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In the world of football, Cristiano Ronaldo shared his opinion on the Globe Soccer Awards stage about how the Saudi League is better than the French League. India’s Asian Games 2022 gold medalists Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reached the semifinals of India Open 2024.
Read below to learn details about these top stories and other happenings in the sporting world in the last 24 hours.
Football
Cristiano Ronaldo believes the Saudi League is better than the French League
At the Globe Soccer Awards, Cristiano Ronaldo won the Maradona Award for the best goalscorer in the year 2023, following which he was questioned about how the Saudi Pro League stacks up as a competition. In response, the 38-year-old said, “The Saudi League is not worse than French League,” before adding, “They can say whatever they want, it’s just my opinion. And I play there one year, so I know what I’m talking about. But I think right now, we are better than French League.”
Jordan Henderson apologises to LGBTQIA+ community after returning to European football
After signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with Ajax, the English midfielder Jordan Henderson has apologised to the LGBTQIA+ community for joining Al-Ettifaq last summer, a club from Saudi Arabia where homosexuality is punishable by death. The 33-year-old, who was unveiled as the new player of Ajax at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, mutually agreed with Al-Ettifaq to terminate their contract just six months after arriving to the Middle East to play football.
Mohamed Salah to miss next two matches for Egypt at AFCON
During the 2-2 draw for Egypt against Ghana in the Group B match at the AFCON, Mohamed Salah limped off just before the first half due to a suspected hamstring injury. The Egyptian Football Association sent out a statement about the latest on Mohamed Salah’s fitness, which read, “Tests on Mohamed Salah, the captain of the Egypt national team, proved that he suffered a hamstring injury and will miss the next two matches of the team at the AFCON.”
Arsenal rebuff approach for Emile Smith Rowe from fellow English clubs: Reports
Arsenal have reportedly rebuffed approaches made for the English midfielder Emile Smith Rowe, who has started just two matches for the club in all competitions in the ongoing season, as per the Daily Mail. It was revealed that clubs like Aston Villa, West Ham, and Newcastle, who are aiming for European competitions in the next season, expressed interest in the 23-year-old, but Arsenal told them that they want him to stay at the Emirates Stadium.
Some major results in football are as under:
AFC Asian Cup 2023
- Hong Kong 0-1 Iran
- Iraq 2-1 Japan
- Vietnam 0-1 Indonesia
AFCON 2023
- Cape Verde 3-0 Mozambique
- Senegal 3-1 Cameroon
- Guinea 1-0 Gambia
La Liga 2023-24
- Alaves 1-0 Cadiz
Coupe de France 2023-24
- Bergerac Perigord 1-2 Lyon
Eredivisie 2023-24
- Excelsior 3-0 Heerenveen
Cristiano Ronaldo points at Erling Haaland before Best Men’s Player gets announced
Portuguese football icon Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to point out at Erling Haaland just before the Best Men’s Player Award was announced. During the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, Ronaldo made a heartwarming gesture towards England’s Haaland that earned him praise from fans for his sportsmanship. Haaland was presented with the Best Men's Player of the Year Award, and just before the announcement, Ronaldo appeared to point towards the 23-year-old. In a video doing rounds on social media, the 38-year-old could be seen pointing at Haaland while saying, “Haaland deserves it. Give it to him.”
Sania Mirza takes ‘Khula’ from Shoaib Malik; confirms former’s father
Indian tennis star Sania Mirza took ‘Khula’ from her husband, Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik, according to Mirza’s father. Imran Mirza openly confirmed their separation and said that it happened through the process of ‘Khula’. For the unversed, Khula is a right granted to Muslim women to unilaterally divorce their husbands under Sharia law. It is to be noted that Malik married Mirza after divorcing Ayesha Siddiqui in 2010. They got married in a traditional Muslim ceremony, and later had a Walima ceremony in Sialkot, Pakistan. They have been living separately for some time now and continue to co-parent their son Izhaan, born in 2018.
Mirra Andreeva reacts to Andy Murray’s comments on her comeback win
Russia’s young tennis star Mirra Andreeva reacted to three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray’s comments on her comeback. The tennis prodigy made a spectacular comeback to get the better of France’s Diane Parry in the third round of the Australian Open 2024. Andreeva reacted to Murray’s comments and said that she would frame her Murray’s tweet and take it with everywhere. In the post-match conference, Andreeva said, “I didn't really think that he would watch a match, then after he would tweet, he would comment something. Honestly, I will try to print it out somehow. I don't know, I will put it in a frame. I will bring it everywhere with me. I will maybe put it on the wall so I can see it every day (smiling). Honestly, I didn't expect him to do anything about this match.”
There is a great connection that I feel with India: Novak Djokovic
Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic opened up on his connection with India and said that he wishes to work with Sania Mirza during the Australian Open 2024. Djokovic told Mirza on Sports Sports, “There is a great connection that I feel with India. And, if we go back a very long time in the history of Serbia and India, we can find a lot of similarities and a lot of connections there. I love Indian people. They've always been very kind to me, one of the kindest, most gentle, and most genuine people in the world.” He added, “I really wish to explore the beautiful country and I wish to be part of some programs that include children, particularly in the early childhood development area, because that's something that I'm very passionate about, of course, with my wife and my family.”
HS Prannoy, Satwik-Chirag reach India Open 2024 semifinals
India’s Asian Games 2022 gold medalists Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reached the semifinals of India Open 2024. Along with them, HS Prannoy also reserved his slot in the semifinal stage of the tournament. While Chirag-Satwik registered a dominating 21-7, 21-10 victory against Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen of Denmark, Prannoy secured his semi-final berth in the tournament by defeating Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei in a 21-11, 17-21, 21-18 win. This marked his first entry to the semifinal stage of the India Open.
