According to the Lawn Tennis Association, only 15,000 British players picked up a padel racket in 2019 but by the end of 2024, that figure was more than 400,000. Of those, about 399,000 are probably mispronouncing it: think pah-dell rather than paddle.
Wow at 16, they play at the highest level. And how they play – they play so well. They're special kids who are used to training with us, they're used to being around us. They had the opportunity, I think they took it, and I'm so happy for them.
I don't see a departure on the cards this summer. I think Liverpool will be planning to keep Alisson. Alisson's happy at Anfield, and as for Juventus, they're in a battle to try and finish in a Champions League place as well.
Calciomercato.com speak of 'red alert' for Pisa in view of the match against Milan at the Arena Garibaldi at 20:45 CET today. The Tuscan side are six points away from safety and cannot afford for their winless run to keep going, and now they have another issues. The deputy goalkeeper Simone Scuffet has in fact not been called up due to injury
The Oviedo stopper has made it clear that while the task is enormous, his team is travelling with belief and pride. Speaking from the press room, the 30-year-old was asked to single out a Barcelona player who could make the difference, and Escandell promptly said, "It would be Raphinha." Capable of beating Barcelona The goalkeeper highlighted Raphinha as the standout threat in the Blaugrana squad, showing the respect Oviedo have for the Brazilian's quality and influence.
Ronald got injured, and then he had the problem he had. Eric has given us a lot, but in different positions. The team had to find all those balances. Rashford had just arrived, as had Roony. This means that the team has to keep looking for an adjustment, like all teams. In the end, we found it, and we are now at a point where the players know each other, and the team has found its best form.
In 2017, Bjorn Mannsverk's phone rang. A year before, what was meant to be a special 100th anniversary for Bodo/Glimt ended in heartbreak as the Norwegian club were relegated from the top flight. A fresh approach was needed to get the club back on track. Having been stationed in Bodo before in his role as a fighter pilot with the Royal Norwegian Air Force, Mannsverk was familiar with the town, but not the football club.
"I learnt a lot when I was at City - it's a completely different world to anything most footballers experience," he told BBC Look East. "People think it's a bit easier being in the lower leagues. But when you've come through an academy, even the best academy in the world, you're not accustomed to how hard men's football actually is."