For nearly a month, Robin Lehner was wracked by night terrors.

He woke up most nights sweating -- or sleepwalking. He often looked around and had no idea where he was. Lehner had checked himself into The Meadows, an addiction and psychological trauma treatment center in Arizona, on April 4, 2018. The first step was a detox. He was secluded in a small room. "I started having consistent, vivid dreams," Lehner said. "I honestly don't know if that first month was real."

The veteran goaltender had become so dependent on alcohol and sleeping pills during his NHL career, he said, that he "probably didn't have REM sleep for eight years."

That changed during his detox. "I was seeing things -- like really crazy things," he said. "But it was just my brain catching up on sleep, and that's when I saw how powerful it is. It's tough when you start realizing what you've done to yourself."

Lehner was initially scheduled to remain at The Meadows for six weeks. He chose to stay for nearly three months. "I think he was scared to go back to the real world," Lehner's wife, Donya, said. "He also had more work to do on himself."

The Meadows had a gym, but Lehner had little desire -- let alone the energy -- to work out. After detox came therapy. Lehner attended group therapy sessions in the morning and individual sessions in the afternoon. At night he could choose between Alcoholics Anonymous meetings or Narcotics Anonymous meetings. He alternated between both. As his doctors got to know Lehner better -- and he told them about how he had self-medicated and had thoughts of suicide -- they realized his issues went beyond addiction.

Lehner was diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder, as well as ADHD and post-traumatic stress that resulted from childhood trauma. Donya was back home in Sweden with their children -- Lennox, a toddler, and Zoe, an infant -- when her husband called with the news of his diagnosis. "It wasn't scary as much as ... a relief," Donya said. "It just made so much sense. It explained why he was the way he had been."

When Lehner left rehab last summer, he finally felt like he had the support tools to thrive as a father, husband and NHL goaltender. He began taking medication prescribed by his doctors. He would keep meeting with those doctors and continue his therapy. He was committed to sobriety.

He felt stronger than ever.

But Lehner was coming off a so-so season with the Buffalo Sabres -- who did not extend him a qualifying offer -- and was now a free agent. Coming forward with his story was a risk because of the stigma attached to mental illness. His agent, lawyer, wife and close friends all advised him not to speak out. "I didn't have one person around me who thought it was a good idea," Lehner said.

Lehner had entered rehab under the guidance of the NHL and NHLPA's joint Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program. The program is confidential, meaning nobody in the NHL knew he was there.

"The program is made for you to hide," Lehner said. "It's all secret. In the program, you work with some of the best people, but after you leave, [contact with them] is limited. They urine-test you, they check in with you once in a while, but it's limited."

Lehner knew that he would have to interact with his teammates. He'd also be dealing with team doctors and trainers, plus management and coaches, not to mention the media. As he committed to his mental health and well-being, Lehner wanted to live openly -- and with accountability. He didn't want to hide anymore.

Lehner signed a one-year, $1.5 million, prove-it deal with the New York Islanders on July 1, and was transparent from the start with Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello about what he was going through. And then Lehner took his newfound openness a step further.

Last September -- despite that trepidation from his inner circle -- Lehner wrote a first-person essay for The Athletic describing his journey in vivid detail. He unapologetically announced to the world exactly who he was and what he was dealing with.

"I had never had a sober season of hockey my entire career," Lehner wrote. "With those manic swings, I could see the pattern. When I was hypomanic and in a good mood, I was a solid goalie. The depressive state, not so much."

The response was both far-reaching and profound. "I think we are living in a time where transparency and authenticity is valued," commissioner Gary Bettman said. "But I can't remember another player in my time in the NHL who has been this open about such issues."

In 2018-19, Lehner had the best season of his career -- by far. The Islanders became a surprise playoff team (and swept the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round) as Lehner was named a Vezina Trophy finalist thanks to a .930 save percentage and a 2.13 goals-against average. Lehner and teammate Thomas Greiss won the Jennings award for allowing the fewest goals in the league. Lehner was also awarded the Masterton Trophy, given to the player who best exemplifies "the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey."

Dressed in all black, Lehner accepted the trophy at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas in June. "I'm not ashamed to say I'm mentally ill," Lehner told the crowd -- as well as a national TV audience. "But that doesn't mean I'm mentally weak."

The crowd cheered. It felt like a watershed moment for the NHL. After several pro basketball players, including Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan, publicly shared their own mental health experiences, the NBA introduced an expanded mental health policy for 2019-20. It requires every team to have at least one mental health professional on retainer and mandates that each organization identifies a licensed psychiatrist available to help manage any mental health concerns for players. The NHL does not have a similar policy in place. Lehner, however, was driving the conversation forward.

Still in his prime, Lehner, 28, was poised for a big payday this summer as a free agent. Instead, his contract negotiations with the Islanders fell apart, and less than two weeks after his speech, New York gave Semyon Varlamov, who is 3 years older than Lehner and five years removed from his Vezina finalist season, a four-year contract.

Those fears that the members of Lehner's inner circle expressed a year ago about coming forward? It felt like they were coming to fruition. On the open market, Lehner couldn't get a team to commit to a multiyear deal. The Chicago Blackhawks, meanwhile, were looking for a veteran goaltender as insurance behind starter Corey Crawford. "We only wanted to sign someone for a one-year deal," said Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman, explaining that his team needed future salary-cap flexibility. "And, quite candidly, we were surprised Lehner was available. So our talks began late in the process."

Lehner signed a one-year, $5 million deal with Chicago on July 1. The contract was quite a bargain for the Blackhawks, considering they landed a guy coming off a Vezina-finalist season.

In the NHL, contracts are guaranteed, something collectively bargained for by the players. Lehner wonders whether he might have been better off if that weren't the case.

"If I could have put a clause in my contract that it wasn't guaranteed, I truly believe I would have gotten a long-term deal, probably in Long Island," Lehner said. "I think if you add a rule into the CBA [allowing non-guaranteed contracts], a lot more people would be open and honest about their issues. Because then we put the risk on ourselves. We get to take the choice. A lot of people don't say things like [I have] because they think they will be punished in [negotiating] contracts. And the reality is, they probably will."

The NHL's Substance Abuse and Behavioral Program is designed to be confidential because it encourages players to seek help without consequence from their teams. But, after going through the program, Lehner believes it would behoove the player to involve his team and continue treatment in partnership with his employer.

"You get punished by the corporate structure for having issues, but the best way of dealing with those issues is getting everyone on the same page," Lehner said. "To do that journey in silence, or with limited help from people who are in your life on a regular basis? It's not a good rehabilitation plan."

As a child growing up in Sweden, Lehner played soccer and didn't show much interest in hockey. At age 10, Lehner says, his father, Michael, suggested he try being a hockey goalie.

Michael, a goaltending coach who would later work with New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist before Lundqvist reached the NHL, purposely put his son in older age groups to test him. He pushed Robin hard to help him catch up.

"It was tough, because I started late," Robin said. "I wasn't very good at the beginning. I had a lot of catching up to do."

In addition to coaching, Michael owned several rehabilitation facilities for drug addicts and criminals in Sweden. Robin would often visit his father at work. "So I grew up seeing all types of people on a daily basis," Lehner said. "I was around it quite a bit. Mental [illness] runs in my family; both of my family trees are quite complicated."

Lehner says there is a history of suicide and alcoholism in his family, including some close family members who have tried to kill themselves.

"I thought suicide was the most egotistical thing in the world," Lehner said. "That's because I didn't understand it, and I think that's the general perception of it. But people who don't go through depression -- who have never gone through depression -- they will never understand."

In 2009, the Ottawa Senators selected Lehner in the second round of the NHL draft. The next season, at age 18, he moved to North America to play for Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League.

"I wasn't in the best place back home in Sweden," Lehner said. "And when I moved over, I tried to start over new. It was good. I had a lot of freedom. But I was still young and immature."

Lehner said he lived with a great billet family while he played in the OHL, but he spent only one year there. The next season, the Senators moved Lehner, a highly touted prospect, up to their American Hockey League team in Binghamton, New York. Then, at age 19, he made his NHL debut when Ottawa's No. 2 goalie was injured. Lehner played eight NHL games before returning to the minors and leading Binghamton to the Calder Cup and being named AHL playoffs MVP.

Lehner invited Donya -- whom he'd been dating since they met in Sweden two summers earlier -- to move to Ottawa. She joined him there, and they both quickly grew to love their adopted city, and even bought former Senator and fellow Swede Daniel Alfredsson's old house. In 2014, Lehner signed a three-year, $6.675 million extension with Ottawa. The same year, he and Donya welcomed a son, Lennox.

Lehner says he struggled with how much alone time he had on the road as a professional hockey player. He liked game days best because there was more of a routine.

Lehner never had a problem taking naps during the day, but at night, he was restless. He was first introduced to sleeping pills in the AHL. He could get ahold of them from the team, and said that when he entered the league, doctors were more liberal about dispensing them. ("It was a lot easier earlier on," he said.) Lehner would drink a few beers after home games, and Donya initially thought nothing of it. After all, his job was stressful. It seemed like a normal way to unwind. But she noticed that he was drinking more and more. Whereas he used to bring home a six-pack after home games, Lehner soon started buying entire cases -- and drinking them by himself.

In 2015, Lehner was traded to the Sabres. His drinking habit worsened in Buffalo, Donya said. From time to time, she would say, "I think you're drinking too much." So Lehner would find ways to hide his drinking from her. He stashed empty bottles in the garage where she wouldn't find them.

Lehner would wait for Donya to go upstairs to put the kids to bed. "That's when I would hear the front door opening," Donya said. "And I knew he was leaving to go buy beers."

Lehner was also becoming less engaged at home. He was always looking at his phone, and Donya often had to repeat herself to get his attention. "He didn't have much patience for our son at the time," Donya said. "We wanted to do normal family stuff on his day off, and he just didn't have the energy."

Lehner told his wife that he was having trouble sleeping, and she started noticing pills strewn around their house -- in the kitchen, in the bathroom, "everywhere," she said. Lehner's unpredictable behavior put a strain on the family, and Donya often turned to her sister, Mona, whom she describes as her "rock."

When Lehner was on the road, it wasn't much better. "I didn't know what he was doing, if he was out partying, who he was with," Donya said. "I had a newborn baby at home, and I was worried for him. I didn't sleep much during that time."

Bipolar disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is "a mental illness that causes dramatic shifts in a person's mood, energy and ability to think clearly." Lehner said that before he was diagnosed, "I would question why I had a lot of energy and be wired [at times]. I was also a bit delusional. I felt like I was on top of the world. There's a lot of dangers that come with that way of thinking."

People with bipolar disorder experience high and low moods -- known as mania and depression -- which differ from the typical ups and downs most people experience. "I could be in a hypomanic phase for four, five months," he said. "And my depressive phase was very long, too. It was kind of like I was three different people. I was a different person in all of those stages -- in the neutral stage, too -- and all of those stages had their dangers."

The fact that he was a goalie -- the most isolated and arguably the most stressful position in sports -- likely masked some of his struggles from teammates. "I also don't think people are educated enough, or organizations are educated enough -- or any type of corporation is educated enough -- to recognize signs [of bipolar disorder]," Lehner said. "Most people don't think of things in terms of mental health."

Lehner had suicidal thoughts. He says he never thought about exactly how he would go through with it, but he thought about putting himself in bad situations where it could just ... happen. He often felt like he was stuck in his own head but felt he couldn't confide in anyone.

"When I went into depression, I didn't have any energy, I stopped helping out," he said. "I stopped being a good husband, wasn't great with my kids. So I started hiding a little bit more, and I started giving excuses. It creates a lot of guilt. Guilt is a terrible, terrible thing because it spirals your depression like 10 times further."

Everything came to a head for Lehner on March 29, 2018. As he detailed in the story for The Athletic, he started a game in goal for the Sabres. He felt exhausted, and then started to feel pain in his chest and had a hard time breathing. By the end of the second period, he realized he was having a full-blown panic attack.

Team doctors and trainers helped calm him by talking to him. His GM came to check whether he was OK. Lehner didn't want to go to the hospital because "it's Buffalo and if I went there, it would end up in the newspaper," he said. So Sabres doctors sent him home after the second period.

After waiting it out at the arena for a few hours -- he didn't want any fans to see him leaving early -- Lehner finally made it home. In his Athletic essay, Lehner said that he stopped for beers on the way. Donya didn't attend the game because Lennox was sick. She was sleeping by the time her husband came home.

Lehner woke her up and said: "I need to go away."

He had considered going to rehab multiple times before but never followed through on it because he feared repercussions. What would it mean for his family? Would he lose his job? Would he get another one? But Lehner realized that he needed to get help -- or he might not be there for his family at all.

"It was a tough decision because everything was in shambles," Lehner said. "I had to make the decision to stop faking my way through things. I didn't really know what was going to happen with my career. But at the time, it didn't matter. It didn't matter anymore, because I was going to die if I kept on like this."

After Lehner finished his rehab at The Meadows and signed with the Islanders, he committed to being fully transparent.

"I told Lou [Lamoriello] that I had my issues. I told him I am an alcoholic and I drank a lot," Lehner said. "I created a trust. Because if I didn't tell him all the bad stuff that was going on with me, how was he going to believe me when I tell him what I'm going to do to prevent it?"

Lehner then gave the Islanders' trainer his medications. "Come into my office in the mornings," the trainer said. "And I'll give them to you."

No need, Lehner told him. He didn't have anything to hide.

"You can give them to me in front of the other players, in the locker room," he said. "I don't care. I put my pill bottles in my locker. I don't try to hide any of it. Other guys have vitamins in their lockers. I'm not trying to compare it, but it's a normal thing I'm treating. And I guarantee a lot of other guys are going through it, too."

Being open also created safeguards for Lehner. If his teammates hadn't known that he had just left rehab, he could have picked up a beer on a plane ride or ordered a few drinks at dinner, and nobody would have blinked twice. Now they would look out for him and hold him accountable.

"The reason I went public was to help a lot of people," Lehner said. "But it would also help myself."

Throughout the season, his Islanders teammates -- as well as players on other teams across the league -- sought out Lehner. They wanted to know more about his story. Sometimes, they wanted to talk about themselves. "By being open, I just wanted to take the scariness away," Lehner said. "Being bipolar -- everyone thinks we're crazy. But they can see that I'm normal and can live normally. And also that getting help is possible."

Although he didn't reach an agreement with the Islanders this past summer, Lehner has nothing but good things to say about the people within the organization -- from Lamoriello to coach Barry Trotz to his former teammates. It was the most gratifying season of his career.

Lehner's new team has welcomed him, too. "His story shows it doesn't matter how successful you are, everybody is going through something," Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. "When you have someone in the public eye like that who can eloquently talk about it, and has the courage to put it into words, and look vulnerable in front of a lot of people, it's good for them. Because it could give a lot of other people strength, too."

Since Lehner went public, he has received countless messages -- emails, letters, Instagram direct messages, Twitter replies -- from people who are either going through something similar or know somebody who has. Donya gets messages, too. A few weeks ago, Lehner received a Twitter message from the father of a 19-year-old. His son had just received a bipolar diagnosis and was "freaking out." The son had been admitted to the hospital and put on heavy medication. Lehner replied with his cellphone number and arranged a call. "Tell me what is going on," Lehner told the father. "Tell me your story."

It's a fine line for Lehner to walk. It can be overwhelming, given everything else he's balancing -- a new job in a new city, parenting and tending to his own mental health -- so Lehner must pick and choose who he responds to. And he doesn't want to overextend his reach. "I'm not a doctor. I'm not a psychiatrist. I'm no therapist," Lehner said. "Some people grab on to things I say, and I don't want to give them advice. I say, 'This is what worked for me, but the best thing you can do is consult professionals and listen to them.'"

#SameHere is an expression which means: I've faced challenges in life too. Those challenges have affected my mental health. It's a sign that we hope will unite the world to once and for all, normalize how universal this topic is. pic.twitter.com/gWsuDIwkMR

— Robin Lehner (@RobinLehner) August 13, 2019

As Lehner begins working on creating his own foundation, he has partnered with Same Here, an organization dedicated to ending the stigma around mental health in sports, as an ambassador -- and his Blackhawks helmet will feature the words "#SameHere" this season.

"#SameHere is an expression which means: I've faced challenges in life too," Lehner tweeted. "Those challenges have affected my mental health. It's a sign that we hope will unite the world to once and for all, normalize how universal this topic is."

In choosing to sign with the Blackhawks, Lehner was forced to bet on himself.

"Taking a one-year contract, especially with a team like Chicago that doesn't know me, who I am as a person and what I do to stay healthy [was a risk]," Lehner said. "And hopefully I can build the trust there, too."

Lehner said the Blackhawks are different from any other NHL team he has played for because they employ two mental skills coaches, James Gary and David Marks. Both are licensed clinical professional counselors. GM Stan Bowman says Gary was on staff even before he arrived in 2001. Marks joined the franchise in 2016 so the two could spread their time between the Blackhawks' NHL and minor league players. According to Bowman, Gary or Marks are available to players at any time to discuss whatever they'd like to talk about -- family, hockey, finances or mental health.

"Everybody wants to know what the league needs to do or change to address mental health issues," Lehner said. "A few things have to change, eventually. But it's the players who have to change, too."

And hockey culture itself needs to change.

"You're not supposed to show your weaknesses or show defeat [in hockey]," he said. "It's a culture thing. We have to try to help each other, and it all comes back to education and being open. And that's why I talk about it."

Joaquin Niemann captured the first event of the new PGA Tour season in the Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. Here’s a look inside his bag:

DRIVER: Ping G400 (10 degrees), with Graphite Design Tour AD DI-7 X shaft

FAIRWAY WOOD: Ping G410 (14.5 degrees), with Graphite Design Tour AD DI-8 X shaft

HYBRID: Ping G400 (19 degrees), with Graphite Design Hybrid 95X shaft

IRONS: Ping iBlade (4-9), with Project X 6.0 shafts

WEDGES: Ping Glide 2.0 (46 degrees), Glide Forged (52, 56, 60 degrees), with Project X 6.5 shafts

PUTTER: Ping Vault 2.0 Dale Anser

BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

Joaquinn Nieman earned $1,350,000 for winning the first event of the new PGA Tour season. He made less than $100,000 more than that in 28 starts last season. Here's a breakdown of prize money and FedExCup points for Niemann and the rest of the players in A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier.

Joaquin Niemann on Sunday became the first player from Chile to win on the PGA Tour.

Another first for the 20-year-old: He cracked the Official World Golf Ranking's top 50.

The former amateur No. 1 is now OWGR No. 50 coming off his win at the Greenbrier. 

The victory earned him full-time PGA Tour status through the 2021-22 season and secured him exemptions into next year's Players, Masters and PGA Championship. 

Niemann is now slated to make his first appearance in a World Golf Championship next year in Memphis but can do so months sooner at the HSBC Champions in China if he's still inside the top 50 on Oct. 14.

In Amsterdam, Sergio Garcia picked up his 16th European Tour title at the KLM Open. The victory advances Garcia to 32nd in the world and vaults him past Rafa Cabrera Bello (No. 42) in the race for the second Spanish Olympic berth to next year's Games in Tokyo, behind No. 6 Jon Rahm.

The runner-up to Garcia, 18-year-old Nicolai Hojgaard managed to rocket up 622nd spots, from 1002nd to 380th. Hojgaard, who turned pro earlier this year, also secured himself a spot in the field at this month's Alfred Dunhill Links, where he'll look to further his nascent career. 

The only move inside the top 10 this week, Francesco Molinari jumped from No. 11 to No. 9, dropping Xander Schauffele to 10th and Bryson DeChambeau to 11th.

Here's the OWGR top 10 for the week of Sept. 16: 1. Brooks Koepka, 2.  Rory McIlroy, 3. Dustin Johnson, 4. Justin Rose, 5. Justin Thomas, 6. Jon Rham, 7. Patrick Cantlay, 8. Tiger Woods, 9. Francesco Molinari, 10. Xander Schauffele.

VIRGINIA WATER, England – Last month, the European Tour unveiled a four-point plan to address slow play, and one of the first pieces of that plan will be put to the test this week at the BMW PGA Championship.

A GPS tracking system will be used this week that will allow officials to keep track of each group’s position on the golf course. The system will also provide displays on tees to let players know their position relative to the groups around them.

A tracking device with be placed on one golf bag in each group. When that group completes a hole, the information is sent to officials and displayed on five holes (Nos. 4, 7, 10, 13 and 16). The plan is to have displays on every hole beginning next year.

The displays will include the hole number, which group is now playing, and the players in the group. If a group is out of position, it will be noted by a plus mark and a red number.

The European Tour tested the tracking system at the Open de Bretagne on the Challenge Tour two weeks ago.

The circuit’s pace-of-play plan addresses regulation, education, innovation and field sizes; it will also include increased fines for pace-of-play violations and targeted timings of slow players.

D.C. United striker Wayne Rooney has said that American players in Major League Soccer do not get paid enough.

The former Manchester United striker told ESPN FC in an exclusive interview that his U.S. teammates do not earn enough money, calling for team owners and league officials to increase wages in the next collective bargaining agreement.

"I feel that American players get underpaid," he said. "I feel they deserve to get more money to stay in line with football in the rest of the world and in terms of the American sports.

"I'm not saying it to benefit me, I obviously won't be in the league next season. I think it's only fair to those players who are putting in the same work as all have to earn the right to earn more money for doing it."

The existing collective bargaining agreement is due to expire on Jan. 31, 2020, with players previously threatening to strike if changes are not made to salaries, travel accommodations and more freedom of movement between MLS clubs when contracts expire.

Rooney is one of the three Designated Players at D.C. United, meaning that he is allowed to earn above $10,192-a-week, the cap for non-Designated Players on MLS rosters.

Rooney has scored 23 goals in 45 league appearances, but will leave for second-tier English side Derby County at the end of the MLS season.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to continue his policy of targeting British players next summer with Jadon Sancho and James Maddison, sources have told ESPN FC.

Solskjaer splashed nearly £150 million to bring Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James to Old Trafford during the transfer window and he is planning to sign more domestic talent at the end of the season.

- ESPN Champions League fantasy: Sign up now!

Borussia Dortmund forward Sancho and Leicester midfielder Maddison top the list of targets with Solskjaer keen to inject more goals into his squad after allowing Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to join Inter Milan.

United have not been put off pursuing Sancho despite the 19-year-old agreeing a new long-term contract at Dortmund in August. They expect Leicester to value Maddison, 22, at between £70m and £80m.

Other British names on Solskjaer's hit list include Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff, Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson and Stoke defender Nathan Collins.

United will look to strengthen their midfield and forward line next summer after Solskjaer admitted he has been left short of attacking options after the departures of both Lukaku and Sanchez.

Saturday's 1-0 win over Leicester on Saturday moved United up to fourth in the Premier League table.

They have the joint best defensive record in the league after five games but have been restricted to just eight goals themselves -- eight fewer than top scorers Manchester City.

Meanwhile, sources have told ESPN FC that goalkeeper David De Gea has penned a new deal at Old Trafford.

De Gea agreed terms on a six-year deal earlier in the summer and the formalities have now been completed to extend his stay at the club.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still facing a civil rape case in Las Vegas, said in an interview this week that he felt "embarrassed" by the allegations against him.

The pending civil case by Kathryn Mayorga alleges conspiracy, defamation, breach of contract, coercion and fraud. Her complaint seeks unspecified monetary damages greater than $50,000.

Police in Las Vegas reopened a criminal investigation last October at the request of Mayorga, who accused Ronaldo of sexual assault in 2009. But police confirmed in June that he won't face criminal charges. Las Vegas police matched a DNA sample from Ronaldo to evidence from the alleged 2009 rape at a Las Vegas hotel, but detectives said they struggled with uncooperative attorneys for Mayorga before prosecutors declined to pursue a criminal charge, according to correspondence obtained by this past August by ESPN's Outside the Lines.

"They play with your dignity," Ronaldo told 'Good Morning Britain' in an interview with Piers Morgan that will air on Tuesday in Great Britain. "It's hard. You have a girlfriend, you have a family, you have kids. When they play with your honesty, it's bad, it's hard.

"I remember one day I was at home in the living room with my girlfriend watching the television to see the news and they speak about 'Cristiano Ronaldo this and that.'

"I listened to my kids coming down the stairs and I changed the channel because I was embarrassed.

'He doesn't see me receive awards.'

In an emotional interview, @Cristiano breaks down in tears over the loss of his late father and the fact that he never got to witness his son's success.

Watch the full interview on @ITV on Tuesday at 9pm.@piersmorgan | #GMB pic.twitter.com/LybbJn31VR

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) September 16, 2019

"I just changed the channel for Cristiano Jr. not to see that they speak bad about his father about a very bad case."

According to court documents, Mayorga signed a 2010 confidentiality agreement with Ronaldo in exchange for a $375,000 hush-money payment. Ronaldo's lawyers have said Ronaldo and Mayorga had consensual sex in his suite at a Las Vegas casino hotel but deny it was rape.

Prosecutors say the initial police investigation in 2009 was closed after police were stymied by lost evidence and lack of cooperation from Mayorga.

Mayorga, 35, asked police to reopen the case in August 2018. Police also were unable to authenticate leaked documents about the case that have been published in the European media. Police also struggled to get cooperation from British police related to a 2005 rape allegation against Ronaldo, according to the correspondence.

During the interview, the Portugal international also broke down into tears when remembering his father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, who died of cirrhosis in 2005 at the age of 52.

"He doesn't see me receive awards," Ronaldo said. "My family see, my mum, my brothers -- even my son. But my father, he didn't see anything.

"But I really don't know my father 100 percent. He was a drunk person. I never spoke with him, like a normal conversation. It was hard."

There's lots to talk about in this week's Monday Musings following a wild weekend. Gab Marcotti is here to recap the big stories around soccer.

Jump to: No crisis yet for Man City | End of Bayern's dominance? | Fati masks Barca's issues | Juventus get lucky | Neymar gets rude welcome | Arsenal woe continues | | Neville harsh on Man United? | Chelsea's youth movement | Dortmund ready for Barca | Odegaard dazzling for Sociedad | Why Firmino's so special | Conte, Inter keep winning | The sad story of #BlueGirl

Sky isn't falling for Man City despite Norwich shock

One of the more odd decisions this past summer was Manchester City not replacing Vincent Kompany. "Replace" is perhaps too strong a word. You can't "replace" him but you can bring in another live body to give offer you an alternative at centre-back and provide some competition for John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi.

- Ogden: Man City might regret inspiring Liverpool
- Miller: Have Norwich shown the league how to beat City?
- ESPN's Ultimate XI: This team would win everything

Many of us pointed this out but hey, it's Pep Guardiola, so you naturally offer the benefit of the doubt. He must know something we don't. Maybe Fernandinho (at 34) can fill in too. Maybe Eric Garcia is ready. Maybe Kyle Walker can slide across. Maybe Aymeric Laporte is Iron Man and will never get injured. (Oops: we already know that's not the case.)

It's not that Otamendi and Stones are bad defenders, it's that the way City play can leave them vulnerable, which is pretty much what happened against Norwich in their 3-2 defeat. There's a price you pay for choosing to play a certain way and evidently, for City it's one worth paying. The problem is this is a low-scoring sport. Scoring goals is difficult and ideally, you want to make conceding them as difficult as possible for the opposition. With those two back there and this set up, it's that much easier for them.

Updated Luck Index: Man City continue to be unfortunate

No, the sky isn't falling. Even in this game, Man City could have grabbed the three points with a bit more luck. Nor will they always face someone as motivated and as intense as Daniel Farke's crew who, severely depleted by injuries, went all out with nothing to lose. But the reality is that the gap separating them from Liverpool is already at five points, and the last time that happened was back in January.

Is time running out on Bayern's Bundesliga dynasty?

Is this the year someone in the Bundesliga topples Galactus (read: Bayern)?

Leipzig had their audition on Saturday, holding the champions to a 1-1 draw. The result keeps Julian Nagelsmann's crew top of the league with Bayern fourth, two points back. But other than the usual drive and running you'd expect from Leipzig -- and, after the break, the character that wasn't always there last season -- I'm not sure we quite saw enough to predict they'll prevail over the marathon that is a whole season.

In fact, a lot of it had to do with Bayern's deficiencies. Having gone ahead early thanks to the age-old Thomas Mueller-Robert Lewandowski connection, they failed to capitalise on their lead despite having the upper hand for much of the first half. Joshua Kimmich in central midfield alongside Thiago Alcantara gave them a bit more control against the press, but they were sterile in the final third. Leipzig deserved their equalizer after a bad error from Lucas Hernandez (the sort that prompts you to say "He cost how much?") and while late chances meant it could have gone either way, there wasn't too much separating these two.

The difference? Well, you try to imagine how they can get better and you can see far bigger margins for growth at the Bayern end. Nagelsmann can conjure up some more tactical voodoo, Emil Forsberg might last 90 minutes, Kevin Kampl might be fit again and maybe they'll get something out of Patrik Schick. But it's slim pickings.

As for Bayern, Nico Kovac lost David Alaba to injury in the warm-up. But he still has Philippe Coutinho, who only came on with two minutes to go, and Ivan Perisic, who stayed rooted to the bench: presumably both were signed for a reason. The question, really, is how much faith you have in Kovac.

Fabulous Fati obscures Barca's issues

Ansu Fati, already the third youngest goalscorer in the history of La Liga, got his first start for Barcelona on Saturday against Valencia and set the Camp Nou alight inside 10 minutes. He scored with a confident, accurate finish, set up a goal for Frenkie de Jong and came close to scoring two more times. Oh yeah, in case you didn't know, the kid doesn't turn 17 until Halloween.

His emergence, and that of Carles Perez, mean that Lionel Messi (who was in the stands) and Luis Suarez (who came on and scored twice) can come back into the team in their own time. But equally, despite the gaudy scoreline (5-2) and the excitement over Fati, there is still plenty for Ernesto Valverde to work on.

Valencia are a mess right now (thanks, Peter Lim!) having sacked Marcelino and replaced him with Albert Celades. And they still stayed in the game thanks to Kevin Gameiro, falling apart only after Jasper Cillessen's mistake for the third Barca goal. Suarez, looking sharp and hungry (no, not in that way), later added two to put the game out of reach.

Defensively, Barca looked far from solid, not just at the back but also in midfield; the fact that it was the first choice trio of De Jong, Arthur and Sergio Busquets doesn't bode well.

Juventus get lucky vs. Fiorentina

There's a ton of ancient bad blood between Fiorentina and Juventus. Throw in the enthusiasm that new owner Rocco Commisso has engendered within the Viola organization, the fact that it was Maurizio Sarri's official post-pneumonia debut and especially the fact that the visitors lost Douglas Costa, Miralem Pjanic and Danilo through injury during the match (and the first two are especially key to the way they play) and perhaps Juve should be happy with a point.

Why? They were poor for much of the game against an opponent who treats the match as if it was the Champions League final and Avengers: Endgame rolled into one. Sarri later blamed the heat of a mid-afternoon kickoff, which is a bit hard to stomach since presumably Fiorentina felt just as hot. It might have been better to just take it on the chin, be grateful for the point and move on.

PSG fans will take time to welcome Neymar back

Neymar made his first appearance of the season for Paris Saint-Germain at the weekend and was greeted, predictably, with boos and insults. It's what you expect when, after pledging your loyalty to the club, you go out of your way to force a move back to Barcelona. So what did he do? Easy, he scored a "worldie" deep in injury time to secure the three points against Strasbourg.

- Laurens: The definitive story of the Neymar saga

"I expected it, but in the end I forced them to applaud," he said afterwards adding that every game will now feel like an away match.

He made his bed, he can lie in it now and won't get much sympathy. But at the very least, he deserves recognition for the professionalism he showed Saturday. Whether he'll ever get love from the Ultras given what happened is unclear but that doesn't mean they can't reach some mutually beneficial relationship.

What's obvious is that if you're Thomas Tuchel, you're glad he's back.

Arsenal's issues are self-inflicted

The statistics say Arsenal conceded 23 shots on goal in the second-half against Watford on Sunday. That's one every two minutes and it's frankly hard to do. It's especially tough when you go in at half-time with a two-goal lead, one which, based on what we saw in the first half, was likely more than generous. And yes, they ended up settling for a 2-2 draw.

You can focus on individuals -- Matteo Guendouzi, Sokratis Papasthatopoulos, David Luiz -- all you like and there's another statistic floating around that says that since the start of last season no team has made more errors leading directly to opposition goals than Arsenal. But this is a team issue.

If you have error-prone players, you design tactical systems that protect them and don't expose them. That's just basic. And that's on Unai Emery.

Real nearly throw it away before PSG trip

It's a sign of Real Madrid's current state that even after playing well, creating plenty of chances and racing to a 3-0 lead at home to Levante, they still required a last-ditch save from Thibaut Courtois to retain their three points. In the cold light of day, you'd look at this performance, note Madrid's domination, the fact that the goals conceded were against the run of play and chalk up the 3-2 scoreline to the randomness of football. And you might even celebrate Eden Hazard's debut and look forward to what is next.

Instead, it's all fraught nerves ahead of the trip to the Parc des Princes to face Paris Saint-Germain in midweek. Context matters, possibly because we're in mid-September and we have no real idea what Zinedine Zidane has in mind.

Neville a bit harsh on Man United?

Manchester United squeezed out a victory over Leicester City, but I was struck by Gary Neville's comments suggesting Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should get at least three more transfer windows "to clean up the trash in the dressing room, because there is trash in there."

I have a lot of time for Neville, but I was wondering to whom he's referring given a summer of significant departures. Of the guys who are most frequently targeted as "trash" (or "weeds" to use another of his terms), Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo haven't played this year. Fred has been on the pitch for 24 minutes, Nemanja Matic has started one game. Who does he mean? Paul Pogba? Anthony Martial? Juan Mata?

I'm also not sure about the comparisons with Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool and how it took him time to produce. He reached a Europa League final after taking over in October and finished fourth the following year. Plus, he had a rather more credible resume than Solskjaer did. By all means, give him time, but set credible targets and deadlines too.

Why Chelsea's youth movement feels different

Chelsea's 5-2 away win to Wolves brings their seasonal goals total to 11 and all of them scored by Academy graduates. Fikayo Tomori, Andreas Christensen, Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount all started at Molyneux and all look poised to play a big part in Chelsea's season. With more homegrown players -- Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi, possibly Reece James too -- set to return from injury, there could be as many as seven of them in Frank Lampard's XI at some point.

What sets this group apart though is the fact that apart from Christensen, who joined at 16, the others have all been affiliated with the club since before they were 10 years old. We often play fast and loose with the homegrown label since so many clubs (including Chelsea, of course) cherry pick top talent from elsewhere at 16, stick them in the Academy for a year or two and then count them as "club-trained." Technically, that's true but with these guys, it's different.

Dortmund look ready for Barcelona

"Bouncebackability" isn't a real word, but it applies here. Borussia Dortmund had a whole international break to stew over the humiliating 3-1 defeat to newly promoted Union Berlin and with Kai Havertz and Bayer Leverkusen rolling into town, the potential for after-effects was still high. Instead, we got one of the most dominating Dortmund performances in recent memory. At the attacking end, Marco Reus got his mo-jo back, Jadon Sancho popped up with his usual two assists and Paco Alcacer scored in his eighth consecutive game, including internationals.

Roll on, Barcelona, this Tuesday.

Odegaard continues to dazzle

Martin Odegaard made his international debut for Norway at 15 years of age and moved to Real Madrid six months later. Too much, too soon? It felt that way to many, given he failed to establish himself at youth level and later spent two years on loan. But players develop at different speeds and having rocketed to the international stage, he was due a breather.

This year, he's on loan at Real Sociedad, where he's already scored twice and, on Saturday night against Atletico Madrid, was arguably man of the match. He doesn't even turn 21 until December, but it feels as if this could be the year it all comes together for him. Watch this space.

Meanwhile, for Atletico, the 2-0 defeat reinforces what we already know: losing four or five starters in a summer is tricky to metabolize and there will be days like this when Diego Simeone's tinkering leads nowhere.

Why Roberto Firmino is so unique

My former colleague Matthew Syed, writing in The Times, made the point that Roberto Firmino appears to have 360-degree vision, a bit like those owls, whose heads seem to swivel all the way around. It's not hard to see why, given his performance in Liverpool's 3-1 win over Newcastle.

Some see him as a prototype of a modern center-forward, the "false nine" who is more creator than finisher. That certainly fits with Firmino's strengths though another, equally formidable strength, is the intensity and intelligence of his pressing game. But I'm not sure he's a prototype of anything.

Most of Europe's top teams -- from Barcelona to Manchester City, from Tottenham to Real Madrid, from Bayern to Juventus -- still have a genuine centerforward rather than a "false nine" (to use another hipsterish term). In other words, Firmino is not a trend as much as he has a nearly unique, extremely rare skill set, which comes a result of his past as an attacking midfielder.

Conte keeping expectations down at Inter

Antonio Conte is playing that age-old game straight out of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" -- "when you are weak, appear strong and when you are strong, appear weak." Following Inter's third win on the bounce (one-nil against Udinese) he said "we know the game. They build us up now to knock us down later. For us to win the title, other clubs would have to have disastrous seasons."

- Schoenfeld: Romelu Lukaku talks about his Inter mission

It's pretty transparent what he's doing. And yes, Inter aren't title favorites but he has the strike force he says he wanted (Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez, Alexis Sanchez), he has two of the best young midfielders in the league (Stefano Sensi and Nicolo Barella) and arguably the best center-back corps. There's no reason to hide. Own the responsibilty.

What needs to happen beyond #BlueGirl

The harrowing tale of Sahar Khodayari, the 29-year-old Iranian woman who set herself on fire (and later died from severe burns) after being sentenced to six months in prison for disguising herself as a man to attend a football match between her team, Esteghlal, and the UAE's Al-Ain last March, shocked the world.

Like many such stories, it's more complicated than it appears. There is no written law barring women from entering Iranian stadiums, so she was sentenced for not fully adhering to Islamic hijab laws and covering her head. But equally, since the Islamic revolution 40 years ago, women have been unofficially banned from watching men's games with very few exceptions, like last November's Asian Champions League final.

It shouldn't take the tragic death of a vulnerable person for the world to take notice. The hashtag #BlueGirl is great to raise awareness but it can't end there, particularly since there has been so much outrage and support for change, even in Iran.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has pushed Iran on this matter before and the stock answer has been that the "infrastructure" was not yet in place to allow women in on a regular basis. (What infrastructure? Women's toilets? Surely they have port-a-potties in Iran...) That argument is nonsense as evidenced by the fact that women have been allowed in before. FIFA's statutes are very clear when it comes to equality and access. They have the power to withhold development money and suspend the Iranian FA.

It's time to take action and, given the support such action would have within Iran -- from much of the population and virtually the entire football world -- it feels like a no-brainer.

Last time we met, the Major League Soccer playoff push was in full swing and every game seemed to count just a little bit more. New York City FC had ascended to the top of the Eastern Conference. Toronto FC had pulled themselves into a stable playoff position. Montreal had faded. Peace settled across the conference. This weeks' results changed nothing.

- ESPN MLS fantasy: Sign up here!

Meanwhile, in the Western Conference: chaos. The East is a PBS show about antiques. The West is a telenovela with more than one evil twin, an international conspiracy and rotating love triangles.

This week, seven teams moved up or down the standings based on the round of games in the West, and it doesn't figure to calm down any time soon.

We live for the chaos. Rank 'em up.

Previous rankings: Week 27 | Week 26 | Week 25 | Week 24 | Week 23 | Week 22 | Week 21 | Week 20 | Week 19 | Week 18 | Week 17 | Week 16 | Week 15 | Week 14 | Week 13 | Week 12 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1

1. LAFC (19 wins, 7 draws, 4 losses)

Previous ranking: 1

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 vs. Toronto FC (10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

LAFC are now in the middle of an unprecedented four-game winless run, which is the 2019 MLS regular season equivalent of Drago getting cut in "Rocky IV." Yes, that casts the Union as Rocky Balboa. Too easy.

2. New York City FC (16-9-5)

Previous ranking: 2

Next MLS match: Sept. 22 at FC Dallas (11:00 p.m. ET)

The late season rise of Keaton Parks continues and NYCFC is navigating the absence of Heber just fine, thank you very much. This calls for some peanuts and Cracker Jacks.

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3. Philadelphia Union (15-7-8)

Previous ranking: 3

Next MLS match: Sept. 22 at Red Bulls (6:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Some people go back to school or take continuing education classes to improve their credentials. The Philadelphia Union play toe-to-toe with some of the league's best teams to improve theirs.

4. Minnesota United (14-6-10)

Previous ranking: 4

Next MLS match: Sept. 22 at Portland (3:55 p.m. ET, watch live on ESPN/ESPN Deportes)

"Molino, Quintero, baby why don't we go / to the playoffs..." The Loons are definitely going to go to the playoffs. Hopefully without terrible parody lyrics to a Beach Boys song we'd all like to forget.

5. Seattle Sounders (14-7-9)

Previous ranking: 8

Next MLS match: Sept. 18 vs. FC Dallas (10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Look, no one is going to say that the Sounders defense look MLS Cup-caliber at the moment, but as long they have a rampant Jordan Morris and Nicolas Lodeiro, no one should doubt their championship credentials.

6. Toronto FC (12-9-10)

Previous ranking: 13

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 at LAFC (10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Everything in Toronto is about bringing the talent in the squad to bear on the final few weeks of the seasons. It wasn't comfortable against Colorado, but the Reds have the look of a team no-one will want to see in the postseason.

7. Atlanta United (15-3-11)

Previous ranking: 5

Next MLS match: Sept. 18 at FC Cincinnati (7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Whatever designs the Five Stripes had on first place probably died at the hands of the ghost Crew on Saturday. Everyone is allowed a blip, even in crunch time, so we'll hold off on overrating the poorness of that performance.

8. LA Galaxy (14-3-13)

Previous ranking: 10

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 vs. Montreal (10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

The Galaxy scored seven goals against Sporting and yet -- and yet -- there are still serious questions about that defense. For now, Zlatan Ibrahimovic & Co. are in fifth in the West and lurking.

9. D.C. United (12-9-10)

Previous ranking: 14

Next MLS match: Sept. 22 vs. Seattle (8 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

D.C. United got a lucky break (Portland's own goal), were denied a chance at an insurance goal and still held on against the Timbers in Portland. Every win is worth the same three points, but those three points will feel like some of the biggest of the season.

10. Portland Timbers (13-4-12)

Previous ranking: 7

Next MLS match: Sept. 18 vs. Red Bulls (10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

The Timbers axe had no edge against D.C. United on Sunday. Without Brian Fernandez and Sebastian Blanco, Portland couldn't muster enough in the attack to overcome Bill Tuiloma's own goal. Mark that down as a very bad loss.

11. San Jose Earthquakes (13-5-12)

Previous ranking: 6

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 at Atlanta (3:30 p.m. ET)

The Quakes lost at Yankee Stadium, and Matias Almeyda was back on the sidelines. That's great because we then get quotes like this: "It's a great stadium, but it's a small-sided field. It's not real. It stops being realistic before the game even starts."

12. New England Revolution (10-10-10)

Previous ranking: 9

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 vs. Real Salt Lake (7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

We didn't even know Bruce Arena teams were allowed to be up two goals at halftime and somehow not win. A road point should never be taken for granted, but with a playoff berth on the line, that's a draw that will hurt. The Revs have a record like a gymnastics score -- but not as positive.

13. Real Salt Lake (14-4-12)

Previous ranking: 11

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 at New England (7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

RSL had one of those weeks that speaks to how tight things are in the West. A win over San Jose? Good! A loss to Minnesota? Not so good! RSL looks like a playoff team, but nothing else can be stated with certainty.

14. Orlando City (9-9-13)

Previous ranking: 17

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 at Houston (8:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

When only a win would do, the Lions go a three-goal performance -- and still managed to only draw. Orlando is the Sisyphean Team of the Year so far: Just when they look like they've reached the top of the hill, the boulder rolls all the way back down.

15. FC Dallas (12-7-11)

Previous ranking: 12

Next MLS match: Sept. 18 at Seattle (10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

They don't let us post gifs in lieu of words in the Power Rankings. Just imagine that instead of these sentences, you're seeing a famous person making a confused face. FC Dallas everybody!

16. Chicago Fire (9-10-12)

Previous ranking: 19

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 at FC Cincinnati (7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Okay, Chicago, we see you. You didn't like our little joke at your expense last week and you decided to take it out on FC Dallas. We guess you do have all the ingredients for a conflagration.

17. Columbus Crew (9-7-15)

Previous ranking: 20

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 at Vancouver (5 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Not going to lie, we're very confused by what happened in Atlanta. It's like the ghost version of the 2017 Columbus Crew inhabited the body of the current version and beat the champs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Spooky.

18. Colorado Rapids (10-6-15)

Previous ranking: 15

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 at Sporting Kansas City (8:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

The Rapids were a saved penalty away from keeping Robin Fraser's unbeaten start as manager going against TFC in Toronto. It was never going to be simple for the new boss, and even in a loss there are positives for Colorado.

19. Sporting Kansas City (10-7-13)

Previous ranking: 16

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 vs. Colorado (8:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Um. Yeah. Peter Vermes, do you want to take this one?

20. New York Red Bulls (12-5-13)

Previous ranking: 18

Next MLS match: Sept. 18 at Portland (10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

The Red Bulls are on red alert after an ugly defensive performance in Seattle. What this year's entry from New Jersey lacks in assuredness they more than make up for in fragility. Wait, that's not how that's supposed to work ...

21. Vancouver Whitecaps (7-9-15)

Previous ranking: 22

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 vs. Columbus (5 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

The Caps aren't really in any danger of collecting the Wooden Spoon, but Saturday's win was important (sorry, "important") because it kept Marc Dos Santos' team one head of FC Cincinnati in the win column.

22. FC Cincinnati (6-3-21)

Previous ranking: 24

Next MLS match: Sept. 18 vs. Atlanta (7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

The results are in: Skyline chili is better than poutine.

23. Houston Dynamo (10-4-16)

Previous ranking: 23

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 vs. Orlando (8:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

So much for Zombie Dynamo. Houston lurched back to life in midweek only to fall to the worst team in the Western Conference on Saturday.

24. Montreal Impact (11-4-16)

Previous ranking: 21

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 at LA Galaxy (10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Wilmer Cabrera, head coach of the Montreal Impact and a man with at least some say in what happens in Impact games (we think): "Losing against Cincinnati is one of the worst things that can happen to the players." Well then.