Saturday Morning Hot Links

• I’m kind of surprised, given the history and character of Italian soccer, that it wasn’t rigged for a playoff on Monday. Nonetheless, both Napoli and Inter Milan won their respective matches, both without their managers actually on the bench, so Napoli is your 2024-25 Serie A champion for the second time in the last three seasons.

• How Scott McTominay became a Napoli icon after being on Manchester United’s trash heap.

• Leeds-Adjacent from the BBC: Do promoted teams struggle in the top flight in the rest of Europe like they do in England?

• Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was so upset at Liverpool fans booing the departing Trent Alexander-Arnold that he turned off his TV.

• Grown-Ass Caillou Look-Alike Gianni Infantino says that Ronaldo “could play” in the Club World Cup, even though his club didn’t qualify.

• Absolute heartbreak for me as Pocket is shutting down.

What To Watch: Saturday

• 9am: Sheffield United vs Sunderland: Championship Playoff Final. Paramount+. It’s called the World’s Richest Game, as the winner will see their revenue increase by about £220 million in the next 12 months. Getting up and staying up is worth about £300 million. CBS: Can either team survive next year in the Premier League?

• 9:15am: Real Sociedad at Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti’s final game in charge of Real Madrid. ESPN+.

• 11am: Women’s Champions League Final: Barcelona vs Arsenal. DAZN, for some reason.

• 11:30am: Real Valladolid at Leganes. Jeff Luhnow’s Leganes has one more game to try to stay in La Liga (Spain’s top tier), but they need to beat last-place Valladolid at home AND need Espanyol to lose to next-to-last place Las Palmas. ESPN+.