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Manchester United hero Wayne Rooney remains one of the deadliest strikers to have played at Old Trafford, and it appears that he hasn’t lost his ability to score stunning goals, even after his retirement.

Wayne Rooney scores blockbuster goal in Nexon Icons match

While the Premier League begins to heat up again after the conclusion of the international break, football fans on the other side of the world were able to take in a thrilling match-up of legends in Seoul on Sunday.

In the latest instalment of the Nexon Icons 2025 Series, FC Spear and Shield United went head-to-head for the Nexon trophy and plenty of the world’s best at their craft were on show in front of their adoring crowd.

Rooney led the line for FC Spear, followed up by a support act of epic proportion, including Didier Drogba, Thierry Henry, Kaka and Steven Gerrard, among other star-studded faces.

On the other side, Carles Puyol, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Iker Casillas were just some of the names on display, but former Manchester United star Rooney grabbed the headlines, even if his side went on to lose 2-1 courtesy of strikes from Maicon and Joo Ho Park.

As seen below, the Three Lions icon delivered a magnificent effort from outside the area to level the scoring, one that bore striking similarities to his strike in Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat against Barcelona in the 2011 Champions League final at Wembley.

Forever a legend at both Everton and Manchester United, he is enjoying life after his playing days and still has a God-given talent most footballers would kill to replicate. Now, it remains to be seen whether he dips his toe back into management.

Full transcript of line-ups from Nexon Icons match

Shield United: Young Kwang Kim, Iker Casillas, Alessandro Nesta, Michael Carrick, Marchisio, Gilberto Silva, Joo Ho Park, Sol Campbell, Claude Makelele, Ashley Cole, Maicon, John Arne Riise, Nemanja Vidic, Carles Puyol, Young Pyo Lee, Rio Ferdinand.

FC Spear: Bum Young Lee, Gianluigi Buffon, Ja Cheol Koo, Ki Hyon Seol, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Clarence Seedorf, Eden Hazard, Wayne Rooney, Gareth Bale, Kaka, Steven Gerrard, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Ji Sung Park, Didier Drogba.

What next for Wayne Rooney in management?

On the management front, Rooney is without a club after leaving Plymouth Argyle in 2024 after a run of five wins, six draws and 14 losses in 25 matches across all competitions.

Previously, he has also enjoyed spells in charge of Derby County, DC United and Birmingham City, albeit the Manchester United hero has enjoyed varied degrees of success at all four clubs.

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Speaking to The Rest is Football earlier this year, Rooney admitted he would like to take on a new challenge in the dugout, but only if it comes in the right set of circumstances.

“I would like to go back in (to management). But it would have to be the right club. Certainly the right club. I think you always have that ego, don’t you? You always have that confidence you could go in and get the best out of a bad or difficult situation.”

Coaching vacancies will become available throughout the next few months, though some would suggest that Rooney putting his boots back would be an even better use of his time!

Tottenham Hotspur kick off their Champions League campaign later this evening as they prepare to welcome Spanish side Villarreal to North London.

The Lilywhites beat West Ham United 3-0 in the Premier League at the London Stadium on Saturday, thanks to goals from Micky van de Ven, Pape Matar Sarr, and Lucas Bergval.

Thomas Frank will have to make at least one change to his starting line-up for this clash with Villarreal, though, because Mathys Tel was not included in the squad for the Champions League.

The former Bayern Munich forward started in the number nine role for Spurs against the Hammers at the weekend, but failed to register a shot on target or a chance created for his side, per Sofascore.

This means that he may well have been dropped from the starting XI even if he had been included in the Champions League squad. Either way, he will not be involved this evening.

Interestingly, the player selected by Frank to replace Tel in the team may have to face off against former Tottenham central defender Juan Foyth tonight.

How Juan Foyth has fared since leaving Spurs

The Argentina international joined Spurs from Estudiantes LP in 2017 and only played 32 times in all competitions before his permanent move to Villarreal in the summer of 2021, after spending time on loan with the Spanish side the season before that, per Transfermarkt.

Foyth did not have much of an impact on the pitch for the club, playing just 16 matches in the Premier League in total, but Villarreal did pay £13m to sign him permanently from them.

At the time of writing (16/09/2025), Transfermarkt value the central defender at roughly £12.9m. This suggests that Spurs and Villarreal got good value out of that deal, as he has not significantly improved or declined in the last few seasons.

Foyth, who scored against Real Madrid back in March, has found a home in Spain, playing 139 appearances in all competitions for Villarreal to date, per Transfermarkt, and appears to be settled since moving on from England.

The Argentine central defender started 17 of his 19 appearances in LaLiga for Villarreal during the 2024/25 campaign, but he was not shy of making the odd mistake.

Appearances

19

Starts

17

Clean sheets

5

Ground duel success rate

56%

Aerial duel success rate

59%

Error led to shot

2

Error led to goal

1

As you can see in the table above, Foyth made three errors that led to shots or goals for the opposition, and his team only kept five clean sheets in his 19 outings.

This shows that Spurs can get joy out of their former defender if they put pressure on him and put a team out that can consistently test him with balls into the box and in behind the Villarreal backline.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

With this in mind, Frank could totally embarrass the former Tottenham centre-back by unleashing Richarlison in Mathys Tel’s place in the number nine position this evening.

The Brazil international played 19 minutes off the bench in the 3-0 win over the Hammers on Saturday. Now, he should be named in the starting line-up for the first Champions League match of the season.

Why Richarlison should start for Spurs

Richarlison should come into the team because he is a striker who has the physical and technical attributes to totally embarrass Foyth if the Argentine defender is not at his best.

In terms of being able to test the centre-back physically, the Brazilian forward is a willing runner who can stretch play by running the channels and making darts in behind to cause problems for the entire backline.

The centre-forward has also won 2.3 aerial duels per game, at a success rate of 45%, per Sofascore, which shows that he can hold his own in the air against physical Premier League defenders.

Richarlison is far from just a physical lump who will cause Foyth problems with his running and pure power, though, because he can also be very effective with the ball at his feet when at his best.

The former Everton and Watford attacker won the club’s Goal of the Month award for August, for example, with his stunning strike against Burnley on the opening day.

Richarlison has scored two goals and provided one assist in three starts for Spurs so far this season in the Premier League, per Sofascore, which shows that he has had a strong start to the campaign in front of goal.

In fact, his form over the last 365 days suggests that he has all the tools and form to cause real issues for Foyth in this Champions League clash this evening.

Non-penalty xG

0.41

Top 31%

Non-penalty goals

0.49

Top 25%

xAG

0.18

Top 15%

Assists

0.24

Top 14%

Progressive passes

2.19

Top 25%

Progressive carries

1.54

Top 30%

As you can see in the table above, the 28-year-old number nine ranks highly among his positional peers across the best leagues in Europe when it comes to both scoring and creating goals.

Richarlison was once described as a “goalmouth monster” by Ange Postecoglou. These statistics back that claim from the former Spurs manager up, as the striker has outperformed his xG over the last year.

The Brazilian forward is efficient in front of goal and can punish opposition defenders when they make mistakes, which is why he could embarrass Foyth if the former Tottenham man makes any ‘errors’ this evening.

Richarlison is a striker with the finishing quality to turn ‘errors that led to shots’ into ‘errors that led to goals’. It is now down to Frank, though, to select the forward and to set the team up in a way that can get the best out of him, and to put him in positions to press Foyth into making mistakes.

Worth more than Tel & Kolo Muani: Spurs let "sensational" star leave for £0

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England second-string squad returns to scene of 16-0 points whitewash earlier this year

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2025

Paige Scholfield and Hollie Armitage are among the inclusions in England A’s tour of Australia•PA Photos/Getty Images

Paige Scholfield, the first name out of the hat in Wednesday’s Women’s Hundred draft, has been selected across formats for England A’s upcoming tour of Australia, as the women’s set-up looks to bounce back from a humiliating Ashes whitewash earlier this year.Scholfield, 29, was retained by her Hundred team, Oval Invincibles, on a £65,000 deal on Wednesday evening, after Birmingham Phoenix attempted to recruit her to Edgbaston for the 2025 competition. Now she is headed to Australia as part of a development squad featuring just four players who featured in the 16-0 points defeat in the senior tour in January.Scholfield herself would have been a fifth member of that party, but she suffered an ankle injury on England’s preceding tour of South Africa in November, which caused her to fly home before she could add to her current tally of three ODI and two T20I caps.Now she is joining Alice Capsey, Danielle Gibson, Bess Heath and Freya Kemp as the senior members of the England A party, which is due to play three T20Is, three ODIs and a one-off four-day game against Australia A from April 12-15, exactly mirroring the itinerary in which England were beaten in the Ashes. Capsey and Gibson are currently on duty at the WPL in India, and so will miss the T20I leg which begins at Sydney’s Hurstville Oval on March 26.Scholfield will be joined by players from the England Women Pace Programme, including her Surrey teammates Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Emma Jones (T20 and 50-over) and Alexa Stonehouse, who is selected across all formats. No captains have yet been named for the three formats.The majority of the group have been undergoing warm-weather training at a training camp in Abu Dhabi, and will depart for Sydney on March 17.Jon Lewis, England Women A head coach, said: “We are looking forward to testing ourselves against a national side with great depth. We are aware of the challenge ahead.”There has been some good work done by the players based in England and those who have been playing cricket over the winter around the world and this tour provides an opportunity for players to push for selection into the senior squad through strong performances against the Australians.”Jonathan Finch, Director of England Women’s Cricket, added: “We have a good mix of experience across the three squads with all players striving to perform and push for selection into the senior team. The experience they will gain through highly competitive matches within a multi-format schedule will be really exciting, and hopefully invaluable for them in accelerating their development. A tour to Australia is what so many young cricketers dream of, and we wish them well.”England Women A T20 squad: Hollie Armitage (Durham), Georgia Davis (Warwickshire), Mahika Gaur (Lancashire), Jodi Grewcock (Essex), Bess Heath (Durham), Emma Jones (Surrey), Freya Kemp (Hampshire), Ryana MacDonald-Gay (Surrey), Charis Pavely (Warwickshire), Grace Potts (Lancashire), Paige Scholfield (Surrey), Grace Scrivens (Essex), Seren Smale (Lancashire), Bryony Smith (Surrey), Alexa Stonehouse (Surrey), Mady Villiers (Durham), Issy Wong (Warwickshire)England Women A 50-over squad: Hollie Armitage (Durham), Alice Capsey (Surrey), Georgia Davis (Warwickshire), Mahika Gaur (Lancashire), Danielle Gibson (Somerset), Kirstie Gordon (The Blaze), Jodi Grewcock (Essex), Bess Heath (Durham), Emma Jones (Surrey), Freya Kemp (Hampshire), Ryana MacDonald-Gay (Surrey), Charis Pavely (Warwickshire), Grace Potts (Lancashire), Paige Scholfield (Surrey), Grace Scrivens (Essex), Seren Smale (Lancashire), Bryony Smith (Surrey), Alexa Stonehouse (Surrey), Mady Villiers (Durham), Issy Wong (Warwickshire)England Women A four-day squad: Hollie Armitage (Durham), Alice Capsey (Surrey), Georgia Davis (Warwickshire), Danielle Gibson (Somerset), Kirstie Gordon (The Blaze), Jodi Grewcock (Essex), Bess Heath (Durham), Freya Kemp (Hampshire), Charis Pavely (Warwickshire), Grace Potts (Lancashire), Paige Scholfield (Surrey), Grace Scrivens (Essex), Seren Smale (Lancashire), Alexa Stonehouse (Surrey), Mady Villiers (Durham), Issy Wong (Warwickshire)

NGO’s letter to ICC also asks if it would be prepared to recognise the Afghanistan women’s national team in exile, allowing it to train, compete and receive ICC financial support

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-20252:01

Firooza Amiri: If Afghan women can play sports, they can study as well

Human Rights Watch has called on the ICC to suspend Afghanistan’s membership and ban the Taliban-run nation from competing in international cricket.The request came via an email addressed to ICC chair Jay Shah, dated February 3 and made public on March 7, with the subject line: “Suspending the Afghanistan Cricket Board and Implementing a Human Rights Policy”.Human Rights Watch describes itself as an independent, international, non-governmental organisation that conducts research and advocacy on human rights abuses by states and non-state actors around the world.”We are writing at this time to urge the International Cricket Council (ICC) to suspend Taliban-run Afghanistan from ICC membership, and from participating in international cricket, until women and girls can once again participate in education and sport in the country,” the email said.Related

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“We also urge the ICC to implement a human rights policy based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.”We note that you have pledged ‘to allocate more resources to women’s cricket’ during your tenure at the helm of global cricket and ‘champion the ICC’s mission further by allocating more resources and attention to women’s cricket’.”However, since retaking power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed a long and growing list of rules and policies that bars women and girls from exercising their fundamental rights, including to freedom of expression and movement, many forms of employment, and education beyond sixth grade. These affect virtually all their rights, including to life, livelihood, shelter, health care, food, and water.”The email went on to say that the ICC’s anti-discrimination policy for international cricket states that it is committed to ensuring that wherever cricket is played, it can be enjoyed by all participants regardless of their respective backgrounds. It pointed out that the policy also strives to ensure all participants can enjoy sport without being subjected to intimidating conduct on the basis of – among other factors – sex, gender, marital status and/or maternity status.The email also argued that while payments to Afghanistan’s Women’s team were suspended in 2021, the country’s men’s team continues to receive financial and logistical support, apparently in contravention of the ICC’s own anti-discrimination rules.Nahida Sapan and Firooza Amiri speak to the media ahead of the Cricket Without Borders match in Melbourne in January•Getty Images”By not allowing women and girls to play cricket, and not allowing a national team for women and girls to compete internationally, the Afghanistan Cricket Board is failing to abide by this Anti-Discrimination Policy,” Human Rights Watch said.”We note that cricket has been included as a sport in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, and yet the Taliban’s ban on women and girls participating in the sport is a severe violation of the Olympic Charter’s guarantee that ‘the practice of sport is a human right’.”Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, women have been forced to adhere to an increasingly restrictive range of laws barring them from most areas of public life, including sport. Shortly before that, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) had agreed to contract 25 women’s players, most of whom now live in exile in Australia.In July last year, former members of the Afghanistan women’s national team, no longer recognised as such by the country’s Taliban rulers, wrote to the ICC asking to be recognised as a refugee team.Several of those players united in an Afghanistan Women’s XI for an exhibition match against a Cricket Without Borders XI at Melbourne’s Junction Oval in January.A protest outside Lord’s on the eve of the Afghanistan-England Champions Trophy match in Lahore in February•PA Photos/Getty ImagesAround that time, the ECB came under pressure from a group of British MPs to boycott their recent Champions Trophy fixture against Afghanistan – who knocked England out of the competition – while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged the ICC to “deliver on their own rules”.England and Australia have opted not to play Afghanistan in bilateral games, while agreeing to face them at ICC events, with ECB chief executive Richard Gould calling for a “co-ordinated, ICC-led, response” rather than unilateral action from individual countries.The issues of banning or boycotting the men’s team is complex, with some of the formerly contracted Afghanistan women’s players telling ESPNcricinfo’s Powerplay podcast that they didn’t want to see their male counterparts prevented from playing because they offered hope, but they did want them to do more for the women and girls who were being denied the same rights.Afghanistan fans settle down to watch their team play England in Lahore•Getty ImagesHuman Rights Watch asked for a timely response from the ICC to a number of questions, including what steps the governing body is taking towards developing a human rights policy, why it hasn’t suspended the ACB from playing international cricket until women and girls have access to education and sport and, would it be prepared to recognise the Afghanistan women’s national team in exile, allowing it to train, compete and receive ICC financial support.It also asks what steps the ICC has taken or plans to take to “pressure the Afghanistan Cricket Board to include women and girl players in their competitions” and what funding or other support has been or will be provided to the Afghanistan Cricket Board.”The International Cricket Council should follow in the steps of other sport governing bodies, such as the International Olympic Committee, by calling on the Taliban to include Afghan women and girls in sport, and committing to a human rights frame work,” the email concluded.The ICC has been contacted for comment.

On Thursday, that saw the final round of group fixtures at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), as many as 17 teams were in contention for the eight remaining knockouts spots. At the end of an engaging day’s play, this much was certain: Punjab won’t be defending their title this season despite Abhishek Sharma’s heroics, Mohammed Shami will have an opportunity to garner more match time with Bengal and Ajinkya Rahane’s scintillating form for Mumbai may yet keep him in conversations around captaincy at Kolkata Knight Riders. Here are the highlights from Thursday:

Bhuvneshwar the hat-trick hero as UP enter knockouts

Signed for INR 10.75 crore by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Bhuvneshwar Kumar proved he is not a spent force just yet. His hat-trick against Jharkhand in a match-winning effort helped Uttar Pradesh seal a pre-quarterfinals berth, where they will take on Andhra on Monday.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy knockouts:

• 1st Pre-quarterfinal: Bengal vs Chandigarh (December 9)

• 2nd Pre-quarterfinal: Andhra v UP(December 9)

• 1st Quarter-final: Baroda vs winner of 1st PQF (Dec 11)

• 2nd Quarter-final: Delhi vs winner of 2nd PQF (Dec 11)

• 3rd Quarter-final: MP vs Saurashtra (Dec 11)

• 4th Quarter-final: Mumbai vs Vidarbha (Dec 11)

Bhuvneshwar, captaining UP, recorded figures of 4-1-6-3 – all his wickets coming in his final over – as Jharkhand fell short by 10 runs chasing 161. Among the wickets for Bhuvneshwar was the big-hitting Robin Minz. That Jharkhand got that close was because of allrounder Anukul Roy, who smashed a 44-ball 91 at No. 5.Earlier in the tournament, Bhuvneshwar upstaged Jasprit Bumrah to become the first Indian seamer to get 300 T20 wickets. Among Indians, only Yuzvendra Chahal (364), Piyush Chawla (319) and R Ashwin (310) have more T20 wickets than Bhuvneshwar (308).

Shami continues pain-free return

Shami picked up three wickets in another sure shot sign of him slowly returning to full match fitness, as Bengal stormed into the pre-quarterfinals where they will take on Chandigarh.Playing his seventh straight game of the competition, Shami picked up 3 for 26 as Bengal restricted Rajasthan to153 for 9, before half-centuries from Abishek Porel and Sudip Gharami helped seal a seven-wicket win.Related

• Abhishek hits 28-ball century, the joint second-fastest in T20s

• Baroda's 349 for 5 breaks world record for highest T20 total

Shami has so far bowled his full quota of overs (27.3 out of a possible 28) in the seven games, while picking up eight wickets at an economy rate of 7.67. Prior to SMAT, Shami had returned a match haul of seven wickets against Madhya Pradesh in the fifth round of the Ranji Trophy last month, his first competitive outing since last year’s World Cup final.Bengal will take on Chandigarh in the pre-quarterfinal on Monday.

Rahane 95 helps Mumbai record highest SMAT chase

In a must-win, Mumbai eclipsed their previous highest chase of 227 to beat Andhra and set up a quarter-final on Wednesday against Vidarbha, the team they beat in last season’s Ranji final. Rahane’s 95 off just 54 balls, with nine fours and four sixes, kept Mumbai in the chase right until the end, before Suryansh Shedge finished it off in a blaze.Set an imposing 230, thanks to KS Bharat’s unbeaten 53-ball 93, Mumbai were fuelled by a rollicking opening stand of 51 in just four overs between Rahane and Prithvi Shaw, who made a 15-ball 34. Then they hit choppy waters with Shreyas Iyer (25) and Suryakumar Yadav (4) falling in quick succession.Rahane then found support from Shivam Dube, with whom he put on 54 in just 31 balls; Dube’s contribution to the partnership an 18-ball 34. At one stage, Mumbai needed 26 off 10, and Shedge, on 2 off 2 at that point, hit two fours and three sixes to finish on an unbeaten eight-ball 30 as Mumbai won with three balls to spare.File photo: Ajinkya Rahane continued his fine form in T20s•AFP/Getty Images

A win would have helped Andhra qualify directly for the quarter-finals as they would have topped the table. They will now have to play the pre-quarters because Mumbai and Andhra finished on the same points and Mumbai were the table-toppers because of their head-to-head against Andhra earlier in the league stage. Mumbai’s win also knocked Kerala out of the competition.

Gujarat knocked out despite six wins in seven

Net run rate cruelly led to Gujarat’s group-stage exit as they lost out to Saurashtra and Baroda, who set the record for the highest T20 score, against Sikkim.When Gujarat blasted 251 for 5 batting first against Karnataka, thanks to opener Aarya Desai’s 73 off 40 and Axar Patel’s unbeaten 20-ball 56, there was no inkling of the heartbreak that was to follow. They managed to restrict Karnataka to 203, with Axar picking 2 for 22 off four overs in their 48-run win.However, Saurashtra managed to edge out Gujarat by chasing down their 137 target against Tripura in just 13.3 overs. In the end, Baroda, Saurashtra and Gujarat all finished on 24 points and Gujarat lost out on a knockout berth because their NRR was lower than Saurashtra’s by 0.335.

Tottenham Hotspur are now in talks over a move to sign a £60m+ defender who has been likened to Virgil Van Dijk.

Tottenham kick off pre-season with win at Reading

Spurs began their preparations for the 2025/26 Premier League season on Saturday afternoon, with new manager Thomas Frank seeing his side in action for the first time against League One side Reading.

Two second-half goals in the space of four minutes from Will Lankshear and Luka Vuskovic were enough to seal an opening pre-season victory for Spurs and Frank.

It was the first time supports got to see teenage defender Vuskovic in action, and he impressed with a goal, assist and clean sheet, saying after the game: “Everything is perfect. The club is behind me. The players, the staff, the coach, everyone is helping me a lot and I’m really happy.”

Meanwhile, Frank also liked what he saw from the Croatian teenager, adding: “Luka deserves the praise as well. A great header. Showed his physicality and his composure on the ball. He’s not getting stressed when opponents get close. And what a strike.”

Vuskovic could well rival the likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso and Radu Dragusin for a spot in the squad over the coming months, however, Spurs are also looking at another defensive addition.

Frank's own Xavi Simons: Spurs hugely keen on signing "magic" £50m star

Tottenham are looking to sign an attacking midfielder in the summer transfer market.

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Angus Sinclair

Jul 20, 2025

Reports have linked Tottenham with a move to sign Bournemouth centre-back Illia Zabarnyi, with claims suggesting Spurs and Daniel Levy are ready to pay more than £60m for the Ukraine international.

Tottenham open talks for £60m+ Bournemouth star Zabarnyi

According to information from The Boot Room, Tottenham have been in contact with Bournemouth over a deal for Zabarnyi.

However, the report says Spurs have a difficult job on their hands trying to convince the defender of a move to north London, as he has already agreed terms in principle with Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain.

Now, Caught Offside have revealed that Tottenham have opened talks over a deal for Zabarnyi, with Spurs “willing to pay the full asking price” of around €70m, something which PSG aren’t prepared to do at this moment in time.

Labelled a “dominant” player by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Zabarnyi is still just 22 years of age and appears to be a star in the making.

Defenders Zabarnyi has been compared to	Club
Virgil van Dijk	Liverpool
Levi Colwill	Chelsea
Antonio Rudiger	Real Madrid
Jules Kounde	Barcelona
Gleison Bremer	Juventus

As can be seen via Football Transfers, the Bournemouth star is already being likened to Liverpool captain Van Dijk and numerous other impressive centre-backs following his eye-catching two-and-a-half-year spell with the Cherries.

Spurs may have to look elsewhere for their defensive addition, though, or place more trust in Vuskovic with the games set to come thick and fast in 25/26.

Newcastle United are believed to be “gathering information” regarding a special young player, as they look to beat other top clubs to his signature this summer.

Isak set for showdown talks with Newcastle

The Magpies’ summer has been rocked by Alexander Isak wanting to leave the club, with the Swede strongly linked with a move to Premier League champions Liverpool. While no bid has been tabled for the 25-year-old yet, it looks as though one could be imminent this week, should the Newcastle star tell the owners that he wants to depart in face-to-face talks.

Should Isak move on from the Magpies this summer, it would be bitterly disappointing for anyone associated with the club, but they could at least receive a British record transfer fee for his services.

If that happens, an elite striker needs to come in as a direct replacement for the Sweden international, but also other top players across several areas of the pitch.

Newcastle "gathering information" on Italian defender

According to Corriere dello Sport [via Sport Witness], Newcastle are “gathering information” on Parma centre-back Giovanni Leoni, seeing him as a top-quality prospect to bring in this summer.

Liverpool, Tottenham and Inter Milan are also said to be in the mix to sign the 18-year-old, and he is keen on the idea of playing in the Champions League, although the press in Italy believe he will reject the likes of Liverpool in favour of a move to Inter.

Given his age, Leoni wouldn’t arrive at Newcastle as an immediate starter, but the strides he has already made in his career suggests it may not be long until that is the case.

The Italian made 14 starts in Serie A last season, showing that he is already capable of looking at home in one of Europe’s top five leagues, and scout Jacek Kulig has described him as a “complete” player.

Newcastle have to be targeting younger centre-back moving forward, with the current ranks both ageing and injury-prone, and Leoni looks like a perfect option to come in.

Appearances

17

Starts

14

Minutes played

1204

Clearances per game

3.6

Aerial duel wins per game

1.0

Interceptions per game

0.9

Pass completion rate

88.7%

Goals

1

Assists

0

He could arrive as a squad player to begin with, learning from more senior colleagues, before maturing into a key starter for Eddie Howe, becoming a genuinely top-class defender if he reaches his potential.

أكد أوريلين تشواميني، نجم نادي ريال مدريد، على صعوبة مواجهة فريقه يوم غدًا الثلاثاء أمام أوليمبيك مارسيليا، والتي ستكون ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ريال مدريد يستضيف مارسيليا مساء يوم غدًا الثلاثاء، على ملعب سانتياجو برنابيو، ضمن الجولة الأولى من دوري أبطال أوروبا مرحلة الدوري المعروفة بدور المجموعات.

طالع.. تقارير: محمد صلاح يعود لطاولة ريال مدريد وسط غموض موقفه في ليفربول

وقال تشواميني خلال المؤتمر الصحفي الخاص باللقاء: “نعلم أنها ستكون مباراة صعبة ضد خصم قوي، علينا أن نلعب بمستوانا للفوز بالمباراة”.

وأضاف تشواميني في حديثه: “مارسيليا فريق كبير في الدوري الفرنسي، أتوقع مباراة صعبة في دوري أبطال أوروبا مع فرق قوية، لا أعرف إن كان جميع الإسبان يعرفون أولمبيك مارسيليا، لكنه فريق مشهور جدًا في فرنسا، طلب ​​مني الكثيرون تذاكر لحضور المباراة غدًا، بصفتي فرنسيًا ومشجعًا لريال مدريد، أتطلع بشدة لهذه البطولة”.

وعن كيليان مبابي أوضح: ”الحقيقة هي أن كيليان سجل بالفعل عددًا كبيرًا من الأهداف العام الماضي ويواصل ذلك هذا الموسم، كفريق لقد تحسنا ويمكننا الفوز بالمباريات، كيليان يلعب بمستوى مذهل كما يفعل كل موسم، معه لدينا فرصة أفضل للفوز”.

وعن هوس مبابي للفوز بدوري أبطال أوروبا أردف تشواميني: “نعلم أنه لم يتمكن من الفوز بدوري أبطال أوروبا بعد وهو هدف للنادي، كيليان يريد الفوز دائمًا، وسنحاول جميعًا تحقيق ذلك معًا، أولًا هناك مباراة الغد ويجب أن نكون مستعدين بدنيًا وذهنيًا”.

وعن ذكرياته ضد مارسيليا عندما كان لاعبًا مع موناكو، تابع: ”أتذكر تلك المباريات التي كان عليك فيها التسجيل وأنا مع موناكو في فيلودروم، الفريق قوي جدًا، الأجواء مختلفة ونعلم أنه يجب علينا تقديم مباراة جيدة جدًا للفوز”.

وعن وصوله إلى 150 مباراة مع ريال مدريد قال تشواميني: “إنه حلم، أحاول الاستمتاع بكل شيء كلاعب في ريال مدريد وآمل أن ألعب المزيد من المباريات، وأن أفوز بالألقاب، وأن أستمتع بكل موسم هنا”.

وأضاف: ”عندما تلعب مع ريال مدريد نكون تحت ضغط دائم، لا داعي للمزيد، علينا الفوز بكل لقب في كل موسم وسنبذل قصارى جهدنا بالتأكيد، ونسعى للفوز بالألقاب، في العام الماضي، لم نفز بالكثير وآمل أن نفوز بالمزيد هذا العام”.

وأوضح عن الفارق بين كارلو أنشيلوتي وتشابي ألونسو: “لا أنكر أننا نتدرب ضد الخصوم، ولكن هناك تغييرات ومنهجيات لعب مختلفة. هناك لاعبون غيروا مراكزهم، ​​أعرف مارسيليا وسيشكلون لنا مشاكل، إنهم لاعبون موهوبون للغاية وعلينا أن نثبت أنهم فريق قوي”.

وأردف: “مع المدرب تشابي منذ البداية، فزنا بالمباريات وأعتقد أننا تحسنا كفريق وكأفراد، أعتقد أن الجميع يشعر بالارتياح، أحاول اللعب بمستواي ومساعدة فريقي قدر الإمكان، نريد الفوز بكل شيء هذا الموسم وإذا لعبنا بمستوانا، فلدينا فرصة جيدة لتحقيق ذلك”.

وعن رأي جمهور فرنسا في تشواميني كلاعب تابع: “لا أعتقد أنهم يقللون من شأني، وظيفتي هي اللعب للفوز بالمباريات والألقاب، ربما هناك من لا يحبذ قيامي بعملي كما ينبغي، الأهم أن يكون زملائي ومدربي وناديي فخورين بي ولا أفكر في أي شيء آخر”.

وعن تحسن ريال مدريد دفاعيًأ هذا الموسم، واصل: “فزنا بالكثير مع كارلو، إنه من أفضل المدربين في التاريخ، يطلب منا تشابي القيام بأشياء مختلفة ولديه منهجية مختلفة، نحن نحسن أداءنا في كل مباراة ونسعى لتحقيق ما يريده، علينا أن نستمر على هذا المنوال للفوز بالمباريات”.

وعن قرارات التحكيم، استكمل: “يحاولون بذل قصارى جهدهم في كل مباراة، لكنهم يرتكبون أخطاءً مثلنا، الأهم هو الفوز وقد فعلنا ذلك، لا شيء يقال عن الحكام والجميع رأى ما حدث. علينا أن نتطلع إلى الأمام”.

وعن إمكانية إنهاء يال مدريد دور المجموعات من دوري الأبطال في المراكز الثمانية الأولى اختتم تشواميني: ”إذا فزنا بجميع المباريات، سنكون في الصدارة، سنرى ما سيحدث، الأهم هو مباراة الغد وآمل أن نبدأ البطولة بأفضل طريقة ممكنة”.

Afghanistan’s win over Australia means both teams stand an equal chance of making it to the final four

S Rajesh23-Jun-2024If Australia and Afghanistan winThree teams will finish on four points. If Australia win by a run, Afghanistan will need a 36-run margin against Bangladesh to move ahead of Australia on net run rate. If Australia win a run-chase off the last ball, Afghanistan will have to win their game in 15.4 overs or sooner (assuming first-innings scores of 160).Related

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Stats – Afghanistan's maiden win against Australia in any format

India are sitting pretty with an NRR of 2.425. For them to get knocked out, both Australia and Afghanistan will have to win by big margins. Australia will need to beat India by 41 runs to go past them on run rate, while Afghanistan will have to beat Bangladesh by at least 83 runs.If India and Bangladesh winIndia will top the group with six points, while the other three teams will be tied on two each. In that case, NRR will decide the second team from the group. Australia, with a NRR of 0.223, are currently best placed among the three teams: even if Afghanistan lose by just one run, Australia will need to lose by 31 for their run rate to slip below that of Afghanistan.Bangladesh will need to win by 31 runs for their NRR to sneak ahead of Afghanistan’s, but they will also need Australia to lose by 55 runs, to finish second in the group.If Australia and Bangladesh winIndia and Australia will qualify for the semi-finals with four points, while Afghanistan and Bangladesh will finish on two.If India and Afghanistan winIndia and Afghanistan will qualify for the semi-finals with six and four points.

Every year, football’s elite gather in Paris to determine the winner of the Ballon d’Or.

Well, perhaps not if your name is Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian famously snubbed the awards evening in 2024 when he found out he’d been outvoted for the major accolade by Manchester City’s midfield sensation Rodri.

It was a landmark year for the Spaniard, who won the Premier League with City and also won the European Championships after defeating England in the final.

Having suffered a terrible ACL injury towards the end of the year, Rodri was not in the conversation to win the award again in 2025.

The last 10 Ballon d’Or winners

Year

Player

Club

2014

Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid

2015

Lionel Messi

Barcelona

2016

Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid

2017

Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid

2018

Luka Modric

Real Madrid

2019

Lionel Messi

Barcelona

2021

Lionel Messi

PSG

2022

Karim Benzema

Real Madrid

2023

Lionel Messi

PSG/Inter Miami

2024

Rodri

Manchester City

2025

Ousmane Dembele

PSG

2020 award not given due to Covid-19

Instead, it was PSG’s Ousmane Dembele who reigned supreme, having starred as the Parisiens finally won the Champions League in 2024/25.

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What made Dembele’s triumph all the more remarkable was the fact that he’d never actually been dominated for the award before.

He beat off some stiff competition, including Lamine Yamal, but what does the future have in store for the Spaniard? Well, with the help of Grok, the next ten winners of the Ballon d’Or have been predicted.

1 2026: A first crown for France's best Kylian Mbappe

With Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi no longer the players they once were, it was always predicted that Kylian Mbappe would rise to the top.

A victory in 2026 would be a long time coming for Madrid’s latest Galactico but it would be an award well deserved. There’s a World Cup in 2026, too. Perhaps he’s just led France to a second triumph in three attempts?

2 2027: The wonderkid triumphs for the first time Lamine Yamal

One of the favourites for 2025, Yamal finally gets the recognition on a global stage that he deserves in two years time. At the age of 17, he’s already won the Kopa Trophy for the best U21 player, and it feels only a matter of time before he’s officially crowned the best player in the world.

Cole Palmer already thinks he is, and with numbers like he’s achieved in 2024/25, scoring 18 and assisting 26, anything is possible. He is a generational talent, the rightful heir to Lionel Messi’s throne.

Lamine Yamal in 2024/25

Games

55

Goals

18

Assists

25

Stats via Transfermarkt.

3 2028: A victory for the Premier League Erling Haaland

Like Mbappe, Haaland has been tripped as a future Ballon d’Or winner for a while now but AI thinks we’ll have to wait another three years before seeing Manchester City’s goal machine given the gong.

Given the length of his contract, he’s set to stay in the Premier League for a long time and is likely to continue banging in the goals on a domestic and continental level. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he is the definitive best number 9 of all time once he hangs up his boots.

4 2029: Messi 2.0 does it again Lamine Yamal

We told you he was generational. Two years on from his first success, Yamal is set to be handed his second Ballon d’Or, truly following in the footsteps of the great Messi.

At this point in his career, he’ll still only be 22 years of age. His potential is utterly frightening.

5 2030: Another win for Real Madrid Vinicius Jr

Six years on from what he felt was a cruel loss at the hands of Rodri, Brazil’s heir to Neymar and Real Madrid’s heir to CR7, Vini Jr, will finally get his hands on football’s most prestigious individual award.

Although aged 30, AI thinks he’ll still be going strong for Real Madrid, and with it being a World Cup year, maybe, just maybe, Brazil have got their hands on the trophy again.

Vini Jr in 2024/25

Games

51

Goals

20

Assists

17

Stats via Transfermarkt.

6 2031: Another Barca great does it Pedri

Every player on this list so far has been a forward but Barcelona star Pedri is set to topple the Yamal dominance by winning the award himself, following in the footsteps of the amazing Luka Modric and Rodri, the last midfielders to win the award.

The Spaniard is only 22 at the time of writing but he had a captivating season for Barca as they reached the Champions League final and won LaLiga. He’s played 59 times in 2024/25, scoring six goals and assisting eight. If he does indeed win the Ballon d’Or in 2031, his longevity certainly will have been Modric-esque.

7 2032: Liverpool's new signing takes it home Florian Wirtz

On the cusp of signing for Liverpool, who knows where Florian Wirtz will be playing in seven years time but AI seems to reckon that after securing a transfer to a Champions League giant and putting in strong showings for Germany, he’ll be the best player in the world.

Well, if it’s with the Reds, it would be their first Ballon d’Or winner since a certain Michael Owen back in 2001.

Wirtz is certainly one of the finest playmakers in the world already, contributing to 31 goals (16 goals, 15 assists) in the 2024/25 season when he was still with Bayer Leverkusen.

8 2033: More success for Germany Jamal Musiala

Back-to-back success for Germany as Jamal Musiala picks up his first crown in 2033. This could be the start of a newfound dominance for Die Mannschaft, who with Musiala and Wirtz in tow, may well have won the 2032 European Championships.

AI is backing the attacking midfielder to trump everyone else due to Bayern Munich’s dominance, international accolades and consistent form.

9 2034: A third major honour awaits Lamine Yamal

Rounding things off is a third triumph for one of the best players this generation has seen; Yamal.

In 2034, he’s be 27 and at the peak of his career with AI predicting him to cement his legacy as a generational talent. If he isn’t already, he’s now a truly household name, one of the best players we’ve ever seen in the game and right up there with Messi.

Only two players, Messi and Ronaldo, have won it more than three times, while Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten are the only other players to have all taken it home on three occasions.

10 2035: Brazilian follows in the footsteps of Vini Jr Endrick

While Yamal will no doubt be in the conversation again after winning it for a third time, his reign is brought to a halt by another of LaLiga’s top wonderkids at the moment, Endrick.

AI predicts that the Brazilian striker will become a powerhouse over the next decade, potentially winning the World Cup 2034 Golden Ball before cementing himself as the best striker in the world in ten years’ time. Grok reckons that the forward’s physicality and finishing ability will give him the edge over Yamal at this point.

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Some of these players were brutally snubbed for the golden ball.

Posts ByBarney Lane Oct 26, 2024