Tag Futebol

Where once greatness was expected, now only meaningful contributions are required, and Kusal Mendis is playing match-winning innings while also impressing with the gloves

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Sep-20252:22

Maharoof: Mendis a nightmare for spinners once he gets going

“The prince”, “next great Sri Lankan batter”, “boy wonder” are some descriptions that have been assigned to Kusal Mendis. “Spoilt”, “useless”, “soft”, “touchy” are some others. Although at home he is a polarising cricketer, outside Sri Lanka, he is a pretty inoffensive presence – one of those South Asian wicketkeepers who doesn’t feel especially comfortable sledging in English, so there are no viral clips.And yet, few Sri Lankan cricketers have got into as many arguments with fans at the edge of the boundary as Mendis. When Sri Lanka were on one of their huge losing streaks in the late 2010s or early 2020s, Mendis was one of the guys to blame. Not taking sufficient responsibility was one accusation. Caring too much about social-media likes was another. People would say things like this to his face, and Mendis would respond just as quickly.But he is 30 now, and has, in his own way, carved out a place. He was a specialist batter for Sri Lanka when he started out, but had kept wicket at the age-group levels. Long after it became clear he was not about to be the saviour of Sri Lankan batting, choices were reassessed, expectations were toned down, and goals have been reset.Related

Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka to kick off Super Four stage

Kusal Mendis, Nuwan Thushara knock Afghanistan out

He is now one of the few players that appears across formats for Sri Lanka. What is key to this deal is that he must keep wicket, and do it well. At international level, Mendis has been crushing it.Even just in this Asia Cup, he’s made his presence felt behind the stumps. Against Hong Kong – the opponents that tested Sri Lanka most in the group stage – he stuck pads out to stop extras, scrambled stumpings off bad ricochets, and took a high catch. The entire vibe of this team is that now, you find ways to make yourself useful. Nine years after he appeared in international cricket, perhaps Mendis has found his pocket.He is, as Afghanistan found out, brutal on errors of length, a master of varieties of the sweep, and an excellent manipulator in the middle overs. If there is a ball that can possibly be hit square of the wicket, Mendis tends to oblige. He also tends to far prefer spin. By necessity, he has now become a white-ball opener. But he’s always looked most comfortable when playing the sweep as often as possible.”We knew today they’d bowl a lot of spin,” Mendis said after the Afghanistan game. “What me and Kusal Perera talked about was to bat normally until the 12th over. But almost automatically, we were able to make eight or nine runs per over. That made things easier for us.”Even when Charith Asalanka came to bat, we were waiting for those seam-bowling overs, so we can score some runs off that.”If there is a ball that can possibly be hit square of the wicket, Kusal Mendis tends to oblige•Associated PressAlthough Asalanka faced zero seam-bowling deliveries through the course of his stay, Mendis’ theory held true – Afghanistan’s seamers are easier to get away with the older ball than their spinners. It was Kamindu Mendis, in the end, who helped Mendis take Fazalhaq Farooqi down. By that stage, there had been 12 successive overs of spin, through which Mendis’ sweeps, cuts, swivel-pulls and nudges had helped Sri Lanka stay in touch with the required rate.Then a 15-run over off Farooqi sealed the result. Mendis hit the winning runs, deservedly, crashing Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman through midwicket.Where once greatness was expected, now only meaningful contributions to the team are required. Mendis has had to reassess his role several times in his career. But he is now Sri Lanka’s wicketkeeper-batter across formats. And he is playing match-winning innings, while also impressing with the gloves.Sometimes all it takes is finding your niche.

Arsenal have made a blistering start to this season, and the theme of their success continues to be squad depth.

On Wednesday night, it was substitutes that made all the difference, as the Gunners beat Bayern Munich 3-1 in the Champions League.

Riccardo Calafiori set up Noni Madueke to score the go-ahead goal, before Gabriel Martinelli raced around Manuel Neuer to stroke home the clincher soon after, all three doing so off the bench.

In recent seasons, most notably last year, Arsenal’s title hopes have been derailed by injuries, simply not possession-requisite deputies, in terms of quality, quantity and sometimes both, to cope with key absentees.

Well, this time round, numerous key figures have been or are currently still sidelined, and this has not hampered the Gunners one bit, so do Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta now have their eyes set on further new recruits in January?

Arsenal target a new attacker

Those who thought Mikel Merino up front had been confined to the past were very much mistaken, the Spaniard forced back into the emergency centre-forward role because, well, in recent weeks there haven’t been any other options.

Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Viktor Gyökeres remain sidelined, Martin Ødegaard, Madueke and Martinelli have all made their returns this week, but Leandro Trossard is a doubt for Sunday’s trip to Stamford Bridge after suffering a knock against Bayern, the severity of which is not yet known.

So, could Arteta request the arrival of a new attacker in January?

Well, according to reports in Spain, Arsenal are interested in signing Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund, with Manchester United also in the race to secure his signature.

They add that die Schwarzgelben value the German international at £75m, but could be under pressure to sell, considering that his contract expires in 2027, hence why there is ‘intensifying’ interest from the two Premier League giants.

So, could he become the 13th German to feature for Arsenal, following in the footsteps of Jens Lehmann, Per Mertesacker, Mesut Özil, Bernd Leno, Lukas Podolski and others?

What Karim Adeyemi​​​​​​​ would bring to Arsenal

After beginning his senior career at RB Salzburg, Adeyemi joined Dortmund in the summer of 2022 for €38m (around £33m), scoring 31 goals and registering 22 assists for the club to date.

Analyst Ben Mattinson praises his “electric pace” and labels him a “transitional monster”, which is possibly best demonstrated by this goal he scored in the Champions League against Graham Potter’s Chelsea at the Westfalenstadion​​​​​​​.

Meantime, according to the Bundesliga, he is one of the fastest players in the division’s history, reaching a top speed of 22.77 miles per hour, which would result in an £80 fine if he ran that fast up Holloway Road parallel to the Emirates.

He is very much a key player at Dortmund, as the table below documents.

Goals

5

2nd

Assists

3

2nd

Shots

31

2nd

Key passes

12

3rd

Shot-creating actions

39

2nd

Goal-creating actions

7

2nd

Big chances created

4

2nd

Attempted take-ons

54

1st

Successful take-ons

24

1st

Progressive carries

35

1st

Top speed

32.2 km/h

1st

Touches in box

65

1st

Average rating

7.31

2nd

The table underlines Adeyemi’s importance to Dortmund.

Only Serhou Guirassy has scored more goals, with wing-back Julian Ryerson the only player boasting better creative numbers, but Adeyemi is currently combining the two.

The attacker also leads the way at die Schwarzgelben for all the dribbling statistics as well as top speed, registering the most touches of any Dortmund player in the opposition penalty area.

This emphasises how he is currently able to combine all the things that make both Madueke and Bukayo Saka elite – the two players noted as among the five most stylistically and statistically similar players to Adeyemi among those in their position across Europe’s top five leagues, as per FBref.

Madueke is a direct dribbler who is a major goal-threat, underlined by the fact that he ranked third in the Premier League last season for progressive carries and fifth when it came to touches in the attacking penalty box.

Saka meantime is the creator in chief, registering more shot-creating actions and big chances created than any other Arsenal player so far this season, despite a spell on the sidelines due to injury.

Well, right now, Adeyemi is able to combine all of these qualities into one, seemingly fulfilling his full potential at the age of 23, suggesting he would be an excellent addition to Arteta’s team and could be the man to fire them to that elusive first Premier League title since 2002.

Shades of Declan Rice: Arsenal expected to move for £80m "superstar"

Arsenal are ready to add the final flourishes on their high-flying squad.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 29, 2025

Celtic are now reportedly confident that they’ll beat Manchester City to the signature of a rising star who made history back in February.

O'Neill confirms fresh Celtic timeline

It’s set to be a chaotic week at Celtic, with Wilfried Nancy set to arrive and Martin O’Neill set to take charge of his final European game as caretaker boss. The 73-year-old has done an admirable job and the Bhoys’ trip to Feyenoord represents the perfect way for him to pick up a win in the Europa League in his final attempt.

The veteran manager also confirmed that Nancy’s arrival is “imminent”. Whether that means the new manager will be in place in time to take charge of Celtic’s game against Hibernian this Sunday remains to be seen, however.

The Columbus Crew manager is already reportedly planning January reinforcements from the MLS side. Both Wessam Abou Ali and Diego Rossi have both already been linked with moves to Scotland ahead of Nancy’s arrival and both would certainly help to solve the Bhoys’ goalscoring issues.

If Celtic are to stand a chance of catching Hearts in the Scottish Premiership then the January window will be crucial. They must make up for their summer failure by reinforcing their attack in January, before continuing that work into the next window.

It’s then that they could welcome 17-year-old Michael Noonan by fending off interest from Premier League giants Manchester City.

Celtic confident they'll sign Michael Noonan

According to the Scottish Sun, Celtic are now confident they’ll sign Noonan ahead of interest from Man City next year in what would be an impressive coup for a rising star. The 17-year-old made history when he became the youngest goalscorer in Europa Conference League history at 16 years and 197 days old in February.

After scoring three goals at the U17 World Cup, Noonan earned the praise of scout Jacek Kulig, who dubbed the forward “a superb advanced striker” and “the future of Irish football”.

Related Nancy must unleash Celtic's most frustrating player since Engels

Wilfried Nancy must unleash this Celtic star who is their most frustrating player since Arne Engels.

Posts 1 ByDan Emery Nov 26, 2025

Everything points towards a top star on the rise and one that Celtic should do everything to sign. Beating Man City to such a talent would be an impressive move too, and the Hoops’ confidence suggests that Noonan could yet be on his way to Glasgow.

Celtic agree deal to appoint 54-year-old coach to Wilfried Nancy's backroom team

As a dispiriting tour plumbs new depths, lessons need to be learned if England are to move on

Valkerie Baynes25-Jan-2025Amid England’s 2019 Ashes capitulation, Clare Connor, the ECB’s then managing director of women’s cricket, announced a wide-ranging review looking at preparation, selection and player development.The funds poured into the women’s game, and crowed about by the organisation after that 12-4 drubbing at the hands of Australia, have done wonders for the sport, and yet here we are.England are 12-0 down and staring down the very real prospect of losing 16-0 after next week’s Test and failing to register a point for the first time since the Ashes became a multi-format series in 2013.It took a while for things to change after 2019 but they did, for a time. The post-pandemic return series in Australia was beset by quarantine restrictions and bad weather which did little for the touring side’s morale as they again lost 12-4.But in 2023, under new coach Jon Lewis, England fought back from 6-0 down to draw 8-8 at home and Australia retained the Ashes by the barest of means. And that may just be England’s problem now.For all the controversy over England’s perceived fitness levels, much of their downfall appears to be to do with mental matters. There is little evidence that they have eradicated the fielding errors that contributed to their T20 World Cup exit in October, where they fell apart against West Indies in the group stage.Poor shot selection has been a running theme throughout this Ashes for a batting line-up which slumped to England’s second-lowest T20I total when they were bowled out for 90 and Australia romped to a 72-run victory in the third T20I on Saturday.After the result at Adelaide Oval, Lewis also said his bowlers had been “sloppy” in terms of line and length up to that point, when England’s spinners in particular restricted Australia to what he believed was a par score of 162 for 5.But Lewis didn’t believe that England’s ability to push Australia 18 months ago had made them over-confident heading into this series.”I think it may have raised expectation outside of the group,” he said. “I definitely don’t think it gave us too much confidence. It gave us some confidence. We were incredibly aware of how strong Australia are in this part of the world and everywhere else in the world.”They’re a really good cricket team. We knew that when we came in, we knew this was going to be a really hard-fought competition but also a really hard competition for us to come out on top in.”What I would say is I think our performance in England last time probably stimulated the Australians into making some decisions about how they wanted to play and they’ve come out and they’ve showed some changes in how they’ve approached their cricket and they’ve been really impressive. They’ve played better cricket than us and we are in this position for a reason.”Fielding errors persisted in Adelaide, alongside familiar batting errors•Getty ImagesEngland’s mantra under Lewis has been to “inspire and entertain”, so is it not reasonable that the public would expect a lot of their team, who in the aftermath of that 2019 failure have become a better resourced, highly professionalised outfit? Unlike Australia, who have responded to their 2023 wake-up call by coming up with all the answers before England have even thought of the questions, it seems their visitors aren’t learning their lessons.”There isn’t a lot of time between games to go away and think and work and make a change,” Lewis said. “We have pretty honest conversations behind closed doors. The players are really honest with how they’re going.”One of the things that stood out for me across this tour is actually we’ve practised really, really well but we haven’t played very well. So the bit that we’re missing is the bit when we cross the line as to how we go and perform.”We’ve got some really good players and we haven’t been able to transfer that onto the field, which is a great shame. There’s a great opportunity for us to show what a good cricket team we are and we haven’t been able to do that.”Lewis had expressed concern ahead of the tour about the tight schedule, but it is the same for both sides. Not being able to execute in pressure situations has only been an issue for one and all of the above speaks to mental over physical shortcomings.And while you’ll struggle to find a fitter side than Australia, you won’t find one tougher above the shoulders. Yes, they stumbled in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, and at the last Ashes, and yet here we are. Australia have learned, improved and then pulverised their opposition.”I feel like there’s been moments in those games where if we pushed home our advantage at certain points in the match we could have come away some points in probably the first three or four games,” Lewis said. “In fact the first five games I think we’ve been at times in positions to take some points.”But I feel like in the critical moments in the games the Australians have used their experience and their understanding of the conditions to play in a way that’s been able to get them across the line and you have to take your hat off to them. They understand how to win and we disrupted them a little bit over in England last time out and we came here with confidence that we could do the same here but they haven’t let us do it.”Related

Heather Knight has point to prove as Women's Ashes reaches grandest stage

Healy declares herself fit but not locked in, Dunkley to play but Cross unavailable

Healy trains strongly ahead of historic Test, Australia delay selection call

Harris sets sights on embarrasing England with 16-0 Ashes

Jon Lewis: Culture, not fitness, at root of Australia's dominance of Women's Ashes

Australia have done so with captain Alyssa Healy and star allrounder Ash Gardner both out injured for all three T20s, which has only emphasised their depth. Beth Mooney has kept wicket with distinction in Healy’s absence and dominated the batting, her unbeaten 94 on a slow Adelaide Oval wicket the pinnacle.But England aren’t without depth. In Adelaide, they brought Alice Capsey in for Maia Bouchier, moving Sophia Dunkley to the top of the order with Capsey at No.3 as well as adding effectively to the spin-bowling ranks. They had quick Lauren Filer at the ready when Lauren Bell succumbed to a migraine and dropped legspinner Sarah Glenn for left-armer Linsey Smith to maintain their preferred line-up of three frontline spin-bowlers.But again Australia did better with only captain Heather Knight and Danni Wyatt-Hodge reaching double figures as each of the home side’s six bowlers took wickets, led by legspinner Georgia Wareham’s career-best 3 for 11.Lewis’s contention that the 2023 Ashes spurred Australia on to greater heights isn’t in dispute. Mooney said in her post-match press conference that after that tour and their T20 World Cup disappointment, “we probably just had been letting ourselves down a little bit in different areas of the game” and “we wanted to really put a marker out there and keep moving the women’s game forward”.The question now is, can this Ashes spur his side on in the same way?

Bob Simpson played 62 Tests and would then go on to shape one of the great eras of Australian cricket

Alex Malcolm16-Aug-2025Australian cricket has lost a giant after former Test captain and the first full-time coach Bob Simpson died in Sydney at the age of 89.Simpson is one of the most influential figures in the history of Australian cricket. He played 62 Test matches between 1957 and 1978, averaging 46.81, and claimed 71 wickets while being known as one of the greatest slip fielders of his time. Simpson had made his first-class debut for New South Wales aged 16 and would go on to amass 21,029 runs and picked up 349 wickets with his legspin.He had initially retired from the game in 1968 after an 11-year career as one of Australia’s finest openers, having played 50 Tests and captained in 29 of them. But he then made an extraordinary return as Test captain in Australia cricket’s hour of need after the World Series Cricket schism in 1977. Simpson, at the age of 41, led in five home Tests against India and five away Tests against a full-strength West Indies side then.He finished with ten Test centuries, all of them made as captain, including 311 against England in Manchester in 1964, which was his first hundred in his 30th Test, and two more double-centuries. He averaged 54.07 as captain after not making a century and only averaging 33.67 before he assumed the role from Richie Benaud during the home summer of 1963-64.Simpson formed what remains one of Australia’s most successful Test opening pairings with Bill Lawry with 382 they added against West Indies in 1965 still the record for the first wicket.Bob Simpson had initially retired from the game in 1968 but then made an extraordinary return as Test captain during the World Series Cricket schism•PA Photos/Getty Images

Simpson was again called upon by the then Australian Cricket Broad (now Cricket Australia) in 1986 during the nadir of Australia’s on-field performance as a Test nation, having not won a series for over two years.Alongside captain Allan Border, Simpson was instrumental in instilling a culture of discipline and hard work into a younger group of players that were selected to regenerate Australian cricket, including David Boon, Dean Jones, Steve Waugh, Craig McDermott and Merv Hughes.In 1987, he was added to the selection panel that was chaired by Laurie Sawle and oversaw the start of Australia’s next golden generation with Mark Taylor, Ian Healy, Mark Waugh, Shane Warne, Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting among a host players selected and coached by Simpson until he stood down in 1996.Australia won the World Cup in 1987 and regained the Ashes in 1989, which they would hold until 2005. Australia regained the Frank Worrell Trophy in 1995, a trophy they had not held since 1976, having not beaten West Indies in a series anywhere during that time. That win in the Caribbean gave them the unofficial mantle of world No. 1 Test side.”Bob Simpson was one of the greats of Australian cricket and this is a sad day for anyone fortunate to have watched him play or who benefited from his wisdom,” Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird said. “Bob’s decision to come out of retirement to successfully lead the Australian team during the advent of World Series Cricket in 1977 was a wonderful service to the game, and his coaching set the foundation for a golden era for Australian cricket.”Dean Jones chats to Bob Simpson during the latter’s hugely successful stint as Australia coach•Elizabeth Dobbie/Fairfax Media/Getty Images

Many of the players, including Warne, regarded Simpson as the best coach they ever had and pivotal to their develop as international players after also coming through the Australian Cricket Academy under former wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, which had been established as a breeding ground during Simpson’s early years as Australia coach. Warne credited Simpson for convincing him to bowl around the wicket more often in certain conditions.Simpson was known as a disciplinarian and famously made fitness and fielding a major priority as coach.He was succeeded as Australian coach by one of his former players, Geoff Marsh, as the more senior team shifted their approach to preparation under the captaincy of Taylor after Border had retired in 1994.Simpson went on to coach Leicestershire and Lancashire for short periods in English county cricket. He also worked as a coaching advisor for Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy in India and as a consultant for India’s men’s team during the late 1990s.He coached into his 70s, including with Netherlands through a successful qualification campaign to reach the 2007 World Cup.He was appointed a Member in the Order of Australia in 1978, which was upgraded to Officer (AO) in 2007 for services to the game as a coach, consultant and administrator.He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1965. He is a member of the ICC Hall of fame and the Australian Cricket Hall of fame.

أعلن اتحاد الكرة المصري، برئاسة هاني أبو ريدة، عن موعد مباراة الأهلي أمام نظيره المصرية للاتصالات، في إطار منافسات دور الـ32 ببطولة كأس مصر.

وأوقعت قرعة كأس مصر، فريق الأهلي أمام نظيره المصرية للاتصالات في دور الـ32 من البطولة الأقدم في مصر.

وسيلعب الفائز من الفريقين أمام فريق فاركو الذي حجز مقعده في دور الـ16 من بطولة كأس مصر.

طالع | طريق الأهلي | فاركو يهزم تليفونات بني سويف بثنائية في كأس مصر

وحجز فريق فاركو مقعده في دور الـ16 من بطولة كأس مصر بعدما حقق الفوز على تليفونات بني سويف في دور الـ32، بهدفين نظيفين. موعد مباراة الأهلي والمصرية للاتصالات في كأس مصر

وستقام مباراة الأهلي والمصرية للاتصالات في دور الـ32 بـ كأس مصر، يوم السبت 27 ديسمبر الجاري، في تمام الساعة الخامسة مساء، على استاد السلام، ولم يحدد اتحاد الكرة موعد مواجهة دور الـ16.

MatériaMais Notícias

Em 2026, o ano político do São Paulo será bem tenso. Com eleições se aproximando, o time começa a se movimentar tanto pelo lado que será lançado pelos apoiadores de Julio Casares, atual presidente, quanto o lado que será o nome da oposição. O Lance! apurou que a “dança das cadeiras” já está se movimentando. A reportagem confirmou que, entre a oposição, grupos de conselheiros estão começando a se dividir.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasSão PauloProtagonismo de Isac Silva garante o penta do São Paulo na Copa do Brasil Sub-20São Paulo10/12/2025São PauloTorcedores elegem destaque do São Paulo no Brasileirão 2025; confira a listaSão Paulo10/12/2025

Ao todo, os grupos estão divididos da seguinte maneira:

Grupo Participação (Coalizão) – comandado por Themis Almeida e Vinicius Pinotti, reúne 54 conselheiros.Grupo Movimento São Paulo (Coalizão) – liderado por Antonio Donizete Gonçalves (Dedé) e Douglas Schwartzmann, conta com 40 conselheiros.Grupo Legião Tricolor (Coalizão) – sob liderança de Carlos Belmonte, também soma 40 conselheiros.Grupo Força São Paulo (Coalizão) – dirigido por Olten Ayres, possui 28 conselheiros.Grupo Vanguarda (Coalizão) – chefiado por Marcelo Pupo, é formado por 19 conselheiros.Grupo Sempre Tricolor (Coalizão) – liderado por Fernando Bracalle (Chapecó) e Adilson Alves Martins, tem 15 conselheiros.Grupo Tradição (Oposição) – Líder: Fernando Casa Del ReyGrupo Raiz (Oposição) – Miguel AugustoGrupo Legenda (Oposição) – Líder: Roberto Natel

O Lance! apurou que no sábado (6) ocorreu a reunião amplamente comentada entre os integrantes de grupos da oposição, destacada pelo clima de união entre estes três. Na prática, porém, o encontro teve caráter mais motivacional do que estratégico. O ponto considerado relevante foi a postura firme de Marco Aurélio Cunha, que apresentou tom de liderança e sinalizou disposição para assumir papel de destaque.

MAC está começando a se movimentar mais visando o próximo ano. Nas eleições anteriores, existiu um movimento semelhante, mas ao longo das campanhas, os grupos se afastaram. A tendência é que a composição final das chapas dependa das articulações com outros grupos, especialmente os liderados por Pinotti e Belmonte, considerados os aliados mais prováveis para uma união ampla.

continua após a publicidade

➡️Tudo sobre o Tricolor agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! São Paulo

As conversas devem avançar nas próximas semanas, quando serão definidos os termos de uma eventual parceria e a participação de cada núcleo na formação da chapa.

Orçamento de 2026 deve ser aprovado na próxima semana

O São Paulo deve ter uma reunião no Conselho Deliberativo no dia 17 de dezembro para votar e aprovar o orçamento para a temporada 2026.

Tudo sobre

políticaSão Paulo

Not since David and Victoria Beckham began their relationship in the late 1990s had there been a football couple as high profile as Gerard Pique and Shakira when they got together in 2010. Defender Pique was a key cog in Pep Guardiola's all-conquering Barcelona side of the late noughties and early 2010s, while Shakira had been a global pop sensation since the release of hit single 'Hips Don't Lie' in 2005. This was the kind of story the tabloids thrive off – and even more so when it goes badly wrong.

After crossing paths on a music video shoot ahead of the 2010 World Cup, their relationship would span more than a decade. Despite both living their lives in the intense glare of the spotlight and the added scrutiny of being a celebrity couple, the pair seemed to be the picture of happiness – welcoming two sons in 2013 and 2015, regularly appearing together at events and making some very public displays of affection.

However, things would go seriously awry in the summer of 2022 as they suddenly split against the backdrop of cheating allegations levelled against the now-former footballer, in what became an increasingly messy separation.

From football's modern-day power couple to 'betrayal', diss tracks and social media point scoring, this is the story of the breakdown of Pique and Shakira's picture-book relationship…

• AFP
  

  Musical meeting

  Perhaps unsurprisingly, Pique and Shakira's respective careers were the reason for their paths crossing in 2010, as they met on the set of a music video shoot. Rather bizarrely, Shakira – who is Colombian – had been chosen to co-write and sing the official song of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, 'Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)'.

  Pique was among a clutch of prominent players to feature in the music video, and he met Shakira on set in June 2010 shortly before the tournament began. The footballer happens to be 10 years the singer's junior to the day, with both born on February 2.

  "I wasn't a soccer fan, so I didn't know who he was," Shakira told in a 2020 interview. "When I saw the video, I was like, 'Hmm, that one's kind of cute'. And then someone decided to introduce us." From there, their relationship blossomed.

Advertisement

• Shakira Facebook
  

  Secretive beginnings

  The couple did not initially make their relationship public, but that changed in March 2011 when both Pique and Shakira posted a photo of themselves embracing on Twitter (now X) and Facebook, alongside the caption "I present to you my sun".

  It was reported that they had gone public at the request of legendary former Barcelona boss Guardiola, as the manager was growing concerned about the media scrutiny that his player's secretive encounters with the singer was generating and even believed the defender's on-pitch form had been affected.

  Pique had paparazzi camped outside his home and they would follow him to the club's training ground, with tabloids and gossip magazines offering up a price of €150,000 for photos of the pair together.

• Twitter @3gerardpique
  

  Building a family

  Pique and Shakira would be seen in public with each other increasingly often, and he even joined her on stage during the Barcelona leg of her 'The Sun Comes Out' world tour in May 2011. The couple shared a kiss to send the crowd into frenzy.

  Shakira would attend the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony with Pique in early 2012, and later that year the couple announced that they were expecting their first child together, with Milan Pique born in January 2013. They then confirmed their latest pregnancy in August 2014 and the couple's second son would follow in January 2015 when Sasha was born, seven days after his brother's birthday.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty/GOAL
  

  'Marriage scares the sh*t out of me'

  In 2020, Shakira explained why she didn't want to marry Pique, despite them seemingly being very happy together. "To tell you the truth, marriage scares the sh*t out of me," she said in her interview with . "I don't want him to see me as the wife. I'd rather him see me as his girlfriend. His lover, his girlfriend. It's like a little forbidden fruit, you know?

  "I wanna keep him on his toes. I want him to think that anything's possible depending on behaviour."

Manchester United have won three Premier League matches in succession for the first time in the Ruben Amorim era after their 4-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion last time out.

The signings of Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko, and Matheus Cunha have had a positive impact on the team, as all three of them were directly involved in at least one goal against Brighton.

INEOS have seen the impact that signing high-quality, ready-made, players can have on the squad, which may be why they are being linked with a move to sign Adam Wharton.

The latest on Adam Wharton to Manchester United

It was recently reported that the Crystal Palace central midfielder has overtaken Brighton star Carlos Baleba on Manchester United’s shortlist of targets ahead of the January transfer window.

That report claimed that Amorim wants to sign the left-footed English starlet because of his direct style of play and forward passing in the middle of the park, as he looks to bolster his options ahead of the second half of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.

However, it has been reported that it could take a fee of up to £100m to convince the Eagles to part ways with Wharton, which would eclipse United’s club-record £89m deal for Paul Pogba.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Instead of splashing out a club-record fee on the Crystal Palace star, though, Manchester United could unearth their own version of Wharton in Kobbie Mainoo by working with him to improve his game.

Why Kobbie Mainoo can be Man Utd's own Adam Wharton

The England international, who was described as “fearless” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has yet to start a Premier League game this season, because Amorim has stated that he is competing with Bruno Fernandes for a starting berth.

However, the Portuguese head coach could solve that problem by coaching Mainoo to excel as the holding midfielder next to the captain, as his own version of Wharton, as the young midfielder has some of the raw materials needed to perform in that position.

The 20-year-old starlet, who Mango also stated had a “meteoric rise” at United, does need to improve his forward passing and creativity in possession, though, as Wharton has the beating of him in those two aspects.

Pass accuracy

74.4%

86.3%

Shot-creating actions

3.80

2.85

Expected Assisted Goals

0.31

0.11

Progressive passes

5.57

3.62

Progressive carries

1.15

1.75

Successful take-ons

0.48

1.10

Tackles made

1.83

2.59

Percentage of dribblers tackled

40.6%

58.1%

As you can see in the table above, Wharton produces more shot-creating actions and progressive passes per 90 than Mainoo, based on their statistics over the past year, which shows that Red Devils youngster what he needs to develop.

The United academy graduate, however, has offered more defensive quality to his side than the Palace man by winning more tackles and winning a far higher percentage of his attempted tackles, which suggests that he does have the physical edge to play that role next to Bruno.

Mainoo’s progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90, particularly in comparison to Wharton’s, also suggest that he has the direct play in the middle of the park that Amorim wants to sign the Eagles midfielder for.

The 20-year-old star’s statistics show that he does have some impressive qualities that could make him an excellent fit for the role that the club may be lining Wharton up for, if he can work on his progressive passing and creativity in the final third.

Rather than spending £100m or more on the Palace star, United could look within their own squad to coach Mainoo and help him to become their own £100m-rated midfielder by working on his weaknesses to make him a complete star.

Carragher said Man Utd star was "terrible", now he's Amorim's key player

Manchester United now have a talent who has managed to transform his career at Old Trafford.

ByEthan Lamb Oct 30, 2025

Costa Rica’s World Cup hopes have taken a severe hit. A 1–0 loss to Haiti has left Miguel Herrera’s side on the brink in the CONCACAF qualifiers, with their direct path now hanging by a thread. Pressure around Herrera grew louder after the match as Los Ticos have a difficult path to next year's tournament.

• AFP
  

  Costa Rica drop to third in Group C

  Herrera’s team entered the match with a chance to seize control of the group, especially after Nicaragua stunned Honduras earlier in the day. Instead, slipped to third place, and their fate now depends on a combination of unlikely results.

  Haiti struck the decisive blow just before halftime. Josué Casimir slipped a pass into the box for Ruben Providence, whose low cross found Frantzdy Pierrot for the opener. Keylor Navas immediately expressed his frustration, shouting toward a back line that reacted far too slowly. Despite pushing forward in the second half, Costa Rica never found the equalizer.

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  Los Ticos must beat Honduras

  The math is now unforgiving for Herrera. Costa Rica must defeat Honduras in San José next week and hope Haiti fail to beat Nicaragua. Anything less than a victory eliminates them entirely from direct qualification and could even shut the door on the playoff route.

• AFP
  

  Herrera faces growing pressure

  Pressure around Herrera grew louder after the match, including a tense exchange during his arrival to the postgame press conference. Asked whether he still believed he should lead the team for the decisive match, he didn’t hesitate.
  “It’s not my decision. If we don’t qualify, then we’ll have to consider what comes next. I’m committed to this project.”

  Herrera took full responsibility for the team’s poor return – one win, one loss, and three draws in the final round – but emphasized that decisions about his future lie with federation president Osael Maroto.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• AFP
  

  Navas and Costa Rica now need a miracle

  Costa Rica will now carry their fading World Cup hopes into a must-win showdown against Honduras – the group leader, but one that also arrives under significant pressure after a 2–0 defeat on the road to Nicaragua.