Cristiano Ronaldo reflected on an unforgettable 2016 after being named the winner of the Ballon d Or for the fourth time in his illustrious career.
The Real Madrid and Portugal superstar regained the accolade from long-time Barcelona rival Lionel Messi, with Ronaldo accruing 745 points from the jury of 173 international journalists who voted for the victor.
Ronaldo has enjoyed a sensational 12 months, winning the Champions League with Madrid and earning a first international title with Portugal at Euro 2016.
And the 31-year-old, who has 51 goals to his name for club and country so far this year, reflected that it was Portugal s success at Euro 2016, where his three tournament goals saw him match Michel Platini as the record goalscorer in European Championship his…
Shaun Wright-Phillips and Daniel Sturridge were both in the news yesterday.Wright-Phillips for scoring the winner at Chelsea and Sturridge for completing his move to Liverpool
With three Premier League games taking place last night there was always going to be drama.
The biggest drama or shock of the night came at Stamford Bridge, where QPR defeated Chelsea 1-0.
The rock-bottom club arrived at their London neighbours in bad shape and must have feared the worst.
However, through a mixture of resilient defending and lacklustre play from Chelsea the Hoops came out on top. The key moment of the game came in the 16th minute, as QPR star Junior Hoilett picked up what looked like a hamstring injury.
The Canadian was replaced by former-Chelsea winger Sha…
England Under-21s breezed into the Euro 2023 final to move to the brink of ending their 39-year drought.
The Young Lions last won the competition in 1984 but eased past Israel 3-0 to reach Saturday’s final, where they will play Spain or Ukraine.
Morgan Gibbs-White – after he missed a penalty – Cole Palmer and Cameron Archer netted to secure a final spot, England’s first since 2009, with Lee Carsley’s side yet to concede in Georgia.
Having already beaten Israel 2-0 in the group stage, the Young Lions were confident with Levi Colwill nodding over Gibbs-White’s early free-kick.
Our are finalists!
…
Former England and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard retired as a player on this day in 2017 after a stellar 21-year career.
Lampard, then 38, widely regarded as one of the Premier League’s all-time greats, announced his decision on social media after spending the previous year at Major League Soccer side New York City.
He said: “After 21 incredible years, I have decided that now is the right time to finish my career as a professional footballer.
What a career. Thank you, Frank.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)
“Whilst I have received a number of exciting offers to continue playing at home and abroad, at 38 I feel now is the time to begin the next chapter in my life.
“I’m immensely proud of the trophies I’ve won, of representing m…
The Green Bay Packers (4-1 SU/ATS) and Chicago Bears (3-2 SU/ATS) will renew their divisional rivalry at Soldier Field Sunday. The Bears are coming off a pair of wins — and covers — with Justin Fields under center while the Packers are riding a four-game winning streak and have won all four of the meetings with Chicago over the last two seasons.
Matt LaFleur is 4-0 ATS against the Bears and his Packers enter this Week 6 matchup as 4.5-point NFL betting road favorites. The total sits at 45 thanks to Chicago’s Top-10 DVOA defense and league-worst yards-per-play offense.
Here are our free picks and predictions for Packers vs. Bears for Sunday, October 17.
…
The Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions play their first games of the NFL preseason on Friday night.
The preseason doesn’t always make for the most riveting showcases, but with both of these squads rebuilding and spots in the starting lineup at stake, it should be an intriguing matchup.
Falcons fans will get their first chance to see new quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder, while the Lions are hoping that No. 2 draft pick Aidan Hutchinson can help turnaround their defense.
Here our best free NFL picks and predictions for Falcons vs. Lions in Week 1 of the preseason.
…
A new NFL season will soon be upon us, and with that comes a new season of HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”
Debuting in 2001, the series follows one NFL franchise during training camp and the preseason, providing an exclusive and intimate look at the inner working of a team. Hard Knocks documents team practices, meetings, and delivers raw, behind-the-scenes footage of coaches, players, and staff as they go through the rigors of preparing for the upcoming season.
To be selected for Hard Knocks, a team must not have a first-year head coach or have successfully qualified for the playoffs over the last two years. Additionally, the team must not have been featured in a season within the past 10 years.
There are four teams in the running to headline the show in 202…
It’s Halloween week and a primetime showdown between Will Levis and Kenny Pickett may feel more trick than treat, but the Thursday Night Football odds are still somewhat compelling as the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Tennessee Titans.
The NFL Week 9 odds start here — and this contest has real implications for the back end of the AFC playoff picture. The 4-3 Steelers and the 3-4 Titans are both trailing division leaders, but they’re very much in the Wild Card hunt.
There was no Derrick Henry trade ahead of this week’s deadline as Tennessee looks to stay competitive in the second half of the season, and he’s going to be among the top NFL player props this evening.
I’m taking a deep dive into the NFL odds and sharing my …
The San Francisco 49ers start their path to the Super Bowl odds in the NFL Divisional Round, set as sizable favorites in the Divisional Round odds when they host the upstart Green Bay Packers tonight.
San Francisco got to sit back and watch Wild Card Weekend live up to its name, thanks in large part to Green Bay smashing the Dallas Cowboys as road underdogs.
The Cheeseheads hit the highway for the second straight game, taking on the NFC’s top seed but a Niners team with a recent history of coming up short in the postseason. Does Green Bay have another upset in it, or is this finally the year for Kyle Shanahan’s squad?
I break down the NFL odds for this NFC Divisional Round matchup and give my best NFL picks and predictions …
The NFL season continues at pace with every Sunday coming sooner than the last.
With three weeks under our belt already, we have some reliable data to go on when sizing up the Week 4 touchdown props.
I’ll take what I’ve learned so far this season and apply it to my NFL picks as I list my three favorite first touchdown scorers for Sunday’s slate.
…