List of All Articles with Tag 'c'

The Ballon d’Or awards ceremony takes place at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris this evening when football’s most prestigious prize is presented to the best footballer from the 2022/23 season. Lionel Messi, the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or, is the most decorated winner of all time with seven triumphs to his name. His heroics in helping Argentina win the World Cup mean Messi looks likely to extend his record with an eighth win but he faces competition from Manchester City’s Erling Haaland who had a record-breaking season of his own and PSG’s Kylian Mbappe after he won Ligue 1 and played a huge part in taking France to the World Cup final. The women’s award, the Ballon d’Or Féminin, will also be handed out this evening. Spain’s Aitana Bonmati is the favourite to succeed Alexia Putellas as the award winner after leading Spain to their Women’s World Cup triumph and Barcelona to the Women’s Champions League but there may be some surprises in store at the ceremony. Follow along for the latest updates from the Ballon d’Or awards in Paris with our liveblog below:

Turn a $5 bet into $200 in bonus bets instantly when you sign up with DraftKings. Read more to learn how you can unlock your bonus bets in minutes today.

England coach Sarina Wiegman says the Lionesses are under no illusions about what is expected of them these days, insisting England are ready to keep producing victories game after game. A stellar run over the past few years has seen the women’s national team win the European Championship and reach the Women’s World Cup final, where they lost to Spain. Now they are targeting success in the Uefa Nations League – and a place at the 2024 Paris Olympics too for Team GB – and face Belgium in their fourth Group A1 game. Wiegman says the squad are comfortable with the pressures on them, and believes they can improve on the 1-0 victory over the same opposition last week. “The expectations are very clear. Everyone expects us to win,” said Wiegman ahead of the game in Leuven. “We expect ourselves to win but we want to improve on our game. That makes the chances of winning higher. “I was happy with how we played Friday. We could have made it a little bit easier for ourselves, but how we were on the pitch, how we wanted to play out of possession and in possession, we did really well. “What we want to do in possession is be a little better in the final third. We create chances but the final pass, the final position and the execution, we want to do better. “What I really liked on Friday, there was so much energy in the team. You saw real intention. If we lost the ball, we really wanted to win it back. We had only one stage in the game [where] we dropped a little bit, then picked it up again. I want to see the same energy, intention of the whole team and the togetherness.” England are two points ahead of Belgium heading into the match and level with Netherlands, with Scotland bottom. Meanwhile, midfielder Georgia Stanway suggested the Ballon d’Or ceremony must be better planned in future to allow the top women to attend, given many are preparing for an international match on Monday night when the awards are dealt out. Regarding the upcoming match, she noted that England’s progression play was impressive, but more could be done in the final third to improve further. “The Belgium game we played the other day was a real show of who we are,” said Stanway. “We dominated possession and created a lot. But we didn’t get it over the line as many times as we wanted to. “After losing a [World Cup] final, it’s sometimes not motivating to turn up to training every day, but I think we hit the ground running. “Everybody has been firing in training. We have Fran Kirby back, which is also a real highlight. I love playing with her, so it’s important to have numbers all over the pitch.” Read More Fran Kirby felt like she’d never been away on return to England side England come out on top but it’s far from a complete performance against Belgium Mary Earps reveals difficulties with fan relationship with rise of women’s football England vs Belgium LIVE: Women’s Nations League latest updates Beth Mead ‘not close’ to England recall, Sarina Wiegman admits Fran Kirby returns to Lionesses squad as Sarina Wiegman reveals Beth Mead decision

A look at some reasonable trades Brett Veach could make at the NFL trade deadline to bolster the Kansas City Chiefs roster.

Iowa long nightmare might finally be over soon but the Hawkeyes fans will have to suffer through the rest of the season before they are able to wake up.

NFL trade rumors swirl, with the Cardinals clinging tight to Kyler Murray, teams calling about Jaylon Johnson, and prices skyrocketing.

Kirk Cousins suffers torn Achilles and his 2023 season is over

After losing Kirk Cousins for the season, the Minnesota Vikings need to decide if they'll try to trade for a quarterback, and fast.

While some of the Lakers' offseason additions have already begun to gel with the team, others haven't. The Lakers might want a do-over on these three.

Zach LaVine just posted a career-high against the Detroit Pistons, will he continue his scoring spree against the Pacers?

The Denver Nuggets have looked like a juggernaut and their young bench is stepping up in a huge way.

Chelsea fans travelling to Wolves for the Premier League clash on Christmas Eve will be offered free transport to and from the game by the club. The match itself was originally scheduled for 23 December but has been moved back a day for a 1 pm kick off, becoming the first Premier League to take place on 24 December since 1995. It is a decision that has been unpopular with fans, given the already congested festive fixture schedule. "The club is aware that transport options are more limited than usual on this date, as it is a Sunday and also Christmas Eve," Chelsea said in a statement. "As a sign of appreciation for fans making this trip, Chelsea Football Club will be offering free travel as a goodwill gesture to anyone who purchases a ticket." The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust said: “It is totally unacceptable that Wolves v Chelsea has been scheduled for Christmas Eve. “Not only could this lead to staffing issues at Molineux, but holiday transport timetables will further inconvenience supporters.” Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino will also be unable to celebrate his wedding anniversary as well as the holiday. The manager said last week: "It is difficult because it is not easy to change," he said last week. "We need to accept we are in England and it is different to the rest of the world ... "Even if I am not happy, we need to try to be in our best level and accept a situation we cannot change." In August Chelsea were criticised for putting financial strain on fans after removing a £10 subsidy on coach travel to domestic away matches, deciding it was not ‘financially sustainable’. The club has spent almost £1bn on signings since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought the club in 2022. With reporting from Reuters. Read More Mauricio Pochettino insists Chelsea must rebuild trust with supporters Wolves v Chelsea on Christmas Eve means ‘unhappy wife’ for Mauricio Pochettino Reports of Premier League games on Christmas Eve a ‘kick in the teeth’ for fans Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea ‘not nasty enough’ after defeat by Brentford Brentford end Chelsea’s mini-revival and continue Stamford Bridge success story Chelsea vs Brentford LIVE: Premier League result and final score