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Fede Valverde has hailed former Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo for the rapid "progress" of the Saudi Pro League.

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Ronaldo first megastar to shift base to Saudi ArabiaNeymar & Karim Benzema followed suitValverde lauds Ronaldo for football revolutionGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The Portuguese forward sent shockwaves across the world when he announced his decision to sign for Al-Nassr after the 2022 World Cup. His move to the Middle East ignited an influx of superstar signings in the Saudi Pro League over the summer, which included Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema and Brazilian forward Neymar, at Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal respectively.

Valverde had the fortune of sharing the dressing room with both Ronaldo and Benzema at Real Madrid. The Uruguayan midfielder hailed Ronaldo as a pioneer for the development of the game in the Middle East.

AdvertisementWHAT VALVERDE SAID

Speaking to reporters, Valverde said: "I think there’s been a lot of progress with the players who have come here. For example, Cristiano, who started all this. It shows what they want to do and to have players of that quality is important."

Getty Images THE BIGGER PICTURE

The Pro League continues to be a popular attraction among players for the hefty wage structures and even Liverpool's Mohamed Salah is being linked to a move to Riyadh. However, Valverde also made it clear that even a blank cheque would not convince him to choose Saudi at this point in his career as he is enjoying his stint with Los Blancos.

"It is really impossible for me to go to the Saudi League," he added to . "No chance. 10, 20 or 30 million will not change my life. I'm at Real Madrid, the best club in the world. I love my life in Madrid, the same goes for my family and that's it."

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

The transfer bandwagon to Saudi Arabia shows no signs of stopping and it is expected that it will only grow in the next few years. Michael Emenalo, the Saudi Pro League director of football, has insisted that they are still pursuing a deal for Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe, despite the forward rejecting a move in the summer transfer window. If they manage to pull off the Salah and Mbappe signings it will undoubtedly be another major coup for Saudi Arabia.

Sarah Taylor took a significant step towards a return to international cricket on Thursday, when she took the field for an England XI against Ireland in the UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2017Sarah Taylor took a significant step towards a return to international cricket on Thursday, when she took the field for an England XI against Ireland in the UAE and scored 26 not out to contribute to the second of three victories during a pre-World Cup training camp.Taylor, 27, who was belatedly added to the camp after missing out on original selection, said afterwards that she felt “more pride” in resuming her career following a year of anxiety issues than she had felt in making her England debut as a teenager back in 2006.Despite playing nearly 200 matches for England in all formats, Taylor has not featured for her country since the World T20 in India last March, having taken an indefinite break from the game to undergo Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to address a debilitating condition that had, at times, led to her leaving the field of play to be sick.”I can’t thank the staff enough for helping me achieve more than I hoped for this tour,” Taylor wrote on Twitter. “I didn’t come here looking to play any games and my expectations were low.”There has been some bumps along the way, but on Thursday I put on an England shirt for the first time in over a year. I honestly didn’t know if this would ever happen again but I had more pride this time than when I debuted back in 2006.”It is still a complete honour to wear the England badge and share a dressing room with this squad.”Taylor is widely regarded as one of the world’s best female batsmen and wicketkeepers, and in 2015, she became the first woman to play first-grade men’s cricket in Australia.Her ECB central contract was renewed in December, in spite of her year on the sidelines, and she remains in the thoughts of England coach Mark Robinson, as he oversees his squad’s final preparations for the World Cup that gets underway on home soil on June 24.

A round-up of the Momentum Cup matches played on March 10, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2017Half-centuries from Richard Levi and Andrew Puttick guided Cape Cobras to an emphatic six-wicket victory over Lions, who were skittled for 188 by a combined bowling effort from Dane Paterson and Zakhele Qwabe. Despite the loss, Lions rank third on the points table, trailed by Cobras at No. 4.Having elected to bat, Lions were reduced to 53 for 4, losing three wickets for three runs in the space of 11 balls to Qwabe and George Linde. The duo, who took five wickets between them, triggered another three-wicket slide starting in the 24th over to stifle Lions to 93 for 7 in 30.3 overs.Willem Mulder and Nono Pongolo, however, launched a late fightback with a 69-run stand for the eighth wicket. Pongolo, who struck five fours in his 62-ball 47, then put on another 26 with Aaron Phangiso (22) for the ninth, before Paterson effected the last three dismissals to claim his four-for and have Lions bowled out in 49.5 overs.By contrast, Cobras’ chase was founded on a solid 125-run opening partnership between Puttick and Levi, whose 60-ball 85 – peppered with 15 fours and two sixes – earned him the Player-of-the-Match honours. Puttick struck an unbeaten 57 off 84 balls and completed the chase with Aviwe Mgijima, who clobbered two fours and a six off consecutive balls in the 33rd over to seal the third win for Cobras in seven matches.Dolphins and Warriors shared two points each from their abandoned match in Durban. Only 36.4 overs were possible after Dolphins opted to bat and were racing at 236 for 3. They were led by a solid opening stand of 139 between Vaughn van Jaarsveld (85) and Morne van Wyk in only 26.5 overs. They lost three wickets in the space of nine overs before rain washed out the match.The game had been reduced to 40 overs per side during the opening stand but rain returned to end the match. Dolphins took a five-point lead at the top of the table, with Titans second, and Warriors are second from bottom with only two wins from six matches.

The technology has caused more problems than it's solved since it was brought into top-flight football

It's 2023 and four years on from its introduction, video assistant referees are still finding themselves in the headlines for all of the wrong reasons. The latest incident was the most calamitous yet, and it's led to renewed and impassioned calls to scrap the technology altogether.

Liverpool were VAR's victims this time, with Reds forward Luis Diaz seeing his perfectly good goal wrongly chalked off for offside. And, instead of rectify the error, as we were all promised would happen when the technology was brought in, the horrendous mistake was not corrected.

Why you ask? An embarrassing miscommunication. VAR officials Darren England and Dan Cook each both seemingly believed the on-field decision had been a goal, so they hurriedly gave referee Simon Hooper a big thumbs up to carry on as Diaz was so clearly onside.

It's a ridiculous error which ended up robbing nine-man Liverpool of a much-needed point. Perhaps the worst thing about the whole sorry affair is that although this is probably VAR's worst blunder yet, there is plenty of competition for that dubious honour.

Here are 10 of the refereeing technology's most glaring errors from its time in England before Saturday's gaffe in north London…

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  10January 29, 2023: Brighton 2-1 Liverpool

  Liverpool were particularly physical during their trip to Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round, but Fabinho overstepped the mark when he went in studs up on Evan Ferguson's ankle in the 89th minute.

  The Brazilian's face told the story, as he sheepishly waited to be given his marching orders. Surprisingly, though, he only received a yellow – even after a lengthy VAR check. The PGMOL later admitted that an error had been made.

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  9February 6, 2021: Fulham 0-0 West Ham

  "What is happening to our game?!" That is what pundit Jamie Redknapp felt moved to ask after watching Tomas Soucek get sent off deep into second-half stoppage time against Fulham in February 2021.

  The incident was a strange one. Soucek and Aleksandar Mitrovic were involved in some very PG tussling ahead of a free-kick when the Czech midfielder accidently brushed his opponent's face with his elbow. Mitrovic promptly threw himself to the ground with all the believability of a primary school nativity.

  Mike Dean, never one to shy away from a controversial decision, opted to send the West Ham player off and, unbelievably, VAR failed to send him to the screen. The fact that the dismissal occurred in the 97th minute of a goalless draw and was swiftly overturned just added to the farce.

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  8April 8, 2023: Tottenham 2-1 Brighton

  Tottenham's 2-1 home win over Brighton in April 2023 was the highpoint of the Cristian Stellini era – which we admit is not saying much. Unfortunately for Antonio Conte's previous No.2, the best day of his short-lived time in charge was mired by major controversy.

  Just before Harry Kane scored his side's winner, Kaoru Mitoma was blatantly tripped by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg inside the box. There was to be no penalty for Brighton, though, who had previously seen two goals ruled out by VAR to compound their misery.

  Unfortunately for Roberto De Zerbi's side, the technology was not used to correct this clearly incorrect decision.

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  711 April, 2021: Tottenham 1-3 Manchester United

  In the end, this one did not matter, with United hitting back in the second half to secure a 3-1 victory. But when they were heading down the tunnel at half-time, trailing by a goal, the Red Devils would have been fuming that Edinson Cavani's perfectly-good strike was ruled out by VAR.

  In the build-up to the Uruguayan's clinical finish, Scott McTominay's arm flicked the face of Son Heung-min while the United man was driving away from the South Korean. It was both accidental and not enough for Son to collapse in a heap to the floor, but that did not stop the technology getting involved and disallowing the goal.

  After the match, Roy Keane was typically composed in his assessment, urging his fellow pundits "all go home" if McTominay's infraction is now considered a foul.

The former opening batsman was part of Don Bradman’s “Invincibles” in 1948 and is still widely regarded as one of the best to ever play the game

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2017

Arthur Morris, the late Australia batsman, has been inducted as the 82nd player into the ICC hall of fame. He played 46 Tests and was the highest scorer among Don Bradman’s “Invincibles” in the 1948 Ashes. Noted for his elegance at the crease, the left-handed opener was also a destructive presence, averaging 46.48 with 12 hundreds and a top score of 206. He died in Sydney in August 2015, aged 93.Judith Morris received a personalised cap celebrating her husband’s contributions from Steve Waugh, another member of the ICC hall of fame, at tea during the New Year’s Test at the SCG. “It is a great honour to be receiving this award, which brings in a flood of memories along with it,” she said.Among them might have been how Morris had struck hundreds in his first two first-class innings – or his 155, 122 and 124 not out in consecutive innings in his first Test series. He was at the other end when Bradman made a duck in his final innings at The Oval and finished with 196, which helped Australia to an innings victory and did not give Bradman the chance to lift his average into three-figures. selected Morris as one of their cricketers of the year in 1948 and said he had an “air of complete composure” and that “he combined unusual defensive qualities with the ability to decide early in the ball’s flight what his stroke shall be”. He was named in Australia’s team of the century in 2000, and in the following year, he was inducted into the Australian hall of fame.Tuesday marked an occasion for more praise for Morris. “Cricket has developed over the years and decades due to the contribution of players who entertained the crowds with their attractive game and made contests memorable due to their steely resolve. Arthur Morris was one such cricketer and that is why he is remembered even so many years after he played the game,” Waugh said.Morris’ form tapered away towards the end of his career, coinciding with Sid Barnes, his long-time opener partner, getting into problems with the administrators. He played the last of his 46 Tests in June 1955.”He spent a long period in the motor trade, then played a significant part in the introduction of tenpin bowling to Australia, before finishing in PR,” Morris’ obituary in says of his life after retirement. “He remained an honoured guest at cricket grounds everywhere, his dignity never puffing up into pomposity, thanks to an acute sense of the ironic and the whimsical. He was appointed MBE in 1974, and was a member of the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust for 22 years. Three days before he died, the Arthur Morris Gates were unveiled as a tribute to his long association with the SCG.”

Eoin Morgan has revealed that first-hand experience of previous security scares is behind his uncertainty about whether to lead England’s one-day side in Bangladesh

Andrew McGlashan08-Sep-2016Eoin Morgan could be close to confirming his withdrawal from England’s tour of Bangladesh tomorrow, after revealing that first-hand experience of previous security scares have left him questioning whether he wants to lead England’s ODI team in the current climate.Morgan pinpointed two occasions – the 2010 bomb blasts during an IPL game in Bangalore and then political unrest during a stint playing domestic cricket in Bangladesh – that had left him determined not to put himself in such a situation again.He was part of Bangalore Royal Challengers’ squad in 2010 when two blasts struck outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium shortly before the match against Mumbai Indians was due to start. The game eventually went ahead, but later matches in the tournament were moved out of Bangalore.Then, in late 2013, Morgan was having a short spell playing for Gazi Tank Cricketers in the Dhaka Premier Division when pre-election violence was engulfing Bangladesh.”I have been to places before when things have become a distraction and once or twice when that has been security, and when it has been I told myself I would not put myself in that situation again,” Morgan said. “Playing international cricket – or any cricket – is not about worrying about different things, it should be the best time of your life, it should be something that you are looking forward to and wanting to do well in and are able to focus on.”Remembering the previous incidents, Morgan said: “We played an IPL game in Bangalore and a bomb went off in the ground, we immediately left and went straight to the airport. That was one instance, another was Bangladesh, playing domestic cricket, during political elections where things were incredibly violent.”Andrew Strauss, the team director, yesterday urged all England’s players to undertake the tour following the security advice of Reg Dickason. He said anyone who gave up their spot could not be guaranteed to come straight back in, and also made reference to the extra responsibility on the captain.However, recalling his experience of 2008 when he had to confront similar concerns about whether to tour India after the Mumbai terror attacks took place, he empathised with those who are struggling to reach a decision.”Having been through this myself, after the Mumbai bombings, intellectually coming to the decision – ‘if Reg says it’s safe to go somewhere, who am I to say otherwise’ – in hindsight, it looks like a very simple and obvious one.”But it still took me some time to get there at that point, and there’s no reason to expect a lot of these young guys who are going through this for the first time to make an on-the-spot decision.”Any players yet to make up their mind have effectively been given a deadline of Saturday to inform Strauss of their decision. All centrally and incrementally contracted players will have a two-day fitness and appraisal camp at Loughborough starting on Friday. The ODI and Tests squads are due to be named next Friday.

ScorecardDaniel Bell-Drummond breathed life into Kent’s T20 season•Getty Images

There were no press-ups on the square but Kent’s Daniel Bell-Drummond threw off his helmet and leapt, punching the air after his unbeaten 112 eased Spitfires to an eight-wicket NatWest T20 Blast win over Surrey in Tunbridge Wells.The former Millfield School and England Under-19 opener captivated a 5,000 sell-out crowd at the Royal Spa Town venue with a maiden List A hundred that helped post Kent’s sixth south group win and kept his side’s qualification hopes alive.Bell-Drummond dedicated his innings to Michael Carberry, the Hampshire batsman facing a battle with cancer who mentored him during his youth.He said: “To play like that after three weeks out through injury was amazing, it was beyond my wildest dreams. I started the week seeing a specialist about my thumb injury and ended it scoring my maiden T20 hundred. It was a brilliant feeling.”I’ve missed playing but hopefully that knock showed the hunger I have. I’m feeling a lot fresher than the rest of the lads because they’ve been toiling in the dirt while I’ve been trying to shake off this injury. We had training yesterday and I stayed behind for an extra session because I felt a little undercooked, needless to say, the other guys were thinking ‘there’s no need for that’.”Needing 181 for victory at an asking rate of 9.1 an over for victory, Kent made a miserable start when Joe Denly went for a first ball duck when playing back to Sam Curran’s second ball of the night.In his first game back and having been sidelined for three weeks with a hand injury, Bell-Drummond took up the attack, cleverly using the pace of the ball to steer the ball to all parts.The right-hander might have gone for 31 when Tom Curran downed a leg-side clip at mid-wicket, but he cashed in by lofting a straight six later in Jade Dernbach’s over as Kent reached 57 for one in their powerplay.Sam Northeast then launched a leg-side six off Zafar Ansari as he and Bell-Drummond eased to a second-wicket record in matches against Surrey beating the 92 set by Rob Key and Martin van Jaarsveld at The Oval in 2009.Bell-Drummond raised his 50 from 28 balls, Northeast needed 32 to reach the same milestone with four fours and two sixes and the records continued as the pair posted Kent’s highest second-wicket T20 stand against any county, beating the 135 raised by Denly and Azhar Mahmood against Gloucestershire at Beckenham in 2011, which had been equalled in 2014 by Rob Key and Northeast against Somerset in Canterbury.The fun ended when Northeast (57) went back to cut Ansari only to edge to the keeper, but their partnership of 151 had eclipsed, by one run, Kent’s record T20 stand for any wicket against all counties set by Bell-Drummond and Denly against Somerset in May.Bell-Drummond – who also posted his 1,000th T20 career run during the innings – marched on to his maiden limited overs hundred by pulling his 58th delivery from Gareth Batty through mid-wicket for his 14th four.With three needed off the final over, Bell-Drummond lent on his bat with 112 to his name at the non-striker’s end to watch Sam Billings clip the winning boundary with two balls to spare.At the start of the night Jason Roy gave Surrey a flying start after they chose to bat only for Kent’s wily bowling attack to claw back the run rate in the middle overs and restrict them to 180 for eight.Roy plundered an early boundary off Darren Stevens then a hat-trick of sixes off the first over of the night by Kagiso Rabada, the second of which caused a stir in the CAMRA real ale marquee.Dominating the strike, Roy raced to a 28 ball 50 with five fours and four maximums, but miscued the next ball from Stevens to Rabada at mid-off.Starved of the strike, Aaron Finch (7) made a desperate attempt to clear the ropes against David Griffiths only to pick out Rabada at deep mid-wicket as Surrey ended their powerplay overs on 69 for two.James Tredwell came on at the Pavilion End and saw his first delivery sail out of the park, but the shrewd off-spinner barely put a foot wrong thereafter turning the innings on its head with a four-over stint of three for 32.Tredwell held one back to deceive and bowl Tom Curran (12) then Steven Davies (23) yorked himself when trying to advance down the pitch to make it 108 for four.Lured by the short, straight boundary Dominic Sibley (14) also marched down the pitch heaving at Tredwell only to be stumped by Sam Billings.Having conceded 21 off his opening over, Rabada – the 21-year-old South Africa firebrand, returned with his dander up to york Rory Burns (10) and concede only 10 runs off his final three overs.With Surrey’s run rate plummeting Chris Morris (25) called for a second run to deep mid-wicket and was run out by Adam Ball’s throw from the deep then, in the final over, Sam Curran (19) was bowled by Mitch Claydon a Surrey fell well short of their anticipated total.

Liverpool are firmly in the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan Ndicka this summer, according to reports.

What's the latest on Ndicka to Liverpool?

Football Insider have reported that the Reds are willing to listen to offers for both Joel Matip and Nat Phillips at the end of the season, meaning that backline reinforcements will be needed should they depart. The 23-year-old Frenchman has been identified as an ideal candidate, as will be out of contract upon the conclusion of the current term and having told Oliver Glasner’s side that he won’t be signing a new deal, is set to become a free agent on the market.

Mundo Deportivo credited Jurgen Klopp and his outfit with an initial interest in the centre-back last week, and speaking about the chances of a deal happening to GiveMeSport, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has admitted that the Merseysiders “appreciate the talent” on offer, making this “one to watch” in the months ahead.

Now, according to the Daily Mirror, Liverpool are “in the fight” to sign Ndicka but are expected to face competition from Premier League rivals Arsenal and Tottenham, with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona also name-checked.

The Anfield side believe that their target “ticks all the boxes” and is the “perfect profile” of defender that they look for, not to mention that it would cost absolutely nothing to secure his services. The Reds have “followed” the £12k-p/w star ever since he was a teenager and it’s stated that landing a free agent in defence would significantly help the boss spend a larger amount of his summer budget on a number of new additions in the midfield.

Liverpool's alternative to Gvardiol…

Liverpool have been heavily linked with a move for RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol in recent months, but with a £97m release clause that doesn't even become active until next year, he would cost astronomically more than Ndicka.

Frankfurt's 6 foot 3 colossus is an absolute rock at the heart of the backline and uses his physical presence and height to his advantage, as he’s currently averaging five clearances and 2.8 aerial wins per league game, via WhoScored. The “towering” defender, as lauded by journalist Jacque Talbot, is also strong in the offensive aspect of his play, having scored 11 goals and provided ten assists at Frankfurt, highlighting the threat he provides when getting on the end of long balls and set pieces (Transfermarkt).

Ndicka knows what it takes to be successful on the big stage having lifted the UEFA Europa League trophy back in 2021/22, so would be able to match the winning mentality of the squad already on Merseyside.

Leeds United could look to the summer transfer window to strengthen their squad following another disappointing campaign in the Premier League season where Javi Gracia will have his first opportunity to put his own mark on the squad.

The Whites are currently embroiled in a tight relegation battle in the bottom half of the table, however, following an important victory over Nottingham Forest earlier this week, they find themselves two points clear of the drop zone with nine games remaining to secure survival.

Leeds have experienced a revolving door when it comes to their injury issues over the campaign so far, with a number of key players picking up knocks and concerns on multiple occasions, ultimately hindering Gracia's opportunities to play his best starting XI in the squad and often having to rotate to accommodate absences.

As a result, adding quality depth in key positions and building for the future should be the main focus for the powerbrokers at Elland Road if they manage to retain their Premier League status at the end of the season.

One player who has been linked with Leeds is Birmingham City midfielder George Hall, a young player who could bring a fresh perspective and add quality depth to the midfield going into next season.

Who is George Hall?

The talented 18-year-old has been making a name for himself since breaking through the academy set-up and into the first team this season in the Championship.

Hall – who is often compared to former Birmingham academy graduate Jude Bellingham – has already shown glimpses of his talent in the second tier, which has also helped him to attract interest from Merseyside giants Liverpool.

Over 27 league appearances, the teenage sensation has scored one goal and registered one assist, while successfully completing 49% of his dribbles and winning 2.2 duels per game so far – despite only averaging 40 minutes per display.

That outlines him as a well-rounded asset, someone who not only excites with his attacking play but is bullish towards the defensive side of the game.

Birmingham's U18s coach Martyn Olorenshaw is one notable figure to have lavished praise on Hall for his quick development and growth:

“He is explosive, dynamic and has the prowess to influence games. He is a really exciting player that has the ceiling to achieve whatever he wants to achieve."

The England U19s starlet could be the perfect player for Gracia to form a dream midfield partnership with Tyler Adams, as the defensive midfielder, who is renowned for winning possession in the centre of the pitch, could provide Hall with the opportunities to progress the ball and become a key component in the attacking threat.

Adams ranks among the top 5% of his positional peers in the top five European leagues for tackles and blocks, as well as completing 5.67 progressive passes and making 8.29 ball recoveries per 90 minutes over the current campaign.

That final statistic is exceptional, with it ranking the American in the top 8% of midfielders in the entire Premier League, proving that he could offer a lot to a player like Hall who has displayed strong attacking attributes in midfield so far.

With that being said, the signing of Hall would be a great opportunity for Gracia to build a young and dynamic midfield for the future at Elland Road.

Indeed, if he could form what would be an 'exciting' partnership between the youngster and Adams, it could considerably improve Leeds' chances of comfortably competing in the top flight.

Tottenham Hotspur have been backed to appoint Burnley boss Vincent Kompany as their new manager by talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino.

The Lowdown: Tottenham set to replace Conte?

Tottenham have started looking at potential replacements for Antonio Conte, with the club recently being linked with a swoop for former manager Mauricio Pochettino, who has been available since leaving Paris Saint-Germain.

The likes of Roberto De Zerbi and Luis Enrique have also been named as candidates to replace Conte, and the latter is deemed to be a more likely target for sporting director Fabio Paratici than Pochettino.

The Latest: Cascarino reacts

Speaking on talkSPORT, Cascarino reacted to the recent comments from Richard Keys, in which he touted Kompany with the Spurs job this summer.

The pundit said: “Now there’s an opportunity out there that is going to be jumped on by somebody very quickly. And I think if they do lose Conte, which pretty much looks like is going to happen in the summer, there’s one person that stands out for me – Vincent Kompany.

“He retired young enough, he’s smart enough, he’s a captain, he’s a leader, and leaders do lead. I think he ticks all those boxes.

“If I was Daniel Levy and was really looking for a guy that I could get, he would be top of my hitlist, he really would. I think what he’s done at Burnley has been nothing short of incredible.”

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The Verdict: Right man for the job?

There is no doubting that the Belgian is a very promising young manager, given that his Burnley side are currently top of the Championship table by a remarkable 13 points, having only lost twice all season.

However, it must be noted that it is the 36-year-old’s first job in English football, and he is unproven above the second tier, meaning it would be a huge risk for Daniel Levy to offer him the manager’s role at Champions League-chasing Tottenham.

Kompany has made a fantastic start to his managerial career, and his previous experience winning four Premier League titles as a player with Manchester City would stand him in good to be a success with Spurs.

That said, there are more proven managers available for Daniel Levy, notably Enrique, who is out of work since leaving the Spain job, and has won nine trophies as a manager.