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      Marcus Rashford had never peeled a carrot… and now he’s on a mission to get every kid cooking, says chef Tom Kerridge

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      TOP chef Tom Kerridge learned to cook aged 11, making meals for his younger brother while his single mum worked two jobs to ensure her boys had enough to eat.It was a childhood that echoed that of footballer and child poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford, whose mum Melanie worked gruelling minimum-wage shifts to feed her five kids.
      England ace Marcus Rashford has admitted he has never peeled a carrot, but now he has plans to teach all kids to cook meals that cost pennies
      Now the two men have come together to teach the country’s poorest children how to cook simple yet healthy meals, with ingredients that cost pennies.
      The idea was born when 23-year-old Manchester United and England striker Marcus revealed he had never learned to cook — and had no idea where to start in the kitchen.
      Michelin-star chef Tom, 47, dad to five-year-old son Acer, told The Sun: “Marcus freely admitted, ‘I don’t know how to cook and I want to be able to do it’.
      “That’s what makes him such an incredible young man, he’s not embarrassed about having a go and he’s not embarrassed to say he doesn’t know something.
      TOP chef Tom Kerridge will be teaching Marcus how to get going in the kitchen — with families across the country following along too
      “He’s somebody that wants to learn and he pays attention.”
      Tom will be teaching Marcus how to get going in the kitchen — with families across the country following along too — in their new campaign Full Time Meals: Get Cooking With Marcus And Tom.
      As part of the initiative they will release weekly recipe tutorials on Instagram, starting with a simple chicken satay dish this Sunday.
      Marcus has been a tireless campaigner on child food poverty, raising £20million to feed kids during the Covid pandemic and successfully lobbying the Government to reverse a decision not to provide free school meals during the summer holidays.
      The children he campaigns for are kids just like him and Tom were.
      Marcus has said he often went to bed hungry as a childCredit: Refer to Caption
      After Tom’s parents divorced when he was 11, his mum Jackie supplemented the income she earned as a secretary by washing up in a pub at night.
      Tom says: “As a child you don’t recognise the sort of issues that your mum faces.
      “Not once did we go hungry. Not once did we ever feel unloved or feel we missed out on anything.
      “But looking back now, as a parent myself, I understand how difficult it must have been for my mum.
      The idea of teaching kids was born when 23-year-old Manchester United striker Marcus revealed he had never learned to cook — and had no idea where to start in the kitchenCredit: PA
      “Working two jobs to make sure we could just have pasta or bread in the house was such a big thing.
      “At 11, none of it sinks in and you just get on with it, but as a grown-up, and having conversations with Mum about this project, the truth of her struggle rings very true.”
      One in three UK children live in poverty, with an estimated 2.5million in food-insecure households, meaning they can’t afford sufficients amounts to eat, according to latest figures.
      Food bank charity The Trussell Trust yesterday revealed it had handed out 2.5million food parcels since March last year — a rise of 33 per cent on 2019.
      Tom will be teaching Marcus how to get going in the kitchen — with families following along too — in their new campaign Full Time Meals: Get Cooking With Marcus And Tom
      It is a story all too familiar to Marcus, who has movingly recalled the many times he went to bed hungry.
      Tom says: “I’m twice Marcus’s age but we have similar backgrounds, growing up with single mums who were out working in the evening.
      “Both myself and Marcus find ourselves in an incredibly fortunate position now.
      “But that’s why we wanted to use Marcus’s reach and understanding and my skill set to touch as many people as we can.
      “While Marcus went out kicking a football, when I got home from school I cooked my brother Sam’s tea.
      Top chef Tom Kerridge learned to cook aged 11, making meals for his younger brother while his single mum worked two jobs to ensure her boys had enough to eat
      “So we learned different skill sets from similar childhood experiences and had the same sort of understanding of the issues facing families. We gelled really well, he is a truly remarkable young man.”
      The pair’s plan is to show struggling families the best way to use the Government’s new Healthy Start vouchers — which provide parents of preschool children with £4.25 per week to buy fruit, vegetables and pulses.
      Their recipes feature ingredients that can be bought with the vouchers — including frozen and tinned vegetables, as well as fresh — and common tinned goods handed out at food banks.
      Tom as a youngster
      Quantities are measured with a mug, in case a measuring jug is not available, and most of the dishes can be made with one pan, a knife and a kettle or microwave. Tom adds: “We want to destigmatise the whole issue of cooking and make it really fun and engaging.
      “We want every child to have a go at cooking, irrespective of background. If you’re in a class of 35 kids and half of them get free school meals, we want all of them to say, ‘This recipe looks great, Marcus has had a go at cooking it and Tom’s made the recipe simple and easy to follow’.”
      Tom, from Gloucester, adds that Marcus, who is dating childhood sweetheart Lucia Loi, 23, threw himself into the cooking lessons and proved to be a natural.
      He says: “Marcus had never peeled a carrot but his knife skills are immaculate. He chopped the carrots beautifully the first time we did the satay dish, he’s got a natural talent as a chef.
      Marcus has been a tireless campaigner on child food poverty, raising £20million to feed kids during the Covid pandemicCredit: PA
      “We’ve been doing lessons, mostly on Zoom, for three months and Marcus has been cooking more and more at home for his housemates.
      “I think he’s trying to win brownie points with his girlfriend, too.”
      Speaking of his own early cooking efforts, Tom, who is married to sculptor Beth Cullen-Kerridge, 51, said: “I grew up as a child of the 80s, so I cooked Birds Eye potato waffles, Findus crispy pancakes and fish fingers.
      “I did learn to make spaghetti bolognese and I would have a go at rice dishes.
      Tom says: ‘As a child you don’t recognise the sort of issues that your mum faces’Credit: Rex
      “But for an 11-year-old, just turning on a grill and making fish fingers is still cooking and that’s a skill set many people don’t have.”
      ‘Recipes designed to take fear away’
      Tom and Marcus’s mission is to encourage families to try out new dishes.
      Tom says: “People live in fear of the kitchen, they’re uncomfortable with it and they don’t know if something’s cooked or not. They worry about cooking instructions.
      “But our recipes are designed to take away all that fear so you can just put it in the oven, cook it until it’s hot and trust your self-instinct.
      “I’m trying to teach a basic skill set. Normally, when I write cookbooks or cook on television, I’m connecting with a foodie audience, so it’s like someone who already cycles on a good bike getting tips from Bradley Wiggins.
      Marcus and Tom plan to show struggling families the best way to use the Government’s new £4.25 Healthy Start vouchersCredit: Getty – Contributor
      “What we’re doing here is teaching people how to get on that bike with stabilisers, starting from the beginning — how to peel a carrot, how to boil vegetables.
      “It’s really basic stuff using ingredients like frozen vegetables and tinned potatoes — store-cupboard, budget-friendly, essential ingredients to help create a dish.”
      As well as the weekly Instagram posts, with 52 recipes across the year, recipe cards of Tom’s dishes will be available at food banks.
      Tom says: “Child poverty is a much bigger picture and there’s so much more we can do. But that’s for people above my paygrade.
      Get Cooking With Marcus And Tom tutorials will be posted weekly from Sunday on Instagram feed @fulltimemeals

      “I’m a chef and I’m just trying to use my skill set to help people who, through no fault of their own, find money really hard to come by.
      “It’s that old adage of give someone a fish and they will eat for a day. Teach them to fish and you feed them for a lifetime.”

      Get Cooking With Marcus And Tom tutorials will be posted weekly from Sunday on Instagram feed @fulltimemeals.

      TOM’S TIPS TO COOK ON A BUDGETTHE recipes in the Full Time Meals campaign use fresh, tinned and frozen ingredients to suit the tightest of budgets.
      The tutorials will be available each Sunday on Instagram, but in the meantime Tom gives Sun readers a few tips on how to start cooking from scratch.
      PULSES
      HEALTHY Start vouchers can be used for pulses and grains, so tins of pre-cooked lentils and chickpeas are great, or you can buy the dry kind that you just need to soak overnight.
      FRESH OR FROZEN
      THESE recipes will be a great way of getting vegetables into kids’ diets. And although they call for fresh veg, they also use a lot of frozen vegetables because that way you’re only taking out exactly what you need each time – making it as budget-friendly as possible.
      So, frozen peas, mixed grilled Mediterranean vegetables or frozen spinach are great ingredients.
      Frozen protein, such as fish and chicken pieces, also make great ingredients at a lower price – and we use those a lot.
      TINS
      STORE cupboard tins, such as tinned new potatoes and soups, form the basis of many of our dishes.
      Soups can be used as a tasty pie sauce or pie filling. One dish we may do is a simple leek and potato pie, which is a leek and potato soup, mixed in with tinned potatoes and a freshly chopped leek with filo pastry over the top.
      EQUIPMENT
      ALL you need to cook many or these dishes is a pan, a knife for chopping and a mug for measuring.
      Usually recipes ask for 150g of this and 200ml of that, but we use a mug so you don’t need a measuring jug or scales.
      We even make a Yorkshire pudding batter using just the volume of a normal mug.
      Also, many of our dishes can be cooked in one pan because many people only own one pan – and it helps with the washing up!
      TOM’S FAVOURITE BUDGET MEAL
      FOR a quick, easy and budget-friendly meal, my go-to is what we call a “fridge-trimming omelette”.
      If there’s not much in the house but we have a few tomatoes, a couple of mushrooms and a bit of leftover ham, or leftover veg, I chop it all together, whisk it with a couple of eggs, bake it in one pan and serve it in the middle of the table.
      My little man is only five but already he loves whisking the eggs and making an omelette.

      Marcus Rashford’s old friend hails his free school meals campaign as her family still benefits More

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      From Roy Keane to Paul Scholes — these footballers are the spitting image of paintings

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      WHAT a match! Comedian Olaf Falafel has paired football figures with lookalike paintings — and we thought it was too good an idea to pass up on.
      Roy Keane is the spitting image of Gentleman in a Fur by Paolo Veronese
      The winning doubles — including player-turned-pundit Roy Keane — would be at home in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
      But can you tell a Manet from a Mane or a Caravaggio from a Baggio?
      Thomas Tuchel’s lookalike is Elena Povolozky by Amedeo Modigliani
      Roy Hodgson looks just like J.M. Vogelsang by Ferdinand Oldewelt
      Marouane Fellaini appears to be channeling Pablo Picasso’s Face of Woman
      Pep Guardiola has the exact same pose as Head of Man by Hermann Struck
      Paul Scholes is paired up with Paul Gauguin’s Beautiful Angel
      Kenny Dalglish looks just like Gardener John Wells, by an unknown artist
      Mick McCarthy is a clear double for Bob Dylan’s Self Portrait

      Micah Richards winds up BOTH Roy Keane and Jamie Redknapp over their previous row in hilarious behind-the-scenes clip More

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      Footie-mad dad finally completes his £10k sticker collection after scoring rare England badge

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      A FOOTIE-mad dad has finally got his huge sticker album collection up to date — with a 1998 World Cup England badge.Simon Livermore, 45, paid £11.41 in an online bidding war for the elusive crest.
      Simon Livermore has finally got his huge sticker album collection up to dateCredit: Paul Edwards / The Sun
      He has now completed every World Cup and Euros album produced by Panini since 1974.
      And he is already busy filling in his Euro 2020 sticker album.
      Brighton and Hove Albion fan Simon said: “Half the fun is the hunt. I’ve needed two for France 98 for absolutely forever but the badges, the foils, are particularly hard to come across.
      “I was always led to believe there was equal numbers printed, But I swear it’s not the case.”
      The project manager caught the collecting bug with the Mexico 86 World Cup album.
      Over the years he has spent up to £10,000 on packs of stickers, selling swaps online to fund his habit and buying missing stickers from Europe, Egypt and the US.
      The footie-mad dad has spent over £10,000 on roughly 23,000 stickersCredit: Paul Edwards / The Sun
      His extensive collection was finally completed when he scored a 1998 England cardCredit: Paul Edwards / The Sun
      Simon paid £11.41 in an online bidding war for the elusive crestCredit: Paul Edwards / The Sun
      The most expensive sticker Simon sold was a rare Diego Maradona from 1982Credit: Paul Edwards / The Sun
      Simon caught the collecting bug with Panini’s Mexico ’86 albumCredit: Paul Edwards / The Sun
      The most expensive sticker he sold was a rare Diego Maradona from 1982 — which went to an American collector for £90.
      And Simon reckons he could wallpaper his spare room with Bulgarian swaps from Euro 96.
      It’s the childlike feeling of just opening a pack that’s kept me going. Simon Livermore
      As well as stickers, he also buys old books online then re-pastes what he needs into his albums.
      Simon, who has a daughter aged 25, reckoned: “It’s the childlike feeling of just opening a pack that’s kept me going.
      “The haircuts are some of the best bits. They remind me of my childhood.”
      Simon says ‘half the fun is the hunt’Credit: Paul Edwards / The Sun

      He also has Panini albums for the English top flight from 1978 to 1990 and the past two seasons.
      He refuses to buy albums produced by Merlin in the 1990s and 2000s as he says they are not as good.
      He said: “The feeling of opening a pack and getting your favourite player just won’t ever get old.”
      Panini land official Premier League sticker album for first time More

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      How soccer ace Frank Worthington bedded a different woman every night – but had no regrets

      by

      FORMER England striker Frank Worthington was a legend for strutting his stuff at clubs across the land and satisfying adoring fans with his keepy-uppy.The question always lingered, though, how much of a star Frank would have been if he’d reserved those skills for the football pitch.
      Ladies man Frank Worthington has died aged 72Credit: Mirrorpix
      The former striker, pictured with George Best and Alex Higgins, was known as ‘the working man’s Best’Credit: Raymonds Press Agency
      The cult hero passed away after a long battle with dementia
      For this mercurial talent, who has died at the age of 72, was just as well known for his inexhaustible exploits in the bedroom and on the dancefloor as his prowess in front of goal.
      He boasted of sleeping with a different woman every night, bedding a teenager followed by her mother and dating a string of beauties.
      They included Miss World Mary Stavin, Miss Barbados Lindy Field, Profumo Affair model Mandy Rice-Davies, his first wife Birgitta who won Miss Sweden and his second spouse Carol Dwyer, who had been a Page 3 Girl.
      And when he was asked to name his ‘previous clubs’ he answered: “The Playboy, Tramps and Sandpiper.”
      A flamboyant maverick, who sported flowing long hair, a manicured moustache, medallion and John Travolta flares, Frank’s passion for the high life cost him his chance to reach the very top.
      A record breaking deal to sign for Liverpool in 1972 fell through because two weeks of sex and partying left him with high blood pressure.
      While his England caps ended at just eight after manager Don Revie discovered Frank had ignored a strict curfew by going out drinking and gambling at a casino.
      BORN TO PLAY THE BEAUTIFUL GAME
      Frank, who played for 24 clubs including Leicester City and Leeds United, also confessed to taking cocaine and nearly drove a car off a cliff in Spain.
      Extravagant spending, including buying a Ford Mustang and drinking champagne at breakfast, left him bankrupt when he couldn’t pay the taxman.
      Frank played for 24 clubs including Leicester City and Leeds UnitedCredit: PA:Press Association
      But he wouldn’t have changed anything.
      Frank said: “Yeah, I was a bit of a rascal. I loved football and the ladies and I was not prepared to give up either. Why should I? I never have regrets. I did all right for myself, thanks very much.”
      A naturally gifted attacker, Frank was born to play the beautiful game.
      The West Yorkshireman, from the village of Shelf near Bradford, was the son of two football players, with his dad Eric turning out for Halifax Town and mum Alice for the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force.
      He quickly made a big impression at his first club Huddersfield Town, scoring 41 goals in 171 appearances.
      I loved football and the ladies and I was not prepared to give up either. Why should I?Frank Worthington
      Huddersfield were not exactly a glamour club, but that didn’t stop Frank becoming a major attraction.
      Shortly after leaving the club in 1972 he boasted: “I was pulling girls every night. Sometimes I’d wonder if they were with me because I was Frank Worthington, the footballer, or if they genuinely fancied me as a bloke.
      “But I soon realised this didn’t matter a damn.”
      He kept a flat in Leeds so the club did not know about his “nocturnal activities” or that he was “abusing my body” by staying out late.
      Frank was a notorious ladies man until he eventually settled down with his second wife Carol DwyerCredit: Mirrorpix
      The Elvis fan, seen rocking out with TV’s Grumbleweeds, tried to keep his ‘nocturnal activities’ secretCredit: Getty
      Frank’s ability to juggle the ball on the pitch and go past defenders at will persuaded Liverpool manager Bill Shankly to offer a then £150,000 club record to sign him.
      Having put pen to paper, Frank failed two medicals.
      There were rumours that he had a sexually transmitted disease, but the player insisted it was blood pressure due to constant carousing.
      Before the second medical, Shankly sent Frank off on holiday to relax.
      Instead the player seduced a young woman on the aeroplane and went on a two week bender with her.
      With Liverpool out of the picture, Frank signed for Leicester City instead, scoring 72 goals in 210 games for the Midlands side.
      Ex-Leicester and England star Gary Lineker described him last night as “my boyhood hero” and a “wonderful character”.
      In 1973 Frank married his first wife Birgitta, who had already given birth to his son Frank Junior.
      Displaying some eye-raising parental priorities he said he wanted to teach Frank Junior “all the tricks” so he could be “the greatest Casanova of all time”.
      Frank also had a daughter, Kim-Malou, with Birgitta but parenthood did not slow him down.
      Touching tributes
      LEGENDS of the game, footie experts and celebrity fans paid tribute to Frank on social media.
      “Profoundly saddened to hear Frank Worthington has died. He was my boyhood hero when he was at LCFC. A beautiful footballer, maverick and wonderful character who was so kind to this young apprentice.” Gary Lineker
      “What a character, and one of the most talented footballers I played with.” Ally McCoist
      “What a character & what a player! Very sad news.” Tony Cottee
      “A great player, entertainer and character, even at 9 we had to go just to see him play. Rest in peace, Elvis.” Stan Collymore
      “A true showman and great footballer but even better bloke.”John Fashanu
      “Absolute luxury. RIP Frank Worthington, one of the greats.”Paddy McGuinness
      “One of the great entertainers, scorer of one of the greatest ever goals.” Sky Sports’ Gary Taphouse
      “What a player, got fans off their seats, a great entertainer.” TalkSport’s Ian Abrahams

      Frank boasted of sleeping with Miss World Mary Stavin, Miss Barbados Lindy Field, Profumo Affair model Mandy Rice-Davies and his first wife Birgitta, who won Miss Sweden (pictured)Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      He later confessed: “In my Leicester days, it wasn’t a night out unless you were in at six in the morning after a visit to the Playboy Club.”
      Around 1978 the marriage broke down, giving Frank the freedom to play the field even more.
      In his autobiography One Hump or Two?, which certainly wasn’t a reference to camels, he wrote extensively about his sexual exploits.
      Describing meeting a Belgian brunette in Magaluf, he wrote: “It was appropriate that she came from Knokke, because you should have seen her Knokke-ers when I got them out back at my villa.”
      Never shy about discussing his pulling prowess, he also told a journalist what happened after bedding a teenager in Sweden.
      He said: “Next morning, after the girl had got up early for work, her ‘muzzer’ woke me up with a cup of tea. She was young and attractive, so what was a man supposed to do?”
      ‘I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A BIT OF A PEACOCK’
      Great pals with the late George Best he lived with Lindy, the sister of the Manchester United star’s first wife Angie.
      But Frank – described as “the working man’s George Best” by the late Bolton manager, Ian Greaves – reckoned he was even more of a womaniser than the Belfast ladies’ man.
      He said: “This is where I differ from George Best. He wants everyone to love him. I just wanted every girl to go to bed with me.”
      Frank was famed for his ability to juggle the ball on the pitchCredit: George Herringshaw
      He won the Golden Boot title in 1979 for the 24 goals he scored for Bolton Wanderers
      He played until he was aged 43, running out for over 20 clubs here and in the USCredit: Getty
      Many England fans wondered why Frank, whose majestic skills were compared to Best, didn’t play more for his country.
      Frank thought it was because his unconventional approach upset the national side’s bosses.
      Sir Alf Ramsey swore when he turned up to fly with the England team wearing cowboy boots, a velvet jacket and silk shirt.
      Frank, who reckoned he was ‘the first man in Britain to own a tank top’, said: “I suppose I have always been a bit of a peacock.”
      Best wants everyone to love him. I just wanted every girl to go to bed with me.Frank Worthington
      He also upset England’s caretaker manager Joe Mercer by sneaking a girl up to his hotel room after a game.
      Tough guy boss Revie wasn’t so forgiving when Frank ignored his clear instructions not to go out.
      Slipping out the hotel through a side door with a few other England players they visited a casino.
      Gambling was a major part of football back in those days and one marathon card game in 1974 went on until 9am in the morning after England beat Bulgaria.
      Newcastle United striker Malcolm Macdonald ended up losing £1,200 to Frank. Living close to the edge was what Frank was used to.
      He once recalled: “On one trip to Spain, I was driving a car with three other players and ended up crashing it and almost going over the end of a cliff.
      “When we walked back the next day, there was the car balancing on the edge of a big drop.”
      The football legend spoke extensively about his sexual exploits in his autobiography One Hump or Two?
      That wild behaviour went too far when Frank was playing for Birmingham City between 1979 and 1982.
      He confessed to smoking cannabis and snorting cocaine through a bank note. It was, he admitted, a mistake.
      Elvis fan Frank said: “I don’t see any harm in trying things out, but drug taking is certainly not something I would recommend to anyone.”
      Around that time he declared bankruptcy because he couldn’t pay off tax bills of £36,000.
      Gradually, though, he started to calm down and after he married second wife Carol in 1986 he was content to be in bed by 10pm.
      Despite failing that Liverpool medical Frank played until he was aged 43, running out for over 20 clubs here and in the US, before finally hanging up his boots in 1992.
      The only silverware he picked up during that long career was the old Division Two title with Huddersfield Town.
      Frank also won the Golden Boot title in 1979 for the 24 goals he scored for Bolton Wanderers in the top division.
      But he had to sell that precious memory in 2005 to fund his retirement.
      Frank’s wife says ‘he brought joy to so many people throughout his career and in his private life’Credit: Reuters

      Frank’s cause of death has not been announced. His daughter claimed in 2016 that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s due to heading the ball during his playing days. But Frank denied suffering from the brain disease.
      After his death his wife Carol said in a statement: “Frank brought joy to so many people throughout his career and in his private life.
      “He will be greatly missed by everyone who loved him so much.”
      Ally McCoist pays tribute Leicester legend Frank Worthington who has died at 72
      GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk More

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      How Frank Worthington’s passion for the high life cost him his chance to reach the very top

      by

      FORMER England striker Frank Worthington was a legend for strutting his stuff at clubs across the land and satisfying adoring fans with his keepy-uppy.The question always lingered, though, how much of a star Frank would have been if he’d reserved those skills for the football pitch.
      Ladies man Frank Worthington has died aged 72Credit: Mirrorpix
      The former striker, pictured with George Best and Alex Higgins, was known as ‘the working man’s Best’Credit: Raymonds Press Agency
      The cult hero passed away after a long battle with dementia
      For this mercurial talent, who has died at the age of 72, was just as well known for his inexhaustible exploits in the bedroom and on the dancefloor as his prowess in front of goal.
      He boasted of sleeping with a different woman every night, bedding a teenager followed by her mother and dating a string of beauties.
      They included Miss World Mary Stavin, Miss Barbados Lindy Field, Profumo Affair model Mandy Rice-Davies, his first wife Birgitta who won Miss Sweden and his second spouse Carol Dwyer, who had been a Page 3 Girl.
      And when he was asked to name his ‘previous clubs’ he answered: “The Playboy, Tramps and Sandpiper.”
      A flamboyant maverick, who sported flowing long hair, a manicured moustache, medallion and John Travolta flares, Frank’s passion for the high life cost him his chance to reach the very top.
      A record breaking deal to sign for Liverpool in 1972 fell through because two weeks of sex and partying left him with high blood pressure.
      While his England caps ended at just eight after manager Don Revie discovered Frank had ignored a strict curfew by going out drinking and gambling at a casino.
      BORN TO PLAY THE BEAUTIFUL GAME
      Frank, who played for 24 clubs including Leicester City and Leeds United, also confessed to taking cocaine and nearly drove a car off a cliff in Spain.
      Extravagant spending, including buying a Ford Mustang and drinking champagne at breakfast, left him bankrupt when he couldn’t pay the taxman.
      Frank played for 24 clubs including Leicester City and Leeds UnitedCredit: PA:Press Association
      But he wouldn’t have changed anything.
      Frank said: “Yeah, I was a bit of a rascal. I loved football and the ladies and I was not prepared to give up either. Why should I? I never have regrets. I did all right for myself, thanks very much.”
      A naturally gifted attacker, Frank was born to play the beautiful game.
      The West Yorkshireman, from the village of Shelf near Bradford, was the son of two football players, with his dad Eric turning out for Halifax Town and mum Alice for the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force.
      He quickly made a big impression at his first club Huddersfield Town, scoring 41 goals in 171 appearances.
      I loved football and the ladies and I was not prepared to give up either. Why should I?Frank Worthington
      Huddersfield were not exactly a glamour club, but that didn’t stop Frank becoming a major attraction.
      Shortly after leaving the club in 1972 he boasted: “I was pulling girls every night. Sometimes I’d wonder if they were with me because I was Frank Worthington, the footballer, or if they genuinely fancied me as a bloke.
      “But I soon realised this didn’t matter a damn.”
      He kept a flat in Leeds so the club did not know about his “nocturnal activities” or that he was “abusing my body” by staying out late.
      Frank was a notorious ladies man until he eventually settled down with his second wife Carol DwyerCredit: Mirrorpix
      The Elvis fan, seen rocking out with TV’s Grumbleweeds, tried to keep his ‘nocturnal activities’ secretCredit: Getty
      Frank’s ability to juggle the ball on the pitch and go past defenders at will persuaded Liverpool manager Bill Shankly to offer a then £150,000 club record to sign him.
      Having put pen to paper, Frank failed two medicals.
      There were rumours that he had a sexually transmitted disease, but the player insisted it was blood pressure due to constant carousing.
      Before the second medical, Shankly sent Frank off on holiday to relax.
      Instead the player seduced a young woman on the aeroplane and went on a two week bender with her.
      With Liverpool out of the picture, Frank signed for Leicester City instead, scoring 72 goals in 210 games for the Midlands side.
      Ex-Leicester and England star Gary Lineker described him last night as “my boyhood hero” and a “wonderful character”.
      In 1973 Frank married his first wife Birgitta, who had already given birth to his son Frank Junior.
      Displaying some eye-raising parental priorities he said he wanted to teach Frank Junior “all the tricks” so he could be “the greatest Casanova of all time”.
      Frank also had a daughter, Kim-Malou, with Birgitta but parenthood did not slow him down.
      Touching tributes
      LEGENDS of the game, footie experts and celebrity fans paid tribute to Frank on social media.
      “Profoundly saddened to hear Frank Worthington has died. He was my boyhood hero when he was at LCFC. A beautiful footballer, maverick and wonderful character who was so kind to this young apprentice.” Gary Lineker
      “What a character, and one of the most talented footballers I played with.” Ally McCoist
      “What a character & what a player! Very sad news.” Tony Cottee
      “A great player, entertainer and character, even at 9 we had to go just to see him play. Rest in peace, Elvis.” Stan Collymore
      “A true showman and great footballer but even better bloke.”John Fashanu
      “Absolute luxury. RIP Frank Worthington, one of the greats.”Paddy McGuinness
      “One of the great entertainers, scorer of one of the greatest ever goals.” Sky Sports’ Gary Taphouse
      “What a player, got fans off their seats, a great entertainer.” TalkSport’s Ian Abrahams

      Frank boasted of sleeping with Miss World Mary Stavin, Miss Barbados Lindy Field, Profumo Affair model Mandy Rice-Davies and his first wife Birgitta, who won Miss Sweden (pictured)Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      He later confessed: “In my Leicester days, it wasn’t a night out unless you were in at six in the morning after a visit to the Playboy Club.”
      Around 1978 the marriage broke down, giving Frank the freedom to play the field even more.
      In his autobiography One Hump or Two?, which certainly wasn’t a reference to camels, he wrote extensively about his sexual exploits.
      Describing meeting a Belgian brunette in Magaluf, he wrote: “It was appropriate that she came from Knokke, because you should have seen her Knokke-ers when I got them out back at my villa.”
      Never shy about discussing his pulling prowess, he also told a journalist what happened after bedding a teenager in Sweden.
      He said: “Next morning, after the girl had got up early for work, her ‘muzzer’ woke me up with a cup of tea. She was young and attractive, so what was a man supposed to do?”
      ‘I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A BIT OF A PEACOCK’
      Great pals with the late George Best he lived with Lindy, the sister of the Manchester United star’s first wife Angie.
      But Frank – described as “the working man’s George Best” by the late Bolton manager, Ian Greaves – reckoned he was even more of a womaniser than the Belfast ladies’ man.
      He said: “This is where I differ from George Best. He wants everyone to love him. I just wanted every girl to go to bed with me.”
      Frank was famed for his ability to juggle the ball on the pitchCredit: George Herringshaw
      He won the Golden Boot title in 1979 for the 24 goals he scored for Bolton Wanderers
      He played until he was aged 43, running out for over 20 clubs here and in the USCredit: Getty
      Many England fans wondered why Frank, whose majestic skills were compared to Best, didn’t play more for his country.
      Frank thought it was because his unconventional approach upset the national side’s bosses.
      Sir Alf Ramsey swore when he turned up to fly with the England team wearing cowboy boots, a velvet jacket and silk shirt.
      Frank, who reckoned he was ‘the first man in Britain to own a tank top’, said: “I suppose I have always been a bit of a peacock.”
      Best wants everyone to love him. I just wanted every girl to go to bed with me.Frank Worthington
      He also upset England’s caretaker manager Joe Mercer by sneaking a girl up to his hotel room after a game.
      Tough guy boss Revie wasn’t so forgiving when Frank ignored his clear instructions not to go out.
      Slipping out the hotel through a side door with a few other England players they visited a casino.
      Gambling was a major part of football back in those days and one marathon card game in 1974 went on until 9am in the morning after England beat Bulgaria.
      Newcastle United striker Malcolm Macdonald ended up losing £1,200 to Frank. Living close to the edge was what Frank was used to.
      He once recalled: “On one trip to Spain, I was driving a car with three other players and ended up crashing it and almost going over the end of a cliff.
      “When we walked back the next day, there was the car balancing on the edge of a big drop.”
      The football legend spoke extensively about his sexual exploits in his autobiography One Hump or Two?
      That wild behaviour went too far when Frank was playing for Birmingham City between 1979 and 1982.
      He confessed to smoking cannabis and snorting cocaine through a bank note. It was, he admitted, a mistake.
      Elvis fan Frank said: “I don’t see any harm in trying things out, but drug taking is certainly not something I would recommend to anyone.”
      Around that time he declared bankruptcy because he couldn’t pay off tax bills of £36,000.
      Gradually, though, he started to calm down and after he married second wife Carol in 1986 he was content to be in bed by 10pm.
      Despite failing that Liverpool medical Frank played until he was aged 43, running out for over 20 clubs here and in the US, before finally hanging up his boots in 1992.
      The only silverware he picked up during that long career was the old Division Two title with Huddersfield Town.
      Frank also won the Golden Boot title in 1979 for the 24 goals he scored for Bolton Wanderers in the top division.
      But he had to sell that precious memory in 2005 to fund his retirement.
      Frank’s wife says ‘he brought joy to so many people throughout his career and in his private life’Credit: Reuters

      Frank’s cause of death has not been announced. His daughter claimed in 2016 that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s due to heading the ball during his playing days. But Frank denied suffering from the brain disease.
      After his death his wife Carol said in a statement: “Frank brought joy to so many people throughout his career and in his private life.
      “He will be greatly missed by everyone who loved him so much.”
      Ally McCoist pays tribute Leicester legend Frank Worthington who has died at 72
      GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk More

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      in Soccer

      How ‘drugs kingpin’ Daniel Kinahan, linked to boxing world champ Tyson Fury, is now planning to move into football

      by

      SITTING on a scruffy trading estate in a Lancashire village, the office of the MTK football agency appears a world away from the glitzy Premier League.
      Now it aims to grab a slice of the £500million spent each year on agency fees — and while company director Danny Vincent is a complete unknown, the founder of the business’s parent company, Daniel Kinahan, is certainly not.

      Tyson Fury with Daniel Kinahan

      Known as “Big Dan” by Tyson Fury, Kinahan made his name in the ­boxing world — and is also a ­notorious figure in his native Dublin.
      He has been accused by Irish police, courts and media, as well as the BBC’s Panorama, of being a drugs kingpin and organised crime boss — something he has always denied and he has never been convicted of any criminal offence.
      Kinahan, 43, has been labelled a senior figure in organised crime by Ireland’s high court, while a 2009 diplomatic cable sent to the Pentagon by a US Embassy described him as a “suspected international drug-trafficking figure”, resulting in him being banned from entering the US.
      And police in Ireland suspect the Kinahan cartel — founded by his convicted drug-smuggler father Christy, who is now living in Dubai — has made at least £1billion selling narcotics globally.

      MTK Football’s director Danny Vincent, 36, was surprised when The Sun called last week at his £200,000 home just a stone’s throw from Aintree racecourse.

      Kinahan has been accused by Irish police, courts and media, as well as the BBC’s Panorama, of being a drugs kingpin and organised crime bossCredit: Refer to Caption

      The building where MTK Football is registeredCredit: .
      The tattooed Liverpool FC fan was unprepared for questions — despite his company’s links with Kinahan.
      Vincent, who counts Kinahan’s cage- fighter pal Darren Till among his shareholders, claimed he knew ­nothing about the alleged crimelord.
      He said: “I’ve got nothing to do with that. I work with Darren Till.”

      When pressed again about Kinahan, he said: “No, no — it’s bang out of order knocking at my door.”
      Prior to that, Vincent had admitted to our reporter that MTK Football had no clients, adding: “We have only just started out. This is mad — I’m not used to all this.”
      While Vincent may claim not to know Kinahan, The Sun understands the alleged mobster is already on first-name terms with dozens of ­Premier League players and even a club chairman.

      Amir Khan called Kinahan ‘one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met’Credit: Reuters
      That is because Kinahan has been plotting his move into the world of football for at least five years, from his base in Dubai.
      One well-placed source connected to multiple Premier League players revealed: “Kinahan has been planning this for years. He has been getting close to players and close to agents.
      “He has got to know lots of them while living in Marbella and more recently since he moved to Dubai.
      “Both destinations are playgrounds for footballers and underworld figures ­— and those worlds collide in high-end restaurants, bars and clubs.
      “He will definitely end up representing top-level players at some point.”
      Kinahan’s blueprint for success is the world of boxing, where he has acted as an “adviser” to Tyson Fury ahead of his £400million fight with Anthony Joshua.

      Danny Vincent, director of MTK Football, outside his homeCredit: .
      He founded MTK Global in 2012 and the firm now has more than 250 fighters on its books.
      In 2017 he claimed to have stepped away from the company, but he recently admitted he is still heavily involved in the fight trade.
      The source said: “It’s harder to find a boxer not linked to Kinahan than one who is. He dominates the boxing world and everyone knows it.”
      Kinahan operates in the shadows and is not registered with the British Board Of ­Boxing, or the Football Association, leaving them powerless to regulate him.
      In 2007, Kinahan and his ­younger brother Christy Jnr were held by police in Spain on suspicion of drug-smuggling. He was not charged. His father — known as “the Dapper Don” — is said to have passed on control of the cartel’s narcotics and money-laundering operation to him in 2016.
      Prior to moving to Dubai — where his dad and brother also live — he is alleged to have helped the cartel to amass a ­ fortune from drug-trafficking.
      Ireland’s Criminal Assets Bureau filed a high-court ­affidavit describing how ­Kinahan managed and ­controlled the day-to-day operations of the gang.

      Lee Byrne, Troy Parrott and Dele Alli
      Police forces in three ­countries currently want to question him. And in 2016, Kinahan was the intended target of an horrific shooting in Dublin’s Regency Hotel.
      Six gunmen from the rival Hutch gang, including one dressed in drag and others disguised as police officers, stormed in with AK47 assault rifles during a boxing weigh-in.
      They murdered alleged cartel enforcer David Byrne and seriously injured associate Sean McGovern — but Kinahan escaped.
      After a BBC Panorama documentary investigated his links with both boxing and organised crime last month, he said in a statement: “There is no evidence or proof against me. I have said repeatedly I have no criminal record anywhere in the world.”
      Despite the allegations, sports stars appear to love him. Last month Amir Khan called him “one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met” while Tyson Fury and Billy Jo Saunders respectfully call him “Big Dan”.
      A respected boxing source told The Sun: “The boxers that he represents absolutely love him because he treats them like kings.
      “And all the people who support him will always say thwaat he hasn’t been convicted of any crimes, so why shouldn’t he be involved in boxing?”
      But another source from the fight world urged more caution.

      Kinahan has curried favour with dozens of players owed millions by a rogue watch-dealer who disappeared with their money
      The source, who has met Kinahan on several occasions, said: “He is very intelligent and very dangerous. He is comfortable knowing that you know of his reputation.
      “He pushes and probes you and sizes you up. It’s disconcerting and very difficult to deal with.” And while the Premier League and the FA may hope that Kinahan’s new ­football venture never gets off the ground, The Sun can reveal that he is already embedded at the game’s top table.
      Kinahan has curried favour with dozens of players owed millions by a rogue watch-dealer who disappeared with their money.
      Players from clubs including Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Leicester, Aston Villa, Burnley, Leeds and Middlesbrough were all fleeced after handing over up to £250,000 on the promise of being sold rare Richard Mille, Philippe Patek and vintage Rolex watches.
      The jeweller, who cannot be named for legal reasons, failed to deliver the goods to around 30 footballers, agents and other watch-traders despite pocketing the cash.
      Unable to get their money back after he went bankrupt, several stars reportedly turned to Kinahan, who agreed to help.
      A source said: “If you’re owed £250,000 and someone gets it back for you, you’ll like them no matter what their alleged past is.”
      Kinahan has also helped out when players have got into trouble in Dubai.The Sun was told that when a Premier League stalwart got into an altercation while on holiday there, “Kinahan sorted it out”.
      But while Kinahan and his ­associates are happy to court ­players for business, they will not tolerate disrespect.

      One England star p***ed off some of Kinahan’s gang in a nightclub and, shortly after, his watch was stolen. They are not to be messed with.
      Source

      The source said: “One England star p***ed off some of Kinahan’s gang in a nightclub and, shortly after, his watch was stolen. They are not to be messed with.”
      Links between Kinahan’s associates and young football stars have already begun to emerge.
      Spurs and England star Dele Alli and Troy Parrott, an Irish clubmate of his at Tottenham, were spotted in pictures taken on a winter break in Dubai with Lee Byrne, son of Liam Byrne, a key associate of Kinahan.
      Liam Byrne was previously named in court as being at “the very top tier” of organised crime in Ireland, and a “close and trusted associate and lieutenant of Daniel Kinahan”.
      So how will Premier League managers and owners ­handle the situation if, or when, a player signs to MTK?
      The reality is that the clubs may never know who they are dealing with. A source said Kinahan has been wooing a top-level football agent who has more than 150 ­players on his books.

      “Kinahan won’t start representing a player,” said the source. “He’ll just go and buy an agency and absorb it. And bang, he’ll be into football in a big way.
      “But no one will ever know because the Kinahan name will never appear on any paperwork.”
      But as he looks to expand his influence into the world’s most popular — and richest — sport, it is clear that Kinahan is not someone who can be ignored.

      Eddie Hearn says he was ‘a little surprised’ by the uproar over Daniel Kinahan being praised by Tyson Fury
      GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk More

    • 225 Shares99 Views

      in Soccer

      How ‘drugs kingpin’ Daniel Kinahan, linked to boxing champ Tyson Fury, is now planning to move into football

      by

      SITTING on a scruffy trading estate in a Lancashire village, the office of the MTK football agency seems a world away from the glitzy Premier League.
      Now it aims to grab a slice of the £500million spent each year on agency fees — and while company director Danny Vincent is a complete unknown, the founder of the business’s parent company, Daniel Kinahan, is certainly not.

      Tyson Fury with Daniel Kinahan

      Known as “Big Dan” by Tyson Fury, Kinahan made his name in the ­boxing world — and is also a ­notorious figure in his native Dublin.
      He has been accused by Irish police, courts and media, as well as the BBC’s Panorama, of being a drugs kingpin and organised crime boss — something he has always denied and he has never been convicted of any criminal offence.
      Kinahan, 43, has been labelled a senior figure in organised crime by Ireland’s high court, while a 2009 diplomatic cable sent to the Pentagon by a US Embassy described him as a “suspected international drug-trafficking figure”, resulting in him being banned from entering the US.
      And police in Ireland suspect the Kinahan cartel — founded by his convicted drug-smuggler father Christy, who is now living in Dubai — has made at least £1billion selling narcotics globally.

      MTK Football’s director Danny Vincent, 36, was surprised when The Sun called last week at his £200,000 home just a stone’s throw from Aintree racecourse.

      Kinahan has been accused by Irish police, courts and media, as well as the BBC’s Panorama, of being a drugs kingpin and organised crime bossCredit: Refer to Caption

      The building where MTK Football is registeredCredit: .
      The tattooed Liverpool FC fan was unprepared for questions — despite his company’s links with Kinahan.
      Vincent, who counts Kinahan’s cage- fighter pal Darren Till among his shareholders, claimed he knew ­nothing about the alleged crimelord.
      He said: “I’ve got nothing to do with that. I work with Darren Till.”

      When pressed again about Kinahan, he said: “No, no — it’s bang out of order knocking at my door.”
      Prior to that, Vincent had admitted to our reporter that MTK Football had no clients, adding: “We have only just started out. This is mad — I’m not used to all this.”
      While Vincent may claim not to know Kinahan, The Sun understands the alleged mobster is already on first-name terms with dozens of ­Premier League players and even a club chairman.

      Amir Khan called Kinahan ‘one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met’Credit: Reuters
      That is because Kinahan has been plotting his move into the world of football for at least five years, from his base in Dubai.
      One well-placed source connected to multiple Premier League players revealed: “Kinahan has been planning this for years. He has been getting close to players and close to agents.
      “He has got to know lots of them while living in Marbella and more recently since he moved to Dubai.
      “Both destinations are playgrounds for footballers and underworld figures ­— and those worlds collide in high-end restaurants, bars and clubs.
      “He will definitely end up representing top-level players at some point.”
      Kinahan’s blueprint for success is the world of boxing, where he has acted as an “adviser” to Tyson Fury ahead of his £400million fight with Anthony Joshua.

      Danny Vincent, director of MTK Football, outside his homeCredit: .
      He founded MTK Global in 2012 and the firm now has more than 250 fighters on its books.
      In 2017 he claimed to have stepped away from the company, but he recently admitted he is still heavily involved in the fight trade.
      The source said: “It’s harder to find a boxer not linked to Kinahan than one who is. He dominates the boxing world and everyone knows it.”
      Kinahan operates in the shadows and is not registered with the British Board Of ­Boxing, or the Football Association, leaving them powerless to regulate him.
      In 2007, Kinahan and his ­younger brother Christy Jnr were held by police in Spain on suspicion of drug-smuggling. He was not charged. His father — known as “the Dapper Don” — is said to have passed on control of the cartel’s narcotics and money-laundering operation to him in 2016.
      Prior to moving to Dubai — where his dad and brother also live — he is alleged to have helped the cartel to amass a ­ fortune from drug-trafficking.
      Ireland’s Criminal Assets Bureau filed a high-court ­affidavit describing how ­Kinahan managed and ­controlled the day-to-day operations of the gang.

      Lee Byrne, Troy Parrott and Dele Alli
      Police forces in three ­countries currently want to question him. And in 2016, Kinahan was the intended target of an horrific shooting in Dublin’s Regency Hotel.
      Six gunmen from the rival Hutch gang, including one dressed in drag and others disguised as police officers, stormed in with AK47 assault rifles during a boxing weigh-in.
      They murdered alleged cartel enforcer David Byrne and seriously injured associate Sean McGovern — but Kinahan escaped.
      After a BBC Panorama documentary investigated his links with both boxing and organised crime last month, he said in a statement: “There is no evidence or proof against me. I have said repeatedly I have no criminal record anywhere in the world.”
      Despite the allegations, sports stars appear to love him. Last month Amir Khan called him “one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met” while Tyson Fury and Billy Jo Saunders respectfully call him “Big Dan”.
      A respected boxing source told The Sun: “The boxers that he represents absolutely love him because he treats them like kings.
      “And all the people who support him will always say thwaat he hasn’t been convicted of any crimes, so why shouldn’t he be involved in boxing?”
      But another source from the fight world urged more caution.

      Kinahan has curried favour with dozens of players owed millions by a rogue watch-dealer who disappeared with their money
      The source, who has met Kinahan on several occasions, said: “He is very intelligent and very dangerous. He is comfortable knowing that you know of his reputation.
      “He pushes and probes you and sizes you up. It’s disconcerting and very difficult to deal with.” And while the Premier League and the FA may hope that Kinahan’s new ­football venture never gets off the ground, The Sun can reveal that he is already embedded at the game’s top table.
      Kinahan has curried favour with dozens of players owed millions by a rogue watch-dealer who disappeared with their money.
      Players from clubs including Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Leicester, Aston Villa, Burnley, Leeds and Middlesbrough were all fleeced after handing over up to £250,000 on the promise of being sold rare Richard Mille, Philippe Patek and vintage Rolex watches.
      The jeweller, who cannot be named for legal reasons, failed to deliver the goods to around 30 footballers, agents and other watch-traders despite pocketing the cash.
      Unable to get their money back after he went bankrupt, several stars reportedly turned to Kinahan, who agreed to help.
      A source said: “If you’re owed £250,000 and someone gets it back for you, you’ll like them no matter what their alleged past is.”
      Kinahan has also helped out when players have got into trouble in Dubai.The Sun was told that when a Premier League stalwart got into an altercation while on holiday there, “Kinahan sorted it out”.
      But while Kinahan and his ­associates are happy to court ­players for business, they will not tolerate disrespect.

      One England star p***ed off some of Kinahan’s gang in a nightclub and, shortly after, his watch was stolen. They are not to be messed with.
      Source

      The source said: “One England star p***ed off some of Kinahan’s gang in a nightclub and, shortly after, his watch was stolen. They are not to be messed with.”
      Links between Kinahan’s associates and young football stars have already begun to emerge.
      Spurs and England star Dele Alli and Troy Parrott, an Irish clubmate of his at Tottenham, were spotted in pictures taken on a winter break in Dubai with Lee Byrne, son of Liam Byrne, a key associate of Kinahan.
      Liam Byrne was previously named in court as being at “the very top tier” of organised crime in Ireland, and a “close and trusted associate and lieutenant of Daniel Kinahan”.
      So how will Premier League managers and owners ­handle the situation if, or when, a player signs to MTK?
      The reality is that the clubs may never know who they are dealing with. A source said Kinahan has been wooing a top-level football agent who has more than 150 ­players on his books.

      “Kinahan won’t start representing a player,” said the source. “He’ll just go and buy an agency and absorb it. And bang, he’ll be into football in a big way.
      “But no one will ever know because the Kinahan name will never appear on any paperwork.”
      But as he looks to expand his influence into the world’s most popular — and richest — sport, it is clear that Kinahan is not someone who can be ignored.

      Eddie Hearn says he was ‘a little surprised’ by the uproar over Daniel Kinahan being praised by Tyson Fury
      GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk More

    • 200 Shares139 Views

      in Soccer

      How ‘drugs kingpin’ linked to boxing and Tyson Fury is now planning to move into football

      by

      SITTING on a scruffy trading estate in a Lancashire village, the office of the MTK football agency seems a world away from the glitzy Premier League.
      Now it aims to grab a slice of the £500million spent each year on agency fees — and while company director Danny Vincent is a complete unknown, the founder of the business’s parent company, Daniel Kinahan, is certainly not.

      Tyson Fury with Daniel Kinahan

      Known as “Big Dan” by Tyson Fury, Kinahan made his name in the ­boxing world — and is also a ­notorious figure in his native Dublin.
      He has been accused by Irish police, courts and media, as well as the BBC’s Panorama, of being a drugs kingpin and organised crime boss — despite never having been convicted of any criminal offence.
      Kinahan, 43, has been labelled a senior figure in organised crime by Ireland’s high court, while a 2009 diplomatic cable sent to the Pentagon by a US Embassy described him as a “suspected international drug-trafficking figure”, resulting in him being banned from entering the US.
      And police in Ireland suspect the Kinahan cartel — founded by his convicted drug-smuggler father Christy, who is now living in Dubai — has made at least £1billion selling narcotics globally.

      MTK Football’s director Danny Vincent, 36, was surprised when The Sun called last week at his £200,000 home just a stone’s throw from Aintree racecourse.

      Kinahan has been accused by Irish police, courts and media, as well as the BBC’s Panorama, of being a drugs kingpin and organised crime bossCredit: Refer to Caption

      The building where MTK Football is registeredCredit: .
      The tattooed Liverpool FC fan was unprepared for questions — despite his company’s links with Kinahan.
      Vincent, who counts Kinahan’s cage- fighter pal Darren Till among his shareholders, claimed he knew ­nothing about the alleged crimelord.
      He said: “I’ve got nothing to do with that. I work with Darren Till.”

      When pressed again about Kinahan, he said: “No, no — it’s bang out of order knocking at my door.”
      Prior to that, Vincent had admitted to our reporter that MTK Football had no clients, adding: “We have only just started out. This is mad — I’m not used to all this.”
      While Vincent may claim not to know Kinahan, The Sun understands the alleged mobster is already on first-name terms with dozens of ­Premier League players and even a club chairman.

      Amir Khan called Kinahan ‘one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met’Credit: Reuters
      That is because Kinahan has been plotting his move into the world of football for at least five years, from his base in Dubai.
      One well-placed source connected to multiple Premier League players revealed: “Kinahan has been planning this for years. He has been getting close to players and close to agents.
      “He has got to know lots of them while living in Marbella and more recently since he moved to Dubai.
      “Both destinations are playgrounds for footballers and underworld figures ­— and those worlds collide in high-end restaurants, bars and clubs.
      “He will definitely end up representing top-level players at some point.”
      Kinahan’s blueprint for success is the world of boxing, where he has acted as an “adviser” to Tyson Fury ahead of his £400million fight with Anthony Joshua.

      Danny Vincent, director of MTK Football, outside his homeCredit: .
      He founded MTK Global in 2012 and the firm now has more than 250 fighters on its books.
      In 2017 he claimed to have stepped away from the company, but he recently admitted he is still heavily involved in the fight trade.
      The source said: “It’s harder to find a boxer not linked to Kinahan than one who is. He dominates the boxing world and everyone knows it.”
      Kinahan operates in the shadows and is not registered with the British Board Of ­Boxing, or the Football Association, leaving them powerless to regulate him.
      In 2007, Kinahan and his ­younger brother Christy Jnr were held by police in Spain on suspicion of drug-smuggling. He was not charged. His father — known as “the Dapper Don” — is said to have passed on control of the cartel’s narcotics and money-laundering operation to him in 2016.
      Prior to moving to Dubai — where his dad and brother also live — he is alleged to have helped the cartel to amass a ­ fortune from drug-trafficking.
      Ireland’s Criminal Assets Bureau filed a high-court ­affidavit describing how ­Kinahan managed and ­controlled the day-to-day operations of the gang.

      Lee Byrne, Troy Parrott and Dele Alli
      Police forces in three ­countries currently want to question him. And in 2016, Kinahan was the intended target of an horrific shooting in Dublin’s Regency Hotel.
      Six gunmen from the rival Hutch gang, including one dressed in drag and others disguised as police officers, stormed in with AK47 assault rifles during a boxing weigh-in.
      They murdered alleged cartel enforcer David Byrne and seriously injured associate Sean McGovern — but Kinahan escaped.
      After a BBC Panorama documentary investigated his links with both boxing and organised crime last month, he said in a statement: “There is no evidence or proof against me. I have said repeatedly I have no criminal record anywhere in the world.”
      Despite the allegations, sports stars appear to love him. Last month Amir Khan called him “one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met” while Tyson Fury and Billy Jo Saunders respectfully call him “Big Dan”.
      A respected boxing source told The Sun: “The boxers that he represents absolutely love him because he treats them like kings.
      “And all the people who support him will always say thwaat he hasn’t been convicted of any crimes, so why shouldn’t he be involved in boxing?”
      But another source from the fight world urged more caution.

      Kinahan has curried favour with dozens of players owed millions by a rogue watch-dealer who disappeared with their money
      The source, who has met Kinahan on several occasions, said: “He is very intelligent and very dangerous. He is comfortable knowing that you know of his reputation.
      “He pushes and probes you and sizes you up. It’s disconcerting and very difficult to deal with.” And while the Premier League and the FA may hope that Kinahan’s new ­football venture never gets off the ground, The Sun can reveal that he is already embedded at the game’s top table.
      Kinahan has curried favour with dozens of players owed millions by a rogue watch-dealer who disappeared with their money.
      Players from clubs including Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Leicester, Aston Villa, Burnley, Leeds and Middlesbrough were all fleeced after handing over up to £250,000 on the promise of being sold rare Richard Mille, Philippe Patek and vintage Rolex watches.
      The jeweller, who cannot be named for legal reasons, failed to deliver the goods to around 30 footballers, agents and other watch-traders despite pocketing the cash.
      Unable to get their money back after he went bankrupt, several stars turned to Kinahan, who agreed to help.
      A source said: “If you’re owed £250,000 and someone gets it back for you, you’ll like them no matter what their alleged past is.”
      Kinahan has also helped out when players have got into trouble in Dubai.The Sun was told that when a Premier League stalwart got into an altercation while on holiday there, “Kinahan sorted it out”.
      But while Kinahan and his ­associates are happy to court ­players for business, they will not tolerate disrespect.

      One England star p***ed off some of Kinahan’s gang in a nightclub and, shortly after, his watch was stolen. They are not to be messed with.
      Source

      The source said: “One England star p***ed off some of Kinahan’s gang in a nightclub and, shortly after, his watch was stolen. They are not to be messed with.”
      Links between Kinahan’s associates and young football stars have already begun to emerge.
      Spurs and England star Dele Alli and Troy Parrott, an Irish clubmate of his at Tottenham, were spotted in pictures taken on a winter break in Dubai with Lee Byrne, son of Liam Byrne, a key associate of Kinahan.
      Liam Byrne was previously named in court as being at “the very top tier” of organised crime in Ireland, and a “close and trusted associate and lieutenant of Daniel Kinahan”.
      So how will Premier League managers and owners ­handle the situation if, or when, a player signs to MTK?
      The reality is that the clubs may never know who they are dealing with. A source said Kinahan has been wooing a top-level football agent who has more than 150 ­players on his books.

      “Kinahan won’t start representing a player,” said the source. “He’ll just go and buy an agency and absorb it. And bang, he’ll be into football in a big way.
      “But no one will ever know because the Kinahan name will never appear on any paperwork.”
      But as he looks to expand his influence into the world’s most popular — and richest — sport, it is clear that Kinahan is not someone who can be ignored.

      Eddie Hearn says he was ‘a little surprised’ by the uproar over Daniel Kinahan being praised by Tyson Fury
      GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk More