#footballers

#footballers

The first fiction book by footballer Leah Williamson has been inspired by female footballers who continued to play the sport in protest against being banned from holding certain organised matches.The Wonder Team And The Forgotten Footballers, which will be the first in a series published by Macmillan Children's Books, is co-written with the Lionesses captain's cousin Jordan Glover.

What's the best way to put a gruelling league loss behind you?A Scottish Cup final against your biggest rivals, of course.There has been no time for Celtic or Rangers to feel sorry for themselves after losing out on the SWPL title to champions Glasgow City last weekend, with history on the horizon this Sunday.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Euros winner Beth Mead welcomed exciting times ahead for girls' football after schools were required to offer equal access to sports in a victory for the Lionesses' campaign.

Iran's national football team, known affectionately as Team Melli, kicked off its World Cup on Monday in dispiriting fashion.The side, which came into the tournament the highest-ranked team from Asia, lost a one-sided match to England, 6-2.There is time to make amends.On Friday, Team Melli plays Wales  a potentially winnable match for the Iranians  before taking on the United States in a tantalizing fixture next week.

The Prince of Wales revealed he couldn't walk for a week after playing 11-a-side football recently as he handed out honours at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.William spoke about his recent footballing exploits to ex-England striker Luther Blissett, who was receiving an OBE for his services to football and for his charity work.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Past and present members of the first openly gay women's football team in Europe have spoken of the importance of the wonderful club as it launches a new kit during LGBT History Month.

Brazil football legend Pele has died at the age of 82.He had been battling colon cancer and spent Christmas in hospital, receiving treatment for cardiac and renal dysfunction, before his death was confirmed on 29 December.Pele's daughter Kely Nascimento confirmed the news on Instagram, in a post that said: Everything we are is thanks to you.

World Cup stars have been kept looking trim in Qatar thanks to a barber from Brighton.Rebin Rob, 28, has been cutting the hair of Brighton and Hove Albion players since 2015, with some of the club's current and former footballers in Qatar for the World Cup.Recommendations about his work have led to Mr Rob cutting the hair of many other players, including Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and the rest of the Wales squad.

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka could reportedly be tempted to leave the club for Bayer Leverkusen this summer as his wife has been keen to return to Germany for some time.This is according to a report from German outlet Kicker, who explain that family reasons seem to be the biggest factor for Xhaka ahead of this summer as his future comes into some doubt.

Jordan Nobbs has been backed to "cement her place" in the England team after ending a 12-year Arsenal career by making a surprise move to Aston Villa.The 69-cap midfielder is a former Lionesses vice-captain whose career has been hit by knee and ankle injuries in recent seasons.The switch to Women's Super League rivals Villa, announced on Thursday, gives Nobbs a fresh start as she seeks regular club football.

Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has discussed the possibility of the Gunners signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.Wilshere insists he wouldn't have Ronaldo at Arsenal, despite what celebrity Gooners Piers Morgan might say about it, and he suspects that AFC manager Mikel Arteta wouldn't want the veteran Portugal international either.

The world knows Australia and Chelsea striker Sam Kerr.She scores goals.She backflips to celebrate.She drops pitch invaders on their backsides.She tells the haters to "suck on that one."Audiences everywhere know the happy, infectious, joyful Matildas captain Kerr.But there is another Kerr that we all don't quite know.

2:06 PM ET



James OlleySenior Writer, ESPN FC



DOHA,Qatar -- Iran coach Carlos Queiroz has told the country's fans to "stay at home" if they cannot support the team after boos were heard from supporters in Monday's 6-2 defeat to England.Several members of the Iran squad have received criticism leading up to the tournament for not openly speaking out against the country's government amid nationwide protests, and players were jeered by their own fans during the Group B opener.
- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) On Monday, all 11 players took a different stance, and decided not to sing the country's national anthem prior to kick off at the Khalifa International Stadium in a perceived show of support for protesters in Iran, a situation sparked two months ago by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in 'morality police custody.'
Amini died after being arrested in Tehran over an alleged breach of the Islamic republic's dress code and the nationwide fury has left the Iran team in the midst of a political storm as the World Cup begins in Qatar.

Protesters hold signs against the participation of Israel's national football team in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia on March 20, 2023.Adek Berry, AFP Indonesian football players, fans and pundits reacted with anger and sadness Thursday after FIFA pulled the Under-20 World Cup from the host nation weeks before it was due to kick off, following protests there against Israel's participation.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails The front pages are dominated by reaction to the BBC's decision that Gary Lineker should take a break from presenting Match of the Day until an agreement on his social media use is reached.

Pele has been described as the king of football and footballing immortality after the Brazil legend died at the age of 82.Tributes immediately came in across social media, hailing his legacy both on and off the pitch after a glittering career which included three World Cups with the Selecao.Former England forward Gary Lineker was among those to laud Pele's impact, describing him as the most divine of footballers.

Pele has been described as the king of football and footballing immortality after the Brazil legend died at the age of 82.Tributes immediately came in across social media, hailing his legacy both on and off the pitch after a glittering career which included three World Cups with the Selecao.Former England forward Gary Lineker was among those to laud Pele's impact, describing him as the most divine of footballers.

T he first images of a two-part film exploring the Wagatha Christie' legal battle have been released by Channel 4. Bafta-winning This Is England actress Chanel Cresswell is pictured as Coleen Rooney, sitting in court, in a first look at Vardy V Rooney: A Courtroom Drama.Meanwhile Natalia Tena - best known for playing Nymphadora Tonks in Harry Potter - is seen in dark glasses surrounded by reporters, as she takes on the role of Rebekah Vardy.

Manchester United had gone 26 years without a league title when Sir Alex Ferguson won it in 1993.Three years later, the team was built around academy graduates that Fergie had made a point of introducing in to the squad and they were the cornerstone of the success in the years that followed.Speaking to the club's official site following his induction in to the Premier League Hall of Fame, Fergie has talked about how he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Sir Matt Busby in making young players the focus of the team.

Man United could take a huge financial hit if they choose to sanction a Harry Maguire sale.Manchester United Football Club are evolving under Erik ten Hag.Although the dressing room is similar to how it was when the Dutchman took charge, there's been an obvious switch in footballers who start matches.

The soft deadline of February 17 for initial offers is fast approaching.Musk had better pop on his prototype Neuralink and get thinking about this one.The more serious bidders for the club are expected to be Ineos owner Jim Ratcliffe and a group of Qatari investors.But would it be such a bad idea for Elon Musk to dive in?

A former Premier League star boasted of making colossal sums of money to another retired footballer who invested in his 15 million scam, a court has heard.Ex-Charlton Athletic defender Richard Rufus, 47, allegedly claimed he was a successful foreign exchange trader to dupe friends, family members and associates.

Diego Forlan and Park Ji-Sung would reunite at Qatar 2022 yesterday.The FIFA World Cup is now well underway.We're almost a week into the competition, with the group stage progressing nicely.Manchester United have plenty of representatives over in Qatar, playing for some of the best teams on the international stage.

And I'm always fascinated ... when I see really, really repressed, difficult men, but I see them at a game where they're singing and they're screaming and they're shouting and they're crying and it's like this whole catharsis for them, these feelings that they can't process in the week.Brett Goldstein plays a gruff, yet lovable retired footballer-turned-assistant coach in Ted Lasso.

Chelsea full-back Ben Chilwell said the stigma around mental health "needs to go" after speaking about the help he received during his injury absence.He said the absence was "very challenging" but was helped by speaking about the psychological impacts."I've been talking to someone for a few years now," Chilwell said.

23 minutes ago23 minutes ago Players had an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia.But goalkeepers were saved from the neurological disorders, the research suggests.Elite footballers are more likely to develop dementia than the rest of the population, a new study suggested on Friday.

Professional footballers are more likely to have worse brain health after they turn 65 compared with the general population, according to groundbreaking new research.The study, which compared 75 former male professional footballers, including the former Norwich players Iwan Roberts and Jeremy Goss and the Crystal Palace striker Mark Bright to non-footballers, found that footballers' brain health was typically better in their 40s.

Footballers are 50% more likely to develop dementia than the rest of the population, a study has found, fuelling calls to restrict rules around heading the ball in football.Researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in the Lancet Public Health journal today, compared the health records of 6,000 elite footballers and more than 56,000 non-footballers between 1924 and 2019.

Leicester City defender Ricardo Pereira says his latest return to action feels like he has "won against the injuries" after being sidelined for more than 500 days over the past three years.The 29-year-old made his first appearance of the season in Leicester's win over Tottenham earlier this month.

A former Premier League footballer who used the names of stars including Rio Ferdinand to entice investors has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years over an 8 million trading scam.Ex-Charlton Athletic player Richard Rufus, 48, spent hundreds of thousands of pounds funding his own lifestyle after convincing friends and family into putting their money in a foreign currency exchange scheme.

A former Premier League footballer who used the names of stars including Rio Ferdinand to entice investors has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years over an 8 million trading scam.Ex-Charlton Athletic player Richard Rufus, 48, spent hundreds of thousands of pounds funding his own lifestyle after convincing friends and family into putting their money in a foreign currency exchange scheme.

England midfielder Jordan Nobbs has signed an 18-month deal with the option to extend for Women's Super League club Aston Villa.The 30-year-old joins from Arsenal with whom she spent 12 years, winning 12 trophies including three WSL titles.She scored 81 goals during 270 appearances for the north London club.

Mead, 27, joined the Gunners from Sunderland in 2017 and has scored 61 goals in 166 appearances.She helped England win Euro 2022 in the summer - earning the Golden Boot and being named Player of the Tournament  - but is currently recovering from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament."This club is home for me," said Mead after signing what is understood to be a multiple-year contract.

A former Premier League star claimed footballing friends including Rio Ferdinand had invested in his foreign exchange trading scheme in a 15 million scam, a court has been told.Ex-Charlton Athletic defender Richard Rufus, 47, allegedly lost money hand over fist after promising investors returns of 60% a year.

"Mia San Mia", this has been Bayern Munich 's slogan for some time now.It's the Bavarian spin on "Wir Sind Wir"-both mean the same thing: We Are Who We Are.Mr. Bayern himself Thomas Müller was quoted as saying this ( via Bundesliga.com):"Mia san Mia stands for the complete will to succeed," explained homegrown Bayern star Thomas Müller.

Footballers (especially in European football) have the need to learn another language when hired by teams abroad, often with varied results.While it is obvious some difficulties with the language may arise for the player, it is even stranger when it happens in your own family.Former Bayern Munich player Bastian Schweinsteiger is no stranger to the situation, as reported by Tz.

Bayern Munich can definitely afford the best hotels when they go to Qatar for their winter training camp.Bild reports that the one they got this year is the English country house-style "Al Aziziyah Boutique" in Doha.It also comes with a freebie, not room service or extended use of the facilities, but free guests: Pigeons.

FC Bayern president Herbert Hainer looked back on 2022 in a wide-ranging interview for FCBayern.com- framing the year from a Bayern Munich perspective in a set of four catchphrases: joy, satisfaction, excitement, and hope."First and foremost, 'joy', because the fans were able to return to the venues and we're experiencing sport together again with all its emotions," Hainer said.

Despite some of the truly breathtaking football that we've seen on display at the World Cup in Qatar, the tournament cannot escape its own undertones of human rights issues, LGBTQ+ rights, and just how many migrants wound up losing their lives as a result of stadium and infrastructure construction for the tournament.

Graham Arnold will continue as Australia coach until the end of the 2026 World Cup, Football Australia confirmed on Monday.Arnold, 59, led the Socceroos to the last 16 of the World Cup in Qatar where they were knocked out of the tournament by winners Argentina.Reports said Arnold had rejected offers from European sides and one Asian national team to remain in charge.

The Qatar Controversy- Keva Bush, Surbiton High School (Image: Unsplash) This years FIFA has created a lot of controversy with fans and athletes alike.Here is why: On its official website FIFA claims that it embraces its responsibility to respect human rights across its operations and relationships'.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says he will be patient reintroducing Jadon Sancho to his team as "footballers are not robots".Sancho has struggled for form since his £73m move to United from Borussia Dortmund in July 2021.The England winger has not featured for United since the 1-1 Premier League draw at Chelsea on
"There are some processes you can't force and this is one of them," said Ten Hag.

Tracked by a string of top clubs, including Manchester United, the 23-year-old forward has scored 21 goals and provided 25 assists in 41 Eredivisie games since the start of the 2020-21 season.Predominantly a left-sided player, who can also play centrally, Gakpo's stock rose even further with three goals at the World Cup in Qatar for the Netherlands.

December 15th 2022, 21:32 Morocco's World Cup fairytale came to an end on Wednesday night but the country's FA was not happy with the man in the middle.France sealed their place in Sunday's final against Argentina after goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani earned them a 2-0 victory in Qatar but Morocco felt that they should have had a penalty whilst the match was just 1-0.

01:09 France battled past Morocco to reach the final of World Cup 2022, winning Wednesday's semi-final 2-0 thanks to goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani.The reigning world champions will face Argentina in the showpiece event on Sunday 18 December.Les Bleus are bidding to become only the third team in history to win back-to-back men's World Cups, after Italy and Brazil.

Footballers are more likely to develop worse brain health over the age of 65 than the general population, according to new research.The Scores Project, based at the University of East Anglia, assessed 145 former footballers.It found the cognitive function and brain health of former players aged 40 to 50 outperformed the general population in the same age bracket.

In his pre-match news conference on Wednesday ahead of a decisive 2022 FIFA World Cup Group E clash against former champions Spain, Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu once again expressed his admiration for European football."The golden standard in the world" is what Moriyasu used as a description.

A former Celtic kitman who sexually abused young boys has died in custody.James McCafferty, 76, was jailed for six years and nine months in May 2019 after he admitted a string of historic sexual offences.McCafferty, who was also a youth coach, pleaded guilty to 11 charges related to paedophile activity against 10 victims, which took place over several decades from the 1970s.

An inquest into the deaths from a disaster at Shoreham Airshow that killed 11 people is due to get underway.It comes seven years after the tragedy in West Sussex, which saw a Hawker Hunter jet taking part in an aerial display crash into the A27 in the summer of 2015.The hearing will cover the deaths of the victims and is due to run for three weeks from Wednesday.

The 150th anniversary of what is reckoned to be the world's first international football match is being celebrated with charity games in the UK and abroad.On November 30 1872, Scotland and England drew 0-0 in front of 4,000 spectators at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground in Glasgow.The fixture is claimed to be the first official international match in the world.

Lionel Scaloni had been retired for a year and was feeling an emptiness inside that was difficult to ignore.The former West Ham full-back missed football so much that he was willing to ring Son Caliu, the amateur club next to his home in the island of Mallorca, to say that he was available to work with their kids if they had a position for him.

Britain should support Iran's international footballers if they seek asylum following their very bold and brave political statement, according to a senior MP.Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, who chairs the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said the risk to the players' lives is serious and severe  before praising the bravery of protesters in Iran and Iranians in Qatar.

A senior UK cabinet minister has said it is perfectly legitimate for England players to take the knee at the World Cup to protest against inequality, emphasising the apparent change in attitude towards the stance by some Conservative politicians.England will take the knee before their match against Iran on Monday, although it is unclear whether Harry Kane will also wear the OneLove rainbow captain's armband in support of LGBTQ+ rights, over concerns this could bring an instant yellow card.

When the Qatari government decided to spend millions of pounds on a World Cup opening ceremony featuring Morgan Freeman, Jungkook from BTS and hundreds of performers, it probably hoped it would be the moment when the global media finally focused on football rather than human rights.What it probably did not expect was that the BBC would ignore the entire event in favour of a broadcast criticising the treatment of migrant workers, highlighting corruption at Fifa and discussing the ban on homosexuality in Qatar.

There has been plenty of fire exchanged between some European countries on one side and FIFA, represented by president Gianni Infantino, on the other.But faced with these questions, England and Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier says he and his teammates have absolutely no influence over World Cup decisions, being, at the end of the day, just football players, not politicians.

England defender Eric Dier described the "terrible situation" for migrant workers in Qatar as "disappointing" and said the issues surrounding the World Cup in the Gulf state had dampened the players' excitement before the showpiece event.Qatar has faced intense criticism from human rights groups over its treatment of migrant workers, who with other foreigners comprise the bulk of the country's population.

Christian Eriksen says Denmark captain Simon Kjaer will defy FIFA and wear a OneLove armband at the World Cup regardless of the consequences.Captains of 10 European sides are expected to wear a distinctive heart-adorned armband in Qatar, promoting diversity and inclusion in a country where same-sex relationships are prohibited.