over Spurs on Tuesday, they will reclaim top spot.

However, an Aston Villa win over Liverpool on Monday would end Spurs’ chances of Champions League qualification, meaning they would have nothing to play for against the title holders.

Arsenal need a favour from their North London rivals if they want to win their first Premier League title since 2004, but Postecoglou says he does not believe that will affect what result the fans want.

He said: "You think the majority of our fans are not going to want us to win?

"I don't see it that way. I think the majority of our fans will create the atmosphere they always create at our games. We've got a game of football to win and that's what we'll try to do.

"City haven't won it yet and if you think they have, then it becomes an issue because we're rolling out a red carpet for them, and I'm not going to do that.

"I'm not just going to sit there and watch them win. That doesn't sit comfortably with me."

Pressed on if a proportion of fans would be against a positive result, Postecoglou added: "A proportion of our fans? What does that mean? What proportion? 50 per cent? 20 per cent? One per cent?

"That's fine, people are allowed to feel the way they do.

"But I think I've been consistent and really strong in my beliefs that it's important for this football club not to look for silver bullets to get to where we want to; it's hard work, it's resilience, it's quality, not to fall for any false dawns - and know what real success looks like: trophies.

"Anything else in between, bragging rights, whatever it is, is absolutely meaningless to me or anyone involved with me. We've got a game we want to win."

The 2024 NFL season will get underway when the Kansas City Chiefs open their bid for a third straight Super Bowl title on September 5 against the visiting Baltimore Ravens.

The meeting will be a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game, which the Chiefs won 17-10 at Baltimore.

Kansas City went on to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in the Super Bowl to capture its second straight championship and third title in five seasons.

The remainder of the NFL schedule is expected to be released on Wednesday.

Luis Enrique says he did not hear any jeers aimed towards Kylian Mbappe as the superstar forward bode farewell to Paris Saint-Germain fans.

Mbappe, a PSG player since 2017, confirmed this week he will leave the Parc des Princes when his deal expires at the end of the campaign.

The club's all-time leading goalscorer had a chance to say goodbye to supporters in PSG's final home game of the Ligue 1 season on Sunday.

Whistles and boos were heard from the stands as Mbappe's name was announced prior to the match with Toulouse, which ended in a 3-1 defeat.

However, head coach Luis Enrique insists the reception the France international received was only positive.

"I didn't hear any booing," he said after the game. "I heard lots of support. All I heard was applause, chants and joy.

"I think it was what Kylian deserved. The fans were superb, as always. He is undoubtedly a legend of the club despite his youth.

"I saw the tifo of the ultras. It seems to me that it was very beautiful and very significant and I am happy that it happened like that.

"It is recognition of the work of a player of his category. It was a perfect evening and the supporters was, as always, superb."

Mbappe gave PSG the lead against Toulouse, but the visitors struck three times to inflict a third straight loss on the Parisians in all competitions.

Luis Enrique has made a habit of substituting the prolific forward in league games, or not starting him, but that was not the case against Toulouse.

The 25-year-old, who is widely expected to join Real Madrid, played the full 90 minutes in the already-crowned French champions' latest loss. 

Explaining that decision, Luis Enrique said: "I didn't take Kylian out because every time I did, it irritated some people. 

"I told myself we had to make him play 90 minutes. If I had made him come out after 85 minutes for an ovation, some would have been angry."