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Brazilian superstar Neymar has admitted he is considering retirement at the end of 2026.

In an interview with Brazilian online channel Caze, Neymar discussed how he is "living year to year," considering ending his illustrious career after an "important" season for both club and country.

"I don't know what will happen from now on, I don't know about next year," the 34-year-old said.

"It may be that when December comes, I'll want to retire. I'm living year to year now.

"We will see what my heart decides. It depends on what my heart says later in the year.

"This year is a very important year, not only for Santos, but also for the Brazilian national team, as it's a World Cup year, and for me too. I wanted to play this season totally 100 percent."

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Returning to his boyhood club Santos in 2025, Neymar risked his career to help the team avoid relegation from Brazil's Serie A.

Despite requiring surgery on his left knee, the Brazilian played a crucial role down the stretch, providing five goals and an assist in the final four league matches.

Neymar has played in three World Cups with Brazil, but hasn't featured for the national team since October 2023.

Often criticized for his antics on and off the pitch, Neymar established a brilliant club career, starring for the likes of Santos, FC Barcelona and PSG. Meanwhile, the 34-year-old is Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 79 goals, a mark previously held by legend Pelé (77).

Neymar has a contract with Santos through the end of 2026.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Brazil legend Neymar admits he may retire in 2026

Eli Manning's career speaks for itself, whether enshrined or not.

It's that last part that sparks debate and outrage, even if the formerNew York Giants'star quarterback appears unbothered. Fans, analysts, people around the league and many more have opinions that land on both sides of the issue, but it was thePro Football Hall of Fame voters who kept Manning off the list for a second year in a row.

Emotions run high when it comes to that topic, but don't expect Manning to give a passionate sales pitch anytime soon. During a Feb. 17 interview with Jon Gruden on "Gruden Goes Long," Manning was asked about the snub and his feelings about it.

"It doesn't keep me up at night," Manning said. "I'm not going to be bitter at it. I'm not bitter at the game of football. I loved my teammates. I love the relationships, the friendships, the championships, the parades. When I think about football, I think about touchdowns and my buddies and wins and plane rides home.

"I don't think about the interceptions. I don't think about the bad stuff. I think about the positive things."

The quarterback also isn't concerned about timing or how many ballots it might take for him to get into the exclusive club based in Canton, Ohio.

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"If I ever get in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I'll take it as a positive," Manning said. "And I'm not going to think about the years I had to wait to get in."

Of course, Manning wasn't the only prominent football coach, player or contributor left off the list. Former New England Patriots coach and eight-time Super Bowl champion,Bill Belichick, also fell short of being enshrined in 2026. Manning famously defeated Belichick's Patriots twice in the Super Bowl.

Despite being a two-time MVP in the big game, Manning didn't match that level of dominance in the regular season. He posted a 117-117 record in 16 seasons, making just four Pro Bowl appearances. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, Manning's Hall of Fame case largely rests on those two games in Super Bowl 42 and 46.

Vote counts are not released by the Hall of Fame, meaning it's unclear how much support theGiants' legend had in the committee.

Manning will now have to hope that the third time is the charm in 2027.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Eli Manning says he isn't bitter about Hall of Fame snub in 2026

The Los Angeles Clippers have 26 games remaining on their regular-season schedule, in addition to two possible postseason games if they qualify for the NBA play-in tournament. Contrary to Kawhi Leonard's belief thatthe team is not a contenderto advance in the playoffs, head coach Tyronn Lue says the team will try to keep winning.

At 27-29 followingFriday night's lossto the Los Angeles Lakers, the Clippers currently hold the ninth spot inthe Western Conference standings, just a half-game ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers.

"Man, we're playing to win," Lue told reporters afterwards, includingESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I don't care if it's young, old, toddlers... Whoever's on the floor, we're trying to win. I mean, we're trying to win. There's no other reason to play."

Lue's remarks appeared to be a response to Leonard saying earlier in the day that the Clippers'status as contenders was finished.

"I think it's over now," he said. "It's, the second half, like a fourth of the season left. But every day is a day to grow. A day to learn and get better. So just got to keep looking over time and see in two weeks if we're getting better and see what happens from there."

Leonard's outlook follows the Clipperssending James Harden to the Cleveland CavaliersandIvica Zubac to the Indiana Pacersbefore the NBA trade deadline. The team received Darius Garland, Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and two second-rounders in those deals. But those aren't the kinds of trades a playoff contender makes in hopes of boosting championship chances.

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Additionally, the Clippers benched veteran point guard Chris Paul before sending him home and eventually traded him to the Toronto Raptors. Paul, 40, was subsequently released by the Raptors andannounced his retirement. He signed a one-year deal before the season, presumably tobe a veteran leaderbut reportedly clashed with Lue.

Lue acknowledged that the Clippers team Leonard originally signed with in 2019 is much different now.

"I thought he was just saying far as contender when he first got here, you have PG [Paul George], Kawhi, you have James, you have Russ [Russell Westbrook], you have Zu,"Lue told ESPN. "And so now, having a younger team, we got to play different. We got to do things different, we got to do things better."

The Clippers being in the play-in mix with a chance to make the playoffs as the eventual No. 8 seed is the result of an impressive turnaround. The team began the season as one of the league's biggest disappointments, compiling a 6-21 record. Yet a 21-8 run in December put a .500 record and postseason berth within reach.

Up next for the Clippers is a matchup with the Orlando Magic (29-25) on Sunday, followed by a Thursday contest versus the Minnesota Timberwolves (35-22).

By Andreas Rinke

German school kids react to Germany mulling social media ban for minors

STUTTGART, Germany, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Germany's ruling conservatives on Saturday passed a motion to ban social media use for under 14s and introduce more stringent digital verification checks for teenagers, building momentum for such ‌limits in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.

At a party conference in the city of Stuttgart, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's ‌Christian Democratic Union also called for fines for online platforms that failed to enforce such limits, and European Union-wide harmonisation of age standards.

A growing number of ​countries, including Spain, Greece, France and Britain, are looking at similar social media bans or restrictions on accessing platforms like TikTok or Instagram.

It follows the example of Australia, which last year became the first country to force platforms to cut off access for children.

European nations are more broadly ratcheting up pressure on social media companies, risking a backlash from the United States. President Donald Trump has threatened ‌tariffs and sanctions if EU countries impose new ⁠tech taxes or online regulations that hit U.S. firms.

"We call on the federal government to introduce a legal age limit of 14 for the use of social networks and to address the special ⁠need for protection in the digital sphere up to the age of 16," said the motion that passed on Saturday.

Merz's coalition partners the Social Democrats have also backed social media curbs for children. Pressure from both parties in the coalition makes it increasingly likely that the ​federal ​government will push for restrictions.

However, under Germany's federal system, media regulation is ​a state‑level responsibility and states must negotiate with ‌each other to agree consistent nationwide rules.

SCHOOLCHILDREN IN BONN DISCUSS THE BAN

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The ban could affect children like those at the Cardinal Frings Gymnasium in the city of Bonn, several of whom a day earlier were scrolling on their phones in the school grounds.

"I think it's fair, but I think it should be up to the parents to decide whether to forbid it, not the state," said 13-year-old Moritz, who says he only watches YouTube.

"For children under 12 it should be forbidden, but from age 12 onwards ‌I think children can already distinguish between what is fake news and ​what is not."

His classmate Emma, 13, almost exclusively uses Snapchat, but has ​a time limit on her phone.

A ban would be "kind ​of unusual, because you get used to sending your snap in the morning before school, or what ‌my friends do, like just scrolling through Instagram or ​TikTok for a bit," she said.

Ella, ​12, scrolls through social media several times a day.

"So I have TikTok and Instagram myself, but I understand that it's all addictive, and the more you scroll, the more you want to see."

Teacher Till Franke said that for ​many of the children, "it would be a ‌shock at first, because of this daily use of social media".

But eventually, the students would get used to it, ​he said, "because they would find other niches where they could communicate with each other".

(Andreas Rinke, Stephane Nitschke ​and Petra Wischgoll; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Jan Harvey)

LONDON (AP) — Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the U.K. and its European allies should immediatelydeploy noncombat troopsto Ukraine to show Russian President Vladimir Putin that Western nations are truly committed to the nation's freedom and independence.

Speaking ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scaleinvasion of Ukraine, Johnson told the BBC that the troops should be sent to peaceful regions in non-fighting roles. The comments from Johnson, who was one ofUkraine's staunchest supportersas Britain's leader during the first months of the conflict, were contained in excerpts of an interview that will be broadcast on Sunday.

If adopted, the proposal from Johnson would mark a major policy shift for the U.K. and its allies. While the "coalition of the willing" isworking on plansto send troops to Ukraine, such a deployment would only take place after an agreement to end the fighting and would be designed to police the ceasefire.

"If we are willing to do it in the context of a ceasefire, which of course puts all the initiative, all the power, in Putin's hands, why not do it now?'' Johnson said. "There is no logical reason that I can see why we shouldn't send peaceful ground forces there to show our support, our constitutional support for a free, independent Ukraine."

Western military planners have avoided discussing such a move publicly out of concern that Russia would see it as an escalation of the conflict.

Putin in September rejected Western proposals for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, saying that any troops deployed to the country would be "legitimate targets."

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But Johnson said Putin shouldn't be able to dictate terms to Ukraine and its allies.

"It's about whether Ukraine is a free country or not," he said. "If it's a vassal state of Russia, which is what Putin wants, then obviously it's up to Putin to decide who comes to his country. If it's not, then it's up to the Ukrainians."

When asked about Johnson's comments, Britain's Ministry of Defense said the government was continuing to work with the coalition of the willing to prepare for the deployment of troops to Ukraine after a ceasefire.

"The multinational force Ukraine under UK leadership will secure peace for the long term, with the Prime Minister being clear that we will put British troops on the ground following the end of hostilities," the ministry said in a statement.

Johnson said the war in Ukraine was the result of the West's failure to support Ukraine after theinvasion of Crimeain 2014, as well as its inability to punish Bashar al-Assad forusing chemical weaponsagainst his own people in Syria and the debacle of theU.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"I think Putin was emboldened by a Western failure in Syria to punish Assad for using chemical weapons," he said.

"I think Putin was further emboldened in February 2022 by what he'd seen in Afghanistan, and a sort of general sense that the West was on the back foot. He'd seen those appalling pictures of Americans being forced to flee Afghanistan and the UK pulling out as well, and that really did embolden him."

The U.S. has officially logged982 measles cases in 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. It's more than four times the number of cases as this time last year, when alarge outbreak was just beginning in West Texas.

Twenty-six states have reported cases so far this year. Large outbreaks continue to grow inUtah, Arizonaand, most notably, South Carolina, where the virus has been spreading since the fall. As of Friday, the state had reported nearly 800 cases since January, bringing the outbreak's total to 973.

It's thelargest single measles outbreakthe U.S. has seen in a generation. South Carolina state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said that at least 20 people had been hospitalized.

"These hospitalizations involve both adults and children," Bell said during a call with reporters on Wednesday. "Additional cases required medical care for measles but were not hospitalized."

According to the CDC, more than 1 in 10 measles cases in 2025 resulted in hospitalization. Most of those were children and teenagers.

In Florida, cases are also rising: The state's health department has reported 92 cases since the beginning of the year. Sixty-six of those cases are in Collier County, and largely clustered at Ave Maria University, near Naples.

Graduate student Blaise Carney toldNBC affiliate station WBBHthat he was one of the first on campus to get sick last month.

"It started with an ear infection," Carney said. "And then it proceeded with sniffles, sore throat and all the rest. And then I just progressively got worse, until I was in the ER and had a full-body rash."

Carney said he was diagnosed with measles and strep throat at the same time and got intravenous fluids in the ER. He didn't need to be admitted to the hospital, and instead isolated himself in his dorm, where he said he stayed in bed for a week.

Carney said he had been vaccinated against the virus as a child.

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Two doses of measles vaccine — one given around age 1 and the second around age 5 — are97% effective in preventing measles, usually for life, according to the CDC. That means that 3% of people can get measles even after vaccination.

Despite his illness, Carney said, the statistics overwhelmingly favor the shots.

"If you're not vaccinated, go ahead and get vaccinated," he said. "It might not protect you 100%, but it's your best shot."

The vast majority of measles cases are among unvaccinated people.

Though most people recover, some developlong-term health problemsafter their telltale rash clears. The virus targets cells that play key roles in a person's immune system, leaving them vulnerable to subsequent illnesses.

In rare cases, people can go on to develop dangerous brain inflammation seven to 10 years after a measles infection. The condition, called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE, is almost always fatal.

On Saturday, doctors at Children's Hospital of Orange County in California described the details of one casein the New England Journal of Medicine.

It involved a 7-year-old boy who went to the hospital following several months of seizures and cognitive problems that were progressively getting worse.

The boy had gotten measles as an infant while living in Afghanistan, where the virushas not been eliminated. (The U.S. couldlose its elimination statusas soon as this year as vaccination rates fall and the virus regains a foothold.)

Doctors wrote that when the boy arrived at the hospital, he couldn't speak and his body's muscle reflexes weren't working normally — signs of significant neurological problems. He was diagnosed with SSPE. Within a year of his first symptoms, he died.

Before measles was eliminated in the U.S., the CDC estimated that7 to 11 people out of every 100,000 were at risk for SSPE. That risk may be higher in people infected with measles before their second birthday.

MILAN (AP) — Canada has not decided whether injured captain Sidney Crosby will play inthe gold medal gameat the Olympicsagainst the U.S.on Sunday, coach Jon Cooper said Saturday.

APTOPIX Milan Cortina Olympics Ice Hockey

Crosby skated in practice, which was closed to reporters to maintain ashroud of secrecyaround the status of the 38-year-old center who is the most decorated player on the team with two Olympic gold medals and three Stanley Cup rings and was a key contributor before getting hurt.

"Obviously we'd love to have him," Cooper said. "He won't put himself in harm's way, and he's not going to put the team in harm's way."

Crosby leftthe quarterfinal game Wednesday night against Czechia with an apparent right knee injury and did not playagainst Finlandon Friday night in the semifinals.Connor McDavid wore the "C"in Crosby's absence and assisted on Nathan MacKinnon's go-ahead goal with 35.2 seconds remaining.

International rules allow teams to dress 13 forwards instead of the 12 permitted in the NHL, but Cooper cast doubt on the possibility of Crosby being in uniform just to fill a limited role.

"No. No, it's too important," Cooper said. "We don't want to have somebody in there as an inspiration when we could have a player that could be capable of helping. You never know if guys are going to get hurt in the game. He wouldn't want to do that, either."

Cooper pointed to two of his players with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli, who were chosen for the roster but stayed home because they were not healthy enough to be a bigger help than their replacements. Injured defenseman Josh Morrissey has been ruled out.

"When it comes to the flag, nobody's getting in the way," Cooper said. "If they're not capable of giving what they think is optimal effort, they don't want to put the country at harm. They understand what we have here."

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Canada rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Finland, motivated in part by giving Crosby a chance to play one more game at what could be his final Olympics.

"We've done that, and we'll see," McDavid said. "He's been around a lot. Obviously, he's been extremely positive: still contributing, even though he didn't play last game, but still being the leader he is."

Nick Suzuki, who moved into the spot playing between Mitch Marner and Mark Stone, figures to be there again in the final if Crosby is unavailable. Suzuki said Crosby "looked really good out there on the ice" and hopes the well-respected captain will be good enough to go.

"It'd mean a lot to him and probably us," Suzuki said. "He's such a big leader, big voice. Everyone looks up to him. It'd be awesome if he could play."

Mike Sullivan, who coached the Pittsburgh Penguins when they won the Stanley Cup back to back with Crosby as captain in 2016 and '17, is now behind the bench for the U.S. and does not expect his game plan to change either way.

"Sid's a tremendous player," Sullivan said. "The focus that we have is on our own team game and trying to play the game that we think sets us up for success, regardless of who our opponent is, or who's in their lineup or not."

The U.S. got an injury scare in the semifinals against Slovakia when winger Tage Thompson left after blocking a shot. Thompson, who is tied for the team lead in goals with three, practiced Saturday and did not look to be hampered at all.

AP Winter Olympics:https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics