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Lamine Yamal, 17, the Spanish footballing sensation, has stated that he hopes to play Finalissima against his idol Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Tennis legend Serena Williams showed off her roasting skills as she hosted ESPYs 2024 and took swipes at several sporting celebrities.
Read below to learn more about major sporting events that took place around the globe in last 24 hours.
Football
FIFA President Gianni Infantino dances with Ranveer Singh, Hardik Pandya at Ambani wedding
The wedding ceremony of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant saw many international celebrities attending the event. FIFA President Gianni Infantino was amongst those global personalities and was spotted dancing with Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh, India's T20 World Cup winner all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Indo-Canadian singer AP Dhillon and others. In a viral video on social media, the 54-year-old Swiss was spotted dancing with Ranveer, and Hardik on AP Dhillon's popular song 'Insane'. The Bollywood actor held the FIFA President from behind and started moving. Later, he handed Infantino a Gandasi as the duo continued dancing.
Lamine Yamal hopes to play Finalissima against Lionel Messi’s Argentina
Lamine Yamal, 17, the Spanish footballing sensation, has stated that he hopes to play Finalissima against his idol Lionel Messi’s Argentina. The Finalissima is the intercontinental football match organised jointly by UEFA and CONMEBOL between the winners of the Euros and Copa America, and currently, both Spain and Argentina are in the finals of these two tournaments respectively. In the build-up to the biggest match in his international career, Lamine Yamal remarked, “I hope Messi wins the Copa América and I win the Euro's, so I can play against him in the Finalissima.”
Major football results
Bolivia-Primera Division
Always Ready-1-1 Real Tomayapo
Brazil-Serie B
Ponte Preta 4-2 Mirassol
Botafogo SP 0-1 Amazonas FC
Paysandu 2-1 Ceara
Tennis
Wimbledon 2024 men’s singles final produces most expensive entry ticket in sports at ₹8,85,000
The Wimbledon 2024 men’s singles final is set to be played between the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and the 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, on Sunday, July 14, at the Centre Court in SW19, London. And unsurprisingly, the entry ticket for this all-important tennis match is the most expensive in sporting history at ₹8,85,000 ($10,600). Notably, the seats with a closer view to the action at the Centre Court are more expensive for the Wimbledon 2024 men’s singles final. As per the report from Sporting News, the prices for these seats run from anywhere between ₹31,49,000 to ₹3,02,34,000 ($37,700 to $3,62,000).
Serena Williams brutally roasts LeBron and son Bronny James at 2024 ESPYs
Tennis legend Serena Williams showed off her roasting skills as she hosted ESPYs 2024 and took swipes at several sporting celebrities. The 23-time Grand Slam winner slammed former Indianapolis Colts punter and media personality Pat McAfee and then took aim at Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. She said, “I truly hope Bronny has a long career… so long that he will see his hairline recede, then, miraculously unpreceded, like dad.” Further, Williams spoke about LeBron playing with his son, Bronny and compared it to when she won titles while being pregnant with her daughter. Serena said, “LeBron wants to win a title with his son on his team… I won with my daughter, in my belly. I think we know which 1 is more impressive.”
Badminton
Sometimes, I feel bad that cricket gets all the attention: Saina Nehwal
Indian badminton icon Saina Nehwal said that the attention that cricket enjoys is India is unfair to other sports. She also said that other sports including badminton, basketball and tennis are more difficult than cricket. On Nikhil Simha’s podcast, Saina said, “Everyone wants to know what Saina is doing, what wrestlers and boxers are doing, what Neeraj Chopra is doing.” She added, “Sometimes, I feel bad that cricket gets all the attention. The thing about cricket is... if you see badminton, basketball, tennis, and other sports are so tough physically. You don't even have time to pick up the shuttle and serve, you are like... you are breathing so hard. A game like cricket gets so much of attention where I personally believe skill is more important.”
PV Sindhu gets tough draw; HS Prannoy likely to face Lakshya Sen in top 16
Indian badminton star PV Sindhu was placed in a an easy group but was handled a tough draw while HS Prannoy and Lakshay Sen are likely face each other in top 16 of Paris Olympic 2024. Sindhu, who won a silver in 2016 and bronze in 2020 edition of the tournament is expected to be in Group M with world no. 75 Kristin Kuuba of Estonia and Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq of Pakistan. Sindhu may be up against He Bing Jiao of China in the pre-quarters, the same opponent she defeated to win bronze in Tokyo. Prannoy, on the other hand was placed in Group K, whereas Sen was drawn in Group L.
WWE
John Cena’s signature “You Can’t See Me” dance at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding
The WWE superstar and the Hollywood actor, John Cena, made his presence felt big time in India during Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding on Friday, July 12. The Leader of the Cenation was spotted performing his signature “You Can’t See Me” dance at the “Baraat” ceremony of the newlywed couple, enjoying the festivities in his own unique style. Notably, John Cena had arrived in Mumbai earlier in the day in a casual outfit, in the presence of hundreds of fans outside the airport amidst tight security. After a few hours, he made his way to the Ambani-Merchant wedding at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, in a light blue sherwani, posing for the photographers in the distance.
