Footballers born on February 5 are destined for big things, September 21 birthday signals calamity, red cards and own goals
If you’re hoping to find calamity big guns here then you won’t be disappointed. Richard Dunne, the undisputed grand master of the own goal, was born on September 21, 1979, and ended his top-flight career with 10 of them (although he did score 11 at the right end, giving him a narrowly impressive goal difference of +1).
Staying humble: Arsenal thumping of Man City 5-1 only helped expose need for Gunners to sign a clinical striker
In some respects, this Havertz performance demonstrated the complexity of Arsenal’s striker situation. The biggest talking point of the first half, aside from Odegaard’s early goal, was the chance to make it 2-0 that Havertz spurned. Arsenal could have a more clinical No 9. It’s remarkable that, in Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, they have ended up with two centre-forwards who share a common and crucial weakness: finishing. With Jesus now sidelined, Arsenal have spent much of the winter window chasing a new centre-forward.
How Sierra Leon teenage defender outfoxed Valladolid to sign for Manchester City in six days
Bah was enthused by the idea of joining City – the group, which includes 13 teams worldwide from the United States to Japan, Brazil and Australia – and will receive good money for doing so.
Pushing boundaries: How poor Sierra Leonean teenage footballer defied odds, paid $6m to force transfer to Man City in seven days
Juma Bah joined Valladolid in August from AIK Freetong on a 12-month loan, with an option to buy for €150,000 ($156,282). His salary at the time was around €2,000 ($2,083) a month, in line with others in their youth setup. If players progress at the club, their salary and release clauses increase.
How English Premier League’s financial rules are working to check influx of dirty money, enforce fair-play
There is, inevitably, to a concentration of talent in the Premier League. At a very generous estimate, there are perhaps a dozen clubs left on the continent with the financial clout to pay a competitive fee (and salary) to sign a player from England’s top flight. The days when English clubs regarded their European counterparts as predators are long gone. Now, they see them almost exclusively as prey.
How ‘believing’ spurred Africa’s richest footballer and Cameroon’s FA President Eto’o to success in sports and business
Forbes ranks Eto’o the richest African footballer in the world and ranks 12th globally, according to Forbes and Wealthy Gorilla
As East Africa struggles to host to upgrade six stadia for African Nations Championship, UK backs Man United’s £2 billion new stadium
While the Red Devils would be expected to pay for an upgraded stadium – with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s preference for a new 100,000-capacity build – a ‘development corporation’ could be set up to assist on the surrounding areas. The club believe a re-energised Trafford Park has the potential to deliver an additional £7.3 billion ($9.7 billion) to the local economy and 90,000 job opportunities.
Taylor Swift tsunami of sports bets yielded tonnes of dollars, now there’s a rethink in betting business
Taylor Swift had been mainstreamed in the multibillion-dollar sports betting industry, was mentioned on betting podcasts, integrated into sportsbook social media promotions, and inspired prop bets on which millions of dollars have since been wagered worldwide.
Immoral consistency: Why calls by West to sideline Afghan cricket team reek of sports colonialism
What began as a boycott based on the International Cricket Council’s requirement that any nation with Test status must have an active women’s team has morphed into a catch-all protest against the numerous limitations placed on women and girls in the Islamic Emirate.
Kenya’s marathon queen Obiri seeks Boston Marathon third win, Ethiopia’s Lemma to defend men’s title
The 35-year-old Hellen Obiri has been dominant in the distance event since making her marathon debut in 2022, winning New York in 2023 in addition to her pair of Boston titles, picking up the bronze in Paris Olympics last year.
