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“It would be a good achievement if we can get through in a pretty tough group,” Alex Hales says

Andrew McGlashan04-Nov-2022In 2015, England’s horrid ODI World Cup campaign came to a forgettable end on a damp, miserable day at the SCG with a facile nine-wicket win against Afghanistan.This time, they will hope to make better memories and a place in the semi-finals for the third consecutive T20 World Cup. There is a decent chance that a victory of any sort will be enough, but should Australia win by a significant margin against Afghanistan, England will at least have the advantage of knowing their exact target given that cricket has yet to embrace concurrent final-round matches.Related

'Losing less wickets during powerplay' the key, says Nawaz

England win tactical tussle to prevent repeat of semi-final defeat

Having returned to the England side ahead of this tournament, Alex Hales is one of two players from the XI against Afghanistan seven years ago – the other is Jos Buttler – who will line up against Sri Lanka. Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes were also in that squad, along with Chris Jordan.”Certainly on a personal level, to have a chance to play knockout cricket in a World Cup would be a very special feeling,” Hales said. “It’s a pretty tight competition and to get through is difficult… you have to beat some very good teams along the way. It would be a good achievement if we can get through in a pretty tough group, in my opinion.”However, it is certainly not a game England can take for granted. Sri Lanka have had to do it the hard way in this tournament, getting through the qualifying round after a shock opening defeat against Namibia, and then suffering heavy Super 12 defeats against Australia and New Zealand, which has left things out of their hands. Unless Afghanistan spring an upset on Australia, it’s all over for them.

“The input has been quite straightforward and the clarity is there. We’ve been pushed hard. There’s no limits with him, so we’ve been really pushed hard”Bhanuka Rajapaksa on Chris Silverwood’s contribution

“We are coming here to justify our presence over here in Australia. We just want to play good cricket,” Bhanuka Rajapaksa said. “We have already shown what we are capable of a couple of months back [at the Asia Cup] and it’s a strong side. Unfortunately not all the results have come our way, but tomorrow’s game is quite important to end on a high note.”The England game will be the third in a row played on the same SCG pitch, the surface which has offered the bowlers most help out of the three used, with quicks finding some grip for slower balls and the spinners getting some turn. They are conditions that should bring Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana into the game. Either side of his mauling by Marcus Stoinis in Perth, Hasaranga has been outstanding and Theekshana has troubled plenty of batters.Throughout the tournament, there have been some challenging pitches because of the damp start to the summer across much of Australia.”I think the numbers at the top of the order throughout the tournament have been probably lower than what you usually expect,” Hales said. “[Pitches have been] slightly different to what I’ve been used to. There’s been a fair bit of swing, a bit of seaming bounce, so it’s been very difficult. Had to hang in there at times and piece together a contribution the other night, but the weather looks a bit better going forward, so hopefully the pitches will get better as well.””We are coming here to justify our presence over here in Australia,” Bhanuka Rajapaksa said•AFP/Getty ImagesThere is an added dynamic to the contest, with Sri Lanka helmed by former England coach Chris Silverwood. Earlier this year, it was a miserable experience for Silverwood during the Ashes, a tour that cost him his job, but he has kept his counsel since and there have been signs of him having a positive impact on Sri Lanka.”It’s just another game for him,” Rajapaksa said. “The input has been quite straightforward and the clarity is there. We’ve been pushed hard. There’s no limits with him, so we’ve been really pushed hard. He just wants us to get better every day and it’s quite simple.”Injuries have not been kind to Sri Lanka, particularly those to Dushmantha Chameera and Dilshan Madushanka, in a tournament dominated by quick bowlers, but Rajapaksa said there was no point feeling sorry for themselves.”Ifs are not going to help us now, but… of course, it has impacted the performance of the side,” he said. “But it’s not an excuse. Everyone wants to perform, it’s a major tournament. You can’t blame it on [the injuries]. We hope the guys will get better and strong when the next World Cup happens.”While Sri Lankan thoughts may be drifting to the next World Cup, England’s remain firmly on the present one. It will be in their hands to ensure this time Sydney does not mark their end point.

Liverpool are going to have to make do without an “outstanding” player for the foreseeable future alongside Joe Gomez, according to reliable journalist James Pearce.

Latest Liverpool news

The Reds are still reeling from their 2-2 draw away to Everton on Wednesday evening, having come within seconds of securing their most precious Premier League victory so far.

That said, a point was still no disaster at Goodison Park, leaving Liverpool seven points clear at the top of the table, and it is now vital that Arne Slot’s side respond on Sunday afternoon, as they welcome Wolves to Anfield.

In terms of Reds-related transfer news, RB Leipzig centre-back Castello Lukeba has been linked with a move to the club this summer, as Slot looks to bolster his defensive options. At 22, he is still a maturing footballer, but one who has already made 59 appearances for the Bundesliga side.

Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool future still hasn’t been sorted, meaning potential replacements for him need to be lined up, one of whom is reportedly Karim Adeyemi. The German has four goals in as many appearances to his name in the Champions League in 2024/25 to date.

Liverpool dealt injury blow to "outstanding" ace

According to The Athletic’s Pearce on X, Liverpool midfielder Tyler Morton will be “out for around three months” after a successful surgery on a shoulder injury.

That comes in the same update as Gomez, who is “undergoing further tests on his hamstring amid fears he’s facing another lengthy lay-off”, having limped out of last weekend’s 1-0 defeat away to Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup fourth round.

Morton may not be a key player for Liverpool this season, with the likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott all ahead of him in the pecking order, but this still acts as a setback ahead of the business end of the campaign.

The 22-year-old has still managed five appearances so far this season, bringing poise in the middle of the park, and he was lauded by Liam Rosenior during their time together at Hull City earlier in the Reds youngster’s career.

“Some of his play, honestly. He can do everything as a midfield player. When we were recruiting in the summer, he fits completely into the way we want to play. The beauty with Tyler is he can play deep, and he can be just as effective there, but what we’ve seen in training is he can create and score goals. It was about fitting the functionality of the team around him. He was outstanding.”

It may even be that Morton has now played his final game for Liverpool, however, should he not play for the remainder of the campaign.

Sold for 1570% profit: Klopp hit the jackpot with Liverpool's superstar

This former Liverpool player made it all happen for Jurgen Klopp’s team.

ByAngus Sinclair Feb 14, 2025

The Englishman must surely feel that a permanent move away from Anfield this summer is best for his development, rather than being loaned out, and the Reds could be happy to cash in on him. It would be best for everyone concerned.

Harry Kane was getting ready to celebrate the first major trophy of his career until RB Leipzig equalised.

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Bayern title win on holdKane was getting ready to celebrateRB Leipzig equaliser humiliatingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Kane was suspended in Leipzig but was watching the game from the stands when Bayern went 3-2 ahead, after initially being 2-0 down. It looked as though the England captain was finally about to secure the first major trophy of his career and made his way pitchside to celebrate with his team-mates. But as he was waiting for the final whistle to sound, Yussuf Poulsen equalised to tie the game and make Kane and Bayern wait.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Kane joine Bayern in 2023 to win trophies, have never managed to during 10 seasons in Tottenham's first-team, and then shockingly didn't collect any silverware during his debut campaign in Germany. The club was knocked out of this season's DFB-Pokal in December and fell at the quarter-final stage in the Champions League. But the Bundesliga is the one Kane will have been eyeing all year.

WHAT HARRY KANE SAID

"I've done a lot of things I've wanted to do in my career so far. Of course, I know the team trophy is the one that everyone will refer back to, but ultimately, you have to do your best in every situation, and I feel like I've done that," Kane told last month.

"Whether I finish with one trophy or 20 trophies, ultimately it won't change my mindset and what I want to achieve and how I try and achieve it. Like I said, we have another opportunity this year to win some trophies and that would be incredible and maybe that would stop that noise around me a little bit. But I think in football in general, you're always going to have people who doubt you, people who criticise you."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Failing an almighty collapse and ridiculous goal difference swing, Bayern will finish 2024-25 as Bundesliga champions. That will happen as soon as Sunday if Bayer Leverkusen, who trail by nine points and have a massively inferior goal difference that is 30 worse, fail to beat Freiburg. If Leverkusen win, Bayern can win the title with a point in their home clash with Borussia Monchengladbach on May 10.

The three cricketers inducted represent the sport from the 1970s to the 2010s

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2022Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Charlotte Edwards and Abdul Qadir have been inducted into ICC’s Hall of Fame. The trio will be honoured ahead of the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup at the SCG.Chanderpaul, the 107th inductee on the list, had a 21-year career representing West Indies after making his debut in 1994. His unorthodox batting stance would go on to be his trademark while his patience at the crease became his signature. After spending his initial years in and out of the team, Chanderpaul became a rock in West Indies’ middle order, a role he held till his last cap in 2015.When Chanderpaul announced his retirement in 2016, he finished with 20,988 international runs, 41 centuries and 125 half-centuries across formats.”It’s an amazing honour to follow the footsteps of many legends and so many other great cricketers of the past,” Chanderpaul said in an ICC release. “I’m grateful for the recognition and would like to enjoy the moment with family, friends and most importantly the West Indies cricket fans and fans around the world who passionately supported me throughout my career.”Edwards, No. 108 in ICC’s Hall of Fame, represented England since the age of 16 for two decades, and by the time she finished her international career had also captained the side to an ODI and T20 World Cup title. Her 5992 runs in women’s ODIs are the second most in the game’s history.In 2021, the domestic women’s T20 competition in England was named the Charlotte Edwards Cup in her honour, and the following year Edwards won the trophy named after herself after coaching Southern Vipers to the title.”It’s a massive honour to be included in the ICC Hall of Fame alongside the very illustrious company that has already been inducted,” Edwards said. “I’d like to thank and share this moment with my family and friends, my teammates and all of the coaches that have supported me throughout.”Qadir, the legendary legspinner from Pakistan who died in 2019 aged 63, was the 109th inductee on the list. Qadir took 236 Test wickets in 67 matches and his 9 for 56 against England in 1987 remains one of the best figures in Test cricket. Qadir made his last international appearance in 1993.”On behalf of the family, I want to say thank you very much to the ICC for nominating my father for induction into the Hall of Fame,” Usman, Abdul Qadir’s son, said. “It is a very big honour for the family to hear of this news, we see it as a huge achievement, and one that my father would be very proud of if he was still with us today.”In November 2021, Janette Brittin, Mahela Jayawardene and Shaun Pollock were inducted while ten others – Bob Willis, Vinoo Mankad, Learie Constantine, Andy Flower among them – were also inducted before the inaugural World Test Championship final last year.

Philippe Clement has been battling to save his job as Rangers manager and now a significant update has emerged regarding his future at Ibrox.

Clement battling to save Rangers job

The Gers’ recent Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Queen’s Park was one of the lowest moments in the club’s recent history, further heaping enormous pressure on Clement, with the fanbase increasingly turning on him.

On Sunday, Rangers faced a must-win game away to Hearts in the Scottish Premiership, with the manager knowing that only victory would ease any kind of heat on him.

Fortunately for Clement, the Gers battled their way to a 3-1 triumph, with Jamie McCart scoring two own goals for the hosts and Vaclav Cerny also finding the net. In truth, though, the performance wasn’t wholly convincing for large periods, with Hearts creating plenty of chances.

Rangers’ victory means they are back to being 13 points adrift of Celtic at the top of the table, with some stunning form needed to narrow the gap on their rivals. Whether Clement is still in charge at Ibrox come the end of the season remains to be seen, but now a new update has dropped over his future.

Journalist gives update on Clement's Rangers future

Writing in The Daily Record on Monday [via Ibrox News], reliable journalist Andy Newport dropped a six-word verdict on Clement’s job at Rangers.

He also went on to state that Gers supporters certainly aren’t changing their feelings towards the Belgian, though, adding: “The Ibrox faithful have long since made their minds up on the beleaguered Belgian and this (win at Hearts) won’t change anything.”

At this point, it really is hard to see Clement being the long-term solution at Rangers, with the aforementioned loss to Queen’s Park almost doing too much damage to ever truly save him moving forward.

Former Gers striker Kris Boyd has certainly made it clear what he thinks should happen to the manager, questioning the 50-year-old’s assessment of Sunday’s game: “I don’t know, sometimes I think Philippe Clement has watched a different game.

“Hearts caused Rangers all sorts of problems, Yes Rangers have won the game but I look at big clubs in other countries and Celtic in Scotland and they dominate games of football.

“They’ve got better players, they’re spending a lot more money on wages, they dominate games of football and I never see that from Rangers. I never see it. There’s moments when they’re on top and you think maybe they can score a few goals but all of a sudden they revert to what we see far too often from Rangers.”

"Everyone knows" – Celtic target's Dad's bizarre jab at Rangers and Celtic

His son missed the chance to move to Celtic Park in January.

ByBen Browning Feb 15, 2025

Only a stunning turnaround for Clement will save him now, such as winning the Europa League or going extremely deep in the competition, but at this point, it is extremely difficult to see that happening.

Pakistan struck back in the final thirty minutes to eventually share the day’s honours

Sreshth Shah28-Dec-2022New Zealand’s batters, led by Kane Williamson, made Pakistan toil for most of day three in Karachi. However, the hosts struck back in the final 30 minutes to eventually share the day’s honours.Starting the day on 165 for 0, New Zealand finished on 440 for 6, two runs ahead of Pakistan’s first-innings score. With Pakistan having the momentum at stumps, the game stands in a tantalising position with two days to go and a tricky pitch to deal with.Williamson finished the day unbeaten on 105. He was supported by Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell and though neither man got even as far as a half-century, their aggression allowed Williamson to quietly build on his score. In the morning, Tom Latham added to his overnight score of 78 to post his 13th Test century.Mitchell shellacked 42 runs in 47 balls after walking in at No. 5 in the middle session. He used the reverse-sweep to get his boundary-scoring underway before graduating to playing more conventional shots in the V. Nauman Ali was launched for six and four down the ground while Mohammad Wasim bore the brunt of even more aggression, hit for four boundaries in four deliveries.Blundell, on the other hand, was a much less assured presence at the crease. He rode his luck coming down the track to the Pakistan spinners, Nauman and Abrar Ahmed, who bowled in tandem for long spells through the day. The New Zealand No. 6 was the aggressor after tea, targeting he leg side for most of his boundaries. His battle with Nauman was fascinating, with the left-arm spinner getting the ball to turn across him, leading to innumerable leading edges and sliced shots that went to the off-side instead, including one when he was on 41 that saw two fielders try to take a catch with neither committing to it. Eventually, the missed Blundell chance did not cost Pakistan much with the wicketkeeper-batter falling lbw for 47 to Wasim’s reverse-swing late in the day.Nauman created more chances earlier in the day. Had they been converted, his figures would have looked a lot better than 2 for 137 and Pakistan might well be in control of the whole Test match. He had bowled beautifully to force errors from Williamson when the batter was on 15 and 21, however both times Sarfaraz Ahmed could not pull off the stumping. In fairness to the wicketkeeper, they were moderately tough chances.Nauman Ali bowled better than his figures – 2 for 137 – suggest•AFPWilliamson, batting for the first time since giving up the Test captaincy, made his entry in the day’s sixth over following Devon Conway’s dismissal for 92. After a 183-run opening partnership with Latham, Conway was out lbw to Nauman, trapped inside his crease on the back foot. At first, Conway was deemed not out by umpire Aleem Dar but the decision was overturned on review.While Williamson was still finding his feet, Latham charged to his 13th Test hundred in the morning. His ton broke the New Zealand record for most centuries by a Test opener, going past John Wright’s 12.However, Latham fell before lunch trying to play a reverse sweep off Abrar that popped up to first slip. Abrar’s second wicket of the day – that of Mitchell – also came via a reverse sweep that went wrong.Williamson had a watchful start to his innings, trying to find his feet following a lean recent run with the bat. He relied on the sweep to get his early runs, but as the ball got old, he pounced on Abrar’s inconsistency to hit him for three fours through midwicket in the space of seven balls. That pushed him into the 40s, and soon after reached his fifty by punching to extra cover.After a brief 41-run stand with No. 4 Henry Nicholls ended with the left-hand batter chopping Nauman onto his stumps, Williamson took a back seat with Mitchell leading the run-scoring charge. That allowed him to quietly move into the 70s, which he further added to, once Blundell brought out his strokes. The only time Williamson really went for the big shots was when the spinners pitched it up outside off. Otherwise, he relied on his nudges and nurdles to get the bulk of his runs.It was late in the day when Williamson reached his century – his 25th in Tests, fifth against Pakistan and first since his 238 in January 2021 against the same opponents. He drove Wasim to mid-off in the 123rd over and reached his landmark. However that wasn’t the end of the day’s action. Michael Bracewell fell late in the day leaving Ish Sodhi, the No. 8, to face 20 balls in a tricky spell of play to stay unbeaten on 1 alongside Williamson.While the end of the day provided a zenith for Williamson, the start of the day completed a redemption arc for another former Test captain. Sarfaraz was asked to lead Pakistan in the morning session with Babar Azam one of three players down with viral flu like symptoms. And even though Babar returned after lunch, Sarfaraz’s brief spell in charge completed a full circle for the man who was dropped from captaincy, and the team, since his last Test appearance in January 2019.

Glasgow Rangers suffered their third consecutive defeat at Ibrox for the first time since 2012 after Motherwell secured a 2-1 win on Saturday afternoon.

The game was Barry Ferguson’s first game in charge at Ibrox and he was looking for his side to continue the momentum from the 4-2 comeback victory over Kilmarnock in midweek.

The Steelmen were two goals up after half an hour, however. Cyriel Dessers reduced the arrears after half-time, but the damage was done.

Several members of the starting XI performed poorly, with a few looking like they were on autopilot as the summer transfer window looms on the horizon. Unless things improve sooner rather than later, it might be a summer of discontent at Ibrox ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Ferguson was so dismayed by the first-half performance over the weekend that he made three changes at the break. Robin Propper, Hamza Igamane and Ianis Hagi were all brought off following an underwhelming 45 minutes.

The first two were poor, but it was the performance of Hagi that was the most disappointing, failing to offer much of a threat in the final third during the opening 45 minutes.

Ianis Hagi's game in numbers vs Motherwell

Since making his long-awaited return to the first team back in October after a contract dispute threatened to derail his Ibrox career, Hagi has contributed fairly well.

His goal against Celtic at the beginning of the year in a 3-0 victory was a key highlight, while the Romanian has registered 11 goal contributions – four goals and seven assists – across 23 games for the Gers this term.

Deployed mainly on the left wing in recent weeks, Ferguson continued this theme, unleashing Hagi on the left of his four-man midfield in a 4-4-2 system.

Accurate passes

James Tavernier (67)

Key passes

Mohamed Diomande and Vaclav Cerny (3)

Tackles

Kai Andrews (4)

Shots on target

Mohamed Diomande (2)

Ground duels won

Callum Slattery and Jefte (7)

The formation didn’t exactly bring out the best in the 26-year-old, who failed to link up well with either Igamane or Dessers in the final third.

During the opening 45 minutes, Hagi completed only 19 passes while taking 44 touches as he struggled to make much of an impact in a different system than he was used to.

Going forward, Hagi delivered ten crosses into the opposition penalty area, yet only two were accurate. The midfielder also succeeded with just two of his four dribble attempts, registered a single shot off target and lost possession a staggering 15 times.

This works out as once every three touches, proving he couldn’t quite settle into the match.

Hagi has failed to score or assist in his previous three Premiership matches but he has been added to the European squad ahead of the last-16 clash against Fenerbahçe this week so perhaps he could become an important cog in Europe.

That said, his contract does expire in this summer and there haven’t been any updates regarding a potential extension, meaning the midfielder can speak to other clubs if he wishes to do so.

While losing him on a free wouldn’t be ideal, the new manager may not find space in his plans for the player.

The club have lost plenty of talented players in the past and one is even outscoring Hagi this season…

Robbie Ure’s Rangers statistics

Robbie Ure was one of the most exciting prospects of his age group, progressing through the Ibrox academy during his time at Auchenhowie.

The Light Blues haven’t had a pure out-and-out Scottish striker since Kris Boyd left in 2010 and Ure looked like he fitted the bill perfectly.

During the 2022/23 campaign, Ure was particularly impressive for the B team. He scored 17 goals and grabbed eight assists in the Lowland League, but it was his displays in the UEFA Youth League which caught the eye.

The competition – which is a youth version of the Champions League – saw the Light Blues coming up against Ajax, Liverpool and Napoli, securing two wins against the Italian side.

Ure scored a goal during the 3-2 win over Napoli in the penultimate match of the group stage, leading Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie to hail him as a “standout” performer.

That same season, Ure made his senior debut for the Gers, starting against Queen of the South in the League Cup in August 2022.

Amazingly, he scored his maiden goal for the club during the first half, showcasing his talents in front of the Ibrox crowd, with Scott Arfield hailing him as “magic” following the game.

Michael Beale let him go at the end of that season on a free, however, and the Scottish centre-forward now finds himself playing for Anderlecht Futures in the Belgian second tier.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

How Robbie Ure is now shining in Belgium

Yes, Ure might be playing in the second division of Belgian football, but performing well could see him gain some first-team action for the club in the near future.

Last term, he scored five times and registered two assists, while even making a solitary appearance for the senior side against Royal Antwerp.

This season has been even better for the 21-year-old. He has netted seven goals in just 21 games for the club, including four in his last six appearances, chipping in with two assists too.

He looks at home on the continent and playing a different type of football could certainly pay dividends in the coming years.

While not saying that he is at the same level as someone like Hagi, it is another case of the Ibrox side failing to give their young talent a proper chance, before watching them blossom elsewhere.

It has been a recurring theme at the club since promotion back to the top flight in 2016. Whoever comes in to manage the Gers this summer, they must utilise the talent coming through the academy.

Bailey Rice, Findlay Curtis and Paul Nsio have all been given chances so far this season, but more minutes are required if the trio are to live up to their potential.

Ure is certainly enjoying life outside of Scotland and the Gers may rue letting him go for nothing.

Rangers' 4/10 dud was "unspeakably bad" v Motherwell

Rangers suffered yet another domestic defeat this afternoon.

1 ByRoss Kilvington Mar 1, 2025

Everything you need to know about Orkun Kokcu's salary details playing for Benfica

Turkey international Orkun Kokcu arrived at Benfica in the summer of 2023, signing from Eredivisie side Feyenoord after five seasons between 2018 and 2023 for a respectable transfer fee.

Playing in a central midfield role, Kokcu has developed into a key player for the Portuguese side, anchoring and dictating the tempo in the middle of the park.

The Turkish midfielder's current contract with Benfica runs until 2028, and he is well compensated for his efforts.

Exactly how much does he earn though?

GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology and found out!

*

Orkun Kokcu's wages at Benfica in numbers

Under his current contract with the Liga Portugal team, Orkun Kokcu receives a weekly salary of €57,692, totaling €3 million annually.

This makes him the fifth-highest paid player at Benfica.

Player

Nationality

Weekly wages in Euros

Annual wages in Euros

Orkun Kokcu

Turkish

€57,692

€3,000,000

AdvertisementAFPTop earners at Benfica

Renato Sanches, a Portuguese midfielder, has the highest salary at Benfica.

Anatoli Trubin, Angel Di Maria, and Arthur Cabral share the second, third, and fourth positions with equal salaries.

Orkun Kokcu, a Turkish player, completes the top five.

Player

Nationality

Weekly wages in Euros

Annual wages in Pounds

Renato Sanches

Portuguese

€133,077

€6,920,000

Anatoli Trubin

Ukrainian

€74,038

€3,850,000

Angel Di Maria

Argentine

€74,038

€3,850,000

Arthur Cabral

Brazilian

€74,038

€3,850,000

Orkun Kokcu

Turkish

€57,692

€3,000,000

Top earners in Liga Portugal

Four of the top five highest-paid players in Liga Portugal are from Benfica.

Renato Sanches is the highest-paid, followed by Francisco Trincao from Sporting CP in second place.

Anatoli Trubin, Angel Di Maria, and Arthur Cabral are in third, fourth, and fifth places, respectively.

Player

Club

Weekly wages in Euros

Annual wages in USD

Renato Sanches

Benfica

€133,077

€6,920,000

Francisco Trincao

Sporting CP

€75,000

€4,000,000

Anatoli Trubin

Benfica

€74,038

€3,850,000

Angel Di Maria

Benfica

€74,038

€3,850,000

Arthur Cabral

Benfica

€74,038

€3,850,000

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AFPHighest paid players in the world

No players from Liga Portugal rank among the top five highest-paid globally, despite high earnings.

The top five are all from the Saudi Pro League, with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr earning the most.

Karim Benzema, formerly of Real Madrid, is second, and Riyad Mahrez, now with Al-Ahli, is third.

Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly, both from Senegal, are fourth and fifth, respectively.

Player

Club

Weekly wages Euros

Annual wages Euros

Cristiano Ronaldo

Al Nassr

€3,846,154

€200,000,000

Karim Benzema

Al Ittihad

€1,923,077

€100,000,000

Riyad Mahrez

Al Ahli

€1,003,846

€52,200,000

Sadio Mane

Al Nassr

€769,231

€40,000,000

Kalidou Koulibaly

Al Hilal

€667,308

€34,700,000

As Manchester United’s poor form continues, INEOS are already reportedly eyeing a move to replace Ruben Amorim after just four months in charge by hiring a World Cup winner.

Amorim's nightmare four months at Old Trafford

On paper, hiring a young, hungry manager seemed exactly what Manchester United needed. Amorim ticked most boxes and even backed up his credentials by defeating Manchester City with Sporting Club in the Champions League just before his Old Trafford arrival. What INEOS did not take a close enough look at is the system that the 40-year-old deploys.

For a squad full of wingers, an attack which lacks a leading goalscorer and one full of defenders used to playing in a back four, Manchester United hired a manager who plays without wingers, one key man leading the line and a back five rather than a back four. And as the months have ticked by, it’s become clearer that United simply did not do their homework.

Not just Onana: £85k-p/w Man Utd star now looks finished under Amorim

The futures of numerous Man Utd stars now look increasingly uncertain at Old Trafford

ByRobbie Walls Mar 4, 2025

Whilst Amorim should have done better at this stage than five wins in 16 Premier League games and a place in the bottom half, square pegs in round holes across his system were never going to turn Manchester United into a top-four side or perhaps even top half.

What makes matters worse is that the Red Devils simply cannot afford to rebuild their side in Amorim’s vision with the quality that he needs to take them back into European football. Amid a time full of cost-cutting measures, United have seemingly backed themselves into a corner once again.

It’s a problem which has seemingly sparked doubt over Amorim’s future, with a World Cup winner now reportedly being eyed by those at Old Trafford.

Man Utd eyeing move for Joachim Low

According to claims in Spain, Manchester United are now eyeing a move to hire Joachim Low to replace the struggling Amorim.

The 65-year-old has been out of a job since leaving the German national team in 2021 and hasn’t taken charge of club football since Austria Vienna in 2003. So, whilst this may be a World Cup winner, this is not an option who has great pedigree outside of international football which could instantly spark concerns for Manchester United.

However, one positive that United would benefit from hiring Low is that his preferred system with Germany was a 4-3-3, which would instantly suit the current Red Devils squad far more than a back five – therefore also possibly saving INEOS much-needed money this summer.

Whether those at Old Trafford pull the trigger on their Amorim decision this early remains to be seen, but he certainly needs to start picking up the right results sooner rather than later.

Will Sutherland held them up for a while but the result was never in doubt

Tristan Lavalette26-Mar-2023Western Australia cemented their status as domestic cricket’s undisputed powerhouse with a crushing nine-wicket victory over Victoria to emphatically complete a back-to-back Sheffield Shield triumph.Having bowled out Victoria for 210 in their second innings, WA chased down the 91-run target in the second session on day four. Their 17th Shield title was secured when opener Cameron Bancroft, the leading run-scorer in the competition, hit the winning runs to trigger scenes of jubilation around the WACA.As expected against a strong Victoria attack, WA were made to work and lost skipper Sam Whiteman for his seventh duck of the Shield season when he was trapped lbw to unrelenting seamer Scott Boland.Related

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It was Boland’s 300th Shield wicket and he almost added another when he caught an edge from teenager Teague Wyllie only for skipper Peter Handscomb to drop a tough chance at second slip.But WA were not to be denied as they completed a historic treble of domestic titles for the second straight season. They thrashed South Australia in the 50-over Marsh Cup final and Perth Scorchers overcame Brisbane Heat in an epic BBL decider.WA’s revelry was held up by impressive allrounder Will Sutherland, who superly backed his attacking instincts with 83 off 84 balls but Victoria’s lead just wasn’t enough.Victoria started day four at 6 for 122 with their slim hopes resting on Sutherland and Mitchell Perry, who had both defied WA late on day three.Sutherland was almost caught at long on in the first over but settled in after that in a gutsy performance having been moved down to No.8 due to a back injury.The batters looked comfortable until Perry was caught behind off quick Matthew Kelly, who was on a hat-trick after a cracker of a delivery knocked over Fergus O’Neill.Matt Kelly made quick inroads on the fourth morning•Getty ImagesThe end was nigh but Sutherland received support from Todd Murphy, who offered resistance having had little impact with the ball in his return from a breakout Test tour of India.As Victoria’s lead approached triple figures, Murphy’s defiance ended on 26 when he was caught at point off allrounder Aaron Hardie.Sutherland, who claimed five wickets in WA’s first innings, holed out just shy of a deserved century but capped a strong allround season and looms as a player of interest for the national selectors.After being sent in on a green-tinged surface, Victoria managed just 195 in their first innings with 21-year-old opener Ashley Chandrasinghe mustering the only substantial fight.In a rearguard that polarised public opinion, Chandrasinghe carried his bat to finish unbeaten on 46 from 280 balls but Victoria failed to collect any bonus points.WA struggled in response at 4 for 53 before veteran Ashton Turner scored a drought-breaking century to power his team to 315 and a lead of 120 runs.Having only recently returned to WA’s Shield side after a near three-year exile, Turner counterpunched to notch his first Shield ton since November 2017.Turner’s heroics dented Victoria’s hopes of avenging last season’s final where they fell short to WA in a drawn match decided by bonus points.Victoria can take heart out of a spectacular turnaround after they were staring down the barrel mid-season before storming into the final with five straight wins.An emerging Victoria, marked by an exciting pace attack, are on the cusp of a formidable run but will be left pondering how they can knock off all-conquering WA, who are firmly amid a golden era.