After retiring two seasons ago, former England and Manchester City goalkeeper, Joe Hart, immediately set to work as a pundit for the BBC for Euro 2024.

He remains with them covering the World Cup and it appears that he’s clocked something that could prove decisive as the tournament unfolds.

The World Cup is a slightly sore subject for Hart. He only ever played at one World Cup himself, in 2014, when Roy Hodgson’s side finished bottom of their group. He also travelled to South Africa in 2010, though Fabio Capello chose Rob Green and David James ahead of him. That tournament put the chaos of the Jabulani on full display, and Hart believes this summer’s competition has thrown up an eerily similar problem.

What Joe Hart Spotted With the World Cup Ball

Speaking on the BBC after analysing Martin Baturina’s equaliser for Croatia against England, Hart seemed to think the ball, the Trianda, which is supplied by Adidas, could be catching goalkeepers out: “I honestly feel like this ball is coming onto the goalkeepers a lot faster than they feel it is off the foot. Now, what you notice with this is Jordan Pickford flies at this ball, and he just doesn’t. You’ll ask, ‘Why has he gone with his thumb rather than his hand? It just feels like it is on him.”

Hart went through more examples from the tournament, including Lionel Messi’s opener against Algeria, pointing out that goalkeepers are consistently misjudging their timing on shots from distance, suggesting that in normal circumstances, some shots would have a higher chance of being saved.

Unlike anything used before it, the Trianda is fitted with live sensors that feed data straight to VAR, helping officials judge touches and track movement, and it even requires charging before a match. It’s also built with just four panels rather than 32, a design change that alters how the ball moves through the air.

See what Hart had to say in full below:

Fans Buy Into Joe Hart’s Theory

Hart’s breakdown went down well online, with multiple fans praising the fresh insight he’s brought to the punditry desk, and the representation provides for goalkeepers.

With Hart’s explanation now out there, backed up by what looks like visual evidence to support it, don’t be surprised if outfield players start sensing an opportunity, and long-range efforts could become a lot more common for the rest of the tournament.

It has been quite the year for Brock Lesnar in WWE, from pretty much retiring at WrestleMania 42 to coming back and destroying up-and-coming talent Oba Femi in their rematch at Clash in Italy.

However, according to recent claims, The Beast Incarnate has been playing matchmaker for his own creative plans, outright refusing to get into a storyline with one current Superstar, forcing WWE to make changes to their original plans.

Of course, this is all hearsay, and it comes from wrestling veteran Vince Russo, but Lesnar has been accused of refusing to share the ring with certain Superstars before. In fact, it was Kevin Owens who he wasn’t willing to get into a storyline with not too long ago.

Brock Lesnar’s Refusal Led to WWE Changing Plans

Lesnar has recently been in a storyline with Oba Femi, with the two expected to do battle once again at SummerSlam later in the summer, but all could’ve been different if Russo is to be believed.

The Beast Incarnate was buried by Femi at ‘Mania 42, losing in a matter of minutes, but he got his revenge in Italy, delivering several finishing moves on The Ruler to level the score at 1-1 between the pair.

Now, the two are expected to settle the score once and for all at SummerSlam, which is being held in Lesnar’s hometown of Minnesota, and it’s there where he is expected to retire once and for all.

However, according to Russo, Lesnar was originally slated to be retired by Gunther, who is going through a little retirement streak of his own right now.

Russo said on a recent episode of his podcast: “Gunther’s supposed to retire people. He retired John Cena. He retired AJ Styles. Didn’t he retire Goldberg, too?

“What have they [WWE] done with Gunther? Absolutely nothing. Which I’m assuming is behind the Brock Lesnar retirement. Because they wanted Brock to put Gunther over, and Brock said no, because they put Gunther over John Cena, and then they didn’t do anything with him.

Of course, we must take Russo’s opinion with a pinch of salt, given some of the stuff he’s come out with over the years, but it does sort of make sense.

It explains why Lesnar is now feuding with relative newcomer Oba Femi instead, and it also explains why Gunther is now in the world title picture with Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn.

Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo in their opening World Cup match, a result that did nothing to ease the pressure of being among the tournament’s favourites.

Cristiano Ronaldo endured a frustrating 90 minutes, struggling to make any real impact and failing to find the kind of clinical edge that’s expected of a five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

The result alone would have been enough to have fans up in arms, but it’s what’s happened away from the pitch in the days since that’s really gripped the attention. Portugal’s camp in Palm Beach has been hit by a wave of off-field issues that started with the players and has now dragged in their partners.

REUTERS/Pedro Nunes

The unrest traces back to comments made by Joao Neves after the DR Congo match. According to AS, it started when the Paris Saint Germain midfielder described Ronaldo as “just another player”. The remark triggered a barrage of online criticism directed squarely at Neves, with plenty of fans unhappy at what they perceived as a dig at their captain.

Things escalated further when a fabricated comment, falsely attributed to Neves’ girlfriend, began circulating online and quickly went viral. The fake comment was a reply to a fan who’d said Neves should pass to Ronaldo more, with the supposed response reading: “tell your goat to retire he’s very selfish”.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Fiancee Gets Involved

Phil Noble via Reuters

Unaware that the comment was fake, Georgina Rodriguez, Ronaldo’s fiancee, waded into the row in defence of her partner, reacting to the supposed criticism by saying: “Wow! This generation is coming through strong!”

The intervention only added fuel to an already heated situation online, and it’s left Portugal dealing with a messy situation behind the scenes, one that Manchester City’s Ruben Dias has reportedly tried to defuse within the squad.

The fallout from the Neves controversy is still simmering, with Portugal sitting on just a single point in Group K and matches against Uzbekistan and Colombia still to come. With so much riding on those remaining fixtures, the hope inside the camp will be that the drama off the pitch doesn’t end up being prioritised over what they still need to achieve on it.