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      in Soccer

      Ten Hag can see the future, Cristiano Ronaldo is the past – Man Utd must AXE icon for everyone’s sake after Spurs strop

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      THE time really has come for Manchester United to rip up Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract and show him the door.His actions in walking out on the Red Devils’ best performance under Erik Ten Hag is unforgivable.
      Cristiano Ronaldo’s walkout in the win over Tottenham ensured the headlines were about himCredit: Rex
      It’s time for Erik ten Hag and Man utd to rip up his contract and show him the doorCredit: Rex
      Once again in a desperate moment of theatrics, he turned the attention on himself in United’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham and, to be fair, he got it.
      Not that Ten Hag seemed bothered: “I don’t pay attention to that, we want to focus on this team, it was a magnificent performance from all 11 players.
      “Tonight we celebrate the result and the rest we deal with on Thursday.”
      Indeed Ronaldo as a player is becoming an irrelevance for him, has been for some time.
      READ MORE MAN UTD NEWS
      He has paid him respect in refusing to point to the fact that the player’s powers are now dramatically on the wane.
      So much so that for the first time since he was a teenager the 37-year-old no longer demands a first team place in a football team.
      Even in Portugal, their football media are questioning whether he should start next month’s World Cup.
      Still, he craves the attention.
      Most read in Football
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      Which is why in the final minute of normal time, he hot-footed it down the tunnel at Old Trafford, realising he was not being brought into the action, and soon after Cristiano had left the building.
      It was such a shameful sign of disrespect to his teammates.
      He remains the biggest name at the club which is why he should have been on that pitch, full of smiles, congratulating his teammates.
      They had produced an awesome display in beating high-flying Spurs, which had Old Trafford buzzing like it has not done for some time.
      Proof that the wins over Arsenal and Liverpool at the famous old ground this season had not just been one-offs when the team had managed to raise itself for the big occasion.
      Get something at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in the 5.30pm kick-off against Chelsea to follow it up and people really will start to sit up and take notice.
      But unfortunately, the Ronaldo sideshow can still become the main show, even without him touching a ball.
      After similar petulance in pre-season United should have done something there and then.
      In the final warm-up game against Rayo Vallecano, Ronaldo was hooked at half-time and left ten minutes before the end of the game.
      This after having what appeared to be a very public difference of views with his manager during a break in play in the first period.
      Still United decided to keep him, while his agent tried to force a move.
      Ten Hag wanted the matter resolved but it wasn’t.
      Now a brooding presence will return to Carrington this week, a place that should be bouncing, like Old Trafford was.
      Indeed the Ronaldo strop had little resonance with his teammates who celebrated on the pitch and in the dressing room without a second thought for what had happened.
      This is a new team, with an exciting influx of new players and rejuvenated ones who had lost their way.
      Witness how Ten Hag turned Fred around from Sunday to Wednesday night.
      The new boss says everything publicly to continue to respect Ronaldo the legend even though the signs are there that he no longer warrants a place in a top team.
      Read More on The Sun
      It is just a shame that the same respect is not replicated.
      Ten Hag can see the future, Ronaldo is in the past. More

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      in Motorsport

      Mick Schumacher has FOUR races to save F1 future with son of legend Michael’s disaster crashes costing Haas a fortune

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      IT is always telling when someone gives praise and then pauses before adding ‘but…’.And so to the words of Gene Haas whose Hass F1 Team will compete in their home race – the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas – this weekend.
      Haas F1 team owner Gene Haas (centre) is looking forward to seeing them compete in Texas this weekendCredit: Getty
      Haas had been asked about the situation with Mick Schumacher, who is out of contract at the end of the season with rumours rife he will be ditched for 2023.
      Hass said: “I think Mick has got a lot of potential…. but, you know, he costs a fortune and he’s wrecked a lot of cars that have cost us a lot of money that we just don’t have” Ouch.
      It seems inconceivable to think Schumacher, 23, the son of seven-times world champion Michael, 53, is fighting for his career after less than two seasons in F1.
      Particularly when you remember that in 2021, Haas spent little money developing that car and instead ploughed the majority of their efforts into their challenger for this year.
      READ MORE IN F1
      In his rookie season, he comfortably got the better of his team-mate, the hapless Russian racer Nikita Mazipin, who was eventually axed.
      But the unfortunate reality for Schumacher is he is simply unable to turn in the error-free and stand-out performances his father was noted for during his early career.
      He has always maintained his surname is a blessing and hindrance in that it no doubt opened doors that would have remained closed to others, such as his place in the Ferrari driver academy.
      But it has also brought a level of public interest and, of course, expectation.
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      You only need to look at the stunted sports careers of Diego Sinagra, the son of Diego Maradona, and Michael Jordan’s son, Marcus, to witness how that burden limits performance.
      The harsh reality is Schumacher has not been consistently good enough against his current team-mate, Kevin Magnussen, and there have been the aforementioned crashes.
      He had big ones in Saudi Arabia and Monaco, plus last time out in Japan too – and Haas cannot afford for such errors.
      He now has the final four races to score enough points to convince Haas he deserves another chance in 2023.
      Meanwhile, his manager – interestingly the same one as his father employed towards the end of his racing career – is working on the potential for a switch to Williams – if the Haas option falls through.
      Schumacher now faces a crucial period if he is to remain in F1, as Williams are keen on American Logan Sargeant, providing he secures enough super licence points from his final races in F2.

      Brown blasts cost-cap breakers
      F1’s cost cap row will rumble on at this week’s United States Grand Prix in Austin.
      McLaren’s CEO Zak Brown has written to the FIA where he says teams caught breaking the budget cap “constitutes cheating”.
      Brown is one of a number of team bosses who are unhappy that Red Bull breached the spending limit.
      The FIA are yet to determine their punishment for the ‘minor’ breach, which is an amount of less than five percent (£5.7million) of the total £114million available.
      However, Brown has taken preemptive steps to ensure the FIA come down hard on any team who broke the rules.
      “The overspend breach, and possibly the procedural breaches, constitute cheating by offering a significant advantage across technical, sporting and financial regulations,” Brown is quoted as saying in his letter.

      Lando’s on song for Max
      LANDO NORRIS is having a go at being a DJ and recently performed at a party to celebrate Max Verstappen’s world crown.
      Videos have emerged across social media showing Norris taking to the decks in Monaco, where both drivers live.
      Max Verstappen celebrated his 2022 world title win with pal Lando NorrisCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
      Big hitters in NASCAR
      NETFLIX might want to take a look at the fisticuffs in NASCAR if they want to have more action in F1.
      Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson tangled on track in Las Vegas and matters spilled over into the infield.
      Wallace was livid at being taken out of the race by Larson and confronted him, shoving him a few times in the chest before matters had to be calmed down.

      MotoGP looks in the Bag
      IT has been an incredible few months since Francesco Bagnaia crashed a car after a few drinks in Ibiza.
      The MotoGP rider has won three times, finished second once and his two third-place finishes in Thailand and Australia have moved him to the top of the championship.
      The Ducati ace can win the title at the next round in Malaysia. More

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      in Soccer

      Violence against referees is a blight on our game and number of physical assaults is alarming, says Karren Brady

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      WHEN Dave Bradshaw packed his kit before heading off to Platt Bridge’s ground in South Lancashire he hardly expected to return home with broken ribs, a broken nose and concussion.You don’t need to guess that Bradshaw is a referee — and this level of attack has become all too common on the fields of amateur football.
      Ref Dave Bradshaw suffered broken bones, concussion and whiplash when assaulted on the pitchCredit: ITV
      The red card that Bradshaw had shown to a player might as well have been a free-entrance token to an A&E department at the local hospital.
      Reading a case like this, the reaction is simply: Why would anyone want to be a referee?
      The number of physical assaults is alarming.
      A report this week put them at 380 last season and, at what appeared to be a normal weekend of football in the fourth division of the South Lancashire Counties League, there were three suspensions for threatening or violent conduct, including the attack on Bradshaw.
      READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
      So bad has thuggery become in the neighbouring Merseyside Youth League that all matches were cancelled this weekend in protest at “multiple incidents of inappropriate and threatening behaviour” towards officials.
      There are more than 100 teams in the league and officials fear a boycott by referees that would end the enjoyment of football among children and teenagers.
      It seems a good deal of the trouble stems from parents who, from touchlines across the country, urge on their children and blame referees in abusive language.
      Players are encouraged to tackle illegally and respond in kind.
      Most read in Football
      Then when a referee intervenes, wound-up boys (girls know better) curse or threaten and — in some cases — even attack the ref.
      He may indeed be a poor one, probably made worse by verbal pressure from managers on and off the pitch.
      But without respect for his or her authority, the game is deader than horse meat.
      The Bradshaws of Britain deserve better.
      Their rewards are small and while top-tier refs are reasonably well rewarded, it isn’t for money or prestige that thousands of people put up with loud criticism or even physical violence.
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      Here’s one ref’s experience: “He headbutted me. I managed to turn my head but he made contact with the side of it. I count myself lucky I avoided the full brunt.”
      Another said: “I showed him the red card for threatening and abusive behaviour. He then punched me on the left side of my face. He also threatened to meet me in the car park after the match.”
      The FA have a protocol for treating offenders.
      For physical contact — which can include a push, barge, or snatching cards out of a referee’s hands — the ban is 182 days.
      Five years out of the game, upwards to life bans, is the punishment for assaults, with points deductions for the clubs involved.
      Is enough really being done? Karren Brady
      Fines and a requirement to attend an educational course can also be applied.
      In the face of death threats and damage to mental health, it is a wonder that the FA continues to keep referee recruitment at a decent level.
      An FA spokesman said: “We are clear that all forms of abuse, whether on or off the pitch, are completely unacceptable and we will continue to do everything to stamp out this behaviour.”
      But is enough really being done?
      There is strong reluctance to involve the police to any real degree and I understand why no one in the game wishes them to be much involved.
      Read More on The Sun
      Yet there must surely be a point where policing football is considered, although not at the level of interfering in domestic matters.
      It is close, however, to the time when the copper’s whistle is blown on assaults causing serious bodily harm. Detention must be an option.
      Assaults on referees are a serious problem for footballCredit: Getty More

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      in Soccer

      Squeaky bum time for Klopp as Liverpool face being out of title race by October with Arsenal & Man City next

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      IN the week that ‘Squeaky bum time’ entered the Oxford English Dictionary, Jurgen Klopp is about to discover exactly what Sir Alex Ferguson was talking about all those years ago.Trouble is, Fergie was referring to the nervous final few games of the season when titles are won or lost.
      Liverpool could be out of the title race in the next few weeks with Arsenal and Man City up nextCredit: Rex
      Arteta’s Arsenal are sat top of the leagueCredit: Rex
      Guardiola will go head-to-head with his former apprentice, Arteta, for the Premier League crownCredit: Rex
      Not the first week of October, with over three quarters of the campaign still to be played.
      But the stark reality for Liverpool, is that if they lose their next two  games against Arsenal and Manchester City, then their title bid will be over.
      Some might argue that they are already too far behind the top two to stage a comeback.
       While those gloomy forecasts might seem a little premature, there is no getting away from the importance of the next nine days for Klopp.
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      Because unless they can get their act together immediately, there is every chance that they will find themselves 16 points behind City and 17 adrift of Arsenal before the clocks even go back to signal the end of British Summer Time.
      Right now, they are languishing in ninth, just above Brentford and Everton on goal difference.
      They have conceded the first goal in nine of their last 11 league games — and have an appetite for self-destruction which should have them on suicide watch.
      All the more remarkable, then, that they have only lost one league game in 2022, which is testimony to their powers of recovery if nothing else.
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      But having to stage a fightback on an almost weekly basis is draining the life out of Liverpool’s ageing players
      And it’s not as if they can still blame injuries for all their troubles, because most of their absent stars have now returned to action — and without any discernible improvement in results.
      Whole forests have been chopped down to cover the recent newspaper debates over right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold’s qualities.
      But defensive rock Virgil van Dijk is suddenly just rocky, while Mo Salah has now developed ‘Ozil syndrome’ and largely gone missing in action since signing his £350,000-a-week contract in the summer.
      Darwin Nunez has struggled to cope with the constant comparisons to City cyborg Erling Haaland — and Klopp is already wondering if he kept the receipt for deadline-day signing Arthur Melo.
      The only Reds players performing on a consistent basis are Alisson and Luis Diaz.
      Yet victory at the Emirates on Sunday is not beyond them, particularly given the record between the teams.
      Since Klopp was appointed in October 2015, his side have lost just one of 17 competitive games against Arsenal, scoring 46 in the process.
      So history suggests another Liverpool win, even if the current form book says otherwise.
      But anything less than three points will leave them with a mountain to climb  and the horrifying prospect of their title dreams receiving the last rites at Anfield next weekend.
      And that is certainly enough to get all Scouse bums squeaking.
      RON CAN BOSS IT
      WITH Wolves looking for a new boss and Cristiano Ronaldo with a face like a slapped arse on the United bench, why not kill two birds with one stone and make him Molineux player-manager?
      He’s Portuguese and has Jorge Mendes for an agent, so he certainly ticks all the right boxes.
      And you suspect that Manchester United chief Erik ten Hag would be glad to see the back of the grumpy old GOAT after initially blocking his Old Trafford exit.
      Trouble is, clubs aren’t exactly queuing up to sign a petulant 37-year-old who throws his toys out of the pram every time he doesn’t get his own way.
      But that wouldn’t be a problem if he moved into management, because he could pick himself for every minute of every game and always be the centre of attention.
      So now it’s just a simple matter of funding those £360,000-a-week wages and persuading his partner to move to the Black Country. 
      Ronaldo is having a tough season at UnitedCredit: EPA
      RUNNING JOKE
      I HAVE never understood the appeal of running in the London Marathon and the chance to finish 8,000th behind someone dressed as an emu.
      And even the millions of pounds raised for charity do not completely offset the nightmare prospect of getting stuck next to the pub bore droning on about his split times.
      But I had to take my hat off to the bloke who sprinted to the front of Sunday’s elite race to get himself on TV and win a long-standing bet with  his mates.
      And even though he wasn’t able to maintain his lead beyond the first 100 metres, at least he made it all the way to the finishing line.
      Fancy dress is a common theme at the London MarathonCredit: The Mega Agency
      MR OR MRS BENN
      WHY all the fuss about Conor Benn testing positive for the female fertility drug clomifene?
      Perhaps the poor guy has simply been trying to get pregnant.
      Although I have to say fighting with a baby on board isn’t advisable.
      But if boxing can virtually turn a blind eye to Tyson Fury and Canelo Alvarez failing drugs tests in highly dubious circumstances, it’s little wonder so many in the sport were happy for Benn’s catchweight contest with Chris Eubank Jr to proceed.
      Benn failed a drugs test and his fight with Eubank Jr has been postponedCredit: Alamy
      REAL MADRID chief Florentino Perez says football is sick — and that a European Super League is the only cure.
      But everyone knows that horse has well and truly bolted after England’s self-appointed Big Six got their fingers so badly burned last year.
      Doctor Flo is fooling nobody but himself, Barcelona and Juventus if he thinks anyone else will board that bandwagon again.
      Perez says the Super League is football’s cureCredit: EPA
      JUST last week I pointed out how managers hate having tactics questioned.
      And on cue Antonio Conte reacted to criticism of Spurs’ loss to Arsenal.
      Not sure what ‘youse are all idiots’ is in Italian but Djed Spence’s sister might want  to  axe social media.
      Spence is struggling to break into Tottenham’s starting line-upCredit: Getty
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      MAN UTD’S 6-3 defeat at the ­Etihad was the eighth time in 12 months that they have conceded at least four goals in the Premier League.
      Maybe they should ask Vladimir Putin for advice. He knows all about the Red Army’s crumbling defence.
      Man Utd conceded six against rivals Man City on the weekendCredit: EPA More

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      in Motorsport

      Ben Hunt: Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s budget scandal D-day may end up being a damp squib but row will rumble on

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      MERCEDES are preparing to be left disappointed by the results of the FIA’s cost-cap investigation due on Wednesday.Merc boss Toto Wolff and Red Bull chief Christian Horner are at loggerheads over the rule that limited teams’ spending last season to £114million.
      Christian Horner was raging at Merc rival Toto WolffCredit: Rex
      Horner was left in a rage that Wolff had publicly commented on Red Bull’s financial submission, calling foul play on how the Austrian was privy to the confidential document filed to the FIA.
      Despite accusations of the opposite, Horner has maintained his team filed their audited report with their costs actually LOWER than the cap.
      On Sunday night, the Brit repeated his claim and said: “I’m absolutely confident in our submission.
      “It’s been through a process. It went in in March, in terms of being signed off fully by our auditors, and we believe that we are comfortably within the cap.”
      READ MORE F1 NEWS
      However, I understand the final figure could now tip over the threshold following an assessment by the FIA to a sum that amounts to under £2m.
      That would then qualify as a ‘minor’ breach of the rules and result in the FIA coming up with a suitable punishment, which Red Bull will either accept or appeal.
      Should they accept, they’d be awarded their compliance certificate with the stipulation they accepted a breach agreement with the FIA.
      However, it is now looking unlikely that it will change the outcome of last year’s championship and that Red Bull’s Max Verstappen keeps his crown.
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      That was the explosive prospect for a ‘material breach’ of the cost cap, which seems will be avoided.
      However, that might still not be the end of the matter.
      It is expected Red Bull will argue that the extra money spent was not directly related to the production of their car and was for other items such as canteen food at the factory, sick pay or wages for staff placed on gardening leave.
      Merc are likely to counter that should have been included from the start. After all, every pound spent on sandwiches could have been cut from the cost of development on a rear wing.
      Wolff is now considering skipping this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix so he can lobby his point.
      It is an incredibly messy situation for the FIA to navigate and there is a growing debate as to how you police identifying how much of last year’s budget was spent on developing this year’s car.
      Tomorrow’s cost-cap D-day may prove to be a damp squib. But the row will rumble on.

      ALIPINE GO WITH GAS
      PIERRE GASLY is expected to be confirmed as an Alpine driver for 2023  this weekend.
      Alpine must stump up for his services as he is under contract with  AlphaTauri, Red Bull’s B-team.
      AlphaTauri are then expected to sign Nyck de Vries, 27, from under the noses of Williams.
      And Nico Hulkenberg is now the leading candidate to replace Mick Schumacher at Haas should they decide not to re-sign the German or the 23-year-old goes to Williams.

      MAX JUST A SHI GUY
      RED BULL are planning yet another marketing stunt — this time at Tokyo’s famous Shibuya Crossing.
      Dubbed the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing with as many as 500,000 people using it  a day, the F1 team have permission to film Max Verstappen driving there.
      Yet, ironically, Sunday’s race winner, Sergio Perez, might not be able to take part as the Japanese authorities have a problem with his  Mexico-issued driver’s licence.
      Sergio Perez might not be able to take part in a Red Bull stunt at Shibuya CrossingCredit: Rex
      HAVING been in the spotlight for most of the season, new FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, was conspicuous by his absence in Singapore.
      I understand he will miss the Japanese GP, too.
      Curious given Max Verstappen is likely to win the title AND the teams are tangled up in a cost-cap row.

      THE all-female racing championship W Series will make a decision this week on whether to finish the season amid a cash crisis.
      W Series is due to feature at the F1 GPs in Texas and Mexico and has been trying to find a new backer after a lucrative deal collapsed at the 11th hour.
      Read More on The Sun
      A PAIR of Moto3 mechanics who deliberately blocked a rival rider in the pitlane at Aragon have been sacked by the Max Racing Team.
      The staff members were also fined just under £2,000 each for obstructing Tech3 KTM’s Adrian Fernandez during qualifying a fortnight ago. More

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      in Soccer

      Harry Redknapp: Harry Maguire is what I call a ‘proper’ defender… Man Utd star should start for England at the World Cup

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      HARRY MAGUIRE will be stuck on the sidelines once again when today’s Manchester derby kicks off.And judging from the stick he’s had this week, that’s where most people would like him to be when England begin their World Cup adventure next month.
      Despite his recent struggles, Harry Maguire should be starting for England at the World CupCredit: PA
      Maguire had a shocker against Germany but Gareth Southgate continues to back himCredit: Getty
      Well, it might not be the popular view right now but here’s a thing… if I was picking the side to face Iran on November 21, Harry would be in it, for sure.
      You don’t need me to say he’s had a rough time of things lately. Maguire’s such a straight guy, he’d tell you that himself.
      Yes, he’s made a few ricks although getting as much grief as he is doesn’t make it any easier.
      But Harry is a really decent lad and the one thing he won’t do is shy away from it all. He’s also a strong enough character — and good enough player — to come through it.
      READ MORE ON MAN UTD
      In the big games — and they don’t come any bigger than the World Cup — you need a big presence, and he’s certainly that. On the pitch and in the dressing room.
      Fair enough, he wasn’t great against Germany but he never let England down in Russia and if he gets the chance, I’m sure he won’t in Qatar either.
      I’d have him in the middle of a back three with John Stones and Kyle Walker or Eric Dier either side. They are quick enough to deal with the full-back positions.
      Harry isn’t the best mover, shall we say. Put it this way, if he was walking around the paddock, you wouldn’t be rushing to spend millions on him!
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      I remember the first time I saw him, when he was at Sheffield United and thinking, ‘This kid could get exposed today’.
      But he was magnificent, headed everything, won every tackle and was man of the match.
      He will never be the quickest but he’s what I call a “proper” defender, like Steve Bruce. Throws himself into challenges, never hides, blocks everything, body on the line every time.
      You need guys like that, just as much as you need the silkier footballers.
      Lisandro Martinez could struggle against Erling Haaland due to the immense height differenceCredit: Getty
      Haaland has set the Premier League alight since joining in the summerCredit: AFP
      And in my book they don’t come more solid than Harry.
      Erling Haaland would certainly find it harder to out-muscle Maguire than Lisandro Martinez at the Etihad this afternoon.
      Martinez is clearly a good defender, a real competitor and growing into the job at United.
      But he is 5ft 9in — giving away over six inches to the Norwegian — and Pep Guardiola will be telling Haaland to pull on him. If he does, it’s no contest.
      Having said that, it’s been no contest in every game he’s played this season, because no one has come close to stopping Haaland yet.
      I know Haaland’s scored goals wherever he’s been, but even by his standards, 14 goals in ten games — including two hat-tricks — is some start.
      He wasn’t great against Germany but he never let England down in Russia and if he gets the chance, I’m sure he won’t in Qatar either.Redknapp on Maguire
      Never mind finishing as the Premier League’s top scorer, he could shatter the record of 34 goals in a season.
      I remember Clive Allen getting 49 in all competitions back in the 1980s but Haaland’s so good that it really wouldn’t surprise me if he ended up with half a century.
      Then again, when you’ve got so many top players making killer passes and creating such good chances, a finisher as good as him is always going to end up with a hatful.
      The kid has an arrogance and confidence about him — he’s certainly not shy — but then again, there’s a very good reason for that.
      Haaland is an absolute monster of a player. Pace, power, height… he’s the Full Monty, all right.
      I just can’t see how United can stop him. And even if they manage it, this City side is so good that there are nine others who could cause just as much damage.
      Read More on The Sun
      The way they’ve started the season, they’ll win the title at a canter — and I expect them to do exactly that at the Etihad today.
      United have picked up and had a couple of decent results but they’re still a long way short and there’s only one outcome for me. And a comfortable one at that. More

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      in Soccer

      Troy Deeney: Bellingham should snub Liverpool to be a Real Madrid superstar… he’ll be England captain by next World Cup

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      FINALLY, Birmingham has a role model to look up to in Jude Bellingham.As someone who was born and bred there, I can say the city as a whole hasn’t had a great deal to celebrate.
      Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham should snub Liverpool for Real Madrid, says Troy DeeneyCredit: Rex
      Troy Deeney praised Jude Bellingham as the perfect Birmingham role modelCredit: PA
      We are the working class. We are always written off. We are never spoken about in the same way as London or Manchester.
      So, when you have a local lad like Jude, who has come through the system, done everything the right way and then gone on to do what he has done, scoring in the Champions League and starring for England at 19, it is special.
      He really is the pride of the city.
      It is what the local kids will aspire to be like, even my 13-year-old son.
      Read More on Football
      If he was to be around Jude for more than three minutes, he would probably pass out.
      It is just a testament to the whole family, including his 17- year-old brother Jobe who I play with currently at the Blues.
      Really solid people and great individuals.
      His mum and dad have managed to create two young, not only great footballers for club and country in the Under-18s and senior team, but wonderful human beings as well.
      Most read in Football
      When Jude’s No 22 was retired after he left Birmingham for Borussia Dortmund, the club was a laughing stock, but now look.
      Everyone is going: “This guy is unbelievable.”
      I already think he is a superstar. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the face of the FIFA game next year and I think he will be England captain in three to four years’ time.
      And when he is at the World Cup in Qatar, and all the eyes are on him, he is only going to play better.
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      The deeper the water, the better he swims.
      We will all be going: “Oh my God, look at this talent.”
      It could be similar to how the likes of Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen burst on to the global stage with England.
      This has always been in the pipeline for Jude, and this is what he has been working towards for years.
      You don’t just get there by mistake or luck.
      So, once it becomes reality, you aren’t fazed by anything. This was all a part of the master plan.
      I already think he is a superstar. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the face of the FIFA game next year and I think he will be England captain in three to four years’ time.Troy Deeney
      His parents have kept him level and grounded, but at the same time he isn’t a robot, he isn’t stiff. He gives you a bit in interviews but he has never forgotten who he is and where he comes from.
      He is still humble enough to come back to Birmingham, to speak about the city and the role certain players had on him.
      Sometimes you just have to sit back and clap. I am someone who likes to give people their flowers while they are alive.
      That family is special and as a parent, I would like to be like their parents. It is a pleasure to be around them.
      There are no doubts in that young man’s head.
      He has an unwavering belief and I see that come out on the pitch.
      Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham could stand out at the World CupCredit: Getty
      I studied him in the Germany game, and when England were 2-0 down, he was the one driving people forward, going to press. The word to describe his performance is ‘flawless’.
      There is just something different in the way he  carries himself.
      He demands the best  but can do it with a smile.
      In my day and before, captains would be barking and screaming but these guys can do that with a laugh and a smile at the same time. From what I have been told, he has been like this since he was 16, driving games, being a real positive presence off the pitch.

      He will be getting linked with massive clubs now.
      His family are very methodical, so they will sit down and think about the pros and cons for each move but Jude will have his mind made up already.
      He doesn’t have the mindset of wanting to sit and have a few more years development but I don’t see Liverpool as the move.
      I can see why he would play there and why it would work but I have just a feeling that Spanish football will suit him. If Real Madrid come in, I can’t see him turning that down. More

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      Karren Brady: Our game does NOT need Labour’s ‘football regulator’… we have the FA, and are better off the Wembley way

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      NEVER mix sport and politics is an age-old expression and right now it is as accurate as a Harry Kane penalty.Labour Party deputy leader Angela Rayner made a joke-laden speech this week at her party’s conference, in which she outlined plans to create a new football regulator.
      Angela Rayner and Labour want to bring in a new football regulatorCredit: EPA
      The FA currently regulate football… and that’s the way it should beCredit: Reuters
      It was mentioned right alongside sewage control, which was rather fitting as it’s a foul idea.
      Football already has a regulator — it’s called the Football Association.
      The FA is the right and proper regulator for the game in England and Wales.
      It looks after all areas of governance, including anti-doping, gambling, safeguarding — the list goes on.
      Read More Football News
      Rayner continued by saying the Labour Party “together will transform this country”.
      I don’t wish to curb her enthusiasm but government and the “beautiful game” should be many, many football pitches apart.
      The fan-led Tracey Crouch review has been a great catalyst for change at the FA and there has already been widespread reform in their corridors of power.
      More importantly, the FA already remains truly independent — something it would not be if the Government started poking their noses in.
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      If the Government appointed an outside regulator, it would be akin to asking state approval for this, that and the other.
      It would be the Ofsted of football — governed by poorly designed regulations, with lots of paperwork, it would be highly burdensome and expensive and take years to set up and implement.
      Plus, what would the international bodies, Uefa and Fifa, have to say about it — would they stand by and happily allow another  outside regulator with no  knowledge of the game to set rules they are supposed to  ultimately govern? I doubt it.
      For those cynics who say I’m only backing the FA as they would give clubs an easier ride — stacks of yellow cards and precious little red — my answer would be this…
      Why not give the FA the chance to show what it can do and, if it doesn’t deliver, the Government can intervene.
      By giving the FA the remit, it’s a real live test to see if they have the muscle to do it. Nothing ventured nothing gained.  It might not be perfect from the get-go — but it would certainly be progress.
      Rayner and her buddies see this as a way to push their “pro-fans” credentials ahead of a general election, which is two years away.
      Labour wants to create a regulator with extensive powers, including financial ones, designed to extend Premier League revenues “more fairly”.
      Contrary to popular myth the Premier League’s success is already widely shared.
       We already give away 20 per cent of our annual revenue to the EFL, FA, charity and so on. Name another industry that does that?
      I don’t wish to curb her enthusiasm but government and the “beautiful game” should be many, many football pitches apart.Karren Brady on Angela Rayner
      Over the next three years £1.6billion will be committed by the Premier League to the other 72 league clubs, the women’s game, charity and grass-roots facilities.
      That’s not including money the EFL makes from player transfers and Carabao Cup revenue.
      This pot-sharing makes the EFL the best-funded second-tier league in the world, with the best-paid second-tier players.
      Not since Portsmouth has there been a significant regulatory failure in the Premier League.
      The likes of Derby, Bury and Macclesfield were in the EFL, where regulations were not  adequately enforced.
      The FA must be doing something right as nearly all the clubs from the professional league system introduced in the 1920s are still in existence, many within two divisions of where they were back then.
      Read More on The Sun
      I think the Premier League has a decent track record when it comes to finances and, don’t forget, players pay their dues — to the tune of £1.5bn in taxes last year.
      That’s money which does make a huge contribution to the nation’s coffers at a time when, boy, we certainly need it. More