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      The ‘magic potion’ powering Erling Haaland’s record-breaking season for Man City ­revealed

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      GOAL machine Erling Haaland’s record-breaking season for Man City is ­powered by milk smoothies laced with spinach and kale.The hitman, 22, posted a snap of himself holding bottles of the green liquid after he scored two against Bayern Munich last week and captioned it: “Me and my magic potion.”
      Erling Haaland revealed how he is ­powered by milk smoothies laced with spinach and kale.Credit: https://www.instagram.com/erling.haaland/
      The Sun previously told how £51million star Haaland feasts on animal hearts and liver for energy and enjoys a pre-match lasagneCredit: Getty
      A source said: “Erling often has smoothies at training which are a mixture of milk, kale and spinach.
      “He takes all the vegetables most people hate and eats them up one way or another because he knows it’s good for him.”
      Norwegian Erling’s dad Alfie, who also played for City, has got in on the act by offering to milk cows in Norway and personally deliver the pintas to his son.
      He wrote online: “Somebody has to do the work so other people can enjoy.”
      READ MORE ON ERLING HAALAND
      His son replied: “Cheers.”
      The Sun previously told how £51million star Haaland feasts on animal hearts and liver for energy and enjoys a pre-match lasagne.
      He follows a strict diet after seeing how doing so has kept Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of his game. More

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      Fuming Man Utd and Man City fans in revolt over ‘crazy’ campaign to make the clubs ditch their historic badges

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      FANS of Manchester United and Manchester City are in revolt over a “crazy” campaign to make them ditch their historic club badges.The crests feature a ship — which Left-wing critics say symbolises the slave trade.
      A campaign to ditch the ship in the badges of Man United and City was slammed as ‘woke nonsense’ – pictured Harry Maguire of Man UnitedCredit: Getty
      The bid comes amid claims it highlights slavery – pictured Jack Grealish of Manchester CityCredit: Getty
      Local experts say it actually represents the city’s proud free trade history.
      Local MP Graham Stringer said: “Manchester had nothing to do with the slave trade.”
      The campaign was denounced as “woke nonsense” yesterday.
      Fans, politicians and historians insisted the three-masted vessel was a proud symbol of the city’s global free trade links and must stay on shirts.
      READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS
      Left-wing critics have called for its removal — despite slavery being abolished in this country long before United or City were formed.
      Both clubs refused to comment but last night sources stressed they had no plans to modify their crests, which branding experts said would cost millions.
      Local Labour MP Graham Stringer said the “crazy” claim tarnished the northern city’s proud history of anti-discrimination.
      He added: “Manchester had nothing to do with the slave trade.
      Most read in Football
      “People from the city at the time of the US Civil War in 1861 ­protested against slavery.
      “This is one of the craziest campaigns I have ever seen.”
      Guardian commentator Simon Hattenstone yesterday questioned whether the ship was a symbol of a “crime against humanity”.
      He said the area’s cotton mills thrived as a result of the crop picked by US slaves.
      The newspaper has recently apologised for what it considers to be its own links to the slave trade.
      He wrote: “The ship has nothing to do with football and everything to do with the business from which Manchester made its money.
      “The product of slavery became so ­subtly embedded in our culture that we celebrated it in our club badges even without realising it.”
      However local experts said ­Lancashire mill workers at the time refused on principle to deal with cotton picked by slaves.
      United historian JP O’Neill, who authored Red Rebels: United and the FC Revolution, said of Hattenstone: “His ‘logic’ is as ridiculous as it is contradictory.
      “Not only did the club badges long post-date the abolition of slavery, the clubs themselves were only founded decades after slavery was ended.
      “The first ship to arrive in Manchester came in 1894 with the opening of the Ship Canal.
      “In Manchester, cotton workers during the American Civil War refused to work with slave-picked cotton, ­putting their livelihoods at risk.”
      Tory MP Katherine Fletcher, who is from Wythenshawe and a United season-ticket holder, added: “I’ve always seen the ship logo as a symbol of our industrial trading heritage.
      “Manchester people are some of the most even-handed and welcoming in the world.”
      Historian Jonathan Schofield added: “It’s a symbol of free trade.
      “The idea is we will have equality throughout the world because ­people will have the same rights to do business with each other.”
      It is claimed the ships derive from Manchester’s coat of arms, adopted in 1842.
      That was 35 years after the slave trade had been outlawed in the British Empire.
      Manchester City was not established in its current form until 1894 while United switched from Newton Heath in 1902.
      Fans at the stadiums yesterday advised campaigners to steer clear of their club’s badges.
      Pilot Mike Goldstein, 57, who has been going to City games since he was eight, said: “It’s just woke nonsense.
      “You can’t keep on going back.
      “It’d be like being mad at the Italians for the Roman Empire.”
      Sitting on a bench outside Old Trafford, Man United fan Peter Shaw, 34, said: “It’s ridiculous to remove it.
      “It’s celebrating the Ship Canal and nothing to do with the slave trade.”
      Pallet fitter Joe Burazin, 21, added: “It’s part of the club’s heritage.
      “These people should keep their hands off.”
      Chef and United fan Jamie Parkhouse, 37, said: “People are rightly asking questions about the slave trade but this shouldn’t be one of them.
      “The badge is about the Manchester Ship Canal and not slaves.
      “To link the badge and the slave trade is so over-the-top.”
      Fans also vented online.
      One tweeted: “It’s a picture of a ship not a ‘slave’ ship.
      “Why do you lot continually try and find offence when none is there? Pathetic.”
      James Delaney added: “So not really a symbol of slavery at all.
      “More like a symbol of early global commerce and Britain’s dominance of it.”
      A branding expert warned modifying the badges would cost millions.
      It comes after other sports teams including the NFL’s Washington Redskins have changed their name after criticism from indigenous groups.
      Nigel Currie said: “It would be a huge and expensive operation to change the United and City club crests.
      “They have been around for decades and every replica shirt ever sold has them — literally millions of shirts which can’t be changed.
      “The link with slavery is not nearly as strong or as clear as other potentially damaging historical links for sports teams.
      “The cost to the clubs would be extremely high and the rationale for changing doesn’t sound strong and indeed there is debate over what the actual ships represent.
      “While that debate remains, a change would seem unlikely.”
      Last month The Guardian revealed that its founder John Edward Taylor was partners with companies which im­ported cotton picked by slaves.
      At least nine of his 11 financial backers also had links to slavery.
      Last night, Luthfur ­Rahman, the deputy leader of Manchester City Council, said: “We’re an industrious, international, multicultural city and have long been so.”
      Work is under way to explore its past.
      Read More on The Sun
      He added: “We’re in the ­middle of a long-term project that began in 2020 to highlight and reflect on aspects of the city’s past, including the city’s black history and connections to the slave trade.”
      Both clubs refused to comment as sources stressed they had no plans to modify the crests – pictured Manchester United’s badgeCredit: Getty Images
      Fans, politicians and historians insisted the vessel was a proud symbol of the city’s global trading links – pictured Manchester City’s badgeCredit: Manchester City FC
      Pilot Mike Goldstein, 57, who has been going to City games since he was eight, said: ‘It’s just woke nonsense’Credit: Byline Pictures Ltd More

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      in Athletics

      Olympic hero Dame Kelly Holmes, 52, gives shock health update saying she’s in ‘constant pain’

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      OLYMPIC champ Dame Kelly Holmes says symptoms of the perimenopause “are killing me”.The 52-year-old said she suffers constant pain, aches and night sweats.
      Dame Kelly Holmes has opened up on her struggles with perimenopause symptomsCredit: Getty
      Dame Kelly, who won two running golds at the 2004 Athens Games, added: “As much as I’m in denial, it has had an effect on my body.”
      She said her symptoms include “body aches, constant pain throughout the body, feeling lethargic”.
      Dame Kelly said it is tough “as someone who is in tune with their body”, adding: “I think I’m in denial of age completely.”
      Perimenopause is the transitional period before menopause as women’s hormone levels change, but before periods have stopped.
      READ MORE HEALTH NEWS
      It usually starts between 45 and 55, the NHS says.
      Dame Kelly exercises to cope but says sometimes she is “too knackered”.
      Mental health is less often discussed when it comes to perimenopause and menopause.
      But Dame Kelly, who has been open about her own past mental health struggles, said: “The one thing with the hormonal changes – and men get it as well at certain ages – hormonal changes in the body can really affect your mental health.
      Most read in Athletics
      “And I think women have to understand how so connected and interconnected your mental and physical health are, because if one is not in tune, the other one will be affected, whatever way around that is.
      “When you feel your body’s a mess, that’s going to affect your head.
      “But if you go into the gym or you go and do some exercises, at least you are doing it knowing that you’re benefiting yourself by doing it – even if those changes are still happening.” More

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      I’m the world’s strictest football referee – I’ve dished out the most cards to players and footie legend swore at me

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      VETERAN referee Mike Stoddart reckons he has dished out the most cards — after 4,500 games.Mike, 69, has sent off 689 players and booked 4,387 in his 47-year career.
      Veteran ref Mike Stoddart from Leeds has booked 4,387 in his 47-year career
      Mike Stoddart has refereed a record 4500 football matches in his career spanning almost half a century
      He has officiated at all levels but his scariest moment came when he was chased by a pub team’s fans in Leeds who were denied the title by a controversial late goal.
      He said: “Fifty of them ran on the pitch. I legged it and hid in the cellar of a nearby pub.”
      He told how he was confronted by Alex Ferguson after he disallowed a goal for Manchester United in 1992 when they were chasing Leeds, managed by Howard Wilkinson.
      He said: “Alex came storming into the ref’s room and, knowing I was from Leeds, said, “Howard Wilkinson will be happy with you now’.”
      READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS
      He revealed Alan Shearer swore at him while playing for Blackburn, then repeatedly apologised.
      Mike recalled: “I said, ‘Excuse me Mr Shearer, my father is a vicar and he doesn’t allow swearing’. He was mortified and said, ‘I’m so sorry’.
      “He came over at half time to apologise again. What he didn’t know was my father wasn’t a vicar, he was a church organist.”
      He was famously photographed as a linesman in 1997 being confronted nose to nose by Middlesbrough star Fabrizio Ravanelli after repeatedly flagging him offside.
      Most read in Football
      The fiery Italian got a red card and Mike said: “He didn’t say a word. He just stared.”
      He once reffed 205 games in one season — but it ended in divorce, with Mike saying: “I can’t blame her. I was never home.”
      He is now happily married to Gill, 66, and still officiates, despite players’ behaviour “getting worse”.
      He said: “I will carry on as long as my knees let me.”
      Mike was famously snapped facing off with Middlesbrough star Fabrizio Ravanelli in 1997 More

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      Dele Alli’s girlfriend Cindy Kimberly jets out to California after he’s pictured on bed with four girls

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      SPORTS Illustrated model Cindy Kimberly jets out to California after her boyfriend Dele Alli’s string of wild nights.The influencer, 24, was photographed in a matching bra top and mini-skirt at the annual Revolve party in California.
      Dele Alli’s girlfriend Cindy Kimberly was photographed in a matching bra top and mini-skirt at the annual Revolve party in CaliforniaCredit: Rex
      Last week Alli was pictured sprawled on a bed with four girls and three male pals during a night of partying
      Last week ex-Spurs star Alli, 27, was pictured sprawled on a bed with four girls and three male pals during a night of partying.
      He ended up in a girl’s flat after a splurge at a club, where more than £6,000 was splashed on champagne and tequila.
      It was the same night he was later pictured with a balloon in his mouth and laughing gas canisters, which led to concern being expressed about him in the football world.
      Our exclusive pictures showed Dele hiding his face while on the bed with mates including recently-retired ex-Chelsea player Izzy Jay Brown, 26, and four young women after the trip to Chinawhite in Manchester.
      read more on dele alli
      And the ex-Spurs idol went clubbing twice in ten days in Turkey, where he was on loan to Besiktas from current club Everton.
      Sources claimed £110,000-a-week Dele left Chinawhite with the girls — at least one of whom is said to work there — at 4am.
      They are thought to have headed to a flat in Salford, where they all posed for a selfie on a bed.
      Dele was snapped around 7am or 8am in a vest and the same cap as in our bedroom pic — with the balloon and the canisters of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas and hippy crack.
      Most read in Football
      Dele once England’s brightest footballing talent, returned to Everton for hip injury treatment after the failed loan in Turkey.
      A source said: “Dele was having a great time drinking with his mates at the club.
      “They had a booth and the girls were serving them. They went back to one of the girls’ apartments and partied on until morning.”
      One of the women is art student Niamh Saunders, 20, who shared the bed snap on Instagram.
      We can reveal Dele spent some of his final days at Besiktas partying in nightclubs until the early hours.
      The team played three matches in March but he was not involved and his manager said he went AWOL.
      Dele confirmed last week his season is over as he shared a pic from his hospital bed on Instagram after hip surgery. He vowed to “focus fully on my recovery”.
      But he is suggested to have “forgotten how to play” while in Turkey.
      A fan there said: “It’s crazy to think what he is like now compared to a few years ago.”
      Cindy is a Sports Illustrated model and influencerCredit: Instagram / @dele More

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      Kyle Walker’s long-suffering wife Annie Kilner forgives him for snogging a woman in a bar

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      KYLE Walker’s long-suffering wife has forgiven him for snogging a woman in a packed bar after she was seen watching him take on Leicester at the Etihad on Saturday.The Manchester City ace, 32, was spoken to by cops after he was caught on CCTV last month exposing himself and dirty dancing with a mystery blonde.
      Kyle Walker’s long-suffering wife Annie has appeared to forgiven him
      Walker’s Man City took on Leicester at Etihad on SaturdayCredit: Rex
      It was the latest in a string of cheating scandals and sparked crisis talks with his wife.
      But it appears Annie has now forgiven him after she posted a picture on Instagram while cheering on City as they smashed Leicester 3-1 on Saturday.
      She held up a glass of fizz with a pal alongside a blue heart emoji and the caption: “Game day.”
      Kyle was said to be in the doghouse after footage emerged of him stumbling around drunk on a Sunday afternoon bender.
      READ MORE ON KYLE WALKER
      He was filmed dropping his tracksuit bottoms and exposing himself in view of drinkers in Wilmslow, Cheshire.
      During the shocking 90-minute clip, he kissed a blonde reveller before trying to leave without paying his bar tab.
      Kyle was spoken to by cops but will face no further action.
      His appalling behaviour was said to have infuriated wife Annie, 30.
      Most read in Football
      He was previously shown the red card in 2019 after Ex on the Beach TV star Laura Brown said they had repeatedly romped in his Bentley.
      His teenage sweetheart Annie took him back but gave him the boot again in 2020 when he revealed model Lauryn Goodman was expecting his baby.
      Walker moved into a flat and days later was caught breaching lockdown rules after booking two escorts for a four-hour sex session.
      Forgiving Annie let him off yet again and he proposed last year with a £250,000 ring.
      Kyle’s appalling behaviour was said to have infuriated wife AnnieCredit: Getty Images – Getty More

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      Fallen ace Dele Alli sprawls on bed with four girls and three pals on same night as hippy crack snap

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      FALLEN England star Dele Alli sprawls on a bed with four girls and three male pals during a night partying.He ended up in a girl’s flat after a splurge at a club, where more than £6,000 was splashed on champagne and tequila.
      Fallen England star Dele Alli has been pictured sprawling on the bed with four girls and three male pals after a night partyingCredit: Supplied
      He was later pictured with a balloon in his mouth and laughing gas canistersCredit: Twitter
      It was the same night he was later pictured with a balloon in his mouth and laughing gas canisters, which led to concern being expressed about him in the football world.
      Our exclusive pictures show Dele, 27, hiding his face while on the bed with mates including recently-retired ex-Chelsea player Izzy Jay Brown, 26, and four young women after the trip to Chinawhite in Manchester.
      And we can reveal the ex-Spurs idol went clubbing twice in ten days in Turkey, where he was on loan to Besiktas from current club Everton.
      Sources claimed £110,000-a-week Dele, in a relationship with Sports Illustrated model Cindy Kimberly, 24, left Chinawhite with the girls — at least one of whom is said to work there — at 4am.
      READ MORE ON DELE ALLI
      They are thought to have headed to a flat in Salford, where they all posed for a selfie on a bed.
      Dele was snapped around 7am or 8am in a vest and the same cap as in our bedroom pic — with the balloon and the canisters of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas and hippy crack.
      Dele once England’s brightest footballing talent, returned to Everton for hip injury treatment after the failed loan in Turkey.
      A source said: “Dele was having a great time drinking with his mates at the club.
      Most read in Football
      “They had a booth and the girls were serving them. They went back to one of the girls’ apartments and partied on until morning.”
      One of the women is art student Niamh Saunders, 20, who shared the bed snap on Instagram.
      We can reveal Dele spent some of his final days at Besiktas partying in nightclubs until the early hours.
      The team played three matches in March but he was not involved and his manager said he went AWOL.
      Dele confirmed today his season is over as he shared a pic from his hospital bed on Instagram after hip surgery. He vowed to “focus fully on my recovery”.
      But he is suggested to have “forgotten how to play” while in Turkey.
      A fan there said: “It’s crazy to think what he is like now compared to a few years ago.”
      Dele was once England’s brightest footballing talentCredit: Getty
      Dele confirmed today his season is over as he shared a pic from his hospital bed on Instagram after hip surgeryCredit: Instagram
      Dele is in a relationship with Sports Illustrated model Cindy KimberlyCredit: Getty More

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      I’ll never forget the summer of 1996 – the country buzzed about the Euros and we need that back

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      LIKE most Sun readers, I will never forget the summer of 1996. The whole country was buzzing because of the Euros.As a teenager, I soaked up almost every second of the tournament, convinced that it would be England’s moment of glory.
      PM Rishi Sunak is backing a historic joint bid by the UK and Ireland to host the Uefa European Championships in 2028Credit: Dan Charity / The Sun
      England captain Harry Kane is joining with sides to back the bid to hold the prestigious tournament in the UK and IrelandCredit: Getty
      Scotland’s Andy Robertson is also behind the push to secure the tournament on home soilCredit: Rex
      Steven Davis, Northern Ireland captainCredit: Sportsfile
       It gave me a love of the game — its highs and lows — that I still have to this day, especially as a long-suffering Southampton fan.
      As a country, our passion for football is unparalleled. It is known the world over.
      From the Premier League to Sunday league, the game brings us together.
      Our stadia aren’t just ­sporting venues where the best players in the world want to play and fans ­everywhere dream of visiting, they are part of who we are — cultural icons at the heart of our communities, monuments to the game we love.
      READ MORE ON EURO 2028
      Again and again in recent years, those stadia have hosted some of the biggest games in world football.
       We have hosted Champions League finals, Euro 2020 matches — including almost all of England’s epic run  to the final — and the record-breaking 2022 Women’s Euros.
      We have got world-class sporting infrastructure and a  brilliant track record.
      So it would be fantastic to bring a full, international men’s tournament back to these shores.
      Most read in Football
       That’s why today the UK and Ireland are launching a historic joint bid to host the Uefa European Championships in 2028.
      By bringing the whole of the UK together, along with Ireland, we will showcase our shared love of the beautiful game.
      It will be the most ambitious sporting event our islands have jointly staged — five Football Associations with Uefa united in delivering one of the best tournaments Europe has ever seen.
       The captains of each of the host nations — Harry Kane, Séamus Coleman, Steven Davis, Andy Robertson and Aaron Ramsey — may be rivals on the pitch, but they are all on the same side in cheering on this effort.
      Imagine it — the best teams in Europe battling it out at the Etihad in Manchester, Hampden Park in Glasgow, the Principality in Cardiff, Casement Park in Belfast, the Aviva in Dublin, and of course, Wembley Stadium.
      Not to mention Villa Park, St James’ Park, Everton’s new ­Stadium and the Tottenham ­Hotspur Stadium.
      And imagine, just for a second, our boys following in the Lionesses’ footsteps and lifting that trophy five years from now. What a summer that would be.
      All about the future
      This year marks the 160th anniversary of the laws of the game — 160 years since they were first adopted and ­published, here in the UK.
       We are rightly proud of that unique legacy. There is so much to celebrate and savour — from Jackie Milburn to Jack Charlton, from 1966 to Euro ’96.
      Aaron Ramsey is on the same side as his rival in cheering on this effortCredit: Getty
      The Republic of Ireland’s Séamus Coleman is hoping to bring the tournament to the UK and IrelandCredit: Sportsfile
       But this tournament will be all about the future.
       On a rainy day last month we held a kickabout at No 10 with the Lionesses. As Beth Mead, Jill Scott and Ellen White showed a group of excited school kids their skills and rattled some of the historic furnishings, you could see the inspirational impact of their Euro triumph last summer.
      So Euro 2028 is about inspiring even more boys and girls not just to cheer on their team but to lace up their boots and get out there themselves.
      It’s about supporting the game at the local level and lifting up our communities — together the bid partners have already committed more than £500million to improve grassroots football.
      It’s about delivering new investment to upgrade facilities — including the regeneration of Casement Park in Northern Ireland.
       It’s about harnessing the power of the tournament to drive long-term benefits through volunteering, tourism and new business opportunities.
       It’s about pubs, front rooms and fan parks filling up across these islands — friends and family coming together, in victory or defeat.
      We estimate the bid could generate benefits of up to £2.6billion for our nations.
       It’s the ultimate win-win — a festival of football to cheer the nation and benefit us all.
      Read More on The Sun
      Let’s bring people from across Europe and beyond to our host cities, to see the best football on the best stage anyone can offer.
      Let’s create new memories for a new generation. Let’s back our bid. More