AI is a crazy thing that continues to freak us out at times and it seems it can do almost anything at this point – including creating unique designs for engagement rings inspired by your favourite football teams, apparently.
If you can think of it, someone’s done it using artificial intelligence.
That’s right, popular bookmakers Betway have created a unique football team-inspired engagement ring design for each one of this year’s 20 Premier League teams and, much to our surprise, a lot of them are actually pretty nice.
For instance, here’s a glimpse at the engagement ring for Manchester City:
A football-inspired engagement ring might sound a bit tacky but that isn’t half bad. (Credit: Betway/Edward Fleming)
Big and bold, just like those who sing ‘Blue Moon’ when their boys are out on the pitch. This design doesn’t have any feature relating to the treble-winning campaign but the centre does give a subtle nod to the Lancashire rose featured on City’s crest and it’s genuinely quite cool overall.
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Another aspect of this AI project that we were quite impressed by, besides the genuinely plausible concept art, is that Betway also worked with jeweller Edward Fleming to reveal the materials, stones and styles of each club in order to create each bespoke ring on request.
Fleming even helped value these hypothetical pieces of jewellery based on their components; for example, Man City’s nine-carat white gold aquamarine ring would come in at just £1,000, whereas if you were to swap the gem for a blue diamond, you’re talking a hundred times that amount.
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But what about the red side of Manchester? Well, United‘s is predictably a much more devilish design with horned elements and ‘gothic’ influences, as well as a dark ruby stone which puts it as the second most expensive ring on the list, valued at around £30,000.
Liverpool boasted the most expensive ring on the list worth around £70k, with West Ham and Fulham coming in joint-third for a £10k rock.
You can see the full list of rings and how they look HERE.
We’ve already seen what AI can drum up when it comes to the greatest Premier League starting 11 of all time, we just never thought we’d be talking about what those teams would look like in jewellery form.
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Technology, eh?
Nevertheless, red, blue or otherwise, if you were ever debating to make somewhat of a Premier League proposal, at least you’ve now got some ideas for what you want the ring to look like.
It’s not the only AI take on something Manchester-related that we’ve been impressed with recently either — it’ll take a crack at anything.
Rio Ferdinand is stepping away from TNT Sports after more than a decade
Danny Jones
Manchester United legend and ex-England international Rio Ferdinand has announced he will be stepping away from TNT Sports, leaving more than a decade with the broadcaster.
Ferdinand has spent the best part of the last 10 years serving as a leading pundit and analyst, as well as hosting his own ‘Rio Meets’ online series – the interview format of which has been replicated on his YouTube channel.
However, after having been one of their main anchors both under the BT Sport and even more so since the inception of the rebranded TNT Sports Football umbrella, the 46-year-old has confirmed he has now quit their regular coverage following the Champions League final this weekend.
In a lengthy statement on social media, the ex-Man United defender, who also played for Leeds, West Ham, Bournemouth and QPR, described it as a “difficult decision.”
Taking time to thank the network for their “tremendous support” over the years, especially those “behind the scenes, whose work often goes unseen but has been essential to our success.”
The talented centre-back retired in May 2015 after more than 500 appearances and 81 national team caps, making an almost immediate switch into punditry and remaining a household name.
Rio has also remained a popular figure at Old Trafford and, indeed, across various parts of Manchester since leaving United in 2014.
For instance, his self-titled Foundation has carried out some truly transformational local outreach across various boroughs, as it has back in his home city of London.
Responding to the news, TNT Sports said nothing more than “Thanks for everything, Rio”; meanwhile, fellow former Red, Danny Simpson (who retired last year and also works as a pundit/presenter for MUTV) added: “You’re going to be missed, bro. Every time you’re on, you give us all the mad insight.”
However, he has promised he will remain in the media industry, continuing to work under the Rio Ferdinand Presents digital brand and pursuing “other business interests”.
With his ‘Rio Reacts’ and ‘Vibe with FIVE’ series regularly raking in millions of views, he might not be on the box during European nights but you’ll still be seeing plenty of him.
Rare bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in more than 30 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s time to say a big hello, as rare bat-eared foxes have now arrived at Chester Zoo.
The two sisters, named Maasai and Malindi, have been welcomed by conservationists after travelling more than 500 miles from a zoo in Paris, and they are the first mammals of their kind to come to Chester Zoo in more than 30 years.
First images show the pair exploring their home in the zoo’s new Heart of Africa habitat – which officially opened to the public back in March, and is the largest zoo development ever undertaken in the UK, spanning more than 22.5 acres in size.
The adorable – but rather unique-looking – bat-eared fox is named after its distinctive oversized ears and is native to the open savannahs and arid grasslands of eastern and southern Africa.
They live for around 13 years on average, and their characteristically large ears help regulate their body temperature and enhance their incredible hearing, allowing them to prey like detect insects moving underground.
The species faces increasing threats in the wild, largely due to the loss of their habitat caused by agriculture, human encroachment, and hunting.
This is why Chester Zoo has long been at the forefront of protecting African wildlife.
Its teams’ have been supporting everything from the safe translocation of northern giraffes to protected national parks in Uganda, to developing cutting-edge AI trail cameras to protect giant pangolins from illegal trafficking in recent years.
Bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in 30 years / Credit: Chester Zoo
“It’s incredibly exciting to welcome bat-eared foxes back to Chester Zoo after a 30-year hiatus,” commented David White, who is the Twilight Team Manager at Chester Zoo.
“Both Maasai and Malindi are settling in well so far, spending much of their time exploring their expansive home and getting to know their new housemates – a family of twelve Cape porcupines. These two species would often come across one another in the wild, so we’ve recreated this right here at Chester.
“In time, we hope to introduce one of the two sisters to a male fox, with the hope that we can contribute to the European conservation breeding programme, helping to ensure there’s a healthy, genetically diverse back-up population in human care.
Danny Jones -
15th December 2023 
