Soccer

Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt, AKA the widower of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, needed a new heir to inherit his estate and preserve his royal lineage ... so he chose to adopt someone -- an adult!

That's right, 78-year-old von Anhalt has no children. So he'll be adopting 27-year-old Kevin Feucht.

And, it's the real deal ... Apparently, Kevin's dad had been friends with Frédéric, now Kevin has officially changed his last name on his birth certificate and will be living with his new father.

Kevin says his former parents are all good with it, and they'll all remain friends.

Kevin's new last name will come with a few responsibilities. He agreed to take care of Frédéric ... he'll be helping out his new father by cooking for him, doing chores around the house and making sure his bills are paid on time.

It's interesting because Frédéric was also adopted by a well-known princess in Germany when he was 35 ... which is how he became a prince.

Now, he will be passing that legacy on to Kevin, who is also German. Kevin's a graduate of UC Santa Barbara, and now owns a soccer training center. He says he's excited to build onto the legacy and make it even bigger.

Zsa Zsa met Frédéric at a party in L.A., and they got married 3 years later ... she passed away back in 2016.

Frédéric says he wanted to make the quest for his new son public.

Neymar met Kanye West for the first time in Paris on Wednesday -- and the soccer superstar didn't come empty-handed for the occasion, bringing the musician a custom "Ye" jersey.

Neymar also showered Kanye with praise on his social media following their meet-up ... calling the "Hurricane" performer a "legend."

"Nice to meet u legend 👏🏽," Neymar said while sharing two pictures from their get-together.

Kanye is, of course, in town for Fashion Week ... and he was able to see Neymar during a tour of the soccer superstar's Paris Saint-German facilities.

The two were clearly pumped to meet each other ... you can see in one of the pics the guys were smiling ear-to-ear.

It's unclear how big of a soccer fan Ye is ... but we do know he's a huge sports guy -- he's spotted at big games in the U.S. regularly and he even started his own high school basketball team at Donda Academy last year.

Mexico is not messing around -- the country's Football Federation is threatening any fan caught using an anti-gay chant at any of its matches with a 5-year ban.

Federation President Yon de Luisa said Monday during a news conference ... "We can’t tolerate discriminatory acts. We can’t play in empty stadiums. We invite our fans to adopt these measures."

“It is not a measure designed to avoid the re-sale, but without a doubt will have an effect on that because now fans, even though they have a ticket, must have registered to be able to enter.”

The chant -- believed to have emerged in 2003 during a pre-Olympic tournament in Guadalajara -- is when fans of the Mexican national team join in unison to shout the word "p***" ... which roughly translates to "gay prostitute."

For years ... people have argued that the offensive word was never intended to be used to disparage members of the LGBTQ+ community ... and that the word has multiple meanings in Mexico, as well as other Spanish-speaking countries.

That explanation didn't fly with De Luisa who said ... “We understand that, even if it doesn't go with that intent, if other people feel it that way, then it is that way. That's why we want to eradicate it."

FIFA's disciplinary committee has already begun doling out punishment -- back in November, they ordered Mexico’s team to play its next 2 home World Cup qualifiers without fans.

They also fined the federation $110,000 as punishment for homophobic chants during October qualifiers against Honduras and Canada in Mexico City.

Soccer legend Carli Lloyd says she's done with Twitter ... and it all appears to be because she got dragged for criticizing a delivery driver.

The former footballer tweeted about her poor experience with a FedEx worker over the weekend ... slamming the person for not taking the extra steps to make sure her packages were safe from rainy weather.

"#noonecaresabouttheirjobanymore," said Lloyd, who attached a picture of the uncovered packages on her front porch steps.

Lloyd likely expected her followers on the social media app to back her and join in on the slamming of the driver ... but it appears the opposite happened.

The 39-year-old, who retired from the USWNT last year, was so heavily criticized -- particularly by those who felt the worker must've been underpaid and overworked during the holiday season -- that she not only deleted the initial tweet, but then she threw up the peace sign to the website.

"Bye Twitter," Lloyd wrote. "I usually know better than to come on here amongst the warriors!"

A famous Argentinian DJ claims he's been receiving death threats and nasty insults this week ... after he says fans believe he was the reason Lionel Messi came down with COVID-19.

DJ Fer Palacio -- who has over 1 million followers on Instagram -- posted a video message explaining the situation on Sunday ... saying soccer aficionados are blaming him for Messi's positive test after the two were spotted partying together late last week.

"I am a trend on Twitter because Messi tested positive for COVID-19," the DJ said.

"They relate this to me saying that I infected him. They have even called me 'murderer.' I have a lot of very bad private messages."

The 31-year-old, though, implored fans to stop ... saying it's just not possible for him to have given the soccer superstar the virus -- because he doesn't have it.

"Yesterday I got tested because I have to travel to Uruguay," he said showing a picture of a negative COVID test, "and I do not have COVID-19."

Messi, meanwhile, is isolating away from his Paris Saint-Germain team ... after the squad confirmed on Sunday he and three of his other teammates had the virus.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner appears to be in good spirits following the diagnosis ... sharing a few encouraging words at the beginning of the new year.

"I can only give thanks for everything that I had to live in this 2021," Messi said on social media. "Even more so when many people had a really bad time because of the s****y virus that never ends."

The Everton soccer club is condemning a group of fans -- their OWN fans -- after chanting an anti-gay slur at an opposing player ... with team brass calling it "unacceptable."

The offensive phrase, "Chelsea Rent Boy," was chanted during Everton's Premier League game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the UK on Thursday.

FYI, "rent boy" is British slang for young male prostitutes who have sex with men.

The Everton F.C. was immediately called out by an LGBT+ support group, Rainbow Toffees -- who says they've spoken with the soccer club about their ill-mannered fans on several occasions.

"It's wrong, it's homophobic & needs to stop," the group said.

"We have brought this up with the club in the past & will be bringing it up again."

The Liverpool-based team replied with a statement, saying ... "Everton condemns the homophobic chanting directed at a Chelsea player this evening at Stamford Bridge.'

"Such behavior is unacceptable and does not represent the values of our club or our wider fanbase."

Everton added, "Through our 'All Together Now' campaign we promote and celebrate the diversity and inclusivity within our club, our game and our community. We expect fans to reflect those values by refraining from any discriminatory chanting in the future."

Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez just announced the genders of their unborn twins ... and they're having a boy and a girl!!!

The international soccer superstar posted a video sharing the news to his Instagram followers on Thursday ... with the caption, "Where life begins and love never ends ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ #blessed."

As we reported, Ronaldo and Rodriguez revealed back in October they were expecting twins ... showing images of the sonogram from their bed, as they lay cozied up.

This time, the Manchester United Striker got a bit of an assist -- Ronaldo recruited his kids to help with the reveal ... and you can tell they really got a kick out of it.

Check out the video, you can hear Georgina counting in Spanish, "Uno! Dos!" then boom -- the kids popped the balloons which had been filled with blue and pink confetti.

Of course, Ronaldo is no stranger to parenthood ... but despite already having a big family, Cristiano has gone on the record saying he wants as many as 7 children one day.

The twins' arrival will make babies #5 and #6 for Ronaldo, so he's not too far off from his goal.

Vicente Fernández fans mourned together at a big soccer game in Mexico on Sunday ... with thousands of supporters singing and cheering throughout the venue.

The powerful moment went down at the Jalisco Stadium ... as Atlas and León players joined together at midfield to celebrate the life and legacy of Fernández.

Fans in attendance stood in solidarity with one another ... clapping for more than a minute straight as fireworks shot to the sky.

Music was played as a young boy dressed in all white walked onto the field to release a white balloon into the sky.

That wasn't all ... a message was projected on the screens at the stadium reading "Don Vicente Fernández 1940-2021."

Fernández's death has affected people not just in the music world, but the sports world as well ... and this tribute was clearly special to all in attendance.

He is survived by his wife, María del Refugio Abarca Villasenor, and their four kids -- Vicente Jr., Gerardo, Alejandro, and Alejandra.

Chelsea soccer player Samantha Kerr ain't fond of fans on the field --- 'cause she straight-up leveled an intruder who interrupted a match this week ... and the video is wild.

It all went down Wednesday night during the 87th minute of the Champions League match between Chelsea vs. Juventus ... when a man in a black jacket and grey sweats walked onto the pitch and tried to get selfies with the players.

His attempt had consequences, 'cause when he walked towards the Chelsea forward, she hit him with a ferocious body check that sent him flying to the turf.

The crowd was very impressed with the 28-year-old's maneuver, yelling "ooooohhh" while the fan was laid out on the ground.

He eventually got up and ran away ... when security finally came through and took him away.

The crazy part?? Kerr was actually penalized for the defensive stop on the intruder ... receiving a yellow card from the refs.

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes spoke about Kerr's actions ... saying, "it should serve as a reminder to us all in our stadiums and with our stewards we've got to put out player protection first."

Pele is hospitalized in Brazil -- where the soccer legend is undergoing chemotherapy treatments -- this months after the soccer G.O.A.T. found out he had colon cancer.

The 81-year-old FIFA "Player Of The Century" is receiving chemo at Sao Paolo Hospital Albert Einstein, the hospital and Pele's assistant announced this week, in an effort to treat cancer found during a routine exam in September.

After the diagnosis, the former footballer underwent surgery to remove a tumor in September, spending nearly a month in the hospital. At the time, the hospital said Pele would require chemotherapy.

So, nothing unexpected ... and the hospital says the plan is to discharge Pele -- who is in stable condition -- in the next few days.

Despite the health conditions, Pele has continued to keep a positive attitude.

“When the path is difficult, celebrate each step of the journey,” he wrote on Instagram during his last hospital stay.

“Focus on your happiness. It’s true that I can’t jump anymore, but these past few days, I’ve been punching the air more times than usual.”

As for Pele the player, many people consider him to be the greatest soccer player of all time. He is the only male to win the World Cup three times ... leading Brazil to their first title in 1958.

And, he is also the country's all-time leading international scorer with 77 goals and scored more than 1,000 in his entire playing career before retiring in 1977.

Alexi Lalas -- United States soccer legend -- wholeheartedly believes Christian Pulisic could be the greatest soccer player to ever rock the red, white, and blue ... but, there's an IF.

IF ... Christian stays healthy, Lalas tells TMZ Sports.

"We have yet to see Christian Pulisic at the highest level from an international perspective, play in a World Cup. Knock on wood he's there in November and December. And, knock on wood he's healthy because unfortunately he has a propensity to get injured and he is a little bit fragile," Lalas says.

"He doesn't have that skill, and it is a skill, to stay healthy. So, I hope it all goes well because when he's on the field it is special. And, not special like he's a special American player. He is a special player in the world who just happens to be American."

FYI, CP has made 42 appearances with the USMNT ... scoring 17 goals with 9 assists.

Just how good can he be?

"I think Christian Pulisic is already an American soccer star, and well on his way to being an American soccer legend."

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is less than a year away, and the U.S. Men's National Team has been killin' it on the field, going 3-1-1 in WC qualifiers.

And, of course, the most talented player on the squad is 23-year-old Pulisic ... a native of Pennsylvania.

Pulisic made his international debut as a 17-year-old in 2016 ... and has gone on to play for Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea.

Speaking of the best, Lalas himself is regarded as one of the greatest soccer players in America's history. Alexi was a member of the national team from 1991 to 1998. He was one of the breakout stars during the 1994 World Cup.

Soccer star Karim Benzema was found guilty for his involvement in a sex tape blackmail case this week ... getting handed a 1-year suspended prison sentence and a fine, according to reports.

But, Karim's attorney is adamant he did nothing wrong ... and says he will appeal the conviction, CNN reports.

Remember, the Real Madrid striker was arrested way back in 2015 ... after investigators claimed he played a role with 4 other men in extorting French national teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sexually explicit video.

Benzema -- considered one of the best soccer players in the world -- was accused of being a middleman in the plot to get money from Valbuena over the video ... but the player maintained he was just trying to help his teammate handle the issue.

Officials saw it differently, however ... claiming his conversations with Valbuena were all part of the scheme.

Benzema was found guilty of complicity in a Versailles court this week ... resulting in the suspended sentence and a 75,000 euro fine (about $84,000) -- meaning if he keeps his nose clean, he won't have to serve the time behind bars.

What's interesting ... the prosecutor actually requested a 10-month sentence, but the judge gave Benzema more time.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is exactly one year away ... and unlike 2018 when the United States failed to even qualify for the tourney, soccer legend Alexi Lalas tells TMZ Sports Team USA can make a deep run this time around.

We talked to Lalas -- a FOX Sports broadcaster who will be covering the World Cup for the network -- and asked him how far the USA needs to advance (should they qualify for the WC, as expected) in order to make the tournament a success.

"What's success? Obviously getting out of the group. I don't care if it's the group of death or it looks like the easiest group on paper. Ultimately, it's a World Cup, there's a reason why these teams are there," Alexi says.

"But, at this point, in 2022, in November 2022 in Qatar, you're the U.S. Men's National Team, you should expect them to be successful, to absolutely get out of the group and to go on and hopefully do good things."

FYI, Lalas -- considered one of the greatest American soccer players ever -- played for the U.S. National team from 1991 to 1998. He was one of the best players in the 1994 World Cup.

Botton line ... the soccer legend says we've never seen a team like this.

"This U.S. Men's National Team, I'm hard-pressed to find a point where we have been more optimistic about this group."

Remember, the U.S. lost to Trinidad and Tobago during the last qualifying match leading up to the 2018 World Cup ... and was considered a low point for American soccer.

But, the current U.S. squad is different. In fact, they're the top-ranked team in Concacaf (standing for Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football), and the #12 ranked team in the world.

What's even more exciting for soccer fans in the States is the team's prospects in 2026, Alexi says, when North America will host the World Cup.

Members of the Afghan women's youth soccer team and their families reached safety in the UK on Thursday -- and Kim Kardashian played a huge role in the efforts.

TMZ Sports has confirmed -- Kim and her SKIMS brand shelled out the money to charter a plane for 130 people from Pakistan to the Stansted Airport in London ... after the founder of the Tzedek Association reached out and asked for help in getting the group to safety.

Rabbi Moshe Margaretten -- who's worked with Kim in the past on criminal justice reform -- says the businesswoman was quick to assist after speaking over a video chat.

"Maybe an hour later, after the Zoom call, I got a text message that Kim wants to fund the entire flight," Margaretten told the AP.

Thousands have been fleeing Kabul after the Taliban took over in August ... and members of the developmental soccer team were able to make it to Pakistan and get visas, but could not get a flight until Kim and SKIMS stepped up.

The team was especially in danger ... as the Taliban sees women involved in sports as rebellious.

On top of Kim and SKIMS' help, the EPL's Leeds United has offered to support the team.

Team Mexico soccer player Chaka Rodriguez is opening up about a disturbing experience ... revealing his family has received death threats after losing to rival Team USA in CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers.

Many fans were upset after Rodriguez's squad lost 2-0 in heartbreaking fashion in a qualifying match on Friday ... but according to the right-back, several crossed the line when taking their frustrations out on Chaka and his family.

Rodriguez shared a direct message exchange with one person ... saying, "Miguel, I'm the husband of the wife you wrote to," Rodriguez wrote (in Spanish) on Instagram. "I understand that my work in the national team can be the cause of all of this in you. I don't justify it, but I understand it."

"I ask you please not to write anymore to my wife, to rape and kill are very cruel words," he continued. "Miguel, we don't deserve this, least of all to include family. I hope this is over now. May God bless you."

Despite it all, ... Rodriguez seems to be committed to fulfilling his obligation to his teammates ... writing, "I honestly take into account the positives and negatives..."

Paris Saint-Germain player Aminata Diallo has been released from custody ... as police continue to investigate a Tonya Harding-style attack on teammate Kheira Hamraoui.

The Versailles prosecutor’s office just announced Diallo has NOT been charged with a crime ... nor have any other charges been filed at this time.

Diallo and one other person were detained and questioned Wednesday. The second person has not been identified.

The 26-year-old midfielder is being accused of orchestrating an attack on Hamraoui after a team event in Paris on November 4 ... when two men allegedly dragged her out of a car and beat her with iron bars for 2 minutes, requiring medical attention.

Reports claimed the motive behind the hit was due to playing time.

PSG released a statement Wednesday ... saying, "Paris Saint-Germain can confirm that Aminata Diallo was taken into custody this morning by the Versailles Regional Police Service as part of the proceedings opened following an attack on the Club's players last Thursday evening," the team said.

"Paris Saint-Germain condemns in the strongest possible terms the violence committed."