Mbappe inherits Real Madrid's number 10 jersey after Modric exit
The 26-year-old French forward wore the number nine shirt in his debut season after arriving from Paris St Germain on a free transfer.
He scored 44 goals in all competitions in the 2024-25 season, though failed to lift a major trophy.
Among the other elite players to wear the number 10 shirt for Real Madrid is Gheorghe Hagi, Michael Laudrop, Robinho and Mesut Ozil.
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Emirates 24/7
11 hours ago
- Emirates 24/7
Afjan claims victory at UAE President's Cup for Purebred Arabian Horses in Netherlands
Afjan, owned by Al Shaqab Racing, delivered a thrilling performance to secure victory at the 8th leg of the UAE President's Cup Series for Purebred Arabian Horses, held on Sunday, 3rd August 2025, at the Duindigt Turf Racecourse in The Hague, Kingdom of the Netherlands. The event forms part of the prestigious 32nd edition of the classic series. With its continued expansion across Europe's top racecourses, the UAE President's Cup once again impressed with its high-caliber presence, drawing praise from the Dutch racing community. The Cup has earned the distinction of hosting the richest Arabian horse race in Dutch history, offering a prize purse of US$100,000. The race, contested over 2,150 metres, featured 11 elite entries from leading stables across Europe and was open to horses aged four years and above, under Group 3 classification. Afjan (TM Fred Texas × Muzoon), rated 111, trained by J. de Mieulle Grijs and ridden by Olivier d'Andigné, made a stunning late charge from the back of the field to overtake Al Zeer (Al Mamun Monlau × Assma Al Khalediah) by a neck in a dramatic finish. Al Zeer, owned by M.F.A.H. Al-Attiyah, was trained by F. Rohaut Blauw and ridden by G. Guedj-Gay. Third place went to Ska de L'Aigle (Al Mourtajez × Sia), owned by M. Bousaif, trained by F. Rohaut Tot, and ridden by Jean Bernard Eyquem. Afjan completed the race in a time of 2:21.02 minutes, securing one of the most exciting wins in the event's Dutch history. The event was attended by Ameirah Obaid Mohamed Obaid AlHefeiti, UAE Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Faisal Al Rahmani, Secretary-General of the Higher Organising Committee of the UAE President's Cup Series for Purebred Arabian Horses, who presented the trophies to the winners. Musallam Al Ameri, Member of the Higher Organising Committee, stated, 'We take pride in the elevated competitive standing of the UAE President's Cup Series, which continues to achieve outstanding success on a global scale. The Netherlands stage saw elite participation from top stables across Europe, which significantly raised the level of competition. The intense speed and strength throughout the race underscore the effort all owners are putting into being part of this prestigious classic series.' He added, 'These achievements are a direct result of the generous support and strategic vision of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, who has consistently championed the development of Arabian horse racing on the world stage. We are proud of the incredible atmosphere and wide acclaim that accompanied this race and congratulate all the winners and participants.'
Khaleej Times
15 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Ferrari boss confident 'frustrated' Hamilton will bounce back after Hungarian GP
Lewis Hamilton received support from his Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur on Sunday just hours after the Briton cut a dejected figure following a lacklustre drive to 12th place in the Hungarian Grand Prix. While teammate Charles Leclerc proved unable to convert Ferrari's first pole position of the season into victory due to unexplained mechanical problems during the race, seven-time champion Hamilton was battling to escape midfield and finished where he started. As on Saturday, when he was dumped out of Q2 and appeared miserable, claiming he was "completely useless" and saying the team should "bring in another driver", Hamilton seemed utterly deflated. To most observers, it appeared as if the pressures of living up to the hype of his spectacular marquee move from Mercedes, where he won six titles, and adjusting to the culture, car and expectations at Ferrari were overwhelming him. At 40, talk of imminent retirement circled around him. But Vasseur was swift to defend Hamilton, who has always been prone to impulsive heart-on-sleeve reactions. "I don't need to motivate him," said Vasseur. "Honestly, he's frustrated, but not demotivated. "He's demanding, but I think it's also why he's (a) seven-time world champion. I can perfectly understand this situation. "Sometimes, you are making comments on what the driver is saying (in) the car, but if you put the microphone on some other sportsmen, in football and so on, I'm not sure that it would be much better. "Sometimes, just after the race or just after qualifying, you are very disappointed and the first reaction is harsh. I can understand the frustration, but we are all frustrated." 'He will be back' Vasseur added Hamilton's weekend appeared worse than it really was because of the tight and competitive times that led him to miss out on reaching Q3 on Saturday. "For sure, when you are a seven-time world champion, your team-mate is on pole position and you are out in Q2, it's a tough situation," he said. "But overall, we can also have a deep look that he was in front of Charles in Q1 and with the first set that he was one-tenth off in Q2. We were not far away from having the two cars out in Q2. "I can understand the frustration from Lewis. That's normal and he will come back. He was stuck in a DRS train, but when he was alone, the pace was good. "I'm sure that he will be back and he will perform." Fourth-placed Leclerc backed his teammate. "At the end, we are one team and as much as I want to finish in front of Lewis, I want both of us to be successful and for Ferrari to be successful, and obviously this weekend has been a tough one for Lewis," Leclerc said. "But I have no doubt that it's a one-off and I'm sure the second part of the season will be a lot more positive." Hamilton, sixth in the drivers' standings, but without a podium for Ferrari this year, said he was looking forward to a much-needed "break from work" during F1's August holiday before the Dutch Grand Prix on the final weekend of this month.
The National
16 hours ago
- The National
Lewis Hamilton slumps while Lando Norris thrives: Hungarian Grand Prix talking points
The Hungaroring has traditionally been a happy hunting ground for F1 legend Lewis Hamilton. The British driver has tasted victory a record eight times in Hungary but his latest trip to the circuit will probably go down as one of his worst. Hamilton became the story of the weekend when he described himself as 'absolutely useless' and called for his own team to replace him after a second session exit in qualifying. Meanwhile, Lando Norris trumped his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to close the gap at the top of the drivers' championship. Here are the key stories from the last race before F1's short summer hiatus. Downcast Hamilton needs a break A dejected Hamilton said he will 'hopefully' return for Formula One's next race – after he cryptically claimed 'there is a lot going on in the background that is not great' following the Hungarian Grand Prix. A day after his qualifying woes, Hamilton, the seven-time world champion started 12th and finished in the same position at the Hungaroring, a lap behind winner Norris. Charles Leclerc was fourth in the other Ferrari. Fronting up to TV cameras after the conclusion of the 14th race of his Ferrari career which has so far failed to live up to its preseason hype, Hamilton was asked to reflect on his post-qualifying comments. 'When you have a feeling, you have a feeling,' he told Sky Sports. 'There is a lot going on in the background that is not great.' Asked if he had fallen out of love with racing, Hamilton replied: 'No, I still love the team.' Hamilton then headed for his session with the print media. Quizzed on how he felt a day on from being eliminated in Q2 – a performance made all the more harrowing after Leclerc took pole position, he replied: 'Same.' Put to him that his remarks suggesting that Ferrari 'need a new driver' would worry his fans, the British driver again replied: 'Same.' Asked if he had anything else to say other than 'the same', Hamilton said: 'I have got nothing else to say.' The sport now breaks for three weeks for its midseason shutdown. The next race takes place in the Netherlands on August 31. 'Very much so,' said Hamilton, who was then asked if he was looking forward to the summer break. Quizzed as to whether he will definitely be driving at the next round in Zandvoort, Hamilton replied: 'I look forward to coming back … Hopefully I will be back, yeah.' There were other worrying signs from the 40-year-old. Hamilton stood largely on his own for the drivers' parade, which takes place before every race, and was later accompanied by Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli. By the end of the first lap, he dropped behind Carlos Sainz and Antonelli and was 14th. At the end of the eighth lap, he was 20 seconds behind Leclerc, then leading, in the other Ferrari, and at the end of lap 14 he trailed his teammate by half a minute. When he left the pits on lap 43 for his sole change of tyres, Hamilton was a lap down on the leaders. He fought back past Alpine's Pierre Gasly and then Sainz to cross the line in 12th. However, he is 42 points behind Leclerc, has been out-qualified by his teammate at 10 of the 14 rounds, beaten him in only two races, at Imola and Silverstone, and is still awaiting his first podium in Ferrari colours. Hamilton's boss Fred Vasseur said: 'I don't need to motivate him. He is frustrated but not demotivated, that is a different story. I can perfectly understand the situation.' McLaren close to perfection McLaren boss Zak Brown hailed the team's 200th Formula One win, with Norris ahead of championship leader Piastri in a one-two finish, as close to perfect. The win was Norris's fifth of the season and McLaren's seventh one-two in 14 races as well as the team's fourth in a row. 'You're never perfect in a race but I think that was as close to perfect as you can get,' Brown told Sky Sports. 'The drivers were awesome, pit stops amazing, strategy was great to get Lando up there, Oscar drove brilliantly. I couldn't be prouder of this racing team.' Norris and Piastri crossed the finish line 0.698 of a second apart, with the pair almost touching when the Australian tried to make a move on his British teammate on the penultimate lap and locked up. Team principal Andrea Stella said it had been 'firm' racing but also fair between rivals now separated by just nine points. 'We had a bit of a lock-up with Oscar but at the same time Lando left some space because he knew that Oscar would have been at the limit of braking,' said the Italian. Despite celebrating his ninth career win, Norris said he needed to improve because he was making life too hard for himself. He won from third on the grid, after dropping to fifth at the start and then making a one-stop strategy work with Piastri on two. 'It's going to be a good and tough battle probably until the end. It takes a lot out of you trying to focus so much for every single session, race, everything. So, it's going be a long second half of the season, I'm sure,' he said. McLaren are only the second team to chalk up 200 Grand Prix wins since the world championship started in 1950. Ferrari, yet to win this season, are on 248. Mercedes, next after McLaren, have 130. Russell's timely podium The future of Mercedes driver George Russell appears to finally be heading towards some clarity. With the team's interest in Max Verstappen having fizzled out, boss Toto Wolf said this week that he is hoping to combine Russell and Antonelli again next season. Russell is quietly having his best start to a season yet with his third place in Hungary the latest in a string of podiums. The Englishman is yet to sign a contract extension, but team boss Toto Wolf said: 'Definitely, he's staying. The team is strong. He has shown it today again.'
