logo
After over 400 appearances, Saracens legend Goode to bow out

After over 400 appearances, Saracens legend Goode to bow out

The 4226-05-2025

SARACENS VETERAN Alex Goode announced on Monday he will retire after the club's final game of the season.
The 37-year-old full-back, who made his 400th appearance for his boyhood side earlier this month, will bow out following Saturday's English Premiership clash at home to Bath.
Goode has won six Premiership titles during a long career spent almost entirely with north London side Sarries.
Advertisement
He was also capped 21 times by England, featured in the 2015 Rugby World Cup and was named European player of the year in 2019.
His only spell away from the club was a one-year loan stint at Japan's NEC Green Rockets after Saracens were relegated for salary cap breaches in 2020.
'Nothing prepares you for this moment, it's overwhelming — the emotions, gratitude, pride, sadness,' Goode told Saracens' website.
'After 19 incredible seasons wearing the Saracens jersey, I am saying goodbye.
'Saracens has been home for my whole adult life and helped me grow as a person. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd have the privilege of playing for my country and representing this club over 400 times.'
Saracens' director of rugby Mark McCall paid tribute to Goode by saying: 'With six Premiership titles, three European trophies, and countless individual accolades, he will undoubtedly go down as one of the most successful players of the professional era.
'To reach 400 appearances for this club across 20 years is an extraordinary achievement — one which is never likely to be matched.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Senegal: An elite, unbeaten opponent whose government nonetheless ousted their most successful coach
Senegal: An elite, unbeaten opponent whose government nonetheless ousted their most successful coach

The 42

time2 hours ago

  • The 42

Senegal: An elite, unbeaten opponent whose government nonetheless ousted their most successful coach

THE TEAM THAT created history at the 2002 World Cup will on Friday be without their most famous player as they face the team that created headlines at the 2002 World Cup for being without their most famous player. And this, dear reader, is about all Ireland and Senegal have had to link them in more than 60 years of international football. Tomorrow's friendly will be the first meeting of the sides. The fact that many European nations are busy with World Cup qualifiers and Nations League finals narrowed Ireland's potential friendly opponents for this window, and Senegal were close to town given they are playing England in a friendly in Nottingham next week. Senegal will be in Dublin without their most recognisable star, as former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane – now playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia – has asked to be excused from duty. Also missing is the captain of the 2002 side that went all the way to the quarter-finals in Japan and South Korea, Aliou Cissé. Cissé was first elevated to the manager's job on an interim basis in 2012, and then returned to the job full-time in 2015. From there he made all manner of history. First, in 2018, his Senegal side became the first team ever eliminated from the World Cup group phase on the fair play rule – accumulating the higher number of cards across their three games – and a year later led Senegal to their first Afcon final since he was captain in 2002, where they were beaten by Algeria. Sadio Mane celebrates with the Afcon trophy in 2021. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Two years later, however, they returned to the final once again, and won a penalty shootout against Egypt. It was their first ever continental triumph. England ended their interest in the last-16 phase of the 2022 World Cup, with a depleted Senegal side beaten 3-0. Cissé, though, retained the confidence of the Senegalese FA and he was supposed to see the team through to the 2026 World Cup. The government, however, disagreed. Though the notion seems anathema to the European mind, it is common across African football for the government to pay the salary of the national team coach. (The Irish taxpayer may have saved the FAI from insolvency five years ago, but we are not directly covering Heimir Hallgrimsson's salary.) This practice somehow avoids Fifa's demand that a national football association be free of direct political interference, and so it is the case in Senegal. The FA had agreed a two-year extension with Cissé last year, only for the government to refuse to pay it, saying Cissé had not achieved his objectives, namely qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Qatar World Cup and defending their AFCON title a year later. The sports ministry acted, they said, out of fear for 'the risk of disaffection between our national team and the Senegalese in general.' Advertisement The president of the Senegalese FA said he was 'very sad' to see Cissé leave, and spoke plainly of their opposition to the political decision. 'The agenda of the government is not the same as the agenda of football,' Augustin Senghor told BBC Sport Africa. 'They decided and, unfortunately, we could not oppose it.' Cissé has been replaced by a former assistant, Pape Thiaw, and it is his job to squeeze the last drops out of Senegal's medal-winning generation, including Mane, centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, and midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye. They are buttressed by a younger generation of talent, which includes Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, Tottenham's Pape Sarr, and Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara. Senegal are in a battle even to make the next World Cup, sitting second in their group, a point behind leaders DR Congo, though with a points total currently good enough to make the play-offs. They remain unbeaten, with three wins and three draws from six matches, and their primary problem has been goalscoring: they have eight goals thus far, though four of them came in a single game against South Sudan and they have dropped points in goalless draws against Togo and Sudan. They are, however, unbeaten in their last 22 matches, save a penalty shootout loss to Ivory Coast in the last-16 of the 2023 Afcon. In fact, a 1-0 loss to Algeria in a friendly in September 2023 is their only defeat since the World Cup exit to England, stretching across 26 games. Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson is anticipating the kind of stiff test to ready his side for the World Cup qualifier matches with Portugal later this year. 'If you look at their matches and how they play, massive physicality, I'd say not only speed but running power, they come at you again and again', says Hallgrimsson. 'They look for the space behind you. If you watch Afcon, against a team like Senegal, [opponents] always need to play in a low block, so they are specialists in finding pockets to play into a run into, a third man running in, so we will be tested defensively, massively, in this game if they play like they have done. 'It's amazing for a national team to play 22 games without losing. 'Individual qualities, similar to Portugal, all players can hurt you so one-v-ones will be massively important. Everything happens a little bit quicker, when we need to defend and that's a good step, if we are ready for that it's a good preparation for Hungary and Portugal. 'It's a different kind of opponent, they are looking for spaces behind us and it doesn't happen that often in Europe, normally there are a few passes before the teams play behind us but that's one of the things we need to look at and improve.' It's fair to say Hallgrimsson does not share the same disapproving opinion of the Senegalese sports ministry.

Man Utd's 51-year streak over, goal-shy Arsenal and Moyes a Champions League manager? Last season's most bonkers stats
Man Utd's 51-year streak over, goal-shy Arsenal and Moyes a Champions League manager? Last season's most bonkers stats

The Irish Sun

time2 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

Man Utd's 51-year streak over, goal-shy Arsenal and Moyes a Champions League manager? Last season's most bonkers stats

THE 2025-26 Premier League season has officially started. Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton have handed over their shares to Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland. Advertisement 8 Kai Havertz managed nine goals in the Premier League - but no one reached ten for Arsenal Credit: Getty 8 Caoimhin Kelleher's penalty heroics made him a Liverpool record breaker Credit: Getty 8 Lamine Yamal has as many LaLiga titles as Cristiano Ronaldo Credit: Shutterstock Editorial And the But that also means the So what better time to reflect on some of the most bonkers stats of the season? Here are some of our favourites... Advertisement READ MORE ON FOOTBALL For the first time in 101 years, in the league. Kai Havertz managed nine strikes, one more than Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard. Arsenal missed out on the Premier League title to And the Reds won the league despite adding just one player to their squad - and that man, Federico Chiesa, started just one match. Advertisement Most read in Football CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Sticking with Liverpool, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher now holds the record for the most penalty shootouts won (four) and most shootout penalties saved (six) in the club's history - despite only featuring for the Reds 67 times. 2025-26 season is set to be the first since 1973-74 where the squad has no players who featured under Sir Alex Ferguson - a whopping 51 years ago. Premier League reveal new ball for next season after major brand change Advertisement Incredibly, wins over the Red Devils accounted for 15 per cent of Spurs' victories across the season. On the other end of the spectrum, That is the most defeats of any team in a 38-game Prem season who have avoided relegation . The season, though, ended in glory for Spurs with the triumph in Bilbao, which means they now have more European trophies than Barcelona in the last nine years. Advertisement Barcelona lost in a barnstorming Champions League semi-final to Inter but did pip rivals Real Madrid to the LaLiga title. Lamine Yamal was one of their standout players and at 17, he now has two LaLiga winner's medals - after making his debut aged 15 near the end of the successful 2022-23 campaign. That is as many as . 8 Tottenham won the Europa League but domestically lost 22 league games Credit: AFP Advertisement 8 Everton's form under David Moyes was enough for Champions League qualification Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 8 Jonny Evans' departure marks the end of a 51-year streak for Manchester United Credit: Getty Yamal delivered a staggering 43 goal involvements this season across all competitions, with 18 goals and 25 assists. But his tally of nine LaLiga goals was beaten by Jorgen Strand Larsen (14), Jarrod Bowen (13), Kevin Schade (11) in the Premier League - and matched by Tomas Soucek, Harvey Barnes, Alex Iwobi and Iliman Ndiaye. Advertisement Back in England, across the season at 24 years and 36 days. Lastly, from David Moyes' return to Everton to the end of the season, the Toffees would have finished fourth and qualified for the Champions League. And here are a few more Premier League belters from our friends at Bryan Mbeumo's strike after 38 seconds against West Ham saw Brentford become the first team in Premier League history to score in the opening minute in three consecutive games . Advertisement eight different goalscorers , all of a different nationality. Manchester City became the first reigning English top-flight champions to lose five games in a row in all competitions since Chelsea in March 1956. At Wolves, Justin Kluivert became the first player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick of penalties , with teammate Evanilson also the first to win three spot-kicks in the same match. Ruud van Nistelrooy became the first manager ever to win consecutive Premier League games that were for and against the same side (3-0 vs Leicester with Man Utd, 3-1 with Leicester vs West Ham). Advertisement West Ham 2-0 Leicester was the first ever Premier League game to see three players appear on their birthday (February 27 - Tomas Soucek, Alphonse Areola and Boubakary Soumare). 8 Justin Kluivert scored a hat-trick of penalties against Wolves Credit: Getty 8 Tomas Soucek scored on his birthday against Leicester in February Credit: Getty

Gareth Delany becomes latest injury blow for Ireland
Gareth Delany becomes latest injury blow for Ireland

RTÉ News​

time2 hours ago

  • RTÉ News​

Gareth Delany becomes latest injury blow for Ireland

Gareth Delany has been ruled out of the Ireland squad for the three-match T20I series against West Indies, starting at Bready next Thursday. From the original 14-players squad, Craig Young and Curtis Campher – both of whom missed the recent ODI series against West Indies – have not recovered in time and will not feature in the T20Is. Delany sustained an injury in a club game on Monday evening. Tim Tector, Stephen Doheny and Gavin Hoey have been called into the squad. Tector made his international debut in February against Zimbabwe. Tim is the younger brother of Harry Tector. Doheny, 26, has played three T20Is against Zimbabwe in January 2023. Hoey has not played T20I cricket yet. The 23-year-old did play two 50-over matches in 2024. Men's selector Andrew White said: "It's been a trying period of late, with some unfortunate injuries sidelining a number of our key players. "Both the recent ODI series, and this month's T20I series, against West Indies have really tested the strength of depth in our talent pool. "While we never like to see a player injured, such circumstances do offer an opportunity for other players to step up and demonstrate their talent. "With the next Men's T20 World Cup approaching in February 2026, this series is an important part of preparing the squad for the challenge and will serve as a good barometer of where we are at." Meanwhile a proposed European T20 franchise tournament looks to be delayed, according to BBC Sport. Dublin was set to be one of the host venues in the competition. No official comment has been made. Ireland squad: Paul Stirling (c) Mark Adair Ross Adair Gavin Hoey George Dockrell Stephen Doheny Matthew Humphreys Josh Little Barry McCarthy Liam McCarthy Harry Tector Tim Tector Lorcan Tucker Ben White Ireland v West Indies T20I series 12 June: Ireland v West Indies (1st T20I; Bready) 14 June: Ireland v West Indies (2nd T20I; Bready) 15 June: Ireland v West Indies (3rd T20I; Bready)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store