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      in Soccer

      Inside Shakira’s very petty split from Gerard Pique – from brutal diss track to row over bizarre witch doll

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      SHE styled herself as a She Wolf in one of her bigg­est hits — and Shakira’s claws are certainly out as she takes aim at her ex Gerard Pique.Once one of the world’s most glamorous showbiz couples, the singer and the Spanish football ace are now engaged in an extra­ordinarily bitter split.
      Superstar Shakira and Spanish football ace Gerard Pique are engaged in an extra­ordinarily bitter splitCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Ever since Gerard ditched Shakira for the then 22-year-old Clara Chia Marti this summer, no act of revenge has been considered too pettyCredit: EPA
      Shakira with Gerard after his team won the Spanish cup in 2015Credit: Getty
      Ever since Gerard ditched Shakira for the then 22-year-old Clara Chia Marti this summer, no act of revenge has been considered too petty — with a brutal diss track, savage jibes and even a row over a bizarre witch doll playing out in public.
      Last week, 45-year-old Shakira dropped a new track which takes a swipe at love rival Clara’s age with the lyrics: “I’m worth two 22s. You traded a Ferrari for a Twingo, you traded a Rolex for a Casio.”
      Gerard, 35, responded by turning up to work in an £8,000 Renault Twingo this weekend and boasting his new seven-a-side project the King’s League had landed a sponsorship deal with Casio — adding that the cheaper watch would “last a lifetime”.
      In another twist Shakira put a terrifying life-size witch doll on her balcony, facing her mother-in-law’s house in the same street.
      READ MORE ON GERARD PIQUE
      Neighbours reported she also blasted out the new song — BZRP Music Sessions #53 — on repeat so Gerard’s mum, Montserrat Bernabéu, could hear.
      The singer was devastated when he went public with new love Clara, now 23, just three months after she kicked him out of the family homeCredit: BackGrid
      Shakira was also deeply hurt by Gerard’s frequent visits to his parents’ home with Clara, which is in full view of her ownCredit: EPA
      ‘You left me because of your narcissism’
      The vitriolic break-up comes after a 12-year romance which began on the set of the video for Shakira’s 2010 World Cup anthem, Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).
      The first of the couple’s two sons, Milan, nine, was born in 2012, prompting Shakira to move from the US to Barcelona. Sasha, seven, arrived two years later.
      Although Shakira and Gerard never married, the Colombian singer insisted he was “the one” in a 2014 interview.
      Most read in Football
      “We already have what’s essential. We have a union, a love for each other, and a baby,” she told Glamour magazine.
      “Those aspects of our relation­ship are already established, and marriage is not going to change them. But if I’m ever going to get married, he’s the one.”
      Ironically, she later revealed she feared becoming a wife would make him lose interest.
      “Marriage scares the sh*t out of me. I don’t want him to see me as the wife. I’d rather him see me as his girlfriend, his lover,” she said. “It’s like a little forbidden fruit. I want to keep him on his toes.”
      In 2021, the couple appeared to stand together as Shakira faced allega­tions she had dodged £12million in tax owed to the Spanish authorities — a claim she has dismissed as “false” although she has now paid the money in full.
      Shakira says Gerard has swapped ‘a Rolex’…Credit: Rolex
      …for a Casio instead and his Ferrari for a Twingo
      Pique turns up at work in a Twingo and says he’s signed a deal with CasioCredit: Twitter @KingsLeague
      But rumours the former Barcelona star was having an affair emerged in June 2022, and days later, the couple shocked fans with a joint statement announcing their split.
      They added: “For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect our privacy. Thank you for your understanding.”
      Spanish outlet El Periodico reported that they had been living separately for a few weeks, after Shakira kicked Gerard out of the family home.
      Three months later, she was devastated when he went public with new love Clara, now 23. She was also deeply hurt by Gerard’s frequent visits to his parents’ home with Clara, which is in full view of her own.
      And she wasn’t going to keep quiet about it. In September, she broke her silence with an emo­tional interview in Elle magazine, saying her situation was “probab­ly the darkest hour of my life”.
      She revealed her ex had left her while her 91-year-old dad fought for his life in hospital after a bad fall.
      She continued: “For [women] like me who believe in values like family, who had the big dream of having a family for ever, to see that dream broken or shredded into pieces is probably one of the most painful things you can ever go through.”
      Shakira also claimed she had sacrificed her own music career by moving to Barcelona saying: “I put my career in second gear and I came to Spain, to support him so he could play football and win titles. And it was a sacrifice of love.”
      Her heartbreak hit, Monotonia, released in October, bewailed the monotony that led to the bitter break-up and contained the dig: “Suddenly you were no longer the same.
      “You left me because of your narcissism. You forgot what we once were.” The video shows the singer being shot in the chest, then her heart pulled out and stamped on.
      As their life unravelled, claims that Gerard had been dating his new love long before the split have fuelled the bitter feud, with some unconfirmed reports suggesting they met at the Davis Cup in 2019.
      The scandal has fuelled constant headlines in Spain — and seemingly, more heartbreak for Shakira.
      ‘A lot of gyms. But work your brain too’
      In a New Year message to her 80million Instagram fans, she wrote that she knew how it felt when “wounds are still open”.
      She added: “Even if someone’s betrayed us, we must continue to trust others. When faced with contempt, continue to know your worth. Because there are more good people than indecent ones.”
      But the sniping and revel­ations have continued to escalate, leading to a brutal war of words.
      This month, Shakira was said to be “devastated” over new footage of a Zoom interview from August 2021, which seemed to show Clara at the family home in Spain.
      It was ten months before she and Gerard announced their separation. The video shows a woman resembling Clara stepping into the frame as Gerard spoke to US video live-streaming service Twitch, while Shakira was reportedly abroad with the boys.
      The bitter star’s new diss track, which has had more than 110million views on YouTube, swipes at Gerard, Clara and her mother-in-law.
      In an apparent dig at the former Manchester United and Barcelona defender, Shakira sings: “A lot of gyms. But work your brain a little bit too.”
      Shakira put a witch effigy on her balcony facing mum-in-law’s home and blasts out her new revenge trackCredit: Splash
      She adds: “No hard feelings baby, I wish you the best with my supposed replacement.”
      Referring to her tax fraud case and her proximity to Gerard’s family home, she sings: “You left me my mother-in-law as my neighbour, press at my door and in debt with the treasury.”
      She also uses a play on words against her rival, adding: “She has the name of a good person, It’s clearly not what it sounds like”. The Spanish word for “clearly” — “claramente” — which sounds similar to Clara Marti’s name, is emphasised.
      Defending her song on Twitter, amid accusations of misogyny against Clara, Shakira wrote: “This is for all the women who taught me that when life throws bitter lemons at you, all you can do is make lemonade.”
      Fans took it as a reference to Beyonce’s album Lemonade, about the infidelity of husband Jay-Z. The feud reached a new level this weekend amid reports Shakira has installed a witch on a broomstick at her home — looking directly at Montserrat Bernabéu’s house.
      Reports say relations between the two turned sour after Gerard’s mum readily welcomed her son’s new girlfriend into the family.
      Journalist Marc Leirado said the mannequin, with long grey hair and a witch’s hat, had spooked Montserrat. “Weeks ago, I got some information that Gerard’s mother was worried about an alleged ritual that was done to her with a black witch,” Marc wrote.
      He says Gerard’s mum had asked a member of Shakira’s staff to remove it and it was temporarily taken down before being put back.
      Read More on The Sun
      Yesterday, Shakira was having the last laugh as the new song made history, by becoming the fastest Spanish track to make 100million views on YouTube.
      Whatever happens next in the savage tit for tat, you can expect the She-Wolf to bite back.
      HER REVENGE LYRICS
      THESE are the most brutal lyrics in Shakira: BZRP Music Sessions #53
      I’m worth two 22sYou traded a Ferrari for a TwingoYou traded a Rolex for a Casio
      – Clara Marti is rumoured to have started dating Pique when she was 22. The lyric also alludes to his goal celebration, which was a two formed with each hand in tribute to his and Shakira’s shared birthday on Feb 2.
      So much talk of being a championAnd when I needed you, you gave me the worst version of youYou left me my mother-in-law as my neighbourPress at my door and in debt with the treasury
      – A reference to her tax fraud case.
      You thought you’d hurt me, but you made me tougherWomen don’t cry anymore, women invoice.She has the name of a good personIt’s clearly not what it sounds like
      – An apparent pun on the Spanish word “Claramente”, meaning clearly, and its ­similarity to Clara Marti.
      Lots of time at the gymBut your brain needs a little work too More

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      in Soccer

      Pub which has iconic place in history of football to be bulldozed

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      A PUB where the modern rules of football were first agreed is being knocked down.The Plough Inn — considered to be the home of the beautiful game — will make way for eight houses after a bid to save it was lost.
      The boozer in Crosspool, Sheffield, was under a protection order as an asset of community value and plans for the homes were initially rejectedCredit: Crosthwaite Commercial
      The pub is thought to have hosted discussions which led to the introduction of throw-ins, headers and the offside rule.
      It also sits next to the oldest football ground in the world.
      The boozer in Crosspool, Sheffield, was under a protection order as an asset of community value and plans for the homes were initially rejected.
      But developers appealed and a planning inspector has overturned Sheffield council’s decision, allowing the three-bed houses to be built.

      The bull­dozers moved in last week.
      Campaigners have battled for years to save The Plough, which closed in 2015.
      Henrietta Billings, of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, said: “It’s shocking to see such an important part of football’s history bulldozed. It should never have been the final whistle for this historic landmark.”
      The Campaign for Real Ale said it was a missed opportunity to develop it as a pub with a football museum.
      Most read in Football
      Heritage officer Dave Pickersgill said: “Football tourism is huge and people come from all over to visit the world’s two oldest clubs Sheffield FC and Hallam.”
      The pub was where Sheffield clubs devised their rules from the 1850s.
      They were then merged with rival regulations in London. More

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      in Soccer

      England ace Harry Maguire snaps up beachfront villa on Caribbean resort loved by Wayne Rooney and Gary Lineker

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      ENGLAND ace Harry Maguire has snapped up a beachfront villa on a Barbados resort loved by Three Lions heroes Wayne Rooney and Gary Lineker.The Manchester United defender’s four-bed pad has a pool and overlooks an 18-hole golf course.
      England ace Harry Maguire has snapped up a beachfront villa on a Barbados resort loved by Three Lions heroes Wayne Rooney and Gary LinekerCredit: Reuters
      Harry, 29, and his wife Fern, 28, wanted somewhere private to escape with their two childrenCredit: Alamy
      Man United legend Rooney regularly holidays at the exclusive Royal Westmoreland resort with wife Coleen, 36, and their four kidsCredit: PA:Press Association
      Match of the Day host Lineker, 62, still visits after selling a property there in 2010Credit: Colorsport
      A source said Harry, 29, and wife Fern, 28, wanted somewhere private to escape with their two children.
      They added: “It’s been a tough year.
      “Harry’s struggled on the pitch and been targeted off it.
      “They need somewhere they can unwind.”

      Man United legend Rooney, 37, regularly holidays at the exclusive Royal Westmoreland resort with wife Coleen, 36, and their four kids after buying a £5million villa during his playing days.
      Match of the Day host Lineker, 62, still visits after selling a property there in 2010.
      Sir Cliff Richard and Denise van Outen are also regulars in the swish clubhouse.
      Maguire, a late sub in United’s dramatic 2-1 win over City in the Manchester derby, picked up the Barbados property during Covid.
      Most read in Football
      He has also invested in a farm close to his family in Mosborough, South Yorks.
      A source said: “Harry is from Mosborough.
      “When he retires, that will be his long-term home.” More

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      in Soccer

      Sir Alex Ferguson surrounded by stars from former rivals Liverpool after they move into his luxury street

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      SIR Alex Ferguson has found himself surrounded by a rival red army — after four Liverpool FC stars moved into luxury properties on his road.The legendary ex-Man United boss, 81, once declared that his greatest challenge at Old Trafford was “knocking Liverpool right off their f*g perch”.
      Alex Ferguson is surrounded by Liverpool stars after four players moved into luxury properties on his roadCredit: Getty
      Liverpool defender Joe Gomez bought a house on Ferguson’s private roadCredit: Getty
      And he will have to tone down his famous “hairdryer treatment” with his new neighbours after Anfield goalie Alisson Becker and defender Joe Gomez bought houses in the same private road.
      They join full-back Andy Robertson and midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the exclusive area in Wilmslow, Cheshire.
      A source said: “Sir Alex spent most of his career at loggerheads with Liverpool managers, Liverpool players and Liverpool fans.
      “He lives in a wonderful secluded private road — but in recent years it’s caught the eye of some of the Liverpool lads.
      read more on alex ferguson
      “Andy Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain moved in first.
      “Now the other lads have moved in and they are joking that they are trying to keep their head down so Sir Alex doesn’t give them the hairdryer treatment.”
      But United and France defender Raphael Varane also lives in the road to provide Sir Alex with some moral support.
      Full-back Andy Robertson also lives on the exclusive road in Wilmslow, CheshireCredit: PA
      Goalie Alisson Becker recently moved into the areaCredit: Getty
      Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was the first Liverpool player to move inCredit: AP More

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      in Soccer

      I forgot I owned house & spent £25k on bar bill – now I know reason why, says bankrupt footie star Jermaine Pennant

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      BANKRUPT ex-footie star Jermaine Pennant has told how he lost his career earnings of more than £10million — and got in such a mess he even forgot he owned a house.The former Liverpool winger splashed out on a fleet of supercars, homes, five-star holidays abroad and once paid a £25,000 bar bill on a lads’ break in Las Vegas. 
      Bankrupt ex-footie star Jermaine Pennant, with girlfriend Jess Impiazzi, has told how he lost his career earnings of more than £10millionCredit: Simon Jones
      Wonderkid Jermaine was at Arsenal at 15 – but says he was left without any real educationCredit: Getty
      While playing for Birmingham, Jermaine was jailed for drink-driving after crashing a Mercedes — when already banned for the same offenceCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      But the 39-year-old, who describes himself as “financially illiterate”, also blew a fortune on bad investments and fell prey to hangers-on he says targeted him.
      And he went on to lose three houses and more money through a divorce and bankruptcy,
      He said: “In all honesty, I could have been a billionaire and still f***ed it up.
      “I have made so many mistakes but I did not know how to deal with things and would not think of the consequences of my actions.
      READ MORE ON JERMAINE PENNANT
      “I have been labelled a bad-boy but, in reality, I was just an insecure kid who did not know what he was doing.”
      Pennant revealed he was diagnosed last year with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and PTSD linked to childhood trauma.
      His ADHD meant he once forgot he owned a house in Cheshire after moving from Liverpool to Spanish side Real Zaragoza — although he was still paying the interest-only mortgage on it.
      He bought the six-bedroom home in Hale for £1.2million on the advice of a fixer.
      Most read in Football
      When he moved to Spain he left it empty — but it was later occupied by a drugs gang who caused a fire at the property.
      Pennant — now a footie pundit on talkSPORT — admitted: ☻“I bought houses but never spoke to an estate agent and had mortgages that I did not know about.
      “I took bad advice from bad people and just lived day to day.
      “There was a fixer who arranged things for me — but now I realise he swindled me out of money.
      “He advised me to buy the house in Hale for well over the odds and then to do a load of building work on it. But I wasn’t paying the builders, I was paying him.
      “That sort of thing happened to me wherever I went.
      “I would also go out and spend money on tables at nightclubs and not worry about it.
      “We did two trips to Las Vegas; and on the first one I picked up a bar bill of $30,000 (£25,000) for my mates — I did not even know what was being ordered.
      “I invested in horses and properties and have lost all the money.
      “I dread to think what the total would be but I guess it would be more than £10million.”
      Years of financial misjudgments and mistakes eventually caught up with the ex-Premier League star.
      The tipping point came when the taxman hit him with a bill for more than £1million in 2018.
      He was declared bankrupt at the start of this year with debts of more than £1million.
      Pennant, who starred on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018, said: “The bankruptcy did not happen overnight. It came from years of bad decisions and ignoring things.
      “We disputed the tax bill and I still do not know what it is for.
      “But that is the thing that led to the bankruptcy more than anything else. I had no idea what I was earning and what was coming out of my account.
      “Because of my ADHD, I would just ignore things and bury my head in the sand, even forgetting I owned a house.”
       But Pennant, who lives with actress girlfriend Jess Impiazzi, 33, in Surrey, insisted he was “happier than ever” after his bankruptcy and looking to the future.
      He continued: “It is not an ideal situation being made bankrupt — but it means I can rebuild my life and make a fresh start.”
      He said he regretted his past behaviour and urged young players not to make the same mistakes as he did, but to take sound advice and avoid the pitfalls of fame.
      Pennant, who has a 12-year-old son by an ex and was married to model Alice Goodwin from 2014 to 2020, once owned motors including a Ferrari F430, an Aston Martin DB9, a Lamborghini, a Porsche GTS and several Range Rovers. 
      He enjoyed luxury holidays at destinations including the Maldives, Bahamas, Seychelles and Dubai.
      The Nottingham-born ace’s career took off when Arsenal signed him from Notts County when he was 15. 
      He scored a hat-trick on his full Premier League debut for the Gunners aged 20 — but he later admitted he was hungover after going out the night before the match as he did not expect to be picked.
      But despite a promising start, he was shipped out on loan to various clubs before joining Birmingham City in 2005.
      While at the Blues, he was jailed for drink-driving after crashing a Mercedes into a lamppost — when he was already banned from the road for the same offence. But Birmingham stuck by him, and Pennant revealed manager Steve Bruce, whom team-mates dubbed his “stepdad”, visited him in category A Woodhill Prison in Milton Keynes as he served his sentence.
      After his release, he played with an electronic tag fitted to his ankle.
      He earned a big-money move to Liverpool where he played a key role in their run to the 2007 Champions League final, which they lost to AC Milan.
      After falling foul of boss Rafa Benitez, he joined Real Zaragoza on wages of £80,000 a week but only stayed at the club for a year.
      Pennant, who earned £30,000 a week at Liverpool, again hit headlines when he left his Porsche at a rail station in Spain for a month because he forgot about it.
      The England under-21 star then joined Stoke City. Spells at Wolves, FC Pune City in India, Wigan Athletic, Singapore side Tampines Rovers and Bury followed — before he ended his career at non-league Billericay Town in 2017.
      Pennant, who starred on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018, said: ‘The bankruptcy did not happen overnight. It came from years of bad decisions and ignoring things’Credit: Rex Features
      Despite a promising start with Arsenal, Jermaine was shipped out on loan to various clubs before joining Birmingham City in 2005Credit: Jamie McPhilimey
      The former Premier League ace ended his career at non-league Billericay Town in 2017Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      He explained: “I came from a rough council estate and became a ‘wonderkid’ when I was 15. I had no education really and knew nothing about finances and money.
      “No one at Arsenal helped me — they just stuck me in digs with a family. I would go training, go home and then be left to my own devices and hangers-on.
      “I developed an ego and had no self-worth so tried to gain it by showing I had money.”
      He admitted his biggest regret was his drink-driving conviction, which led to him being locked up alongside murderers and terrorists.
      Pennant also said he regrets revealing in his 2018 autobiography that he and former Arsenal and Chelsea defender Ashley Cole, 42, had threesomes with girls.
      He said: “The thing I am most ashamed of is the drink-driving.
      “I also regret what I said in the book — and regret writing it. It was another case of taking bad advice, and of not thinking of the consequences because of ADHD.
      “My agent Sky Andrew suffered during these periods because he was trying to make me listen to good advice but I was on the fast train to destruction”.
      “I thought everything would be OK but Ashley was not happy although we are still friends now.
      “I also regret going on Big Brother and don’t think that was a great decision for me.”
      He added: “I would do things without discussing it with anyone, I would hide stuff from my agent who was constantly getting me out of trouble.
      “Maybe the fact that Sky kept finding a way sort things out helped me think I was invincible.”
      Read More on The Sun
      However, Pennant will this year be seen on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins alongside ex-Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
      He concluded: “If I could say one thing to young players, it would be: Make sure you get help, good advice and are surrounded by decent people.” More

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      in Boxing

      I once asked my dad Muhammad Ali which fight was his toughest and his answer surprised me

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      FEW names carry as much weight as Muhammad Ali – so it’s no surprise his son and heir faced an epic fight to live up to his legacy.Not only was the late legend considered to be “The Greatest” boxer of all time, he had a ­magnetic personality and a moral purpose championing his anti-racism campaign in the US.
      Boxing legend Muhammad Ali with son Muhammad Ali Jnr, who has struggled to live up to his legendary father’s nameCredit: Sports Illustrated – Getty
      Muhammad Jnr practising his boxing skills in 2016, but he had previously been hooked on drugs, surviving on food stamp benefits and living in a leaky hovel — cut off from his famous father
      Boxing legend Ali aged 20 in 1962Credit: Getty
      It was therefore inevitable that his namesake, Muhammad Ali Jnr, had high expectations to meet.
      But the younger man had struggles of his own, ending up hooked on drugs, surviving on food stamp benefits and living in a leaky hovel — cut off from his famous father.
      The 50-year-old American has now cleaned up his act and will be the subject of both a documentary and a dramatised movie.
      The films will delve into the trials of being the offspring of Muhammad Ali — born Cassius Clay — probably the world’s best-known athlete.
      READ MORE ON MUHAMMAD ALI
      While you might imagine that Ali Jnr would have been brought up in the lap of luxury, he was in fact raised by his grandparents, who struggled for cash.
      And while he could have chosen to adopt his dad’s birth surname of Clay, he stuck proudly with Ali.
      Speaking exclusively to The Sun, he says: “I was born with the name Muhammad Ali, so I had to be protected because, later in life, my father said, ‘This is Muhammad Ali — when I’m done, he’ll take over’. 
      “Now I’m taking over the legacy. I’m going to keep the legacy going. I am Muhammad Ali Jnr.”
      Most read in Boxing
      Ali Snr was 25 and already a divorcee when he married Jnr’s actress mum, Belinda Boyd, in 1967. She was aged just 17.
      ‘My father was just a teddy bear’
      They had three daughters, Maryum, Jamillah and Rasheda, before the boxer’s male heir arrived.
      By this time, Ali was known the world over thanks to his quick feet, devastating glove work and his refusal on conscientious grounds to fight for the US military in Vietnam.
      But with fame and fortune came the attention of numerous women — a temptation he could not resist.
      He cheated on Belinda, who changed her name to Khalilah Ali, before leaving her for his third wife, Veronica Porche, when Ali Jnr was four years old.
      Ali Jnr reveals that messing with his mum was a bold move — because she was one of the few people to ever floor the champion.
      He recalls: “I once said to my father, ‘Of all the fighting you did, what was the one fight you’d never do again?’ He thought for a minute and said to me, ‘Your mother’.”
      That was because she had thrown him to the ground with a thump in a judo move when he’d crept into the house behind her.
      After the divorce, Ali Jnr went to live with his maternal grandparents and would only stay with his dad during school holidays.
      But his dad, who had at least nine children, made sure those visits were very special.
      Ali Jnr says: “He would take us everywhere. It was all good back then. My father was basically a teddy bear.
      “He loved his kids and he’d do anything for us. I never got spanked by him.
      “It was someone we called ‘Daddy’ — I don’t know any other way to put it. He was a good father even though he wasn’t always there for us.”
      The lack of contact with his children was something that the boxer came to regret. He warned Ali Jnr, “Don’t make the same mistake and same decision I made in my life”.
      His son took the message to mean “having too many women and being with other women. And also the mistakes he made of not being there for his children”.
      Despite earning a fortune from bouts — including the $100million 1974 Rumble In The Jungle against George Foreman — Ali Snr did not provide enough cash to support all his kids.
      Ali Jnr says: “He was away a lot, so our grandparents raised me when I was a child. My grandfather was going to retire, but he had to work to pay the bills, the mortgage.”
      Carrying the name Muhammad Ali around the school playground also proved to be a curse for his son.
       He says: “I got bullied because the other children wanted to know if I could fight like my dad. 
      “I never showed my technique to anybody and I never will.”
      Ali Jnr was more fearful about what might happen to his father as the older man stood up for the rights of black Americans, making him a target for right-wing groups.
       Ali Jnr states: “I thought he was going to be martyred like Martin Luther King was.”
       His dad also warned him about the dangers of a professional boxing career and Ali Jnr decided not to follow the same path. It was a wise decision in terms of health, because repeated blows to the head left the heavyweight king with Parkinson’s disease.
      The brain damage meant that Ali Snr was so forgetful he once abandoned his son at a roadside eatery when the boy was 14.
      ‘I used to smoke weed, crack and cocaine’
      Ali Jnr says: “One time my father picked me up from where I was living in Chicago to go to his home in Michigan and we stopped at a place on the way. 
      “He told me to go get something to eat and when I came back, he was gone. It was scary. I was crying.”
       Around this time, Ali had married his fourth and final wife, Yolanda Williams, who is better known as Lonnie. After that, the boxer and his eldest son drifted apart. Lacking purpose and unable to escape his father’s shadow, Ali Jnr started taking illegal drugs.
      Muhammad Ali Junior pictured outside his former home in one of Chicago’s roughest areasCredit: www.thisischriswhite.com
      Ali Snr was 25 and already a divorcee when he married Jnr’s actress mum, Belinda Boyd, in 1967. She was aged just 17Credit: AP:Associated Press
      The boxing legend with third wife Veronica PorcheCredit: Getty – Contributor
      He admits: “I used to use weed and smoke crack and heroin.”
      In 2005 he married Shaakira and they have two children, Ameera, 14, and 13-year-old Shakera.
      Ali Jnr says: “It was hard financially. I actually had to sleep on the floor because from my bed every day, every night, you would hear gunshots going off.
      “Beside the crime, the water wasn’t right, the electricity wasn’t right, the building wasn’t right. When it rained it leaked into the room.”
      Financial worries only increased the tension with Lonnie, who was his dad’s primary carer.
      His son claims: “I asked him for some money. And she told me not to ask him for money. I really hated her for that.” Eventually, Ali Jnr began taking positive steps and quit his drug habit. He says: “I got off that and turned my life around. I stay away from drug addicts now.”
      But marriage to Shaakira did not survive that turbulent existence and the couple are working out a divorce.
      For a long time he was either unemployed or doing odd jobs, such as painting and decorating.
      Recently, he helped set up The Muhammad Ali Legacy Continues, an organisation that aims to establish gyms in his father’s name and to campaign against bullying.
      Much of his time at the moment is taken up with the movie projects. The documentary, My Father Muhammad Ali, is due out in here in March and there are plans to make a dramatised version of Ali Jnr’s life.
      He reveals: “A biopic is going to start filming on my life story later next year by the same producer who did The Irishman with De Niro.” Ali Snr died aged 74 in 2016, but his son was left upset by the high-profile nature of the funeral, which was packed with celebrities. He says: “It was like a circus.”
      There seems little point in Muhammad Ali Jnr trying to escape his father’s name — because his legacy is all round.
      He concludes: “Everywhere I go, somebody has heard of Muhammad Ali and everywhere I go I see a picture of my father somewhere. 
      Read More on The Sun
      “It’s now like a dream. I never thought my father would die.
      “The greatness he had, I never thought he would literally die.” More

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      in Soccer

      Margarida Corceiro wows in sexy pink bikini as her boyfriend Joao Felix joins Chelsea

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      MODEL Margarida Corceiro eyes up the Premier League as her boyfriend Joao Felix joins Chelsea.The striker, 22, flew into London with the 19-year-old fellow Portuguese national after signing on loan from Atletico Madrid.
      Margarida Corceiro looked stunning posing in a pink bikini as her boyfriend Joao Felix joins ChelseaCredit: MISSUS Swimsuits & Apparel
      Felix and Margarida have been dating since 2019
      The model wore a pink frilly bikini for a photoshoot before her Blues star boyfriend penned his new deal.
      He has moved from Atletico Madrid in a deal worth £9.7million.
      Felix and Margarida have been dating since 2019.
      He said of his new deal: “Chelsea is one of the great teams in the world and I hope to help the team reach their objectives.
      read more on Joao Felix
      “I am very, very happy to be here and very excited to play at Stamford Bridge.”
      Margarida is a soap actress, who first starred in Prisoneira in 2019, and currently appears in Bem me Quer.
      While in 2020, she starred in the Portuguese version of Dancing with the Stars.
      Although, she first gained popularity when she started working for Missus swimwear as a model.
      Most read in Football
      Margarida is a soap actress, who first starred in Prisoneira in 2019, and currently appears in Bem me Quer More

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      in Motorsport

      Lewis Hamilton celebrates birthday with £200m mega-yacht cruise to see penguins in Antarctica

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      RACE ace Lewis Hamilton had a really ice birthday with a trip to see penguins in Antarctica.The seven-time F1 world champion was in (South) Pole position as he celebrated with the cruise on a £200million mega-yacht.
      Lewis Hamilton strikes a pose on a trip to see penguins in Antarctica
      The racing driver was joined by US Olympic snowboard gold medallist Shaun White
      Hamilton, 38 last Saturday, joined US Olympic snowboard gold medallist Shaun White, 36, on board M/Y Octopus.
      He was spotted in a video White posted on Instagram as the group snapped Adélie penguins in Antarctica’s Victoria Land.
      Hamilton also posed in a bright orange snowsuit for his own pictures and videos online.
      The 414ft Octopus, which costs £1.8million a week to charter, was built for late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and is owned by Swedish billionaire Roger Samuelsson.
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      The vessel boasts a glass-bottomed aquarium, dive centre and underwater robot.
      The racing driver also posted a video of him running with the “Eye of the Tiger” song playing over the top.
      Hamilton took this selfie in the South Pole
      The 414ft Octopus, which costs £1.8million a week to charter, was built for late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen More