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      Aaron Ramsey named Wales captain for second time TEN YEARS after being stripped following Gareth Bale retirement

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      AARON  RAMSEY has been named Wales captain for a second time – TEN-AND-A-HALF YEARS after he was stripped of the armband.The Nice midfielder, 32, replaces the retired Gareth Bale, starting with the Euro 2024 qualifying double-header against Croatia and Latvia this month.
      Aaron Ramsey has belatedly been handed his second shot at the Wales captaincyCredit: Getty
      Ramsey was Dragons’ captain under the late Gary Speed as a blossoming star during his time at Arsenal.
      But Chris Coleman switched his leader from Rambo to Ashley Williams in October 2012 following the shock death of Speed the previous November.
      Boss Robert Page, who announced in Cardiff that Ramsey would lead his 24-man squad, said: “Aaron was vice-captain behind Gareth and to me it’s the natural progression.
      “While we’ve still got someone of his quality in the squad it was the natural decision.
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      “Aaron took it hard after the World Cup like we all did. But there was no doubt whatsoever about his future and wanting to play for Wales.”
      Page revealed it was a close decision between Ramsey and Tottenham’s Ben Davies, who will become Wales’ vice-captain for the Group D clashes in Split on March 25 and the Latvia tie in Cardiff three days later.
      He added: “I see Ben Davies as a captain of the future and his role will be similar to that of Gareth and Aaron.”
      This is the first squad without most-capped player and record goalscorer Bale after his retirement from football in January.
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      Page conceded: “It’s strange. Gareth was an unbelievable servant and player and he will be missed.”
      Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson has been named in the squad despite carrying a groin injury.
      The 21-year-old, with nine goals in all competitions this season, limped off in the 3-1 Premier League defeat to Tottenham on Saturday and will be assessed by Wales when they meet up on Sunday.
      As well as talisman Bale, Joe Allen, Chris Gunter and Jonny Williams have also ended their international careers since the disappointing World Cup in November.
      Page has included in-form Millwall striker Tom Bradshaw, 30, who receives his first international call-up in five years since winning the last of his three caps in China.
      Bradshaw has scored 13 goals for the Championship play-off contenders this season and also won the division’s player of the month award for February.
      Page has also named four uncapped players in Luke Harris, Jordan James, Ollie Cooper and Nathan Broadhead.
      Page said: “We’ve reset and reframed after the World Cup. We knew after the World Cup there was this evolution that would happen. There are no surprises in the lads we have brought in.”
      Wales squad – Goalkeepers: Hennessey, Ward, A Davies. Defenders: B Davies, Rodon, Mepham, Ampadu, Roberts, Lockyer, Cabango, N Williams. Midfielders: Ramsey, Morrell, Wilson, James, Harris, Thomas, Burns. Forwards: Moore, Johnson, James, Bradshaw, Cooper, Broadhead More

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      Aston Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez shows his softer side with incredible gesture to raise £37,000 for charity

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      ASTON VILLA and Argentina keeper Emi Martinez has raised £37,000 by auctioning off his World Cup final gloves.The 30-year-old, nicknamed Dibu, was instrumental in helping his side win the final and lift the trophy for the first time since 1986.
      Emi Martinez produced a sensational performance in the World Cup finalCredit: Getty
      He saved a penalty and saw one drift wide in the shoot-out as Argentina triumphedCredit: Getty
      With the astonishing clash level at 3-3, Martinez made a sensational stop to deny France’s Randal Kolo Muani at the end of extra-time.
      And he then went on to save a penalty in the shoot-out before Aurelien Tchouameni fired wide as Argentina triumphed in dramatic fashion.
      Many keepers would have understandably kept the match-winning gloves for themselves.
      But it has now been revealed that Martinez, who won the Golden Glove award for best keeper at the World Cup, opted to auction them off.
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      And he has donated the proceeds – which amount to £37,000 – to the oncology ward at the Garrahan Hospital in Buenos Aires.
      Speaking on Instagram, the Argentine Paediatric Foundation said: “$45,000 for the Dibu gloves to help the Garrahan boys.”
      And Martinez added: “The World Cup finals are not played every day, [the gloves] are special.
      “But it helps a child much more than me having them hanging in a frame in my house.”
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      Reacting to Martinez’s kind gesture, one Villa fan said: “The man he is. So happy he is at our club.”
      While another added: “Beautiful deed from him.”
      Martinez’s generous act comes after he was criticised for his behaviour during and after the World Cup final.
      His gamesmanship during the pivotal shoot-out raised eyebrows among some football fans.
      And he then appeared to mock Kylian Mbappe during the open-top bus parade in Argentina by holding a baby doll with the French striker’s face on.
      Mbappe, 24, scored a hat-trick in the final but still ended up on the losing side.
      Martinez divided opinion with his actions during and after the World Cup finalCredit: Getty More

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      Fifa to approve expanded World Cup with new 48 team format and extra games while being longest in history

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      FIFA will today confirm the 2026 World Cup will be the longest and biggest in history.World chiefs under President Gianni Infantino have agreed on the final structure, to be rubber-stamped at the meeting of the organisation’s ruling Council in Kigali, Rwanda.
      FIFA president Gianni Infantino is set to make some major changesCredit: Rex

      More teams are set to join the World Cup competition come 2026Credit: Getty
      It will mean a tournament expanded from the 64 games in Qatar to a massive 104 split across the venues in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
      And while Qatar 2022 was played over 29 days to squeeze it into the smallest possible window, the next World Cup will be played over 39 days, a fraction over five and a half weeks.
      That will not go down well with the clubs who supply the players, although Fifa will cut the preparation period to a maximum 17 days rather than the 24 days specified for the last summer World Cup in Russia in 2018.
      Instead of the much-criticised initial plan of 16 groups of three teams – which saw many experts voice fear of potential collusion in the final set of games – Fifa will stick with four team groups.
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      It means the top two in each of the 12 opening groups will go through to the knock-out phase, along with the eight best third-placed teams.
      That will see the knock-out stage starting with the round of 32.
      For the first time in World Cup history, the winners will have to play EIGHT games to lift the trophy. 
      The decision to expand the competition to 48 teams for the first time caused controversy when it was made in 2017.
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      Since then, Fifa has looked at various options before reverting to 12 groups of fours.
      LIKELY 2026 World Cup timetable
      Jun 11 Opening matches – one each in Canada, Mexico and USA (3 matches)
      Jun 12-27 Group stage games. Final round of group games played over six days (total 69 more matches)
      June 28-Jul 1 First knock-out round (16 matches)
      Jul 2-3 Rest days
      Jul 4-7 Last 16 (eight matches)
      Jul 8-9 Rest days
      Jul 10-11 Quarter-finals (four matches)
      Jul 14-15 Semi-finals (two matches)
      Jul 18 3rd place game
      Jul 19 World Cup Final
      Total 104 matches in 39 days

      Ideas that were considered and then rejected included penalty shoot-outs at the end of drawn group games and a “winner’s” bonus of the team topping the group staying in the same city for the opening knock-out tie.
      But the drama of the final group games in Qatar, including the incredible night in which, at points in the games, all four of Spain, Japan, Germany and Costa Rica were both going through and going home, saw Infantino add his weight to the new format. More

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      Wales’ women side set to face World Cup holders USA in glamour friendly Stateside

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      WALES’ women side are set to play a glamour friendly against the USA before the World Cup.Gemma Grainger’s Dragons have been lined up to travel Stateside and face the World Cup holders, who will defend their title in Australia and New Zealand this summer.
      Jess Fishlock and her Wales team-mates could face World Cup holders USA in friendlyCredit: Getty
      FAW chief executive Mooney recently revealed the exciting friendly plansCredit: Getty
      SunSport understands a verbal agreement for the mouth-watering warm-up fixture, likely to be in June, has been reached but contracts have not yet been signed off.
      But Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney confirmed the friendly publicly during a visit to London earlier this month.
      Mooney attended a number of functions during the Wales Week in London event including a St David’s Day dinner in front of 500 guests at the Guildhall.
      USA faced Euro champions England last October, losing the friendly 2-1 at a sell-out Wembley.
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      The fixture was viewed as a huge success for women’s football.
      USA will also host Republic of Ireland, who have qualified for the global finals which will kick-off Down Under on July 20, twice for friendly matches in April.
      Wales did not reach the World Cup after losing to Switzerland in the playoffs last October.
      Grainger’s side beat Bosnia and then came close to reaching a first major tournament.
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      Georgia Stanway scored a penalty winner for England against USA last OctoberCredit: Alamy
      But Wales suffered heartbreak when Swiss substitute Fabienne Humm scored a winner as the second half of extra time moved into stoppage time.
      The Dragons have USA-based Jess Fishlock in their ranks.
      The 36-year-old midfielder, who is Wales’ most-capped female player with 134 caps, plays for OL Reign in Seattle. More

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      Real Madrid star Eden Hazard reveals he ‘didn’t like’ playing for Belgium at World Cup 2022

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      EDEN HAZARD has revealed why he “didn’t like” playing for Belgium at the 2022 World Cup.The 32-year-old captained the Red Devils in Qatar despite having made just six appearances for Real Madrid prior to the tournament.
      Hazard ‘didn’t like’ playing at the 2022 World CupCredit: EPA
      But, he recently admitted that he didn’t actually enjoy playing because he believed that the “new generation” of Belgium players were more deserving.
      In an interview with Belgian outlet HLN, Hazard said: “New guys knocked on the door with the national team.
      “Not playing at Real, then joining the Red Devils and playing football. I didn’t like that, especially because the new generation deserves to play.”
      Following Belgium’s shock World Cup group stage exit, Hazard announced his retirement from international football.
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      But while many fans believed that this was down to his country’s failed Cup campaign, the former Chelsea star claimed that he made the decision after the European Championships in 2021.
      He added: “I knew for some time that I would stop after the World Cup. The performance in Qatar was not decisive for my decision.
      “Of course it is a pity how it turned out, but my decision was made in advance. It was just time to stop.
      “I first started thinking about it after the European Championships. I had done my best to be fit in time after my ankle injury.
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      “Unfortunately, I couldn’t play in the quarter-final loss to Italy and that really made a mental difference.
      “I also play football in Madrid with Toni Kroos. He quit the German national team two years ago and he told me that when others have international commitments, he could take advantage of that time to enjoy with his family.”
      Hazard joined Real Madrid from Chelsea in a huge £88.5million transfer almost four years ago.
      But he has failed to make an impact at the Santiago Bernabeu.
      The winger has scored just seven goals in 73 appearances for Los Blancos since making the switch from Stamford Bridge.
      But he remains the highest paid player at the club. More

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      Spain and Portugal set to DUMP Ukraine from World Cup 2030 bid and announce completely new country

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      SPAIN and Portugal are set to up the ante on their 2030 World Cup bid – by DUMPING Ukraine and enlisting Morocco.The Iberian-led bid is the official European standard-bearer ahead of the vote due from Fifa’s 211 member associations next year.
      Football representatives of Spain, Portugal and Ukraine had put together a World Cup bidCredit: AFP
      But just five months after announcing Ukraine would be added to the bid and house two groups if it was successful, the war-hit nation is on the verge of being replaced by the North African state.
      Morocco bid unsuccessfully to host the 2010 and 2026 tournaments and had mooted a standalone campaign or heading a three-nation option involving neighbours Tunisia and Algeria for 2030.
      But the success of the Morocco team on the pitch in their run to the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar saw further discussions about being recruited to the Iberian bid.
      That is now part of active discussions with the Spanish and Portuguese FAs, alarmed at being linked with the corruption, fraud and money laundering allegations aimed at Ukrainian FA chief Andriy Pavelko.
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      While Pavelko has vehemently denied all the claims against him there is growing pressure on Ukraine to announce it is no longer able to join the Iberian campaign, leaving the door open for Morocco to walk through.
      While the Iberian bid will have the total support of Uefa and its President Aleksander Ceferin it is facing an uphill battle to secure the 106 votes needed in the likely second stage of voting.
      England and the other Home Nations plus Ireland represent five certain votes for Spain and Portugal, with other major European countries likely to fall into line.
      But the four nation South American bid by Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile, officially launched last month, is the sentimental pick.
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      Montevideo’s Estadio Centenario, which hosted the inaugural final in 1930, would also fulfil the same role 100 years later.
      And Fifa President Gianni Infantino is more likely to put his unofficial weight behind the front-runner, the three nation bid led by Saudi Arabia.
      The Saudis have planted their flag already in both Africa and Europe, with games promised in co-hosts Egypt and Greece.
      Including Greece is an attempt to break open the 55-nation Uefa bloc vote.
      Russia, still a Fifa member and with the same vote as any other nation, is likely to use its influence to back the Saudi-led cause, far easier with Greece part of the bid.
      Including Morocco would be a way for the Spain-Portugal team to try to attract African support which would otherwise be likely to be mandated to go with the Saudi bid because of Egypt’s involvement. More

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      I’m a Newcastle United cult hero who starred at the World Cup… but then I became a greengrocer

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      A NEWCASTLE United cult hero who starred at the World Cup went on from scoring an iconic goal against Manchester United to become a greengrocer.Philippe Albert, 55, was a goal-scoring centre-back for Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle side before finishing his Prem career with Keegan at Fulham.
      Philippe Albert celebrating his iconic goal against Manchester UnitedCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Toon legend Philippe worked as a greengrocer after retiringCredit: Twitter
      His October 1996 long-range dink past Peter Schmeichel in a 5-0 home victory over United remains many Toon fans’ most cherished memory of the Entertainers era.
      He joined Newcastle on the back of an outstanding performance for Belgium at the 1994 World Cup, where he scored crucial goals against Germany and the Netherlands.
      But after hanging up his boots in 2000, Philippe gave it all up for a completely new career as a greengrocer back home in Belgium.
      He told the Guardian: “I would prepare the produce for customers.
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      “I did for 11 years and I didn’t touch the money I earned as a footballer.
      “Up early, finishing late, that’s what I wanted: a normal life. I’m very proud of it.
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      “Otherwise when you stop football, you do nothing. You have no life.”
      Philippe worked as a greengrocer until 2012, when he became a full-time pundit for Belgian TV.
      He told FourFourTwo: “For 11 years, before moving into television, I wanted to experience the real world.
      “I enjoyed life, going about my business each day just like everybody else.
      “And I love eating spinach, to stay strong, and apples.”
      It comes after former striker for Newcastle’s most hated rivals told how he gave up football to run a B&B in York.
      Sunderland legend Marco Gabbiadini, 55, embarked on the unlikely second chapter after giving up football at the age of 35.
      Former England midfielder Lee Bowyer also revealed that he now spends his days fishing carp on a secluded lake.
      And Iain Dowie, 58, who played 400 games for clubs including Crystal Palace, West Ham, and Southampton, gave up football to become a mortgage advisor at a Lancashire law firm.
      Philippe now works as a pundit for Belgian TVCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd More

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      Controversial World Cup referee who angered Lionel Messi to officiate crunch Cristiano Ronaldo clash in Saudi title race

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO and Al Nassr’s crunch Saudi League title match against Al Ittihad will be refereed by Mateu Lahoz, who managed to anger Lionel Messi at the World Cup.Card-happy Lahoz has been officiating LaLiga matches since 2008.
      Cristiano Ronaldo will captain Al Nassr in their crunch Saudi League clash with Al IttihadCredit: Getty
      Mateu Lahoz will referee the Saudi title clash but isn’t popular among top stars like Lionel MessiCredit: Reuters
      And he has hit the headlines more recently for angering Messi and the Argentina camp at the World Cup.
      Lahoz brandished a record-breaking 18 yellow cards during Argentina’s quarter-final clash with the Netherlands.
      Messi said in the aftermath: “I don’t want to speak about referees because after they will sanction you. But people saw what happened.”
      The Argentine captain, who went on to lift the golden trophy, added: “I think FIFA must take care of this, it cannot put a referee like that for a match of such magnitude, of such importance.
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      “The referee cannot fail to be up to the task.”
      After returning from the winter tournament, Lahoz caused a stir again when he brought out 15 yellow cards, TWO reds and even awarded a late penalty to visitors Espanyol as they stole a 1-1 draw at city rivals Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
      Lahoz will now referee a crunch game in Saudi between Al Nassr – where Ronaldo is now playing his trade – and title rivals Al Ittihad, according to AS.
      There are just two points between league leaders Al Nassr and second-place Al Ittihad going into Thursday’s clash.
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       The 48-year-old will be a familiar face to Ronaldo.
      Lahoz would have taken charge of many Real Madrid games when the Portuguese star was at the club between 2009 and 2018.
      Ronaldo has eight goals in six Al Nassr appearances. More