Sport Features

ROMAN ABRAMOVICH certainly doesn’t do things in halves.
The Chelsea owner, worth a cool £10bn, is overseeing the development of his latest toy, Solaris – a superyacht that promises to be the most powerful yacht in the world.

Roman Abramovich’s new yacht Solaris is currently in developmentCredit: Carl Groll/TheYachtPhoto.com

The Russian, 54, must love travelling by sea – because he has had a private navy of yachts – with SunSport believing Solaris to be his EIGHTH over the years.
There’s even one £25million vessel he allegedly gifted to Vladimir Putin, after he was elected as Russia’s president in 2002.
SOLARIS
The latest yacht is nearing completion and has cost £430million to build.
A 460ft beast of the sea, it features eight decks, as well as a helicopter pad.

The yacht is being built at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany.
The shed it is being constructed in is larger than Buckingham Palace.
Solaris will have 48 cabins, accommodating up to 36 passengers, and a crew of 60.
It’ll boast two advanced engines to be the most powerful yacht in the world.

Solaris, costing £460m, will have 48 cabins and can accommodate 36 passengersCredit: Carl Groll/TheYachtPhoto.com
ECLIPSE
Roman’s current superyacht, the Eclipse – with all the work that’s been done to it – is said to now be worth £1billion.
Built in 2010, it was completely rebuilt in 2015 to cater for the high-spec needs of a multi-billionaire.
Incredibly, the 553ft Eclipse has its own missile defence system – should it come under attack.
There are 24 guest cabins, two swimming pools, hot tubs, a sauna, and even a nightclub.
It also boasts a cinema, conference room, children’s playroom, hair salon, and a mini-submarine that can dive to 50m. Yes, that’s right. It’s a yacht that boasts its own submarine.

The colossal Eclipse sails into New York harbourCredit: Alamy

The 553-feet long Eclipse boasts its own missile defence systemCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Eclipse has 24 guest cabins, two swimming pools, hot tubs, a sauna and a nightclubCredit: Getty – Contributor

The Eclipse is believed to be worth £1billionCredit: Alamy
LE GRAND BLEU
Worth £135million, Le Grand Bleu was the prize of an alleged bet between Roman and oil tycoon, Eugene Schvidler.
Eugene won and was handed the keys to this stunning 370ft vessel that has not one but TWO helipads.
Twenty guests can stay in luxury onboard, and enjoy it’s many amenities.
Astonishingly, as is the theme with these yachts, there are more boats on board.
As well as a 73-foot sailboat, guests can also enjoy taking a 68-foot powerboat for a spin. And there are two more boats in its internal garage on top of that.

Le Grand Bleu, worth £135m, was reportedly lost by Abramovich in a bet with Eugene SchvidlerCredit: Alamy Live News
SUSSURRO
Currently available to buy for £16million, the Sussurro is now over 20 years old.
It was built by Feadship, measures over 163 feet long and boasts six luxury cabins that can house 12 guests.
Rarely used, it has been reported that the Sussorro was given to Roman’s ex-wife Irina Malandina, as part of a divorce settlement.
With 15,000 combined horsepower, it is capable of reaching speeds of 46 knots.

Sussorro can reach speeds of up to 46 knotsCredit: Alamy

Sussorro was reportedly given to Abramovich’s ex-wife Irina as part of a divorce settlementCredit: Alamy
ECSTASEA
Valued at around £110million, the Ecstasea is still one of the fastest superyachts around – boasting 43,000 horsepower and measuring 282-feet.
Abramovich was the original owner from 2004, before it was sold to Pakistani businessman Alshair Fiyaz in 2009.
There’s room for 14 guests, can be staffed by a crew of 25, and can be reached by helicopter, which can park on one of two helipads.
The Ecstasea suffered damage in 2019 when it clipped the Simpson Bay Bridge in the Caribbean island of St Maarten.

Roman Abramovich was the original owner of the Ecstasea in 2004Credit: Rex Features

Worth £110m, Ecstasea is now owned by Pakistani businessman Alshair FiyazCredit: Rex Features
PELORUS
So that’s what £270million gets you.
Built in 2003, the 377-foot long Pelorus was briefly owned by a Saudi Arabian businessman before Abramovich got his hands on it in 2004.
A year later, he lent it to Chelsea legends John Terry and Frank Lampard for two weeks as a bonus for helping the club win Roman’s first Premier League as owner.
Then in 2007 he allowed Terry and his wife Toni to enjoy their honeymoon on board.
However, it was also reportedly handed to Irina in the divorce settlement, who sold it to American film exec David Geffen in 2011.

Abramovich got his hands on the Pelorus in 2004Credit: Alamy

Chelsea owner Abramovich on board the cherished vesselCredit: Getty Images – Getty

The boat boasts a speedboatCredit: Alamy
LUNA
Currently the second largest expedition yacht in the world, the Luna was delivered to Roman in 2010.
It boats 10 VIP cabins, that are 100 square metres each, as well as a 20-metre outdoor pool.
Like the Eclipse, it also has an anti-missile system, as well as bulletproof windows.
In 2014, it was sold to Azerbaijani billionaire Farkhad Akhmedov for £210 million.

Luna was delivered to Roman in 2010Credit: Rex Features

It boasts 10 VIP cabins and an outdoor poolCredit: Getty – Contributor
OLYMPIA
When you have a friend who is president of your country and reckoned to be the richest person on the planet, only a yacht will do as a present.
Which is what Roman allegedly gifted Russian president Vladimir Putin in 2002, when he was elected.
The Olympia, which has room for ten guests and is 187-feet long, is believed to be worth £25million.

The details of the transaction, which was said to have been made through an offshore company, emerged after a US Treasury official accused Putin of corruption, nepotism and embezzlement of state funds.
It was said that yacht’s maintenance and running costs were paid for from the state budget.
Abramovich’s lawyers said the claims were “unsubstantiated”, however, they did not deny that he had given him the Olympia.

The Olympia was allegedly gifted to Vladimir PutinCredit: Lilyana Vynogradova More

WITH his black on black on black look, Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone looks like he has come to the touchline straight after doing a gig with The Stranglers.
But he also disproves the claim that there are no more heroes any more – in the eyes of Atletico supporters, at least.

Diego Simeone has been a revelation as Atletico Madrid for the decade with the LaLiga sideCredit: Reuters

Twenty five years ago he was the midfield lifeblood of an Atletico team that won the league and cup double.
Towards the end of the season there was a chance that Atletico could clinch the league title on a day when they had no game, as long as other results went their way.
Simeone was the only one who did not want results to go their way. He wanted to win the league on the field, in front of the club’s fans. Nothing else would do.
During his long international career with Argentina, Simeone was not the most popular room-mate. Others preferred to switch off from football.

He wanted to watch game after game, refining his knowledge, honing his skills for the coaching career to come. And he has enjoyed an extraordinary decade in charge of Atletico.
His side have consistently punched above their weight, week after week competing with Real Madrid and Barcelona as if there was no financial chasm between them.
His team have won the league – and despite a recent wobble, are well in the race to win it again this time. They have won the cup. They have claimed two Europa League titles.
All that is missing is the Champions League – and they have reached two finals. That dream still remains.

Simeone could have been ideal for a Premier League manager’s roleCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Now they stand between Chelsea and a place in the quarter finals of this year’s Champions League. Perhaps it is a pity that he is not coaching the other side.
The fact that Diego Simeone did not play in the Premier League is surely one of football’s missed opportunities. It would surely have worked. 
Simeone was in the great box-to-box tradition of the British midfield. He was versatile, dynamic, skilful and fiercely, fiercely competitive.
He would have been the type of player loved by fans of his own club- and grudgingly respected by supporters of the other teams.
And he would certainly have enjoyed the atmosphere inside English stadiums – which, especially back in the mid 90s, would have reminded him a little of his native Argentina.
And after playing for a club and building a relationship with its fans and its history, he would later be inclined to return as a coach – just as he has done with Atletico Madrid.
It could have happened. He was still only 26 at the time that England hosted the European Championship – a key moment in spreading the word that the Premier League was on the rise as an interesting destination.

As a player, Simeone was a combative box-to-box midfielder who starred for clubs including Lazio, Inter Milan, and Atletico MadridCredit: EPA

Simeone’s passion on the touchline will be evident on Tuesday when Atletico Madird take on Chelsea in the Champions LeagueCredit: Reuters

Two years earlier at Tottenham his compatriot Ossie Ardiles had spent a lot of money on glamorous strikers. It might have been better had he used his contacts to make Tottenham a stop off point for Argentine midfielders – like Simeone.
In 1997 Chelsea brought across the Uruguayan midfielder Gus Poyet from Spain. He was a success – and Simeone was cut from a similar mould and was probably an even better player.
But it did not happen. And now, on Tuesday, in his black suit, shirt and tie, Diego Simeone will be Chelsea’s implacable opponent.

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GOALS haven’t been hard to come by for Chelsea’s impressive U18 team – averaging three a game in the Premier League.
And in November last year they hit a Barnsley side for eight in an FA Youth Cup win – with one boy star of the show.

Jude Soonsup-Bell, 17, grabs the match ball after his four goal haul against Barnsley in the FA Youth CupCredit: Getty Images – Getty

A cheeky backheel goal was the pick of the bunch in Chelsea’s 8-1 winCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Jude Soonsup-Bell, 17, bagged four goals that day, including an outrageous backheel – scored after racing onto a through ball, cutting inside a Tykes centre half, drawing the goalkeeper and then applying the cheeky finish with his back to goal.
Even more impressive was the fact it was the first time a youngster had managed a four goal haul in an FA Youth Cup tie in 59 years.
And in the Premier League, Soonsup-Bell has been just as prolific netting 11 goals in nine appearances.
Any wonder in January, as soon as he turned 17 and a month after scoring the U23’s in a 6-1 rout of Manchester United, the teen sensation was handed his first pro contract.

MADE IN SWINDON
Born and raised in Chippenham, Wiltshire – Soonsup-Bell was originally scouted by Swindon Town, who he joined aged nine.
But his development was so rapid that by the age of 12 he was trialling with Chelsea, Southampton and Reading – with Swindon understanding the talent needed to play at a greater level.
Chelsea’s youth coaches needed only a few training sessions to suss out Soonsup-Bell was a rough diamond they would polish for the future.
An undisclosed sum was paid to Swindon, with the boy still under contract, and it was to Cobham where he would continue his football education.

Soon, coaches there saw attributes that would have him better suited to playing as a centre forward, rather than central midfield, where he originally played. He has prospered upfront ever since.

Soonsup-Bell, with his proud mum Hannah, joined Chelsea as a 12-year-oldCredit: Instagram @judebell_

Goals are Soonsup-Bell’s forte, and he has 11 in nine Premier League U18 games this termCredit: Getty Images – Getty

His impressive form has seen him called up to Chelsea’s Premier League 2 team, where he plays for the U23 side tooCredit: Getty Images – Getty
SETTING TARGETS
A striker is measured by how many goals he scored, and ambitious Soonsup-Bell buries strikes for fun.
Last season he scored 26 goals in just 17 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea’s various youth teams.
He uses previous youth striker’s records as his motivation – vowing to shatter them.
First team striker Tammy Abraham scored 72 goals from 2013-16 for the U18, U19, U21 and U23 teams – and that’s the yardstick Soonsup-Bell is measuring himself on.
And he’s reportedly confident he can beat that total.
LION IN WAITING
With Asian heritiage, his mum Hannah is from Thailand and he lists his favourite dish as her green curry, Soonsup-Bell might not representing England at full level.

This year, as soon as he turned 17, Soonsup-Bell inked a pro contract with the Blues that’ll keep him at Stamford Bridge till 2023Credit: Instagram @judebell_

Soonsup-Bell trains with the Chelsea first team – taking on Fikayo TomoriCredit: Getty Images – Getty

High-flying Soonsup-Bell is set for a big future in the gameCredit: Getty Images – Getty
But the Three Lions have already made sure he’s felt a part of their youth set-up and he has been capped at U15 and U16 level.
Spectacularly, he introduced himself on the international stage in a friendly against Spain – scoring a hat-trick in a 3-1 win.

That made him England’s second highest ever scorer at that level – alongside Jadon Sancho, who managed six goals in seven games.
Had the coronavirus pandemic not interrupted proceedings and cancelled a year of the footballing calendar at U16 level internationally, he could have beaten Louie Barry’s record of seven strikes.
You get the feeling, despite missing out on that record, he will surely break more in the future.

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