
Jude Bellingham focused on winning everything as he targets trophies not records
Jude Bellingham says his career arc is evidence of the mindset that anything is possible as the England teenager looks to win it all. From homegrown hero with Birmingham to teenage star at German giants Borussia Dortmund, the 19-year-old midfielder’s inexorable rise shows few signs of abating. There are few more exciting prospects in world football than Bellingham, who has already established himself as a key component for trophy-hungry England and was named Bundesliga Player of the Year after just missing out on the league title. “The goal has always been winning,” Bellingham told the PA news agency. “When you ask me what my biggest ambitions are in the game, it’s to win everything. And I’m not afraid to say that. “You know, everyone should have that goal I feel like as professional footballers. “I’ll do my best to try and make it happen and if it doesn’t then it won’t be because I haven’t worked hard for it. “But, yeah, I’d say records and stuff and individual records don’t excite me like trophies do, so I think that’s the goal for me.” Bellingham, who was speaking before the Bundesliga finale, knows individual honours and records may well come along the years, with England team-mates often suggesting he could break Peter Shilton’s 125-cap record given he has made 24 appearances already. But accomplishments like that are at the back of his mind as he looks to maximise his ability and opportunities. “Football’s my life, really,” said Bellingham, who hopes to inspire the next generation in his role as ambassador for the McDonald’s Fun Football programme – a programme that provides free, inclusive football coaching for children aged five to 11 across more than 1,500 locations in the UK. “I think I’ve put too much into it so far just to stop and accept that I’m going to play at a certain level and only going to win so much. “So, I feel like the mentality that my parents and friends around me have always put into me is go after everything.” That mindset and his whirlwind journey to date means he has little chance to take stock on his career – something he hopes to do with family and friends this summer. “There are things I had to deal with as part of German life,” Bellingham said of the move to Dortmund in 2020. “I probably dealt with that more behind the scenes than in front of cameras and stuff like that, so I’m really grateful that I had such good people around me. “I had good club staff at the time, obviously I had Jadon (Sancho) who was here before me from England and he kind of showed me the ropes and made me feel comfortable. As soon as I was comfortable, really, I just let my football do the talking.” Bellingham has certainly done that, thriving in BVB’s famous black and yellow shirt with his leadership qualities helping him to become the youngest ever player to captain the side. “I think the key to that has been availability,” Bellingham said in a self-deprecating manner. “I think because I’m available a lot of the time it means that I’m on the pitch and I can show what I do every game. Whilst the team around me gets rotated, I’m more of a mainstay. “I think you gain respect from that, in all honesty, and obviously my performance has been good enough to warrant that. “The coach must have seen other things that he likes to give me that responsibility and whenever I’ve played, I don’t think the armband changes me. “So, yeah, you’re taking a little bit more responsibility, but I enjoy it. It’s a beautiful pressure that you want on you that I wanted since I started playing football. “Especially in the Champions League games – it’s the biggest stage, for me – and to have that pressure is really enjoyable.” Bellingham takes a lot of pride in his path from St Andrew’s to Signal Iduna Park. Life in Germany has been eye-opening and his success there has silenced those that attempted to dissuade him from fulfilling his lofty aspirations. When put to Bellingham that he seems to have the mentality that anything is possible, he said: “Well, I think that I am kind evidence of that, really. “I think if I didn’t have that mentality I wouldn’t have been able to get from the Championship to where I’m at now, thankfully, in the space of two or three years. “When you’re saying it three years ago everyone’s calling you naive and telling you that you need to slow down a little bit. “But when you put your mind to it and you work hard at it, it doesn’t seem so crazy when it actually happens. So that’s the goal for me to try and continue to chase my dreams.” :: Jude Bellingham was speaking at a McDonald’s Fun Football session to announce his role as an ambassador for the UK’s largest grassroots participation programme for 5-11 year-olds. Find your nearest free session at www.mcdonalds.co.uk/football Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jude Bellingham determined to inspire the next generation of footballers Leeds confirm Sam Allardyce will not be staying on as manager De Bruyne v Casemiro and Haaland v Varane – The key FA Cup final battles
2023-06-02 17:27

NBA rumors: Why a Paul George-Knicks trade makes more sense than you think
Leading up to the 2023 NBA Draft, Marc Stein of Substack reported that the Los Angeles Clippers were "attempting to gauge Paul George's trade value…" Within days of the report, George was already being linked to the Knicks.According to Ian Begley, the Knicks and Clippers &q...
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Atletico overtake Barca with comfortable Alaves win
Atletico Madrid eased to a 2-1 win over Alaves on Sunday to rise above champions Barcelona to...
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Hybrid model for Asia Cup and beyond may end Pakistan-India 'logjam' says PCB
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USA Basketball rolls past Puerto Rico in World Cup tune-up opener, 117-74
Anthony Edwards and Cam Johnson each scored 15 points, and USA Basketball used a 20-0 run in the second half on the way to rolling past Puerto Rico 117-74 on Monday night in the first World Cup tune-up game for the Americans
2023-08-08 12:28

Patrick Kane says he could make his Red Wings debut as soon as next week at Buffalo
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KSI may have lost to Tommy Fury, but he’s winning where it really matters
Tommy Fury left the ring as the victor, but KSI was the moral winner following their six-round boxing bout at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday night. An evening of entertaining Misfits boxing saw Logan Paul’s co-main event against Dillon Danis descend into a brawl involving security personnel, before reaching its crescendo as KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) boosted his stock, and that of his company, with an unorthodox yet effective performance against the professional boxer. From the first-round bell Fury was hurried by KSI’s punching speed and sharp footwork, too often enticed into coming forward aggressively to attack the openings left by the 30-year-old’s low guard. A quick overhead right from KSI clipped Fury on the neck in the first round and he looked shocked having not seen the punch coming. That was just one of KSI’s impressive moments during the opening rounds, as he utilised a pacey double-jab with a combination of uppercuts and right hooks to build up some early momentum. His gameplan worked and repeatedly frustrated Fury who drew him into clinches attempting to exert his extra weight onto the lighter man, much like brother Tyson does during in his heavyweight bouts. From the inside, Fury twice landed punches on the back of KSI’s head, earning himself a deduction in the second round and leaving him facing an uphill battle to claw back the point – preferably through a knockdown which never came. Fury, who was calmly composed in his previous fight against Jake Paul, seemed scatterbrained and off kilter. He hardly threw a jab and missed out on a lot of punches. The post-fight stats showed he landed more, just, with 39 of his finding the target compared to KSI’s 38. Those statistics are too alike to give Fury any edge, but his intent was clearer. He strode forward frequently, looking for the knockout he’d promised to deliver in the build-up, though it never truly seemed likely. Both men took hits, both dished them out, neither dominated nor looked in real trouble. Clinching was the overwhelming visual across the six rounds, with KSI using it as an effective tool later on to nullify the chances of a knockdown as his team assured him that he was ahead on the points. Fury had no answer for it. He complained to the referee but was drawn back into close quarters before he could do any damage. When the bell sounded to end the fight, Tyson and the Fury corner looked worried. They needn’t have been. The judges scores of 57-57, 57-56, 57-56 sent the young Fury leaping into the air in celebration. Tyson gave it the old double fist pump. Everyone else was dumbstruck. KSI went so far as to call it a ‘robbery’ and the watching fans agreed, jeering Fury during his post-match interview. This is his home city, and a friendly crowd knew that justice hadn’t been served. Fury didn’t care. He believed he’d done enough, labelling KSI a ‘sore loser’ before exiting the ring with his unbeaten record intact, though slightly less pristine than it was before. Crossover boxing events such as this are no strangers to controversy and this result was controversial. Yet, it sets up the possibility of a heated rematch, which KSI says he’s up for, or the chance for Jake Paul to re-enter the game against either of the headline acts, who knows where it may yet lead. The result may have put a dent in Fury’s reputation as a professional (despite his win) but it’s boosted the legitimacy of the genre itself and raised the level of intrigue for what will inevitably come next. And for the entrepreneurial YouTubers-turned-boxers who thrive in this space that’s the bottom line. KSI might have lost the fight, but he’s winning the war. Read More Tommy Fury claims points victory over YouTube star KSI Logan Paul beats Dillon Danis by disqualification after fight ends in ugly brawl Who is KSI? From ‘endearing’ class clown to YouTuber who has changed the face of boxing Tommy Fury claims points victory over YouTube star KSI Who is Dillon Danis: Logan Paul’s opponent who threatened to cancel fight? KSI vs Tommy Fury card featuring Logan Paul vs Dillon Danis
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Erling Haaland named 2022/23 Premier League Player of the Season
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2023 Leagues Cup: Groups, teams and what to know
The 15 League Cup groups have been set consisting of all 47 clubs, 18 from Liga MX and 29 from the MLS. Each region will have four different groups except for the West which will only have three.Two teams will not have to play in the group stage and get an automatic bye to the round of 32. LAFC ...
2023-05-17 07:24

Tiger and McIlroy's tech-golf series delays start to 2025
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2023-11-21 02:51

Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg: Who would win a fight between tech titans?
Who would win a fight between Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg? It’s the sort of question that might be asked over a drink in the pub. But a clash between the two of the world’s tech tycoons may no longer be hypothetical after Mr Zuckerberg apparently agreed to a cage fight with Mr Musk. When rumours emerged earlier this month that the Facebook boss – a Jiu Jitsu enthusiast – was looking for a rival, the Space X and Tesla founder tweeted that he was “up for a cage match”. Mr Zuckerberg then posted a screenshot of the tweet with the caption “send me location”. Now that a fight appears on the cards, how would the two men match up inside the ring? At more than 6ft tall, Mr Musk would have a clear reach advantage over Mr Zuckerberg, who measures up at 5ft 8in. His height also means he would also have a significant weight advantage over his opponent, but Mr Zuckerberg’s Jiu Jitsu skills - he recently won his first gold and silver medals at a Silicon Valley tournament - would undoubtedly enable him to get out of a few sticky situations on the canvas. Mr Musk joked he had a “great move” to show off, noting that his workout regime consists mostly of spending time with his children. “I have this great move that I call ‘The Walrus’ where I just lie on top of my opponent & do nothing,” he tweeted. He added: “I almost never work out, except for picking up my kids & throwing them in the air.” In 2020, Mr Musk also told Joe Rogan that he “wouldn’t exercise at all if [he] could”. Although Mr Zuckerberg is smaller and lighter than Mr Musk, his technical ability and aerobic capacity could prove too much for the Tesla boss, who earlier this year said that his typical breakfast included a bowl of ice cream, biscuits and a donut. Mr Zuckerberg says he used to “run a lot” and got into surfing and then MMA after the Covid pandemic. “I really like watching UFC for example, that’s because I also like doing the sport [MMA],” he said on the Joe Rogan Experience. “It really is the best sport, five minutes in I was like ‘where has this best my whole life?’ To some degree, MMA is the perfect thing because if you stop paying attention for one second you’re going to end up on bottom.” In addition to his martial arts skills, Mr Zuckerberg also recently participated in the “Murph Challenge,” a gruelling workout named after Lt Michael P Murphy, a Navy Seal who was killed in action in 2005. The challenge, which the 39 year old said he tries to do each year with his daughters, involves 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats, and a mile-long run, all while wearing a 20-pound weighted vest. “This year I got it done in 39:58. The girls did a quarter-Murph (unweighted) in 15 mins!” he wrote on Instagram on 29 May. According to Total Shape, a health and fitness platform that provides resources and expertise from fitness experts, Mr Zuckerberg’s ability to “complete extreme fitness challenges and technique with mixed martial arts showcases he has substantial ability and endurance”. When it comes down to who would win in a fight, “it is agility vs strength,” experts at Total Shape say, while noting that, based on “general endurance and skill for cage fighting, Mark Zuckerberg would have the upper hand”. However, “having strength and longer reach can give a fighter a lead when it comes to forceful striking and make it more difficult for the opponent to strike back”. Ultimately, the health and fitness experts at Total Shape conclude: “Placing both titans in a cage, Mark Zuckerberg would have the edge of agility and endurance needed to take Mr Musk down, given Mr Musk isn’t able to forcefully strike him earlier on in the fight.” The potential face-off comes amid rumours that Mr Zuckerberg is preparing to create a new app to rival Twitter, which is expected to be called Threads. The app, internally codenamed Project 92, will reportedly feature a continuous scroll of text, buttons similar to Twitter’s like and retweet functions, and a 500-character limit on posts. It is not the first time Mr Musk has called for a fight with a global figure. In August last year he challenged the Russian president to a scrap. "I hereby challenge Vladimir Putin to a fight. The prize is Ukraine," he wrote. Putin didn’t respond to the goading but the irony was apparently lost on his Chechen war lord ally, Ramzan Kadyrov. "A word of advice: don’t measure your strength against Putin’s, you’re in two different leagues," the henchman warned. In a statement to Verge about whether a fight will indeed take place between Mr Zuckerberg and Mr Musk, a spokesperson for Meta said: “The story speaks for itself.” Read More Mark Zuckerberg takes a swipe at Twitter over handling of Hunter Biden laptop story Elon Musk confirms cage fight with Mark Zuckerberg Elon Musk breaks silence on Titanic submarine that reportedly used Starlink internet Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg: Who would win a fight between tech titans? Elon Musk’s sister says she’s been overcharged due to her last name Elon Musk appears to side with Republican who criticised Megan Fox’s parenting
2023-06-24 19:52

Mikey Johnston issues Netherlands warning as Ireland look to finish on high
Mikey Johnston has warned the Netherlands not to underestimate the Republic of Ireland as the Dutch attempt to book their place at the finals of Euro 2024. Barring an unlikely sequence of events which would hand Ireland a play-off place, they will not be in Germany next summer, but the Netherlands will be if they can take maximum points from their remaining Group B fixtures against Stephen Kenny’s men and Gibraltar next month. Monday night’s last-gasp 1-0 win in Greece as the Republic beat Gibraltar 4-0 in Faro left the Netherlands in pole position to claim second place behind France, but Celtic winger Johnston, who was on the scoresheet along with Evan Ferguson, Matt Doherty and Callum Robinson, is determined to end a disappointing campaign on a high. Asked if he saw the trip to Amsterdam as a chance to bloody the nose of one of European football’s big guns, who won 2-1 in Dublin last month, the 24-year-old said: “I think we have shown we can do that. “Obviously the results haven’t gone our way, but we went toe-to-toe with them and it’s just fine margins. “At either end in the box, we’ve not been good enough at times, conceding goals we shouldn’t have and maybe we’ve not taken our chances as well. “This group has given everything to qualify and that’s all we can ask.” Our group is obviously tough, but we are not making excuses, we still believed we could qualify from the group. Mikey Johnston Ireland always knew they had a tough task to get out of the group when they were drawn against both the Dutch and World Cup runners-up France. But defeat by the Greeks in Athens in their second fixture left them up against it and they will head into their final fixture with only six points banked from the first seven, all of them against whipping boys Gibraltar. That return has left manager Kenny facing a review next month which might well have been brought forward despite assurances to the contrary had things gone badly at the Estadio Algarve, and few commentators expect him to remain in his role. Asked to assess the campaign, Johnston said: “Obviously it’s disappointing that we haven’t qualified. Our group is obviously tough, but we are not making excuses, we still believed we could qualify from the group.” Whether or not Kenny is involved in the international set-up beyond November remains to be seen, but Johnston will hope his efforts to date in the green shirt will lead to further caps. His six appearances so far – the last of them a first start – have yielded two goals and an exciting brand of football which has at times been missing from Kenny’s team despite the manager’s attempts to adopt a more progressive approach. Johnston spent last season on loan at Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal, but has missed the start of the new campaign back at Celtic after suffering a stress fracture in his back, and he is now looking to catch the eye of club boss Brendan Rodgers. He said: “I’m just trying to work my way behind the scenes to get my opportunity. The manager has got tough decisions to make. He has got wingers that he has brought in for a few million and whatever, so it’s up to me to get into the team.” Read More On this day in 2018: Shahid Khan withdraws £900m offer to buy Wembley from FA Dallas Cowboys bounce back to edge past Los Angeles Chargers Stephen Kenny focused on fixtures instead of future after Ireland beat Gibraltar David Brooks looks to impress for Wales at a major tournament Northern Ireland U21s lose late on against Serbia I quite like the noise – Ellis Genge ‘fuelled’ by England’s critics
2023-10-17 16:25
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