Sports

Cristiano Ronaldo debuted a new goal celebration after scoring for the first time in 2024.The Portuguese megastar bagged the only goal of the game in the 81st minute to give his Al-Nassr side a 1-0 win away to Al-Fayha in the first leg of their Asian Champions League round-of-16 clash. Ronaldo, who turned 39 earlier this month, finished coolly past the hosts' 40-year-old goalkeeper after a give-and-go with teammate Marcelo Brozovic. Instead of performing his signature 'Siu' celebration, Ronaldo ran towards the corner flag and jumped in the air before placing his hands on his chest with his head looking towards the sky. After that, the Al-Nassr captain cupped his ear and held out his hand, seemingly a gesture towards opposition supporters. His goal gives Al-Nassr a slender advantage ahead of the second leg next Wednesday. Ronaldo has only played twice since the turn of the year, as an injury forced him to miss two mid-season friendlies in China before also being absent for t...

Sachin Tendulkar, a name synonymous with cricketing greatness, enjoys an emblematic status among enthusiasts and peers alike. His career, marked by extraordinary achievements and a dedication to the sport, has fostered an extensive and devoted following worldwide. Wherever he ventures, fans spontaneously morph the ambiance into a vibrant stadium, with the air resonating with the rhythmic and iconic chants of “Sachin, Sachin”. One such incident recently unfolded on a flight he stepped into, where his co-passengers erupted into fervent applause and honored his presence by bringing back the iconic age-old chanting. In a video circulating social media, Sachin Tendulkar can be seen being welcomed into a flight by a wave of his over-enthusiastic fans reciting the age-old stadium chants in his name. A seemingly emotional Tendulkar, who was with his wife Anjali Tendulkar at the time, also acknowledged the occasion by thanking the fans for all the adulations.

Saudi Arabia will host a new elite tennis exhibition featuring Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal and three other Grand Slam winners in October. The Six Kings Slam event will form part of the Saudi cultural and entertainment festival Riyadh Season. Major winners Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner will also line up, as well as Holger Rune.  The event will take place during the ATP season, which already has a full schedule that month. Exhibition events are usually played during breaks in the ATP season or after it has finished but in October players are already due to be involved in Masters 1000 tournaments in Shanghai and Paris. Spaniard Nadal, who signed up as an ambassador for the Saudi Arabian Tennis Federation last month, said he was looking forward to the event. "After some other tennis players have done so, I am very excited to play for the first time in Riyadh," the 22-time Grand Slam champion said.

 Cristiano Ronaldo performed a brand-new celebration in Al Nassr's big win over Al Feiha.Ronaldo returned to action in his side's AFC Champions League clash against Al Feiha on Wednesday.He had been nursing an injury which ruled him out of a friendly match against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami. And Ronaldo is off the mark in 2024, scoring his first goal of the year in Al Nassr's 1-0 victory at Al Feiha.In the 81st minute, he played a brilliant one-two before rounding off the move with a superb goal. The Portuguese raced onto the pass then poked the ball into the top corner in stunning style.And as he wheeled away in celebration, the 39-year-old showed off a new celebration. Ronaldo performed the same jump as to his 'Siuu' celebration but didn't do his trademark twirl. Instead, he planted both of his hands on his chest with his eyes closed. He then pumped his fist in the air as he was being mobbed by his jubilant teammates. His goal proved to be the match winner...

 When Glenn “on-no-legs” Maxwell clobbered Mujeeb-ur-Rahman for a six over deep midwicket to win the ICC Cricket World Cup match against Afghanistan and finish his innings on 201 runs not out, he etched his name in history books with the highest-ever one-day international (ODI) score by an Australian batter. Hobbling and grimacing with pain from the cramps in his entire body during the match in Mumbai on Tuesday evening, Maxwell pulled off a scarcely believable feat as he also broke the record for the highest score, and the only double hundred, in an ODI run-chase. Afterwards, Maxwell said his entire body was in pain and that he almost retired during his epic match-winning innings that is being hailed as the greatest one-day knock of all time. But it came at a price, with Maxwell riddled by severe cramps. He collapsed in agony at one stage, barely able to walk as he limped between the wickets. “I don’t know if there are any other cricketers in the world that could do what he did,” ...

 In the ninth season of Pakistan Super League (PSL), Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam created history by being the tournament’s first player to score 3000 runs. Babar achieved this feat during Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators’ match at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. This important milestone, achieved across 80 innings with a fantastic average of 44.83, cements Babar Azam’s standing as one of PSL’s most prolific and consistent batters, with 29 half-centuries and a century to his credit. However, while Babar hit a personal milestone, his incredible 50 runs off 29 balls could not seal victory for Zalmi, who lost to Quetta Gladiators by 16 runs on Sunday. With Babar Azam being the highest run scorer in PSL, Fakhar Zaman holds the second position with 2381 runs and Shoaib Malik stands at third place with 2082.

Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson has claimed Mohamed Salah will call time on his Reds career in the summer and has already lined up his next club. The Anfield faithful are still reeling from the news that this season is set to be Jurgen Klopp's last before the manager is expected to enjoy a brief hiatus from the sport. Losing Salah in the same summer could do significant damage to Liverpool's hopes of launching a title challenge next season, but Lawrenson is clearly fearing the worst. This isn't the first time Salah has been tipped to leave. The future of the Egypt international was the subject of constant speculation in the summer of 2022 until he finally put pen to paper on a new deal with the Reds and committed the next three years of his career to the club. However, given his contract now expires in the summer of 2025, the end of this season marks the last realistic opportunity Liverpool have of recouping any kind of cash for their talismanic forward. Lawrenson has expla...

All eyes are on Las Vegas this week as the world’s richest sports league takes center stage with the Super Bowl. The NFL is a financial juggernaut by almost any metric, including record sponsorships, franchises worth $5.1 billion on average and 93 of the top 100 broadcasts on TV in 2023. But when it comes to athlete earnings, NFL players can’t touch their global football counterparts. Soccer stars represent four of the six highest-paid athletes on the planet, as well as seven of the top 25—the NFL lands just two inside the top 25 (Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson). Cristiano Ronaldo leads the way with $275 million, thanks to the richest on-field contract in sports and an off-field endorsement portfolio befitting a person with 620 million Instagram followers. Rounding out the top five: Jon Rahm ($203 million), Lionel Messi ($130 million), LeBron James ($125.7) and Kylian Mbappé ($125 million), based on estimated earnings for 2023 through Dec. 31. 

An Argentina soccer friendly in China next month was canceled on Friday in more fallout from Lionel Messi failing to play in a club exhibition match in Hong Kong World Cup champion Argentina, captained by Messi, last month scheduled a tour of China during the international break from March 18-26. Games were lined up against Nigeria in Hangzhou and Ivory Coast in Beijing. Both opponents are coincidentally meeting in the Africa Cup of Nations final this weekend. But Messi, on tour with his Inter Miami club, outraged fans in Hong Kong when he didn't play against a local selection last Sunday and remained on the bench. Messi said he had a groin injury. But his excuse didn't wash in Hong Kong after he played for 30 minutes on Wednesday in Tokyo against Vissel Kobe. On Friday, the sports bureau in Hangzhou canceled the Argentina-Nigeria friendly.

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored his first goal of 2024 - and the Portuguese superstar marked it with a new celebration.  Ronaldo got Al-Nassr's opener at Al Feiha in the Asian Champions League, after 81 minutes of the round of 16 tie had been played. With a smart bit of interchange play with teammate Marcelo Brozovic, Ronaldo was able to get into the penalty box and dispatch the ball past an advancing goalkeeper. The 39-year-old ran off to celebrate, jumping, before putting his hands across his chest, in a different celebration to his iconic SIUUU move.  The game finished 1-0, giving Al-Nassr a slender advantage ahead of the home leg which takes place next week, as they look to secure a spot in the Asian Champions League quarter-finals.