&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/mike-tomlin&quot;&gt;Mike Tomlin&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;John Harbaugh&lt;/strong&gt; find themselves at a crossroads between postseason glory and an uncertain offseason as the 2025 &lt;strong&gt;NFL&lt;/strong&gt; regular season reaches its climax. The &lt;strong&gt;Pittsburgh Steelers&lt;/strong&gt; are set to host the &lt;strong&gt;Baltimore Ravens&lt;/strong&gt; at Acrisure Stadium in a Week 18 clash that carries implications far beyond the AFC North standings.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;The stakes for the Sunday night finale are absolute: it is a “&lt;strong&gt;win-or-go-home&lt;/strong&gt;” scenario for both franchises. The victor will clinch the &lt;strong&gt;AFC North division title&lt;/strong&gt; and secure a guaranteed spot in the playoffs. Conversely, the loser will be eliminated from postseason contention entirely, forced to wait until next year for another opportunity.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;According to ESPN &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/nfl&quot;&gt;NFL&lt;/a&gt; insider &lt;em&gt;Adam Schefter&lt;/em&gt;, the outcome of this game could also define the long-term coaching futures for both organizations. During a recent appearance on &lt;em&gt;The Pat McAfee Show&lt;/em&gt;, Schefter suggested that the loser of this high-stakes matchup may face a significant shift in leadership.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;“&lt;em&gt;I think where it’s interesting is that Sunday night game &lt;strong&gt;because somebody’s going to lose that game&lt;/strong&gt;, and when somebody loses that game — we heard the Steelers fans chanting to fire Mike Tomlin earlier in the year,”&lt;/em&gt; Schefter said. &lt;em&gt;“We heard Ravens fans say there should be conversations about John Harbaugh after the season — &lt;strong&gt;somebody, one of those two teams, is going to come up short&lt;/strong&gt;“.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;&gt;&lt;figure class=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;img loading=&quot;lazy&quot; width=&quot;1920&quot; height=&quot;1080&quot; src=&quot;https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20251231_BUS_554043_mike-tomlin-harbaugh_23d23094.webp&amp;amp;width=1920&amp;amp;height=1080&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;wp-image-554052&quot;&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;figcaption&gt;John Harbaugh shakes hands with Mike Tomlin. (Getty Images)&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;



&lt;p&gt;While Schefter’s comments are speculative and tied to the game’s outcome, they reflect the mounting pressure both tenured coaches face. He suggested that the high stakes of the 2025 season could lead to an unexpected “&lt;em&gt;wide range of outcomes&lt;/em&gt;,” noting that in the NFL, “&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;every year there’s things that happens that never just goes the way that people think&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;“.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Coaches may hold the keys to their own exit&lt;/h2&gt;


        &lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_relatedlinks&quot; id=&quot;BUS#/nfl/nfl-news-mike-tomlin-confirms-steelers-could-lose-aaron-rodgers-key-teammate-due-to-injury-for-game-against-ravens&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

        

        


&lt;p&gt;In a follow-up to his analysis of the high-stakes &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/pittsburgh-steelers&quot;&gt;Steelers&lt;/a&gt;-Ravens finale, Schefter indicated that the ultimate decision regarding these coaching futures &lt;strong&gt;may rest with the men themselves&lt;/strong&gt;. Rather than a standard firing, Schefter suggested that a loss in Week 18 could prompt either Mike Tomlin or John Harbaugh to voluntarily walk away from the sidelines.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“I also think that these coaches, Mike Tomlin and &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/john-harbaugh&quot;&gt;John Harbaugh&lt;/a&gt;… they will have a big say&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;,” Schefter explained. “&lt;em&gt;I think these guys will go in and say, ‘Okay, you know what? It’s been a great run.’ One of them may say, ‘Might be time to go try something else,’ whether that’s TV or another job somewhere else. Those things are possible”.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Both Tomlin and Harbaugh have steered their respective franchises for nearly two decades—Tomlin for 19 seasons in Pittsburgh and Harbaugh for 18 in &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/baltimore-ravens&quot;&gt;Baltimore&lt;/a&gt;—achieving rare levels of stability and success. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;However, as both teams struggle to meet championship expectations and find themselves on the playoff bubble, the pressure has intensified. For these two icons, Sunday Night Football may not just be about a division title; it could be the final chapter of their historic runs if they decide it’s time for a change of scenery.&lt;/p&gt;

NFL insider sheds light on Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh’s futures depending on Steelers vs Ravens result

Aaron Rodgers sends warning to Ravens about Steelers before Week 18 game for AFC North title and to clinch a spot in NFL playoffs

Steelers insider reveals if Mike Tomlin could be fired with a loss to Ravens

NFL insider sheds light on Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh's futures depending on Steelers vs Ravens result - Bolavip US

miniaturas

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mike Tomlin&lt;/strong&gt; may be one of the few &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/nfl&quot;&gt;NFL&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; coaches to remain with the same team for so many years, even with highly successful results. However, his tenure with the &lt;strong&gt;Pittsburgh Steelers&lt;/strong&gt; could be seriously jeopardized if they fail to beat the &lt;strong&gt;Baltimore Ravens&lt;/strong&gt; in Week 18.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Since arriving in Steel City back in 2007, &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/mike-tomlin&quot;&gt;Tomlin&lt;/a&gt; has led his team to 12 postseason appearances. &lt;strong&gt;A stumble&lt;/strong&gt; next weekend against a divisional rival with the same aspirations, &lt;strong&gt;could eliminate the Steelers from playoff contention.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Adam Schefter, in a recent appearance on &lt;em&gt;The Pat McAfee Show&lt;/em&gt;, revealed that if the Pittsburgh Steelers fail to beat the Ravens next Sunday, it’s &lt;em&gt;“in the realm of possibility”&lt;/em&gt; that &lt;strong&gt;Mike Tomlin could leave the team after this season.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Could Mike Tomlin be fired?&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;There’s been a lot of speculation about what could happen with Tomlin starting next week, with the outcome of the game against the Ravens being crucial for his future. Brian Batko of the &lt;em&gt;Pittsburgh Post-Gazette&lt;/em&gt; believes that &lt;strong&gt;Art Rooney II would not rule out the possibility of firing him&lt;/strong&gt; if the team fails to secure a playoff spot.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;&gt;&lt;figure class=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;img loading=&quot;lazy&quot; width=&quot;1920&quot; height=&quot;1080&quot; src=&quot;https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20251230_BUS_553751_mike-tomlin-6_d3956daf.webp&amp;amp;width=1920&amp;amp;height=1080&quot; alt=&quot;Mike Tomlin Pittsburgh Steelers&quot; class=&quot;wp-image-546674&quot;&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;figcaption&gt;Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers.&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;“Three things I will never predict when it comes to the Steelers until I see it with my own eyes: a losing season, a playoff win, Art Rooney II firing Mike Tomlin,”&lt;/em&gt; the insider said. &lt;/p&gt;


        &lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_relatedlinks&quot; id=&quot;BUS#/nfl/mike-tomlin-sends-clear-message-to-myles-garrett-on-steelers-allegedly-keeping-him-away&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;“HOWEVER … 19 seasons in, &lt;strong&gt;I imagine he considers it on some level each year&lt;/strong&gt;, whether he’d admit it or not. And the negativity that would come with losing these last two games to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2022, with a rookie QB and Matt Canada, and now having a future Hall of Famer at QB and a real OC? &lt;strong&gt;I wouldn’t be stunned if he decides enough is enough.&lt;/strong&gt;“&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Pittsburgh’s final test&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;It all comes down to this for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Boasting a 9–7 record, &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/aaron-rodgers&quot;&gt;Aaron Rodgers&lt;/a&gt; and his teammates face a high-stakes, &lt;strong&gt;“winner-take-all” showdown against the Baltimore Ravens. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;The scenario is simple: &lt;strong&gt;a victory at home secures the AFC North title and a trip to the playoffs&lt;/strong&gt;, but a loss means they are officially out. With the season on the line, the Steelers must shake off last week’s upset and deliver a legacy-defining performance to keep their &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/super-bowl&quot;&gt;Super Bowl&lt;/a&gt; dreams alive.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;A successful career with the Steelers&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Mike Tomlin has solidified his legacy as &lt;strong&gt;one of the most consistent and successful head coaches in NFL history&lt;/strong&gt; during his storied tenure with the &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/pittsburgh-steelers&quot;&gt;Pittsburgh Steelers&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Since taking the reins in 2007, &lt;strong&gt;he has famously never recorded a losing season&lt;/strong&gt;, a testament to his elite leadership and ability to keep his team competitive regardless of roster turnover. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;With two Super Bowl appearances, &lt;strong&gt;a Super Bowl XLIII championship&lt;/strong&gt;, and numerous AFC North titles, Tomlin’s steady hand and “next man up” philosophy have defined nearly two decades of Steelers excellence.&lt;/p&gt;

Steelers insider reveals if Mike Tomlin could be fired with a loss to Ravens - Bolavip US

&lt;p&gt;Lately, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/travis-kelce&quot;&gt;Travis Kelce&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; has made headlines more for what happens off the field than on it. The &lt;strong&gt;Kansas City Chiefs&lt;/strong&gt; tight end has been flirting with the idea of a potential retirement for some time, and his fellow veteran, &lt;strong&gt;Rob Gronkowski&lt;/strong&gt;, offered some pointed advice on the matter.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Having won it all with the Patriots and during his final year with the Bucs, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/rob-gronkowski&quot;&gt;Gronkowski&lt;/a&gt; now enjoys the NFL from a different perspective&lt;/strong&gt;. The No. 87, one of Tom Brady’s greatest allies throughout his career, weighed in on Kelce’s situation on &lt;em&gt;Good Morning America&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;“&lt;strong&gt;The only advice that I would give him&lt;/strong&gt;, because I’ve been in this situation before, &lt;strong&gt;is listen to your gut feeling&lt;/strong&gt;. If you truly love the game of football and you feel like you belong out there on the football field, well then go back. Look at your options, see what’s presented to you on the table and weigh it all out and take your time.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;He also added: &lt;em&gt;“But only go back to the game of football if you truly believe and feel like you belong on the field still. If your heart’s not in it, well then you got a lot of opportunities ahead of you and he’s gonna be successful in whatever he does in his next venture.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;&gt;&lt;figure class=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;img loading=&quot;lazy&quot; width=&quot;1920&quot; height=&quot;1080&quot; src=&quot;https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20251230_BUS_553726_robgronkowski-3_19fb98ad.webp&amp;amp;width=1920&amp;amp;height=1080&quot; alt=&quot;Rob Gronkowski&quot; class=&quot;wp-image-345038&quot; sizes=&quot;(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px&quot;&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;figcaption&gt;Rob Gronkowski former tight end of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Is Kelce retiring after this season?&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;While Travis Kelce has not officially confirmed his plans for next year, speculation regarding his future continues to grow. In a recent discussion, &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/nfl/travis-kelce-reveals-what-needs-to-happen-for-him-to-postpone-retirement-with-chiefs&quot;&gt;Kelce revealed what needs to happen for him to postpone retirement&lt;/a&gt;, noting that his decision hinges entirely on his passion for the game. &lt;/p&gt;


        &lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_relatedlinks&quot; id=&quot;BUS#/nfl/travis-kelces-attitude-in-potentially-final-nfl-season-draws-honest-take-from-chiefs-coach&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;He admitted that if he comes back, &lt;em&gt;“it would be just to answer that flame in my heart that I still love this thing,”&lt;/em&gt; suggesting that &lt;strong&gt;as long as that fire remains, the future Hall of Famer won’t walk away.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Kelce’s harsh self-critique&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Despite finishing the season with 73 receptions, 839 yards, and 5 touchdowns, Travis Kelce is deeply disappointed with his individual performance. In a moment of raw honesty, &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/nfl/travis-kelce-makes-tough-revelation-on-andy-reid-after-disappointing-2025-for-chiefs&quot;&gt;Kelce made a tough revelation on Andy Reid&lt;/a&gt;, admitting that he feels he let his coach down to the point where he struggled to even &lt;em&gt;“look him in the eye.”&lt;/em&gt; Even with solid veteran numbers,&lt;strong&gt; Kelce clearly expects more of himself as a cornerstone of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/kansas-city-chiefs&quot;&gt;Chiefs&lt;/a&gt;‘ offense.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Travis Kelce receives big advice from Rob Gronkowski amid retirement rumors

Travis Kelce receives big advice from Rob Gronkowski amid retirement rumors - Bolavip US

&lt;p&gt;Week 17 of the &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/nfl&quot;&gt;NFL&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; delivered one of the most surprising results of the slate at the &lt;strong&gt;Cleveland Browns&lt;/strong&gt;’ stadium. &lt;strong&gt;Shedeur Sanders&lt;/strong&gt; rose to the occasion alongside his teammates, leading a win over the &lt;strong&gt;Pittsburgh Steelers&lt;/strong&gt; and giving head coach &lt;strong&gt;Kevin Stefanski&lt;/strong&gt; a sense of calm heading into the 2026 season.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Much was discussed at the start of this campaign regarding who would take charge of the Browns’ first team. Flacco, Pickett, Gabriel, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/shedeur-sanders&quot;&gt;Sanders&lt;/a&gt; all saw action, with the former Buffaloes player ultimately finishing the season as the starter. Despite his impressive final performance, &lt;strong&gt;there are still areas to refine.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;“Yeah, obviously he wins, you know, gotta win,” &lt;/em&gt;the head coach &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/kevin-stefanski&quot;&gt;Stefanski&lt;/a&gt; told the media. &lt;em&gt;“So that’s great for the young man. Gets to beat Pittsburgh, gets to beat a division rival. So, they’re not going to be easy, not in this division. &lt;strong&gt;So proud of him for that.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;“&lt;strong&gt;There are always things he can clean up&lt;/strong&gt;. I thought we got a little unlucky on that first interception. &lt;strong&gt;We can certainly learn from the second one and he will&lt;/strong&gt;. But, yeah, he continued to battle.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;&gt;&lt;figure class=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;img loading=&quot;lazy&quot; width=&quot;1920&quot; height=&quot;1080&quot; src=&quot;https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20251230_BUS_553695_shedeur-sanders-kevin-stefanski_be87eb4b.webp&amp;amp;width=1920&amp;amp;height=1080&quot; alt=&quot;Kevin Stefanski with Shedeur Sanders&quot; class=&quot;wp-image-553715&quot;&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;figcaption&gt;Head coach Kevin Stefanski talks to Shedeur Sanders.&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Resounding win over the Steelers&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;In a stunning upset, the Dawg Pound celebrated as the Browns defeated the Steelers 13–6 in Week 17 of the 2025 season. Despite the victory, &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/nfl/shedeur-sanders-explains-why-browns-win-vs-mike-tomlin-aaron-rodgers-steelers-felt-bittersweet&quot;&gt;Shedeur Sanders described the win over Tomlin and Rodgers as “bittersweet,”&lt;/a&gt; expressing &lt;strong&gt;frustration that the offense only managed to put 13 points&lt;/strong&gt; on the board and emphasizing that they must do more to support the team’s dominant defense.&lt;/p&gt;


        &lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_relatedlinks&quot; id=&quot;BUS#/nfl/shedeur-sanders-teammate-calls-out-mike-tomlin-aaron-rodgers-after-steelers-loss-to-browns&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;


&lt;h2&gt;Shedeur’s numbers this season&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;In his rookie season, Shedeur Sanders has recorded 1,289 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with a 20.2 QBR through seven games. While Kevin Stefanski has praised his steady improvement and resilience, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/cleveland-browns&quot;&gt;Browns&lt;/a&gt;‘ potential for a top-three pick in the 2026 Draft leaves his future as the long-term starter in doubt. It remains to be seen &lt;strong&gt;if Stefanski will commit to Sanders for 2026 or if Cleveland will look toward a new signal-caller this spring.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Shedeur Sanders gets important reminder in pursuit of Browns 2026 QB job after win vs Steelers

Shedeur Sanders gets important reminder in pursuit of Browns 2026 QB job after win vs Steelers - Bolavip US

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/mike-tomlin&quot;&gt;Mike Tomlin&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; faced a pointed question after the loss to the Cleveland Browns about whether the &lt;strong&gt;Pittsburgh Steelers&lt;/strong&gt; were trying to “block” &lt;strong&gt;Myles Garrett &lt;/strong&gt;to prevent him from reaching a dangerous sack milestone, as he is just &lt;strong&gt;one sack away&lt;/strong&gt; from breaking the record. The head coach admitted there was never any such intention, even though Garrett said he felt that was the case during the game.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Tomlin was brief and direct in his response. &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“We didn’t take a different approach,”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; he told reporters, making it clear the Steelers &lt;strong&gt;did not design a special strategy to stop Garrett,&lt;/strong&gt; who finished the game with one tackle and a quarterback hit on Aaron Rodgers.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Garrett was disruptive throughout the game, not only against Rodgers but also against the &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/pittsburgh-steelers&quot;&gt;Steelers&lt;/a&gt;’ offensive line. Still, Tomlin said the Browns star’s record was not a factor in the game plan. &lt;em&gt;“We didn’t do anything against Myles that we don’t normally do against Myles. &lt;strong&gt;The sack record is irrelevant,&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;” the coach said.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Tomlin says there was no different strategy against Garrett&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;The approach was the same as always, according to Tomlin, who explained that when facing the Browns, &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/myles-garrett&quot;&gt;Garrett&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; must be accounted for like any other time &lt;/strong&gt;they play him. He also pointed out that Garrett did not record a sack in their previous matchup either.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;wp-block-embed__wrapper&quot;&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;ck-twitter&quot;&gt;&lt;blockquote class=&quot;twitter-tweet&quot; data-width=&quot;500&quot; data-dnt=&quot;true&quot;&gt;&lt;p lang=&quot;en&quot; dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Side-by-side comparison of how Pittsburgh blocked Myles Garrett in Week 6 vs Week 17.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Garrett with zero sacks in both matchups.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Same chips, slides, and bootlegs away. Game plan was the same. Don&apos;t let 95 take over. &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/hashtag/Steelers?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&quot;&gt;#Steelers&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://t.co/Y3ICAy5zcq&quot;&gt;pic.twitter.com/Y3ICAy5zcq&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/Alex_Kozora/status/2005721349109735668?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&quot;&gt;December 29, 2025&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;script async=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js&quot; charset=&quot;utf-8&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;“We &lt;strong&gt;gotta minimize him&lt;/strong&gt; if we want to engineer a victory. We did the same thing &lt;strong&gt;last time we played them.&lt;/strong&gt; I don’t think he had any sacks in that game, either. So we didn’t take a different approach because of the gravity of the record. It’s just standard business when you’re playing these guys and him.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;


        &lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_relatedlinks&quot; id=&quot;BUS#/nfl/mike-tomlin-net-worth&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;After the game against the Steelers, Garrett delivered a pointed message &lt;strong&gt;criticizing the strategy&lt;/strong&gt; Pittsburgh used against him, &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/nfl/mike-tomlin-aaron-rodgers-blamed-by-shedeur-sanders-star-teammate-for-steelers-loss-to-browns&quot;&gt;blaming Tomlin for the Steelers’ loss to the Browns&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

Mike Tomlin sends clear message to Myles Garrett on Steelers allegedly keeping him away

Mike Tomlin sends clear message to Myles Garrett on Steelers allegedly keeping him away - Bolavip US

&lt;p&gt;Expectations are high for &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/alex-bregman&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;Alex Bregman&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;‘s potential moves in the upcoming season. While the &lt;strong&gt;Boston Red Sox&lt;/strong&gt; appear to be a leading contender for the star, three other teams have reportedly joined the race for his signature, but there’s a significant stipulation.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;As reported by Evan Petzold of the&lt;em&gt; Detroit Free Press&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;the Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays have entered the fray for Bregman.&lt;/strong&gt; Along with the Detroit Tigers, who seem to know when to make their move, these teams are among the primary suitors vying for Bregman’s talents in MLB.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Petzold highlights a major obstacle for both the &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/boston-red-sox&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;Red Sox&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; and Cubs in their pursuit of Bregman. &lt;em&gt;“&lt;strong&gt;Although Bregman is determined to sign a long-term contract, two of the four teams – the Red Sox and Cubs&lt;/strong&gt; – haven’t shown a willingness to make that type of commitment,”&lt;/em&gt; Petzold noted.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;With this in mind, the remaining contenders may have to consider alternative approaches, &lt;strong&gt;as Bregman insists on securing a long-term deal for his future in the MLB.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;&gt;&lt;figure class=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;img loading=&quot;lazy&quot; width=&quot;1920&quot; height=&quot;1080&quot; src=&quot;https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20251230_BUS_553929_alex-bregman-6_aad595e7.webp&amp;amp;width=1920&amp;amp;height=1080&quot; alt=&quot;Alex Bregman&quot; class=&quot;wp-image-552845&quot;&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;figcaption&gt;Alex Bregman at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Red Sox’s interest in Bregman could be eclipsed by contract stalemate&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;If negotiations between the player and the team reach an impasse, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/mlb/mlb-rumors-red-sox-reportedly-have-three-primary-targets-apart-from-alex-bregman&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;the Red Sox may need to pivot to Plan B, with three other names reportedly on their radar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, despite the players doesn’t sign with the team.&lt;/p&gt;


        &lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_relatedlinks&quot; id=&quot;BUS#/mlb/mlb-rumors-red-sox-get-latest-updates-on-alex-bregman-bo-bichette-amid-frozen-free-agent-market&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;Additionally, the Red Sox are aware that the Detroit Tigers have made a significant push, but the recent emergence of the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks as contenders complicates matters. &lt;strong&gt;This development clouds the outlook for any impactful roster additions next season.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;With this dynamic playing out, anticipation builds around which team will ultimately secure Bregman’s services. As discussions progress, &lt;strong&gt;it seems clear the decision will hinge on the terms of a long-term contract.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;


&lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_poll&quot; id=&quot;6954440ce2d53b59fb2f073f&quot; data-title=&quot;Which team Bregman will sign for next season?&quot; data-options=&quot;6&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

Alex Bregman reportedly has three suitors besides Red Sox, but there’s a catch

Alex Bregman reportedly has three suitors besides Red Sox, but there's a catch - Bolavip US

&lt;p&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;2026 MLB season&lt;/strong&gt; is in full preparation, and many teams are still shaping their rosters to be as competitive as possible. The &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/new-york-mets&quot;&gt;New York Mets&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, however, &lt;strong&gt;may have to rule out two big names who remain available in free agency.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kyle Tucker and Kazuma Okamoto are two highly sought-after free agents&lt;/strong&gt; this offseason, but Queens might not be a potential landing spot for them. According to insider Jon Heyman,&lt;strong&gt; it’s unlikely they will end up wearing blue and orange.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;“That’s a long way away if even a possibility,”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; Heyman said regarding Tucker’s situation via &lt;em&gt;B/R Walk-Off&lt;/em&gt;. Additionally, he ruled out Okamoto as a potential arrival in New York: &lt;em&gt;“They looked at Willson Contreras. The teams that are interested in do not include the Mets.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Surprising competition for Imai&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;As the off-season heats up, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/mlb/mlb-rumors-ny-yankees-phillies-and-ny-mets-confront-surprise-contender-in-imai-pursuit&quot;&gt;Mets confront a surprise contender in their pursuit of Tatsuya Imai &lt;/a&gt; as the &lt;strong&gt;Chicago White Sox have reportedly entered the bidding for the right-hander&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;While New York was initially seen as a frontrunner, the aggressive interest from the South Side adds a new layer of complexity to these high-stakes negotiations. The Yankees and the Phillies are two other teams pursuing the player.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Waiting for Bellinger&lt;/h2&gt;


        &lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_relatedlinks&quot; id=&quot;BUS#/mlb/ny-mets-rumors-japanese-star-from-guardians-could-be-considered-as-potential-target&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, &lt;strong&gt;the free-agent market is expected to heat up significantly after the New Year&lt;/strong&gt;, as many teams are currently in a “waiting game” during the holiday break. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;This shift in momentum &lt;strong&gt;will likely clarify the future of Cody Bellinger&lt;/strong&gt;. While the Yankees remain confident in a reunion, Heyman suggests that the &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/mlb/mlb-rumors-ny-mets-patience-might-be-put-to-the-test-amid-cody-bellinger-push-with-ny-yankees&quot;&gt;Mets might have to be patient with Bellinger’s situation,&lt;/a&gt; as they are hesitant to commit to a long-term contract that extends into his late thirties.&lt;/p&gt;

NY Mets Rumors: Two free agents ruled out by MLB insider

NY Mets Rumors: Two free agents ruled out by MLB insider - Bolavip US

&lt;p&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;New York Mets&lt;/strong&gt;‘ activity in &lt;strong&gt;MLB&lt;/strong&gt; free agency hasn’t been completely satisfying for the fanbase. The front office has a chance to change that by snatching &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/cody-bellinger&quot;&gt;Cody Bellinger&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; from the &lt;strong&gt;New York Yankees&lt;/strong&gt;, in a saga that has turned into a dramatic waiting game.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Patience may prove the difference in the battle for the free agent outfielder, as the market appears to have stalled in recent days. According to Jon Heyman of the &lt;em&gt;New York Post&lt;/em&gt;, the Mets and pretty much all &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/mlb&quot;&gt;MLB&lt;/a&gt; teams &lt;strong&gt;may have to wait until 2026 for the offseason moves to heat up again&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“I think the market will move after the New Year. It feels like most people are on vacation, or it’s a strategy to ‘slow play’ it&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;,” Heyman said Monday in an appearance on &lt;em&gt;B/R Walk-Off&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;This situation isn’t exclusive to Bellinger and the Mets or Yankees, &lt;strong&gt;the market has been quiet&lt;/strong&gt; for most MLB teams during the holidays. For instance, Japanese sensation &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/mlb/tatsuya-imai-breaks-silence-on-mlb-status-with-candid-admission-as-deadline-nears-amid-ny-mets-phillies-cubs-interest&quot;&gt;Tatsuya Imai recently admitted not having concrete offers despite his posting deadline drawing nearer&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;&gt;&lt;figure class=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;img loading=&quot;lazy&quot; width=&quot;1920&quot; height=&quot;1080&quot; src=&quot;https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20251230_BUS_553902_cody-bellinger-smiles_6bbfd19f.webp&amp;amp;width=1920&amp;amp;height=1080&quot; alt=&quot;Cody Bellinger smiles during a Yankees game.&quot; class=&quot;wp-image-553936&quot;&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;figcaption&gt;Cody Bellinger smiles during a Yankees game.&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;NY Mets fans still waiting for more moves&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Mets fans, who have already seen &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/mlb/ny-mets-rumors-pete-alonso-might-not-be-the-only-major-departure-in-new-york&quot;&gt;Pete Alonso’s exit but could watch even more players leave&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;have grown impatient&lt;/strong&gt; with president of baseball operations David Stearns due to the team’s offseason activity, despite the signings made in late December.&lt;/p&gt;


        &lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_relatedlinks&quot; id=&quot;BUS#/mlb/mlb-rumors-ny-yankees-phillies-and-ny-mets-confront-surprise-contender-in-imai-pursuit&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

        

        


&lt;p&gt;“&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stearns been on vacation since the Soto signing last year&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;,” a user on X wrote. “&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/new-york-mets&quot;&gt;Mets&lt;/a&gt; done with any big moves unless they willing to sign a 1-2 yr contract or a minor league signing&lt;/strong&gt;,&lt;/em&gt;” another fan weighed in.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Other users understand that inactivity at this point of the year &lt;strong&gt;is inevitable, even though that doesn’t sit well with everyone&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;em&gt;“The MLB offseason is by far the worst of all major sports,”&lt;/em&gt; a fan wrote.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Bellinger’s options may be down to the New York franchises&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Either way, &lt;strong&gt;there are no signs&lt;/strong&gt; of what Bellinger will do next year. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/mlb/ny-mets-eye-alternative-target-to-cody-bellinger-with-important-obstacle-remaining-amid-ny-yankees-rumors&quot;&gt;Mets have reportedly identified an alternative target to Bellinger&lt;/a&gt;, since the &lt;strong&gt;contract length might be a serious obstacle&lt;/strong&gt; in their pursuit of the first baseman.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Coming off a bounceback season before turning 31 in July, Bellinger might be trying to seize the open market to land the &lt;strong&gt;last big deal in his career&lt;/strong&gt;. The Mets have already snatched a &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/new-york-yankees&quot;&gt;Yankees&lt;/a&gt; star by handing a big contract to Juan Soto last year. We’ll have to wait and see whether the Orange and Blue break the bank on a long-term deal again, or if Bellinger stays loyal to the Yankees after his 2025 success.&lt;/p&gt;

Mets' patience to continue being tested amid Cody Bellinger push with Yankees

MLB insider reveals the NY Mets’ preferred contract approach for Framber Valdez and Tarik Skubal

NY Mets Rumors: Japanese star from Guardians could be considered as potential target

MLB Rumors: NY Mets' patience might be put to the test amid Cody Bellinger push with NY Yankees - Bolavip US

NY Mets' patience might be put to the test amid Cody Bellinger push with NY Yankees

MLB Rumors: NY Mets’ patience might be put to the test amid Cody Bellinger push with NY Yankees

&lt;p&gt;The anticipation surrounding &lt;strong&gt;Tatsuya Imai&lt;/strong&gt;’s potential move to the &lt;strong&gt;MLB&lt;/strong&gt; is reaching fever pitch. While rumors swirl about his discussions with various MLB franchises, a surprising contender has emerged among his potential suitors. Alongside powerhouses like the &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/new-york-yankees&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;New York Yankees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;New York Mets&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;strong&gt;Philadelphia Phillies&lt;/strong&gt;, the Chicago White Sox have become a notable presence in the race to sign Imai.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;According to a report from &lt;em&gt;Yahoo Japan&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;the Chicago White Sox have surprisingly entered the fray.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;“Though the Yankees and Phillies are traditionally viewed as potential destinations, the White Sox, amid their team rebuilding efforts, have emerged as frontrunners,”&lt;/em&gt; reported Yahoo Japan.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;The White Sox’s emergence as contenders for Imai is unexpected, particularly after their recent signing of &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/mlb/munetaka-murakami-explains-why-he-chose-white-sox-despite-ny-yankees-ny-mets-and-phillies-interest&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Munetaka Murakami, a player who commented why did he prefer Chicago over the Yankees, Mets, and Phillies.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Murakami’s decision to join the White Sox has added an intriguing layer to their pursuit of Imai.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;This development has heightened the anticipation within the &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/mlb&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;MLB&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; community for Imai’s decision. Imai, a player recently posted by the MLB, &lt;strong&gt;has generated significant buzz regarding his transition to the U.S.&lt;/strong&gt;, and the Yankees fanbase, alongside the &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/new-york-mets&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;Mets&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; and Phillies ones, are expecting him to play for them.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;&gt;&lt;figure class=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;img loading=&quot;lazy&quot; width=&quot;1920&quot; height=&quot;1080&quot; src=&quot;https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20251230_BUS_553877_Tatsuya-Imai-pitching_03de5eb0.webp&amp;amp;width=1920&amp;amp;height=1080&quot; alt=&quot;Tatsuya Imai&quot; class=&quot;wp-image-539297&quot;&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;figcaption&gt;Tatsuya Imai pitches in the Japanese league.&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;White Sox’s offseason acquisitions bolster ambitions&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;In addition to the potential signing of Imai and the acquisition of Murakami, the White Sox have been active this offseason, &lt;strong&gt;signaling their intent to make a substantial impact in 2026 &lt;/strong&gt;after a disappointing 2025 season.&lt;/p&gt;


        &lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_relatedlinks&quot; id=&quot;BUS#/mlb/mlb-insider-reveals-the-ny-mets-preferred-contract-approach-for-framber-valdez-vs-tarik-skubal&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key additions include:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Anthony Kay, LHP: 2 years, $12 million&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Sean Newcomb, LHP: 1 year, $4.5 million&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Everson Pereira, OF: Acquired via trade (Nov 18)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Tanner Murray, INF/OF: Acquired via trade (Nov 18)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Tristan Peters, LF: Acquired via trade (Dec 18)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;



&lt;p&gt;These additions, alongside their current roster, &lt;strong&gt;showcase the White Sox’s determination to reclaim greatness&lt;/strong&gt; and their interest to compete against big franchises like the Phillies, reminiscent of their triumphant 2005 World Series win against the Houston Astros.&lt;/p&gt;


&lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_poll&quot; id=&quot;695431a3e2d53b59fb2f073d&quot; data-title=&quot;Which team will sign Imai?&quot; data-options=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

MLB Rumors: NY Yankees, Phillies, and NY Mets confront surprise contender in Imai pursuit

MLB Rumors: NY Yankees, Phillies, and NY Mets confront surprise contender in Imai pursuit - Bolavip US

&lt;p&gt;Breaking into the contender conversation for the &lt;strong&gt;2026 MLB season&lt;/strong&gt; can depend on several factors. The &lt;strong&gt;New York Yankees&lt;/strong&gt; are eager to return to the &lt;strong&gt;World Series&lt;/strong&gt; as soon as possible, and for &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/aaron-boone&quot;&gt;Aaron Boone&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, having a competitive roster at his disposal will be essential—along with getting key players like &lt;strong&gt;Anthony Volpe&lt;/strong&gt; back on track.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;The drop in Volpe’s performance can be attributed to several factors, &lt;strong&gt;though the torn left labrum he suffered may have had a negative impact&lt;/strong&gt;. Boone knows he needs him back at the highest possible level if the Yankees want to be a serious contender next season.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;“We’ve got to get that number to go up,”&lt;/em&gt; manager said via &lt;em&gt;MLB.com. “There’s a lot of different ways to do that, &lt;strong&gt;whether it’s getting on base more and hitting for a higher average, or whether it’s being more consistent on the power front&lt;/strong&gt;.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Boone also addressed the defensive side of Volpe’s game: &lt;em&gt;“For the noise around him this year and the struggles he went through defensively in the middle of the season. I think it’s really important to know how good he was the final two months, which is more in line — defensively speaking — with who he’s been these first few years.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;&gt;&lt;figure class=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;img loading=&quot;lazy&quot; width=&quot;2240&quot; height=&quot;1284&quot; src=&quot;https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20251230_BUS_553827_GettyImages-2230175368_a3faf13f.webp&amp;amp;width=2240&amp;amp;height=1284&quot; alt=&quot;Anthony Volpe hits a three run home run vs Twins&quot; class=&quot;wp-image-478682&quot; sizes=&quot;(max-width: 2240px) 100vw, 2240px&quot;&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;figcaption&gt;Anthony Volpe hits a three run home run at Yankee Stadium on August 12, 2025.&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;“He’s had a lot of success offensively, but &lt;strong&gt;he’s obviously had a lot of valleys&lt;/strong&gt;, too,”&lt;/em&gt; Boone finally concluded. &lt;em&gt;“&lt;strong&gt;The challenge for us and for him is going to be to shore up those things to make him more consistent&lt;/strong&gt;.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Returning to his best form&lt;/h2&gt;


        &lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_relatedlinks&quot; id=&quot;BUS#/mlb/yankees-rumors-scott-boras-reported-asking-price-for-cody-bellinger-revealed&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;As he works his way back from injury, &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/anthony-volpe&quot;&gt;Anthony Volpe&lt;/a&gt; is determined to elevate his game and improve upon his previous season’s stats of a .212 batting average, 19 home runs, and 72 RBIs. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;While his .663 OPS showed room for growth, &lt;strong&gt;the Yankees are optimistic about his return to the lineup&lt;/strong&gt;, with expectations that he will be back on the field before May.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Eyes on the future&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/new-york-yankees&quot;&gt;New York Yankees&lt;/a&gt; are taking a long-term view at the shortstop position, keeping a close eye on the rapid development of &lt;strong&gt;top prospect George Lombard Jr.&lt;/strong&gt; While the team remains hopeful that Anthony Volpe can stabilize his offensive numbers upon his return, &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/mlb/ny-yankees-news-aaron-boone-has-potential-replacement-lined-up-if-anthony-volpe-falls-short-of-expectations&quot;&gt;Boone has a potential replacement lined up&lt;/a&gt; in the 20-year-old infielder. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Lombard Jr. is coming off a strong 2025 campaign where he flashed elite defensive skills and swiped 35 bases, positioning himself as the &lt;strong&gt;primary internal alternative should Volpe continue to struggle.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

NY Yankees News: Aaron Boone challenges Anthony Volpe for 2026 comeback

NY Yankees News: Aaron Boone challenges Anthony Volpe for 2026 comeback - Bolavip US

&lt;p&gt;With the &lt;strong&gt;2026 &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/world-cup&quot;&gt;World Cup&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; just months away, &lt;strong&gt;FIFA&lt;/strong&gt; President &lt;strong&gt;Gianni Infantino&lt;/strong&gt; has confirmed that a massive overhaul of the offside law is officially on the table. Addressing the World Sport Summit in Dubai, Infantino acknowledged that FIFA is seriously considering a proposal spearheaded by &lt;strong&gt;Arsene Wenger&lt;/strong&gt;, the organization’s Chief of Global Football Development.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Specifically, the Wenger’s proposal stipulates that an attacking player &lt;strong&gt;is considered onside&lt;/strong&gt; as long as any part of their body capable of legally scoring a goal is in line with the penultimate defender. This would apply even if the rest of the attacker’s body has already moved past the defensive line.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Under this new interpretation, an offside offense would only be flagged if there is &lt;strong&gt;total separation between the attacker and the defender&lt;/strong&gt;. By requiring “clear daylight” between the two players, &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/fifa&quot;&gt;FIFA&lt;/a&gt; aims to eliminate the ongoing controversies surrounding goals disallowed by the width of a shoulder or a knee. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;If implemented, this shift would provide a significant advantage to offensive play, theoretically increasing scoring and reducing the frequent VAR stoppages that currently plague the game.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;&gt;&lt;figure class=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;img loading=&quot;lazy&quot; width=&quot;1920&quot; height=&quot;1080&quot; src=&quot;https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20251231_BUS_554066_wenger_c2ae9dbf.webp&amp;amp;width=1920&amp;amp;height=1080&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;wp-image-554067&quot;&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;figcaption&gt;Arsene Wenger, the FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development. (Getty Images)&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Infantino discusses the ‘Wenger Law’&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;During his presentation &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/gianni-infantino&quot;&gt;Infantino&lt;/a&gt; framed the potential adoption of the “Wenger Law” as the next logical step in soccer technological evolution. Reflecting on the introduction of Video Assistant Referees, Infantino noted that the goal has always been to ensure fairness.&lt;/p&gt;


        &lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_relatedlinks&quot; id=&quot;BUS#/soccer/lionel-messis-argentina-have-date-and-venue-confirmed-for-finalissima-vs-spain-before-2026-world-cup&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

        

        


&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;“Years ago, &lt;strong&gt;we introduced VAR to make soccer fairer&lt;/strong&gt;, to give the referee the opportunity to correct an error that millions of people, at home or even in the stadium, might have seen,&lt;/em&gt;” Infantino explained. He emphasized that the system is not static but rather an ongoing project. “&lt;em&gt;We continue to improve VAR with increasingly advanced technology to help referees make the right decision&lt;/em&gt;“.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;“We continue to examine the rules, asking ourselves how we can make the game more offensive, more attractive&lt;/em&gt;,” Infantino added. “&lt;em&gt;Consider the offside rule, which has evolved over the years and requires the attacker to be behind the defender or in line with him: &lt;strong&gt;perhaps in the future, he will have to be completely ahead to be offside&lt;/strong&gt;“.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Infantino also addressed one of the most common criticisms of modern officiating: the length of time it takes to reach a decision. Beyond changing the rules of the game, FIFA is looking for ways to keep the clock moving.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;“We are also evaluating measures to avoid time-wasting&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;,” he cautioned. “&lt;em&gt;It is important for the game to flow smoothly, so interruptions must be minimized”&lt;/em&gt;. This aligns with recent trials of the “eight-second rule” for goalkeepers and more efficient VAR communication aimed at protecting the pace of the game.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Will the new offside rule be implemented for the 2026 World Cup?&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;As of now, Infantino has only confirmed that the new offside law &lt;strong&gt;is being discussed internally at FIFA&lt;/strong&gt;. Like any major change to the rules of the game, the proposal must be formally approved by the &lt;strong&gt;International Football Association Board&lt;/strong&gt; (IFAB)—the body composed of FIFA and the four historic British associations (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland).&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;If the rule receives a “green light” from the board, FIFA will then have to decide the timing of the rollout. While the goal is to revolutionize the sport, the governing body must weigh whether to implement such a massive change just months before the 2026 World Cup or wait until the start of the 2026-27 domestic season.&lt;/p&gt;

FIFA President Gianni Infantino Discusses Review of Radical Offside Rule Change Ahead of 2026 World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino discusses potential offside rule revolution ahead of 2026 World Cup

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&lt;p&gt;Even at 40 years old, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/cristiano-ronaldo&quot;&gt;Cristiano Ronaldo&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; remains a lethal force in front of the net, a fact he reinforced by &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/soccer/video-cristiano-ronaldo-scores-to-give-al-nassr-a-2-1-lead-vs-al-ettifaq-in-the-saudi-pro-league&quot;&gt;scoring for Al Nassr in their final match of 2025 against Al Ettifaq&lt;/a&gt;. However, for the first time in years, the Portuguese legend finished a calendar year without recording a single hat trick, sparking immediate comparisons to &lt;strong&gt;Lionel Messi’s&lt;/strong&gt; 2025 campaign.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;While Ronaldo was unable to find the net three times in a single match this year breaking a &lt;strong&gt;15-year streak&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/lionel-messi&quot;&gt;Messi&lt;/a&gt;’s lone hat trick of 2025&lt;/strong&gt; came on October 18 during a 5-2 dismantling of Nashville SC. That performance helped the Argentine secure the MLS Golden Boot and paved the way for Inter Miami’s historic postseason run.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Despite 2025 not being a standout year individually for Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese forward &lt;strong&gt;has recorded more hat tricks since his arrival&lt;/strong&gt; in the Middle East compared to the Argentine’s tenure in the United States. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;The Al Nassr captain has registered &lt;strong&gt;six hat tricks&lt;/strong&gt; since joining the Saudi club in late 2022. In contrast, Messi has only managed to score three goals in a single match on &lt;strong&gt;two different occasions&lt;/strong&gt; with Inter Miami since arriving in Fort Lauderdale in mid-2023.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;&gt;&lt;figure class=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;img loading=&quot;lazy&quot; width=&quot;1920&quot; height=&quot;1080&quot; src=&quot;https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20251230_BUS_553989_ronaldo-al-wehda_d8d34602.webp&amp;amp;width=1920&amp;amp;height=1080&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;wp-image-553990&quot;&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;figcaption&gt;Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates a hat trick against Al Wehda. (Getty Images)&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;



&lt;p&gt;However, Inter Miami’s captain finished the year better individually, &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/soccer/lionel-messi-vs-cristiano-ronaldo-who-scored-more-goals-in-2025&quot;&gt;as he scored more goals than Cristiano Ronaldo during 2025&lt;/a&gt;. The Argentine ended the year as the world’s sixth-highest scorer with &lt;strong&gt;46 goals&lt;/strong&gt;, while the Portuguese finished in ninth place with &lt;strong&gt;41 goals&lt;/strong&gt; across all competitions.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;How did both players finish 2025?&lt;/h2&gt;


        &lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_relatedlinks&quot; id=&quot;BUS#/soccer/not-messis-argentina-toni-kroos-names-ronaldos-portugal-among-2026-world-cup-favorites&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

        

        


&lt;p&gt;While their individual statistics remained impressive, the collective results for both stars followed different paths this year. Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to secure a league title in Saudi Arabia, an achievement that has eluded him since his arrival, but he did find success on the international stage by leading &lt;strong&gt;Portugal to a UEFA Nations League title&lt;/strong&gt; following a victory over Spain.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;In contrast, Messi capped off his year with an &lt;strong&gt;MLS Cup title&lt;/strong&gt;, leading Inter Miami to the first such trophy in franchise history. The Argentine served as a cornerstone of the championship run, claiming the &lt;strong&gt;MLS Golden Boot&lt;/strong&gt; and the regular-season &lt;strong&gt;MVP award&lt;/strong&gt;. In doing so, he became the only player in league history to win the MVP in back-to-back seasons.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Looking ahead to 2026, Cristiano Ronaldo will focus on reaching the &lt;strong&gt;1,000-goal milestone&lt;/strong&gt;—currently sitting &lt;strong&gt;43 goals away&lt;/strong&gt;—while preparing for what will likely be his final opportunity to win the World Cup with Portugal. Meanwhile, Messi will look to defend &lt;strong&gt;Argentina’s World Cup title&lt;/strong&gt; while attempting to close the gap on Ronaldo as the second-highest scorer in the history of the sport.&lt;/p&gt;

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Cristiano Ronaldo finishes 2025 with no hat tricks: How many did Lionel Messi score this year? - Bolavip US

&lt;p&gt;Another calendar year is in the books, and while &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/lionel-messi&quot;&gt;Lionel Messi&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Cristiano Ronaldo&lt;/strong&gt; may no longer be competing in Europe’s top five leagues, their clinical nature in front of the net hasn’t faded. Both superstars remained the focal points of &lt;strong&gt;Inter Miami&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Al Nassr&lt;/strong&gt; in 2025, continuing to rack up eye-popping numbers.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Despite his season ending earlier than his rival’s, &lt;strong&gt;Lionel Messi finished 2025 as the more prolific scorer of the two&lt;/strong&gt;. The Inter Miami captain capped off his year on December 6 by lifting the MLS Cup after a – victory over Thomas Muller’s Vancouver Whitecaps.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Messi finished the calendar year with a remarkable &lt;strong&gt;46 goals&lt;/strong&gt; across all competitions for club and country. His 2025 campaign solidified his status as the primary challenger to &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/cristiano-ronaldo&quot;&gt;Cristiano Ronaldo&lt;/a&gt;’s career record, bringing his total career tally to &lt;strong&gt;896 official goals.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, competed until the final days of 2025 with Al Nassr. After &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/soccer/cristiano-ronaldo-scores-goal-no-955-to-put-al-nassr-ahead-vs-al-akhdoud&quot;&gt;netting a brace against Al Akhdoud&lt;/a&gt; late in the month, the Portuguese legend added one more to his tally in his final appearance of the year against &lt;strong&gt;Al Ettifaq&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;&gt;&lt;figure class=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;img loading=&quot;lazy&quot; width=&quot;1920&quot; height=&quot;1080&quot; src=&quot;https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20251230_BUS_553969_ronaldo-etiffaq_632f859c.webp&amp;amp;width=1920&amp;amp;height=1080&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;wp-image-553977&quot;&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;figcaption&gt;Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his last goal of 2025. (Getty Images)&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Ronaldo finished 2025 with &lt;strong&gt;41 goals&lt;/strong&gt;, a total that allowed him to maintain his lead as the Saudi Pro League’s top scorer this season with &lt;strong&gt;13 strikes&lt;/strong&gt;. His career total now stands at &lt;strong&gt;957 goals&lt;/strong&gt; and is only 43 goals left to reach the historic 1,000-goal mark. The milestone feels like an inevitability if he maintains his current scoring rate in 2026.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;The global leaderboard&lt;/h2&gt;


        &lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_relatedlinks&quot; id=&quot;BUS#/soccer/cristiano-ronaldos-portugal-face-concerning-situation-with-key-player-ahead-of-2026-world-cup&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

        

        


&lt;p&gt;While both legends managed to convert a significant number of goals this year, their figures do not come close to those of &lt;strong&gt;Kylian Mbappe&lt;/strong&gt;. With 66 goals scored across all competitions, the Frenchman will finish 2025 as the top scorer in the sport.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;div class=&quot;wp-block-columns&quot;&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;wp-block-column&quot; style=&quot;flex-basis:100%&quot;&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;wp-block-columns&quot;&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;wp-block-column&quot; style=&quot;flex-basis:100%&quot;&gt;
&lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-table&quot;&gt;&lt;table&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Player&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;has-text-align-center&quot; data-align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Goals&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kylian Mbappe&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;has-text-align-center&quot; data-align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;66&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Harry Kane&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;has-text-align-center&quot; data-align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;60&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Erling Haaland&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;has-text-align-center&quot; data-align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;57&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kevin Hernandez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;has-text-align-center&quot; data-align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;48&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Victor Osimhen&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;has-text-align-center&quot; data-align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;46&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lionel Messi&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;has-text-align-center&quot; data-align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;46&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Vangelis Pavlidis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;has-text-align-center&quot; data-align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;45&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Guilherme Bissoli&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;has-text-align-center&quot; data-align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;44&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cristiano Ronaldo&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;has-text-align-center&quot; data-align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;41&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jorge Rivera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;has-text-align-center&quot; data-align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;40&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;With the &lt;strong&gt;2026 World Cup&lt;/strong&gt; looming, &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/cristiano-ronaldo&quot;&gt;Cristiano Ronaldo&lt;/a&gt; and the &lt;strong&gt;Portugal&lt;/strong&gt; national team are facing a significant concern regarding one of their most versatile starters.  &lt;strong&gt;Joao Cancelo&lt;/strong&gt;, a pillar of the Portuguese defense, has reportedly been told he is no longer in &lt;strong&gt;Al Hilal’s&lt;/strong&gt; plans, leaving his match fitness in doubt just months before the tournament.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;According to reports from &lt;em&gt;Diario Sport&lt;/em&gt; and several Saudi outlets, Al Hilal head coach &lt;strong&gt;Simone Inzaghi&lt;/strong&gt;—who took over the Saudi giants earlier this year—does not intend to register Cancelo for the second half of the season.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Cancelo’s 2025-26 campaign has been derailed by a recurring hamstring injury suffered during an AFC Champions League Elite match. The injury limited him to just &lt;strong&gt;six appearances&lt;/strong&gt; this season, and in his absence, Inzaghi has pivoted to other options.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;With the high-profile additions of &lt;strong&gt;Darwin Nuñez&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Theo Hernandez&lt;/strong&gt; to the squad, Al Hilal have reached their limit for foreign players. Consequently, Cancelo has become the “odd man out,” with the club prioritizing Saudi international Hamad Al Yami at right-back.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;&gt;&lt;figure class=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;img loading=&quot;lazy&quot; width=&quot;1920&quot; height=&quot;1080&quot; src=&quot;https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20251230_BUS_553769_Joao-Cancelo_0e7c41cc.webp&amp;amp;width=1920&amp;amp;height=1080&quot; alt=&quot;Joao Cancelo&quot; class=&quot;wp-image-427061&quot; sizes=&quot;(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px&quot;&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;figcaption&gt;Joao Cancelo of Al Hilal during a FIFA Club World Cup 2025 game. (Getty Images)&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Cancelo seeking immediate exit to secure World Cup roster spot&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;For Joao Cancelo, the objective is clear: he must secure consistent playing time to regain his form and ensure his place &lt;strong&gt;in Roberto Martinez’s plans for the 2026 &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/world-cup&quot;&gt;World Cup&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;


        &lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_relatedlinks&quot; id=&quot;BUS#/soccer/lionel-messis-argentina-cristiano-ronaldos-portugal-unchanged-in-last-fifa-world-ranking-update-of-2025&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

        

        


&lt;p&gt;His representative, Jorge Mendes, is actively working to find a new destination as the January transfer window approaches. Several major European clubs have emerged as potential landing spots according to reports from &lt;em&gt;Diario Sport&lt;/em&gt; and other international outlets.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;According to reports from Diario Sport, the Portuguese international’s status has attracted interest from various clubs worldwide with a possible return to &lt;strong&gt;Barcelona&lt;/strong&gt; or moves to the &lt;strong&gt;Italian&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Portuguese&lt;/strong&gt; leagues appearing as viable options for the right-back. Additionally, the report indicates that certain &lt;strong&gt;Premier League&lt;/strong&gt; clubs are also interested in adding Cancelo to their ranks.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;The battle for Portugal’s right-back spot&lt;/h2&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Cancelo has firmly established himself as a key figure in Roberto Martinez’s squad, maintaining his status despite missing the 2025 UEFA Nations League Final Four in June due to injury. His importance to the team was evident throughout the year; in the four international matches where he was healthy, &lt;strong&gt;he was a fixture in the starting lineup.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;However, during his injury-forced absence, Martinez found reliable alternatives in &lt;strong&gt;Diogo Dalot&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Nelson Semedo&lt;/strong&gt;. Both defenders stepped in to provide solid performances on the right flank, proving that the position is far from uncontested.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Adding to the competition is PSG star &lt;strong&gt;Joao Neves.&lt;/strong&gt; Although primarily a midfielder, Neves proved his versatility by starting at right-back in high-stakes moments, most notably during the Nations League Final against Spain. His ability to adapt to the role provides Martinez with a tactical wildcard, further intensifying the race for a starting spot as &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/portugal&quot;&gt;Portugal&lt;/a&gt; look toward the 2026 World Cup.&lt;/p&gt;

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Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal face concerning situation with key player ahead of 2026 World Cup - Bolavip US

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Al Nassr&lt;/strong&gt; faced against &lt;strong&gt;Al Ettifaq&lt;/strong&gt; today in a crucial &lt;strong&gt;Saudi Pro League&lt;/strong&gt; showdown, and once again, &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/cristiano-ronaldo&quot;&gt;Cristiano Ronaldo&lt;/a&gt; found a way to be on target—though this time, luck played a major role.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;After being held scoreless and trailing 1-0 throughout the first half, &lt;a href=&quot;https://bolavip.com/en/topic/al-nassr&quot;&gt;Al Nassr&lt;/a&gt; found an equalizer early in the second period through a clinical finish from João Félix. The momentum shifted entirely in favor of the visitors, setting the stage for Ronaldo’s decisive moment in the 67th minute.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;The go-ahead goal came in unconventional fashion. During a sustained Al Nassr attack, Felix’s powerful strike toward the net took a sharp deflection off Ronaldo’s body. The sudden change in direction completely wrong-footed Al Ettifaq’s goalkeeper, sending the ball into the back of the net to give Al Nassr a 2-1 lead.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;With this latest strike, the Al Nassr captain has reached &lt;strong&gt;957 career goals&lt;/strong&gt;, leaving him just 43 shy of becoming the first player in soccer history to hit the 1,000-goal milestone. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;wp-block-embed__wrapper&quot;&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;ck-twitter&quot;&gt;&lt;blockquote class=&quot;twitter-tweet&quot; data-width=&quot;500&quot; data-dnt=&quot;true&quot;&gt;&lt;p lang=&quot;en&quot; dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;RONALDO SCORES OFF HIS BACK 😅&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;It wasn’t pretty, but he’s now just 43 goals away from 1,000 career goals 😱 &lt;a href=&quot;https://t.co/doCc2lvgpG&quot;&gt;pic.twitter.com/doCc2lvgpG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/2006081328224379369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&quot;&gt;December 30, 2025&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;script async=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js&quot; charset=&quot;utf-8&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Additionally, the Portuguese superstar solidified his position at the top of the Saudi Pro League scoring charts, leading the &lt;strong&gt;Golden Boot race&lt;/strong&gt; with &lt;strong&gt;13 goals&lt;/strong&gt; this season.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;h2&gt;Al Nassr missed a huge chance&lt;/h2&gt;


        &lt;div class=&quot;wp_fsn_relatedlinks&quot; id=&quot;BUS#/soccer/fifa-confirms-good-news-for-cristiano-ronaldo-and-al-nassr-ahead-of-transfer-window&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;Despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s fortuitous goal that put Al Nassr ahead with nearly 20 minutes remaining, the club failed to capitalize on the lead as &lt;strong&gt;Georginio Wijnaldum&lt;/strong&gt; struck in the 80th minute to rescue a 2-2 draw.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;In doing so, Jorge Jesus’ squad missed a significant opportunity to extend their lead to five points over Al Taawoun, who remain their closest challengers in second place with &lt;strong&gt;28 points&lt;/strong&gt;, while Al Nassr maintains the top spot with &lt;strong&gt;31 points&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;Furthermore, &lt;strong&gt;Al Hilal&lt;/strong&gt; currently sit in third place with &lt;strong&gt;26 points&lt;/strong&gt; but hold a game in hand to be played tomorrow. A victory would allow them to close the gap with Al Nassr to just two points. Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates will return to action on &lt;strong&gt;Friday, January 2&lt;/strong&gt;, in a challenging matchup against &lt;strong&gt;Al Ahli&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

Video: Cristiano Ronaldo scores his final goal in 2025 for Al Nassr vs Al Ettifaq

Video: Cristiano Ronaldo scores his final goal in 2025 for Al Nassr vs Al Ettifaq - Bolavip US

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