
Brazil star Raphinha expressed his desire to repay the faith shown in him by new coach Carlo Ancelotti at the upcoming World Cup. Raphinha and Ancelotti previously faced each other in Spain for three years when Raphinha played for Barcelona and Ancelotti managed Real Madrid. During that period, Raphinha scored against Ancelotti's Real Madrid in a 4-0 La Liga victory and netted twice in a 4-3 win, contributing to Barcelona's title. He also featured in Barcelona teams that defeated Ancelotti's Real in the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup finals. Raphinha stated, "Now I hope to do for him all the things I did against him. To help get good results for him and for the team, because they really deserve it." Ancelotti, who celebrated his 67th birthday, is leading Brazil in their quest for a sixth World Cup title. Brazil will begin their World Cup campaign against Morocco in Group C, potentially without Neymar due to a calf problem. Raphinha, who scored 21 goals and provided eight assists for Barcelona last season, acknowledged feeling more prepared for this World Cup compared to 2022. He and Vinicius Junior are expected to carry significant attacking responsibility for Brazil. Brazil will also face Haiti and Scotland in the group stage.
Free daily or weekly digest of the most important stories from across 18 African countries. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.

Across South America, the names of football stars like Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr. are popular choices for newborns. In Ecuador, Neymar is the most popular footballer's name, with 3,847 children bearing his name, followed by Kylian Mbappe with over 2,800. James Rodriguez is third with 2,136 namesakes. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo also have a significant presence, with 1,549 Lionels, 38 Messis, 178 Cristianos, and 1,006 Ronaldos. In Colombia, Kylian or Mbappe leads with 836 children, ahead of 269 Neymars and 220 Cristianos or Ronaldos. In Brazil, Neymar has inspired 2,443 children's names, while Kylian or Killian accounts for over 400. In Argentina, Lionel saw a surge in popularity in 2023 following Messi's World Cup victory. One family in Chile even named their child Griezmann Mbappe, with other family members named James Modric, Andres Iniesta, Leonel Messi, and Neymar Ronaldo.

The New York Knicks made NBA Finals history by overcoming a 29-point deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106. This victory puts the Knicks one win away from securing their first NBA title since 1973, leading the best-of-seven series 3-1. OG Anunoby sealed the thrilling win with a tip-in basket with 1.2 seconds left in the game. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 36 points, while Anunoby contributed 33. For the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. San Antonio had a strong start, setting a Finals record with 14 three-pointers in the first half and holding a 76-49 lead at halftime. However, they only managed 30 points in the second half. The Knicks' comeback was fueled by a 13-0 run in the third quarter after Wembanyama received a flagrant foul. Knicks coach Mike Brown praised his team's resilience and collective effort in handling the adversity.
Must ReadJa'Kobe Tharp, a 20-year-old Auburn University athlete, set a new world record in the 110m hurdles, clocking 12.75 seconds during the heats at the NCAA collegiate athletics championships in Eugene, Oregon. This performance surpassed the previous world record of 12.80 seconds held by Aries Merritt since 2012. Tharp's time also shattered Grant Holloway’s NCAA collegiate record of 12.98 seconds from 2019. Tharp, who entered the competition with a personal best of 13.01 seconds, expressed surprise at the record-breaking run, stating he felt he was "going pretty fast" but did not anticipate such a result. He now aims to win a second consecutive NCAA crown in Friday's final, a feat last achieved by Olympic champion Holloway in 2019.