Connect with us

Sports

‘Favourite footballer’: Scholes, Grealish hail Pedri

Published

on

‘Favourite footballer’: Scholes, Grealish hail Pedri


Paul Scholes and Jack Grealish led the praise for Pedri on Thursday after the midfielder helped Barcelona kick off their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win against Newcastle United.

Marcus Rashford took the headlines with a stunning brace on his return to England, but Pedri also dazzled in the middle of the park alongside Frenkie de Jong.

“My new favourite footballer,” former Manchester United midfielder Scholes posted on Instagram alongside a photo of the Spain international.

Grealish, on loan at Everton from Manchester City, said on his stories: “Pedri and De Jong are a joy to watch.”

Pedri struggled with injuries earlier in his career, but the 22-year-old has remained fit and has excelled in a deeper midfield role since Hansi Flick took charge in the summer of 2024.

As Barça clocked up 63.8% possession at St James’ Park, he had more touches (113) and attempted more passes (93 with a 91.4% completion rate) than any other player on the pitch.

His influence on the game was especially noticeable in the seven minutes of stoppage time when he took control of the ball and killed the game after Anthony Gordon had pulled a goal back for Newcastle.

Gordon felt the way Barça handled the ball, led by Pedri, was the better than anything he has previously encountered in the Premier League.

“I think the way they keep the ball was a learning experience,” he told beIN. “We don’t play against that kind of style in England, not at that level anyway.

Barça-PSG at Olympic Stadium amid Camp Nou chaos
Flick praises ‘fantastic’ Rashford after Barça win
Rashford stars as Yamal’s deputy in win at Newcastle

“I thought they were the best I’ve played against in that sense of the game. Some of that play in midfield was really top.

“We’ve played against some top teams. [Manchester] City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, but the way they pass the ball, the midfielders, the way they were fluid in their movement and combining, made it really hard for us to press — and it’s not easy coming here and doing that.

“We press with intensity, we’re very physical, but to be fair to them, they did really well.”

Pedri made 59 appearances last season as Barça won LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Supercopa, while they came up short in the Champions League, losing to Inter Milan in the semifinal.

He has featured in all five of Barça’s fixtures this season as they remain unbeaten through four league games and their Champions League opener.



Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

UF restores Maxwell’s stats, including points mark

Published

on

UF restores Maxwell’s stats, including points mark


GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida has formally restored basketball great Vernon Maxwell’s final two years of college statistics, a move that once again makes him the program’s all-time leading scorer.

Athletic director Scott Stricklin urged the Gators to reinstate Maxwell’s numbers four decades after “Mad Max” first stepped on campus, and it became official this week. Maxwell, 60, will celebrate the turnabout with friends, family and former teammates during a program reunion this weekend.

“I’m honored and truly appreciative that the legacy I created in my hometown of Gainesville can once again be celebrated, and my mother who is 82 years old will be able to see this relationship mended, which means the world to me,” Maxwell wrote in a post on social media.

Maxwell, who played at nearby Gainesville Buchholz High, scored 2,450 points during his four seasons at Florida (1985-89). He averaged 18.8 points a game and led the Gators to their first NCAA Tournament — they advanced to the Sweet 16 — in 1987. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard was a two-time, first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection.

Following his college career, though, Maxwell was the focus of an NCAA investigation that ultimately placed the Gators on unsanctioned probation. Florida was forced to vacate three NCAA Tournament victories (two in 1987, one in 1988) in which Maxwell participated.

Florida’s athletic director at the time, Bill Arnsparger, decided to strip Maxwell’s stats from the record books for those two years, taking away 1,404 points over 67 games. Before this week, Maxwell ranked 55th on the school’s all-time scoring list.

He is now back in front of Ronnie Williams (1980-84) and ranks third in SEC history, behind LSU’s “Pistol” Pete Maravich (3,667 points, 1967-70) and Tennessee’s Allan Houston (2,801, 1990-93).

Maxwell went on to play 12 years in the NBA, a career that included two titles with the Houston Rockets.





Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

MLB’s plan to take over local TV rights is a huge deal. Here’s why.

Published

on



Commissioner Rob Manfred said he anticipates MLB controlling all 30 teams’ broadcast rights by 2028. That would have massive implications for baseball’s economic model and competitive balance.



Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

‘I’ve become like Rohit’: Indian skipper forgets team changes at toss

Published

on

‘I’ve become like Rohit’: Indian skipper forgets team changes at toss


India captain Suryakumar Yadav (left) and Oman’s Jatinder Singh at the toss for their ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 match at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on September 19, 2025. — ACC

The Asia Cup T20 fixture between India and Oman saw a light-hearted moment at the toss when both captains forgot to announce the names of players who had been replaced in their sides.

India made two changes to their line-up, resting Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav managed to recall only one replacement and forgot the other, saying: ” Harshit comes in, there is one more guy. Oh my god!”

Later, joking with presenter Ravi Shastri that his memory had become like former skipper Rohit Sharma’s, who is known for forgetting things. He laughed, saying: “I have become like Rohit.”

It was later confirmed that Arshdeep Singh and Harshit were included in the Playing XI against Oman.

Suryakumar initially failed to recall Arshdeep’s name at the toss. Following the coin flip, Suryakumar and Oman’s captain Jatinder shared a laugh, shook hands, and embraced each other.

Oman also made two changes, including Mohammed Nadeem in their playing XI. With India already through to the Super Four stage, the contest against Oman was effectively a dead rubber.





Source link

Continue Reading

Trending