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Ronaldo announces Al-Nassr chapter ‘over’?

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Updated 28 May 2025
AFP
Arab News
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Ronaldo announces Al-Nassr chapter ‘over’?

Ronaldo announces Al-Nassr chapter ‘over’?
  • Al-Nassr lost 3-2 to Al-Fateh in the last game of the season
Updated 28 May 2025
AFP Arab News
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PARIS: Portugal icon Cristiano Ronaldo indicated on Monday that he could leave Al-Nassr after declaring that a “chapter is over” hours after the Saudi Pro League finished.

Ronaldo, 40, joined Al-Nassr in 2022 from Manchester United and his contract in Saudi Arabia ends this summer.

A special transfer window runs from June 1-10 to allow the 32 clubs involved in the Club World Cup to sign players.

“This chapter is over,” Ronaldo cryptically said on social media with a photo of him in an Al-Nassr shirt.

“The story? Still being written.

“Grateful to all,” the former Real Madrid and Juventus attacker added.

He posted the message shortly after Al-Nassr lost 3-2 to Al-Fateh in the last game of the season, finishing third.

Al-Nassr missed out on the Asian Champions League Elite, losing to Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale in April’s semifinals and were third in the Saudi Pro League.

Ronaldo ended as the league’s top goal scorer on 24.

Last year, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner said he could end his career wit Al-Nassr.

Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo

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Mohamed Salah wins PFA Player of the Year award for unprecedented third time

Mohamed Salah wins PFA Player of the Year award for unprecedented third time
Updated 3 sec ago
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Mohamed Salah wins PFA Player of the Year award for unprecedented third time

Mohamed Salah wins PFA Player of the Year award for unprecedented third time
Updated 3 sec ago

MANCHESTER: Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was named the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Player of the Year on Tuesday, with the Egyptian becoming the first player to win the award three times.

Salah, who joined Liverpool in 2017, was the Premier League’s top scorer last season, with his 29 goals, along with 18 assists, playing a key role in the club winning the league title, finishing 10 points ahead of runners-up Arsenal.

The 33-year-old had already clinched the Premier League Player of the Season award, the Golden Boot for most goals scored and the Playmaker award for most assists, making him the first player to win all three awards in the same season.

Salah first won the PFA award in 2018 after his first season at Liverpool, and again in 2022, and this year came out on top of a six-man shortlist, voted for by PFA members from the 92 Premier League and Football League teams.

That shortlist included his Liverpool teammate Alexis Mac Allister, along with Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer.

Salah signed a two-year contract extension with Liverpool in April, ending months of speculation linking him with a move to the Saudi Pro League.

Aston Villa and England midfielder Morgan Rogers was voted Young Player of the Year, after the 23-year-old scored eight league goals in his 37 starts last season and netted four goals in the Champions League including a hat-trick against Celtic.

Arsenal midfielder Mariona Caldentey was named Women’s Player of the Year. The Spaniard scored nine league goals in her first season with the club along with eight goals in the Champions League where Arsenal beat her former club Barcelona to win the trophy.

Canadian 21-year-old forward Olivia Smith, Liverpool’s leading scorer last season across all competitions with nine goals, picked up the Young Player of the Year award.

Smith has since joined Arsenal for a reported fee of one million pounds ($1.35 million), making her the first female player to break the seven-figure barrier.

Liverpool had four players from last season, including Salah, named in the Premier League team of the year, along with new signing from Bournemouth, Milos Kerkez.

Premier League Team of the Year:

Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest); Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth), William Saliba (Arsenal), Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal); Declan Rice (Arsenal), Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool); Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Alexander Isak (Newcastle United), Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest).

Maharaj’s career-best 5-33 leads South Africa to a 98-run win over Australia

Maharaj’s career-best 5-33 leads South Africa to a 98-run win over Australia
Updated 19 August 2025
AP
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Maharaj’s career-best 5-33 leads South Africa to a 98-run win over Australia

Maharaj’s career-best 5-33 leads South Africa to a 98-run win over Australia
  • Australia captain Mitchell Marsh made 88 off 96 balls and Ben Dwarshuis scored 33, but Maharaj had done enough damage in his unchanged spell of 10 overs to give the Proteas a 1-0 lead in the three-match series
Updated 19 August 2025
AP

CAIRNS, Australia: Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj dismantled Australia with a career-best 5-33 as South Africa romped to a 98-run victory in the first one-day international on Tuesday.

Maharaj made full use of spin-friendly conditions to help dismiss Australia for 198 with more than nine overs to spare after South Africa had earlier posted 296-8 — the highest ODI total at Cazaly’s Stadium in Cairns.

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh made 88 off 96 balls and Ben Dwarshuis scored 33, but Maharaj had done enough damage in his unchanged spell of 10 overs to give the Proteas a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Travis Head (27) gave Australia an explosive start of 60-0 in the first seven overs when the left-hander smashed fast bowler Nandre Burger for five boundaries in one over.

But in a dramatic turnaround, the home team lost six wickets — five to Maharaj — for the addition of only 29 runs as Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma turned to his slow bowlers inside the batting power play. Australia went from 60-0 to 89-6.

Debutant off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen (1-46) had Head stumped off his seventh ball in ODIs before Maharaj removed five batters for single digits.

Maharaj had Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey trapped leg before wicket while Cameron Green, Josh Inglis and Aaron Hardie were clean bowled off deliveries that spun enough to beat the bat.

Marsh and Dwarshuis resisted with a 71-run stand but Lungi Ngidi (2-28) and Burger (2-54) wrapped up the tail quickly after Maharaj and Subrayen’s impeccable spells.

After losing the toss, three half centuries from the top four batters powered South Africa on a wicket where spinners ruled with part-time offspinner Head claiming 4-57, his second four-wicket haul in ODIs.

Aiden Markram (82), Bavuma (65) and Matthew Breetzke (57) all scored 50-plus before Australia came back strongly in the death overs with Head claiming three of his four wickets in the last 10 overs.

Ryan Rickelton (33) survived a number of close calls, including a dropped catch by wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, as he put on a 92-run opening wicket stand with Markram. Rickelton’s luck ended when he holed out to Labuschagne at mid off that gave Head his first wicket.

Markram looked set for his first century in the last 20 ODIs, but the right-hander played a loose drive against Dwarshuis and was caught behind in the 24th over.

Bavuma, playing his first international since leading South Africa to victory in the World Test Championship final, struggled to get going but Breetzke found boundaries against Australia’s third spinner Labuschagne.

Breetzke raised his run-a-ball half century but just when it looked like South Africa would finish off well he top-edged a slog sweep against Adam Zampa to Hardie at deep square leg.

Head then got the big wickets of power-hitter Tristan Stubbs and debutant Dewald Brevis in the space of three balls. Brevis smashed the spinner for a first-ball six in his ODI career before perishing off the next ball when he couldn’t clear Carey at long off.

Topics: ODI cricket South Africa Australia Keshav Maharaj

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New boy Joao Felix fires 10-man Al-Nassr to Saudi Super Cup win over Al-Ittihad

New boy Joao Felix fires 10-man Al-Nassr to Saudi Super Cup win over Al-Ittihad
Updated 19 August 2025
John Duerden
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New boy Joao Felix fires 10-man Al-Nassr to Saudi Super Cup win over Al-Ittihad

New boy Joao Felix fires 10-man Al-Nassr to Saudi Super Cup win over Al-Ittihad
  • Sadio Mane sent off after just 25 minutes, but new arrival from Chelsea grabs the winner in a 2-1 victory
  • The Jeddah side will face either Al-Ahli or Al-Qadsiah in the final on Saturday
Updated 19 August 2025
John Duerden

LONDON: Joao Felix shone on his club debut as 10-man Al-Nassr defeated Al-Ittihad 2-1 in the semi-finals of the Saudi Super Cup in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

The forward, who joined the Jeddah side at the end of July from Chelsea, grabbed the second-half winner for his new team, who were reduced to 10 men after just 25 minutes when Sadio Mane was sent off.

Before the red card, Mane had opened the scoring in fine fashion after just 10 minutes. Ayman Yahya freed Marcelo Brozovic down the left and the Croatian fired in a low cross from the byline. The ball was in the air and a little behind Mane but the former Liverpool star managed to lean back and volley it into the net from near the penalty spot, although goalkeeper Hamed Al-Shanqiti got his hands to the shot and should probably have kept it out.

The advantage was short-lived, however, as the reigning Saudi Pro League champions hit back just six minutes later. Mario Mitaj carried the ball forward down the left and found Moussa Diaby inside the box. The French winger then slipped the ball back for Steven Bergwijn to slot home.

New Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus soon faced a bigger headache nine minuted later when Mane was given his marching orders. The Senegalese attacker seemed to stamp on Al-Shanqiti as he went for the ball and, after the video assistant referee had a look, the Riyadh side were down to 10 men.

Yet on the hour mark, it was Al-Nassr who took the lead once again. Cristiano Ronaldo broke free down the right, entered the area and, despite having only the goalkeeper to beat, the 40-year-old unselfishly side-footed the ball to Felix, and his Portuguese compatriot made no mistake from close range.

Five minutes later, Felix fired home a rocket from the edge of the area, only for the goal to be ruled out because of a foul in the build-up. He came close once again when he rounded the goalkeeper, but hit the post from a tight angle.

Al-Ittihad had almost two-thirds of the possession but could not get back into the game, and when Saleh Al-Shehri headed straight at the goalkeeper from close range in injury time, it was all over.

With last season’s Pro League runners-up Al-Hilal, who finished the season five points clear of third-place Al-Nassr, opting not to participate in this traditional curtain-raiser to the new campaign, after their exploits in the FIFA Club World Cup in the US over the summer, the second semi-final, on Wednesday, will feature fourth-placed Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ahli, who finished fifth in the league and are reigning Asian champions. The final will take place on Saturday.

Topics: SPL Al-Nassr Joao Felix Cristiano Ronaldo

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Gill and Bumrah in India’s Asia Cup squad, Jaiswal ignored

Gill and Bumrah in India’s Asia Cup squad, Jaiswal ignored
Updated 19 August 2025
Reuters
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Gill and Bumrah in India’s Asia Cup squad, Jaiswal ignored

Gill and Bumrah in India’s Asia Cup squad, Jaiswal ignored
  • India’s test captain Gill has not played a T20 International since July last year
  • India begin their Group A campaign against hosts UAE before meeting Pakistan
Updated 19 August 2025
Reuters

NEW DELHI: Defending champions India named top order batter Shubman Gill and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in their Twenty20 squad on Tuesday for next month’s Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and middle order batter Shreyas Iyer, however, could not make the cut in the 15-member squad led by Suryakumar Yadav.

India’s test captain Gill has not played a T20 International since July last year when he was Suryakumar’s deputy on the tour of Sri Lanka.

“That’s where we started a new cycle,” Suryakumar, who took over T20 captaincy from Rohit Sharma after India won the 20-overs World Cup title last year, told reporters.

“After that he got busy with all the test series and he didn’t get an opportunity to play T20s because he was busy playing test cricket and Champions Trophy.

“So he’s there in the squad and we’re happy to have him.”

India also included Bumrah, whose workload has been a major concern for the team think-tank, which played him in three of the five tests in England earlier this year.

With three opening options in Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson — India could not accommodate Jaiswal.

“With regard to Yashasvi, it’s just unfortunate again,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said.

“There’s Abhishek Sharma, what he’s done over the last year or so, plus he can bowl a little bit, he gives us that option if required.

“One of these guys was going to miss out, Yashasvi just has to wait for his chance.”

Samson and Jitesh Sharma are the two wicketkeepers in the side, which also includes left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

India begin their Group A campaign against hosts United Arab Emirates in Dubai before meeting arch-rivals Pakistan at the same venue four days later.

India squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson 

Topics: asia cup

Pakistan Cricket Board downgrades contracts for Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan

Pakistan Cricket Board downgrades contracts for Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan
Updated 19 August 2025
AP
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Pakistan Cricket Board downgrades contracts for Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan

Pakistan Cricket Board downgrades contracts for Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan
  • No player awarded top-tier contract as PCB splits pool evenly across B, C and D categories
  • Test captain Shan Masood, pacer Naseem Shah demoted as part of PCB’s contract reshuffle
Updated 19 August 2025
AP

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board has downgraded deals for Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the latest list of 30 centrally contracted players announced on Tuesday.

Both Babar and Rizwan were in category A but have been relegated to join Abrar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi in category B.

The PCB didn’t contract any players at the highest level, instead selecting 10 players in each of the B, C and D categories.

Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson said last weekend that Babar needed to work on his strike-rate and playing against spin in the T20 format. Selectors yet again ignored both Babar and Rizwan in the Pakistan T20 squad for an upcoming tri-series and the Asia Cup.

Pakistan finished at the bottom of the ICC World Test Championship and the PCB has demoted its test captain Shan Masood from category B to category D.

Fast bowler Naseem Shah, who was also dropped for the upcoming T20 tournaments in the United Arab Emirates, was dropped from the second tier to the third tier of contracted players.

Wickekeeper-batter Usman Khan, who chose to play for Pakistan over the UAE, was among the eight international players who didn’t get a central contract.

While some key Pakistan cricketers were demoted, legspinner Ahmed, fast bowler Rauf, opening batter Ayub, T20 captain Agha and legspinner Shadab Khan were all upgraded from C to B category contracts.

The contracts run through June 30, 2026.

Topics: Babar Azam Muhammad Rizwan Pakistan Cricket Pakistan Cricket Board

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