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      in Motorsport

      I’m an F1 expert – I know exactly why stars Like Cara Delevingne and Tom Cruise are making the starting grid a hot spot

      by

      MOVE over Cannes, take a running jump Ascot . . . the new place for any self-respecting celebrity to be seen at is Formula 1.The hallowed grid, where drivers prepare for the race, is a hotspot like no other, with incredible access to the sport’s top drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
      Shakira was one of the many celebs seen at the Formula 1 grid this yearCredit: NICOLAS GERARDIN
      Tom Cruise was seen with Shakira at the 2023 Miami Formula One Grand PrixCredit: AFP
      And the 2023 season has seen it flooded with A-listers, from Tom Cruise, Kylie Minogue and Paris Hilton to Cara Delevingne, Shakira and Brad Pitt.
      Last weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone was packed with celebs and, in a bizarre moment, even had Homeland actor Damian Lewis singing the national anthem.
      But while the stars add an even glitzier veneer to the world’s most dangerous sport, not all are willing to play the game.
      Cara’s cringeworthy refusal to speak to F1’s legendary roving reporter and former driver Martin Brundle was blasted “rude”.
      read more on f1
      Here, two people who know all about it – our Formula 1 correspondent Ben Hunt and former grid girl Lizzie Cundy – explain why the high-octane sport is No1 for showbiz royalty.
      ACCESS to the grid before a Formula 1 race is rather like walking out on the pitch before the Champions League Final.
      It marks one of the most exclusive areas on the planet. A rare opportunity for the worlds of F1 drivers to collide with Hollywood A-listers, sport stars and politicians.
      You are only allowed on to the grid if you are invited.
      Most read in Motorsport
      You cannot buy the passes that gain you entry, that’s not how it works.
      Brad Pitt filmed scenes for a new movie at the British Grand Prix in SilverstoneCredit: Splash
      And I’ve had the privilege to do it for the past 11 years as The Sun’s F1 correspondent.
      I’ve seen them all, from Pele to Pamela Anderson, Arnold Schwarzenegger to Sir Elton John — and many better examples.
      But in recent years, under the ownership of Liberty Media and fresh off the wave of popularity created by Netflix’s Drive To Survive show, the list of A-listers is growing.
      Last Sunday’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone was a peculiar mix of The Speaker of the House of Commons and Eurovision singer Sam Ryder.
      The idea is that celebrities are allowed on to the grid to see the cars and the drivers before they set off on their two-hour race.
      It is good for them to get the experience, it is good for F1 to have them associated with the sport, with the images beamed across the world.
      Usually, the guests are invited by the F1 teams to the races and then F1 chiefs will in turn offer them access to the grid.
      They are ushered on a few minutes before the national anthem while a team of mechanics put the finishing touches to their race cars.
      It is an assault on the senses. It is hectic.
      The mechanics and engineers are running through their checks while the engines are fired into life, prompting people to press their hands over their ears to deaden the noise.
      Then there are the additional engines powering air-blowers used to cool the cars’ radiators.
      There’s smell of fuel and usually the heat coming off the cars and from the asphalt below your feet.
      Sometimes it is all too much and I bail out, such is the crush of mechanics going about their business and the TV crews seeking out their interviews.
      The grid interviews have long been a part of Formula 1.
      The broadcasters had traditionally focused on the drivers. But now, the celebrities are fair game, too.
      It reached a point in 2021 when Megan Thee Stallion had an awkward exchange with Sky F1’s Martin Brundle.
      Cara Delevingne’s reluctance to be interviewed on Sunday was another toe-curling moment of live TV.
      The reality is, these celebrities should be made aware of the enormity of the experience of being allowed on the grid.
      F1 says it makes it clear to their guests TV interviewers will seek an opportunity to speak to them and encourage the celebrities to agree to their requests.
      But the fact is, for the best part, it is a brilliant experience.
      I just can’t wait to see who is on the grid for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix later in the year, which promises to be the biggest show on Earth.
      ‘ONLY ELITE GET IN’
      LIZZIE CUNDY, 55, worked as a grid girl at Silverstone from 1988 to 1996.
      Here, she reveals just how glamorous being at a Formula 1 race has always been . . . 
      Lizzie Cundy worked as a grid girl at Silverstone from 1988 to 1996Credit: Getty
      “AS a former Wag, I’ve been to every big, glamorous sporting event you could go to.
      But I’ve never known anything quite like Formula 1.
      These drivers are risking their lives and it’s so fast, so scary. And the noise . . .  there’s just something so special about it all.
      With the likes of Brad Pitt and Cara Delevingne attending this year’s event, you can see how glamorous and super-wealthy you have to be to get in.
      Only the elite get to go.
      I was lucky enough to work as a grid girl and experience the lifestyle with my own eyes, every year for eight years.
      As well as the talented racing drivers, including Ayrton Senna, we would see loads of cricketers and footballers, as well as Hollywood actors, all coming to watch the race.
      Read More on The Sun
      We’d also work at the celebrity races too, and there would always be a big party in the evening in this huge marquee, which was loads of fun.
      There would always be so many famous faces. Anyone who was anyone was there, and it just made you feel so special.”
      Cara Delevingne had a cringeworthy moment when she refused to speak to F1’s roving reporter Martin BrundleCredit: Getty
      Kylie Minogue at the Formula 1 Monaco Grand PrixCredit: Getty
      Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas at the Formula 1 Monaco Grand PrixCredit: BackGrid More

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      in Soccer

      Inside Man City ace Jack Grealish’s rise from lad with footballing dream to perfect man who’s hit with ladies & lads

      by

      FLOWING locks, sensational body and a love for a cold beer . . . I think I’ve developed a new crush, in an unlikely spot.The surprise entry at the top of my list of affections is Jack Grealish, the superstar midfielder who was shirtless and clutching a cold pint as he led Manchester City’s victory parade this week.
      Jack Grealish’s big appeal is he seems just like a normal 27-year-old lad who’s living the dreamCredit: Getty
      Jack has no airs or graces, he’s no media-trained robot and he is not afraid to tell it how it isCredit: Getty
      Successful, carefree, the life and soul of the party — and a clearly decent bloke to boot.
      I want to be his mate, I want his looks and I want to be just like him.
      And it’s not just me who’s been won over by headband-wearing Jack in recent days.
      He’s now safely entered “girls want to sleep with him, men want to go for a pint with him” territory, placing him in an exclusive clique at the very top of the showbiz stratosphere alongside A-list actors Ryan Reynolds, Brad Pitt and Tom Hardy.
      READ MORE ON JACK GREALISH
      Jack’s big appeal is he seems just like a normal 27-year-old lad who’s living the dream, playing football at elite level and enjoying every minute.
      He has no airs or graces, he’s no media-trained robot and he is not afraid to tell it how it is.
      Indeed, he’s still exactly the same lad — except with bigger calves — who grew up in Bromsgrove, Worcs, dreaming of becoming a footballer.
      His legs have become such an object of desire they even have their own Instagram profile, with tens of thousands of devoted followers.
      Most read in Football
      And he’s a family man too. He remains close to his parents, cares deeply for his disabled sister Hollie, 19, who has cerebral palsy, and racks up the charity work, having recently been named a principal ambassador for Special Olympics GB.
      On paper, he’s the perfect man, a hit with the ladies — including a fling with pin-up Inbetweeners actress Emily Atack in 2021 — and has model girlfriend Sasha Attwood, 27, cheering from the sidelines when he plays.
      Jack’s partying after Manchester City clinched the Treble will go down as the stuff of legend — and certainly provided more entertainment than his side’s scruffy 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday night.
      He started the celebrations on the pitch as his team-mates lifted the trophy.
      Then he was snapped inside the dressing room downing booze and leading a rendition of Manchester anthem Don’t Look Back In Anger, by Oasis.
      Grealish has model girlfriend Sasha Attwood, 27, cheering from the sidelines when he playsCredit: Instagram
      Jack remains close to his parents, cares deeply for his disabled sister Hollie, 19, who has cerebral palsy
      He remained in his team kit hours after the final whistle, while his team-mates changed into partying threads, and was still in his jersey when filmed singing fan chant “Have you ever won the Treble?” at 6am on Sunday morning.
      After finally making it back to his team hotel he was pictured again popping his head out of a skylight of the team coach as the Treble winners headed for the airport to catch a flight back to Manchester, where he was then pictured lying down cradling the Champions League trophy next to team-mate Bernardo Silva.
      His airport pint was still cold as Jack and some of his team-mates jetted off on another European adventure, this time to Ibiza for a nine-hour bender, landing on the White Isle at 11.59pm on Sunday.
      After finally removing his team jersey, Jack was snapped in a Hawaiian shirt as he headed to megaclub Pacha until sunrise.
      Hours later he was pictured being held up by team-mate Kyle Walker as they left their hotel, and was offered the loan of a wheelchair at the airport ahead of their return to Manchester for City’s open-top bus party.
      Even the downpours back on home turf didn’t rain on Jack’s parade as his boozing continued and team-mates poured champagne over his head.
      Drenched, he removed his soaked shirt, setting up for the now iconic picture of him topless and stretching his arms out, which could have been mistaken for a Calvin Klein advert.
      Knuckled down
      No matter that he was scheduled to meet up with the England squad last night for the next round of international clashes.
      Surely even England manager Gareth Southgate, football’s straight-laced head boy, will forgive him.
      Jack says these past few days have been the best of his life, and he’s had the class to thank his club manager, Pep Guardiola, who turned him into a world-class performer.
      Following his British-record move from Aston Villa in the summer of 2021, Jack struggled to hold down a starting berth with Man City, initially sparking talk he’d become a £100million flop.
      Yet despite his love of partying, he’s knuckled down and learned Pep’s ethos — and was rewarded with an extended run in the team this season. And he hasn’t looked back, becoming a pivotal player in this all-conquering City side.
      Following his British-record move from Aston Villa in the summer of 2021, Jack struggled to hold down a starting berth with Man CityCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Jack with his parents Karen and KevinCredit: Sportsfile – Subscription
      Speaking after securing the Treble on Saturday night, Jack said of Pep: “He’s a genius, isn’t he? I just went and said to him, ‘You’ve made this happen for me’. He put so much faith in me, buying me for a lot of money.
      “Even last year, when I was playing cr*p, he stuck with me and spoke to me. And now he’s given me this platform to perform and I just said thank you to him.”
      Holding back tears, he also thanked his family, adding: “This is just what you work for your whole life. I am so happy, man.
      “I was awful today. I don’t care. To win the Treble with this group of players is so special.
      “Anyone who knows me knows how much of a family person I am and how much I love football, and this is my whole life.
      “You think of all the people who have helped you along the way and I saw my family in the crowd, and it just made me emotional.”
      English football has provided many mavericks in recent years, including Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and Paul Gascoigne.
      The latter is the player Jack is most commonly compared to, as he is also a good dribbler who takes players on in dangerous areas.Gazza won the hearts of the nation following his exploits at Italia ’90.
      But unlike Jack, he had a troubled side and well-publicised controversies — including being accused of attacking then-wife Sheryl — leading to a loss of big endorsement deals and withdrawal of support from the public
      Read more on The Sun
      But if Jack continues to keep on the straight and narrow, and playing with a smile on his face, his popularity will certainly outlast the other booze-loving England star — and he’ll become his generation’s talented talisman.
      And if he ever fancies a post-match pint, I’m buying. More

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      in Soccer

      When my kids ask how much I did to help when war was in Ukraine, I want to say I did my best, says Oleksandr Zinchenko

      by

      ARSENAL footballer Oleksandr Zinchenko is struggling to keep his emotions in check as he wrestles with the enormity of the horrors being inflicted on his homeland.The 26-year-old captain of Ukraine’s national side has not long returned from a visit to a school almost entirely destroyed by Russian missiles.
      Oleksandr Zinchenko said: ‘This game is not just to raise funds, it is also to show the world we stick together, we are united’Credit: Getty
      Alex and Andriy Shevchenko at the destroyed school during a recent trip to Ukraine
      Alex and Andriy with their team shirts and President Zelensky during their visit to their countryCredit: Instagram @u24.gov.ua
      Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will manage Alex’s teamCredit: Getty
      Pupils told him how President Vladimir Putin’s troops had raped and pillaged after marching into their homes.
      Oleksandr, known as Alex, was in tears during the warm up before his first match following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
      Today he is expressing very different feelings.
      Leaning forward, he told The Sun: “I’m angry even now, not just since the invasion. I am angry every single day.”
      Read More on Oleksandr Zinchenko
      The question this footballing hero keeps asking himself is: How can he best help his country?
      Alex had considered signing up to serve with Ukraine’s armed forces, but was persuaded that he could support his brave nation in other ways.
      The eastern European country’s most famous current player is both raising awareness about the true cost of the war and funds to repair some of the shelled schools.
      He will be the captain of one of the celebrity sides in the Game4Ukraine charity match taking place at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium in West London on August 5.
      Most read in Football
      Alex’s team, who are lining up against one captained by Ukraine’s goalscoring legend Andriy Shevchenko, 46, will be managed by former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
      ‘I was in shock’
      More than 800 schools have been badly damaged by Russian missiles, with 220 beyond repair.
      Through the Game4Ukraine match Alex aims to raise enough money to rebuild the Mykhailo- Kotsiubynsky Lyceum in Chernihiv Oblast that he visited with Andriy just over a week ago.
      This thoughtful young father explains: “I have a daughter who is nearly two and I hope to have another baby soon and I just want to do something good.
      “Because when they grow up they will ask me, ‘Daddy, when this war was in our country, what did you do? How much did you help?’ I want to look in my kids’ eyes and say, ‘Well, me and your mum we were trying to do our best’.”
      Alex’s daughter is called Eva, and his wife Vlada Sedan, 27, a football journalist, is pregnant with their second child.
      The player is certainly doing his bit to make them proud.
      This game is not just to raise funds, it is also to show the world we stick together, we are united, we feel your support, we know we are not alone.Oleksandr Zinchenko
      He is an ambassador for United24, Ukraine’s official fundraising platform, helped organise humanitarian aid supplies and set up the charity Football for Ukraine to fund sporting projects for young people affected by the conflict.
      The defender also had the day job of playing for Arsenal as they reached second place in the Premier League this season, the London side’s highest position since 2016.
      Footballing commitments, which included captaining Ukraine in World Cup qualifying games last year, meant he had been unable to return to his homeland since Russia failed to take the capital Kyiv last April.
      But the defender this month saw the price of Putin’s aggression for himself.
      He said: “It is a completely different story when you see all these destroyed buildings by your eyes, rather than by your phone.
      “I can’t say it wasn’t scary.”
      Mykhailo-Kotsiubynsky Lyceum is in an area in the north that was occupied by Russian troops for 33 days.
      The building is a mangled mess, its windows blown out and ceilings draping down to the floorboards.
      Alex continues: “We have seen the damage to this school. I spoke with the kids who study in this school and some of them saw Russian army in their houses, because they were so close to Chernihiv.
      “Some of them were stealing, some of them were doing the other stuff, which I don’t really want to speak about. Honestly, I was in shock because kids, they cannot lie.”
      He recognises the long-term impact on the mental health of Ukraine’s youth, some of whom are already displaying signs of PTSD.
      Team Zinchenko play Team Shevchenko on August 5 at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge ground in West London
      Alex adds: “I understand this is a big, big mental injury for them, living in war time.
      “Imagine you are five, six, seven years old and someone comes to your house with the guns, this is already mental torture.”
      But he also sees the positive power of the beautiful game.
      Alex and Andriy, who played for AC Milan and Chelsea, had a kickabout with the kids during their visit.
      He recalls: “They love football and when we were playing football together, me and Shevchenko, they were smiling, they were laughing.”
      The Game4Ukraine is a way of harnessing the world’s obsession with the sport to give those children hope for a better future.
      Alex says: “We have no option, we have to move forward.”
      The two 11-a-side teams taking part in Game4Ukraine, which will be broadcast live on Sky, will feature ex-players and showbiz talent.
      The line-up is yet to be named, but Alex will have to captain from the sidelines due to an injury.
      Born in Radomyshl, 60 miles west of Kyiv, his talent on the field took him to Shakhtar Donetsk, where he became captain of the youth team.
      He was forced to leave in 2014 after marauding troops backed by Putin waged war in and around Donetsk.
      The football team, once one of the best in Europe, were not able to give him game time due to the upheaval and his parents took him to what they thought would be the safety of Russia.
      In 2016 he was snapped up by Manchester City, where he won four Premier League titles.
      Alex was part of manager Pep Guardiola’s side when Putin expanded his attack to the whole of Ukraine in February 2022.
      Alex and Andriy visited Mykhailo-Kotsyubinsky Lyceum in Chernihiv OblastCredit: Instagram @u24.gov.ua
      The devastated Northern Saltivka residential area of KharkivCredit: Doug Seeburg
      He moved to Arsenal last summer for £32million.
      Alex has been lifted by the backing of the British people.
      He said: “After one week of the invasion, kids in Manchester came to me and they said, ‘Alex, we are all with you, with your people’. They were ten years old, they really understood.”
      But Alex cannot understand why Putin started this bloody war, in which more than 60,000 Russian and Ukrainian forces are estimated to have been killed.
      Throughout the interview he puts his hands together and stretches, as if his whole being is straining to comprehend this outrage against humanity.
      He is supposed to be talking about football, but the only thing on his mind are the atrocities being carried out by what he describes as “Russian terrorists”.
      There are many questions, including: “For what? They came to our land, to occupy?
      Alex also asks why Putin’s forces drop missiles on civilian targets or why they destroyed a dam last week, leading to the flooding of 29 towns and villages.
      But he has great faith in the inspirational President Volodymyr Zelensky, who the footballer met during his recent trip.
      Alex declares: “We are independent, we have our president, we have our people.”
      He is grateful for the military aid being offered by PM Rishi Sunak, saying: “I would like to say to the Prime Minister massive thanks for the help we have received.”
      That solidarity is vital to the ongoing effort of the Ukrainian people to assert their right to freedom.
      Game4Ukraine will help to spread the message of unity.
      Read more on The Sun
      Alex concludes: “It is a great idea to organise this game not just to raise the funds, it is also to show the world we stick together, we are united, and we are all in the same situation. We feel your support, we know we are not alone and it is so important for us and for all Ukranians.”

      SUPPORT GAME 4 UKRAINE
      THE celebrity fundraiser for Ukraine will be unlike any other football match.
      Stars from sport, music, TV and film will take to the field to play for Team Zinchenko and Team Shevchenko on August 5 at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge ground in West London.
      There will also be an extended half-time break, not just so the celebrity players can have a longer breather but because there will be a special show put on by “leading music icons”.
      The match will kick off at 6pm. To buy tickets visit game4ukraine.com.
      Adult ticket prices start at £28, with juniors and seniors from £15.
      The charity game has also been endorsed by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
      If you can’t attend the game but would still like to make a donation, you can do this at donorbox.org/game4ukraine. More

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      in Soccer

      We achieved a dream with West Ham’s Europa Conference League win – here’s where the club goes next

      by

      WEST Ham United are European winners. And just saying those words feels incredible.Wednesday night’s victory in the Europa Conference League final over ACF Fiorentina will live long in the memory of Hammers fans at home and abroad.
      West Ham ran out 2-1 winners in the Europa Conference League Final against Italian club ACF Fiorentina on Wednesday nightCredit: Story Picture Agency
      As West Ham vice chair, Karren Brady was in the stands to watch the historic scenesCredit: supplied
      The celebrations that followed will for ever be etched in the history of this great club.
      Wednesday began with nervous excitement and anticipation when the directors and I arrived at Stansted airport at lunchtime.
      It was fantastic to be able to share the moment with friends and colleagues, some of whom I have worked with for many years.
      In some cases, decades.
      READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS
      I have worked alongside David Sullivan for more than 30 years and he arrived looking extremely dapper in his claret and blue shirt and jacket, which he had been saving for a special occasion.
      None could have been more momentous than this.
      He was joined by his partner Ampika, armed with his favourite sweets to settle the nerves.
      My husband Paul and our son Paolo were helping to calm my nerves, until Paolo joked that my jacket was in Fiorentina colours.
      Most read in Football
      It was lilac, not purple, but I took it off just in case!
      For so many years we have travelled more in hope than expectation, but something told us this was our time.
      Work has been under way, step by step, day by day, for years to get us to a day like Wednesday, so when it came, we all wanted to savour it.
      Noise was deafening, I had goosebumps
      The Claret and Blue Army are the best in the world and we wanted to come home with the trophy for them, for manager David Moyes, for our hardworking, passionate and dedicated players and staff.
      They all deserved it so much.
      Players, staff and their friends and family were up until dawn partying in the streets of PragueCredit: AFP
      West Ham is a family, and that family has not been without its hard times.
      But those hard times mean the good times are even more special when they come.
      When we landed, I was inundated with messages of support from across the world of football.
      There was not a colleague of mine in the Premier League who did not message me to wish us luck.
      It was so heartwarming to receive this support and reminded me what a truly unifying game football is.
      As I saw the fans in Moore 6 and Rice 41 shirts, it suddenly felt very real.
      And as we approached Eden Arena, we stopped the car and jumped out for a photo, bursting with pride to see our crest up there under the words “European final”.
      This was it, West Ham United were about to play in a European final.
      The noise when our players emerged for their pre-match warm-up was deafening.
      The atmosphere was building and I had goosebumps, you could just feel the energy.
      When our supporters raised their flags and made the stands claret and blue, I was once again filled with pride.
      The first half was cagey, as you would expect from a final.
      The 15-minute break did nothing to ease anyone’s nerves, and the 45 minutes that followed were a rollercoaster of emotions for everyone.
      Every single final has its hero and it would be Jarrod Bowen who would write his name into Hammers history for ever more by sliding home the winning goal.
      Said Benrahma’s ice-cool penalty had given us a 1-0 lead just after the hour mark, with the crescendo of noise in the stadium reverberating back to East London.
      Fiorentina, the in-form team in Italy over the past couple of months, responded five minutes later with a well-taken goal by Giacomo Bonaventura, and as the clock ticked towards the 90-minute mark we started to gear up for extra time.
      When the ball broke to Lucas Paqueta in the middle of the park, you just knew our Brazilian magnifico would find the right pass.
      He played a sublime ball to Jarrod, and when he broke through I just knew this was our chance and we had to take it.
      He did just that, sliding the ball home to put us 2-1 up.
      It was a completely surreal moment.
      There was absolute elation on the pitch and in the stands.
      We couldn’t quite take it in.
      I turned to my colleague, who held my hand, with tears in her eyes and she said: “This is it, I really think we’re going to do it now.”
      But with a long VAR check and five minutes on the clock, I didn’t dare believe it until that final whistle.
      I squeezed her hand and said: “Let’s wait, we’re not there yet.”
      Five minutes of added time somehow became eight minutes, but as the clock ticked down it was becoming more and more real and the tears were already beginning to fall.
      After what seemed like a lifetime, the referee blew for full time.
      We had done it. West Ham United . . .  European winners.
      We were just jumping up and down and hugging, united in jubilation and what it meant to us all.
      One of my colleagues turned to me and said: “Remember when you got the stadium and we stood in it empty and dreamed of filling it, keeping our best academy players, attracting international stars, hosting European nights and of a night like this?”
      We both knew this was a special milestone moment in beginning to realise those dreams.
      I loved every moment, we all did, but in all the elation there was also a moment of reflection for us all.
      We lost our close friend and much-loved joint chairman David Gold at the start of the year, and then his beloved daughter Jacqueline, a remarkable woman, two months later.
      Each and every one of us were thinking of them both at that moment.
      I genuinely believe they were looking down on us on Wednesday night.
      On the pitch, the immediate post-match celebrations were incredible to witness.
      All the emotion of the season came pouring out of players and staff alike, as well as the fans in the stands.
      Declan Rice sliding on his knees towards the corner flag; Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal draped in the Czech flag; Lucas Paqueta dancing the night away with his family; Mark Noble, Mr West Ham, in floods of tears; David Moyes jumping with delight, showing the world a side of him that we have all known and loved for some time.
      The scenes will stay with me for ever.
      It was one big party, and it was only just getting started.
      Watching the team lift the trophy is one of those moments you take an image of in your mind to store for ever.
      The celebrations continued long into the night.
      Players, staff and their friends and family were partying until dawn, with DJ Tony Perry on the decks, and more renditions of Cotton Eye Joe, Sweet Caroline and West Ham Are Massive than you would think possible.
      Moment to cherish for all our fans
      We, on the other hand, had to make straight for the plane to oversee plans for the long-awaited and so-very-deserved victory parade.
      We had to make sure that the fans who had not made it to Prague would get to see the trophy with their own eyes.
      I had said to Shirley, our flight attendant, to have the Champagne on ice, just in case, and that first sip tasted so wonderfully sweet.
      It was the first drink I’d had all day.
      Even David Sullivan, who hasn’t touched a drop in all the 35 years I’ve known him, as he hates the taste, had a sip, heavily egged on by the rest of us.
      He was beaming from ear to ear, we all were — because we’d achieved a dream.
      We turned down the lights and sang I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles until we landed back in Stansted at 3am.
      A generation of Hammers had never seen their club win something.
      Now, they have, and this group of players will be their heroes, carved into the history of this football club, West Ham United.
      The team received a proper East End welcome.
      The claret and blue flags, bunting and banners were already adorning the streets of East London, Essex and beyond from the start of the week.
      Wednesday night’s party rolled into Thursday night’s parade, when our heroes returned to London, boarding an open-top bus for a two-hour trip they will never, ever forget.
      Winning the Europa Conference League means so, so much to everyone connected with West Ham United.
      This is a moment to cherish for all of our fans.
      It is also a moment to build on. It’s the start of our next adventure in Europe and lays the foundation for another season of growth.
      Read more on The Sun
      We are already back to work but may just allow ourselves to bask in the glory for a little while longer.
      But then, we go again. More

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      in Soccer

      Man City stand 90 mins from unforgettable Treble – here’s why their achievement will always be tainted for rival fans

      by

      MANCHESTER City stand 90 minutes from greatness, a football Treble that will never be forgotten.Yet for rival fans, no matter what Pep Guardiola’s side do against Inter Milan in Istanbul’s Champions League Final tonight, their achievement will ALWAYS be tainted.
      Manchester City are only one win away from winning a historic trebleCredit: Getty
      Rival fans will always see City’s domination as tainted after years of bankrolling by Sheikh Mansour and the limitless riches of Abu Dhabi’s oil wellsCredit: Getty
      City are brilliant.
      No question.
      A team you love to watch.
      Glorious in possession.
      READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS
      Furious in regaining the ball.
      Deadly as a ­stiletto.
      The ultimate modern side.
      But they are also a club whose willingness to push financial regulations to the absolute limit — and allegedly far beyond them — means many will always want an asterisk next to the list of trophies by their name.
      Most read in Football
      Bankrolled by Sheikh Mansour and the limitless riches of Abu Dhabi’s oil wells, able to attract the greatest manager and best players, City’s ambition is clear.
      Not just in this country either, with the club the pinnacle of a 12-team structure that spans the globe from China and Japan, through India, to the US, Uruguay, Brazil and ­Australia.
      It is City, though, a club that was once a byword for catastrophe and one that lived for two decades in the shadow of Sir Alex Ferguson’s achievements on the other side of the city, that takes the attention.
      Both on the field, where they are the Prem’s dominant force and red-hot favourites to finally land the “Cup with the Big Ears” tonight.
      And, controversially, off it as well.
      In February, following a four-year probe, the Premier League announced City were accused of 115 breaches of league rules.
      A staggering number of allegations, slipped out in a simple press release on the League’s website — but which still saw City bemoaning it had been “leaked”.
      Relentless art form
      Charges included claims that the ­Etihad outfit hid the true source of the club’s funding.
      Also that City had only partially declared the salaries of players and former manager Roberto Mancini, broke Uefa AND Prem financial rules and deliberately and repeatedly obstructed the League’s investigation.
      Just as when Uefa charged and initially banned them for similar alleged offences, City did what they always do on the pitch, attack.
      First of all was the claim the allegations had been “leaked”.
      Exactly the same complaint they made about Uefa’s process.
      The charges, insisted City, would be met with a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” that would “put this matter to rest once and for all”.
      That approach worked when the sport’s Court of Arbitration threw out the Uefa sanctions in 2020, ruling by a 2-1 majority that many of the ­charges were time-barred and others “not proven” — although it judged that City had failed to co-operate with the initial inquiry.
      Manager Guardiola last month demanded the Prem commission sit to hear the case imminently.
      The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss, whose obsession with winning the Champions League in a team WITHOUT Lionel Messi is unquestioned, said: “We would like this done as soon as possible.
      “We would love it tomorrow, this afternoon. Let’s go. Don’t wait two years. Why don’t we do it quicker?
      “In 24 hours, sit down with the lawyers present. Then, if the club has done something wrong, everybody will know.
      “But if, as we believed as a club for many years, we have done things in the right way, then the people will stop talking about it.”
      Yet for all that bluster, Pep Guardiola must have known about the club’s demand that the Arsenal-supporting barrister likely to lead the panel should stand down.
      And of their complaints about the validity of the charges, arguing about recent changes in the Prem rulebook that mandate clubs and officials to answer questions and provide all information when requested to by League officers.
      City’s hierarchy have not only hired the best manager and team.
      They are willing to pay for the best lawyers, too.
      Lord Pannick KC, recently spotted next to Boris Johnson during his uncomfortable grilling by MPs who could suspend him from the ­Commons, charges a minimum £5,000 per day.
      He will be willing to do whatever it takes, within the law, to ensure a ­victory for his client.
      The charges saw City’s Prem rivals unite in furious indignation, demanding consequences well before the case ever comes to determination, which could still be another three or four years away.
      With unprecedented fines and even the prospect of a points deduction, stripped titles and relegation hanging over them, the City players might have been excused for losing their focus.
      Instead, they have turned winning into a relentless art form.
      Since the charges were laid, City have played 27 games in three ­competitions.
      They have won 21 and lost just one — a Prem match at Brentford after the title had already been sealed, scoring 72 and conceding just 15 in the process.
      But City under Guardiola are more than just an uncompromising victory machine.
      Far more.
      Man City lifted the FA Cup, the second trophy of three, last weekCredit: Getty
      The powers in Abu Dhabi have pumped vast sums of money into the club, from training grounds to on-pitch talentCredit: Alamy
      They are truly football’s version of shock and awe, a mesmerising, bewildering, mind-spinning fusion of power and glory.
      Guardiola has taken John Stones, England’s best central defender, and turned him into a ball-playing ­midfield superstar.
      Yorkshire grit but Catalan majesty.
      Look, too, at the development of Jack Grealish, who has gone from being a foppish outsider, struggling for game time and to justify his £100million transfer fee from Aston Villa, into an integral part of City’s starting side.
      The smile of delight when he sees the ball is shared by every Sky Blue fan.
      Belgian Kevin de Bruyne, ­Germany’s Ilkay Gundogan and ­Portuguese schemer Bernardo Silva offer menace and magic.
      Gundogan broke an all-time FA Cup Final record when he scored after just 12 seconds in last weekend’s Wembley win over Manchester United, the second leg of that longed-for Treble.
      And for sheer explosive, frightening attacking intensity, allied to a goal sense that few in the history of the game possess, striker Erling ­Haaland has proved he is a true force of nature.
      Although, plenty are less sure about those silk pyjamas he wore for City’s title celebrations.
      Much of that is down to the man who embodies managerial majesty.
      Guardiola’s Barcelona side were the hallmark of the beautiful game a decade ago, the Nou Camp necromancers weaving spell after spell.
      They won the Champions League — beating Manchester United both times — in 2009 and 2011.
      And they were defeated only by a combination of Jose Mourinho, Inter Milan and the Icelandic volcano that meant they had to take the coach to Italy rather than fly, in 2010.
      England’s greatest
      Yet, perhaps, irrespective of the huge sums laid out since the Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008, this team is his greatest — the ultimate example of a tactician ­putting the pieces together to create something truly extraordinary.
      Pep is more than demanding, even if his focus is occasionally so complete that he does not even see people when he walks past them in the City corridors.
      He insists that it is about ­“making people happy” rather than his “legacy”.
      But if the two things mutually co-exist, then that is an acceptable compromise.
      The club’s success has cemented Manchester’s status as one of the most famous footballing cities in the world — and has helped transform the post-industrial wasteland of East Manchester.
      The owners have built around 6,000 affordable homes in the area in a £1billion redevelopment deal.
      And the Manchester Evening News reported in 2021 how almost 30 new hotels were expected to be built by the end of this year to accommodate the growth in tourism.
      Earlier this year, the club also submitted a £300million planning application that includes expanding the Etihad stadium capacity above 60,000, and adding a hotel, sky bar and stadium roof walk experience.
      There will also be space for some businesses to work at the stadium, which is still owned by the council, with City paying rent of at least £4million a year.
      If all that matters is the football, then there is no doubt who you should be backing in Istanbul.
      England’s greatest, City are now the gold standard.
      Technically outstanding.
      Innovative.
      Compelling viewing.
      The creme of the Prem creme.
      And four of England manager Gareth Southgate’s preferred players are critical elements in Guardiola’s masterplan, even if Phil Foden has played a lesser role this season.
      Others, though, will never be won over by what happens on the pitch.
      Read more on The Sun
      Tonight, they will be “black and blue”, the colours of Inter.
      If they feel similarly bruised by a Guardiola triumph, nobody at City will care.
      City ran out comfortable winners of the Premier League last season, after a dazzling run of fixtures forced Arsenal off their comfy leadCredit: Getty
      Man City displaced local rivals Man United 2-1 at Wembley to lift this year’s FA Cup
      Tonight Man City will fight it out v Inter Milan for the elusive Champions League Trophy’It will be long night but we’ll be champs’

      SINGER and City fan Noel Gallagher is rooting for Man City to take the Treble.
      The 56-year-old says: “We’ve taken it step by step, but this is it now, it’s just about this one game. In Italy, where getting beaten is sacrilege, Inter lost 12 times in the league, so they’re used to losing, which bodes well for City.
      “The Italian mindset is ‘don’t lose’ and they will be very proud of forgetting their usual style and playing for penalties from the first minute if that’s the way they think they can win.
      “If they do that, it is up to City to come up with the answers.
      “If we play like we did against Real Madrid then there is not a team in the world that can get near us. I think it will be a long night, but City will win in end.” More

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      in Soccer

      Sportwashing won’t make the Saudis any money and it won’t make fans love them – and here’s why

      by

      NEXT season, when you’re at a ­football match, take a look at the directors’ box. What do you see? If you think you’re looking at fat cats, you’ll probably be right.
      This week the Saudi Arabian wealth fund that owns Newcastle got their bulging wallet out againCredit: Getty
      The Saudi-funded LIV golf tour was threatening to tear the sport apart… football could be nextCredit: Getty
      The Saudi’s have taken a stake in the Saudi Pro League team Cristiano Ronaldo plays for, Al-NassrCredit: AFP
       But if you think you’re looking at profit-mongers filching a fortune from your beloved club, you’re almost certainly wrong.
      Because hardly any club owners make a profit. Most of the money coming in, like a bad late-night curry on top of a load of beer, races straight through the guts of the game into the pockets of players and their agents.
       Perhaps that’s only right and proper — certainly as far as the players are ­concerned. Not sure about the agents.
      But the fat cats in the directors’ box won’t get any fatter through football.
      READ MORE FROM ADRIAN CHILES
       Well, some directors might be handsomely paid, but the owners are much more likely to get poorer than richer.
       As the old joke goes, the only way to make a small fortune out of football is to start with a large fortune.
      Madness, just madness
      The scales fell from my eyes when I asked Kieran Maguire, of the brilliant podcast The Price Of Football and author of the book of the same name, if it was possible for a Championship club to get promoted without spending any more money than they were making from ticket sales, merchandising, TV deals and so on.
       “Not only is it impossible to get ­promoted without someone throwing in lots of extra money from somewhere,” Kieran told me, “But without that cash ­injection, it’s almost impossible not to get relegated.”
      Most read in Football
      Madness, just madness.
      And we’d be mad to assume that ­promotion to the Premier League necessarily makes the gamble worthwhile.
       If you’re not very careful, your massive wealth will be matched by equally massive costs and you’ll soon be back where you started, or worse.
      So what, you might ask. What do I care if rich owners know they’ll get no richer?
       I wonder if the discipline involved in having to turn a modest profit might just keep a few more of them honest and fewer clubs from going to rack and ruin. The problem is this: if owners aren’t in it for the money, what are they in it for?
       Well, they might be in it for love. Take a bow the owners of Brighton, Brentford and Crystal Palace.
       But more often it’s about something else.
      Ego-tripping, asset-stripping . . . who knows flipping what many of these ­mysterious men from far-off places are up to.
      This week the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund that owns Newcastle got their bulging wallet out again and took stakes in four of the country’s biggest clubs, including the team Cristiano Ronaldo plays for, Al-Nassr.
       Now they are after more marquee ­European players, if reports are correct.
      To be fair to the Saudis, it’s pretty clear what they’re up to.
       I’d probably be up to the same if I was in charge of a bottomlessly wealthy regime that is widely disliked and ­disrespected.
       I too would try to buy some love.
       I’d buy something big and beautiful, whatever it costed. I’d buy football.
      I’d buy a big, underperforming club and make it great again. I’d buy into several of my own country’s football clubs to help bring the most ­money-grabbing legendary has-beens to play for them.
       I’d do whatever I could to buy the love of Fifa so I could stage the World Cup.
      I’d go for other sports, too. The Saudi-funded LIV golf tour was threatening to tear the sport apart.
       The old guard, the PGA Tour and so on, were fighting them tooth and dagger.
       Golfers who’d taken the Saudi shilling said silly things, claiming they hadn’t gone just for the money.
       Golfers who’d refused to take the Saudi shilling said horrible things about those who had, who then returned the insults with interest.
      But now, rejoice, because peace has ­broken out and the two sides have merged, having kissed and made up.
       How sweet.
      You can see this, if you like, as an ­outbreak of common sense.
      Hypocrisy and cynicism
       Or as an example of quite excruciating hypocrisy and cynicism by all those who swore blind they’d have nothing to do with the Saudis. Only to then jump into bed with them.
      For what it’s worth, I see it like a tree. Yes, a tree.
       It’s like the PGA et al have been fighting the Saudis for control of the tree’s branches, only for the Saudis to go and buy the whole tree.
       Football could be next.
      So, as humble fans, what do we do?
       Well, given there’s next to nothing we can do about it, I wouldn’t blame anyone for putting their head in the sand, crossing their fingers and hoping for the best.
      I despair.
      Saudis are buying up football to boost their image
       But one thought cheers me. In the end, these so-called sportwashers — be they Russians, Chinese, Qataris, ­Emiratis or Saudis — cannot truly win.
      No, we can’t apparently stop them from buying our game by taking control of our clubs and hosting World Cups.
      But the delicious irony is that ultimately they are wasting their money.
       Because no amount of it will be enough to buy our hearts and minds.
      Read more on The Sun
      We know who they are and what they are and what they’re all about.
       And if they think they can change that, the last laugh’s going to be on them. More

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      in Soccer

      If you judge Zlatan Ibrahimovic for having sport’s biggest ego, you don’t know the hellish upbringing that forged him

      by

      As football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic made his tearful retirement speech inside Italy’s iconic San Siro stadium yesterday, a chorus of taunting boos and jeers suddenly erupted from the opposition fans.
      The 41-year-old Swedish superstar abruptly stopped his emotional heartfelt address to his beloved AC Milan supporters, turned, and pointed derisively towards the Verona fans.
      Football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic made his tearful retirement speech inside Italy’s iconic San Siro stadium yesterdayCredit: GETTY
      The iconic striker has called time on his incredible careerCredit: Getty
      Piers describes Ibrahimovic as one of the greatest footballers in history
      ‘Keep booing,’ he mocked. ‘This is the biggest moment in your year, seeing me.’
      The Milan fans roared, the Verona fans were silenced, and he turned away to continue with his goodbye message.
      It was all classic Zlatan; only he could be loudly booed while announcing he was retiring, and only he would respond in the hilariously taunting way that he did. 
      Make no mistake, Ibrahimovic is one of the greatest footballers in history.
      READ MORE FROM PIERS
      He won 34 trophies including 14 League titles and scored 573 goals in 988 games, with well over 200 assists.
      This sensational record puts him right up there with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

      Watch Piers Morgan Uncensored weekdays on Sky 522, Virgin Media 606, Freeview 237, Freesat 217 or on Fox Nation in the US

      But there was so much more to Zlatan than just scoring goals.
      Most read in Football
      The guy has the biggest ego ever seen in any sport – and the bar for that accolade is very high – and he’s been a supremely entertaining quote machine who like his equally self-effacing sporting hero Muhammad Ali, liked to talk the talk as much as walk the walk.
      For instance, Zlatan doesn’t just think he’s God-like, he believes he’s actually God.
      Asked whether Sweden would beat Portugal in a 2014 World Cup play-off, he told a journalist: ‘Only God knows.’
      ‘It’s hard to ask him,’ replied the journalist.
      ‘You’re talking to him now,’ said Zlatan.
      This is a guy who makes even me look crippled by low esteem issues.
      ‘I can’t help but laugh at how perfect I am,’ he once declared.
      But that jaw-droppingly arrogant self-belief was born out of a very tough poverty-stricken upbringing on a rough housing estate in Malmo, Sweden.
      His cleaner mother, Jurka used to brutally beat him over the head with a wooden spoon until sometimes it broke – then order him to go and buy a new one.
      When his parents divorced, Zlatan ended up spending half his time with his abusive mum, and half with his father Sefik, a Bosnian Muslim caretaker who drank heavily in torment at the unfurling Yugoslav war.
      Zlatan, a consequentially damaged and socially awkward young man who spoke with a lisp, hated his big nose, and was permanently hungry, turned to stealing and vandalism and admits he would probably have become a criminal if it wasn’t for football.
      But his natural ability to kick a ball, brilliantly as it quickly turned out, turned out to be his salvation.
      Zlatan honed his skills, and ferocity, in tough street matches, and as his talent grew so did his size until he ended up a 6ft 5in 15st monster who terrorised defenders all over the world.
      ‘You can take the boy out of the ghetto,’ he said, ‘but you can’t take the ghetto out of the boy.’
      He was physically imperious, a giant of a footballing deity walking among mere mortals, but he was notably patient and courteous to everyone, young and oldPiers on Zlatan
      Zlatan viewed football as he viewed life: ‘It’s a fight.’
      And he knew how to fight, becoming a taekwondo blackbelt.
      He also knew what made him so good.
      ‘I need to be angry to play well,’ he admitted. ‘I need to shout and make some noise.’
      That he certainly did, breaking almost as many opponents’ bones as he broke records in two decades of rage-fuelled kicks, slaps, headbutts, and sneaky punches.
      Zlatan’s tongue was as savage as his feet.
      He once called Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola ‘a coward with no balls’, told Romelu Lukaku to ‘go do your voodoo sh*t, you little donkey’ (for which he received a 10-match ban) and branded fellow bad-boy Joey Barton an ‘English p*ssy.’
      Away from football, he was just as reckless, boasting of out-speeding police in his Ferrari or Porsche while ‘driving like a madman’ and reaching 202mph on one occasion.
      But beneath the fire and fury was a more sensitive soul.
      ‘Complex is the best word to describe Zlatan,’ said David Lagercrantz, the Swedish author who co-wrote the star’s autobiography I am Zlatan.
      ‘On the one hand he’s a strong, warrior type who knew he had to be very tough to survive. So, he takes on fights all the time because he’s always had to. But another part of him is vulnerable.
      ‘He’s a guy wounded by his upbringing, who uses all that to create strength for himself. In his position, 99 guys out of 100 would have gone under, but he used his anger to make himself better.’
      It certainly did.
      Ibrahimovic once scored all four of Sweden’s goals in a 4-2 victory over England, and his last goal, a 35-yard bicycle kick, was described by the late great commentator legend John Motson as the best he ever saw.
      But I don’t think it’s even the best Zlatan scored.
      There’s a YouTube clip of a goal he scored for Dutch team Ajax against NAC Breda that is so breathtakingly, dazzlingly magnificent in its panache, verve, and audacity, it almost defies belief. He basically tortures half the rival team with his genius before he scores.
      The only place Zlatan isn’t No1 in his own eyes is at home.
      His wife Helena Seger, a beautiful blonde economics graduate from a smart middle-class background who is 11 years his senior and mother of their two sons, Maximilian and Vincent, was a successful former children’s TV presenter when they met outside a bureau de change at Malmo train station.
      She thought Zlatan, then just 20, was a rude, crude, cocky yob.
      But they soon fell in love, and she is credited with taming the beast.
      Or almost.
      ‘She understands my character and accepts that I am a bit crazy. I was surrounded by chaos when we met. I was out of control. I am calmer today.’
      When asked what he’d bought her for a Valentine’s Day gift, he replied: ‘What do you mean, ‘present?’ She got Zlatan.’
      I’ve only met him once, in Los Angeles four years ago when he was playing for LA Galaxy in the MLS League and scored both goals in the home side’s win.
      Afterwards, to appease my eldest son Spencer who loves him and had come to the game with me, we waited 90 minutes for Zlatan to emerge from his media duties and walk down a line of starry-eyed people wanting to pay homage.
      He was physically imperious, a giant of a footballing deity walking among mere mortals, but he was notably patient and courteous to everyone, young and old.
      He had no idea who I was, but I congratulated him on his performance, he thanked me politely, we posed for a selfie, and then he walked on.
      And I realised that, as with my friend Cristiano Ronaldo, there were two Zlatans: the swaggering cocky iconic beast of a football genius, and the far humbler person away from the pitch and TV cameras.
      He was the main inspiration for Ted Lasso’s Series 3 star signing Zava, the ‘best player on the planet’ who’s a very nice guy away from his chest-beating press conferences.
      And as with Cristiano, it comes down to this: if I needed a team to win a match to save my life, Zlatan Ibrahimovic would one of my first choices.
      He’d snarl, he’d taunt, he’d fight, he’d argue with the referee, he’d gesticulate abusively to the opposition fans, but he’d also score, and win the game.
      Because that’s what Zlatan’s done throughout his life and career.
      ‘I’m very competitive,’ he once said, ‘so the more extreme and the more challenging, the better. I never turn down a challenge. My continued desire to play comes from that inability to ever give up.’
      Now, that desire has finally succumbed to Father Time, but don’t expect Zlatan Ibrahimovic to go quietly into the sunset.
      Whatever he does next though, his legacy is assured.
      ‘Where I come from,’ he said, ‘people were always judging me and telling me, “No, that’s not possible”. I want to show kids growing up like I did that anything’s possible. I’m the living proof that you can succeed.’
      He is.
      Read More on The Sun
      Thanks for all the entertainment, Zlatan.
      You’ve not quite been the greatest ever footballer – that’s Cristiano – but you’ve been the game’s greatest character.
      Over the course of his career Zlatan won 34 trophies including 14 League titlesCredit: Rex
      His wife, Helena Seger, is credited with taming the beast and celebrated with him as he made his speechCredit: GETTY More

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      in Soccer

      West Ham legend Julian Dicks reveal eye-popping scrapes including 21-man brawl, Gazza chaos & day Harry Redknapp flipped

      by

      HARDMAN footballer Julian Dicks doesn’t do regrets or apologies.Branded an “animal” by former Tory minister David Mellor and red-carded eight times, the legendary West Ham defender was never one to shy away from trouble in the 1990s.
      Hardman footballer Julian Dicks, in action for West Ham in 1997, doesn’t do regrets or apologiesCredit: Rex
      Julian, at a cafe near West Ham’s ground in 2018, was branded an ‘animal’ by former Tory minister David Mellor and red-carded eight timesCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
      Julian is applauded at his 2000 testimonial game between West Ham and Athletic BilbaoCredit: Getty
      While other players from that era talk about toxic dressing rooms or bemoan its boozy culture, Julian prefers the no-nonsense approach of the past — and pulls no punches in his new memoir Hammer Time.
      It’s an ode to the days when ­football had a rough edge, and he has no problem with his old boss Harry Redknapp throwing a plate of sandwiches against the wall in rage, ex-manager Lou Macari calling him “fat” or for players getting into punch-ups in training.
      About his former teammate John Hartson kicking his colleague Eyal Berkovic in the head during training, ­Julian says “these things can happen.”
      Off the field he ran naked through a hotel corridor on England duty after being pranked by Paul Gascoigne, branded a team mate with a hot iron and had the plaster cast on his leg cut off so he could get into a nightclub.
      READ MORE ON WEST HAM
      Julian, 54, doesn’t even regret playing on through a knee injury which has left him in so much agony that now he can’t ride a bike with his little daughter.
      Ahead of the release of his book, Julian, who also played for Liverpool and Birmingham City, tells The Sun: “Back then you were concussed, it was, ‘It’s OK, carry on’.
      “You got cut, you got elbowed, my eye socket was cracked in four places. Nowadays it isn’t like that.
      Sly elbow
      “When I played it was the best time. We could go out, we could drink, we had fun.”
      Most read in Football
      Julian, originally from Bristol, learned from a young age that the football pitch was no place for whingers.
      In a youth game when he was 12 he told his dad Ron he was coming off due to a swollen hand, and was ordered to get back on the pitch.
      Just a couple of years later the talented youngster was living in digs in the West Midlands away from his family, and at 16 he started training with senior pros at Birmingham City, who would “kick s*** out of you”.
      Having joined West Ham in 1988, Julian became an instant fan favourite on his debut for pole-axing a winger with a “sly elbow”.
      In the same year he was called up by England’s under-21s — and made the mistake of offering to be Gazza’s room mate during a tournament in Toulon, France, when Dave Sexton was manager.
      Julian says: “No one put their hand up and I went, ‘Yeah, I’ll share with him’. F***ing wrong decision.
      “He would wake up in the night and put his a**e on my face.
      “He put about 20 firecrackers around the rim of the toilet and they started going off and I thought it was a bomb.
      “I’m naked and I am running down the corridor and he’s just stood in the door, laughing his head off.
      “It was funny, although it wasn’t at the time because I was standing in front of Dave Sexton and other people.”
      Julian, who married in the same year and had twin daughters Katie and Jessica, didn’t obey the rule of being in bed by 10pm when he was on international duty. He says: “I was 21 years old. F*** off, leave me alone. I was never going to be that person.”
      Instead, Julian recalls, he would be drinking Jack Daniel’s whiskey and smoking cigarettes the evening before a game.
      He says: “I trained when I was p***ed sometimes. But not during the game, because I loved football too much.”
      On a stop-over in Singapore on the way to a pre-season warm-up in Australia with West Ham, Julian was barred from a nightclub for having his leg in plaster.
      He was undeterred, and recalls: “I went all the way back to the hotel and got the club doctor to cut it off with a carving knife so I could get in the nightclub.
      “From what I can remember it was a good night.” And it turns out Julian wasn’t a much better room mate than Gazza.
      He confesses to scalding team mate Mark Ward with an iron so hot that bits of his skin were left behind.
      Julian suspects it was his reputation for being too aggressive on the pitch that cost him the chance of winning a senior England cap.
      Former England boss Glenn Hoddle had been in charge of Chelsea in 1995 when Julian was accused of stamping on the head of his player John Spencer during a match.
      Julian insists it was an accident.
      He says: “I remember John coming back on with a bandage and he said to me, ‘Did you mean it?’ I said, ‘Mean what?’
      “And he said, ‘Julian, I’ve got eight stitches in my head’, and I said, ‘If I meant it you’d have f***ing 28’.” The public outrage was so intense that even Julian’s daughters were affected.
      He says: “My kids got bullied at school. That crossed a line.
      “What I did on the football pitch shouldn’t interfere with my family life, they were six or seven years old.
      “It’s wrong. I went down to the school and sorted it out.”
      There are very few lines that are uncrossable for the West Ham stalwart. As far as he is concerned, John Hartson was unfortunate to have Sky TV cameras recording the Hammers training session when he kicked team mate Eyal Berkovic in the head in 1998.
      Julian says: “These things can happen. Players have a fist fight in training.
      “There were fisticuffs and people throwing punches in five-a-side. John regrets it, but unfortunately Sky was there.” He also accepts managers giving players the hairdryer treatment — a furious telling off — with Harry Redknapp showing a tougher side than the one viewers saw when he was on I’m A Celebrity in 2018.
      Julian says: “We came in, we’d got beat 4-0 by Southampton. Don Hutchison went, ‘Who wants salmon sandwiches after a game of football?’
      Physically sick
      “And Harry went, ‘F***ing salmon sandwiches’, and he just lugged them at the wall.
      “The managers back then threw pots of tea, cups of tea, stuff like that. It was a common thing.
      “These days you’d probably lose your job for that. But if you lose 4-0 you should be able to b*****k the players and they should be man enough to take it.”
      Unsurprisingly, Julian has little time for players rolling around after receiving the slightest touch, or being booked for thundering into tackles in the modern game.
      He says: “I remember playing against the Crazy Gang (Wimbledon FC) and we had a 21-man brawl.
      “It’s a passionate game. A lot of the passion has gone out of the game. Now you can get booked for using too much force.
      “To me, that’s the biggest load of b*****ks in the world.”
      Julian says he would have been “embarrassed” to have been floored by another player and would have got up as quickly as possible, even if he had been in agony.
      But in 1990 that proved to be a mistake when he went against the advice of a medical assistant and played in a game, despite carrying a serious knee injury.
      He lasted for just 38 minutes of the match and recalls: “When I done my knee the first time and I was told I was going to be out for 14 months I felt physically sick.
      “I could have threw up all over the surgeon.
      “I ended up bordering on being an alcoholic, I felt sorry for myself. I’m going down the pub drinking, going home, going down the pub drinking and doing it all over again.”
      A young Julian at Birmingham City in 1986Credit: BPM
      Julian was accused of stamping on the head of Chelsea player John Spencer during a match, aboveCredit: Sky
      A cheeky Sun Sport headline during Julian’s playing daysCredit: .
      In 1997 came a recurrence of the knee injury — and when Julian was ruled out for the rest of West Ham’s season, The Sun’s then Sports Editor Paul Ridley couldn’t resist writing Swollen Dicks Out as the headline.
      The injury led to Julian’s retire-ment aged just 31 a couple of years later, as well as permanent pain.
      He says: “Basically my legs are f***ed. It stops you doing everything. I can’t ride a bike. I can walk into town with my daughter, but I can’t go on long walks.”
      Julian, who was divorced from wife Kay in 2001, became a dad for the third time two and a half years ago when his partner Lisa gave birth to daughter Eliyanah Grace.
      He says of her arrival: “It was a shock because my partner was told she could never have children. But it was a good shock.” Julian says he never felt down about losing the routine of training, mainly because he hated running.
       Since his playing career ended he has tried dog breeding, owning a pub, playing pro golf and managing other football teams — until a few months ago he was assistant manager at Watford.
      But he admits he would prefer to be playing than standing on the touchline yelling at footballers.
      Even so, he insists he wouldn’t turn back the clock to escape that crippling injury.
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      He says: “People say, ‘Would I change anything?’ but no, everything I got, I got through football. This might be the down side of that, but it is what it is.”

       Hammer Time: Me, West Ham And A Passion For The Shirt, by Julian Dicks, is published on Thursday.

      Since his playing days ended he has tried dog breeding, owning a pub, playing pro golf and managing — until a few months ago he was assistant manager at WatfordCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      Julian pictured at the pub he ran for a whileCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Hammer Time: Me, West Ham And A Passion For The Shirt, by Julian Dicks, is published on Thursday. More