Former England stars Jill Scott and Gary Lineker have been selected as the recipients of this year’s Legend of Football Awards.
The retired footballers turned pundits and presenters have 241 international caps and a combined 34 years of senior playing days between them, not to mention countless appearances at club level throughout their respective careers.
Confirmed on Thursday, 30 January, the pair joined the ranks of Pele, Wayne Rooney, the late Dennis Law; David Beckham, Sir Alex Ferguson, BBC colleague Alan Shearer and several other iconic names to have been chosen in the past.
The MBE and OBE duo will receive their awards at a special ceremony at the JW Marriot Grosvenor House in London this Fall.
Our annual charity fundraising night is hosted in aid of @nordoffrobbins – it has raised a staggering £8.5 million to date.
The Legends of Football Awards ceremony has been every year since it was founded back in 1996, with some of the biggest characters in English, European and world football having received the recognition over the years.
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On the announcement of her award, Manchester City and Lionesses legend Jill Scott said: “I am absolutely thrilled to receive the 2025 Legends of Football award.
“It’s truly an honour to follow in the footsteps of my former international teammates, Fara Williams and Ellen White, who have also been recognised in recent years.
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“The incredible work Nordoff and Robbins do cannot be overstated”, says the Women’s Euro 2022 winner. “Seeing the charity’s incredible impact through its use of music therapy to transform the lives of people with life-limiting conditions has been inspiring.
“I’m really looking forward to the evening and excited to raise money for Nordoff and Robbins.”
As for ex-Spurs, Everton, Leicester and Barcelona star, Lineker, the 64-year-old added: “This acknowledgement is an honour and would not be possible without the support of my former managers and teammates.
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“I’m thrilled to be part of an incredible evening that celebrates football and music, all in support of Nordoff and Robbins. Their work is vital in transforming lives through the power of music. Music therapy offers an extraordinary means of helping individuals express themselves and connect with others.”
Described by Sir Alex Ferguson as “the best night in the football social calendar”, the Legends of Football event is an annual charity fundraising night, supported by the Premier League, in aid of music therapy charity, Nordoff and Robbins.
Also the hosts and lead sponsor of the Northern Music Awards, the organisation champions music therapy charity that uses music as a key tool for those diagnosed with disabilities, living with illness or dealing with trauma, aiding expression and communication with others.
Up to now, the annual event has raised over a staggering £8.5 million to date since John Charles CBE was made the first recipient in its inaugural year. Incredible stuff.
Tyson Fury has officially revealed his comeback fight after coming out of ‘retirement’ once again
Danny Jones
Tyson Fury has officially announced the opponent for his comeback fight after yet again returning to professional boxing.
Fury supposedly ‘retired’ for seemingly the umpteenth time last January following his second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk the month prior, and some even believed it might have actually been his final outing.
Nevertheless, ‘The Gypsy King’ said he was coming out of retirement once more earlier this year, and now his next match-up has been confirmed.
Revealing the other contender as Aslanbek Makhmudo, the fight will be aired live on Netflix only.
Tyson Fury is coming home.
TYSON FURY vs. ARSLANBEK MAKHMUDOV. Saturday April 11 from the United Kingdom — and LIVE only on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/ib7KjT3xIt
Partnered exclusively with boxing magazine, Ring, the bout between Fury and Makhmudo is the latest big fight night to be picked up by the streaming giants.
The most recent example was, obviously, Anthony Joshua’s brutal knockout of influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul this past December.
Makhmudo, just a year younger than his opposite number, is a fellow experienced heavyweight based mainly out of Canada with a decent pedigree of his own.
The Russian, simply known as ‘The Lion’, has a record of 21 wins – more than half of those coming by KO.
With that in mind, he presents a potentially exciting prospect for the famous Manchester fighter, who hasn’t won a proper competitive fight since the defence of his WBC belt against Derek Chisora in December 2022.
Similarly, this should at least see two very well-seasoned pros going head to head.
Many fight fans would argue that there haven’t been enough proper big heavyweight dates since Fury vs Usyk, and even then, we are still yet to get a date for the all-but fully confirmed final fight of the trilogy.
Fury himself did state that the conclusion of their clash is scheduled for this April, but nothing official has been set in stone by any promotion or venue and the new date means it’s even less likely to be any time soon; meanwhile, plenty are still hoping for AJ vs Fury.
The 37-year-old will take on Makhmudo on Saturday, 11 April, and you can bet the world will be watching.
Manchester City finally release special Year of the Horse collection for Lunar celebrations
Danny Jones
Manchester City have officially launched their new ‘Year of the Horse’ kit, along with several other items in their latest lifestyle range.
The collection, which has been released as part of the Lunar New Year Celebrations, was leaked online in late 2025 before being officially teased earlier this year, but now Man City have fully unveiled the limited edition clothing items.
It follows the commercial success of their previous Chinese New Year-inspired kits and wider fashion lines over the last few seasons.
For anyone not up to speed on their Zodiac calendar knowledge, 2026 is officially (you guessed it) the year of the horse, hence this choice for the new ‘Capsule Collection’.
“Set in earthy, neutral tones, the limited-edition Year of the Horse Capsule Collection captures both the stillness of vintage Chinese portraiture and the motion of a team in full stride.”
Revolving around a grey and almost beige colour palette, the full drop includes a new pre-match ‘Anthem’ jacket, a dark graphic design tee, a baseball cap, as well as a soft horse plushie.
The focal point, however, is obviously the jersey itself – though it remains to be confirmed whether or not the special seasonal strip will be worn in any games this campaign as other one-off/special limited edition shirts have been in the past.
The price points range from £15 for the soft toy to £90 for the adult shirt, with the aforementioned Puma KING Anthem zip-up jacket already available in six colours.
What do you make of the latest lifestyle collection, Blues?
Somewhat fittingly, the Year of the Horse and other items finally debuted on the same day that their local rivals across the other side of town, Manchester United, released some new threads of their own: the second Adidas x The Stone Roses collection.
As for this years Lunar celebrations, the official plans for here in Manchester city centre have now been revealed. You can find out more down below.
Danny Jones -
30th January 2025 
