Sport
Wayne Rooney leads tributes as Harry Kane becomes England’s all-time leading goalscorer
It was a historic night for England and captain Kane.
The moment has arrived and, in truth, it didn’t take that long at all: Harry Kane has become England’s all-time leading goalscorer and his predecessor, Wayne Rooney, was the first to congratulate him.
On an evening where the Three Lions managed their first win in Italy for the first time in over 60 years, it was the nation’s number nine and Spurs striker Harry Kane who sealed the victory with his customary penalty which was tucked away with trademark precision, as per.
Kane’s 54th international goal saw him surpass Rooney’s record set back in 2016 when Roy Hodgson’s squad bowed out of the Euros against Iceland — the ex-Manchester United man having himself dispatched his final goal via a spot kick.
That being said, it was only fitting that the former England skipper led the tributes, wasting no time in congratulating him and joking, “I knew it wouldn’t take long but that was quick”.
Not only did ‘Wazza‘ hail Kane as a “great man, unbelievable goalscorer and an England legend” already, but the 37-year-old also went on to pen his own column in The Times the following morning.
He started by recognising that “when [he] broke the England goalscoring record, with a penalty against Switzerland in September 2015, Harry Kane was the first player to run over and celebrate with [him].
The England legend went on to mention Harry in the speech he gave in the dressing room shortly after, insisting that he “hoped the young players in the squad would come close to the record themselves” and eventually go on to move past him — Kane already clearly one who didn’t even need the encouragement.
Social media was soon awash with praise, with William Prince of Wales and president of the FA, paying tribute to the England star, writing: “A leader on and off the pitch, and now England’s record goalscorer, a testament to your brilliant career… Congratulations and here’s to many more. W.”
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While questions might remain as to whether the 29-year-old needs to move on from Spurs to win the trophies he so desires and to reach the heights he so clearly has the potential to, Harry Kane continues to prove time and time and again why he captains both his country and his club.
One thing is for sure, he’s destined to become the greatest-ever Premier League goalscorer and he’s already England’s time goalscorer, and just like Rooney before him, the celebration, the reaction from his teammates and the speech he gave after shows just how much it means to him and the Three Lions.
Congratulations, Harry — here’s to the many more that are sure to come.
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Featured Image — Harry Kane (via Instagram)/The FA/England(via Twitter)
Sport
Manchester Futsal Club mop up Team and Coach of the Year awards after stellar season
Danny Jones
Manchester Fustal Club have picked up a pair of impressive awards following a brilliant season, winning both Club of the Year and Coach of the Year awards.
The Manchester side finished as runners-up in this year’s National Futsal League campaign, winning nine, drawing two and losing just three of their 14 games all season.
Despite finishing behind this year’s champions Bloomsbury in the men’s first tier, the promising young side and Manchester Futsal Club Women‘s team have been both recognised for their progress over the past year, with the Greater Manchester girls taking a year out as part of a big development drive.
With one of the lowest average ages in the league, the squad’s stellar second-place finish looks to be a sign of even better things to come next season.
Better still, the accolades didn’t stop there as player turned coach (for this season at least), Ryan Williams, won the National Futsal Series Tier Two Coach of the Year award at the 2023 Grand Finals as well.
After suffering a heavy ACL injury, Williams decided to spend his year coaching the B team, which he also led to second position, finishing just six points behind league leaders Derby and only just missing out on a place in the Futsal Champions League preliminaries.
At just 23, Ryan is one of the youngest to have ever won the award and having studied at Ashton Sixth Form College, the school passed on a “huge well done” to the youngster, adding that “the Sport and Public Services department, in particular, are hugely proud of your achievement.”
Writing on social media, Williams also heaped massive praise and credit on co-owner Ilya Ovechkin and coach Raducio King, among many others, who helped him on his coaching journey.
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Speaking to The Manc, he went on to add: “It was my first season working with this squad and the competition was high.
“There was never an easy game with a lot of other great coaches across the country in Tier 2, so to win Coach of the Season is my greatest achievement as a coach. Manchester Futsal winning Club of the Season also goes to show our club values and how well the club is run from the academy right up to the first team.
“It shows how much work all the staff have put in this season to make us the best club in the country.”
With two teams finishing as runners-up in the two highest leagues in the country, and the women’s team beginning to shape an exciting new squad ahead of returning to the fold next season, it’s been a brilliant year all-round for Manchester Futsal Club. We’re excited to see what comes next.
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Featured Image — Manchester Futsal Club (via Twitter)
Sport
Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim gives Manchester United an ultimatum after submitting fifth bid
Danny Jones
Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani has issued Manchester United an ultimatum after submitting a fifth and supposedly final bid to buy the club.
Entering his fifth revised bid to buy Man United outright on Wednesday, the Middle Eastern banker and member of the Qatari royal family is reported to have told the club he is willing to pay “no more than £6 billion” for the takeover, an offer which sees him become the first to match the Glazer’s asking price.
However, in trying to give the negotiations a much-needed jolt — with Sheikh Jassim said to have grown frustrated with the long, drawn-out bidding process — his latest proposal also came with an ultimatum, telling the owners that they have until Friday, 8 June to accept his offer or else he will walk away.
So, rather than being strung along by the Glazers any further and potentially being dragged into another round of bidding with an arbitrary deadline, he has now given them until the end of the week to return their decision.
As Sky Sports‘ Kaveh Solhekol went on to explain, Sheikh Jassim is now “frustrated and fed up” with how the bidding process has gone thus far, noting that talks first began almost seven months ago and there have been multiple so-called ‘deadlines’ that have led to little consequence or progress.
As a result, his bidding team have told the Glazers, board members and the Raine Group officials overseeing any potential deal that he will “no longer engage with the process” if the fifth bid is not accepted by Friday.
The chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) who spent time in England whilst being educated at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst also wants to get the deal done as quickly as possible in order to clear the debts and properly fund the project at the earliest opportunity ahead of next season.
In addition to clearing United’s debts which are estimated to be just under £1bn, the sheikh will reportedly pump sizeable funds into redeveloping the stadium (or building a new one) and investing in the squad. While his exact net worth is not known, his family’s wealth is estimated at around £275 billion.
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As for whether the Glazers will actually adhere to Sheikh Jassim’s deadline and accept his fifth and final bid, it remains to be seen, but it looks like someone needs to take charge in these negotiations if they actually going to move forward.
Gary Neville has already warned that the “shoddy” bidding process could end up jeopardising next season if it continues to go on any longer and many fans think the Qatari prince’s all-or-nothing offer is the only option to finally get rid of the Glazers.
The only other remaining bidder is still Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS Group, whose last bid was said to be for controlling interest of the club but would still leave the door open for the Glazers to keep a minority share.
However, the message from the fans has always been clear: “green and gold until the club is sold”, i.e. full sale only.
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Featured Image — Wikimedia Commons
