Soccer

The Thai boys soccer team rescued from flooded caves back in July were stoked when they landed in Los Angeles today ... and it's all because they're about to go Hollywood!!!

TMZ Sports cameras were rolling as the 12 boys -- along with their coaches and other chaperones -- walked through the airport to their waiting bus ... smiling and throwing up the peace sign.

The team -- aka the Wild Boars -- were decked out in their spiffy Adidas uniforms and carrying their equipment in cool new travel bags. They just played a friendly game in Argentina against another youth squad as part of the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics opening ceremony.

But now, it's time for some R&R in L.A. -- the team is scheduled to hit up Universal Studios in the coming days where they'll get to experience everything from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to King Kong 360 3-D.

Of course, it's nothing like surviving over 2 weeks in a crazy network of caves -- but they'll probably dig it.

So, why the global trip?

The head of the Thai Olympic Delegation explained it this way -- "During the rescue operation so many people from around the world came to Thailand and collaborated to rescue them. They feel that they owe a debt to everyone."

With rumors swirling that AC Milan has interest in bringing 37-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic back to Italy ... we had to ask the L.A. Galaxy star straight-up -- true or false?

Good news -- we got an answer!

Bad news -- well, here's what he said ...

"There is always rumors. The whole world wants me. It's okay."

Keep in mind, reports suggest Zlatan has serious interest in going back to Milan -- where he scored 56 goals between 2010 and 2012. But, he didn't seem like he was bursting with excitement when we asked him about it.

The issue ... most people thought Zlatan came to L.A. to wind down his career with the Galaxy, where he's got a pretty good thing going -- 20 goals in 24 games.

So, think he's ready to give it up for one last ride in Serie A?

There's more ...

Remember that 7-year-old singer Malea Emma who impressed Zlatan with her national anthem performance before a Galaxy game last month?

We asked Ibra if he considered her a "lucky charm" and wants to bring her back.

David Beckham and his famous family are saying goodbye to their legendary Bev Hills compound -- selling the place for $33 MILLION!!!!

David and Victoria bought the 13,000 square foot estate back in 2007 -- right around the time David signed a $250 MILLION contract with the L.A. Galaxy soccer team.

At the time they bought the home, the asking price was $22 million.

Now, with David bringing an MLS team to Florida -- Inter Miami Football Club -- it appears the family just ain't using the West Coast palace like they used to.

David and Victoria's kids went to school in Los Angeles during their time on the West Coast -- but now they spend their time mostly in London.

The Bev Hills mansion is insane -- 6 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, a library, pool and has iron gates in the front of the property to keep out the riff raff, according to the L.A. Times.

Cristiano Ronaldo will not play for his Portugal national team in at least 2 upcoming games while he battles rape allegations in the United States.

Ronaldo -- arguably the best player in the world -- was left off the roster for an Oct. 11 match against Poland and an Oct. 14 game against Scotland.

The 33-year-old superstar reportedly met with Portugal coach Fernando Santos and Portuguese federation president Fernando Gomes and collectively agreed it was best for Ronaldo to step away for a few games.

While they have not released a statement specifically connecting the absence to the rape case -- it's pretty obvious.

As we previously reported, Ronaldo is being sued by Kathryn Mayorga -- who claims Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room back in 2009.

She had initially filed a police report describing the alleged crime -- but didn't identify Ronaldo by name.

In her lawsuit, Mayorga says she later accepted a $375,000 payment in exchange for her silence -- but now, she wants that agreement voided.

Cristiano Ronaldo is firing back against allegations he raped a woman at a Vegas hotel back in 2009 -- saying, "Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in."

The soccer superstar is being sued by Kathryn Mayorga -- who claims she met CR7 at Rain Nightclub in the Palms hotel in June 2009 and he invited her up to his penthouse suite to party and hot tub.

There are photos of Mayorga and Ronaldo hanging out at the nightclub together that evening.

While changing her clothing, Mayorga claims, "Ronaldo entered the bathroom, exposed his erect penis and asked [her] to perform fellatio."

Mayorga says she refused and wanted to leave -- but Ronaldo "pulled [her] into a bedroom and onto a bed and attempted to engage in sexual intercourse."

Mayorga claims she tried to fight Ronaldo off -- but he turned her onto her side and sodomized her while she screamed "no, no, no."

In her suit, Mayorga claims she reported the incident to the Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. -- but didn't identify Ronaldo by name out of fear of retaliation.

Mayorga claims immediately following the 2009 incident, Ronaldo and his team of "fixers" coerced her into signing a settlement and nondisclosure agreement -- in which she got $375k in exchange for her silence. She's seeking in her lawsuit to void the deal.

Now, Ronaldo is speaking out ... adamantly denying the allegations.

"I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me," Ronaldo said.

"Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in. Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense."

"My clear conscious will thereby allow me to await with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations."

Bad news, San Diego ... the Chargers ain't coming back.

Good news, San Diego ... Landon Donovan's working on your replacement -- YOUR VERY OWN MLS SOCCER TEAM!!!

Philip Rivers and the rest of the Bolts packed their bags for L.A. last year ... and in their wake -- they left a giant plot of land for the city to use.

That's when Donovan stepped in and helped spearhead an effort to fill that space with a new stadium, restaurants, housing, shopping -- and a new MLS futbol team.

So, what'll it take for Landon to get all this done??

"If people in San Diego want this to happen and want this to be a part of the future of this city and impact people for decades to come," Donovan tells us, "then they can vote 'yes.' Our measure is Measure E."

The vote's Nov. 6 ... and Donovan's promising a space of land that will rival what L.A.'s got downtown by the Staples Center if it goes down.

When in France, right?

Michael Jordan proved he's too classy to drink beer with the normies at major sporting events -- instead, he sips from his own bottle of fancy wine.

MJ was in the VIP suites at the Paris Saint-Germain vs. Reims game in Paris on Wednesday -- where he watched Neymar dominate in a 4-1 victory at Parc des Princes stadium.

He also apparently brought in his own bottle of red. Guessing they waived the corkage fee.

Jordan was treated like the legend he is during the game -- since PSG recently teamed up with Jordan Brand for a collaborative range of threads. The team prez even presented MJ with his own custom #23 jersey.

Jordan took in the game with his pal, Ahmad Rashad -- no word if he let the ex-football player dip into his wine.

No word on what brand Jordan was drinking -- but the guy's a billionaire so you know he ain't sippin' the cheap stuff.

Move over, Whitney Houston ... 7-year-old Malea Emma just DOMINATED the National Anthem at the L.A. Galaxy game over the weekend!!!

Okay, maybe she's not at Whitney levels yet -- but she's on track!!!

Emma took the mic and belted out 1 minute and 48 seconds of PURE MAGIC while International soccer superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic smiled and nodded with great approval.

In fact, Zlatan loved it so much he tweeted after the game, "MVP of the game!"

By the way, Emma had to win a contest in order to sing at Sunday's game. The team challenged singers to post a video to social media using the hashtag "#GalaxySocial" to show off their chops.

Emma won by a landslide and, when she showed up to the stadium -- she made the most of her moment.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he's a big fan of David Beckham's plan to bring Lionel Messi to MLS -- telling TMZ Sports the Argentinian superstar should "absolutely" come to the U.S. in 2020.

Beckham is reportedly targeting Messi to lead Inter Miami for the team's inaugural season in 2020 -- and there's talk Becks is willing to write a MASSIVE check to get the deal done.

Of course, Messi is in the middle of a deal with Barcelona -- which doesn't end until the end of the 2020-21 season ... but hell, anything's possible if the price is right.

Enter Zlatan ... who left Manchester United to play for the L.A. Galaxy earlier this season -- and seems to be loving it.

So, when we saw Zlat leaving Avra in Beverly Hills on Monday -- We asked what he thought about Messi possibly following his lead.

He likes it.

Meanwhile, you see the insane goal Zlatan scored this weekend? The 500th goal of his career??

Insane.

Two UCLA women's soccer players took a knee during the national anthem before their game Thursday ... and the school tells TMZ Sports its coach is still fully in support of their protests.

Defenders Kennedy Faulknor and Kaiya McCullough -- along with 2 others on the sideline -- dropped to a knee at midfield during the song ahead of their clash with LMU. The pic was captured by Fred J. Robledo.

The women have been demonstrating since last season -- and clearly haven't been dissuaded by the constant attacks on kneelers by people like President Donald Trump, who has constantly called for harsh penalties on those who don't stand for the anthem.

But, UCLA head coach Amanda Cromwell has publicly supported the players from the jump.

"It's about supporting the cause of racial justice and equality in the world," the coach said to the Pac-12 Networks last fall.

"I love that our team is socially active. We're politically active and we support them across the board."

You'll remember, Colin Kaepernick started the movement back in 2016 -- but the Bruins joined in the protest shortly after Donald Trump called the kneeling NFLers "sons of bitches" in 2017.

Honest question ... what's the first thing you looked at when you saw this picture?

Thought so.

Anyway, here's Cristiano Ronaldo stripping down to his skivvies for his brand new CR7 underwear campaign ... which features the soccer superstar trying to look sexy in a ball pit.

Is it working? (Spoiler: Yes)

It's the 10th season of Ronaldo's line which started in 2014. Clearly, the Juventus striker believes there's nobody better to model his high-quality underwear than himself. He's right.

“This was one of the most fun shoots ever! I'm a big kid at heart and it's not every day you get to jump into a giant ball pit," Ronaldo says.

"CR7 Underwear makes you both look and feel good, so I wanted the new campaign to capture that and have a fun and light-hearted feel!”

"My new Fall/Winter range combines optimum fit with cool, edgy design in some of my favourite colours."

You could say Hugo Lloris was caught green handed ... because prosecutors say the soccer superstar puked on himself the night he was arrested for drunk driving.

The captain of the World Cup champion France soccer team pled guilty in a British court Wednesday morning stemming from an August 24 arrest.

During the hearing, prosecutors detailed the events of the evening -- and it's clear, dude was HAMMERED.

Officials say the goalkeeper was pulled over in his Porsche at 2:20 AM after cops noticed he was "not moving smoothly, and was travelling at a slower speed than expected."

He almost hit several parked cars and then ran a red light.

When cops pulled him over, "Officers observed his speech was slurred, he was helped from the vehicle by an officer, he was unstable on his feet, and there was evidence of vomit at the scene."

Gross.

A breathalyzer showed his blood alcohol was more than TWICE the legal limit.

Ultimately, the 31-year-old Tottenham star was hit with a $65,000 fine and his license will be suspended for 20 months.

His attorney issued a statement saying Lloris didn't intend to get drunk that night -- but fans at a restaurant kept buying him drinks.

Chad Ochocinco wants to be an MLS goalie ... and Alexi Lalas says he already has one major keeper skill mastered ... he's crazy!!

We spoke with Lalas about Ochocinco's 2-year plan to try out for David Beckham's new expansion team in Miami ... and surprisingly, he's not completely shutting down the idea -- he actually thinks 85 could be ready SOONER than 2020.

"The only thing I know about goalkeepers is that they're crazy," Lalas says. "So he'll fit right in!"

"He doesn't need 2 years, he's crazy now! I love him!"

As for Ochocinco seeking the career change at 40 years old ... Lalas seems shocked, but it's clear he's not putting it past the guy to actually follow through with it.

Chad Ochocinco's first go-around with the MLS didn't go so well ... but he's got a new plan to make the futbol league -- telling TMZ Sports he's coming back as a keeper!!

And, yeah, he says he's "dead ass" serious.

Remember ... Chad once tried out for Sporting Kansas City during the NFL lockout in 2011 -- and actually got in a reserve game ... but the MLS told him "thanks, but no thanks" afterward.

Now ... Chad's telling us he's got a new way to revive that soccer dream ... getting set to return to the pitch as a goalie for David Beckham's Miami club -- which kicks off its inaugural season in 2020.

"I really think I can be exceptional at goalie with the proper training for the next two years," Chad says.

"So, when Beckham has his team, I'm going to go try out for goalie. Period."

It makes sense ... dude is a freak athlete who caught everything that came his way as an NFL wideout for 11 seasons -- so why not?!

David Beckham crushed this poolside pose and burger ... after revealing the name of his brand spankin' new MLS team.

Becks ditched the shirt, grabbed some shades and headed to the pool Wednesday in Miami. A perfect way to celebrate the announcement of the name and new crest for his pro football club, Inter Miami CF.

The team's official title is Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami ... a name chosen to help reflect the 305's Spanish-speaking community. Beck's team will launch in 2020, six years after the plan to bring a team to Miami was hatched.

You'll remember -- Beckham joined the L.A. Galaxy back in 2007 -- and, when signing his deal, negotiated a way to one day own a future expansion team.

Nike isn't backing down from its Colin Kaepernick ad campaign -- they just released a brand new 2-minute commercial featuring the QB -- and it's slated to air during the NFL season opener.

The spot features Colin narrating inspiring messages about overcoming the odds while real video of really inspirational athletes plays on the screen.

Colin references Serena Williams and praises her as "the greatest athlete ever" -- while throwing similar compliments at stars like Odell Beckham, Shaquem Griffin and the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team.

Regarding Odell, Colin says ...

"Don't picture yourself wearing OBJ's jersey. Picture OBJ wearing yours."

Regarding Shaquem, Colin says ...

"If you have only one hand, don’t just watch football, play it at the highest level."

Regarding LeBron James, Colin says ...

"Don’t become the best basketball player on the planet. Be bigger than basketball." (while video runs showing LeBron opening his new school in Ohio)

Regarding Serena, Colin says ...

"And, if you’re a girl from Compton, don’t just become a tennis player. Become the greatest athlete ever. Yeah, that’s more like it."

It's the second phase of Nike's "Just Do It" ad campaign featuring Kaep -- a deal that we're told was put together in the last several weeks.

We're told the deal put together by Mark Geragos and Ben Meiselas also includes a new custom Kaepernick shoe and apparel line.

No word on when that's supposed to drop.

As for the commercial, a source with knowledge of the situation tells us the plan is to air the commericial at some point during the Falcons vs. Eagles broadcast on NBC.