Cristiano Ronaldo reflected on an unforgettable 2016 after being named the winner of the Ballon d Or for the fourth time in his illustrious career.
The Real Madrid and Portugal superstar regained the accolade from long-time Barcelona rival Lionel Messi, with Ronaldo accruing 745 points from the jury of 173 international journalists who voted for the victor.
Ronaldo has enjoyed a sensational 12 months, winning the Champions League with Madrid and earning a first international title with Portugal at Euro 2016.
And the 31-year-old, who has 51 goals to his name for club and country so far this year, reflected that it was Portugal s success at Euro 2016, where his three tournament goals saw him match Michel Platini as the record goalscorer in European Championship his…
Ahead of what promises to be another thrilling Premier League season, we take a look at 10 of the biggest and best close-season transfers.
Alexis Sanchez Arsenal
The second-largest transfer in Arsenal s history, with an estimated £32million fee, Arsene Wenger pulled off a major coup in bringing the Chile star to the Emirates Stadium from Barcelona.
Deemed surplus to requirements at Camp Nou ahead of Luis Suarez s arrival, Alexis turned down Liverpool to join Arsenal.
He was a key player in his country s run to the last 16 of the World Cup, and Arsenal fans will be hoping the fleet-of-foot forward can help fire them to a first Premier League title since 2004.
Diego Costa Chelsea
After his haul of 36 goals in all competitions helped Atlet…
Kasper Hjulmand has resigned from his role as Denmark head coach following the team s last-16 exit at Euro 2024.
Denmark scraped through Group C in Germany with three draws, before losing 2-0 to hosts Germany in a round-of-16 tie featuring several controversial VAR interventions.
It was Denmark s second underwhelming tournament in a row, after they crashed out in the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Hjulmand took the reins in 2020 after Age Hareide s departure, with his first tournament his most successful as Denmark reached the Euro 2020 semi-finals, losing to England in extra time.
It has been an incredible honour and privilege to be allowed to coach our national team for four years, Hjulmand said in a statement released on Friday.
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Lieke Martens, the Netherlands star performer in their Women s Euro 2017 success, will play no further part in the Oranje s title defence.
The former Barcelona winger, who has just joined Paris Saint-Germain, was the Player of the Tournament in the previous Women s Euros.
The Netherlands won that tournament in surely the highlight of an outstanding year for Martens, who was also the UEFA Women s Player of the Year and The Best FIFA Women s Player.
And the 29-year-old had appeared set to play a key role for the Netherlands again in England, creating a joint-high seven Oranje chances in the group stage – including assisting Danielle van de Donk s winner against Portugal – and attempting six shots herself.
But the Netherlands announced on Tuesday the inj…
Whether you’re rolling over your winnings from Sunday or trying to claw your way out of a weekend of red, Monday Night Football betting is the Grand Finale to the Week 6 schedule.
And with that in mind, we go beyond the spread and total for Monday’s matchup and give our best NFL prop bets for this primetime battle between the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens.
Here are my favorite free prop picks and predictions for Monday Night Football.
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Washington bettors have been through the desert on a team with no name, but can a new moniker and new quarterback in Carson Wentz make the Washington Commanders contenders — or at least better than a 7-9-1 against the spread?
With D.C. entering Year 3 under coach Ron Rivera, the sports betting industry seems a little lost on the Commanders. The team’s win total ranges as much as a full game from book-to-book and the lookahead lines add up to anywhere from 6.5 wins to as many as eight.
The sins of the front office set the bar pretty low in the nation’s capital, which could actually open up NFL betting value. We find out where in our Washington Commanders 2022 betting preview.
Washington Commanders futures odds
Super Bowl LVII is in the books, so that means it’s officially NFL mock draft season!
And even though mock drafts have accompanied the NFL Draft for many years now, mocks with an NFL Draft odds angle are new to the game. While the betting markets for the 2023 NFL Draft are light as of now, you can be sure that will change as the Chicago Bears’ clock to April 27 counts down.
But will it be the Bears making the first pick? With a draft class featuring several potential franchise quarterbacks, Chicago has plenty of leverage.
In version 1.0 of my 2023 NFL mock draft, I have them making a move. But with what team? And who will they select?
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It was another profitable week for my NFL props making it a perfect eight straight weeks with at least one TD winner and profits. This means I am up 17.145 units and have cashed 11 of the 21 bets posted as I break down the NFL Week 8 odds.
For Week 8, I’m backing the No.1 receiver in Jacksonville vs. a generous Pittsburgh defense, hoping the best goal-line back in football gets a longer leash, and hitting another running back coming out of the bye that some might be sleeping on.
Let me break down the NFL odds the best way I can and give you some free NFL picks and predictions for the Anytime TD scorer markets.
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It’s playoff time baby!
Handicapping Wild Card odds can get a little tricky compared to your run-of-the-mill regular season matchup. It’s win or go home, which means emotions that are impossible to predict come into play, often leading to unlikely results.
Occasionally, an under-the-radar player will rise to the occasion and help lead his team to victory, while other times, superstar players and coaches will melt under the bright lights and choke away victories, watching their Super Bowl odds disappear.
So, while you shouldn’t drift away from your typical handicapping process when making your NFL picks, don’t be shocked if you get the complete opposite results of where your numbers lead you for a few of these games.
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The Jacksonville Jaguars are in panic mode, and a trip to face the red-hot Buffalo Bills may not be the best remedy for their ailments. Trevor Lawrence has lost seven straight starts and desperately needs a win, while Josh Allen will be nursing an injured non-throwing hand.
The situations surrounding both quarterbacks play a key factor in our best NFL picks and Jaguars vs. Bills predictions below.
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