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Straits Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Britain's Wiggins says he owes recovery from addiction to Armstrong's support
Five-time Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins said that disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong has played a key role in his recovery from cocaine addiction, saying he feels "indebted" to the American. Last month former Tour de France winner Wiggins said he became addicted to cocaine after his retirement from the sport in 2016 and was "lucky" after getting sober a year ago. The 45-year-old described Armstrong, who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping, as a "great strength and inspiration" after receiving his support since ending his career. "Lance has been very, very good to me. That's not something everyone wants to hear because people only like to hear the bad stuff," Wiggins said in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live on Friday. "It's on a human level. You can only take someone how they treat you. "Lance has been a source of inspiration to me and a constant source of help towards me and is one of the main factors why I'm in this position I am today mentally and physically, so, I'm indebted to him for that." Wiggins became the first Briton to win the Tour de France in 2012 and collected a then-British record eight Olympic medals, including gold in the time trial at the 2012 London Games. He is now collaborating on Armstrong's podcast The Move, where they will be covering this summer's Tour de France, and said their relationship has been grounded in mutual understanding beyond cycling. In December last year, Wiggins said Armstrong had offered to fund his therapy for mental health issues. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Jack Grealish told his Man City career is OVER with Pep Guardiola ready to sell England star for cut-price transfer fee
MANCHESTER CITY face taking a £60million hit on Jack Grealish to sell him this summer. The fallen £100m star will not be on the plane to America next week as part of Pep Guardiola's Club World Cup squad. 3 Manchester City face losing £60m to sell Jack Grealish this summer Credit: Getty 3 Grealish is set to be left out of Man City's squad for the Club World Cup Credit: Reuters 3 And SunSport understands plans are now in place to speed up his exit Credit: Getty And Grealish, 29, has been told there is no way back for him - with City willing to sell the attacker for a cut-price £40m. SunSport understands plans are now in place to speed up his exit and his representatives are actively searching for a new club. Grealish is the second of Guardiola's squad being forced to leave after Kevin De Bruyne, 33, was told he could head out as a free agent at the end of the month despite the player wanting to stay. Defenders Kyle Walker, 35, and John Stones, 31, are likely to follow as Guardiola and his Etihad bosses work on bringing in new blood to bolster an ageing squad. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL Post-it notes Cost of sacking Postecoglou revealed with Spurs forced to pay out millions AC Milan playmaker Tijjani Reijnders is on his way for £46.2m and City are understood to have agreed a £30m deal for Lyon ace Rayan Cherki. Rayan Ait-Nouri's £34m move from Wolves should also be finalised in time for him to fly out with City next week. Grealish still has two years left on a contract worth £300,000 a week having arrived from Aston Villa for a then-British record fee in 2021. He is unlikely to be offered such a huge wage elsewhere at his age. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK But Guardiola and City are anxious to make his exit as easy as possible and are working to help him find a new home. His former club Villa, Newcastle, Everton, West Ham and Italian club Napoli are all interested, with Etihad chiefs keen to free up squad space.
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Jack Grealish told his Man City career is OVER with Pep Guardiola ready to sell England star for cut-price transfer fee
MANCHESTER CITY face taking a £60million hit on Jack Grealish to sell him this summer. The fallen £100m star will 3 Manchester City face losing £60m to sell Jack Grealish this summer Credit: Getty 3 Grealish is set to be left out of Man City's squad for the Club World Cup Credit: Reuters 3 And SunSport understands plans are now in place to speed up his exit Credit: Getty And SunSport understands plans are now in place to speed up his exit and his representatives are actively searching for a new club. Grealish is the second of Guardiola's squad being forced to leave after Kevin De Bruyne, 33, was told he could head out as a free agent at the end of the month despite the player wanting to stay. Defenders Kyle Walker, 35, and John Stones, 31, are likely to follow as Guardiola and his Etihad bosses work on bringing in new blood to bolster an ageing squad. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL AC Milan playmaker Tijjani Reijnders is on his way for £46.2m and City are understood to have agreed a £30m deal for Lyon ace Rayan Cherki. Rayan Ait-Nouri's £34m move from Wolves should also be finalised in time for him to fly out with City next week. Grealish still has two years left on a contract worth £300,000 a week having arrived from Aston Villa for a then-British record fee in 2021. He is unlikely to be offered such a huge wage elsewhere at his age. Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK But Guardiola and City are anxious to make his exit as easy as possible and are working to help him find a new home. His former club Villa, Newcastle, Everton, West Ham and Italian club Napoli are all interested, with Etihad chiefs keen to free up squad space. Jack Grealish shows off his singing skills as he meets Rod Stewart in Dortmund with mum and dad on break from Man City
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Grealish's angry reaction to being left out of Man City's Club World Cup squad
Jack Grealish is set to miss out on Manchester City's Club World Cup squad and is frustration appeared evident in a comment he made on social media with his future unclear Jack Grealish has issued a telling response to his Manchester City situation with the playmaker due to be left out of the squad that will head to the Club World Cup this summer. The Premier League side are set to head to FIFA's newly expanded tournament without their £100million man - seemingly pushing him closer to the exit door. Pep Guardiola is due to take all of his big names, but Grealish won't make the cut. He has tumbled down the pecking order in Manchester, which has fuelled links of a move away, and missing out this summer could prove to be the final nail in the coffin. Former Aston Villa frontman Gabby Agbonlahor has hit out at the treatment Grealish has been subjected to by the City boss - with talkSPORT claiming he was "not happy" in a post. One fan claimed Guardiola was well within his rights given Grealish's form. That caught his attention and the 29-year-old responded: "Haha I've been bad lately? Scored three goals in my last three appearances over 45 mins but okie dokie love x." He also added: "What u want me to do, score a hatty in 20?" There is likely to be interest from clubs in England and throughout Europe with Grealish accepting that a fresh start at a top club, where he can play regular football, may be in his best interests. He is desperate to regain his spot with the Three Lions after missing out on recent squads and last summer's Euros. City have already been active in the market and have agreed a deal worth £46.3m to sign AC Milan's Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders. They are also in talks to sign Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki - both men would further hamper Grealish's game time. Grealish joined City in 2021 for a then-British record fee and remains the club's most expensive player of all time. He played a key part in the Treble-winning side back in 2023. He has claimed three Premier League titles with the club, but his influence has gradually declined. Guardiola said recently: "Of course, Jack has to play. He's an unbelievable player that has to play football every three days. It didn't happen this season and last season either. He needs to do it - with us or another place. It's a question for Jack, his agent, and the club. If he stays it will be fine and he fought like he fought from day one to make a contribution."
West Australian
13-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Cycling champ opens up about his cocaine addiction
Former Olympic champ and Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins has said he became addicted to cocaine after his cycling career and was "lucky to be here" after getting sober a year ago. Wiggins, who retired from the sport in 2016, became the first Briton to win the Tour de France in 2012 and collected a then-British record eight Olympic medals, including five golds across four Games. The 45-year-old's father was Australian cyclist Gary Wiggins, who suffered with drug and alcohol issues before dying of head injuries in 2008 aged 55, after a fight at a house party in Aberdeen, NSW. Wiggins has spoken in the past of his troubled relationship with his father, who left the family when Bradley was a toddler and did not reappear in his life until his late teens. Wiggins said his father was jealous of his talent and told him 'you'll never be as good as your old man', which Wiggins said he used as fuel to drive his subsequent successes. In an interview with the Observer published on Tuesday, ahead of the publication of a third autobiography later this year, Wiggins described how his drug use affected his own family. "There were times my son thought I was going to be found dead in the morning. I was a functioning addict. People wouldn't realise. I was high most of the time for many years," Wiggins said. "I had a really bad problem. My kids were going to put me in rehab. I was walking a tightrope. I realised I had a huge problem. I had to stop. I'm lucky to be here. I was a victim of all my own choices, for many years. "I already had a lot of self-hatred, but I was amplifying it. It was a form of self-harm and self-sabotage. It was not the person I wanted to be. I realised I was hurting a lot of people around me. "There's no middle ground for me. I can't just have a glass of wine - if I have a glass of wine, then I'm buying drugs. My proclivity to addiction was easing the pain that I lived with." Wiggins also revealed that former cycling champion Lance Armstrong, who was stripped of his record seven Tour de France titles after being exposed as a doping cheat, had been helping him, adding: "My son speaks to Lance a lot. "He'd ask my son, 'How's your Dad?' Ben would say, 'I've not heard from him for a couple of weeks, I know he's living in a hotel'. They wouldn't hear from me for days on end. I can talk about these things candidly now." In December last year Wiggins, who has also previously described how he was groomed by a coach as a child, and was declared bankrupt in 2024, said Armstrong had offered to fund his therapy for mental health issues. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
