The Saudi Arabian soccer league hired the former chief executive of Manchester City on Monday to work on cashing in commercial opportunities created by the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in the country.

The Saudi league said Garry Cook, a long-time Nike executive before joining Man City in 2008, would take over as president and CEO.

A penalty kick converted. A backheel flick to set up another goal. And an expert touch to start off a successful free kick scheme.

Argentina's World Cup final standout Ángel Di Maria showed off his talents for Juventus in Serie A on Sunday. Still, it wasn't enough to prevent the Bianconeri from being held to a 3-3 draw at home by Atalanta in their first match since being penalized 15 points for false accounting.

If Gerard Pique's vision proves true, the future of soccer is already being played in an industrial pavilion located down a road past rows of stacked shipping containers in the desolate outskirts of Barcelona's port.

There, every Sunday evening from now until July, teams play seven-a-side soccer on artificial turf in front of a minuscule public of a few hundred guests. There are no ticket sales, games cannot be found on any television channel in or outside Spain, yet hundreds of thousands of eyes — young eyes most likely— are already watching on phones, tablets and computers via the Internet.

It took about a week for Novak Djokovic to go from worrying about whether he simply could play a match at all on his injured left hamstring to thinking he can win the Australian Open.

And one pain-free, nearly perfect performance in the fourth round Monday made a world of difference.

Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score in his Saudi Pro League debut for Al Nassr, but his presence electrified fans at King Saud University Stadium as the team beat Ettifaq 1-0 to retake first place on Sunday.

Talisca headed the winner in the 31st minute when Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem's cross was too high for Ronaldo, who didn't seem to mind as he wheeled around to celebrate with the Brazilian midfielder and the rest of his new teammates.

A showdown between two of the world's greatest footballers provided an entertaining spectacle in Riyadh but deep-pocketed Saudi Arabia will not stop there in its drive to burnish its image through sport.

Deafening fireworks closed Thursday's exhibition between Lionel Messi's Paris Saint-Germain and a composite team led by Saudi Pro League new arrival Cristiano Ronaldo, won 5-4 by the visitors.

The idea of Arsenal and Manchester United going head-to-head for the Premier League title feels like a throwback to a bygone era many younger fans will never have known.

The same goes for some players.

Bayern Munich has signed Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer from Bundesliga rival Borussia Mönchengladbach to make up for the injured Manuel Neuer's absence.

The 34-year-old Sommer signed a deal through June 2025, Bayern said on Thursday. Sommer arrived in Munich on Wednesday for a medical examination and trained with his new teammates on Thursday before Bayern announced the transfer.

After four Premier League titles in five years, Pep Guardiola publicly questioned Manchester City's credentials to win another this season, even after cutting Arsenal's lead at the top to five points on Thursday.

A rousing second-half fightback saw the defending champion score four goals to beat Tottenham 4-2 at the Etihad Stadium.

Real Madrid appeared on the verge of elimination from the Copa del Rey on Thursday, facing another demoralizing blow just days after losing the Spanish Super Cup final to rival Barcelona in Saudi Arabia.

But with three goals in less than 30 minutes, Madrid rallied to overcome a two-goal deficit in the first half and defeated Villarreal 3-2 to advance to the Copa quarterfinals for the second straight season.