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أقيمت مباراتان في دور ربع النهائي من بطولة كأس العرب 2025، حتى الآن، بين منتخبي المغرب وسوريا، وانتهت بفوز أسود الأطلس ومباراة السعودية وفلسطين حيث انتصر الأخضر السعودي. 

طالع|موعد مباراة المغرب في نصف نهائي كأس العرب 2025

وخطف منتخب المغرب، فوزًا صعبًا من سوريا، بهدف نظيف، في اللقاء الذي جمعهما اليوم الخميس، ضمن منافسات كأس العرب.

وضمن منتخب المغرب تأهله إلى الدور نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس العرب، فيما تتبقى ثلاثة مقاعد أخرى.

وتأهل منتخب السعودية بعد الفوز على فلسطين ليصبح ثاني المنتخبات التي وصلت إلى نصف النهائي. 

وحقق الأخضر السعودي الفوز على الفدائي الفلسطيني بثنائية مقابل هدف بعد مباراة ماراثونية امتدت إلى الأشواط الإضافية. مواجهات نصف نهائي كأس العرب 2025

وينتظر منتخب المغرب الفائز من مباراة الجزائر والإمارات في نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس العرب 2025.

وسيلعب منتخب السعودية أمام الفائز من الأردن والعراق.

 

Thomas Tuchel has never looked as happy as during the eight months in which he has been in charge of the England team. But now comes the sad part: being away from the players he has grown so fond of until the next international window in March. Despite the cynicism around his appointment, the German has proved to be a fine choice of coach and has given the Three Lions the shake-up they needed.

England have had promising qualifying campaigns for previous tournaments, but never before have they won all of their matches heading into a World Cup or ended one without conceding a goal. They might have had a relatively straightforward path to next summer's competition, but they took their task deadly seriously, developing a ruthless edge which saw them dig deep to see off Albania 2-0 in their final game with two goals in the final 15 minutes.

"It's as good as we've ever had," said captain Harry Kane, who has qualified for six major tournaments with England. "We're going to go into the tournament as one of the favourites and we have to accept that, it's been like that the past few tournaments now and that's part of it. We've been building, had a great year together with the new coach and it's now to 2026."

England have many reasons to be excited about next year, where they will be aiming to end a 60-year major trophy drought with a first triumph since the 1966 World Cup on home soil. England have always been optimistic ahead of tournaments, and while other nations might view that optimism as arrogance, the hype is now justified and they will have to be taken very seriously in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

But despite overseeing a perfect campaign, Tuchel still has a few issues to solve ahead of the tournament in June. Here, then, are the big questions the coach must answer over the next seven months…

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  How should he handle Jude Bellingham?

  Tuchel has learned that the England media agenda essentially revolves around Jude Bellingham, whether he plays or not. The Real Madrid midfielder's absence from the squad in October remained a big talking point even when the games began, and the question of whether he would be recalled dominated the build-up to the November camp.

  Even after impressing in a starting role against Albania, Bellingham managed to dominate the headlines again despite not scoring. His reaction to being substituted was instantly pored over by the press even though it was from the worst reaction that has ever been seen. Bellingham was not exactly thrilled to be taken off before the end, but nor did he throw his toys out of the pram, and Tuchel was caught unawares when asked about the reaction, saying he would "have to review it". 

  Despite appearing to not be bothered by Bellingham's reaction, Tuchel repeated his mantra that the team must come first by saying: "We're about standards, commitment and respect to each other. We'll not change our decision just because someone is waving their arms."

  That could be interpreted as another criticism of Bellingham from Tuchel, who earlier this year revealed that his own mother found the Madrid man's behaviour to be "repulsive". It showed that Tuchel has still not learned how to properly handle Bellingham, and if he wants to have him in his squad then he needs to embrace Bellingham's ultra-competitive nature and resist giving the media more ammunition to use against him.

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  What happens if Kane gets injured?

  Kane scored his 77th and 78th goals for England against Albania, taking him past the total international goals scored by the great Pele. He found the net in six of the eight qualifiers, while he has scored eight more goals than any other player in Europe (Cristiano Ronaldo is his nearest challenger) across World Cup and European Championship qualifiers since 2019. Kane has become even more pivotal under Tuchel, scoring nine goals in nine games under the German coach, accounting for 34 percent of England's total strikes.

  But it begs the question: what happens if Kane gets injured? England have grown to become so reliant on Kane that Gareth Southgate picked him in all seven matches at Euro 2024 despite him clearly lacking sharpness following a back injury. Trusting in Kane now makes perfect sense given he is in the best form of his career, but England need a contingency plan for the eventuality that he does become unavailable, especially as he is likely to be feeling the strain of his record-breaking season for Bayern Munich by the time the World Cup comes around. 

  "I don't want to think of an England without Harry Kane," said former England defender Conor Coady on , and he's not the only one. Tuchel didn't even bother to pick another centre-forward in his latest squad after Ollie Watkins was ruled out with injury, leaving Jarrod Bowen and Marcus Rashford as the only options in the event Kane wasn't available. They will, however, need a more proven option next summer.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Who should partner John Stones at the back?

  John Stones has started England's last four games after recovering from injury, and as long as he can stay fit until next June, he looks nailed-on to be one of the starting centre-backs in North America. He gives England twin assets of a wealth of experience in defence as well as flair in midfield, but it is a toss-up over who should partner him at the heart of the defence.

  Dan Burn was exposed at several points during the trip to Albania and he lacks senior tournament experience, and Marc Guehi seems the more reliable option given he was one of England's most consistent performers at Euro 2024, although it is not clear how much Tuchel rates him. The manager took the Crystal Palace captain out of his starting line-up last month against Latvia with no obvious explanation and did not bring him off the bench either. 

  A foot injury put Guehi out of contention for the latest camp and Ezri Konsa, who stepped in for him when he was suspended for a game at the Euros and took his place against Latvia, performed well against Serbia in his absence before then sustaining a calf injury of his own which ruled him out against Albania. Jarell Quansah, who made his debut against Albania, is the fourth choice as things stand.

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  Can out-of-favour full-backs earn a recall?

  While Tuchel has shown himself to be largely uninterested in public opinion when it comes to picking players, a couple of options he previously favoured have fallen out of favour due to the decisions of other coaches.

  Myles Lewis-Skelly scored the first goal of the Tuchel era against Albania back in March amid his stunning breakthrough season for Arsenal, but he has since faded from the picture for club and, by extension, country. The left-back has fallen behind Riccardo Calafiori in the pecking order for Mikel Arteta and has only started four games this season, none of which have come in the Premier League.

  Tuchel continued to pick Lewis-Skelly for the fixtures in September and October, but drew the line this time around, partly because Nico O'Reilly's form for Manchester City was impossible to ignore. O'Reilly completed 90 minutes against both Serbia and Albania and now looks to be the frontrunner to be first-choice left-back at the World Cup, especially if Lewis-Skelly continues to get little playing time with Arsenal.

  Tuchel acted more swiftly to drop Trent Alexander-Arnold following his slow start with Real Madrid, dropping him for the September games and has not recalled him since. England do have many other options at right-back, although Tino Livramento is currently out with a knee problem and Reece James has a complicated injury history of his own, even if he has remained fit so far this season.

  Alexander-Arnold remains a classy option to return to given his vision and passing ability, but Tuchel, rather like with Arteta, is at the mercy of Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, who has handed the former Liverpool right-back just three starts in all competitions so far this term.

Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson tied his team's contest against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night with an RBI infield single … until he didn't.

Down 3–2 with a runner on third and two outs on the board, Swanson took the plate against Reds reliever Graham Ashcraft. Swinging on a full count, he sent a grounder down the left side where third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes picked it and threw to first—but not in time, allowing Willi Castro to score. Upon further review, however, it was determined that Swanson missed the first base entirely. He was called out, the run was wiped and Cincy maintained their lead.

Take a look at the mishap here:

Swanson's blunder ended up being a costly one. No runs were scored for the rest of the game, and the Reds came away with a 3–2 win—cutting into Chicago's lead atop the National League wild card race.

It'll take a while for the two-time All-Star to live this one down.

In the most anticipated award race of the 2025 season, Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh finished second in voting for the 2025 American League MVP award Thursday, falling to Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.

Raleigh's historic season for the Mariners, which helped the club reach Game 7 of the ALCS, wasn’t enough to earn him the prestigious award over Judge, who took home his second straight AL MVP and the third of his career.

It was a close race, too.

Of the 30 ballots submitted by the BBWAA, Judge received 17 votes for first place—barely eking out Raleigh, who took home 13 first-place votes. It was the closest vote for MVP in either league since Angels star Mike Trout received 17 first-place votes to win the 2019 AL MVP over Astros slugger Alex Bregman (13 votes).

Here’s a closer look at the voting for the top-five 2025 AL MVP finishers:

2025 AL MVP voting—full results (top five)

PLAYER

1ST PLACE

2ND PLACE

3RD PLACE

TOTAL POINTS

Aaron Judge, Yankees

17

13

0

355

Cal Raleigh, Mariners

13

17

0

335

José Ramírez, Guardians

0

0

19

224

Bobby Witt Jr., Royals

0

0

9

215

Tarik Skubal, Tigers

0

0

1

139

RELATED: Every MLB Player Who Received Exactly One MVP Vote

Raleigh led the American League with 60 home runs and 125 RBIs; he also scored 110 runs on the season for Seattle. No catcher in MLB history has hit more homers in a single season than Raleigh, but Judge’s otherworldly bWAR (9.7) and OPS (1.144) was too much for Raleigh to overcome in the eyes of the voters.

Raleigh would have become just the 13th catcher in MLB history to win an MVP award, and the first since Buster Posey captured the title for the San Francisco Giants in 2012.

Full list of MLB catchers to win MVP

PLAYER

TEAM

YEAR

bWAR

Buster Posey

Giants

2012

7.6

Joe Mauer

Twins

2009

7.6

Ivan Rodriguez

Rangers

1999

6.1

Thurman Munson

Yankees

1976

5.0

Johnny Bench

Reds

1972

8.5

Johnny Bench

Reds

1970

7.1

Elston Howard

Yankees

1963

5.0

Roy Campanella

Dodgers

1955

5.0

Yogi Berra

Yankees

1955

4.2

Yogi Berra

Yankees

1954

5.0

Roy Campanella

Dodgers

1953

6.8

Roy Campanella

Dodgers

1951

6.3

Yogi Berra

Yankees

1951

4.5

Ernie Lombardi

Reds

1938

5.3

Gabby Hartnett

Cubs

1935

4.8

Mickey Cochrane

Tigers

1934

3.7

Mickey Cochrane

Athletics

1928

3.4

Bob O’Farrell

Cardinals

1926

3.4

The Premier League is back after a third international break in as many months. Typically, this would be a moment of great excitement for Liverpool, but recent results have laced the build-up to the next phase of action with anxiety.

But Arne Slot’s side are a distance short of emulating last season’s smooth-sailing Premier League champions. Well adrift of first-placed Arsenal after losing five of six top-flight fixtures, there can be no doubting that this is a crisis for the Reds.

But Liverpool have weathered storms before, and it certainly feels like a matter of when, not if, Liverpool will click together after a summer of sweeping change.

Slot has played down chatter of a winter bid for a centre-back. Giovanni Leoni was signed for around £27m this summer, but the former Parma defender is out for the campaign after suffering an ACL injury on his debut. Liverpool missed out on Marc Guehi on transfer deadline day.

Liverpool do appear set to complete some winter business, though, with rumours regarding Antoine Semenyo’s future at Bournemouth gathering speed.

Liverpool planning for winter business

It has been confirmed by the powers that be on the transfer scene that Liverpool are interested in Semenyo, whose £65m release clause with the Cherries becomes active during the January transfer market.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed FSG’s vested interest, but Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are among the suitors too.

This would be a significant deal for the Reds, who failed to seal a direct Luis Diaz replacement this summer, but sporting director Richard Hughes’ eye falls over more than one position, with another Premier League sensation earmarked ahead of 2026.

Indeed, according to a recent report from The Times, Liverpool have entered the race for Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, though they face stiff competition from Manchester United and Newcastle United.

The Tricky Trees don’t want to part with their prized player, though Evangelos Marinakis concedes that keeping him for the long run will prove difficult. Therefore, he has been listed at £100m.

Why FSG want to sign Elliot Anderson

Liverpool have a robust crop of midfield players, but Anderson’s complete and combative style suggests he might be the missing link in an engine room lacking its typical efficiency.

Forged in Newcastle’s academy, Anderson was sold to Forest in 2024 as Eddie Howe sought to ease his side’s financial worries. It would have been a rueful transfer for the 23-year-old, though he has only gone from strength to strength since the switch, and now he is a fully-fledged England international, regarded as one of the finest midfielders in his homeland.

Instrumental for Forest since the start of last season, Anderson really is the full package, strong in the duel, utterly tireless and a developing playmaker, his range of passing growing by the month.

In fact, Anderson is among the best across a number of statistical metrics this season. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of Premier League midfielders for passes attempted, progressive passes and ball recoveries, the top 5% for shot-creating actions, the top 3% for successful take-ons, and the top 7% for crosses completed per 90. Quite the jack of all trades.

He’s an all-rounder, alright, a real force in the middle of the park. In this, he is an echo of Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister, and one who is far outstripping the Argentine at the moment – and that’s not up for debate, sadly.

Matches (starts)

11 (11)

10 (9)

Goals

1

0

Assists

1

2

Touches*

94.4

45.1

Accurate passes*

62.1 (87%)

30.3 (86%)

Chances created*

1.4

0.9

Dribbles*

1.3

0.0

Ball recoveries*

8.4

2.9

Tackles + interceptions*

3.5

1.6

Duels (won)*

7.5 (55%)

2.5 (45%)

The sum of Liverpool’s plight this season is greater than its individual parts, but it is hardly helping that Slot’s trusted midfield lieutenant is flattering to deceive.

While adding Semenyo to the ranks would be a positive move for Slot’s side, you have to wonder whether Liverpool need to complete such a deal. After all, the reason behind opting against a direct Diaz replacement was to ensure Rio Ngumoha has a clear pathway to consistent first-team minutes.

With Cody Gakpo also in the mix, it feels like a deal for Semenyo could run counter to that previously outlined ambition. Of course, Mohamed Salah is not getting any younger, and Semenyo is equally as dangerous on the right as he is coming off the left flank, but Semenyo would struggle to displace the Egyptian legend from the outset, and Salah is contracted to Anfield until the end of next season.

A lot for Hughes and Slot to ponder. With the need for a central defender also intense, Liverpool may struggle to pull off deals for all of these aforementioned players.

They might have to be savvy about it, and while Anderson would be the most expensive of the lot, he would also mark the most impactful addition, described as a “superstar in the making” by journalist Louis Wheeldon, with the potential to become a leading man in the Premier League over the next decade.

Diaz 2.0: Liverpool prepare £88m bid to sign "the best player in the world"

Liverpool have lacked balance and sharpness in the final third this season.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Nov 21, 2025

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke is coming under increasing pressure after his side moved closer to the relegation zone, and Brendan Rodgers is now a contender to take over at Elland Road.

Despite a decent start to the Premier League campaign, the Whites have begun to feel the reality of how difficult it is to claim a regular stream of results in the top-flight as other clubs begin to get their act together after indifferent performances.

Nottingham Forest fit that bracket and took Leeds apart last weekend at the City Ground, leaving the Yorkshire outfit one point above West Ham United and two above the Tricky Trees, who are beginning to show signs of life under Sean Dyche.

With pressure mounting on Farke to deliver results, he responded post-match by indicating that his side have to be better when it comes to fine margins, something that can so often determine whether newly-promoted sides are able to stay in the top division.

He told BBC Sport: “Football games on this level are decided with small details. We have to make sure we are more switched on. We concentrate on the things we can influence and should have defended the cross situation. It was crucial.

“We didn’t follow their full-back and that can happen, but not after we’ve just celebrated. We lost two 50/50 duels, and then the cross comes in. We could have defended the situation more competitively.”

Journalist Graham Smyth labelled the Whites’ performance “desperately poor” and some supporters are now at the point of demanding change at Elland Road.

In that case, who could come in to replace Farke at Leeds? Ian Ladyman has let slip one potential contender that could come to the forefront if that scenario were to take place.

Leeds could replace Daniel Farke with Brendan Rodgers

According to Daily Mail football editor Ladyman, Leeds could replace Farke with former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers after he left the Scottish champions following a public fallout with Dermot Desmond last month.

Suggesting that the Irishman may well be a candidate to take over at Elland Road, he explained: “Now we are eleven games in and Leeds are on a bit of a sticky run with only win in six and games against Aston Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool to come the other side of the international break.

How has Brendan Rodgers fared in the Premier League?

Matches

302

Wins

139

Draws

71

Losses

102

Points claimed

488

“Farke doesn’t deserve the sack, far from it. But that doesn’t mean he won’t get it. And the moment Brendan Rodgers left Celtic a couple of weeks ago, every manager in the lower half of the Premier League became a little more vulnerable.”

Intriguingly, he averaged over two points per game in his second spell at Celtic, adding another two Scottish Premiership titles, a Scottish Cup and a Premier Sports Cup to his haul of 11 trophies while in Glasgow.

Leeds could sign a talented Championship star in January

Of course, his time at Liverpool and Leicester City is still fresh in the memory, and the Carnlough native may be the sensible choice to replace Farke at Leeds due to his ability to turn the tide via his man-management skills.

Manchester United edged closer to finally winning five successive games in the Premier League when they won their third in a row against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

Bryan Mbeumo scored two of the club’s four goals in the game, whilst Casemiro got on the scoresheet and Matheus Cunha scored his first goal for United since his move from Wolves.

Interestingly, the Red Devils were up against a player they were reportedly willing to smash their club transfer record on, Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba.

The Premier League giants were reportedly keen on a deal for the defensive midfielder during the summer transfer window, before INEOS decided against a big-money move for him.

Baleba, however, was substituted in the 59th minute of the match, having failed to provide any goals or assists, whilst Casemiro, his direct opponent, scored and provided an assist.

The Brighton midfielder’s performance on Saturday, coupled with his displays throughout this season, may make the club think twice about any potential move for him in a future transfer window.

Why Man Utd may not make a move for Carlos Baleba

The left-footed star’s drop-off in form from last season to the current campaign is cause for concern at Old Trafford, as it shows a lack of consistency in his game.

In the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, Baleba won 55% of his duels and made 3.7 tackles and interceptions per game across 34 appearances in the Premier League for Brighton.

The 21-year-old midfield talent also scored three goals and provided one assist for his club, with his performances leading to interest from Manchester United in the summer.

Unfortunately, though, Baleba has been unable to kick on and continue his fine form on the pitch in the Premier League this season, after he did not get a move away from Brighton during the transfer window.

The United target’s defensive numbers are down across the board through the opening nine matches of the 2025/26 campaign, which may be a red flag for the Red Devils recruitment department.

Appearances

34

9

Goals

3

0

Tackles + interceptions per game

3.7

2.1

Clearances per game

1.3

0.9

Duels won per game

5.8

3.1

Ground duel success rate

55%

41%

Fouls made per game

1.2

1.4

As you can see in the table above, Baleba’s form has dropped off a cliff this term, from a defensive perspective, as he has gone from being dominant in duels to being dominated by opposition players.

This is why Ruben Amorim and INEOS may be hesitant to make a club-record move, of more than £89m, for the Brighton man in January or next summer, as his current performance level shows that he has not been consistently impressive.

Man Utd preparing move for LaLiga midfielder

According to a report in Spain, via Stretty News, Manchester United are interested in a deal to sign Real Madrid defensive midfielder Eduardo Camavinga in the upcoming January window.

The report claims that the Red Devils are preparing to make a move for the France international to bolster their options in the middle of the park next year.

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It adds that the Premier League giants have made Camavinga a ‘top priority’ target and that they are prepared to offer around £70m to secure his signature from the Spanish side.

The outlet reveals, though, that Real Madrid are not in any rush to cash in on the former Rennes star, and that it would potentially take more than £70m to convince them to part ways with the midfielder.

It now remains to be seen whether or not the Red Devils will be able to do enough to convince Real Madrid to sell Camavinga, or if they will be able to convince the player to make the move to Old Trafford, with no European football on offer this season.

Why Man Utd should sign Eduardo Camavinga

Manchester United should press ahead with a deal for the French central midfielder because he would be an upgrade on Baleba, as an even better signing for Amorim’s midfield.

The left-footed star, who scored his first goal in the Champions League last month, provided a timely reminder of his quality in the El Clásico at the weekend, winning eight of his 12 duels and completing all three of his attempted dribbles in a 2-1 win over Barcelona, per Sofascore.

Camavinga, who has been utilised at left-back, centre-back, central midfield, and defensive midfield by Real, has shown more consistency and quality in his performances than Baleba over the past 365 days in all competitions.

The chart above shows that the France international has outperformed the Brighton star in a host of key midfield statistics both in and out of possession in the past year.

On top of that, the £70m-rated midfielder, who was described as a “duel-monster” by analyst Raj Chohan, has outperformed Baleba at league level so far in the 2025/26 campaign.

Appearances

6

9

Sofascore rating

6.96

6.53

Tackles made per game

1.8

1.0

Dribbled past per game

0.7x

0.7x

Duels won per game

4.3

3.1

Ground duel success rate

74%

41%

Fouls per game

0.3

1.4

As you can see in the table above, the Real Madrid star has been significantly more effective as a defensive presence in the middle of the park at league level this season, winning 1.2 more duels per game and winning a far higher percentage of his ground duels.

Perhaps the most telling statistic is their respective fouls made per game. Camavinga rarely trips up and has to foul opposition players, whilst Baleba is committing over one foul per match on average, which shows that he is losing duels and having to resort to fouls to break up play.

Overall, Camavinga appears to be the better option out of the two, as evidenced by both his form this season and over the past 365 days, as a defensive midfield signing for United in the January transfer window.

This is why INEOS should forget about a move for Baleba and concentrate their efforts on attempting to sign the Real Madrid midfielder next year.

British prodigy who’s like Lampard has made huge decision about joining Man Utd in January

He has a massive future ahead of him.

ByHenry Jackson Oct 28, 2025

تحدث الألماني توماس مولر، لاعب فرانكوفر وايت كابس عن مواجهة ليونيل ميسي قائد إنتر ميامي في نهائي الدوري الأمريكي.

ومن المقرر أن يواجه إنتر ميامي بقيادة ميسي نظيره وايت كابس بتواجد مولر، مساء اليوم، السبت، في تمام الساعة التاسعة والنصف مساءً بوقيت القاهرة.

من المعلوم أن توماس مولر أحد اللاعبين الذين تغلبوا على ليو ميسي أكثر من غيرهم في مسيرته الكروية، سواءً مع بايرن ميونخ أو المنتخب الألماني.

وحول ذلك قال مولر، في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “ماركا”: “أنا سعيد بأدائي ضد فرق ميسي سابقًا، لكن هذا لا يهم إطلاقًا في هذا النهائي، لديّ شعور جيد، ليس بالفوز بل بكيفية تعاملنا مع المباراة”.

اقرأ أيضًا | مارك جويهي يحسم رغبته بشأن وجهته القادمة بين بايرن ميونخ وقطبي إسبانيا

وأضاف: “الماضي لا يهم لكن من الجميل دائمًا مواجهة أولئك الذين واجهتهم مرات عديدة وانتصرت عليهم”.

ومن المقرر أن تكون هذه المباراة الأخيرة بالنسبة للثنائي سيرجيو بوسكيتس وجوردي ألبا في مشوارهما وسيعتزلان كرة القدم.

حول ذكرياته معهما، أتم مولر: “كانا لاعبين عظيمين لفريقيهما ولكرة القدم بشكل عام، شخصيتان عظيمتان في هذه اللعبة، قدوتان في مراكزهما، وأرفع لهما القبعة تقديرًا لمسيرتيهما”.

Former India captain Mithali Raj and wicketkeeper-batter Ravi Kalpana will have stand named after them at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The stands will be unveiled on October 12 ahead of India’s women’s ODI World Cup match against Australia.The decision was taken after India opener Smriti Mandhana made the suggestion to Andhra Pradesh IT minister Nara Lokesh during the chat in August.”The ACA’s tribute to Mithali Raj and Ravi Kalpana reflects a deep commitment to honouring the trailblazers who have redefined women’s cricket in India while inspiring the next generation to dream bigger,” the ACA said in a statement.”Smriti Mandhana’s thoughtful suggestion captured a wider public sentiment,” minister Lokesh said. “Translating that idea into immediate action reflects our collective commitment to gender parity and to acknowledging the trailblazers of women’s cricket.”Raj, a former India captain and a stalwart of women’s cricket, holds the record for the most runs in women’s ODIs. She scored 7805 runs from 232 ODIs at an average of 50.68 with seven centuries.In 89 T20Is, she scored 2364 runs with 17 fifties at 37.52, while in 12 Tests, Raj scored 699 runs in 19 innings at 43.68 with a highest score of 214, the best for an India batter in the format. She retired from all formats of the game in 2022, bringing down the curtain on a career that spanned 23 years.Kalpana played seven ODIs between 2015 and 2016, and her rise to the India team has inspired several cricketers from the region, such as Arundhati Reddy, S Meghana and N Shree Charani.

Manchester United are in transition, but after a 2024/25 campaign that must be buried and forgotten, Ruben Amorim has succeeded in endowing his squad with more zest and zeal than was previously on display.

Amorim’s United have a perfectly respectable Premier League record so far this season. Seventh in the standings, the five-match unbeaten streak has eased the pressure and placed the side in a promising position, only four points behind second-place Manchester City.

Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have played crucial parts in achieving this. INEOS have revamped the Red Devils’ frontline, and now there is far more togetherness and understanding when on the attack.

But, as United look to wedge their way back into the Champions League and then compete for that silver cup after so many years, Amorim may fancy a higher breed of player, and it would indeed appear that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co are aiming for the stars.

Man Utd eyeing marquee signing

Manchester United are one of the biggest clubs in the world, but for too long they have struggled to match that reputation with sustained success on the field.

While the Theatre of Dreams crop have edged back onto the once-trodden path, it seems INEOS are interested in a marquee addition to balance against the shrewd summer signings. Someone like Cristiano Ronaldo, perhaps?

Not an easy task, replicating that one-time signing under Sir Alex Ferguson, which proved to be one of the best in the history of the game, with CR7 of course now recognised as one of the finest and most accomplished footballers in history.

But United should be aiming to sign one of the game’s superstars, a game-changer whose quality differs from everyone else under Amorim’s wing.

Maybe that’s why Man United are interested in striking a deal for Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, whose future in the Spanish capital has been a hot topic for several years at this stage.

Vinicius Jr, 25, is reported by Spanish sources to be considering a shock departure from Real Madrid, given that he no longer feels like the protagonist next to Kylian Mbappe.

United are on red alert, and are even understood to have prepared a £200m offer to lure him away from the Santiago Bernabeu.

Chelsea are also long-term admirers, and so INEOS and Jason Wilcox would need to act speedily to get this one over the line.

What Vinicius Junior would offer Man Utd

Vinicius Jr is widely recognised as one of the most talented forwards of his generation. Having joined Real Madrid from Flamengo for just south of £39m in 2018, the Brazilian has scored 111 goals and supplied 87 assists across 338 senior outings, notably winning two Champions League and three La Liga titles.

A big-game player and with so many different ways to hurt his opponents, the £353k-per-week talent has been embroiled in something of a tumultuous year at Real Madrid, and it’s starting to look increasingly likely that he will not see out the duration of his prime in the iconic white shirt.

Mercurial, dynamic and always dangerous, Vinicius Jr is blessed with such frightening speed and control when on the ball, such creativity when zipping up and down the left flank.

Hailed as a “legend in the making” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Vinicius Jr could reach that potential by completing a reversal of Ronaldo’s record-breaking transfer to Spain way back when, taking his world-class reputation and hitting new heights in a different league.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up’s volatile nature at times is also part of what makes him special. He is a natural-born competitor, and he hates losing. Perhaps Man United need such a player, someone with the aura and determination of Ronaldo.

There have been several flare-ups in Spain this season for the South American star. He has been somewhat at odds with new manager Xabi Alonso, and he has blanked across his past four La Liga matches, albeit still having scored five goals and provided four assists across 12 matches.

But there’s no denying Mbappe has taken on the focal role, and it is for this reason that Vini might want to leave, moving to United and earning greater tactical freedom to play across the frontline and in a role that would see him designated as the club’s superstar.

Left winger

284

86

73

Centre-forward

60

29

15

Right winger

14

3

2

Attacking midfield

2

1

0

Ronaldo proved he could do it over several years in the Premier League, but then he transcended expectations when moving to Real Madrid and becoming their main man.

The Portuguese legend scored 145 goals for United across two spells, winning the Ballon d’Or – the first of five – in 2008 and claiming three Premier League titles and the first of many Champions League trophies across that glittering first stint, led by Sir Alex.

Vinicius Jr has enjoyed illustrious success in Spain and is accepted by all as one of the game’s finest. But could it be that he too needs to enjoy the talismanic handle to hit his finest form? In this, he could find that United offer the perfect platform for him to slide into, tackling a project that needs plenty of work but is showing the signs of a corner turned.

Under Amorim’s guidance at Old Trafford, he could achieve this, emulating his Los Blancos idol in leaving Real Madrid after sustained success and forging a new path.

The respective situations are hardly identical, but there are undoubtedly similarities, and Vincius Jr has the power and personality to hit the jackpot in England and lead the Man United resurgence, combining with Mbeumo and Cunha and Benjamin Sesko to restore United to their one-time power as a behemoth of the British and European game.

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