Latest news with #Balond'Or
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
Lionel Messi overtakes GOAT rival Cristiano Ronaldo to secure enormous goal-scoring milestone
The ever-extraordinary Lionel Messi continues to mount records even at the age of 38. Playing for Inter Miami, the Argentine notched a brace on Saturday against NY Red Bulls and triggered a 5-1 thrashing at the Red Bull Arena. With the pair of goals, the 8-time Balon d'Or winner has taken his tally to 874 goals, reaching the pinnacle of yet another goal-scoring chart in the process. Messi pips Ronaldo Messi has now become the player with the most non-penalty goals in the history of the sport. Out of the 874 goals he has scored in his career, only 110 have come from the spot, and the remaining 764 have been non-penalty goals. He overtook familiar foe Cristiano Ronaldo to take over the top position. Ronaldo has amassed 763 non-penalty goals in his career. The practice of collecting milestones did not end there for Messi. He provided an assist in the match as well, which as per record, was his 386th career assist. He is just 14 away from reaching the monumental mark of 400. What differentiates Messi from the crowd is the fact that no other active player has even 300 assists to his name. He is just behind Ferenc Puskás in the all-time list, who accumulated 404 assists in his illustrious career. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read | Magnus Carlsen has a message for Ronaldo ahead of Esports World Cup: 'Don't know what Ronaldo has done on chessboard' Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Rivalry for the ages Decades have passed, yet the evergreen rivalry between two of the biggest GOATs of the game has not diminished. In fact, it still keeps on giving. Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are premier mentions in all the goalscoring catalogues. Though they are talismen of different leagues, they are still seemingly competing with each other, thereby pushing the standards of the game to immeasurable heights. Playing for Al-Nassr, Ronaldo has been on a goalscoring spree ever since he joined the club following the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Messi, on the other hand, is single-handedly gliding Inter Miami's ship in the MLS. It is hard to guess whether Ronaldo and Messi will ever come face to face again on the football field, but after a rivalry that has defied time, the world of football has certainly witnessed something that may never take place ever again.
The Irish Sun
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
John Giles speaks for all football fans when revealing part of his motivation behind retiring from punditry
JOHN Giles spoke for football fans of all ages when detailing how the relentlessly expanding season is part of the reason he's opted to retire from punditry. On Thursday the 84-year-old Advertisement 2 Giles is finding the relentless modern football calendar increasingly tough 2 Last night Balon d'Or holder Rodri made his first start since suffering an ACL tear Credit: Getty When asked if it had been a difficult decision to settle on, he succinctly summed up the growing disillusion he and fans the world over are feeling thanks to the The Ireland icon reflected: "I always enjoyed doing it. But what I've found lately is that there's do many matches in all different competitions that if I had to look at them all. "And really to do this job well you have to really watch all of the matches, you can't make it up as you go long. "So I think I was getting to the stage where it was getting a bit stale trying to watch as many matches as I could. Advertisement Read More On Irish Football "It became hard work and like, football has never been hard work to me. I've always loved it but there's so many matches - even in the summer now with this Club World Cup over in America. "But I've had a good run of it. I'm nearly 85, I loved playing football, fell into working on the television then which I had no intentions of doing. So no complaints whatsoever from me." The ongoing Club World Cup is the But even the Premier League's expansion into Advertisement Most read in Football Throw in giants like Man United Thursday evenings will certainly be worse off without Giles' voice beaming out across the Irish airwaves. David Beckham in hospital as Victoria shares picture of star with arm in sling & sweet 'get well soon daddy' message Amid the OTB's Managing Director hailed: 'John Giles, Senior Analyst, is a titan of Irish sport. His weekly explanation of football truth on Off The Ball helped deepen what the country knows about football. Advertisement "His ability to see through bulls*** and his love of the game shone through in every contribution. "Off The Ball has been blessed to call John a mentor, colleague and friend for over 20 years, he set the bar for what's expected every Thursday night and we can only hope to live up to his legacy. "We have truly been standing on the shoulders of a giant.' RTE EXIT The Dubliner Advertisement Unlike his exit from Newstalk, it was a somewhat acrimonious parting as the Leeds United great told the Irish Sun in 2017. The former Ireland player-manager stated at the time that he He said: 'I don't think that's possible, an offer coming in. If it did, I would consider it, but I wouldn't be dashing in, strange as that may seem, I don't miss it. 'I wasn't disappointed with how it ended with RTE, I had 30 good years at RTE. Advertisement 'It took them that long to find me out! That was their business to do it, I would have continued but I wasn't broken-hearted about it, I had a great run.'
Daily Mirror
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Premier League 2025/26 outright odds as clubs discover fixture lists
Liverpool will find out who will be first in line during their title defence along with every other Premier League club including two the bookies feel will form the title race next season The Premier League fixtures are out and one thing that will be up for discussion will be the title race. With all 20 clubs looking at when they will face their fellow competitors, many will be discussing the annual tradition of who will be lifting the Premier League trophy come the end of the season. This season sees Liverpool go into the season as champions and looking to secure back-to-back titles for the first time since the 1983/84 season where they secured their third consecutive league trophy. Under Klopp, they secured their first league title in 29 years in a COVID-disrupted season but their defence the following season was far from the bar they set themselves the year before. In March of that season they sat 8th with 43 points, seizing any hope of retaining the title before winning eight of their final 10 league matches to secure Champions League football again by finishing 3rd. However, even they will know they will have a tough task on their hands with who will be able competing in the title race. The Reds are the favourites at 15/8 but the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City are priced to be competing for the title too. The Gunners, under the guidance of Mikel Arteta, seem forever stuck as runners-up based on the last few season's performances with pivotal moments in the season going against them. The Spaniard boss is a perfectionist though and will be looking to constantly improve his side as he looks to add to his FA Cup winners medal he got in his first season. Over in Manchester and Pep Guardiola will be looking for significant improvements from his City side. The Citizens finished 3rd last season making just the second in eight season where they finished outside the top spot but his new look side will be looking to make an impact his season and frustrate the Reds' title defence. Newcomers in Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders are exactly the sort of talent Guardiola lacked last season as they suffered with injuries - most notably Balon d'Or winner Rodri. On the other hand, it will be interesting how City will do this season as they have the added headache of the Club World Cup to contend with this summer. Premier League 2025/26 Outright Odds Liverpool - 15/8 Arsenal - 5/2 Man City - 9/4 Newcastle United - 12/1 Chelsea - 16/1 Man United - 25/1 Tottenham - 45/1 Aston Villa - 45/1 BAR - 250/1 18+ | Gamble responsibly | | Odds subject to change Premier League If you are on the lookout for the latest free bet offers, then look no further. Here, not only do we bring you numerous free bet offers, but all from the very best betting sites in the industry. Each bookie we recommend is fully licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, so you know you are always betting on a safe and trustworthy site. Check out the Mirror Betting Hubs Free Bets offers here. Gamble responsibly Reach plc is committed to promoting safer gambling. All of our content and recommended bets are advised to those aged 18 or over. Odds are subject to change too. We strongly encourage our readers to only ever bet what they can afford to lose. For more information, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or visit
News18
23-05-2025
- Sport
- News18
'First Step For...': Pep Guardiola Practicing Caution Despite Rodri Return
Rodri made his first appearance for the Mancunian side in over 8 months in City's 3-1 win over Bournemouth and was given a raucous ovation when he was subbed on. Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola expressed his delight on the return of Balon d'Or winner Rodri following a lengthy stint on the sideline due to a knee injury. Rodri, who played a crucial part in helping City to the treble a couple of seasons ago, made his first appearance for the Mancunian side in over eight months and was given a raucous ovation when he was subbed on against Bournemouth in the side 3-1 win over the Cherries. 'We're really pleased he's back, really pleased for the reaction for our people to him, I'm pretty sure he's so pleased with that," Guardiola said. The Spaniard, however, cautioned that it would be a while before the Spanish midfielder returned to his very best. 'There's still a long way to be the Rodri he was," the City gaffer added. 'Guess will be next season we start to be Rodri not in the way like we have seen before the injury where he played 70 games every three days," the 54-year-old said. advetisement 'It will take longer for that because the experience with this surgery is to be careful otherwise have muscular problems and this kind of stuff," Guardiola explained. ALSO READ| 'Forever A Part Of Madridista Family': Real Madrid Confirm Carlo Ancelotti Exit 'But this is the first step for mind and knee still is not to see Rodri the way we know him," the Catalan genius stated. City, who are placed third in the Premier League this season and locked in a five-way-battle for the remaining three UCL spots, need a draw against Fulham at the Craven Cottage on Sunday to secure their place in the upcoming edition of the UEFA Champions League. Guardiola voiced ease with their qualification chances relying on their own performance instead of results from elsewhere. 'It's better. Arriving in the last games, it depends on you, it depends on us, yes it's better," the Spaniard said. 'We have to look at ourselves. We need one point to be in the Champions League next season and we have to go to win against a top side," he concluded. ALSO READ| Caroline Garcia To Bid Farewell At French Open 2025 Liverpool and Arsenal have punched their tickets to the elite European competition by securing the top-two places in England, ahead of an engaging final gameweek which will witness Chelsea and Nottingham forest, two of the side vying for a top-5 finish clash against each other, while Newcastle take on Everton and Aston Villa welcome Manchester United. First Published: May 23, 2025, 21:13 IST
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Barcelona wins La Liga title in Hansi Flick's first season as head coach
Barcelona came within minutes of clinching the 2024-25 La Liga title without even taking the field. All it needed was for Mallorca to hold on for a draw against Real Madrid on Wednesday. Mallorca looked set to do just that, until it collapsed in stoppage time, conceding a game-winner in the 95th minute and keeping Madrid's slim hopes alive. But the celebration in Barcelona wasn't delayed very long. On Thursday, Barcelona sealed the title on its own terms with a 2-0 win over Espanyol at RCDE Stadium. It's the 28th league championship for the Catalan club, second only to Real Madrid's 36, and capped a triumphant first season under manager Hansi Flick. More than a display of dominance, the trophy stands as validation for a season defined by a clear, deliberate shift in direction. After a period of inconsistent results and financial strain, Barcelona appointed Flick as manager. One of his first major decisions was to trust the club's younger players to play meaningful roles immediately. Lamine Yamal, still just 17, became an essential part of the attack, not as a novelty but as an extremely reliable contributor. His goal and assist Thursday gave him 21 goal contributions on the season with two games to play. LAMINE YAMAL WITH A WORLDIE FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX TO GIVE BARCELONA THE LEAD!!! IT HAD TO BE HIM! 😱THEY ARE LALIGA CHAMPIONS AS IT STANDS! 🏆 — ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 15, 2025 Pau Cubarsí, 18, helped anchor the defense during critical stretches. Fermín López, 22, another graduate of La Masia, played significant minutes in midfield. And it was Flick who orchestrated their development into trophy-winners by consistently relying on them even when the margin for error was thin. Rather than building around star signings, Flick constructed a system in which young players had space to make mistakes and also room to grow. The season was not without setbacks, however, as Barcelona lost key matches and faced stretches of uneven form. But those moments didn't derail the broader project. When the season demanded composure, the team responded with maturity. Among the more seasoned players, Raphinha provided stability and edge all season. His goals in tight matches often made the difference, and while a Balon d'Or nomination is far from guaranteed, his performances this season have put him in the conversation. Barcelona's 4-3 win over Madrid on Sunday at the Montjuïc effectively turned the tide. Madrid had more experienced players and greater depth all season, but couldn't keep up with Flick's youth movement. Barca didn't sprint to the finish. It simply lasted. With youth at the center and an organized approach behind it, La Blaugrana won the league by doing more with less. And sticking with that approach until the end.
