PARIS: Spanish midfielders Rodri and Aitana Bonmatí won the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or award for the world’s best soccer player on Monday.
The 28-year-old Rodri won the prestigious award for the first time after helping Manchester City win the Premier League and being a key player in Spain’s European Championship triumph. He succeeded eight-time winner Lionel Messi of Argentina.
Rodri put his hands over his face when his name was read out by former winner George Weah.
“Incredible night for me,” said Rodri, who is out for the season after injuring his ACL last month and arrived on crutches to the ceremony. “One of my key things is I always try to improve every game.”
The 26-year-old Bonmatí retained her award after helping Barcelona win the Spanish league, the Spanish cup and the Champions League. Bonmatí joined Barca teammate Alexia Putellas in winning two titles since the women’s trophy was first awarded in 2018. She beat her teammates Caroline Graham Hansen of Norway and Salma Paralluelo of Spain as Barcelona completed a 1-2-3.
“It’s a pleasure to be here again,” said Bonmatí, who received the award from Oscar winner Natalie Portman. “Thanks to my teammates and the clubs who make me a better football player every year.”
Vinícius Júnior was among the four men’s finalists with his Real Madrid teammates Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal. But no one from Madrid attended the gala in central Paris, even though Carlo Ancelotti won the coach of the year award.
Vinícius had been seen as one of the favorites for the award until making the decision not to travel to Paris for the ceremony. The decision was made by Madrid, according to a person who works with Vinícius and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak about the player’s whereabouts publicly.
Vinícius finished second in the voting, with Bellingham third.
Neither Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo — winners of the prestigious individual award a combined 13 times — were in the running for this year’s prize — the first time that’s happened since 2003.
While Rodri is not a flamboyant player or a prolific scorer like Messi and Ronaldo, he had a huge influence on City’s team with his ability to protect the defense and distribute passes cleanly from the back.
“I try to be a leader and try to improve every day from the best,” Rodri said.
City looked unbeatable at times with him in the side, while his excellent technical ability enabled him to slot smoothly into the quick-passing style made so effective by Spain at Euro 2024.
Bonmatí scored 19 goals for the second straight season for Barca and this year has netted five in five games for Spain, taking her international tally to 26.
The Ballon d’Or was created by France Football magazine and has been awarded since 1956 for the men, and since 2018 for the women. It is voted for by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings.
Each journalist, one per country, selects 10 players in ranked order, with points attributed to each position. The winner is the player who receives the most points. Unlike FIFA’s awards for the best players each year, fans aren’t part of the voting system.
Yamal’s trophy and other awards
On a good night for Spain and Barca players, teen prodigy Lamine Yamal — the youngest-ever scorer at a European Championship — won the Kopa award for best Under-21 player and Barca won the best women’s team award.
Real Madrid was voted the best men’s team.
Former PSG forward Kylian Mbappé and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane shared the Gerd Mueller award for most club and country goals last season with 52. Mbappé joined Madrid during the offseason.
Argentina’s penalty-saving specialist Emiliano Martínez retained the Lev Yashin award for best goalkeeper.
Ancelotti and Olympic-winning coach Emma Hayes won the Johan Cruyff award for best men’s and women’s coach.
Spain forward Jenni Hermoso, who has fought sexism in Spanish soccer after she was kissed on the lips at last year’s Women’s World Cup final by former federation president Luis Rubiales, collected the Socrates award for humanitarian work.
A special award was given by France Football to the wife and son of late Germany great Franz Beckenbauer.
Spaniards Rodri and Bonmatí win Ballon d’Or award for best men’s and women’s players in world soccer
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Spaniards Rodri and Bonmatí win Ballon d’Or award for best men’s and women’s players in world soccer
- While Rodri is not a flamboyant player or a prolific scorer like Messi and Ronaldo, he had a huge influence on City’s team with his ability to protect the defense and distribute passes cleanly from the back
- The 26-year-old Bonmatí retained her award after helping Barcelona win the Spanish league, the Spanish cup and the Champions League
Inzaghi looks for more Hilal firepower in must-win FIFA Club World Cup clash
- Riyadh’s Blues have scored only 1 goal in the tournament ahead of final group match against Mexico’s CF Pachuca
- Hilal midfielder Sergej Milinković-Savić happy with two previous performances but says ‘we need to score more goals’
NASHVILLE: In Nashville, the US’ self-proclaimed Music City, Al-Hilal’s new coach Simone Inzaghi is hoping to fine-tune an Al-Hilal forward line that has performed worryingly off-key so far at this month’s FIFA Club World Cup.
With only a Ruben Neves penalty to show for almost 200 minutes of football in the US, the Riyadh side face Mexico’s CF Pachuca tonight knowing only a win will do if they are to progress to the round of 16.
The Blues will need to find their rhythm.
For all the praise received following the statement 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in Miami, it is Sunday’s dull stalemate with Red Bull Salzburg that is freshest in mind.
The statistics do not make for pleasant reading: across the two matches, Hilal managed 31 shots, but only six hit the target. Discount the penalty and it equates to six shots for every one on target — hardly in harmony with a team of Hilal’s wealth of ambition.
Nonetheless, Inzaghi was generous with his praise for the players’ effort after the scoreless draw.
He confirmed in his pre-match press conference yesterday that striker Aleksandar Mitrovic remains sidelined, though Saudi Arabia center-back Hassan Al-Tambakti trained as normal despite hobbling off against Salzburg.
While the front three is likely to remain unchanged with Marcos Leonardo operating between Salem Al-Dawsari and Malcom, the Hilal bench might have one new face should Inzaghi need a spark in attack.
Kaio Cesar has proclaimed himself fully recovered from the hamstring injury that has kept him out since May 16. On Wednesday, the 21-year-old winger trained with the squad before being pulled aside and taken through his paces by muscle reconditioning expert Claudio Spicciariello.
The Brazilian told Arab News he is “100 percent ready” should Inzaghi call upon him.
“I am happy to be finished with the treatment and excited to be able to help my team again,” said Kaio, who has six goal involvements since joining Hilal in January from Portugal’s Vitoria Guimaraes.
“To start the match, I think it’s difficult because I’ve been out for a while, but I can play some minutes and hopefully make a difference.
“I’m ready, so it depends on the coach now, but I am with my mind in a very good place, lots of positive thoughts, and ready to help my team with goals, assists, running, and doing whatever I can to make sure we progress.”
Sitting in third place in Group H with two points, two behind Madrid and Salzburg who also play each other tonight, the result of that match will determine how many goals Hilal need to progress.
But nothing less than victory against Pachuca will suffice if the 2021 AFC Asian Champions League winners are to reach the round of 16 — a feat no other Asian or African team has managed Stateside, with all seven other representatives from the AFC and CAF already eliminated.
“Firstly, we are only worried about ourselves and our game — we need to do our job first and then we can look at the other result,” Kaio said when asked if the result in the Madrid-Salzburg match will play on the players’ minds and add extra pressure.
“Getting the win we need first of all, that is my motivation. That is our only concern. The pressure is already big because the club is big and the responsibility is always to win every match.
“Now the pressure is even more because we need to get the victory, but we have a lot of big players who are prepared for this type of moment.”
One such player is midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. The stylish Serb has been a key part of Hilal’s success since joining from Lazio in the summer of 2023.
And his role is expected to gain even more importance under Inzaghi, with whom he shone in Rome between 2016 and 2021. He said he cannot fault his teammates for the 0-0 draw with Salzburg and that they will continue on the same path that has brought them this far — with one key difference.
“We have played two good games so far,” he said. “The last game, we played very well and were just missing a goal to win the game, but this now being the last game of the group stage, we will do everything we can to win.
“I’ve said it before, but I am happy how we went in these first two games and we will go the same way until the end, but of course we need to score more goals.”
Pachuca cannot be underestimated. They have netted in both their matches so far, and while ultimately losing both, they have enough in attack to cause problems, especially in 19-year-old Elias Montiel.
The last time the reigning Concacaf Champions League winners faced an Arab side at a FIFA tournament was in last year’s Challenger Cup in Qatar. On that occasion, following a 0-0 draw with Al-Ahly, Pachuca triumphed on penalties.
When the music stops tonight, there will be no penalties: If Hilal fail to score — draw or not — they will be heading home. No encore.
Delap makes his mark as Premier League clubs’ hunt for strikers hots up
- Chelsea’s new signing from Ipswich scored his first goal for the club against ES Tunis at FIFA World Cup
- Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United among clubs looking to strengthen their attacks with new strikers
DUBAI: It was third time lucky for Chelsea’s new striker Liam Delap — who arrived from Ipswich Town earlier this month — when he opened his account on Wednesday for the Blues in their 3-0 win over ES Tunis at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Following last Friday’s 3-1 defeat at the hands of Flamengo, Enzo Maresca’s team required a victory for a place in the knockout stages of a competition they won in 2022.
The result never looked in doubt once defender Tosin Adarabioyo had given them the lead with a well-taken header.
The advantage was doubled moments later as Delap scored his first Chelsea goal, collecting a pass from Enzo Fernandez before holding off one challenge, evading another and dispatching a low drive into the bottom corner.
It was brilliant center-forward play, combining strength, skill and a killer instinct in front of goal. For any striker, their first goal at a new club, regardless of the competition or opposition, is an important milestone.
It settles early nerves, eliminates any negative outside noise and helps to build a positive relationship with the fans, who enjoy nothing more than watching a new forward showcase his goalscoring capabilities.
Delap, who confidently took the Chelsea No. 9 shirt after signing, had shown encouraging signs during his first two performances at the tournament.
In their opening fixture, a 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC, the 22-year-old came off the bench and made an instant impact, providing a superb cross which was converted by Fernandez to put the game to bed.
He was then handed his first start against Flamengo and proved a handful for opposition defenders prior to his withdrawal shortly after the hour mark with his replacement, Nicolas Jackson, shown a red card for a reckless challenge just four minutes after coming on.
With Jackson’s one-match ban extended to two following a FIFA disciplinary committee review, Delap is likely to start once again when Chelsea face Benfica in the round of 16 on Saturday, providing the youngster with another opportunity to stake his claim.
It is a summer transfer market in which many of the Premier League’s biggest sides are on the hunt for strikers, and Chelsea appear to have stolen a march on their rivals.
Had Arsenal invested in a proven goalscorer in the last couple of years, they could easily have won a title under Mikel Arteta’s stewardship. The fact he was forced to use midfielder Mikel Merino as a makeshift striker during last season’s run-in spoke volumes, and so the search goes on.
Manchester United are yet to reap the rewards of their investment in Rasmus Hojlund who has struggled since moving to Old Trafford in 2023.
The recent signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers, and the probable arrival of Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, suggest Ruben Amorim is far from satisfied with the output of his current attackers.
Yet while both players are undoubtedly strong additions who will elevate the United forward line, they are not traditional center forwards.
Premier League champions Liverpool, who are certainly not short of attacking options, are also thought to be hunting for a striker, with rumors of an audacious bid for Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak continuing to persist.
That particular deal will be a difficult one to pull off, but Arne Slot clearly views the position as an area which needs strengthening, particularly if Darwin Nunez departs.
Of the strikers available on the market, many of the headlines have focused on Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko. While both players are clearly talented, any transfers would naturally involve a huge financial outlay, which many clubs are now wary of given the implications of the Profit and Sustainability Rules.
For Chelsea, the signing of Delap makes perfect sense. As well as being young and hungry, he boasts Premier League experience having scored 12 goals for relegated Ipswich last season.
Additionally, the fact he has played under Maresca, and alongside Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia, in Manchester City’s academy, ensures he should quickly adapt to the team’s playing style.
Under the Clearlake ownership model, Chelsea have been widely criticized for spending huge sums of money on players who have failed to justify their price tags, with a few notable exceptions.
The acquisition of Delap for $41 million, however, might just prove to be the club’s smartest business move yet.
Celtics’ Jayson Tatum progressing well, but won’t return until ‘fully ready’
- Boston president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said the All-Star is progressing well following surgery last month
When Jayson Tatum ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the Celtics’ conference semifinals loss the the New York Knicks, everything about Boston’s immediate future changed.
But what won’t change is the Celtics’ front office’s prudence in making sure he has the space and time to make a full recovery.
Boston president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said the All-Star is progressing well following surgery last month. But asked about whether the team had put a potential timeline on Tatum’s return, Stevens was definitive that there would be no rushing the star’s rehabilitation.
“We don’t and we won’t,” Stevens said Wednesday night following the first round of the NBA draft. “We won’t put a projected timeline on him for a long, long time. ... It’s baby steps right now. He’s actually progressed great, but I don’t know what that means in regard to projected timelines. But that will be in consultation with him ... and everybody else to make sure when he hits the court he is fully ready, and fully healthy. And that will be the priority.”
Tatum is expected to miss most if not all of next season. It has already had implications for next season, with the team opting to trade Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday – both key contributors from the 2024 title team – in an effort to get the team’s salary under the luxury tax second penalty apron.
But Stevens said All-Star Jaylen Brown has already been back to the Celtics’ training facility since he had minimally invasive surgery to clean up his right knee. Brown is doing some light ball handling and work around the rim, Stevens said.
“We said be ready for training camp and I think he’ll probably be going full well ahead of that,” Stevens said.
While Stevens said league rules wouldn’t allow him to address the pending trades of Porzingis or Holiday, he said anything they do this offseason is with an eye toward regaining flexibility after multiple seasons with a high payroll.
“As far as whatever moves that those are a apart of, they’re all separate and hard and things that you’re going to have to do your best to make sure you put yourself in the right positions,” Stevens said. “We knew this was coming. This isn’t a huge surprise. ... The biggest thing for us is making sure that we balance that, maximizing what we can with regard to what we bring back so we can continue to build and grow.”
Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe first picks of 2025 NBA Draft
- The Mavericks’ announcement ended a months-long buildup for the 18-year-old Flagg, who had long been projected as the top pick
- The San Antonio Spurs followed with the No. 2 pick, which they used to select Rutgers freshman guard Dylan Harper
Cooper Flagg anticipated the moment for many months.
Still, when Flagg heard his name called No. 1 overall by the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night in the NBA Draft, he felt a flurry of emotions.
“I’m feeling amazing,” Flagg said as he stood with his family. “It’s a dream come true, to be honest. I wouldn’t want to share it with anybody else.”
The Mavericks’ announcement ended a months-long buildup for the 18-year-old Flagg, who had long been projected as the top pick. The only question was which team would get the chance to select him, and Dallas earned that opportunity when it won the NBA Draft lottery last month, despite having just 1.8 percent odds of moving into the top spot.
Flagg figures to quickly provide a new face of the franchise for the Mavericks, who drew ire from their fan base for trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February.
The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Flagg helped guide Duke to an NCAA Final Four appearance while averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks as a freshman. He won the Wooden Award as the nation’s best player while taking home ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC All-Defensive Team honors.
The San Antonio Spurs followed with the No. 2 pick, which they used to select Rutgers freshman guard Dylan Harper. The son of longtime NBA player Ron Harper will join a talented roster that includes prized big man Victor Wembanyama.
Harper said he could not wait to get to San Antonio to prepare for the season.
“I’m feeling everything — all the emotions mixed in one bucket,” Harper said. “I think when you play with a bunch of great players, it brings the best out of you. They’ve got a great young core over there. I’m just ready to get in there and make an impact any way I can with those guys.”
At No. 3, the Philadelphia 76ers selected guard VJ Edgecombe out of Baylor. He was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year after averaging 15 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Bears.
The Charlotte Hornets selected Duke guard Kon Knueppel next, which gave the Blue Devils two freshmen in the top four picks. Now, Knueppel will stay in North Carolina to play in the NBA.
“It was a big spotlight at Duke,” he said. “(We) freshmen didn’t shy away from that, and it prepared us for the next level. Hopefully, that will carry over.”
The Utah Jazz selected Ace Bailey out of Rutgers to round out the top five picks. Harper and Bailey marked the highest draft picks in Rutgers annals.
The next three selections featured three more freshman guards: Texas’ Tre Johnson to the Washington Wizards at No. 6, Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears to the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 7 and BYU’s Egor Demin to the Brooklyn Nets at No. 8.
The Mavericks had the No. 1 overall pick for the second time in franchise history. When they owned the top selection in 1981, they drafted DePaul’s Mark Aguirre over Indiana’s Isiah Thomas.
Pacquiao ‘hungry’ for comeback after four-year layoff
- The 46-year-old Filipino boxing icon faces World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Barrios in Las Vegas on July 19, four years after his last fight ended in defeat
- Pacquiao said while his recovery times were now slightly longer, he had not noticed any drop off in his physical conditioning
LOS ANGELES: Manny Pacquiao said Wednesday that his lengthy layoff from boxing has reignited his passion for the sport as he prepares for next month’s world welterweight title comeback against Mario Barrios.
The 46-year-old Filipino boxing icon faces World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Barrios in Las Vegas on July 19, four years after his last fight ended in defeat.
Pacquiao has reunited with long-time veteran trainer Freddie Roach for next month’s title tilt, and spoke to journalists on Wednesday as he worked out at the Hall of Famer’s Wild Card gym in Hollywood.
“Four years rest has been good for me,” Pacquiao said after showing off some impressive hand speed in an open pads session.
“I’ve been in boxing for so many decades, so it’s good for my body to rest for four years.
“Now I’m back, I’m hungry to fight again. I’m hungry to fight in a big fight like this. To work hard, have discipline, everything like that.”
“I’ve missed boxing. I feel like the passion, the fire in my eyes, working hard — it’s still there.”
Pacquiao said while his recovery times were now slightly longer, he had not noticed any drop off in his physical conditioning.
“I’m fast, I can move like I did before. I can run in the mountains with the young boxers, so I’m happy,” he said.
“I’m enjoying this training camp. There’s a couple of adjustments for bodily recovery. We have to control the body, give my body time to rest and recover.”
Pacquiao, who won 12 world titles in eight different weight classes during a glittering professional career that began in 1995, refused to be drawn on whether his comeback next month would be “one and done” or just the first step of a full-fledged return to the sport.
“It’s hard to say,” he said when asked about future bouts. “Now I’m back so one at a time, after this fight we can plan whatever we want.”
For some in boxing, however, Pacquiao’s return to the ring represents an unnecessary risk.
British promoter Eddie Hearn was the latest to cast doubt on the wisdom of the Filipino’s comeback earlier this month, predicting that the 30-year-old Barrios will be “too young and too strong” for Pacquiao.
Pacquiao smiled on Wednesday when asked for his response to Hearn’s remarks.
“Just watch on July 19th,” he said. “It will be a good fight.”
