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    Jamal Musiala was an artist on and off pitch… but one ex-Chelsea player was streets ahead, reveals old school teacher

    JAMAL MUSIALA was an artist on and off the pitch as a youngster.The Germany superstar, who has lit up Euro 2024, grew up in England and attended prestigious private school Whitgift, in Croydon, South London, as a teenager.Jamal Musiala is now Germany’s star manCredit: RexHe plays the same way now as he did as a youngster, says his former teacherHe invited his former school coach to the Allianz last yearWhitgift has a rich recent history of helping produce footballers including Victor Moses and Callum Hudson-Odoi – with Musiala the pick of the bunch.But the Stuttgart-born lad was unlike most footballers who generally stick together and instead was more of a social butterfly.And one that also had a passion for a paintbrush in the rare moments he was not honing his talent with a football.His coach Andrew Martin, who is now Director of Football at Whitgift, recalled to SunSport: “Most footballers can be quite loud, brash and outgoing. Jamal’s the complete opposite, he’s very comfortable in his own skin and in himself.READ MORE ON EURO 2024“He had a real variety of friends which spoke to his character and how approachable he was. “He knocked about with some other boys in the football team, some in the hockey team and some who didn’t play sport at all.“Jamal dedicated all his time to football.  But he did really well across the board. He was a good student.“I wouldn’t say he was academically astonishing. But he did very well, his reports were always glowing about his character.Most read in Euro 2024129 goals in 39 matches helped lead Whitgift to numerous titlesThe youngster also had a strong academic backgroundMusiala represented England at all youth levels alongside Jude BellinghamEURO 2024 FREE BETS AND OFFERS“He really liked his art. His languages were obviously pretty strong, growing up in Europe.“He was well liked by teachers and pupils.Play Foden & Bellingham centrally & go for it! | Jack Wilshere’s plan to win the Euros“But as soon as he crossed that white line, there was a different side to him, he would switch on to a very determined and driven young man who believed in everything he did on the football pitch.”Martin is a former Crystal Palace player himself who was a schoolboy at the South London club when Gareth Southgate was still there in the mid 90s.Two games stick out in the Welshman’s memory from his time working with Musiala, who he still speaks to now and has been in touch with even during the Euros.One was an Under-12s national cup quarter-final down in Plymouth, when Musiala shrugged off a five-hour coach journey and netted a hat-trick in the first five minutes, eventually bagging seven in a 10-0 win.The other was in a semi-final in Peterborough a year later when Musiala, a diminutive No9 back then, was in tears at half-time after some rough treatment from the opposition, before having the last laugh as his second-half double secured a 2-1 victory.Musiala went on to score 129 goals in just 39 matches for Whitgift across Under-12, Under-13 and Under-14 age groups, as he combined his time with the Chelsea academy.Comparing his former pupils Moses, who went on to win the Premier League with Chelsea, current Nottingham Forest star Hudson-Odoi and Musiala, Martin said: “Victor was a physical specimen of a boy who could dominate games with his pace and athleticism.“Callum could literally do anything and everything, he was streets ahead of anything I’ve ever had before in terms of being able to be the complete package.Musiala is currently joint top scorer at the EurosCredit: GettyBut Musiala’s old coach admits ex-Chelsea star Callum Hudson-Odoi was ‘streets ahead’ at WhitgiftCredit: 2013It was harsh to hook Gallagher at half-time… but Mainoo showed he’s the answer, says Jack WilshereKOBBIE MAINOO was always my preference to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold in England’s midfield, writes Jack Wilshere.I think he showed why in the second half against Slovenia.But I still feel that it was harsh on Conor Gallagher that he was taken off at half time.Firstly because it was probably our best half of the tournament.And secondly, because it didn’t feel like a Gareth Southgate thing to do.It will knock Gallagher’s confidence for sure.He will have thought that this was his chance, but he only gets a half.Having said that, despite the disappointing result, the second half was better and Mainoo proved he is the man – or boy – to play there in future.Read Jack Wilshere’s post-match verdict in full.Or check out all of Jack’s Euro 2024 columns.“Jamal was an out-and-out No9, the features he showed at school he shows now.“His close-quarters dribbling, his receiving, his goals.“The way he dribbles with the ball now on the telly in front of millions was exactly how he moved it when he was 12 or 13, his style of movement.“If you put two clips together from then and now, they would be identical.”Whitgift have a massive poster of Musiala pinned up on their state-of-the-art Sports Hall, along with images of fellow alumni Moses, Hudson-Odoi and rugby star Elliot Daly.The Bayern Munich attacker’s old school is proud as punch with what he is achieving with his life.Who is Euro 2024’s sexiest star?EURO 2024 has something for everyone from stunning goals, thrilling matches… and the continent’s biggest hunks, writes Jack Figg.Several stars have lit up the group stages with their skills on the pitch – but others are also catching the eye for their looks.But who is the sexiest?Thankfully AI boffins have carried out an analysis on the facial attractiveness of all players at the tournament.And it’s bad news for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions who are the fourth UGLIEST in the competition – one place below Scotland.In fact it’s England’s group rivals Serbia who have fans swooning the most – boasting an average score of 77.90/100 with defender Strahinja Pavlovic deemed their most attractive.While Turkey defender Mert Muldur has been ranked as the tournament’s BEST-LOOKING player.But who is England’s sexiest star, and who makes the Euros’ hunkiest XI? Read our full story.And there will be plenty of fans cheering him on all the way back in Croydon when Musiala’s Germany take on Denmark in the last 16 of the Euros on Sunday.Martin, 44, added: “There is a huge pride in what the young man is doing at the moment.“Not just on the pitch but off it too. He’s not splashed across the front of papers, he lets his football do the talking.“I’m lucky enough to still be in contact with Jamal and his mum and dad.“Jamal and his mum invited me out to watch Bayern last year. It was great to see him play at the Allianz Arena.READ MORE SUN STORIES“Sadly I won’t get out to Germany due to it still being the school term.“But as a Welshman, I’m actually supporting Germany because we didn’t qualify!”Meet England’s Euro 2024 WagsEngland Wags range from childhood sweethearts to recently blossoming love stories.Katie Goodland (Harry Kane’s wife)The fitness instructor has been married to the England captain since 2019 and joined him in Germany with their four children after he joined Bayern Munich.Laura Celia Valk (Jude Bellingham’s girlfriend)The stunning Dutch model, 25, has more than half a million Instagram followers and is said to be absolutely smitten with the Real Madrid star.Rebecca Cooke (Phil Foden’s girlfriend)Foden’s childhood sweetheart and the mother of his two kids tends to keep out of the spotlight, but is a regular at England games.Dani Dyer (Jarrod Bowen’s girlfriend)England’s most famous Wag, former Love Island winner and daughter of Eastenders’ Danny Dyer.Iris Law (Trent Alexander-Arnold’s girlfriend)Dani Dyer isn’t the only actor’s daughter dating an England star. Iris’ dad is Hollywood legend Jude Law.Megan Davison (Jordan Pickford’s wife)Megan has been with Pickford since he was 14 years old. The couple married in 2022 and have one son.Olivia Naylor (John Stones’ girlfriend)The 33-year-old former beautician has stepped back from her role after giving birth to a baby son.Read more about the Wags who will be supporting England at Euro 2024 here More

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    Jake Humphrey reveals why he left BT Sport and opens up on awful bullying he ‘would not wish on worst enemy’

    JAKE HUMPHREY has revealed he quit BT Sport for his family – as he launched an attack on social media abuse and recalled childhood bullying he “would not wish on my worst enemy”.The presenter says he “struggles with the modern world” and gets a stomach-wrenching feeling when he drops his kids off at school – due to the “nasty” treatment he received in the same setting.
    Jake Humphrey is glad to have stepped back from TV presentingCredit: Getty
    The broadcaster says his school dealt badly with his bullyingCredit: Getty
    The former Champions League broadcaster, 45, is now more focused on his High Performance podcast and also wrote How to Change Your Life.
    And he explained how he was “not always that comfortable” as a TV frontman, partly as “the lads-y banter thing is not for me”.
    The ex-BBC Formula One presenter admitted being ill at ease dealing with “firm opinions” on BT Sport, rather than more subtle debate.
    Humphrey told The Telegraph:  “I often felt I was doing High Performance all week, and empathy and understanding and leaning into people. Then, on Saturday, I was having conversations about sacking managers and dropping players, criticising decisions made by referees.
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    “I’d been dreaming for a long time, but not brave enough to take a leap.”
    He is also aghast at how toxic life online can be, having spoken out against “chauvinistic and nasty bullying” received by presenter Karen Carney.
    Humphrey said of trolling: “I think you would be a sociopath or something if it didn’t get through the armour sometimes.
    “I’ve always thought that if you just let this stuff go you are as complicit as anybody.
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    “The only place that reaction happens is on Twitter. No one has ever stopped me in the street and said it… I just feel exactly like I felt when I got bullied at school.”
    The former children’s game show presenter then relived some of the abuse he got at secondary school.
    He said: “When we drop the kids off, I still get the feeling in the pit of my stomach when I see them walking off with the bag over their shoulder.
    “It still triggers me to this day… God, the feeling of having to do that day after day after day, knowing what awaited. 
    “There were these two buses in the school car park and I’d go and sit in there on my own and just have my lunch.”
    Humphrey also believes his school’s handling of the matter only made him feel worse.
    He added: “At that age, particularly at that time, people didn’t really know how to deal with it. 
    “I was asked to stand up in assembly and the teacher said, ‘Can people stop bullying this guy?’ That just brings more heat.” More

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    I was kicked out of school at 16 for swearing at a teacher – now I make £45,000 a MONTH and I’m a boxing champion

    A MAN who was kicked out of school at 16 for swearing at a teacher claims he now makes £45,000 a month and is a boxing champion.Teshi Cheema, 22, from Leeds, was raised by his grandparents in nearby Micklefield after his mum died unexpectedly.
    Teshi Cheema is a Thai boxing champion
    The entrepreneur said he was a disruptive and abusive towards his teachers at school.
    He told LeedsLive: “I was always cracking jokes, being immature, being a nuisance, trying to p*** off of my teachers.
    “Literally doing anything I could to not do any work, I would not do work.”
    Matters came to a head when Teshi, then 16, was put in isolation by his head of year.
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    Teshi said: “I just didn’t agree with it and I started swearing at him.
    “We got quite close to each other and it nearly was an altercation and teachers did come out.
    “That was just the last straw and I got suspended.”
    Teshi’s record of bad behaviour stopped him from attending the local sixth form, and he left school with a string of rock-bottom grades.
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    His life only turned around when he took up Thai boxing at university after watching fights on YouTube.
    Teshi’s grandad Dilip drove him to training four days a week, patiently waiting in his car during the sessions.
    Dilip never missed a fight – and was in the crowd for the recent title fight in Leeds where Teshi won the British Thai Boxing Belt.
    Teshi has turned professional and manages 16 properties through his business House of Cheema – claiming he rakes in £45,000 a month.
    He now makes more in a month than he did in a year at his previous job as a Morrisons worker.
    The entrepreneur said he sometimes bumps into his old teachers – and is proud to tell them how he has turned his life around. More

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    Footie-mad lad, 6, stuns classmates at his school’s Halloween disco — by dressing as Man City’s Jack Grealish

    A FOOTIE-mad six-year-old trumped classmates when he arrived at his school’s Halloween disco — dressed as Manchester City’s Jack Grealish.Nairn Rodgers put on the club’s kit and scraped his hair back in a band like his midfield hero before drawing on stubble.
    Nairn Rodgers stunned his classmates when he went as his footy idol for a Halloween school disco
    Jack Grealish is Nairn’s favourite playerCredit: Avalon.red
    His fancy dress inspiration came three days after Nairn fulfilled his dream of watching Grealish, 28, play and he got to tour City’s Etihad Stadium.
    Parents Jordan Rodgers, 26, and Michaela Goodwin drove him 200 miles for last Saturday’s 2-1 win over Brighton to celebrate his upcoming seventh birthday.
    Michaela, 23, said: “Jack Grealish is his favourite player and we’re proud of him and how much he suited the costume and actually looked like Grealish.
    “Other kids went as scary pumpkins, witches, Encanto, but no other footballers. Unfortunately, they don’t do prizes for best dressed any more.”
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    Nairn, who goes to Machanhill Primary in Larkhall, near Glasgow, plays football for his local team.
    Michaela added: “He’s only six but football is his everything.
    “He wants to be a footballer. It’s all he ever does and has done from when he could kick a ball.
    “His room is filled with Manchester City posters, football cards, scarves, and he has two strips.”
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    Nairn now has fans of his own.
    After Michaela posted snaps of his Jack outfit on Facebook, Tracy Robson wrote: “Looks like him so much.”
    Amy Crawford said: “I’m howling. Why, he’s like a proper wee man.”
    Man City fan Nairn fulfilled his dream of visiting the Etihad and watching Jack play More

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    Jude Bellingham’s incredible dream to play for BARCELONA leaked… hours before Real Madrid star plays in El Clasico

    JUDE BELLINGHAM had the one dream you keep secret before your El Clasico debut.That’s if a school ‘snitch’ is to be believed!
    Judging by his expression in training as Real Madrid prepare for El Clasico against Barcelona, perhaps Jude Bellingham knows his ‘guilty secret’ is outCredit: EPA
    Bellingham’s head was in the clouds if this display board is true
    The new £115m Real star has amazing stats in his first LaLiga campaignCredit: Reuters
    Revealing that Bellingham loved Adam Sandler movies might be considered embarrassing enough.
    But the kid who claims he was a Year 10 colleague of Real Madrid’s new hero also insisted England’s hottest talent wanted to play for BARCELONA.
    Bellingham lines up at Real’s fiercest rivals on Saturday after 11 goals in 12 games since his £115million arrival from Borussia Dortmund.
    The midfielder was signed more for his all-round gifts than his strike rate.
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    So the 20-year-old has made a staggering start to his career in Spain by anyone’s standards.
    But – according to a TikTok post from a ‘school-mate’ – Bellingham had OPPOSITE plans for his life in LaLiga when he was aged about 10.
    Photos uploaded to the social media site include a display board disclosing the kids’ fantasies for the future.
    And a scrapbook is notable for a photo apparently of the ex-Birmingham ace, captioned: “Point of view: You went to primary school with Jude Bellingham.”
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    The young Brummie is outed as an admirer of Sandler – who by then had featured in The Wedding Guy and The Waterboy but has more recently had top roles in Hustle and Uncut Gems.
    Bellingham is said to have listed talking too much as a bad habit – ironic as he seems so mature, relaxed and natural in interviews.
    And then came the killer confession under a section headed: “When I grow up I want to be…”
    In the top right the purported answer from Bellingham is: “A professional footballer for Barcelona and England.”
    If true, it was certainly a dream of two halves.
    He’s already won 27 caps after becoming the Three Lions’ third-youngest player ever – aged 17 years and 136 days against the Republic of Ireland in November 2020 aged 17.
    But playing for Barca at any stage would be a sensational development after he joined ‘El Clasico enemies’ Real in June this year. More

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    England’s Lionesses squeeze back into school uniforms in photoshoot for BBC Children In Need

    ENGLAND’S Lionesses squeeze into some old kit for BBC Children In Need.Footie stars Demi Stokes, 31, Leah Williamson, 26, and Chloe Kelly, 25, recreated their school days in clothes like their old uniforms.
    Leah Williamson in her school uniform for Children In Need
    Chloe Kelly in her school uniform for Children In Need
    The trio also wore Pudsey Bear lapel pins to mark the TV fundraiser, which is held next month.
    Earlier this month England’s Lionesses were understood to be seeking around £100,000 each in bonuses had they won the World Cup Down Under.
    After losing 1-0 to Spain in the final, they were willing to accept half that amount.
    According to the Mail, players were set for “crunch talks” with FA chiefs.
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    They claim that players are “aware” of their possible actions and could choose to press on with the “nuclear option” of ceasing all commercial work for the FA.
    It’s even claimed that they could refuse to play until a resolution is reached, although this option has “not yet been directly suggested”.
    England’s pay from the FA is currently negotiated before or after each tournament – although players want more “clarity” moving forward.
    This cash pot comes from prize money and commercial revenue received by the FA for the players’ performances.
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    Prior to the women’s World Cup, the FA imposed commercial restrictions on their own players.
    This was because chiefs were concerned that individual player deals could upset their own.
    Demi Stokes in her school uniform for Children In Need More

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    I played in the Premier League and won a European trophy but now I’m a PE teacher at a £5,000-a-term school

    A FORMER Chelsea defender is now teaching PE at a £5,000-a-term primary school after helping the Blues win the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1998.Danny Granville, 48, was appearing in Blue for the first time since that famous night in Stockholm when Gianfranco Zola scored the only goal of the game against Stuttgart.
    Former Chelsea defender Danny Granville (right) is now a PE teacher at a private school in HertfordshireCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
    Danny Granville (third from right) was appearing at the Chelsea Legends game for Gianluca Vialli
    That win saw Chelsea lift European silverware for the time since 1971, with Granville playing the full 90 minutes at left-back.
    A £300,000 signing from Cambridge United in 1997, the Euro winner played just one season at Stamford Bridge before being sold to bitter rivals Leeds United.
    But Chelsea made a £1.5 million profit on the Londoner – selling him for £1.8m – not a bad bit of business for a player whose last game was in Stockholm and who only played 20 matches for the club.
    After a season at Elland Road, he went on to play for Man City for two years – helping the club to promotion to the Premier League in 2001 – and for Crystal Palace, where he had his best spell.
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    The star also helped the Eagles to promotion in 2003-04, playing almost 200 games in south London. He finished his career with brief spells at Colchester United and Leyton Orient before dropping down to non-League with Hemel Hempstead.
    Since retiring, Granville became a primary school teacher and is currently the Games Teacher at Duncombe School in Hertfordshire – a primary school where fees range from £4,500-a-term for reception to £6,000-a-term in Year 6.
    He has also coached with the Arsenal academy.
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    Granville was back at Stamford Bridge to play in the Chelsea Legends game against Bayern Munich, with money being raised in honour of Gianluca Vialli.
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    The Italian, who sadly died in January this year, was Granville’s player-manager on that famous night 25 years ago. More

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    Girls will all get the chance to play football at school under Rishi Sunak’s drive to breed next generation of Lionesses

    GIRLS will all get the chance to play football at school under Rishi Sunak’s drive to breed the next generation of Lionesses.New government standards will tell teachers to offer female pupils the same sports as boys.
    Rishi Sunak is supporting the move to offer football lessons to girls in schoolsCredit: Rex
    A curriculum shake-up will also encourage schools to increase PE lessons to a minimum two hours each week.
    The Saints-supporting PM said: “Last year the Lionesses’ victory changed the game.
    “Young girls know when they take to the pitch that football is for them and, thanks to the Lionesses, they too could be a part of the next generation to bring it home for their country.”
    England women’s captain Leah Williamson added: “The success of the summer has inspired so many young girls to pursue their passion for football.
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    “We see it as our responsibility to open the doors for them to do so and this announcement makes that possible. This is the legacy that we want to live much longer than us as a team.”
    It follows the Let Girls Play joint campaign by the Lionesses and the FA following their Euros 22 triumph.
    Schools will be told that where it is wanted they must offer girls the same activities as boys – also including rugby and cricket – in lessons and after-school clubs.
    Ministers also want teachers to ring fence at least two hours a week for sports, although they cannot dictate how much of the curriculum it takes up.
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    But Education Secretary Gillian Keegan insists it would be “great for both physical and mental health” as well as teamwork.
    A £600million pot of previously announced money will be used to help heads lay on sports over the next two years.
    A further £57million funding will be used for schools to keep their pitches open after lessons for pupils to use More