Rodri Left for 76.5 Million, Ronaldo Announced Retirement, and Babunski Missed a Penalty in the 96th

Rodri agreed with Barcelona: 76.5 million euros for the man who held Man City together

Barcelona and Manchester City reached an agreement over Rodri - a package worth up to 76.5 million euros, of which 60 million is paid immediately and the remaining 16.5 are bonuses tied to appearances and trophies. The Catalans started at around 45 million, City rejected the second offer too, and in the end they arrived where both sides knew they would: a player in the final year of his contract has more power than the club selling him. Rodri took Spain to the World Cup title this summer and was named the tournament's best player, two years after his Ballon d'Or. Seven seasons in Manchester, 298 matches, four Premier League titles and the goal that decided the 2023 Champions League final against Inter. Hansi Flick gets a ready-made defensive midfielder exactly when Frenkie de Jong is out with a serious knee injury - and City are left without the player everything was built around.

Arsenal took City apart in 23 seconds: 3-0 in the Community Shield

When the first goal comes in the 23rd second, everything after it is confirmation. Riccardo Calafiori took the pass from Myles Lewis-Skelly and placed it in the bottom corner before the crowd in Cardiff had even sat down - the first goal in the opening minute of a Community Shield since 1968. Kai Havertz doubled it before the half-hour, Martin Ødegaard made it 3-0 three minutes after the break. Erling Haaland missed, David Raya saved everything that reached him, Gvardiol cleared off the line. For Maresca it was the sort of debut afternoon nobody dreams of - new manager, old problem, and Rodri already with his suitcases in the corridor. Arsenal take their first Community Shield since 2023. A trophy nobody counts at the end of the season, but one that is remembered very well in August.

Ronaldo announced retirement: „This is probably my last year”

In an interview after his wedding to Georgina Rodríguez, Cristiano Ronaldo said what everyone had been calculating for years: „This is probably my last year of football and I want to leave a spectacular legacy.” Aged 41, with an Al-Nassr contract expiring at the end of the season, and plans for afterwards that he says are already drawn up. Five Ballons d'Or, three titles with United, nine seasons and four Champions Leagues with Real Madrid, two Serie A titles with Juventus. In Saudi Arabia, where many expected a quiet fade-out, he scored 123 goals in 142 matches and finally lifted the championship trophy last year. „Probably” is the word that keeps the door ajar - Ronaldo has been using that word for several years now. But this time the number beside it is 41.

Struga beat Vardar, Babunski missed a penalty in the 96th

The third-round derby in Struga ended 1-0 and with a scene that will be replayed for a long time: David Babunski took a penalty in the 96th minute and missed completely. The home goal came from Hristijan Maleski, and Struga Trim Lum took their second derby off the Skopje side after being comprehensively the better team on the pitch. Vardar have started the season with two derbies lost and a question that does not get solved with a post-match statement. After the win, Struga's players posted a selfie captioned „There is no other like Struga” - and somebody at Vardar probably looked at that photo longer than they wanted to. The football federation meanwhile announced that the refereeing at the derby was of a high standard. When a federation grades itself, it is usually a sign somebody complained.

Mirčevski rescued Pelister: 1-1 at home against a Second League debutant

Bitola's club is seen as the most serious candidate for promotion to the First League, and they opened with 1-1 at home against Kamenjane - a team playing in the Second League for the very first time. The visitors from the Tetovo area led from the 31st minute through Ljupčo Trpeski and held on until the 86th, when Martin Mirčevski equalised from the spot. The statistics are almost a caricature: Pelister had 16 shots, seven on target and 12 corners. Kamenjane - two shots in total, one on target. The hosts won every number except the one that counts. If the ambition is the First League, this is the point where you find out whether a club has depth or just good statistics. The season is long, but points thrown away in August do not come back in May.