“I always wanted to break records and (make sure) that people remembered my name. “But I have to be honest, I didn’t expect to be the top scorer of all time at the World Cup, at 27." @DTAthletic's exclusive interview with Kylian Mbappe. ▪️ Making World Cup history ▪️ Asking for a ‘Zidane’ haircut ▪️ Mid-air transfer talks with Liverpool ▪️ Why this could be his year for Ballon d’Or ▪️ The lure of being a ‘ghost’ ▪️Why he will never be silenced 🔗 nyti.ms/4cWI1pw

The making of Morgan Rogers, Chelsea’s £117m man: ▪️ 62 goals in his first season — and 42 goals the following season from defence ▪️ Being a ‘No 9 boy’ with Bellingham ▪️ The day Manchester City decided to sign him ▪️ His first club’s cheeky transfer request 📝 @DTathletic 🔗 nyti.ms/4xKJdVw

Forty years ago, a teenager went to Manchester United’s training ground to hunt autographs. It was a visit that ended, he says, in him being sexually abused by Billy Watts, a club caretaker. United settled the claim he brought against the club, without admitting liability. He reveals the devastating impact the abuse had on his life and his frustration at United’s lack of apology. @DTathletic nyti.ms/3SVhylr

Manchester United have settled out of court with one of the people who says he was sexually assaulted by a club employee in the 1980s. Billy Watts, a former caretaker who died in 2009, had been the subject of several complaints. Manchester United made an undisclosed payout to the alleged victim in March, without admitting any liability on the club’s part. @DTathletic nyti.ms/4xGSCgR

Antiguoko is a special club in San Sebastian, northern Spain. They are a Basque dream team based a couple of hundred metres from La Concha Bay, with a 40-strong list of alumni who have come through their junior system and gone on to make top-division careers. And they now have an extra claim to fame - they helped produced three coaches now in charge of some of the biggest clubs in England. Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, Andoni Iraola at Liverpool and Xabi Alonso at Chelsea - they all started at Antiguoko. @DTathletic and @Laia_Cervello went to visit Antiguoko to see how they do it ⤵️ nyti.ms/4x5k7Ak

In Ireland, Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes is the star of this World Cup. The former trainee mortgage adviser turned Cape Verde defender is at the heart of this tournament’s great underdog story. Next up? Lionel Messi and Argentina. @DTathletic went to Dublin to find out more about the World Cup star recruited via LinkedIn. 🔗 nyti.ms/4v4N1ib

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a move for West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes, while they remain keen on signing Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali. More from @dtathletic, @SebSB & @David_Ornstein FREE TO READ 🔗 nyti.ms/4uJqEOU

Manchester City are giving genuine consideration to signing Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali, as well as Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest. The Athletic reported on Tuesday that Tottenham have held productive talks with Tonali’s camp and want to make the Italian their major signing this summer, but face serious competition from City, who have continued to track the player. City’s interest in Tonali, 26, does not affect their plans to sign Anderson and they remain in talks with Nottingham Forest about a potential British record transfer. Signing both midfielders, for what would likely be a combined cost of over £200million ($268m), comes with City seeking to build a side for Enzo Maresca, Pep Guardiola’s successor, that can challenge for next season’s Premier League title. More from @DTathletic FREE TO READ 🔗 nyti.ms/4vYUVdS

Clive Tyldesley, the ‘godfather’ of football commentary, reveals his broadcasting secrets: 🗣️ The art of knowing when to ‘shut up’ 🗣️ Reading his own professional ‘obituary’ 🗣️ What he really feels about Sam Matterface 🗣️ The greatest game he ever worked on 🗣️ Why he’s still in love with the sport @DTathletic nytimes.com/athletic/7347263…

🚨 Kieran McKenna is to leave his role as Ipswich Town manager. More from @David_Ornstein FREE READ 🔗 nyti.ms/4usOHl4

In January, Karren Brady told West Ham fans concerned by speculation the police were enquiring into David Sullivan that there was “no investigation involving West Ham”. At the time, the club’s co-owner was serving a suspension from attending women and academy games due to an FA safeguarding enquiry. Exclusive story from @DTathletic 🔗 nyti.ms/4ukUJnL

In a statement to The Athletic, David Sullivan said it was wrong to report that he had been banned as part of the Football Association’s safeguarding inquiry into non-recent allegations of sexual offending. Instead, he argued that it was a temporary and mutually agreed restriction while the FA investigates one specific complaint. “I wish to clarify recent media reports regarding a negotiated agreement with the Football Association (FA), which has been inaccurately described as a disciplinary ‘ban’,” he said. “In my entire 16 years at West Ham I have never met any academy or women’s team players one-to-one, therefore a negotiated and temporary agreement with the FA not to do so until the FA resolved an outstanding complaint in relation to a single anonymous complaint regarding an event in 1981. “The complaint had nothing to do about my time in football and it never happened. “I saw it as a meaningless restriction, as it didn’t impact on my work in any way. Therefore, I accepted it for a quiet life.”

David Sullivan was branded the ‘Sultan of Sleaze’ after building an empire of 150 sex shops and cornering the adult entertainment market before taking joint control of West Ham United in January 2010. “I am not embarrassed by what I have done,” Sullivan told The Times in 2007. “I have given an awful lot of people a lot of pleasure and I have never hurt anyone.” Now, the 77-year-old has been accused by seven women in a joint investigation by the BBC and The Times of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct stretching back over decades, mostly involving young, glamorous women seeking work as newspaper models. Sullivan categorically denies the claims, stating that “the false allegations levelled against me have been sensationalised by the media”. @DTathletic reports. nytimes.com/athletic/7342912…

Terry Butcher was an iconic England captain, the blood-soaked tough guy who never took a backward step. He was also a father. In 2017, he found his son Christopher, a former soldier, dead in his bedroom. He had been suffering from PTSD after tours of Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, Terry is ready to talk — about grief, hope and the child he still bids good night. @DTathletic 🔗 nyti.ms/4xallup