Host Germany and England kicked off the true buildup to the European Championship with their first warmup games on Monday, only after Real Madrid capped the club season by signing Kylian Mbappé.
About 90 minutes after France captain Mbappé finally confirmed he was joining the new Champions League winner, Germany put national team action on midsummer's center stage in an enterprising 0-0 draw with Ukraine.

Kylian Mbappé is finally a Real Madrid player.
Madrid said on Monday it reached a deal with the France star for the next five seasons, bringing together one of soccer's top talents and its most successful club.

Grigor Dimitrov bloodied his racket-holding hand and right elbow by diving for a shot. He was covered in French Open clay — his arm, his leg, his back. He didn't get a whole lot of sleep the night before, because rain forced him to forfeit the usual day off between Grand Slam matches.
None of that mattered. Here's what did: The 10th-seeded Dimitrov reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for the first time at age 33, beating No. 8 Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (3) at Court Suzanne Lenglen on Sunday.

Another extraordinary summer or another national embarrassment.
No one knows quite what to expect from this Germany team heading in the European Championship.

Kylian Mbappé will not play for France at the Paris Olympics after he was left out of Thierry Henry's provisional squad for the Games on Monday.
The World Cup winner, who is widely expected to join Real Madrid after leaving Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent, had stated his desire to play at the Games in his home nation.

For the second time in three seasons, and sixth in 10 years, Real Madrid celebrated a Champions League title with its fans on the streets of the Spanish capital.
Several thousands came out Sunday to welcome the team a day after it won a record-extending 15th Champions League title by beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley Stadium.

Borussia Dortmund face the acid test after a fairytale run to Saturday's Champions League final as a star-studded Real Madrid roll into Wembley expecting to be crowned European champions for a 15th time.
No club can come close to the Spanish giants' success in the competition and they are strong favorites against a Dortmund side that have beaten the odds just to make it to London.

Players could strike in their bid to cut down on the number of matches they play, England's Professional Footballers' Association warned FIFA.
Football's world governing body is under growing pressure to address the workload of elite players, with threats of legal action.

The elite French Foreign Legion is preparing for security duty in Paris during this summer’s Olympic Games, a far cry from the group's previous deployments to places like the troubled Sahel region of Africa.
Members of the storied foreign-fighter unit huddle on a military base in southern France, located hundreds of kilometers from Paris' cafe-lined streets where they will deploy in just a few weeks.

Luka Doncic was in his element, hitting shots from everywhere on the court, hushing the crowd and flashing those sly smiles as the Dallas Mavericks delivered a knockout performance.
Now one of the global sport's young superstars gets his first trip to the NBA Finals.
