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      Inside Wrexham revolution where footie fans buy beer by suitcase load and bucket hats sell out – thanks to Ryan Reynolds

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      DRIVING into football’s unlikely new hotbed, you are greeted with 3ft-high letters on a pub roof reminiscent of the famous Hollywood sign – but this time reading “Wrexham”.The grey skies above the Grey-hound Inn and the bitter wind blowing off the Welsh mountains, however, are hardly Californian.
      Wrexham beat  Coventry 4-3 in previous round of FA CupCredit: Getty
      Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds’ reaction as he celebrates the equalising goal against Sheffield UnitedCredit: Rex
      The Grey-hound Inn is hardly Californian but Reynolds has helped transform the fortunes of this North Wales former coal and steel cityCredit: .
      Even so, celebrity glitter has helped transform the fortunes of this North Wales former coal and steel city that’s had its fair share of hardship.
      The dozens queuing for FA Cup tickets in Wrexham AFC’s car park are quick to credit American actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney — who bought the club in 2021 — for the transformation.
      Ryan, best known for his starring role in the Deadpool films, was at the club last week with daughter James, eight, to watch his non-league side’s dramatic FA Cup clash against Sheffield United.
      And it seems the club have had a similarly transformative effect on the Hollywood star.
      READ MORE ON Wrexham
      He was pictured celebrating with fans as Wrexham looked to have pulled off a shock win against a team who sit second in the Championship, three leagues above them.
      It was not to be as a last-second equaliser saw the game end 3-3, prompting Ryan to later tweet it was “one of the most exciting things I’ve ever seen”.
      His wife Blake Lively, who stars in Gossip Girl, posted a snap of Ryan with his head in his hands and added: “I bought ESPN+ today. Just to watch my husband experience crippling anxiety live. Worth it.”
      ‘On the up’
      Talking to me outside the ground, fan Les Buxton, 66, a retired Royal Navy submariner, said: “When I heard two Hollywood stars were taking over the club I thought it was pie in the sky.
      Most read in Football
      “The club was on its knees but they’ve come in and they’ve turned the place around. I sit below Rob and Ryan in the stands and can see what this club means to them.
      “They’ve taken the town to their hearts, as well as the football club.”
      Wrexham, with a population of around 62,000, was once a heavy industry powerhouse. Its coalfield boasted 38 pits and employed 18,000 people at its peak.
      Fans queue for tickets for the next game in the FA Cup against Sheffield United at Wrexham Football clubCredit: .
      Mark, pictured, and Vaughan Roberts, managing directors of brewery Wrexham Lager, say sales of their beer have risen ‘exponentially’Credit: .
      In 1864 a football club was formed, making it the third oldest professional side in the world, and it was soon a cornerstone of the working-class city.
      A stalwart of lower-division football, its league high watermark was 15th in the old Second Division (now the Championship) in 1979.
      As Welsh Cup winners, there were European competition nights, with celebrated victories at its atmospheric Racecourse Ground against Antwerp and Porto.
      The last local coal mine, Bersham, closed in 1986 with the loss of 700 jobs. And the city and its proud football club went into decline.
      Retired building manager Graham Roberts, 74, who watched his first Dragons game 60 years ago, told me: “My father was a steel worker and my grandfather a miner.
      “Every family had someone that was a miner. When the pits closed, the town struggled, and so did the football club.”
      In 2004 the club went into administration with massive debts and was given notice to quit the Racecourse Ground by its former owner so it could be sold as a retail site.
      In 2008, after 87 years, the club was relegated from the Football League, with its Kop stand dilapidated.
      It had hit rock bottom, then stayed there. It would take a fan buy-out to save it from going under.
      Then came a twist that could have been written in Hollywood. And in a way, it was.
      Actors Ryan and Rob, who stars in US sitcom It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, bought the club, injecting glamour and £2million.
      Their ownership saga was filmed for documentary series Welcome To Wrexham — screened on Disney+ — which turned the Dragons into one of the best-known clubs in the world.
      At the Chevron Clothing shop in the High Street, manager Jamie Powis said: ‘Since Rob and Ryan came in it’s gone through the roof for us’Credit: .
      Ex-steel worker Alan Hughes, 61, said of the new owners: ‘I think they genuinely love the club and the city’Credit: .
      Kit sponsor Ifor Williams Trailers, based nearby, was joined by multinational heavyweights TikTok and Expedia as backers.
      Fans from as far away as New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the US have flocked to the city, giving a boost to local commerce and business.
      In December Ryan and Rob met the King and Queen at the Racecourse Ground after visiting Wrexham to celebrate it gaining city status.
      At her constituency office, local MP Sarah Atherton told me: “Wrexham is on the up and football has been a catalyst. The global reach of Disney has helped. It’s fantastic, there’s a real buzz around the town.”
      THEIR HONOURS

      1977/78: Third Division champions
      1976: European Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-finalists
      1974, 1978, 1997: FA Cup quarter-finalists
      1961, 1978: League Cup quarter-finalists
      2005: Football League Trophy
      2013: FA Trophy
      Welsh Cup: Won 23 times
      Welsh Premier Cup: Won 5 times

      A giant industrial estate on the edge of Wrexham — soon to be Europe’s biggest — announced a further 56-acre development last month, citing the “feelgood factor” engendered by the football club.
      Tim Knowles, managing director of FI Real Estate Management, which has invested more than £136million at the site, said of the Hollywood connection: “It’s supercharged Wrexham.
      “It’s so exciting. Wrexham is a great place and we know we can attract major tenants which will create more jobs.”
      At the Chevron Clothing shop in the High Street, manager Jamie Powis said: “Since Rob and Ryan came in it’s gone through the roof for us.
      “Our themed bucket hats have completely sold out and we’ve been selling T-shirts to America.”
      ‘Down-to-earth guys’
      Jamie, 49, who sells hoodies emblazoned with Ryan’s face for £45, added: “We had a couple over from Texas last week to see the game but it was sold out.
      Local MP Sarah Atherton revealed: ‘Wrexham is on the up and football has been a catalyst. The global reach of Disney has helped’Credit: .
      Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought the club in 2021 for the transformationCredit: PA
      “They ended up watching it in a pub by the ground instead.”
      At the Cross Foxes pub nearby, landlady Joanne Mee said Ryan has popped in for a game of darts.
      She told me: “We just let him get on with it. He was playing darts with a friend.
      “Since Rob and Ryan took over we’ve had a massive improvement in sales and foot traffic. I think the documentary has boosted tourism.
      “We get lots of Americans coming in, drinking shots and pints.
      “The atmosphere on match day is fantastic.”
      Just up the road, Ahmet Karakaya and Zico Yunus run the Central Kebab And Pizza House, and say match days are “crazy”.
      Ahmet, originally from Turkey, said: “Before the football and after the football the fans love a kebab.
      “It’s the busiest I’ve known in my five years working here. Wrexham is booming.”
      Locals say the Hollywood pair are approachable and genuine, giving cash to a number of good causes.
      In August 2021 they donated £20,000 for four-year-old Aria Hodgkiss to have treatment for a rare brain cancer.
      Last month Ryan gave £1,600 to local indoor football team FC United of Wrexham’s under-12 boys’ side to pay for new kit.
      Mark and Vaughan Roberts, managing directors of brewery Wrexham Lager, say sales of their beer have risen “exponentially”, spurred on by the city’s Hollywood connection.
      With a picture of their great-grandfather, Wrexham and Wales footballer Jack Jones staring down from their city-centre office wall, Mark, 62, says that the celebrity pair have “brought a new lease of life to the city”.
      He adds: “We get tourists from all over because of the documentary series. The furthest was from New Zealand.
      “They take beer home in their suitcases and some of our branded merchandise.”
      Wrexham Lager’s Pride Of The Celts was first brewed in 1882, making it Britain’s oldest.
      It was served on the Titanic — prompting Mark’s joke, “It went down well”. The firm now sponsors a stand at the Racecourse Ground.
      Actor Rob has visited the brewery and Mark’s brother Vaughan, 59, said: “The club was kept alive by the fans and attendance was down to around 4,000 diehards.
      “What Ryan and Rob have done for the city is amazing but they’re just normal, down-to-earth guys. I’ve never heard a bad word said about them.”
      The celebrity pair have clearly won over the city but they have found escaping the National League — England’s fifth tier — tough.
      There’s just one automatic promotion place and last season Wrexham lost to Grimsby in a play-off semi-final.
      Tomorrow evening the Dragons, who beat Coventry in the previous round of the FA Cup, head to Bramall Lane for their replay against Sheffield United.
      In the queue for tickets, the hum of mechanical diggers can be heard as work continues for a new 5,500-capacity Kop stand.
      It’s heady days for the fans. But after so much heartache in previous years, are they worried the Hollywood duo will quit if ratings slump?
      Ex-steel worker Alan Hughes, 61, said: “If they left we would be on a sound footing but I don’t think they will. I think they genuinely love the club and the city.”
      Rob has said that he and Ryan are “in this for the rest of our lives”, while Ryan said recently: “It has been the greatest experience of my entire life.
      “I love it because it’s a project that’s going to be multi-decades. The part I find most gratifying is the support from the community outside the club.”
      Also queuing for his cup ticket, technician John Michael, 49, said: “The club has been totally reborn.
      “Ryan and Rob have brought jobs to the town and got the whole place buzzing.
      Read More on The Sun
      “Kids are now proudly walking around the city in their Wrexham strips, even if their parents support Liverpool or Manchester United.
      “Ryan and Rob have really changed people’s lives. How could you walk away from that?”
      WHY DID ACTORS BUY IT?
      WREXHAM fans can thank Netflix – not Disney – for their Hollywood takeover.
      Rob, 45, got the idea to buy a team while watching the platform’s documentary Sunderland ’Til I Die.
      He needed a wealthy entrepreneur to join him and Deadpool actor Ryan said yes even though the two men had never met.
      They were just text friends before becoming business partners. The pair made a list of clubs they might be able to afford and in November 2020 chose Wrexham because of its 158-year history.
      Ryan, 46, said “the thing that really hooked me” was “getting involved in the community around that club and growing that”.
      Another key factor was British actor Humphrey Ker, 40, who got Rob into football while working with him on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
      He is now executive director at Wrexham, helping to oversee the day-to-day running of the club. More

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      From an ex-teacher whose man signed for £106m to celebrity ace’s model girlfriend – the glam WAGS of the transfer window

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      FROM a Polish twerking champion to a Portuguese soap star, meet the Wags who will be adding an extra dash of glamour to the Premier League.With the World Cup interrupting the football season, the January transfer window was busier than usual – and will see a host of new faces hit our shores.
      The transfer window has given us some glamorous new Wags such as Margarida CorceiroCredit: magui_corceiro/instagram
      A football insider said: “A lot of talent has been arriving in the Premier League – both on and off the field.”
      Here, Michael Hamilton and Grace Macaskill meet the stunning women who will be cheering their partners on from the stands.
      Angelina Zabarnyi & Illia Zabarnyi
      Angelina Zabarnyi is studying philosophy at Kyiv UniversityCredit: https://www.instagram.com/angelinarr_/?hl=en
      BRAINY Angelina is the partner of Illia, 20, one of the Ukraine national team’s youngest players, who is headed to Bournemouth.
      Angelina is studying philosophy at Kyiv University but also runs her own business helping people grow their social media profile.
      read more on wags
      Illia Zabarnyi, from Ukraine, is headed to BournemouthCredit: Getty
      She is fiercely proud of her country’s fight against Russia, stating “Glory to Ukraine” on her Instagram bio.
      The couple have been dating for three years and got engaged last year.
      Fanny Neguesha & Mario Lemina
      Fanny Neguesha used to date Man City bad boy Mario BalotelliCredit: BackGrid
      WOLVES moved quickly to snap up ex-Southampton and midfielder Mario, 29, from Nice in France for an undisclosed fee.
      And his model partner, Fanny, 32, will be familiar to footie fans – she used to date Man City bad boy Mario Balotelli.
      Most read in Football
      Fanny is now dating Mario Lemina who has been snapped up by WolvesCredit: Getty
      The couple, who have been together since 2017, have a son and a daughter, who feature in their glamorous social media snaps.
      Fanny previously attempted a music career, releasing pop singles in 2016.
      Margarida Corceiro & Joao Felix
      Margarida Corceiro has appeared on Portugal’s version of Strictly Come DancingCredit: magui_corceiro/instagram
      A SOAP star in her native Portugal, Margarida, 20, has also appeared on her country’s version of Strictly Come Dancing.
      She has been dating Felix, 23, who signed on loan to Chelsea from Spain’s Atletico Madrid, since 2019 after the pair met on social media.
      Joao Felix has signed on loan to Chelsea from Spain’s Atletico MadridCredit: Getty
      Mia Regan & Romeo Beckham
      Mia Regan is a model, working with brands including Balmain, Gucci and VogueCredit: The Mega Agency
      SON of former England captain David, 20-year-old Romeo joined Brentford on loan from Inter Miami as he bids to follow in his famous dad’s footsteps.
      His girlfriend Mia, 20, from Chippenham, near Bath, has her own flourishing career as a model, working with brands including Balmain, Gucci and Vogue.
      Romeo Beckham has joined Brentford on loan from Inter MiamiCredit: Getty
      Valentina Cervantes & Enzo Fernandez
      Valentina Cervantes is a former English teacher
      ARGENTINIAN Enzo, 22, became the Premier League’s most expensive signing ever when he transferred to Chelsea from Portugal’s Benfica for £106million.
      He will be joined in West London by girlfriend Valentina, 22, who gave up her career as an English teacher to travel the world with him.
      Enzo Fernandez became the Premier League’s most expensive signing ever when he transferred to Chelsea from Portugal’s Benfica for £106millionCredit: Getty
      The couple began dating in 2019 and had daughter Olivia the next year.
      Claudia Kowalczyk & Jakub Kiwior
      Claudia Kowalczyk won the Queen of Twerking competition in Germany in 2017Credit: Instagram / @claudia.redheaded_babe
      STUNNING Claudia, who is reportedly engaged to Arsenal’s new Polish defender Jakub, 22, won the Queen of Twerking competition in Germany in 2017.
      The 30-year-old Pole also leads dance workshops around the world – as well as posting raunchy snaps and videos on Instagram.
      Jakub Kiwior, from Poland, has signed to ArsenalCredit: Getty
      Noa Van Der Bij & Cody Gakpo
      Noa Van Der Bij is a model who also works as a booker for agency Cachet ModelsCredit: @noavdbij
      DUTCH model Noa has seen her Instagram followers more than double, from 17,000 to 35,000, since hotshot Cody, 23, joined Liverpool from Netherlands outfit PSV Eindhoven at the beginning of January.
      Noa, 23, also works as a booker for agency Cachet Models.
      Cody Gakpo joined Liverpool from Netherlands outfit PSV EindhovenCredit: Getty
      Katja Kuhne & Marcel Sabitzer
      Katja Kuhne rose to fame in the German version of reality show The BachelorCredit: Refer to Caption
      LEGGY Katja rose to fame in the German version of reality show The Bachelor.
      At 37, Ukrainian Katja is nine years older than Austrian Marcel, 28, who joined Manchester United on loan from Germany’s Bayern Munich.
      Read More on The Sun
      The couple have daughter Mary Lou, born in 2019.
      Katja, who was born in Kherson, is raising funds for her country following Russia’s invasion.
      Marcel Sabitzer joined Manchester United on loan from Germany’s Bayern MunichCredit: Getty More

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      How Wrexham owner Ryan Reynolds spends his $150m fortune – from fleet of supercars to wife’s $2m engagement ring

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      IN his 32-year career as one of Hollywood’s best-loved heartthrobs, Ryan Reynolds has made an enviable fortune for himself. The Deadpool star, 46, is now worth an estimated $150million and although he lives a relatively low-key lifestyle, he has no problem splashing the cash.
      Ryan Reynolds and Blake lively are one of the most glamorous couples in showbizCredit: Getty
      Ryan’s most famous purchase came in 2021 when – alongside fellow actor Rob McElhenney – he bought non-league football club Wrexham for $2.5million.
      And the actor delighted fans as he appeared on TV to hand Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Mark Hughes a shirt as his side drew 3-3 in the FA Cup over the weekend.
      From luxury cars to expensive jewellery and private jets to business ventures, Ryan lives the life of a true Hollywood A-Lister alongside his wife Blake Lively, 35.
      Here, we look at the incredible life of one of the most influential power couples in the entertainment industry.
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      Luxury cars
      The couple in their LamborghiniCredit: PacificCoastNews
      Ryan is known for his love of superbikesCredit: Bruja/Jeff Steinberg, PacificCoastNews.com
      Ryan is known for his love of supercars and has an impressive collection.
      It’s been reported that he and Blake own over 20 vehicles including a Lamborghini Aventador – the 2022 edition of the car has a starting price of $507,353.
      Among his other luxury rides are a Cadillac Escalade, Mercedes-Benz 190 SL, and an Audi R8.
      Ryan has been described as an adrenaline junkie and is an avid fan of motorbikes.
      Most read in Football
      He is said to be the proud owner of a Ducati SC1000, which he’s customised with a leather seat and a heat wrap, and a Triumph Bonneville.
      The star is also fond of cheaper cars such as the Toyota Prius and BMW 7 Series.
      Designer life
      They are known for their impeccable style and love for designer brandsCredit: Getty
      Ryan and Blake are red carpet darlings and are often seen showing off their incredible style.
      It’s been reported that she doesn’t even need a stylist and often picks out and coordinates her outfits herself, unlike many of her peers.
      She once explained this in an interview: “Probably because I have control issues and a big ego – that’s probably the honest answer.”
      Blake’s closet consists of clothes from expensive designers such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dolce and Gabbana.
      In 2021, fans were able to get a rare glimpse of her wardrobe, which included bags gifted to her by designers and a mind-blowing collection of shoes.
      This includes 21 pairs of Louboutin heels – which can cost up to $3,462 for a single pair.
      According to reports, Blake once brought 40 pairs of the red-bottomed shoes to the set of one of her movies.
      Bling couple
      Blake’s ring cost nearly £1.7millionCredit: Getty
      Ryan is said to have asked Blake to marry him with a bespoke 12 carat rose gold ring that cost nearly $2million, making it one of the most expensive celebrity engagement rings.
      Ryan worked on the ring with iconic jeweller and Blake’s friend Lorraine Schwartz.
      But that’s not all – Blake is known for her love of all things that sparkle and reportedly showed off a whopping $10million worth of jewellery in one week.
      For her look on the 2018 Met Gala red carpet, she adorned herself with jewellery that cost $2million.
      She’s not the only one in the family who’s fond of the flashier things in life, however.
      Ryan, who was once an ambassador for the Swiss luxury watch brand Piaget, has been seen rocking some expensive timepieces.
      His remarkable collection is said to include classics by Cartier, Panerai, Chopard, and Omega.
      Sprawling property
      The couple tied the knot at Boone Hall PlantationCredit: Boone Hall Plantation
      Ryan has an enviable property portfolio, thanks to his illustrious career, where he’s once said to have charged over $20million for a movie.
      The couple’s breathtaking farmhouse on the outskirts of New York, which sits on 500,000 square foot of land, is said to have set them back over nearly $5.7million.
      They secretly bought the house in 2012 before the birth of their first child.
      Fans have only managed to get glimpses of the interior of the property they share with kids Inez, Betty, and Jame through Instagram posts and interviews granted by Ryan during the Covid outbreak.
      The interior has a rustic vibe with a wooden dining table, beige leather sofas, and a washed wood beam.
      Although the home is magnificent, it is also discreet with neighbours including businesswoman Martha Stewart and designer Ralph Lauren.
      The couple secretly tied the knot in September 2012 at the lavish Boone Hall Plantation, which has been featured in movies such as The Notebook.
      Business ventures and jet setting
      Ryan is the co-owner of Wrexham A.F.C.Credit: instagram/vancityreynolds
      Over the years, Ryan has invested in a number of businesses – some of those took fans and even his wife by surprise.
      He is a co-owner of Welsh football club Wrexham A.FC., the third oldest professional football team in the world, which he bought at $2.5million.
      Blake had no idea that her husband was planning a takeover of the club and was initially not impressed with the purchase.
      When asked in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel about her reaction, Ryan said: “Not good. Not great. We’re still working through that one.”
      Read More on The Sun
      Ryan has also taken on business ventures such as Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile.
      The pair are also known for their extensive work with charities – they donated over $500,000 to a Canadian water charity and matched donations of up to $1million for families displayed by Putin’s war in Ukraine. More

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      Inside Shakira’s mad war with Pique’s parents – ‘building wall’ to keep out mother-in-law to dig over ‘terrible’ hairdo

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      THEY once heaped praise on each other with Shakira affectionately referring to Montserrat Bernabéu as “my little mother-in-law.”But now the fur is flying, following the She-Wolf singer’s split from Gerard Pique, after 12 years together.
      Shakira with Gerard, his brother Marc (left) and parents Joan Pique and Montserrat Bernabeu, in 2013Credit: Alamy
      The witch doll appeared on the singer’s balcony, overlooking her in-laws homeCredit: Splash
      Shakira, who lives next door to her ex’s parents in a gated community in Barcelona, took a swipe at Montserrat, 60, in the diss track she released last week – then played the song at full volume so her in-laws could hear.
      She added insult to injury by placing a mannequin of a witch on a balcony overlooking their house.
      Now it’s reported the Hips Don’t Lie star is building a wall between the two properties, which are joined in some areas, after a cement mixer was seen in the grounds.    
      The 45-year-old Colombian is said to be furious with Gerard’s parents after they welcomed his new lover, 23-year-old Clara Chia Marti, with open arms.
      Read More in Features
      The split last summer has led to a bitter war of words between Shakira and Gerard – who share sons Milan, nine, and Sasha, seven. 
      Now the brutal tit for tat has spilled over to the rest of the family, with dad Joan Pique also getting involved.
      Gerard Pique and Shakira were a couple for 12 yearsCredit: Getty
      The split happened after Gerard met Clara Chia Marti, then 22Credit: BackGrid
      Mansions with connecting grounds
      It’s a toxic turn of events for the family, who claimed to be close during the couple’s 12-year-romance – which began on the set of the video for Shakira’s 2010 World Cup anthem, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).”  
      In 2015, after the birth of second son Sasha, the couple splashed out £4.9million on a mansion in Ciutat Diagonal, one of the most exclusive gated communities in Spain, just half an hour from the centre of Barcelona. 
      Most read in Football
      The stunning mansion, with sea views, is spread over 1,500 square feet, and boasts seven bedrooms, two kitchens, a swimming pool with a waterfall, a gym, games room and private cinema.
      Wanting to be close to their grandchildren, Montserrat, an eminent neurologist, and her lawyer husband moved into the property next door.
      At the time, relations were good and Shakira spent a lot of time with Montserrat, attending various events together and posting family snaps on social media.
      The £4.9m house is next door to Pique’s parentsCredit: Solarpix
      The palatial mansion boasts a gym, cinema room and games roomCredit: Instagram/shakira
      Close relationship
      As well as helping care for the two boys, Pique’s parents looked after the house when they were away, and were sleeping upstairs in 2018 when it was burgled, with raiders stealing expensive watches and jewellery worth thousands of pounds.
      In an interview with Vogue, Montserrat described Shakira as “a spectacular person, a simple woman with great values who also happens to be the second most important woman in showbusiness. I find her a fascinating person.”
      The pair still seemed to be close shortly before the shock split, in June 2021, when the singer gently mocked her partner’s mum for advising her to get her famous locks cut into a sleek bob, debuted at a ceremony in her honour thrown by the  French Ministry of Culture in 2012. 
      In a Vogue video, which has gone viral since the row flared up, she says: “Oh wow, how terrible, that’s a really bad haircut. 
      “I took advice from my mother-in-law. She said ‘Hey, why don’t you cut your hair? It’s really damaged.’ And me: ‘Ah, uh-huh,’”
      “Worst mistake of my life. Mother-in-law, I’m not taking cosmetic advice from you again.” 
      Shakira with Milan and Montserrat at a La Liga gameCredit: Getty
      She blamed her mother-in-law for the ‘terrible’ bobCredit: Getty
      Shock split
      Given their previously close relationship, Shakira may have expected her in-laws to condemn their son’s romance with Clara – which reportedly began months before the 2022 split.
      Rumours the former Barcelona star was having an affair emerged in June and days later, the couple shocked fans when they released a joint statement announcing their separation, adding: “For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect our privacy. Thank you for your understanding.”
      Spanish outlet El Periodico reported that they had been living separately for a few weeks, after Shakira kicked him out of the family home.
      Three months later, she was furious when he went public with new girlfriend Clara, then 22, and she was hurt and infuriated to discover Gerard’s parents actively supported his “romance” from the beginning.
      The couple made frequent visits to his parents’ home, in full view of the scorned singer, and invited the PR student to use their swimming pool.
      Earlier this month, Shakira was said to be “devastated” after footage of a zoom interview from August 2021, seemed to show Clara in the background of the family home – ten months before the couple announced their separation – while Shakira was reportedly abroad with the boys.
      She also revealed she turned sleuth on her cheating ex after discovering a jar of strawberry jam – which he hated – had been opened, suggesting he had been entertaining a ‘guest’ while she was away. 
      Images of Clara at the couple’s house before the split emerged recentlyCredit: YouTube/Ibai
      The singer was close to MontserratCredit: Instagram
      Diss track
      The star’s bitter new diss track – BZRP Music Sessions #53 – takes a swipe at both Gerard and Clara, referring to the women’s respective ages with the lyric: “I’m worth two 22s. You traded a Ferrari for a Twingo, you traded a Rolex for a Casio.”
      But she also gets in a dig at Montserrat, spitting: “You left me the mother-in-law as a neighbour.”
      As the feud escalated, Shakira played the tracks at full volume, on repeat, so her in-laws could hear. 
      In a bizarre move, she also placed a life-size mannequin, dressed as a witch on  a broomstick, on the balcony of her house, overlooking her in-laws’ home.
      Journalist Marc Leirado said the mannequin, with long grey hair and a witch’s hat, had spooked Montserrat.
      “Weeks ago, I got some information that Pique’s mother was worried about an alleged ritual that was done to her with a black witch,” he wrote.
      The star recorded a diss track with pal BizarrapCredit: DALE PLAY RECORDS
      The witch overlooking the Piques’ homeCredit: Splash
      He says Pique’s mum had asked a member of Shakira’s staff to remove it and it was temporarily taken down before being replaced.
      It seems she is now attempting to distance herself from the Pique family further, by building a wall around the mansion, which is soon to go up for sale as part of the split settlement.
      While Montserrat remains tight-lipped about the barbs from Shakira, she removed a ‘like’ she had given to the post of Shakira’s new song.
      Joan Pique responded with a humorous swipe of his own – changing his WhatsApp profile to a picture of Kevin Costner from Dancing With Wolves, an obvious reference to the She-Wolf tag.
      Gerard has also hit back with his own mocking stunts – turning up to work at his seven-a-side league office in a Twingo and gloating that he has secured sponsorship from Casio, in a direct reference to Shakira’s lyrics.
      In a video posted online, he told fans: “The King’s League struck a deal with Casio” as his former team-mate and ex-Man City star Sergio Aguero is seen chanting “Casio” on the video wall behind him. 
      Pique then points to a new timepiece and says “this watch will last a lifetime” before handing everybody on the set a watch.
      Read More on The Sun
      With the house about to be put up for sale, Shakira is planning a move to Miami with the boys but her 91-year-old dad, who has lived with her since being hospitalised after a fall last year, is not currently well enough.
      So it seems for now, the singer is stuck with the neighbours – no matter how much she hates them. 
      Gerard Pique taunts his ex with a Casio More

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      Inside Shakira’s very petty split from Gerard Pique – from brutal diss track to row over bizarre witch doll

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      SHE styled herself as a She Wolf in one of her bigg­est hits — and Shakira’s claws are certainly out as she takes aim at her ex Gerard Pique.Once one of the world’s most glamorous showbiz couples, the singer and the Spanish football ace are now engaged in an extra­ordinarily bitter split.
      Superstar Shakira and Spanish football ace Gerard Pique are engaged in an extra­ordinarily bitter splitCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Ever since Gerard ditched Shakira for the then 22-year-old Clara Chia Marti this summer, no act of revenge has been considered too pettyCredit: EPA
      Shakira with Gerard after his team won the Spanish cup in 2015Credit: Getty
      Ever since Gerard ditched Shakira for the then 22-year-old Clara Chia Marti this summer, no act of revenge has been considered too petty — with a brutal diss track, savage jibes and even a row over a bizarre witch doll playing out in public.
      Last week, 45-year-old Shakira dropped a new track which takes a swipe at love rival Clara’s age with the lyrics: “I’m worth two 22s. You traded a Ferrari for a Twingo, you traded a Rolex for a Casio.”
      Gerard, 35, responded by turning up to work in an £8,000 Renault Twingo this weekend and boasting his new seven-a-side project the King’s League had landed a sponsorship deal with Casio — adding that the cheaper watch would “last a lifetime”.
      In another twist Shakira put a terrifying life-size witch doll on her balcony, facing her mother-in-law’s house in the same street.
      READ MORE ON GERARD PIQUE
      Neighbours reported she also blasted out the new song — BZRP Music Sessions #53 — on repeat so Gerard’s mum, Montserrat Bernabéu, could hear.
      The singer was devastated when he went public with new love Clara, now 23, just three months after she kicked him out of the family homeCredit: BackGrid
      Shakira was also deeply hurt by Gerard’s frequent visits to his parents’ home with Clara, which is in full view of her ownCredit: EPA
      ‘You left me because of your narcissism’
      The vitriolic break-up comes after a 12-year romance which began on the set of the video for Shakira’s 2010 World Cup anthem, Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).
      The first of the couple’s two sons, Milan, nine, was born in 2012, prompting Shakira to move from the US to Barcelona. Sasha, seven, arrived two years later.
      Although Shakira and Gerard never married, the Colombian singer insisted he was “the one” in a 2014 interview.
      Most read in Football
      “We already have what’s essential. We have a union, a love for each other, and a baby,” she told Glamour magazine.
      “Those aspects of our relation­ship are already established, and marriage is not going to change them. But if I’m ever going to get married, he’s the one.”
      Ironically, she later revealed she feared becoming a wife would make him lose interest.
      “Marriage scares the sh*t out of me. I don’t want him to see me as the wife. I’d rather him see me as his girlfriend, his lover,” she said. “It’s like a little forbidden fruit. I want to keep him on his toes.”
      In 2021, the couple appeared to stand together as Shakira faced allega­tions she had dodged £12million in tax owed to the Spanish authorities — a claim she has dismissed as “false” although she has now paid the money in full.
      Shakira says Gerard has swapped ‘a Rolex’…Credit: Rolex
      …for a Casio instead and his Ferrari for a Twingo
      Pique turns up at work in a Twingo and says he’s signed a deal with CasioCredit: Twitter @KingsLeague
      But rumours the former Barcelona star was having an affair emerged in June 2022, and days later, the couple shocked fans with a joint statement announcing their split.
      They added: “For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect our privacy. Thank you for your understanding.”
      Spanish outlet El Periodico reported that they had been living separately for a few weeks, after Shakira kicked Gerard out of the family home.
      Three months later, she was devastated when he went public with new love Clara, now 23. She was also deeply hurt by Gerard’s frequent visits to his parents’ home with Clara, which is in full view of her own.
      And she wasn’t going to keep quiet about it. In September, she broke her silence with an emo­tional interview in Elle magazine, saying her situation was “probab­ly the darkest hour of my life”.
      She revealed her ex had left her while her 91-year-old dad fought for his life in hospital after a bad fall.
      She continued: “For [women] like me who believe in values like family, who had the big dream of having a family for ever, to see that dream broken or shredded into pieces is probably one of the most painful things you can ever go through.”
      Shakira also claimed she had sacrificed her own music career by moving to Barcelona saying: “I put my career in second gear and I came to Spain, to support him so he could play football and win titles. And it was a sacrifice of love.”
      Her heartbreak hit, Monotonia, released in October, bewailed the monotony that led to the bitter break-up and contained the dig: “Suddenly you were no longer the same.
      “You left me because of your narcissism. You forgot what we once were.” The video shows the singer being shot in the chest, then her heart pulled out and stamped on.
      As their life unravelled, claims that Gerard had been dating his new love long before the split have fuelled the bitter feud, with some unconfirmed reports suggesting they met at the Davis Cup in 2019.
      The scandal has fuelled constant headlines in Spain — and seemingly, more heartbreak for Shakira.
      ‘A lot of gyms. But work your brain too’
      In a New Year message to her 80million Instagram fans, she wrote that she knew how it felt when “wounds are still open”.
      She added: “Even if someone’s betrayed us, we must continue to trust others. When faced with contempt, continue to know your worth. Because there are more good people than indecent ones.”
      But the sniping and revel­ations have continued to escalate, leading to a brutal war of words.
      This month, Shakira was said to be “devastated” over new footage of a Zoom interview from August 2021, which seemed to show Clara at the family home in Spain.
      It was ten months before she and Gerard announced their separation. The video shows a woman resembling Clara stepping into the frame as Gerard spoke to US video live-streaming service Twitch, while Shakira was reportedly abroad with the boys.
      The bitter star’s new diss track, which has had more than 110million views on YouTube, swipes at Gerard, Clara and her mother-in-law.
      In an apparent dig at the former Manchester United and Barcelona defender, Shakira sings: “A lot of gyms. But work your brain a little bit too.”
      Shakira put a witch effigy on her balcony facing mum-in-law’s home and blasts out her new revenge trackCredit: Splash
      She adds: “No hard feelings baby, I wish you the best with my supposed replacement.”
      Referring to her tax fraud case and her proximity to Gerard’s family home, she sings: “You left me my mother-in-law as my neighbour, press at my door and in debt with the treasury.”
      She also uses a play on words against her rival, adding: “She has the name of a good person, It’s clearly not what it sounds like”. The Spanish word for “clearly” — “claramente” — which sounds similar to Clara Marti’s name, is emphasised.
      Defending her song on Twitter, amid accusations of misogyny against Clara, Shakira wrote: “This is for all the women who taught me that when life throws bitter lemons at you, all you can do is make lemonade.”
      Fans took it as a reference to Beyonce’s album Lemonade, about the infidelity of husband Jay-Z. The feud reached a new level this weekend amid reports Shakira has installed a witch on a broomstick at her home — looking directly at Montserrat Bernabéu’s house.
      Reports say relations between the two turned sour after Gerard’s mum readily welcomed her son’s new girlfriend into the family.
      Journalist Marc Leirado said the mannequin, with long grey hair and a witch’s hat, had spooked Montserrat. “Weeks ago, I got some information that Gerard’s mother was worried about an alleged ritual that was done to her with a black witch,” Marc wrote.
      He says Gerard’s mum had asked a member of Shakira’s staff to remove it and it was temporarily taken down before being put back.
      Read More on The Sun
      Yesterday, Shakira was having the last laugh as the new song made history, by becoming the fastest Spanish track to make 100million views on YouTube.
      Whatever happens next in the savage tit for tat, you can expect the She-Wolf to bite back.
      HER REVENGE LYRICS
      THESE are the most brutal lyrics in Shakira: BZRP Music Sessions #53
      I’m worth two 22sYou traded a Ferrari for a TwingoYou traded a Rolex for a Casio
      – Clara Marti is rumoured to have started dating Pique when she was 22. The lyric also alludes to his goal celebration, which was a two formed with each hand in tribute to his and Shakira’s shared birthday on Feb 2.
      So much talk of being a championAnd when I needed you, you gave me the worst version of youYou left me my mother-in-law as my neighbourPress at my door and in debt with the treasury
      – A reference to her tax fraud case.
      You thought you’d hurt me, but you made me tougherWomen don’t cry anymore, women invoice.She has the name of a good personIt’s clearly not what it sounds like
      – An apparent pun on the Spanish word “Claramente”, meaning clearly, and its ­similarity to Clara Marti.
      Lots of time at the gymBut your brain needs a little work too More

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      in Soccer

      Arsenal’s 3-0 loss to Spurs last season was the catalyst for title charge – this win would be most significant so far

      by

      FOOTBALL managers often talk about learning more from the agony of defeat than the glory of victory.They will tell you the most painful setbacks can inspire magnificent achievements. That the darkest hour comes just before dawn. 
      Mikel Arteta have taken Arsenal to the top of the league as we reach the halfway point of the seasonCredit: Getty
      And most of the time their words are a bloody great pile of horse manure, spoken in vain hope rather than expectation. 
      But when Arsenal capitulated at Tottenham last May – a 3-0 drubbing which eventually saw them surrender fourth place, and Champions League football, to their bitter rivals – it truly was a catalyst for this season’s title charge. 
      Mikel Arteta has frequently used memories of that night – as well as a second limp surrender at Newcastle four days later – to motivate his side for this season’s extraordinary title bid. 
      Arteta’s side had arrived for the North London Derby on the back of four straight wins and were four points clear of Spurs with three games to go. 
      Read more in football
      Victory would have sealed their return to the European elite, a draw would have kept the Gunners as white-hot favourites, but what followed was not just a costly defeat but a total embarrassment.  
      Rob Holding suffered a personal meltdown – sent off after 33 minutes for a string of cynical fouls on Son Heung-Min and Spurs rattled up a three-goal lead two minutes into the second half. 
      In public, Arteta defended his troops, laughably claiming he was ‘proud’ of them and that he could not give an honest opinion on the match for fear of a massive suspension. 
      That was supposed to lay the blame with ref Paul Tierney but it fooled nobody – Holding could have been sent off even earlier than he was and Arsenal had completely failed to show up for their biggest derby in years. 
      Most read in Football
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      Antonio Conte recently claimed it was a ‘miracle’ that he led Spurs to fourth last season but in truth it was an Arsenal disaster-class which gifted them Champions League football.
      Yet today, Arsenal return to the scene of the crime at the top of the Premier League – dreaming of a first title since the Invincibles almost two decades ago and looking nailed-on certainties to finish above Tottenham for the first time in seven years.    
      But Arsenal have failed to win on their last eight visits to Spurs – at three different stadiums, the old White Hart Lane, Wembley and the new Lane – losing six of them.
      So today represents the stiffest test yet of their mettle and stamina. The Lane will be a bearpit, as it was in May, when Son produced his last great performance in a Spurs shirt before this season’s slump.  
      A fesity game last may saw Tottenham take the last Champions League place beating Arsenal 3-0 in the processCredit: AP
      Since then Arsenal have made a couple of decent signings and recalled William Saliba from a loan in France.
      But with Gabriel Jesus injured and Eddie Nketiah standing in, at least seven of those who started at Spurs last season will line up again today. 
      The true difference has been in attitude rather than personnel. 
      Last season, Arsenal were exceeding expectations by reaching fourth but then the naivety and inconsistency of youth struck them down in the final straight. 
      William Saliba has been a key player for the Gunners this seasonCredit: Getty
      This term, Arteta’s men look the real deal. In the space of eight months, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli – who all started last May – seem to have matured from youngsters with huge potential to senior men who can handle expectation. 
      Arsenal have already overcome some serious obstacles – winning their home North London Derby, pipping Liverpool in a classic and winning at Chelsea.
      Read More on The Sun
      But victory at the Lane would be the most significant to date – especially after last season’s humiliation.    
      And if Arteta speaks of that painful night providing the fuel for this title challenge, then this time you’d better believe him. More

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      in Boxing

      I once asked my dad Muhammad Ali which fight was his toughest and his answer surprised me

      by

      FEW names carry as much weight as Muhammad Ali – so it’s no surprise his son and heir faced an epic fight to live up to his legacy.Not only was the late legend considered to be “The Greatest” boxer of all time, he had a ­magnetic personality and a moral purpose championing his anti-racism campaign in the US.
      Boxing legend Muhammad Ali with son Muhammad Ali Jnr, who has struggled to live up to his legendary father’s nameCredit: Sports Illustrated – Getty
      Muhammad Jnr practising his boxing skills in 2016, but he had previously been hooked on drugs, surviving on food stamp benefits and living in a leaky hovel — cut off from his famous father
      Boxing legend Ali aged 20 in 1962Credit: Getty
      It was therefore inevitable that his namesake, Muhammad Ali Jnr, had high expectations to meet.
      But the younger man had struggles of his own, ending up hooked on drugs, surviving on food stamp benefits and living in a leaky hovel — cut off from his famous father.
      The 50-year-old American has now cleaned up his act and will be the subject of both a documentary and a dramatised movie.
      The films will delve into the trials of being the offspring of Muhammad Ali — born Cassius Clay — probably the world’s best-known athlete.
      READ MORE ON MUHAMMAD ALI
      While you might imagine that Ali Jnr would have been brought up in the lap of luxury, he was in fact raised by his grandparents, who struggled for cash.
      And while he could have chosen to adopt his dad’s birth surname of Clay, he stuck proudly with Ali.
      Speaking exclusively to The Sun, he says: “I was born with the name Muhammad Ali, so I had to be protected because, later in life, my father said, ‘This is Muhammad Ali — when I’m done, he’ll take over’. 
      “Now I’m taking over the legacy. I’m going to keep the legacy going. I am Muhammad Ali Jnr.”
      Most read in Boxing
      Ali Snr was 25 and already a divorcee when he married Jnr’s actress mum, Belinda Boyd, in 1967. She was aged just 17.
      ‘My father was just a teddy bear’
      They had three daughters, Maryum, Jamillah and Rasheda, before the boxer’s male heir arrived.
      By this time, Ali was known the world over thanks to his quick feet, devastating glove work and his refusal on conscientious grounds to fight for the US military in Vietnam.
      But with fame and fortune came the attention of numerous women — a temptation he could not resist.
      He cheated on Belinda, who changed her name to Khalilah Ali, before leaving her for his third wife, Veronica Porche, when Ali Jnr was four years old.
      Ali Jnr reveals that messing with his mum was a bold move — because she was one of the few people to ever floor the champion.
      He recalls: “I once said to my father, ‘Of all the fighting you did, what was the one fight you’d never do again?’ He thought for a minute and said to me, ‘Your mother’.”
      That was because she had thrown him to the ground with a thump in a judo move when he’d crept into the house behind her.
      After the divorce, Ali Jnr went to live with his maternal grandparents and would only stay with his dad during school holidays.
      But his dad, who had at least nine children, made sure those visits were very special.
      Ali Jnr says: “He would take us everywhere. It was all good back then. My father was basically a teddy bear.
      “He loved his kids and he’d do anything for us. I never got spanked by him.
      “It was someone we called ‘Daddy’ — I don’t know any other way to put it. He was a good father even though he wasn’t always there for us.”
      The lack of contact with his children was something that the boxer came to regret. He warned Ali Jnr, “Don’t make the same mistake and same decision I made in my life”.
      His son took the message to mean “having too many women and being with other women. And also the mistakes he made of not being there for his children”.
      Despite earning a fortune from bouts — including the $100million 1974 Rumble In The Jungle against George Foreman — Ali Snr did not provide enough cash to support all his kids.
      Ali Jnr says: “He was away a lot, so our grandparents raised me when I was a child. My grandfather was going to retire, but he had to work to pay the bills, the mortgage.”
      Carrying the name Muhammad Ali around the school playground also proved to be a curse for his son.
       He says: “I got bullied because the other children wanted to know if I could fight like my dad. 
      “I never showed my technique to anybody and I never will.”
      Ali Jnr was more fearful about what might happen to his father as the older man stood up for the rights of black Americans, making him a target for right-wing groups.
       Ali Jnr states: “I thought he was going to be martyred like Martin Luther King was.”
       His dad also warned him about the dangers of a professional boxing career and Ali Jnr decided not to follow the same path. It was a wise decision in terms of health, because repeated blows to the head left the heavyweight king with Parkinson’s disease.
      The brain damage meant that Ali Snr was so forgetful he once abandoned his son at a roadside eatery when the boy was 14.
      ‘I used to smoke weed, crack and cocaine’
      Ali Jnr says: “One time my father picked me up from where I was living in Chicago to go to his home in Michigan and we stopped at a place on the way. 
      “He told me to go get something to eat and when I came back, he was gone. It was scary. I was crying.”
       Around this time, Ali had married his fourth and final wife, Yolanda Williams, who is better known as Lonnie. After that, the boxer and his eldest son drifted apart. Lacking purpose and unable to escape his father’s shadow, Ali Jnr started taking illegal drugs.
      Muhammad Ali Junior pictured outside his former home in one of Chicago’s roughest areasCredit: www.thisischriswhite.com
      Ali Snr was 25 and already a divorcee when he married Jnr’s actress mum, Belinda Boyd, in 1967. She was aged just 17Credit: AP:Associated Press
      The boxing legend with third wife Veronica PorcheCredit: Getty – Contributor
      He admits: “I used to use weed and smoke crack and heroin.”
      In 2005 he married Shaakira and they have two children, Ameera, 14, and 13-year-old Shakera.
      Ali Jnr says: “It was hard financially. I actually had to sleep on the floor because from my bed every day, every night, you would hear gunshots going off.
      “Beside the crime, the water wasn’t right, the electricity wasn’t right, the building wasn’t right. When it rained it leaked into the room.”
      Financial worries only increased the tension with Lonnie, who was his dad’s primary carer.
      His son claims: “I asked him for some money. And she told me not to ask him for money. I really hated her for that.” Eventually, Ali Jnr began taking positive steps and quit his drug habit. He says: “I got off that and turned my life around. I stay away from drug addicts now.”
      But marriage to Shaakira did not survive that turbulent existence and the couple are working out a divorce.
      For a long time he was either unemployed or doing odd jobs, such as painting and decorating.
      Recently, he helped set up The Muhammad Ali Legacy Continues, an organisation that aims to establish gyms in his father’s name and to campaign against bullying.
      Much of his time at the moment is taken up with the movie projects. The documentary, My Father Muhammad Ali, is due out in here in March and there are plans to make a dramatised version of Ali Jnr’s life.
      He reveals: “A biopic is going to start filming on my life story later next year by the same producer who did The Irishman with De Niro.” Ali Snr died aged 74 in 2016, but his son was left upset by the high-profile nature of the funeral, which was packed with celebrities. He says: “It was like a circus.”
      There seems little point in Muhammad Ali Jnr trying to escape his father’s name — because his legacy is all round.
      He concludes: “Everywhere I go, somebody has heard of Muhammad Ali and everywhere I go I see a picture of my father somewhere. 
      Read More on The Sun
      “It’s now like a dream. I never thought my father would die.
      “The greatness he had, I never thought he would literally die.” More

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      in Soccer

      Gareth Bale is NOT Britain’s GOAT – Sun writers from Piers Morgan to Arthur Edwards pick their faves but do you agree?

      by

      GARETH BALE has been hailed the “greatest British footballer of all time” after hanging up his boots.He won five Champions League trophies and led Wales to a Euro semi-final – but is he really the best?
      Here, pundits and writers name their top pick.
      And you can have YOUR say by voting in our online poll at thesun.co.uk/the-greatest.

      Harry Kane
      ENGLAND, 2015-present
      Appearances: 80
      READ MORE ON GARETH BALE
      Goals: 53
      By Clemmie Moodie
      Clemmie Moodie points out that Harry Kane will soon be England’s highest ever goal scorer – and he’s still only 29Credit: Getty
      WHEN Diego Maradona passed away, Pele said the pair would one day play football together in heaven.
      Well, sadly, now they can – quite possibly using the ball Kane punted there during the Qatar World Cup.
      Most read in Football
      That penalty blip aside, in today’s very modern game – VAR, Wags, tattoos and multi-million-pound salaries – England’s captain is an old-fashioned hero.
      A legend in the making, he will soon, surely, be England’s highest ever goal scorer. And he’s still only 29.
      A World Cup Golden Boot and 53 goals in 80 appearances for his country is a tremendous return.
      He may not have the speed of a gazelle, the tricks of a circus chimp or the surging runs of a Madrid bull.
      But he has the rat-like cunning of a true predator.
      Gentleman Harry is the glue that holds this England generation together.
      Steven Gerrard
      ENGLAND, 2000-2014
      Appearances: 114
      Goals: 21
      By Adrian Chiles
      Adrian Chiles thinks Steven Gerrard definitely deserves a mentionCredit: Getty
      THOUGH he never won the Premier League and, with England, was part of the under-achieving so-called golden generation, in my book he is as great as anyone.
      With Liverpool, you felt their trophies wouldn’t have been won without him.
      There was that corker of a last-minute equaliser against West Ham in the 2006 FA Cup final and his incredible second-half performance in Istanbul to win the Champions League in 2005.
      Always trying harder and seeming to care more than anyone else, time and again he was unstoppable.
      His love for the game – and his club – shone out.
      And he didn’t seem to care much for the trappings of his fame.
      He must be the only player of his generation who, boy and man, stuck with the same haircut.
      A mark of greatness in my book all day long.
      John Barnes
      ENGLAND, 1983-1995
      Appearances: 79
      Goals: 11
      By Oliver Harvey
      Oliver Harvey lists John Barnes’s many achievements – including how he took on racistsCredit: Getty
      PERCHED on the sofa at home in 1986, I screamed at the TV as cheating Maradona’s Argentina were 2-0 up against England in the World Cup quarter-final.
      Then, when all seemed lost, Barnes was thrown into the fray with 15 minutes to go.
      The Watford winger soon went on a mazy run and delivered an exquisite cross, which Gary Lineker headed home.
      Shortly afterwards he did it again, yet this time Lineker’s header was cleared. Denied by a whisker.
      Then there was that brilliant 1984 solo goal where he out-Braziled Brazil, in Brazil.
      Despite his mould-breaking wing play, Barnes was subjected to vile racist abuse from the terraces.
      Yet through measured words he took on the racists.
      A brilliant player and thoughtful man, he helped change the face of football – and wider society too.
      Wayne Rooney
      ENGLAND, 2003-2018
      Appearances: 120
      Goals: 53
      By Dylan Jones
      Dylan Jones thinks Wayne Rooney deserves top spotCredit: Getty
      THE numbers don’t just speak for themselves, they scream.
      Rooney is record goalscorer for both Manchester United and England (now joint with Harry Kane).
      He also holds the record for the most appearances of any outfield player for England.
      Along with former team-mate Michael Carrick, he is the only player to win the Premier League, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the Europa Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup and the Champions League.
      He is still England’s youngest ever goal scorer (17).
      He played in three World Cups and won the England Player of the Year Award four times.
      Wazza also played football like a tank on roller skates and always attacked the opposing team like a primate on steroids.
      Oh, and to cap it all, he never played for Tottenham. Job done.
      Kenny Dalglish
      SCOTLAND, 1971-1986
      Appearances: 102
      Goals: 30
      By Bill Leckie
      Bill Leckie holds up Kenny Dalglish as the greatest Scottish player ever – and a man who clearly loved the game so much
      WHEN my first kid was on the way we were only ever going to have a girl or a Kenny.
      Dalglish was the most creative footballer Scotland ever produced.
      But even more than that, a guy who played the game not so much with a smile on his face as a grin that split it in two.
      Every time he scored – 250-plus times for Celtic, Liverpool and Scotland – his happiness lit up the dreariest day.
      He loved putting the ball in the net, he loved setting up goals. He just loved being on that pitch, full stop.
      That’s what I wanted for my kids – for them not just to love whatever they chose to do but to let the world see that they loved it.
      Because when you radiate happiness, it can’t help but brighten up the lives of all those around you.
      King Kenny had so many talents as a player. He saw passes others could only dream of and he calculated angles like a maths genius.
      But it’s the joy he took from doing what he did that set him apart as my hero.
      Paul Gascoigne
      ENGLAND, 1988-1998
      Appearances: 57
      Goals: 10
      By Piers Morgan
      Piers Morgan makes his case for glorious Gazza
      THERE have been many great British footballers down the years but none that stirred the soul quite like Paul Gascoigne.
      He was quick, strong, impish, swashbuckling and wondrously skilful.
      Gazza, in full, glorious flight, was a supreme entertainer.
      And if it hadn’t been for injuries and his addiction issues he would be right up there in the same conversation as the two Ronaldos, Maradona, Messi and Pele as one of the world’s all-time greats.
      Gazza was indisputably the most fantastic character to ever play the game – a hyperactive, ebullient, crazy bundle of Geordie fun never happier than when he was pulling pranks on team-mates, opponents or even referees.
      But with a football at his feet, he was a genius and, for me, the British GOAT.
      George Best
      NORTHERN IRELAND, 1964-1977
      Appearances: 37
      Goals: 9
      By Ally Ross
      Ally Ross thinks George Best is a hidden genius and the player who had it all
      HE was a player who had it all. He could run like an antelope, pass, dribble, score with both feet, ride the most brutal tackles, head the ball better than most and, if nothing else was on, nutmeg a defender.
      George had the genius to do it and knew, instinctively, he was in the entertainment industry.
      Just listen to Pele, who described him as “a footballer without comparison” and so good “all you could do was foul him”.
      If George was a clean-cut, Home Counties people pleaser there wouldn’t even be any debate about his supremacy.
      But he was a tormented soul from east Belfast who, when he got bored of being better than everyone else, went to the pub and never really came back.
      George walked out on Manchester United aged just 27 and ended his significant playing days with Hibernian instead of rising to even greater glory than he’d known at Old Trafford and signing for Aberdeen.
      Oh Georgie Boy. What might have been.
      Gareth Bale
      WALES, 2006-2022
      Appearances: 111
      Goals: 41
      By Hugh Woozencroft
      No recency bias here – Hugh Woozencroft explains why he thinks Gareth Bale is truly the British GOAT
      IT is easy to make the case for a number of players if you use a multitude of factors.
      Some of those factors are relevant – longevity, success, big moments. Some just aren’t.
      It doesn’t matter if Bale was injured a lot. It doesn’t matter if he retired early. It doesn’t matter if he wasn’t at his best at the last World Cup and it doesn’t matter if he loves golf more than football (allegedly).
      What matters is talent.
      On his day, and in his generation, the only two other players who could grab a game and win it all on their own were two of the greatest of all time, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
      Bale was capable of majestic, powerful, skilful, unflinching, inspirational football.
      He carried the game in Wales from a laughing stock to the pride of Britain at Euro 2016 and to a first World Cup in 64 years in 2022.
      Maybe it was all too fleeting, I don’t care. Unless you reached those incredible heights you can’t get into the conversation with Gareth. He was The Best.
      Bobby Charlton
      ENGLAND, 1958-1970
      Appearances: 106
      Goals: 59
      By Jeremy Kyle
      Jeremy Kyle makes a good case for the man who won it allCredit: Getty
      WITH a thunderbolt shot, exquisite, slide-rule passes and raw athleticism, Sir Bobby was the complete footballer.
      And Bobby won it all. The World Cup, the European Cup, three First Division titles and the FA Cup.
      Not only that but he was a consummate gentleman who played the game with a British sense of fair play.
      No backchat to referees or disrespect for opponents.
      Can you imagine Bobby – a survivor of the Munich air disaster – rolling around feigning an injury?
      In that glorious summer of ’66 Bobby scored three goals on the way to the final before winning the Ballon d’Or as Europe’s best footballer.
      As his Man Utd manager Sir Matt Busby said: “He was as near perfection as man and player as it is possible to be.”
      Jimmy Greaves
      ENGLAND, 1959-1967
      Appearances: 57
      Goals: 44
      By Arthur Edwards
      Royal photographer Arthur Edwards argues that Greavsie is the greatest of all timeCredit: Getty
      JIMMY was a goal-scoring genius. The hat-trick king.
      No other player excited me like Greavsie. At Tottenham I’d watch him dribble through the defence before scoring the most incredible goals.
      Lionel Messi does it now but Greavsie was playing on pitches that were a sea of mud. He scored an incredible 266 goals for Spurs.
      I have watched Gareth Bale, Gazza and Bobby Moore, but Jimmy, although he was only 5ft 8in, stood head and shoulders above them.
      When I started covering West Ham’s matches I switched allegiance.
      Jimmy joined The Hammers and, as he did at every club he joined, he scored on his debut – two goals in a 5-1 victory at Man City.
      Despite him not being in that amazing ’66 World Cup team, to me he was Britain’s greatest footballer.
      Bobby Moore
      ENGLAND, 1962-1973
      Appearances: 108
      Goals: 2
      By Karren Brady
      Karren Brady sticks with a classic choice – the only Brit to accept the Jules Rimet Trophy from a delighted QueenCredit: AP
      WIPING the mud from his hand like a true gent, Bobby Moore accepted the Jules Rimet Trophy from a delighted Queen, the only Brit ever to do it.
      But it’s not just that trophy that makes Bobby the greatest.
      He was the ultimate defender – a fantastic tackler who was brilliant in the air and who glided over the turf as he began an attack. His reading of the game was astonishing, too.
      Bobby was also a captain and leader who inspired the players around him to greater heights.
      Don’t just take it from me. Pele called him the greatest defender he’d ever played against.
      Ex-West Germany captain Franz Beckenbauer described Bobby as “the best defender in the history of the game”, while Sir Alex Ferguson called him “the best defender I have ever seen”.
      Alan Shearer
      ENGLAND, 1992-2000
      Appearances: 63
      Goals: 30
      By Ken Gibson
      Ken Gibson goes with Shearer, a Geordie local heroCredit: Getty
      AS a Geordie, I have to go with my local hero.
      For me, and thousands of Toon fans, Shearer was the greatest, a supreme striker who terrorised the best defenders in the world.
      The Premier League’s top scorer, he could score with left or right foot and was brilliant with his head. He was also a great team player.
      Shearer delivered at club and international level. His record was phenomenal over a long period of time.
      He also had the perfect temperament. Fiercely competitive, he knew how to play right on the edge and bend the rules.
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      I also loved the fact that he gave up the opportunity to win major medals with other clubs, preferring Newcastle.
      Loyalty is also a key part of being Britain’s greatest footballer. More