Lionel Messi is in line to land his eighth Ballon d’Or, with that trophy set to travel to Paris in style courtesy of Louis Vuitton “trunks”.

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Argentine icon set to land another awardNorwegian frontman will miss outCeremony in France on October 30WHAT HAPPENED?

The 2023 Golden Ball ceremony will take place in the French capital on October 30. Inter Miami and Argentina superstar Messi is the favourite to get his hands on a prize that he has collected on seven previous occasions – with the all-time great set to be recognised as the best player on the planet once again.

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Messi is poised to pip Manchester City striker Erling Haaland to the most prestigious of individual accolades, with the South American being rewarded for his inspirational efforts at the 2022 World Cup – as he guided Argentina to a long-awaited global crown.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Ballon d’Or trophy will be heading to Paris in a case designed by luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton. report that the trunk is “crafted in the historical Louis Vuitton ateliers in Asnieres” and features “the house’s signature monogram canvas, and the V motif on the outside is painted in gold, in a first for its trophy trunk designs”.

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Louis VuittonWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The French designers consider the Ballon d’Or casing to be “further proof that Victory Travels in Vuitton”, with their famous trunks having already housed trophies for the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, the NBA, America’s Cup, the FIFA World Cup, the Roland-Garros tennis tournament and esport ‘League of Legends’ World Championship. The Ballon d’Or Feminin, which was won by Barcelona star Alexia Putellas in 2022, will be given similar treatment.

Worcestershire rewrote the record books in completing a 42-run victory over Leicestershire

ECB Reporters Network30-Apr-2017
ScorecardMoeen Ali tuned up for England duty with 90•Getty Images

Worcestershire rewrote the record books in completing a 42-run victory over Leicestershire. Put in to bat by on a flat pitch, they hit their highest ever limited-overs score against first-class opposition in a 50-over encounter, surpassing the 320 for 8 against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl in 2008.The tone of their innings was set by Moeen Ali, whose 90 at the top of the order came off 87 balls and included two sixes. The England international was dropped on 22 by wicketkeeper Lewis Hill off Gavin Griffiths, but while he was not quite at his fluent best, was still more than good enough to take full advantage of some inconsistent bowling from Leicestershire’s inexperienced attack.Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tom Fell and Joe Clarke all leant valuable support Worcestershire raced to 200 off 30 overs. If Leicestershire hoped the dismissal of Moeen, feathering a catch behind the wicket off Zak Chappell, might slow the scoring rate, Brett D’Oliveira and Ben Cox’s partnership of 73 off 10.2 overs disabused them of the notion.Leicestershire did pick up three quick wickets, but John Hastings and Ed Barnard combined to smash 46 off the last 20 balls to maintain the momentum until the end.Leicestershire began as though determined to knock off the runs with overs to spare, but the alert Cox, seeing Cameron Delport had stepped out of his ground after missing an attempt to thrash Leach through the off side, threw down the stumps to pull off a remarkable stumping.Mark Pettini raced to 36 of 34 balls before glancing a Joe Leach delivery into the gloves of Cox, but Mark Cosgrove had hit 67 off just 45 balls before Jack Shantry took a brilliant return catch high above his head.Aadil Ali, making his first first-team appearance of the season, hit three sixes as Leicestershire kept themselves in the hunt, reaching the final six overs needing 67, but wickets kept falling at the other end. Ali was last man out, run out trying to keep the strike.Worcestershire take their 100% record in the competition to Northamptonshire on Wednesday. Leicestershire meet Warwickshire at the Fischer County Ground on Tuesday.

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.

Former Mumbai and India wicketkeeper Sameer Dighe, 48, has replaced Chandrakant Pandit as the coach of the Mumbai team for the 2017-18 season

Arun Venugopal02-Jun-2017

Sameer Dighe, the former Mumbai and India wicketkeeper, has been appointed Mumbai coach for the 2017-18 domestic season. Dighe, 48, replaces Chandrakant Pandit, who coached Mumbai to a Ranji Trophy title in 2015-16, and followed that up with a final appearance last year.The decision to appoint Dighe follows sweeping changes in the Mumbai set-up that saw Ajit Agarkar replacing Milind Rege as chairman of selectors last week. The Mumbai Cricket Association’s Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) picked Dighe over the incumbent Pandit, and former Mumbai batsman and CIC chairman Pravin Amre. Agarkar chaired the meeting on Friday, as Amre, by virtue of being a contender, stayed away from the decision-making process.”Looking at the current scenario, we just wanted something new and it was a general consensus, actually,” Amol Muzumdar, a CIC member, told ESPNcricinfo. “The whole thing about all the meetings that have happened in the last week or so, we always felt that there was a need for fresh faces and fresh outlook… hence, Sameer, who hasn’t been tried at all. There have been changes made to the coaching staff in the under-23, 16 and 14 age-groups, and this goes with that.”Dighe, who played six Tests and 23 ODIs, had a first-class career that spanned 11 years, during which he led Mumbai to the Ranji Trophy title in 1999-2000. Following his retirement in 2001-02, Dighe took up coaching assignments and worked with Mumbai Indians as fielding coach.He has also had a stint with Tripura’s Ranji Trophy side apart from serving as batting coach at the BCCI’s zonal academy. “It’s a great honour to be the Mumbai coach,” Dighe told ESPNcricinfo. “It is a big responsibility as well, and I will be honest with my job. I am looking forward to this.”According to Muzumdar, there could be changes made to the support staff. “Amogh Pandit, the head trainer of the MCA academy, has been entrusted with the responsibility of shortlisting people for the trainer’s job,” he said. “We have left it to him as he is an expert, and we have left the job of shortlisting candidates for the physio’s role to Mr Anand Joshi. Ultimately, the CIC would decide about the trainers and the physios.”

The gold Adidas Predator boots worn by David Beckham when winning his 100th cap for England are expected to sell for £10,000 at auction.

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• Iconic figure made 115 appearances for his country
• Captained the Three Lions on 59 occasions
• Now working with Lionel Messi in MLS

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Manchester United legend, who now works with Lionel Messi in MLS as co-owner of Inter Miami, reached a century of outings for his country when taking in a friendly date with France in Paris on March 26, 2008.

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  Beckham, who would go on to earn 115 caps for the Three Lions, suffered a 1-0 defeat at Stade de France against the likes of Franck Ribery, Nicolas Anelka, William Gallas and Claude Makelele – with England having already failed to qualify for that summer’s European Championship.

• Getty
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  The night was a memorable one, though, as he became only the fifth Englishman to reach 100 international appearances. Said occasion was marked by a pair of custom boots that featured St George’s Crosses and the names of the three children that he had at the time with pop star wife Victoria – Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz.

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• WHAT THEY SAID

  The boots in question are now set to go under the hammer, with a starting bid tabled of £4,600. David Convery, head of sporting memorabilia at Northamptonshire-based Graham Budd Auctions, has said of the lot: “David Beckham is not only an iconic player, but you could also argue that he started the 'style revolution' with this type of golden boot. These boots are already attracting attention on a global stage and we wouldn't be surprised if they reached or even went beyond their estimated price.”

Delhi Daredevils stand-in captain Karun Nair lauded the team’s fearless approach that reaped dividends as they gunned down a target of 186 with five balls to spare

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2017Delhi Daredevils came into the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on the back of a five-match losing streak. The scars from their ten-wicket drubbing at the hands of Kings XI Punjab, when they were bowled out for 67, would have been fresh as well. But, like their mentor Rahul Dravid had said after that game, the only direction Daredevils could go was up.

‘Plan was to play till the 16th over and then attack’

Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman Yuvraj Singh rued how expensive the team’s bowlers were in the Powerplay and said the lack of wickets in the middle overs cost them. “I think the dropped catch [of Karun Nair by Bhuvneshwar Kumar] was important,” he said. “All of their guys got 30-40 runs, so you need to pick up wickets in the middle, otherwise it becomes hard. Especially when the dew came in later, the ball was coming on nicely on to the bat.”
Yuvraj praised young seamers Mohammed Siraj and Siddarth Kaul, who picked up three wickets between them, and said the bowling would acquire greater menace once Ashish Nehra recovered from his injury. “I think we really rely on Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar] and Rashid. Hopefully when Ashish is fully fit, we will have a stronger unit [with] more confidence in the bowling. Siraj is a young guy, he’s got good pace, so he’s learning. It’s a good learning curve for Siddarth Kaul as well.”
Yuvraj had a productive outing with an unbeaten 71 off 41 balls, the first instance of him facing more than 20 balls since the opening game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. “It was important for me to get some runs. Last three-four innings, I didn’t get enough time in the middle. The wicket was a bit tougher in the first innings, the ball was gripping a little and I just thought that I will just try and play till the 16th over and then attack in the last four. [I] was lucky I got dropped [by Sanju Samson on 29] and I was able to cash in in the last four overs.”

One way of doing that, according to Daredevils’ stand-in captain Karun Nair, was to play the way a young team would – fearlessly. The approach paid off as all of their top five batsmen – with Corey Anderson the oldest at 26 – made useful contributions to gun down a target of 186 with five balls to spare.”I think it was a great win,” Nair told . “All we talked about is we, being a young team, should play like one. So, we just went out there and played fearlessly.”Nair, who was leading the team in the absence of the injured Zaheer Khan, had made only 89 runs from seven innings before this game. But his 20-ball 39 – with a little help from Bhuvneshwar Kumar who dropped him on 20 – set the tone for Daredevils’ pursuit.”It was just the intent and we just wanted to go out there and go after the bowling,” Nair said. “With the four of us being youngsters at the top of the order, [the idea was to] just go out there and smash the ball.”When Bhuvneshwar dismissed Shreyas Iyer off the last ball of the 16th over, Daredevils still needed 38 runs. However, Anderson blazed away to an unbeaten 24-ball 41 and closed out the match with Chris Morris.”Having Corey Anderson on the other side smacking the ball off the middle [of the bat] was quite nice,” Morris told . “We were confident and were saying that if it’s in your arc and if it was in your area, smack it. And that’s the way we like to play cricket – confidence and smack a cricket ball. So, yeah, I think Corey Anderson [came up with a] masterclass in how to chase that score.”It was far from a perfect performance, however, as shabby fielding could have cost Daredevils the game. While there were a few misfields, the costliest error came from Sanju Samson, who dropped Yuvraj Singh on 29. Yuvraj went on to smash 70 not out off 41 balls, as Sunrisers ransacked 59 runs in the last four overs. Legspinner Amit Mishra had no illusions about the fact that Daredevils needed to improve further.”We clicked today in batting and bowling. Fielding wasn’t up to the mark but we are doing a lot of things. We have all areas covered, but we have to be positive from here,” Mishra said. “You have very little time to think in this format. Even if you falter in one small aspect, you end up falling way behind. In T20s, especially, you will have to execute everything to perfection.”

Liverpool are reportedly interested in completing a sensational move for Kylian Mbappe in the summer transfer window, according to new report from Spain.

What next for Kylian Mbappe?

The 24-year-old has arguably taken on the mantle from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the biggest footballing star of his generation, already achieving so much in his career, despite his age.

Mbappe won the 2018 World Cup with France, immediately gaining legendary status, and he has scored 212 goals in just 260 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain, cementing his status as possibly the world's best player currently, along with the likes of Erling Haaland and Vinicius Jr.

It looks as if the French superstar could leave PSG before the start of next season, however, with Real Madrid possibly the favourites to snap him up for an eye-watering sum of money.

Liverpool have been linked with Mbappe in the past, however, and it looks as though they are still eyeing an incredible swoop for him.

Are Liverpool keen on signing Mbappe?

According to Marca, Liverpool have "also thrown their hat in the ring" to sign Mbappe this summer, with Jurgen Klopp keen on the move coming to fruition. It is even stated that the Reds, and by extension owners FSG, are "willing to pay more than $300m (£235m)", which would obliterate the club's transfer record.

In truth, it is difficult to see the PSG icon heading to Anfield this summer, simply because of the amount of money being talked about, for starters. Liverpool reportedly have a £200m budget to spend on several players, namely midfielders, so it is impossible to see them being able to fund a move.

The Reds also don't have Champions League football next season, which Mbappe surely wants to be playing in, even scoring at Anfield in the competition back in 2018, so that is another reason why a transfer ambitious. That being said, if the move did miraculously happen, it could be one of the most exciting in Liverpool's history, considering what a special talent he is, being hailed as "world-class" by Argentina and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

He has every chance of going down as one of the greatest players in history, should he continue at his current level for another decade or so, and joining the Reds would make the rest of world football sit up and take notice. For now, though, it looks like little more than a pipe dream, unless Liverpool gets an enormous injection of cash from somewhere before the end of the summer transfer window.

Rangers' loan deal for Brighton & Hove Albion forward Abdallah Sima could include an option to make his move permanent, according to a report from The Herald.

Which striker are Rangers signing?

Rangers have recently submitted an undisclosed bid for Feyenoord striker Danilo, however it was instantly rejected by the Dutch champions, who are holding out for a fee of more than £5m if they are to part ways with the Brazilian.

The same report details that Michael Beale's main priority to bolster his attack is Cremonese's Cyriel Dessers, but those talks also appear to have stalled, with the Italian club's asking price of £6.5m deemed to be too high.

As reported by Football Insider, the Gers are in very advanced talks to sign Sima on loan, with negotiations progressing well, although a deal is still yet to be agreed.

Now, The Herald have provided a new update on the intricacies of the deal, stating the Light Blues could have the option to sign the Brighton ace on a permanent basis, should Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi rule that he is not part of his long-term plans.

The 22-year-old is expected to complete a switch to Ibrox this week, with Beale close to strengthening his squad ahead of the return to pre-season training this Friday.

The manager is said to be excited about adding the Senegal international to the squad, and the deal could be finalised in the coming days.

Who is Abdallah Sima?

The £21k-per-week attacker spent the 2022-23 campaign on loan at Ligue 1 side Angers, where he registered six goals in all competitions, displaying his versatility by featuring on both flanks, in attacking midfield, and at striker.

Hailed as a "fantastic prospect" by football scout Jacek Kulig, the forward also impressed during his time with Slavia Prague, scoring 11 league goals in the 2020-21 campaign, and receiving a man-of-the-match award from the BBC against Rangers in the Europa League.

One of the former Angers man's defining traits is his pace, clocking in at 35.64 km/h in Ligue 1 last season, indicating he would be able to cause real problems for Scottish Premiership defences with his speed.

Given some of the performances Sima has put in for both Slavia Prague and Angers, it is exciting news that he is edging closer towards a switch to Ibrox, and that Rangers have an option to sign him on a permanent basis.

ScorecardJoe Leach responded stoutly for Worcestershire [file picture]•Getty Images

New skipper Joe Leach inspired a Worcestershire fightback as 16 tumbled on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship match with in-form Northamptonshire at New Road.New Northants signing, paceman Andy Carter, enjoyed an inspired debut with a deadly three wicket burst including Worcestershire top-scorer Moeen Ali, who made 50 as the home side were bowled out for 188.It was the ideal start to Northamptonshire’s bid to win the opening three Championship matches in a season for the first time in their history.But Leach, in his first home match at the helm since replacing Daryl Mitchell as captain, produced a deadly new ball spell which yielded four wickets.It was reminiscent of the form which brought him 65 Championship wickets last summer – the most by any bowler in Division Two.When bad light intervened with 25 overs remaining, Northants had been reduced to 102 for 6 with only Ben Duckett (45 not out) offering serious resistance.Former Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire player Carter was signed up after injuries to pace duo Ben Sanderson and Rory Kleinveldt.The visitors were also without skipper Alex Wakely for family reasons and Josh Cobb led the side in his absence.Moeen, playing his first Championship match for almost a year, and Daryl Mitchell dug in against the Northants seamers in adding 62 for the second wicket after the early departure of Brett D’Oliveira.Steven Crook trapped Mitchell lbw for 30 and Tom Fell departed in the same manner to Mohammad Azharullah.Moeen had greeted Carter’s introduction into the attack by planting his first delivery over midwicket for six and the England all-rounder went to his half century off 87 balls.But then Carter changed the complexion of the game when he returned after lunch for his second spell. Moeen went for a drive and was bowled and four balls later Tom Kohler-Cadmore, still to get off the mark, shouldered arms and suffered the same fate.It became three wickets in 11 balls for Carter as Ben Cox nicked a ball of extra bounce through to keeper Adam Rossington.Joe Clarke produced some flowing drives but Nathan Buck ensured Northants polished off the innings in efficient fashion.He disposed of Ed Barnard, Leach and Josh Tongue in the space of five overs while Clarke’s knock ended at 33 when he fell lbw to Crook.The wickets continued to tumble when Northants launched their reply with Leach settling into a lengthy opening spell which brought him four wickets.After Rob Newton went lbw in Leach’s first over, Duckett decided attack was the best form of defence in an over from Worcestershire overseas player John Hastings which cost 22 runs.He was aided by Max Holden in a stand of 53 but it was only a brief respite before the bowlers dominance returned.Holden drove Barnard to point before Leach took centre stage. Rob Keogh edged to second slip and Rossington rashly slashed the next delivery to point.Richard Levi survived the hat-trick ball and a spilled chance by Josh Tongue off Leach but it did not prove costly.He went lbw for 24 in Leach’s next over and his replacement Barnard disposed of Cobb in the same manner.

Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister was in utter disbelief after Darwin Nunez failed to answer question on Reds' Champions League record.

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Nunzez failed to correctly answer Liverpool's UCL triumphsMac Allister shocked by Nunez's responseArgentine correctly guessed the number of league titlesWHAT HAPPENED?

The Uruguayan striker stumbled in a quiz about the club's Champions League victories which left Mac Allister shell-shocked. Nunez faltered when asked about the number of times Liverpool have won the Champions League as he responded "Three" which left Mac Allister with his hands on his head. The Argentine repeatedly said "No, no, no" while laughing at his teammate.

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Nonetheless, Mac Allister correctly answered the number of league titles Liverpool have won. However, at first, he said just one, referring to the one that they won in the Premier League era and then went on to explain that he meant "1+18".

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MAC ALLISTER AND NUNEZ?

The two teammates will lock horns against each other during the international break when Argentina host Uruguay on Friday in a 2026 World Cup Qualifier. They will return to England and will have their task cut out as Liverpool face a tricky trip to the Etihad on November 25 against Manchester City.