Atletico Madrid, the competitor in the Spanish Football League, announced on Friday that basketball star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has joined the club's ownership group.
Thus, the Oklahoma City Thunder player, a Canadian citizen, joins the list of North American sports stars who have shown interest in football, such as LeBron James and Tom Brady.
Gilgeous-Alexander said: “Atletico Madrid is a club with an established presence at the pinnacle of European football, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of its future.”
Atletico stated that this partnership “is based on shared values, which are ambition, excellence, and the belief that every result must be deserved.”
It is noteworthy that LeBron James became a partner in ownership of the “Fenway Sports Group” in 2021, which is the group that owns the Boston Red Sox team and the prestigious English club Liverpool.
NFL legend Tom Brady also owns a minority stake in Birmingham City FC, a competitor in the English second-tier football league.
Atletico did not disclose the size of the stake acquired by Gilgeous-Alexander, who is considered one of the most prominent stars of the American Professional Basketball League (NBA).
The Spanish capital club noted that “its investment reflects interest in Atletico Madrid’s long-term vision and its growth at the international level.”
Atletico, currently ranked second in the Spanish League, will visit Deportivo Alaves on Saturday in its next match in the local competition.
Vincent Kompany, coach of the German football team Bayern Munich, said that the long international break does not affect his decision regarding the starting lineup for his club, stressing that all his players have great enthusiasm.
“We have only played six matches so far,” Kompany said in a press conference on Friday. The players’ participation in the national teams does not play a role in my decision regarding the starting lineup.”
The Belgian coach added: “I feel very happy when the players return in positive spirits, but if that is not the case, they can move on and leave the matter behind them.”
Bayern will resume its campaign in the German League (Bundesliga) after a three-week hiatus, as it will visit its Bavarian neighbor Augsburg on Saturday.
The historic champion of the German League currently occupies second place in the competition standings, with 10 points from 4 matches, two points behind its traditional rival Borussia Dortmund, which is at the top.
“We have a chance on Saturday,” Kompany explained. “The players were very excited yesterday (Thursday). Now the focus is entirely on Bayern again. “They want to prove themselves again and again in training, and they intend to do that against Augsburg.”
The Bayern coach indicated that all the players have returned in good health and fully prepared from their international duties, with the exception of Jamal Musiala, who suffered a muscle injury during the warm-up before the German national team’s match against its Dutch counterpart in the European Nations League on September 24 last year.
The midfielder has gone through a difficult series of setbacks, as he missed a large part of last season due to a fracture of his fibula.
This season, Musiala missed the first match in the German League against Stuttgart and the first round of the German Cup, after fainting twice during friendly pre-season matches.
Musiala later revealed that he was diagnosed with absence epilepsy, explaining that these seizures became clearly visible as a result of a change in his medications.
Kompany confirmed: “I completely understand Musiala’s story with setbacks, as I have gone through many similar experiences during my football career.”
He continued: “The ability to return after these circumstances is a tremendous source of strength. I hope he continues to play happily for the next few years; A strong return is something that remains engraved in the memory for a lifetime.”
German coach Hansi Flick, Barcelona coach, confirmed on Friday that Catalan club captain Rafinha, who was injured in his right thigh with the Brazilian national team, will miss at least the team's next two matches.
Flick said in a press conference: “Rafinha? Tests showed that he does not suffer from a serious injury, but we have to be careful with him, because he suffered three injuries last season. We have to take care of him, so he will not be available on Saturday (against Getafe), nor against Galatasaray (Tuesday).”
When asked about the absence of the Brazilian striker, who was injured during a friendly match in Australia, the German coach criticized the schedule imposed on his players.
He added: “The team is the team, and defending their country is often the main goal for all players, and this is Rafinha’s mentality and position. He always gives 100 percent. But I think we have to ask: Was it really necessary for him to go play a friendly match in Australia and travel thousands of kilometers? "This is unbelievable."
Rafinha, who has been repositioned as a striker in Barcelona since the beginning of the season, tops Europe's top scorers with 14 goals in eight matches in all competitions.
The former Rennes and Leeds player suffered from recurring muscle injuries since the beginning of his career, and he returned injured from the international break in March 2026, during which he faced the French national team in a friendly match in Boston.
Barcelona missed him a lot in the final, decisive stage of the season, especially in the Champions League (elimination in the quarter-finals against Atletico Madrid).
The Brazilian striker also injured the back muscle of the thigh during the 2026 World Cup with Seleção.
Barcelona, the leader with 21 points, the Spanish League champion in the last two seasons, which has not yet been defeated, is deprived of its captain in resuming its league campaign on Saturday against Getafe.
