SPORT - The African Mirror

Jun

12

2023

How Man City 2023 stack up against Guardiola’s 2009 Barcelona

FOOTBALL

PEP Guardiola became the first manager in Europe to win two trebles as Manchester City completed a dream season by beating Inter Milan 1-0 to secure their first Champions League title on Saturday. City completed the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup titles, matching Manchester United's feat in 1999 and drawing comparisons with Guardiola's 2008-09 Barcelona team. Here is how the 2022-23 City side stacks up against that Barca team. TEAM STRENGTHS Guardiola's 2008-09 Barca had a squad including some of the best Spanish players of their generation, defenders Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique, and midfielders Sergio…

Jun

08

2023

By RORY CARROLL

‘I’m going to Miami’ – Messi confirms move to MLS

FOOTBALL

LIONEL Messi announced that he intends to join Major League Soccer side Inter Miami as a free agent after parting ways with French champions Paris St Germain and snubbing a lucrative contract offer in Saudi Arabia. Messi, who played his final game for PSG over the weekend, was also linked with a return to Barcelona but the Spanish club have had their hands tied due to LaLiga's financial fair play rules. "I made the decision that I'm going to go to Miami," Messi said in an interview with Mundo Deportivo and Sport newspapers. "I still haven't closed it 100%. I'm still missing…

Jun

06

2023

By SETH ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Basketball Africa League adds top brewer to its growing sponsor roster

SPORT

AFRICA’S premier men’s basketball competition, BAL has added another major sponsor to its roster, as AB InBev’s Michelob ULTRA, a leading beer brand, expands its global partnership with NBA. The deal, announced on Thursday, will make Michelob ULTRA the exclusive and worldwide Official Beer Partner of the NBA and its affiliated leagues and events, including BAL –– a joint initiative between the NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). Michelob ULTRA’s marketing partnership with the BAL will start with its fourth season in 2024, serving as a presenting partner for select NBA Global Games and will have an expanded on-court…

Jun

06

2023

By The African Mirror

LALIGA launches a new era, presenting a new strategic positioning and international branding

SPORT

LALIGA has today unveiled its all-new brand and strategic positioning under the slogan "The Power of our Fútbol." The launch reaffirms the competition’s commitment to inspire and make a positive impact on society. This change reflects the evolution that LALIGA has undergone over the last decade, in terms of both size and global recognition. The competition has become the largest football ecosystem in the world, with the most extensive international network of any sports entity, and is now present in 41 countries through 11 offices and a network of delegates. Over the last 10 years, it has seen sustained growth…

Jun

05

2023

By ALAN BALDWIN

Verstappen wins in Spain to continue Red Bull sweep

SPORT

MAX Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix from pole position to stretch his Formula One championship lead to 53 points and continue Red Bull's sweep of the season with the team's seventh success in as many races. Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton was second for Mercedes, but a distant 24.090 seconds behind, with teammate George Russell completing the podium on a cloudy but dry afternoon at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya. Red Bull's Sergio Perez, Verstappen's closest rival in a season that looks sure to crown the dominant Dutch 25-year-old for a third time, finished fourth after fighting back from 11th…

Jun

05

2023

By The African Mirror

Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad to sign Benzema on two-year deal

SPORT

SAUDI Arabia's Al Ittihad have reached an agreement with French striker Karim Benzema to sign him on a two-year deal, Saudi state-run Al Ekhbariya television station reported. Benzema is set to join Al Ittihad as a free agent after Real Madrid said earlier in the day that the 35-year-old would leave the LaLiga club after 14 trophy-laden years. Al Ekhbariya said Al Ittihad's chairman and vice chairman were in Madrid to hammer out a "record deal" with Benzema. Thomson Reuters Foundation

Jun

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Kenyan track star shatters world record

SPORT

NEARLY nine months after missing out on the 1,500 metres world record by three-hundredths of a second, Kenya's Faith Kipyegon buried the ghost of past disappointments with an emphatic performance at Friday's Florence Diamond League meeting. In Monaco last year, double Olympic and world 1500m champion Kipyegon came agonisingly close to breaking Genzebe Dibaba's mark of 3:50.07 set in 2015 as she crossed the line in 3:50.37. Kipyegon's narrow miss left her dejected, with the 29-year-old telling Olympics.com, "...after the finish line, I thought I got the world record. "That's why I went down and slept a little bit, knowing…

Jun

04

2023

By MARTYN HERMAN

Man City edge closer to treble after FA Cup final win over Man Utd

SPORT

MANCHESTER City moved to within one victory of completing a momentous treble as they deservedly beat arch-rivals Manchester United 2-1 in the FA Cup final thanks to Ilkay Gundogan's record-breaking double on Saturday. City captain Gundogan scored the fastest goal in FA Cup final history with a stunning volley after 12 seconds and struck what proved to be the winner seven minutes after halftime. In doing so the 32-year-old, who is expected to leave City in the summer after seven trophy-laden years, became the oldest player to score an FA Cup final brace since Nat Lofthouse for Bolton Wanderers in…

Jun

03

2023

By The African Mirror

Nicolas Jackson named LaLiga Santander Player of the Month for May

SPORT

THE Senegalese sharpshooter is on an impressive scoring streak that has seen him score five goals in the five games he has played for Villarreal CF in the last month. Nicolas Jackson has been voted the LaLiga Santander Player of the Month in May. The African striker’s five goals have been decisive in helping the Yellow Submarine to 10 points out of a possible 15 in the five matches played in May. Villarreal CF has secured the fifth spot in the LaLiga Santander standings with one game to go thanks to three victories and a draw in May, a month…

Jun

03

2023

By The African Mirror

LEGENDS, the world’s largest football collection, opens its doors in Madrid

SPORT

LEGENDS is a 4,200m2 space in which 600 pieces from the most important institutions in world football are displayed, land in Puerta del Sol connected in a moving, immersive and technological experience Landmark pieces from players such as Maradona, Pelé, Casillas and Messi, all used in official matches, are just some examples of what visitors can expect to see from June 1st in this venue in Madrid's Puerta del Sol LEGENDS, The Home of Football, presented by LaLiga will open its doors in Madrid on June 1. An opening that will position the Spanish capital as the epicentre of world…