Sport

Raheem Sterling and Tyson Fury among stars up for Sports Personality of the Year 2021

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 13th December 2021

Six contenders for this year’s Sports Personality of the Year award have been announced, including local sporting heroes Raheem Sterling and Tyson Fury.

Joining the Manchester City star and boxing legend are Tom Daley, Emma Raducanu, Adam Peaty, and Dame Sarah Storey.

The awards celebrate 12 months of incredible sporting action and will be broadcast from MediaCityUK in Salford next week.

The programme on Sunday December 19 will be hosted by Gary Lineker, Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott.

Wythenshawe-born Fury recently told the Daily Telegraph that he would take legal action against the BBC if they included him on the shortlist.

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Tyson Fury

He said: “It means nothing to me and I don’t need it or want it.

“In fact, they will hear from my solicitors if they do put me on the list. Give it to someone who needs it. I don’t.

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“We know who the sports personality of the year is anyway – it’s me. I am the sports personality.”

The 33-year-old boxer has been nominated and named by the BBC as ‘one of the great heavyweights’.

27-year-old Man City forward Raheem Sterling was praised for his performance in the Euro 2020 tournament.

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The footballer scored three goals at the tournament including the opener during England’s historic win against Germany.

Olympic diver Tom Daley has also been shortlisted for Sports Personality of the Year after winning gold at the synchronised 10m platform event with Matty Lee.

Read more: Appeal launched for 20-year-old man who has gone missing in Manchester city centre

Swimmer Adam Peaty, 19-year-old tennis star Emma Raducanu and Paralympic gold medalist cyclist Dame Sarah Storey complete the shortlist.

F1 legend Lewis Hamilton was tipped for the awards after narrowly missing out on becoming World Champion for an eighth time, but hasn’t made the shortlist this year.

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Voting will be open to the public during the show on Sunday.

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons / Facebook: Tyson Fury

Sport

Wayne Rooney joins the cast of Gary Neville’s The Overlap

Danny Jones Danny Jones Wayne Rooney joining The Overlap cast

Wayne Rooney has secured a new job just a few months on from departing as Birmingham City head coach, with the Manchester United and England legend being named as the latest member of The Overlap team.

Set to join the cast of the popular Stick to Football online series alongside the likes of former teammates Gary Neville and Roy Keane, as well as the rest of the recurring panel.

Rooney is also set to feature on various other shows across The Overlap channel, including the likes of their regular fan debates and other interviews with athletes and well-known figures.

They announced the signing in true transfer window fashion as well.

As transfer expert Fabrizio Romano quips in the video, Rooney “has signed an agreement with The Overlap” and is expected to make his debut very soon

‘Wazza’ has appeared as a pundit on Sky Sports in recent weeks and has even been spotted playing some FIFA with comedy YouTuber AngryGinge as part of his pro clubs series, but hasn’t been in a steady role since being sacked as the Birmingham manager at the start of the year.

Having already appeared as a guest in one of the most popular episodes of Stick to Football and clearly sharing a strong chemistry with his old friends – as well as the likes of fellow Scouser Jamie Carragher, Jill Scott and Ian Wright – it looks to be a natural fit for the sport-based channel.

The 38-year-old revealed some pretty interesting details about his playing and managerial career last time around, not to mention some of the other offers he’s had since…

Wayne Rooney confirms he has had offers to take part in a boxing match

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Rooney reiterated during his own interview that his primary focus is still on coaching and finding his next managerial role, but for the time being, he’ll be bringing the insight of another ex-pro to the popular YouTube channel.

Speaking on his latest move, the former striker said, “I’m excited to announce that I will be joining my good mate Gary Neville and the team at The Overlap to appear on the channel across some of their brilliant shows on YouTube and the podcast. I can’t wait to get started”.

With an episode from at least one of their series going out most weeks, you can expect to see the footballing legend back on the channel soon.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Overlap/Wayne Rooney (via Instagram)

Sport

Manchester City star Erling Haaland is now a playable character in Clash of Clans mobile game

Danny Jones Danny Jones Erling Haaland in Clash of Clans mobile game

In yet more proof that footballers just live in an entirely different world from us, Manchester City star Erling Haaland has popped up in the popular mobile game, Clash of Clans – and it’s not just a little cameo either.

Haaland‘s no stranger to the odd brand deal, so when we saw him cutting a promo for Clash of Clans we weren’t too surprised, but it’s safe to say we weren’t expecting to see footballers pop up in video games besides FIFA (sorry, EA FC) at any point this year.

The big number nine is not just a famous face to help push the already hugely popular mobile strategy and city-building game, they don’t need it; it turns out the lethal goalscorer is now going to be an actual playable character in the latest Clash of Clans update.

He even turned his hand to a bit of acting in the trailer:

As you can see, the 23-year-old stars in the new advert which sees troops appear in his home whilst he’s playing the game before being sucked into the game world.

Starring as the Barbarian King, he’s the first real person to ever feature in the game and will be available through a month-long football-themed seasonal event in-game.

When we stop and think about it, the Norwegian striker is pretty much a perfect fit given his Scandinavian heritage and the obvious Viking theme surrounding the franchise – not to mention the fact that he’s apparently been playing the game since he was 10.

He’s also been dropping a hint or two of late, in case you didn’t pick up on them.

why is erling haaland in clash of clans?
erling haaland character in clash of clans
Credit: Erling Haaland (via Instagram)

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Speaking on the collaboration, Haaland said: “I’ve been a huge fan of the game for a long time and know everything about it, so to appear as an in-game character is really cool”.

As for Finnish developer-publishers Supercell, CoC’s general manager Stuart McGaw said in an official announcement: “When we heard Erling Haaland was a fan of our game and that he wanted to partner with us, it was really a dream scenario.”

Haaland will be available to recruit in the game until 31 May, plus, if players raid his village and take down the Barbarian King himself, they can win additional rewards and a place on the leaderboards.

Weird but pretty cool, to be fair.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Clash Of Clans/Supercell

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