Everyone knew going in that Lionel Messi would be the narrative centerpiece of the 2026 World Cup. Easily the most recognized name in the competition, Messi is considered by many to be the greatest soccer player of all time and, as the captain of 2022 winner Argentina, he is the reigning World Cup champ. At 18, he scored his first World Cup goal in 2006 and has competed in every World Cup since. He celebrated his 39th birthday before this year’s knockout rounds began, so it’s not unreasonable to assume that this will be his last.

No matter what Messi did, or failed to do, it would be News. Everyone with even a passing interest in the event knew this. Including me.

But I didn’t expect to completely fall for the guy. He’s a professional male athlete, for heaven’s sake, and I don’t emotionally invest in professional male athletes. Admire some of them, sure; watch with bated breath and then scream in astonishment when they pull off some amazing feat or another, absolutely. But the only athletes that have ever touched my heart have been women — Nadia Comăneci; Billie Jean King and the Title IX-sparking stars of women’s tennis; Dorothy Hamill; Brandi Chastain and 1999 Women’s World Cup winners; Venus and Serena Williams; Simone Biles; Caitlin Clark.

But here I am, at age 62, truly, madly, deeply in love with Lionel Messi.

I know, I know, me and half the world. Which normally would serve as an effective prophylactic. I am habitually wary of super-intense fandoms and the men who inspire them; stadiums filled with people chanting a single name inevitably set off internal alarm bells. As I have asked several times in columns throughout the years, how many “heroes” must we watch falter under pressure or be exposed for decidedly unheroic acts before we wise up and get out of the pedestal-placement business?

Yet here I am, stalking him on Instagram, up all hours flicking through interviews and career highlight clips. (I even watched the Apple TV docuseries “Messi Meets America”!) Here I am, literally praying to God, who clearly has more important things to do, for Argentina to advance and screaming Messi’s name every time he scores, assists or pretty much does anything at all.

In a matter of weeks, I have become addicted not just to watching the man play but seeing how he reacts when a shot is made or a game won.

Every World Cup player is happy when they or their team scores, but Messi is delighted. Like a kid seeing a puppy under the tree on Christmas morning. Like he cannot believe this wonderful thing that has just happened even if he was the one who sweat and ran and defied physics to make it happen.

His smile is infectious and even when he is running toward the stands, arms spread wide, after making some impossible shot or other, it never seems self-congratulatory. He is simply filled with joy and wants to spread it around. The field, the stadium, the world.

And his hugs. Long, deep, radiating emotion, utterly unself-conscious. Everyone needs to find someone who hugs them like Messi hugs people — teammates, coaches, opposing players, young fans. I could watch videos of him hugging his mentor and former teammate Ronaldinho or Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni all day long. (I’m not saying I have, nor am I saying I haven’t.)

Sometimes the hype gets a bit nauseating — former teammates who claim he never makes a mistake, commentators who refer to him as superhuman (despite the fact that he has missed as many penalty kicks as he has made in this World Cup). Whether Messi himself agrees that he is the GOAT is none of my business, but he doesn’t act like many sports stars who have received similar adulation. He doesn’t peacock, he doesn’t preen; he is visibly angry with himself when he doesn’t produce. He isn’t perfect — in various past games, he has gotten into heated disputes and shoving matches and famously (and many believe deservedly) taunted Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal during World Cup 2022. But for a man who has been such a star for so long, he presents himself as simply a player among players. The captain, certainly, but not the most important person on the field.

That is the most lovable, and superhuman, thing about him.

It feels pretty basic, not to mention embarrassing, to have a sudden summer crush on Messi, but I don’t care. He’s married to his childhood sweetheart, has three adorable sons and a picture of his mother tattooed on his back. He lets his teammates hoist him in the air and allows sports commentators to regularly (and lovingly) refer to him as “Little Messi.” He gets angry sometimes, but in this tournament he has yet to noticeably hector the refs or rumble with his opponents. He wants to win, obviously, but his joy comes from playing the game well rather than defeating another team.

That’s why, despite my newfound addiction to Messi delight, the moment I loved him best was when he didn’t celebrate at all. In the round of 32, Argentina (No. 2 in FIFA rankings) seemed guaranteed a win over Cape Verde (67). But even with Messi’s early goal, the game was a nail-biter, with Cape Verde scoring two brilliant goals while their goalie Vozinha made eight saves, including four shots (one of them a free kick) from Messi. After Argentina won in additional playing time, there was none of the usual jubilation. Instead, a subdued Messi walked to the midfield to shake hands with his opponents, a sign of exhaustion, no doubt, but also of respect. He hugged Vozinha and told him that his country should be proud of him.

The exuberance was back Tuesday, however, when, after trailing Egypt for most of the round of 16 game, Argentina managed to pull off the comeback of the tournament, going from a 0-2 deficit to a 3-2 win after the 79th minute, with Messi scoring the tying goal.

This time, the smiles, the hugs, the radiant joy filling Atlanta Stadium could have powered the entire state of Georgia. This time, Messi was so happy, he wept.

So did I. The World Cup is over in less than two weeks, and France and Spain are currently the 1-2 favorites to win the thing. My love for Messi is, after all, just a summer romance.

And as with any summer romance, I want it to last forever.

Donovan Mitchell got quite a payday from the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday, agreeing to a four-year, $273 million maximum extension, which includes a full trade kicker and player option for the 2030-31 season.

While Mitchell could’ve waited one more year to get a potential five-year, $353 million deal, the 29-year-old wasted no time signing an extension on the first day he was eligible to do so this summer.

It’s hard for Cleveland not to want to build its team around Mitchell now and for the foreseeable future. He has been an All-Star seven straight seasons, which includes three with the Utah Jazz before he was traded to Cleveland during the 2022 offseason.

He has averaged 26.7 points in four seasons with the Cavaliers, including 27.9 last season, and has made an All-NBA team in three of his four years.

Mitchell also noted having “unfinished business” after the team got swept by the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.

Mitchell was heading into the 2026-27 season on the last guaranteed season of his previous contract before a 2027 player option kicked in.

CAVS NEED LEBRON JAMES ‘TO RETURN HOME TO SAVE THE DAY,’ ESPN STAR STEPHEN A SMITH SAYS

Now, the bigger question for the Cavaliers: Does Mitchell’s contract extension hurt or help their chances of yet another reunion with LeBron James?

The 41-year-old has made it clear he will be playing elsewhere for the 2026-27 NBA season, marking the end of his eight years with the Los Angeles Lakers.

James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, hasn’t indicated where he might be heading, but reports have indicated his agent, Rich Paul, is actively looking at specific teams.

Among them is the Cavaliers, as the man from Akron, Ohio, has played a significant role in the franchise’s history, including an NBA title in 2016. If this is James’ final NBA run, why not do it where it all began, where he returned after his successful stint with the Miami Heat and where he can close the book on a one-of-a-kind career?

However, other teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors have been rumored and debated about.

Of course, the salary cap and staying within its parameters is a big deal for NBA teams. While a Cavaliers fan could view Mitchell’s max extension as a bad thing for James to land back in Cleveland, it is not believed it will affect their chances at signing him.

As for James’ NBA title chances, the Cavaliers did reach the Eastern Conference finals, and the 41-year-old wouldn’t have to be the center of attention in terms of offensive playmaking. Mitchell and Evan Mobley can lead the way there, while Jarrett Allen protects the rim down low.

The Cavaliers and James Harden, whom they acquired before the trade deadline last season, are reportedly negotiating a team-friendly deal as well to keep their salary cap at bay.

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Whether the big fish will be landed, bringing “The Chosen One” back to his roots one last time remains to be seen.

Mitchell has left no doubt, though, where his future lies in the NBA, and he will look to get that unfinished business squared away in Cleveland.

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Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland had early-stage chronic traumatic encephalopathy when he died by suicide at age 24 in November, according to test results released by his family Tuesday through the Concussion & CTE Foundation.

“While this diagnosis does not change the tragedy of his passing, it provides important context about some of the struggles he may have been facing,” Kneeland’s family, including girlfriend Catalina Mancera, said in a statement.

CTE is a degenerative brain disease that has been found in people who experience repetitive head trauma and can be diagnosed only after death.

“We share this information to help people understand what NFL and other high contact sport athletes might be struggling with,” the family said. “Raising awareness is important to us. We continue to remember Marshawn with compassion for the person he was, rather than defining him by the final moments of his life. One Love.”

Frisco, Texas, police said Kneeland didn’t stop when state Department of Public Safety troopers tried to pull him over on Nov. 5 for a traffic violation. The 2024 second-round draft pick was pursued by authorities in his vehicle and then on foot before being found “deceased with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Frisco police said in a statement at the time.

Police-dispatch audio from the incident revealed that Kneeland had sent out a group text to say goodbye to his family.

Researchers at the Boston University CTE Center analyzed Kneeland’s brain tissue and determined that the athlete, who started playing tackle football at age 7, was in stage one of four of CTE.

“Unfortunately, I was not surprised to find CTE in the brain of Mr. Kneeland, because we have found this progressive brain disease in nearly half of the athletes we’ve studied who have died before the age of 30,” Dr. Ann McKee, the center’s director, said in a statement.

“Thanks to the generosity of our brain donor families, we now better understand the earliest stages of CTE, and it is bringing us closer than ever to diagnosing it during life. My team and I are fully dedicated to finding effective treatments and a cure for CTE.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.