Man City success has exceeded all expectations, says Kyle Walker

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Updated 07 October 2023
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Man City success has exceeded all expectations, says Kyle Walker

  • Pep Guardiola’s team visit Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday in pursuit of an unprecedented 4th successive Premier League title
  • England right-back has won 13 trophies since he joined the club in 2017

As he reflects on lifting five Premier League titles in the past six years, Kyle Walker says just one in his career would have “more than satisfied” his desire to share trophy tales with his family in the years to come.

When he joined Manchester City in 2017, the only medal the England defender had to show as a professional was for Queens Park Rangers’ 2010-11 second-tier Championship success while he was on loan to the side at the start of that season.

In eight years at Tottenham Hotspur, the closest he came was a 2-0 League Cup final loss to Chelsea in 2015, despite being named PFA Young Player of the Year three years earlier.

It was a $61 million move to City that sparked the gold rush and moments to last a lifetime.

Now Walker has 13 major trophies to his name, but is far from finished, having extended his contract to 2026.

“I envisaged winning trophies because that’s why I signed for this club,” said Walker, 33. “But did I envisage winning as many trophies as I have done? Probably not, no.

“To win one Premier League, I would have been more than satisfied with. To win five, as I have done, and a Champions League, and go on and win a treble in one season, my dreams have come true.

“But you know, I can’t rest on that. This is the bar we have set as players, as a club and as an organization, and we need to keep moving in that direction.”

Last season’s historic treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League remains fresh in the mind of Walker, whose footballing dreams were spawned while growing up on a Sheffield council estate.

The UEFA Super Cup followed in August, swaying his decision to reject interest from Bayern Munich to remain at City.

Another factor was Walker’s desire to be the best right-back in Premier League history.

Former Manchester United captain and England international Gary Neville has long been recognized as the finest in that position, having won eight titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League twice during 19 years at Old Trafford.

And Walker told Arab News exclusively: “It’s always about winning as much as I can and playing at the highest level possible.

“For me, I do want to be remembered and be in contention with the best-ever Premier League right-backs. If I’m in the question that’s what I’m bothered about.

“I’ve been doing it 10-11 seasons now and if I wasn’t doing it that long then I shouldn’t be considered.

“Gary Neville is the one that stands out most, definitely, for the titles he won with Manchester United and the player he was, not just for club, but for country as well.

“I feel he’s still right up there, definitely, but then you also look at the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James, Kieran Trippier — it’s a real good pedigree of right-backs that we have.”

Walker, swift and steely in both defense and attack, feels that it is not just success with City that will enhance his status.

“Winning more trophies always helps to get that recognition,” he added. “But personally, if I can bring another level to my game then that will also do it — and I feel I have started off this season by doing that. Hopefully that makes people see my qualities.

“Football is about opinion and everyone has their opinion, and it is what it is, but as long as I’m in contention, I’ll be happy with that.”

When he does eventually finish playing, Walker will also feel proud of being part of a City team that can proudly stand alongside English football’s greatest Premier League teams, such as Neville’s Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger’s 2004 Arsenal “Invincibles.”

City, who visit Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, are now pursuing an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title.

“For me to compare against the teams like the United one that went on to win multiple titles would be unfair because it’s in a different era,” said Walker.

“I wasn’t there in that era, but I do know that the teams we are playing now and the individuals they have now, it’s scary.

“I do feel this is one of the best teams that I have seen in the Premier League era, most definitely — and I am just glad to be a part of it.

“To surpass what we did last season, it’s just about continuing to do the same. For us to win another treble would be fantastic but it’s very far-fetched — that comes around every so often.

“But then, can we do it? Of course we can. We have got the players to do it and we have got the manager behind us to do it.

That ambition and view is shared by teammate Manuel Akanji.

For the Swiss international, his first season with City was “nearly perfect” — missing out on the Carabao Cup was his only regret.

And, despite winning six of their first seven league games, Akanji believes City are “still in progress” and can get stronger, having undergone significant summer change.

Notable departures included Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte joining Saudi clubs Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr, as well as captain Ilkay Gundogan leaving for Barcelona and Cole Palmer for Chelsea.

In came Croatian pair Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic, along with Matheus Nunes and Jeremy Doku.

City visit an Arsenal side who were their main challengers last season, with Mikel Arteta’s Gunners letting an eight-point lead slip in a tense climax.

But Akanji added: “Our focus is not on Arsenal — our focus is on us, to win every game and to show a good performance. We are a team that believes and feels strong.

“That’s why we are all here, we want to win trophies. We won three last year and I hope we can at least repeat it this year.

“Last season would only have been better had we won the Carabao Cup as well. It was nearly perfect for me.”


Portugal beat Spain on penalties to win Nations League

Updated 09 June 2025
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Portugal beat Spain on penalties to win Nations League

  • Portugal became the first two-time winner of the Nations League, launched in 2018. It was Portugal’s third major title, along with Euro 2016

MUNICH, Germany: Ruben Neves scored the decisive spot kick after Alvaro Morata missed as Portugal beat Spain 5-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw in Munich on Sunday to claim their second Nations League title.
Portugal twice went behind in regulation time but twice fought back to level the scores.
Martin Zubimendi took advantage of some sleepy Portugal defense to put Spain in front after 21 minutes.
The brilliant Nuno Mendes levelled things up five minutes later.
Mikel Oyarzabal, Spain’s goalscorer in the Euro 2024 final and the 2023 Nations League final, put La Roja back in front just before the break.
Cristiano Ronaldo, quiet as he had been before scoring the winner against Germany in the semis, equalized with 61 minutes gone, adjusting quickly after a Mendes cross was deflected into the air, muscling past Marc Cucurella and volleying the dropping ball home.
Ronaldo was subbed off before full-time with cramp. Even though Portugal had the better of extra time, the match went to penalties.
Both sides converted their first three spot kicks. Mendes buried Portugal’s fourth, before Morata stepped up and shot straight at Diogo Costa.
Neves nervelessly converted in front of the red and green of the Portugal fans. The victory was just Portugal’s second competitive win over Iberian rival Spain in their long history.
Portugal’s only other win over Spain in a competitive fixture was a 1-0 victory which booted the Spaniards out of Euro 2004, with a 19-year-old Ronaldo on the left wing.
Portugal became the first two-time winner of the Nations League, launched in 2018. It was Portugal’s third major title, along with Euro 2016.
While Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal’s fluid movement troubled the Portugese defense early in the match, La Roja’s opener was scrappy.
Yamal chipped from outside the box and the Portugal defense froze, botching a clearance which fell to Zubimendi, who leathered the ball into the net.
The goal was just rewards for Spain’s early dominance, but Portugal hit back almost immediately.
Mendes, put through by Pedro Neto, drilled a low shot across the goal and in.
Just before halftime, Spain picked Portugal’s pocket in their own half before advancing. Pedri linked with Oyarzabal, who threaded the ball past Diogo Costa.
Oyarzabal’s goal meant he has scored in three international finals — against England at Euro 2024, which Spain won, and the 2023 and 2025 Nations Leagues, which Spain lost.
Ronaldo had done little other than encourage the heavily Portuguese crowd until that point but would pick his moment to strike.
With 61 minutes gone, Mendes shed a defender and whipped in a cross. The ball took a deflection and Ronaldo outmuscled Cucurella before lashing a volley home.
The goal was Ronaldo’s fourth in 10 matches against Spain. The previous three all coming in a wild 3-3 draw at the 2018 World Cup.
Limping in the dying stages of regulation time, Ronaldo fell to the turf with three minutes left and signalled to the bench that his night was over.
Spain may have been confident when the match went to extra time, having won on penalties in 2023, but Portugal were faultless, Neves stepping up and converting to send his teammates, including a hobbled Ronaldo, streaming onto the pitch.


Alcaraz saves three match points to beat Sinner to French Open title in final for the ages

Updated 08 June 2025
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Alcaraz saves three match points to beat Sinner to French Open title in final for the ages

  • Alcaraz pulled off his first ever comeback from two sets down to stun Sinner in the longest Roland Garros final in history

PARIS: Carlos Alcaraz saved three championship points as he produced an astonishing fightback from two sets down to beat Jannik Sinner in a French Open final for the ages on Sunday.
Reigning champion Alcaraz rallied from the brink of defeat to overcome world number one Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (10/2) to clinch his fifth Grand Slam title after five hours and 29 minutes.
The 22-year-old Spaniard is now unbeaten in five Grand Slam finals after snapping Sinner’s 20-match winning run at the majors.
Alcaraz pulled off his first ever comeback from two sets down to stun Sinner in the longest Roland Garros final in history. It easily eclipsed the 1982 final in Paris when Mats Wilander triumphed in four sets over Guillermo Vilas in 4hr 42min.
Alcaraz becomes the third youngest man to win five Grand Slams — after Bjorn Borg and compatriot Rafael Nadal — following an incredible duel between the two stars of a new generation.
Sinner fell agonizingly short of a third successive Grand Slam crown after last year’s US Open title and back-to-back Australian Open triumphs.
He suffered his fifth straight loss to Alcaraz in what was their first meeting in a Grand Slam final — and the first championship match at a major between two men born in the 2000s.
Alcaraz leads 8-5 overall having also beaten Sinner to win in Rome, where the Italian returned to competition in May after a three-month doping ban.
Alcaraz put the pressure on Sinner by carving out three break points to start Saturday’s final, but the Italian resisted and soon had a chance of his own.
He couldn’t take advantage and found himself having to fend off two more break points at 1-1, producing clutch serves to grind out another tough hold.
Alcaraz’s persistence paid off in the fifth game when he broke to nudge 3-2 ahead, only for the Spaniard to immediately hand the lead back.
The unshakeable Sinner threatened to break again at 4-3, with a brief lapse from Alcaraz eventually enabling Sinner to snatch the first set.
Sinner hit the accelerator to start the second set, surging 3-0 in front. After facing seven break points in the opener, he tightened up considerably on serve.
But Alcaraz brought up his first break point of the second set with Sinner serving for a two-set lead, duly pouncing on the opportunity to check his rival’s momentum.
With the swagger back in his step at a crucial juncture, Alcaraz sought to bring the crowd into the contest but Sinner remained unflustered in the tie-break.
The first five points went with serve before Sinner whipped a forehand down the line and Alcaraz then steered an attempted drop-shot wide.
A tame return into the net presented Sinner with four set points. Alcaraz saved two before Sinner unleashed a blistering cross-court forehand to move to within a set of the trophy.
It all looked to be going his way when he broke Alcaraz to begin the third set, but the Spaniard refused to surrender his title quietly and rattled off four games on the bounce to lead 4-1.
Alcaraz lost serve at 5-3 but promptly broke to love to force a fourth set, lapping up the roars of the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd.
That ended Sinner’s run of 31 consecutive sets won at Grand Slams.
Alcaraz saved a break point in the third game amid a series of holds as Sinner doubled down. The Italian appeared to be closing in on victory when he broke at 3-3 as the finish line neared.
But Alcaraz had other ideas as he staved off three championship points at 3-5 and then broke Sinner when he tried to seal the title on his serve.
Successive aces spurred a reinvigorated Alcaraz on in the tie-break and into a decisive fifth set.
A despairing Sinner lost his serve right away and his gloom deepened as Alcaraz saved two break points to pull 3-1 ahead, but incredibly there was another twist.
Alcaraz this time faltered with the title within his grasp as Sinner broke at 3-5 to spark a three-game burst that left the Spaniard needing to hold serve to prolong the final.
He kept his nerve to set up a 10-point tie-break, which Alcaraz ran away with as the outrageous shotmaking continued until the very end when he took his first championship point with a sizzling forehand down the line.


England complete series win over West Indies with a game to spare after chasing down a target of 197

Updated 08 June 2025
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England complete series win over West Indies with a game to spare after chasing down a target of 197

  • Former captain Jos Buttler led the way with 47 and current skipper Harry Brook made 34

BRISTOL: England completed a series win over the West Indies with a game to spare after chasing down a target of 197 in the second T20 international in Bristol on Sunday.

Former captain Jos Buttler led the way with 47 and current skipper Harry Brook made 34 as the hosts reached 112-2 inside 13 overs.

But the duo were dismissed in consecutive overs, with England still needing 85 more runs to win. But that was the cue for two of the newer team members to lay down a marker.

Jacob Bethell’s rapid 26 off 10 balls, including three sixes, and Tom Banton’s 30 not out helped complete a four-wicket win with nine balls remaining as England went 2-0 up ahead of Tuesday’s series finale in Southampton.

West Indies were struggling at 121-4 off 16 overs before adding 75 runs in the final four overs of their innings.

Luke Wood gave England the ideal start when his swinging yorker had Evin Lewis lbw with the first ball of the match, but West Indies captain Shai Hope (49) and Johnson Charles (47) repaired some of the early damage in a stand of 90.

Rovman Powell added late impetus with 34 off 15 balls and former captain Jason Holder struck 29 off nine.

Adil Rashid bowled the penultimate over as England again only selected two seamers, but the veteran leg-spinner conceded 31 runs and finished with figures of 1-59 — his most-expensive T20 return.

Separately, Beau Webster is hoping to make an already memorable 2025 extra special by featuring for Australia in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s.

Webster only won the first of his three Test caps in January and was in the side when Australia played their most recent red-ball international, against Sri Lanka in February.

The 31-year-old all-rounder would relish the opportunity to play for the World Test champions on the hallowed turf at Lord’s.

“It’s pretty special. I’ve been here a couple of times to watch a few games throughout the years, but to be out in the middle, yeah, extra special,” he told reporters at Lord’s on Sunday.

“If I get the nod, I’m looking forward to Wednesday.”


Free entry for fans as Saudi Arabia face crucial World Cup qualifier against Australia

Updated 08 June 2025
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Free entry for fans as Saudi Arabia face crucial World Cup qualifier against Australia

  • The final match of the third round of Asia’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers will be staged in Jeddah, with more than 60,000 supporters expected at the stadium

RIYADH: Fans will be granted free entry to Al-Inma Stadium on Tuesday as Saudi Arabia take on Australia in a must-win World Cup qualifier, the Saudi Football Federation announced on Sunday.

The final match of the third round of Asia’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers will be staged in Jeddah, with more than 60,000 supporters expected at the stadium.

The federation’s decision to open the gates free of charge was confirmed via the national team’s fan council on social media platform X, citing “appreciation of the support from the nation’s fans.”

The Green Falcons face a daunting task, as only a win by five goals or more will secure direct qualification to the 2026 tournament.

Failure to meet that target will see Saudi Arabia move into the fourth qualifying round.

That stage features six teams split into two groups, with each group winner earning a direct World Cup berth.

The runners-up will meet in a two-legged playoff to determine Asia’s representative in the intercontinental playoff.


Pakistan to face off Myanmar in AFC Asian Cup qualifier on Tuesday

Updated 08 June 2025
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Pakistan to face off Myanmar in AFC Asian Cup qualifier on Tuesday

  • The Pakistan team arrived in Yangon via private airline flight on Sunday
  • Pakistan are placed in Group E alongside Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Syria

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will face off Myanmar on Tuesday to qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup tournament, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) said on Sunday.

The Pakistan team arrived in Yangon via private airline flight on Sunday, according to the PFF. They will train in Yangon on Monday.

“The match between Pakistan and Myanmar will be held at Thuwana Stadium,” it said. “It will start at 3:30 PM according to Pakistani time.”

Pakistan have been training under the supervision of head coach Stephen Constantine in hopes of bouncing back from a 2-0 defeat to Syria in the campaign opener back in March.

Pakistan are placed in Group E alongside Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Syria.