Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has thrown his support behind Raphinha as a serious contender for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award this year. The Brazilian forward has been in stellar form this season, making a strong case for individual recognition alongside the likes of Mohamed Salah, Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe. Raphinha, 28, has been a…
Chelsea captain Reece James says his side took a “step in the right direction” after beating Copenhagen in the Europa Conference League. The Blues cruised into a 2-0 lead away from home, thanks to goals from their skipper and Enzo Fernandez in the second half. But there was a slight disappointment at full-time with the…
England want the “best person” to take over as white-ball skipper from Jos Buttler, with managing director of men’s cricket Rob Key adding that “nothing is off the table” when asked if Ben Stokes could combine the Test job with the ODI captaincy. Key also suggested there could potentially be separate ODI and T20 captains…
Pep Guardiola says he is “the happiest man on this planet” when Kevin De Bruyne shines – but the Manchester City manager cannot say whether the midfielder will stay at the club when his contract expires at the end of the season. De Bruyne set up Nico O’Reilly’s equaliser and scored City’s final goal in…
England are on the hunt for a new white-ball captain with Jos Buttler quitting in the wake of the group-stage exit at the Champions Trophy. Buttler lost 22 of his 34 one-day internationals as permanent skipper since succeeding Eoin Morgan in 2022, with the lowest ebb the dismal 50-over World Cup title defence two years…
England white-ball captain Jos Buttler is considering whether he is “part of the problem or part of the solution” after his side crashed out of the Champions Trophy at the hands of Afghanistan. England’s miserable white-ball winter reached its lowest ebb as they were eliminated following a nerve-shredding eight-run defeat to Afghanistan in Lahore. Defeat…
Anna Nordqvist has been named as Suzann Pettersen’s successor and will captain Team Europe for the 2026 Solheim Cup in the Netherlands. Nordqvist has featured in each of the last nine Solheim Cups as a player – an ever-present member of the European side since her 2009 debut – with the Swede part of four…
After hyping Aaron Judge all season long for smashing homers every other regular season game, his downfall in the postseason left many changing their tones. In the Fall Classic battle against the LA Dodgers for the World Series, Judge struggled immensely, hitting only one home run with a .222 batting average with four hits, three…
The hosts Pakistan (PAK) go up against New Zealand (NZ) in the first match of the Champions Trophy 2025 on Wednesday, February 19, at the National Stadium in Karachi. This is the first edition of the Champions Trophy since 2017. Pakistan are the defending champions, beating India in the final in 2017. They’ll look to…
Ange Postecoglou has hit back at criticism aimed towards Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min, stating people are “constantly wanting someone to blame”. The 32-year-old is a three-time winner of the club’s Player of the Season award, a four-time winner of the club’s Goal of the Season prize and the owner of the 2021/22 Premier League…
Paul Merson says Arsenal should buy Harry Kane in a bid to solve their striker crisis. The Gunners were toothless in their 2-0 defeat at Newcastle in their EFL Cup semi-final second leg last night, Kai Havertz struggling to make an impact while the home side’s Alexander Isak – a player repeatedly linked with Arsenal…
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has admitted he has been taken aback by Virgil van Dijk’s exceptional ability, describing the club captain as being on “another level”. Now 33, Van Dijk is in the final six months of his contract and recently made his 300th appearance for Liverpool in their 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town. Since…
A newly instituted group titled World Cricket Connects Advisory Board will discuss the challenges that the sport is facing at a meeting on June 7 and 8 in London. Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and former BCCI secretary Jay Shah have joined the star-studded board for the discussion at Lord’s. Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) announced…
Heather Knight says chat about her future as England captain “is not for now” with two matches remaining in the Women’s Ashes. England have lost the series after slipping 10-0 down on points, swept 3-0 by Australia in the one-day international leg of the tour before being beaten in the first two T20 internationals Knight…
Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube spoke about the injury of John Tavares, who is now on injured reserve (IR) with a lower-body issue. Tavares was placed on IR after he fell during practice on Wednesday. “Maple Leafs F John Tavares has been placed on IR (lower body). F Fraser Minten has been recalled from…
Harry Kane and Son-Heung Min are the Premier League’s most prolific duo, but it has been almost two years since they teamed up at Tottenham. The England captain departed to Bayern Munich shortly after Ange Postecoglou arrived in North London, leaving Son to take up the captaincy and his leadership role. Their combined goal-scoring exploits…
The top stories and transfer rumours from Monday’s newspapers… THE SUN Barcelona are reportedly chasing Heung-Min Son on a free transfer. Manchester City ace Erling Haaland has put down roots as he buys stunning six-bedroom country mansion, which is just a 10-minute drive from the Cheshire pad Jack Grealish moved to a year ago. Gillingham…
Ange Postecoglou explained that Tottenham Hotspur’s hectic fixture schedule was the reason for Son Heung-min’s benching against Newcastle United. The 32-year-old rarely completes the full 90 minutes for Spurs, often being taken off towards the end of games, but has balanced Premier League duty with Carabao Cup and Europa League exploits, as well as jetting…
Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo revealed that the uncertainty surrounding the future of Dani Olmo and Pau Victor has “worried” he and his teammates. The Catalan giants were only able to register Olmo and Victor for the first six months of the season as a temporary measure after a long-term injury to Andreas Christensen. This expired…
