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Sports News

 Tokyo Olympics: Bianca Walkden claims taekwondo bronze medal for second successive Olympic

Bianca Walkden joins swimmers Tom Dean and Duncan Scott and triathlete Georgia Taylor-Brown as Team GB's medal winners on Tuesday. Great

 Britain's Bianca Walkden took bronze in the women's +67kg taekwondo at the Tokyo Olympics with a 7-3 victory over Poland's Aleksandra Kowalczuk.

The Makuhari Messe Hall had already seen Britain claim two medals with Bradly Sinden and Lauren Williams both picking up silver, and Walkden added a third podium on the final day of taekwondo competition.

The 29-year-old from Liverpool had lost her semi-final against Korea's Dabin Lee earlier on Tuesday - a last-second head-shot giving her opponent a place in the final - but Walkden ensured she left Tokyo with the same medal she won in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

• BRIEF HISTORY

Bianca Walkden (born 29 September 1991) is She represented England at 2016 Olympic Games where she won a bronze medal. Walkden is a triple World champion, twice European champion, and twice World Grand Prix Final champion in her division. In 2017 she became the first practitioner ever to win all 4 Grand Prix events in her division in a single season.

In 2017, Walkden successfully defended her world title in Muju, South Korea during the 2017 Muju WTF World Taekwondo Championship, where She beat American Jackie Galloway 14-4 in the heavyweight division. 
In May 2019 at the 2019 World Taekwondo Championships, Walkden won the women's heavyweight title after Zheng Shuyin was disqualified after attaining a 20-10 lead. 
In September 2019 at Chiba, four months after winning the controversial gold medal in Manchester, Walkden was defeated 7-5 by Zheng Shuyin. In October 2019 at Sofia, Zheng Shuyin again defeated Walkden by 3-2.
In 2021, she won the gold medal in the women's +73 kg event at the 2021 European Taekwondo Championships that is held in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Sports News

Manchester United To complete the signing of Raphael Varane from Real Madrid.

United have agreed personal terms with Varane who is currently at 28, and are understood to almost reached an agreement on the transfer with Real Madrid.

Varane has already made arrangements to travel to Manchester in anticipation of a move to United even though he trained with Madrid again on Monday.

United held 'positive discussions' in the latest round of negotiations and the deal is now believed to be all but done. Varane may have to quarantine before he is able to start training with United.

The France international is also believed to have studied United's defending from last season, when they conceded 18 goals from set-pieces.

United have been working on a £50million deal for Varane for upwards of a month, having expressed their firm interest in the France international midway through last season.

Despite his contract being up next summer, Varane has returned to training this week as expected and did not put any pressure on the club to force a move.

Real Madrid are keen to cash in, rather than allow him to leave for free, and now face a defence without the Frenchman or his teammate Sergio Ramos next season

SPORTS NEWS

TOP TEN (10) BEST ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS OF THIS GENERATION

This is the list of ten (10) best attacking midfielders arranged From top to bottom, there is playmaking quality throughout - with a mixture of experience and youthful exuberance represented.

10) Aaron Ramsey

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 13 appearances

b- 2 goals

c- 4 assists

d- 87.1% pass success

e- 1.4 key passes per game

It's not so much what Aaron Ramsey does on the pitch, it's how he does it. The Welshman plays with a smile on his face and, while his 2020/21 season at Juventus didn't pull up any trees, he's still a gifted attacker. That was evident at Euro 2021 where his incredible timing and running saw him combine with Gareth Bale again and again against Turkey before he put Wales ahead.

9) Marco Reus

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 27 appearances

b- 8 goals

c- 6 assists

d- 81.7% pass success

e- 1.5 key passes per game

Dortmund's 32-year-old captain Marco Reus, "It's good to have him on the pitch talking to me and giving me advice," said Sancho. "Because when he tells me things I listen." The two-time winner of Germany's Footballer of the Year award has the experience, finishing and vision to make him worth listening to.

8) Papu Gomez

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 20 appearances (9 Atalanta/11 Sevilla)

b- 7 goals (4 Atalanta/3 Sevilla)

c- 3 assists (2 Atalanta/1 Sevilla)

d- 84.8%/88.9% pass success

e- 1.9/0.9 key passes per game

The Argentinian playmaker has come up the long way but is finally getting his due. From Argentina via Italy then Ukraine, Papu Gomez spent seven seasons at Atalanta (setting the Serie A season record for assists in 2019/20) before landing a deal to take him to Sevilla in January. Used mainly as an attacking midfielder or secondary striker, the Argentinian's movement off the ball and finding pockets of space make him invaluable. Scored twice and had an assist in Argentina's victorious Copa America campaign.

7) Mason Mount

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 32 appearances

b- 6 goals

c- 5 assists

d- 86.5% pass success

e- 2.4 key passes per game

Able to play any of the forward positions, Mason Mount has seen his career take off in the last three seasons. On loan at Derby under Frank Lampard, he stepped his game up when the pair returned to Chelsea and became a vital cog in Thomas Tuchel's machine. He was instrumental in England's run to the Euro 2021 final and Gareth Southgate understands his value to the national team: "He is an exceptional player, he finds space intelligently, he creates chances, he scores goals," said the coach.

6) Thomas Muller

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 31 appearances

b- 11 goals

c- 18 assists

d- 75% pass success

e- 2.9 key passes per game

It may seem to England fans that Thomas Muller has been around forever but the most decorated footballer in German history is still only 31. Thirteen Bundesliga titles, a World Cup Golden Boot (2010) and a 2014 World Cup winner, Muller can play anywhere on or behind the forward line. Despite his late miss against England, the German is known for his icy veins, ability to create chances and his scoring - 39 for Germany in 106 caps and 129 for Bayern in 383 appearances.

5) Kai Havertz

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 18 appearances

b- 4 goals

c- 3 assists

d- 84.9% pass success

e- 0.7 key passes per game

Scoring the winner in the Champions League final is the perfect end to a debut season with a new club, but Kai Havertz's first year at Chelsea didn't go completely smoothly. A change of managers, injury and catching COVID-19 were a few of the setbacks that the 21-year-old overcame to establish himself as a Thomas Tuchel and fan favourite.

4) Marcos Llorente

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 33 appearances

b- 12 goals

c- 11 assists

d- 84.6% pass success

e- 1.2 key passes per game

When he first switched Madrid teams from Real to Atletico, Marcos Llorente was used as in a defensive midfield role but when Diego Simeone moved him forward, he blossomed. "He can play anywhere," said Simeone, but it was his pace, first touch and movement that saw him finish second in La Liga in assists. At Euro 2021, he completed 94% of his passes as Spain reached the final four.

3) Bruno Fernandes

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 35 appearances

b- 18 goals

c- 12 assists

d- 78.3% pass success

e- 2.6 key passes per game

Playing just off the striker at Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes has been a revelation since arriving at Old Trafford. Last season, he finished behind only Harry Kane and Mo Salah in scoring and only Kane in assists. His lethal set pieces and trademark move of attacking the spaces between a full-back and central defender and then shooting have made him a hero in Manchester. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has built his 4-2-3-1 formation around the Portuguese and has been rewarded with 38 goals and 25 assists in all competitions.

2) Kevin De Bruyne

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 23 appearances

b- 6 goals

c- 12 assists

d- 81.7% pass success

e- 3.2 key passes per game

Kevin de Bruyne "sees things others cannot see" according to Pep Guardiola (thankfully not dead people) and that's what, simply put, makes him the best attacking midfielder in the world not named Lionel Messi. Since joining Manchester City six years ago, the Champions League may have eluded him but he's won the Premier League three times, five League Cups and an FA Cup. His vision and range of passing are matched only by his timing and the intelligence of his runs, and his playmaking is behind Belgium's rise to the No1 ranking.

1) Lionel Messi

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 33 appearances

b- 30 goals

c- 9 assists

d- 85.1% pass success

e- 2.2 key passes per game

Now that Argentina's Copa America campaign has ended in victory, football's decision makers can turn their attention to trying to lure free agent/best footballer on earth Lionel Messi to their team. Messi's contract with Barcelona expired at the end of June making him available for nothing. PSG and Manchester City have been on alert as talks over a new deal with Barcelona drag on. What else is there say about the man himself when it comes to forward play. His 672 goals in all competitions for Barca are more than the next four players on the scoring list combined and he's the proud owner of six Ballon D'Ors. At 34, he may be closer to the end than the beginning of his career, but he remains at the top of the tree.

Sports News

 Tokyo 2020 Football: Banda Makes Olympic History Again As Zambia hold China In Eight-Goal Thriller

Barbra Banda Zambia women’s team captain made history again as she became the first player to score consecutive hat-tricks in a single Women’s Olympic football tournament.

Banda followed up her hat-trick feat in the 10-3 defeat against Netherlands as she replicated it in the thrilling 4-4 draw against China in Group F on Saturday.

She had earlier made history as the first African woman to score a hat-trick at the Olympics.

Banda has also equalled Canada’s Christine Sinclair’s record six-goal tally in 2012.

With Zambia 3-1 down Banda netted in the 42nd, 46th and 69th minutes to put them 4-3 ahead.

But with seven minutes left in the game Shuang Wang equalised to deny Zambia a first ever win at the Olympics.

In the 86th minute China had a player sent off after Qingtong Li was shown a straight red card.

Zambia will take on Brazil in their final group game on Tuesday and China will take on Netherlands

Sports News

 

TOP TRANSFER NEWS

PSG interested in signing Paul pogba, although there has been no contact between Manchester United and PSG, and no official bid, but Pogba wants to assess all his options before deciding on what is likely to be the last big contract of his career

Pogba's agent, Mino  Raiola, suggested in December that the midfielder is "unhappy" at United and "needs a change of scenery", urging him to leave the club in the current summer transfer window.

French football expert Jonathan Johnson says Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Pogba, but would need to sell players to finance a potential deal. But Last month while with France at Euro 2020, Pogba said there had been "no concrete proposal" from United.

The World Cup winner has had a mixed time since rejoining United from Juventus for a then world-record fee in 2016.

While on occasions he has demonstrated his huge talent, Pogba found himself left out of the team in 2018-19 under Jose Mourinho and has had a modest time in the last couple of seasons while he has frequently been linked with a move away from the club.

The 28-year-old can sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club in January should he choose not to extend his stay at Old Trafford, PSG have been busy during this transfer window, signing Italy's Euro 2020 hero Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos and Achraf Hakimi.

The paris club lost their grip on the Ligue 1 title last season, finishing second behind Lille, while they were beaten by Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals.

Solskjaer insists Pogba 'cares' about Man Utd, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Pogba "cares" about United, with talks ongoing about a new contract.

He think everyone in the team and Paul included are just focused on doing as well as we can this season," Solskjaer said back in March. "I don't think any energy would be used on the speculation. "Of course, we've got discussions and talks, When you see Paul playing like he did against Milan, when you see him come back training, it shows how much he cares for us and how much he enjoys playing and how much we can benefit from having him here.

Mino Raiola wants to see Pogba win more major honours in his career. The France international has won just the Europa League and the League Cup during his second spell at United. "With Pogba, what's really important too is what Manchester United want, what project they are proposing for Pogba," Raiola told Spanish sports newspaper AS in May.

"Pogba has always been interested in one thing, winning the Champions League, titles, that's his objective. And we'll see if that's possible at United or at other big European clubs.

SPORTS NEWS

Relationship between Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi

The two have been an example of consistent consistency and resilience, and despite being on the wrong side of the 30 they continue to score goals and win team and national awards. Messi (with 6 Balon d'Or) and Ronaldo (with 5 Balon d'Or) have spent ten years together in the Ballon d’Or, which was only broken by Luka Modric in 2018.

Both Messi and Ronaldo did not win the league title last season, but did enlighten their countries in their final games of the tournament. The Portuguese ace won the tournament by leading five goals to Euro 2020 and Portugal’s Round of 16. drought.

Although Messi and Ronaldo have never appeared on the same side of the pitch, they both seem to have a good relationship with each other. In that note, let’s take a look at what Lionel Messi has to say about Cristiano Ronaldo over the years.

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# 10 “It’s a very special moment for me, to win another Ballon d’Or, after being in the audience watching Cristiano (Ronaldo) win two years ago (2016)

 

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SOCCER NEWS

(1) ANTONY

The 21-year-old Antony is Ajax's record signing. He plays with speed and he has already being touted as the next big thing in Brazilian football.

He hit the ground running in Dutch football, scoring on his debut against Sparta Rotterdam and impressing with goals and plenty assists in the first half of his debut season. He slowed down considerably in the latter stages of the campaign, so it is going to be interesting to see him refreshed after a summer break.

2. Arne Maier

 Arne Maier has been likened to outgoing German hero Toni Kroos. He's since had a spell at Arminia Bielefeld, where he struggled with injury. 

In reality, he's probably less like Kroos and more like Sami Khedira. The midfielder is tidy in and out of possession and works hard: he's not destined for the top by any stretch but if he's lucky with injury, he'll be in German squads for years to come. 

3. Bryan Gil

Bryan Gil has been out on loan for a couple of seasons and developed nicely into a direct, left-footed left-winger who can beat a man whip in a ball. 

With Spain going through a big transition right now in the national set-up, opportunity is ripe for younger players to stake a claim. The Olympics could be the first chance that Gil gets to show exactly what he's capable of. 

4. Dani Alves

At 38, this could well be the last chance we get to see the monstrous Dani Alves in action. One of the greatest full-backs of his generation, the veteran is still bombing down the right wing but also plays in attacking midfield for Sao Paolo. Olympic gold would be a nice way to end his international career. 

5. Diego Lainez

The only member of the Mexican set-up to play his domestic football out of the country, Real Betis star Lainez has been given the no.10 shirt ahead of this tournament. 

He is a bundle of energy and very fun to watch, capable of turning 180 degrees when receiving the ball to run into space and able to dictate play for his team. Lainez has been linked with a number of big clubs in his development and this season could be a pivotal one in his career. 

6. Enzo La Fée

A wiry midfield talent at Lorient, Enzo La Fée is electric to watch, with excellent close control and a penchant for a mazy run. 

The midfielder is only short but never stops running, using his low centre of gravity to draw fouls from the opposition. France have a seemingly never-ending supply of sparkling talent, making La Fée's opportunities to impress scant - especially given his lightweight build. Nevertheless, watching him at what is essentially a youth tournament will be fun, as he'll be looking to run rings around other midfielders. 

7. Fausto Vera

Fausto Vera still plays his club football in South America with Argentinos Juniors; he's never been capped by the senior side, either. He is waiting for his breakout.

The potential is huge. He's incredibly calm on the ball, reads the game unbelievably well for a player so young and can start attacks just as easily as he can break them up. 

8. Gabriel Martinelli

The most exciting youngster at a club that includes Bukayo Saka, we haven't seen enough of Gabriel Martinelli in the past year. The precocious forward required knee surgery during lockdown and Arsenal have been cautious to ease him back into the wild.

Hopefully we get to see full-throttle Gab ri during the Olympics. He bristles with confidence and cuts in beautifully from the left but perhaps his most underrated attribute is to get to any ball in the penalty area ahead of everyone else. Here's hoping this is the start of a new beginning, following those injury worries. 

9. Lee Kang-in

One of only two South Koreans in Tokyo this summer to play in Europe's top five leagues - the other is Bordeaux's 28-year-old Hwang Ui-jo - it would be lazy to label Lee Kang-in the next Son Heung-min, despite the similarities.

Like Son, the Valencia attacker is speedy, almost aggressively so, as he steams towards a ball like his life depends on it. While Son revels in the open space, however, Lee seems more at home in tighter surroundings; he's fantastic to watch when wriggling free from a marker or two and the ball always seems to stick to his feet like velcro. 

10. Liberato Cacace

Cacace plays for Sint-Truiden in Belgium and may well be the most exciting thing to come out of Oceania in the last few years - not to mention the speediest.

His acceleration is unreal but that's not all there is to his game. Cacace isn't a converted winger or shunted centre-back, he's a genuine specialist full-back who naturally covers a lot of ground and has an excellent cross on him in the final third. Big clubs have been linked with him - it'll be fascinating to see where he ends up. 

11. Matheus Cunha

Matheus Cunha has been linked with the likes of Leeds United. He's tall, strong with a magnificent shot and he can play anywhere along the frontline. 

Cunha is almost a throwback for a South American, though. While plenty of recent forwards from the continent have been in the Sergio Aguero or Alexis Sanchez mould - short, aggressive, lung-bursting runners - there's almost a grace to the way that Cunha moves on the ball. He's like a right-footed Rivaldo and he's great fun to watch. 

12. Mikel Merino

ikel Merino at Newcastle United - and he knew a thing or two about a deep-lying playmaker, having mentored the likes of Xabi Alonso. 

Merino since his move away from Tyneside to Real Sociedad, the Basque metronome is just as composed on the ball as ever. Bearing in mind that players of Merino's ilk often mature in their late 20s, we could be a good three or four years from this guy developing into a truly excellent midfielder. It's worth catching him at the Olympics just to see how he's getting on.

13. Mikel Oyarzabal

Oyarzabal had his backside saved by Alvaro Morata in the Euro 2020 semi-final at Wembley - the forward missed two golden opportunities, only for Morata to equalise and miss a penalty to deflect attention - and now the Real Sociedad man has a chance to show what he's really about in Japan. 

Oyarzabal is powerful, annoying to defend against and great at finding space. He's played over 200 league games for La Real already and as a probable starter - maybe up front again - he'll be keen to make up for those misses for his country earlier this summer. 

14. Nathanael Mbuku

Nathanael Mbuku has seven goals in just 11 appearances for France under-19s. The Stade De Reims player could become the latest breakout striker for Les Bleus in Tokyo this summer. 

Mbuku is left-footed and glides across the pitch like a young Mohamed Salah. He has flair in abudance, superb spatial awareness and an eye for goal: there's plenty of room to develop into an excellent forward in any position up top. 

15. Nehuen Perez

The Atletico Madrid centre-back who hasn't kicked a ball for his parent club yet, Nehuen Perez is on his third loan away from the Wanda Metripolitano but extremely well-thought of in Spain. 

Perez is dominant, loves rushing out to an attacker to hurry them and is calm in possession, sometimes wandering from his defensive berth up the pitch, like Harry Maguire. You can tell why he's part of Diego Simeone's future plans.

16. Pedri

Pedri didn't misplace a single pass in the Euro 2020 semi-final against Italy. The Canary Island-born midfielder is an absolute phenomenon not just destined for the top but very nearly there. 

Another international tournament before the season begins certainly helps Barcelona work out how to cram the likes of Messi, Aguero and Memphis Depay all into the same XI while jettisoning Coutinho and Griezmann. Meanwhile, the Olympics gives us another chance to watch Pedri balling with composure, precision and a god-given first touch. Let's face it: he's already too good for this level. 

17. Reinier

Reinier was reportedly unhappy not to feature more in BVB's turbulent season. With Jadon Sancho gone and Marco Rose in the hotseat now though, he may well get his chance. 

It would be easy to label the youngster a luxury no.10 but Reinier provides superb creativity with an exquisite range of passing and immaculate ball control. He loves a late run into the box too: look out for him on the scoresheet.

18. Takefusa Kubo

Takefuso 'Take' Kubo went viral last month when he scored a goal that nutmegged four defenders. Exactly the kind of mad thing you want him to do at the Olympics.

He's the posterboy for football in Tokyo. Kubo is wildly exciting to watch on the ball and moved to Europe when Barcelona poached him as a youngster. When the club was hit with a transfer embargo for breaking rules on signing overseas kids, Kubo went back home to the far east, only for Madrid to pounce later. 

It would be fascinating to see him reach his full potential - if only for the El Clasico storylines in years to come - and an Olympic masterclass on home soil would be a hell of a way to begin.

19. Takehiro Tomiyasu

Takehiro Tomiyasu is a fascinatingly ambidexterous defender who's almost equally capable with his left and right foot. He's played across the backline at Bologna - where he became the second Japanese player to play for the club after the legendary Hidetoshi Nakarta.

Tomiyasu is now linked with Tottenham Hotspur. While a player equally good with either foot and able to play anywhere across the defence be assumed to be a limited, tackler and nothing more, Tomiyasu is progressive with his passing and is capable of a lush long ball forward. He could become a cult hero in Tokyo.

20. Thiago Almada

The passing this 20-year-old possesses is unbelievable, though he has the energy of a Carlos Tevez-type a little more than Messi.