Luka Modric has highlighted Jude Bellingham's work ethic as his most impressive trait amid the midfielder's stunning debut season at Real Madrid.
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England’s all-time leading run-scorer is content to be preparing for a season on the county circuit. But that won’t stop people asking the question
Alan Gardner02-Apr-2019Here’s a fun game to occupy the coming months. Which is likely to happen sooner (if at all)? Parliament will gather round, agree on a course of action, and complete the first stage of Brexit. Or the England selectors will gather around, agree on a course of action, and put in a phone call to Alastair Cook.If you thought Theresa May’s attempts to get a different answer to the same question on her EU withdrawal bill were becoming monotonous, just imagine how Cook must feel every time he is confronted with a microphone as England’s search for a Test opener (or two) continues. All it took was a bread-and-butter hundred against the students of Cambridge MCCU last week for the murmurs to strike up – although this time Cook had his Essex captain, Ryan ten Doeschate, to thank for fuelling the speculation.Every time Cook raises his bat during ten rounds of the Championship that will precede the Ashes later this summer, someone is liable to ask: could England’s all-time leading run-scorer be tempted out of retirement? In terms of occupying your time on Twitter, it surely has to beat discussions of backstops and customs unions.ALSO READ: I’d love to bat at No. 3 for England – FoakesThere is something in the stubbornness of May (a proclaimed Geoffrey Boycott fan) that surely chimes with Cook. He clung on for so long with England that there seemed an element of relief when he let it all go – his departing force channelled into one last valedictory Test hundred at The Oval in September. Now he seems equally set on enjoying the last few years of his career with Essex. “I’ve played my last game for England,” he says early in the piece during the club’s media day at Chelmsford.Although, that said… For a man who has given so much for the cause, that definitive full stop is hard to contemplate. In his maiden stint as a radio commentator for the BBC during England’s tour of the Caribbean, Cook let slip a tantalising “never say never”, and although he is happy to make the case for others to take up his mantle, the sense of possibility will linger for as long as he continues harvest runs in the shires.Leaving centre stage is understandably hard. After winning his fourth rowing gold medal at the 1996 Olympics, Steve Redgrave, another sporting knight, said: “Anybody who sees me in a boat has my permission to shoot me.” Four years later, he was wearing a fifth gold around his neck in Sydney.Harmer named T20 captain
Simon Harmer, Essex’s former South Africa offspinner, has been made captain of the T20 Blast side, taking over from Ryan ten Doeschate, who will continue to lead in the Championship and 50-over competition.
While Essex won the Championship under ten Doeschate in 2017, their limited-overs form has been less impressive in recent seasons, and last year they managed just two wins in the Vitality Blast South Group.
“It’s an exciting challenge,” Harmer said. “I think there’s going to be a lot of expectation going forward as we haven’t performed to the levels we know we’re capable of, but it’s a challenge that I wanted and I’m really looking forward to leading the team in the right direction.”
Cook was never quite so given to melodramatic pronouncements, but he is sticking to the script for now. “I was asked a very interesting question on a panel show, with about 18 different circumstances, and I said ‘you can never say never’. But look, I’ve played my last game for England. There’s always that one thing, if there’s an absolute emergency or something… But I’m nowhere near that mindset. I saw Tendo say something the other day, but I’ve had 12 amazing years of playing for England, it’s time for the next generation of players – certainly top-order players – to try to make their mark.”In terms of pulling on that cap and playing cricket – in one way it’s a sad thing it’s never going to happen again, but I’ve had my time. I had an amazing journey, I’ve loved it, but towards the end I wasn’t the player I was and things had to move on… They won’t be making the phone call to me anyway, and no matter what happens I’ve got the summer with Essex and I’m looking forward to spending it with the Eagles.”The Eagles certainly won’t mind having Cook around as he attempts to quietly unwind after more than a decade on the treadmill with England. Adjusting to the more mundane rhythms of a county season was not the sort of challenge that enthused his predecessors as England captain, Andrew Strauss and Michael Vaughan, but Cook has always played the game at his own tempo. As well as the challenge of winning a few more trophies with Essex – he played his part in their memorable 2017 Championship title – there is the simple pleasure of taking to the field with your mates.”It’s going to be different, it’s the first time I’ve ever played a game without the lure of England selection there, and that’s probably going to take a little bit of time to get used to,” he said.”It was important for me to have something to look forward to. The transition period, I spoke to a couple of people about retiring, and they were very clear that you’ve got to have something to do. I’m not saying I’m just here ‘to do something’ but I needed a date in my diary, and in my mind, that I could have the winter [to myself] and then come back to it.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever played a game without the lure of England selection there, and that’s probably going to take a little bit of time to get used to”
“I didn’t know what else to do, in one sense, but also I’ve spent a lot of time playing cricket here at Essex. I know a lot of the guys here really well, people like Ryan and Ravi [Bopara]. Ravi I played against at Under-11s, the next year I was playing in an Essex team with him. That’s a lot of time and I wanted to carry on playing cricket with people like that – Nick Browne, Tom Westley, people I get on really well with, I want to share a dressing room with.”On who might finally lay an irrefutable claim to his spot in the Test side, as with Brexit, there are no easy answers. Cook is circumspect – “you’ll have to read my column,” he joked – but he more than anyone knows the value of seizing an opportunity when the spotlight is on you. An Ashes summer without Cook to face down the new ball seems a disconcerting prospect; but it is up to his would-be successors to quell talk of a return.”Places are up for grabs, I think everyone who’s played has showed glimpses of good stuff, to be in the side for a long period. It’s certainly not an easy place to bat, and it’s a challenge, but whoever they pick’s got a great summer to go in with, an Ashes summer, always a very exciting time. It’s a great opportunity to do something special. You score a hundred in an Ashes Test match at the top of the order, then you get remembered.”
Ganesh Satish and Atharwa Taide play game-changing innings as Rest of India go down
The Report by Sreshth Shah in Nagpur16-Feb-2019
Vidarbha won the Irani Cup 2018-19•ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Hanuma Vihari may have struck two magnificent centuries in the Irani Cup tie, but it was overshadowed by Vidarbha’s collective effort, which helped them trump Rest of India and lift the trophy for the second season in a row.When the two teams shook hands with Vidarbha needing only 11 runs to win the match – they had five wickets in hand – they not only won the trophy on offer, but also completed the double of winning the Ranji Trophy and the Irani Cup for the second season in a row, much to the delight of a sizeable Saturday crowd at Nagpur’s VCA Stadium.Vidarbha started the day on 37 for one, still 243 runs adrift on a final-day pitch that wasn’t getting any easier to bat on. But in 18-year-old Atharva Taide – a late injury replacement for Wasim Jaffer – they found the right man to anchor the innings through the first session. His 72, together with R Sanjay’s 42, ensured Vidarbha stayed rock solid early on, and then under the baking sun that took a lot out of the RoI bowlers, they cashed in. Their 116-run stand for the second wicket wiped out a large chunk of the target.Taide carried on to score 72, and Ganesh Satish, the only professional in the side in Jaffer’s absence, then steered the chase to the end, falling for 87 with Vidarbha inches short of the target – the teams agreed to call off the game at that point – and walked off to raucous applause. Wicketkeeper-batsman Akshay Wadkar remained unbeaten when the contest ended.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Earlier, Sanjay and Taide displayed patience as well as skill to help Vidarbha dominate proceedings. Taide struck two boundaries off fast bowler Ankit Rajpoot – one a measured tickle down to fine-leg, the other a tentative push through the slip cordon – to begin the day’s boundary count. Sanjay, at the other end, bunted whatever was aimed at the stumps, while happily leaving the ones that were not.The first six of the innings came just before the first drinks break, when Taide came down the track to play legspinner Rahul Chahar with the turn. After the break, Sanjay joined in, smacking left-arm pacer Tanveer-ul-Haq through the covers for four and then, when left-arm spinner Dharmendrasingh Jadeja was introduced, smashed one straight into the sightscreen.Ajinkya Rahane, the RoI captain, brought in an attacking field for the spinners thereafter, hoping, perhaps, for the batsmen to err in judgment and play a false shot, but that spell of play was carefully negated too. And in the 41st over of the innings, a single to long-off brought up Taide’s second first-class half-century.It was important for the young Taide not to lose his focus after reaching the landmark, and he didn’t, continuing to offer the straight bat to the full deliveries from the spinners, and padding away the ones that pitched outside leg stump. But Sanjay, the senior partner, couldn’t carry on as he was trapped lbw eight runs short of his half-century when a quicker one from Chahar slid into his pads.Taide and Satish then added 30 more runs before the youngster fell lbw to Chahar, and Satish proceeded to put up 83 more for the fourth wicket in the company of Mohit Kale in the afternoon. The two looked set to finish the session unseparated, but Kale was dismissed off the final ball before tea.After the break, Wadkar held up one end while Satish opened up, perhaps with an eye on a possible century. Two boundaries off Chahar brought the target down to only 11 but Satish fell trying to pull part-timer Vihari over the midwicket boundary, only to hole out to substitute fielder Sandeep Warrier in the deep. Though there was enough time left for Vidarbha to record an outright win, the two teams agreed to call it off.The chase wasn’t supposed to be easy. On the fourth evening, Vidarbha had lost their captain Faiz Fazal for a duck after Vihari – together with Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer – had helped get to a declaration on 374 for three – a lead of 279.That Vidarbha had nearly a 100-run advantage after the first-innings exchanges was thanks to allrounder Akshay Karnewar, later named the Man of the Match. He struck the team’s only century of the match to rescue Vidarbha after they were 168 for five in response to RoI’s first-innings score of 330. Wadkar, too, struck a crucial 73 while Sanjay chipped in with 65 to take them to 425, and Vidarbha were assured of victory if the game ended in a draw.RoI had to push for a result in their favour after that, but it wasn’t to be. In the absence of offspinner K Gowtham, who didn’t bowl after the second day because of a shoulder injury, their largely inexperienced attack could not find the purchase from the pitch they would have hoped for. Add to that some smart batting from Vidarbha’s top order on the final day, and only one result was possible.
How the game played outChittagong Vikings held on for a three-wicket win against defending champions Rangpur Riders in a low-scoring start to the BPL. Making his tournament debut, Robbie Frylinck took 4 for 14 before his unbeaten 12 took Vikings home.Ravi Bopara top-scored for Riders, making 44 of the team’s 98 runs, after their top four fell for single-digit scores. He added 49 runs for the eighth wicket with Sohag Gazi before Frylinck broke that partnership in the 19th over.Vikings’ batting was also far from convincing, with Mohammad Shehzad and Mushfiqur Rahim getting out in the twenties, and several others struggling.Turning pointsRiders are reduced to 35 for 7 by the 12th over.Bopara’s 44 pushes Riders’ total to a still-below-par 98.Gazi drops Frylinck’s return catch in the 18th over with the Vikings on 89 for 7.Star of the dayFrylinck triggered Riders’ initial collapse with a burst of three wickets – Alex Hales, Mohammad Mithun and Mehedi Maruf – in the first 3.2 overs. Later, he added Sohag Gazi as his fourth victim in the 19th over.The big missAlex Hales, the biggest batting star available for Riders on the opening day, fell in his first ball in the BPL, trapped lbw to another debutant Frylinck. Interestingly, the decision was a close one as replays suggested the ball would have just shaved the leg-stump.Where the teams standVikings’ win will be registered as a surprising result given the make-up and budget of their side compared to the big-spending Riders.
Romario has come out of retirement at the grand old age of 58 to play for Brazilian side America Football Club in Rio de Janeiro.
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Romario confirms return to footballWill play alongside his son at America FCHis last game was back in 2009WHAT HAPPENED?
The Brazil legend has confirmed he is set to return to professional football over 15 years after he hung up his boots all the way back in 2009. Romario enjoyed a successful playing career, winning the World Cup in 1994 and starring for Dutch side PSV and La Liga giants Barcelona among other clubs.
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Romario has now registered himself as a player for America Football Club, where he serves as president and also where his son, Romarinho, plays his football. He's made it clear that playing with his son and for his "favourite" team is his main motivation and it's not expected he will feature in any league games. The Brazilian legend will earn a "minimum wage" at the club but will return it to America as a donation, according to Marca.
WHAT ROMARIO SAID
He posted on Instagram: "I'm not going to compete in the championship, but rather play a few games for the team of my heart and make another dream come true, playing alongside my son. What do you think?"
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WHAT NEXT FOR ROMARIO
America Football Club currently play in the second division of Brazil's Campeonato Carioca and are preparing for the start of a new sason which kicks off on May 18. It remains to be seen when Romario will make his debut for his latest club.
أعلن نادي آرسنال الإنجليزي، في بيان رسمي، رحيل أحد لاعبيه إلى صفوف فولهام، خلال سوق الانتقالات الصيفي الجاري.
وتواصل الأندية تحركاتها في السوق الصيفي، بين بيع لاعبين وضم آخرين جدد من أجل تعزيز الفريق.
وانضم إيميل سميث روي من صفوف آرسنال إلى فولهام بعد لمدة خمس سنوات، حتى صيف عام 2029، مع خيار التمديد لعام آخر.
وقال سميث روي في حديثه لوسائل الإعلام الرسمية لفولهام بعد التوقيع: “لقد وصلت أخيرًا إلى هنا، لذا فأنا سعيد حقًا من أجلي ومن أجل عائلتي، إنها لحظة جيدة”.
اقرأ أيضًا | بعد كالافيوري.. آرسنال يستعد للإعلان عن صفقة جديدة
وأضاف: “أنا متحمس حقًا، أردت فقط الوصول إلى هنا في أسرع وقت ممكن حتى أتمكن من الانطلاق مع زملائي في الفريق”.
وأتم: “بعد الاستماع إلى المشروع والتحدث إلى المدير ورؤية اللاعبين الذين لدينا هنا بالفعل، أعتقد أنه مشروع مثير بالنسبة لي، وبالتأكيد الخطوة المثالية لمسيرتي المهنية في المستقبل”.
فولهام لم يعلن عن رسوم الصفقة، لكن بحسب فابريزيو رومانو الصحفي الشهير في شبكة سكاي سبورتس، فإن الاتفاق تم مقابل 34 مليون جنيه استرليني.
وتأتي قيمة الصفقة بواقع 27 مليون جنيه استرليني ثابتة، و7 ملايين جنيه إسترليني كمتغيرات.
Barcelona star Pedri says Lionel Messi is “without doubt” ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in the GOAT debate, despite the Portuguese being “great as well”.
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Everton are reportedly tussling with two other Premier League clubs for the signing of a "highly rated" young talent, but the Blues are in pole position to get a move over the line.
Everton transfer news
Sean Dyche's side have experienced another challenging start to the season, having gone into the new campaign with the hope that there would be improvements this time around, although Sunday's win at West Ham has come as a welcome boost for the Toffees.
When it comes to transfers, Everton signed a number of players during the summer transfer window, with Beto, Chermiti, and Ashley Young all arriving on permanent deals, and Arnaut Danjuma and Jack Harrison coming in on loan to give Dyche more attacking options. It isn't too long until the January window will allow the Blues to make further signings, although the current takeover situation with 777 Partners means that funds may not be readily available to spend big.
Instead, loan signings could be the most feasible option, with Manchester City ace Kalvin Phillips linked with a move to Everton, while long-term additions could also be looked at, in terms of youngsters who could play a big role in the future.
Everton want James Overy
According to journalist Alan Nixon on Patreon [via Goodison News], Everton are the current favourites to sign James Overy from A-League club Perth Glory.
He states that the Merseysiders "lead the race" to snap up the 16-year-old, but there is competition for his signature being provided by both West Ham and Leicester City. The right wing-back has already had a trial at Goodison Park, having caught the eye of those in charge of transfers at the club, and played in a youth team game as recently as last week.
Overy isn't exactly the household name that many Everton supporters may be keen to see arrive on Merseyside in January, but he could be an exciting signing who looks like a steal over time.
Mick Gannon
15 years, one month and 12 days
Thierry Small
16 years, five months and 23 days
Jose Baxter
16 years, six months and nine days
Jake Bidwell
16 years, eight months and 26 days
James Vaughan
16 years, eight months and 27 days
Joe Royle
16 years, nine months and seven days
Jack Rodwell
16 years, nine months and nine days
Anthony Gordon
16 years, nine months and 13 days
Wayne Rooney
16 years, nine months and 24 days
Francis Jeffers
16 years, 11 months and one day
Top-class young players are always needed to take the Blues into the future, rather than simply focusing on the here and now, and with a move to Bramley Moore Dock happening at the end of the season, it is important that individuals are signed who could light up Everton's impressive new stadium for years to come.
Should the Blues beat someone like West Ham to Overy's signature, with a West Ham insider labelling him as "highly rated", it could prove to be a statement of intent over time, and he could come into the youth team setup – one that produced so many special players down the years, including Wayne Rooney – and gradually make his way up the age groups and into the first team.
Mohamed Salah made more history for Liverpool on Thursday when he scored in their blistering start to the Europa League clash against Sparta Prague.
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Salah scored in hammering of Sparta PragueHas netted at least 20 goals in seven straight yearsAlso grabbed two assists in incredible startWHAT HAPPENED?
Just 10 minutes into the game, Salah scored his team's third goal as they rolled over the Czech visitors in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie. It is the Egypt international's 20th goal in all competitions this season, making him the first Reds player to reach that figure in seven consecutive seasons.
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The forward also grabbed two assists in the early stages of the clash at Anfield, setting up Bobby Clark and Cody Gakpo as Jurgen Klopp's team strolled to a 4-0 lead inside the first 15 minutes of the clash, giving them a 9-1 aggregate lead.
DID YOU KNOW?
Salah remains in the race to finish as the top scorer in the Premier League, having struck 15 times to help keep Liverpool in the race for the title. However, he is three goals behind current top scorer Erling Haaland, while Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins has 16.
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR SALAH?
After Thursday's annihilation of Sparta Prague, Salah and his Liverpool co-stars will turn their attention to the weekend's highlight showdown. They take on Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-finals at Old Trafford on Sunday.
MatériaMais Notícias
Um dos principais desafios de Ramón Díaz à frente do Botafogo envolve Salomon Kalou. O marfinense, apesar de um início promissor, ainda não mostrou a que veio e acumula recentes atuações sem brilho com a camisa alvinegra. Caberá ao argentino descobrir uma forma de potencializar o jogo do camisa 8.
Kalou surgiu como um ponta de velocidade no Feyenoord-HOL no início da década passada e passou com destaque pelo Chelsea-ING. Desde o Lille-FRA, clube que atuou após sair de Londres, o marfinense deu sinais que perdeu um pouco da explosão sem a bola no pé. Na França, atuou como segundo atacante em boa parte da passagem.
Não foi diferente no Hertha Berlin-ALE, última equipe que defendeu antes de assinar com o Botafogo. Apesar de ter acumulado momentos pela ponta na capital alemã, o marfinense terminou a passagem no futebol europeu atuando mais centralizado, com liberdade para sair da área e explorando os espaços criados pela referência do setor, um autêntico segundo atacante.
No Botafogo, até pelo esquema adotado por Paulo Autuori – e, posteriormente, Bruno Lazaroni e Flávio Tenius – Salomon Kalou retornou ao lado de campo. O marfinense teve um bom começo no futebol brasileiro, mas caiu de produção pouco tempo depois. Ramón Díaz, porém, já trabalhou um esquema que pode ajudar no desenvolvimento do marfinense com exaustão.
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Uma das formações favoritas do argentino é o 4-4-2 tradicional. Duas linhas de quatro jogadores e dois atacantes no comando do terço final. Na linha ofensiva, ‘Don Ramón’, geralmente, opta por um atleta de maior porte físico e outro mais móvel, para garantir movimentação e jogo de pivô. É aí que Kalou pode voltar a entrar no Alvinegro.
O trabalho mais recente de Ramón, no Libertad, passou por essa situação. O argentino utilizou a 4-4-2 com frequência antes do adiamento das competições pela pandemia do novo coronavírus. No Paraguai, Sebastián Ferreira era o homem de mobilidade – às vezes, colocando a equipe até mesmo em um 4-2-3-1 – e Óscar Cardozo (aquele) a referência no ataque.
Existem outros exemplos recentes: em 2015, quando eliminou a Seleção Brasileira de uma Copa América com o Paraguai, teve, na maioria das partidas, Roque Santa Cruz e Nelson Haedo Valdez como dupla de ataque – com o segundo tendo maior liberdade de movimentação. No River Plate, um ano antes, os nomes eram Téo Gutierrez e Fernando Cavenaghi, que ficava mais fixo à área.
Ainda não há sinais que Ramón Díaz adotará o 4-4-2 – o 4-2-3-1 é outro esquema bem bem utilizado por ‘Don Ramón’ durante a carreira, mas é uma formação que encaixa nas características de Salomon Kalou. O argentino, pelos casos recentes, sabe lidar com as táticas envolvendo esse esquema.