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Apart from keeping Pakistan’s start steady at one end, Sarfraz Ahmed also freed up Umar Akmal to be used elsewhere, to provide his team the balance it lacked till now

Devashish Fuloria in Auckland07-Mar-2015Ahmed Shehzad, facing Kyle Abbott for the first time in the bowler’s second over, took time to mark his guard on the crease before taking a stroll towards the leg umpire. Just as the bowler was about to start, he noticed something on the good-length area, walked out again, swept it aside with his bat, then came back, bent down to clean something from the crease, using his hands.All this while, Sarfraz Ahmed stood at the non-striker’s end, his right hand on his waist, his left leg crossed over his right, his body leaning on the bat, intently watching and perhaps wondering what his partner was so fussed about. Three days back, it was Shehzad who had scored 93 against UAE while Sarfraz watched each ball from the sidelines, just like he had watched the rest of the World Cup.And then, as Pakistan ran out of reasons for not playing him in the XI, Sarfraz walked out to open the innings and stood outside the crease facing the first ball of the match from Dale Steyn. Seven hours, 35 minutes and a record six catches later – including that of a rampaging AB de Villiers – Sarfraz had a Man-of-the-Match award too.”It was like a debut game for me today,” Sarfraz said. Cricket can be a simple game for some.In 2006, Sarfraz led Pakistan to title in the Under-19 World Cup. But a chequered international career that began more than seven years ago with an ODI against India in Jaipur – a game he did not get a chance to bat in – finally took a decisive turn when Sarfraz was brought in for an injured Adnan Akmal in the second Test against Sri Lanka last January.He had played four Tests before, but his second-innings half-century in Dubai was his first substantial innings. However, it was his quickfire 48 in the next match, during Pakistan’s astonishing chase of 302 in 57.3 overs, that Sarfraz established himself in the team.During that innings, he stepped out to Rangana Herath and smashed him over midwicket for a six and has since repeated that shot numerous times, to spinners and fast bowlers alike. Today, it was JP Duminy’s turn as he was thrice lifted in the same over for sixes in that region. However, it’s not his big hitting that is disruptive – Pakistan have others who solely earn their per diem using that method – but what he does in between.Sarfraz was always on the lookout for a single; not the manic type, but that which keeps the fielding side on their toes, teasing them. He would shuffle across, dab the ball and would immediately dash out of the crease for a couple of meters, only to return in time, with his bat entering the safe zone before his feet would.Then at other times, he jogged singles to third man and fine leg in the old-fashioned way while Shehzad hared down the pitch as most coaches would tell you these days. Mostly, you knew Sarfraz was in no hurry. He just wanted to irritate the bowlers and the fielders alike, a distinctly old-world Pakistan trait that was missing in this team.Playing late cuts, standing a couple of feet outside the crease to extreme pace, shuffling across to work the ball on the leg side, these tactics draw from the ones used in streets and maidans of the subcontinent, where, at most times, on one side certain areas of the ground are more profitable. Sarfraz’s game brought back during his innings that street-smartness so often the forte of Pakistan sides of the past. Had the innings lasted any longer, surely Sarfraz would have pulled out Moin Khan-like sweeps against the South Africa pacers.Seventh months ago, an unbeaten 52 in Galle had given Pakistan a chance to almost save a match that appeared to have slipped as Pakistan’s batting collapsed on the fifth day. In the next game, he scored his maiden Test hundred in an innings dismantled by Herath with nine wickets. Another century followed in his next Test, and another, two matches later.”I think it’s been a good seven-eight months that he has started coming out of the shell and is trying to play his own game. Freedom has been given to him to play the way he plays. He has been coming good for Pakistan, he has been in a very good nick, so it’s good to take advantage of that form he is in.” Waqar Younis had said after Sarfraz’s match-winning 76 not out against New Zealand in a T20 last December, before he was inexplicably left out from the starting XI in this tournament.With Pakistan looking for every gasp of air to push ahead in this tournament, Sarfraz was finally included. He looked more assured than Shehzad, strutting up three-quarters the length of the pitch – shoulders open, gait confident, chin up – to chat with Shehzad after every dot ball. When he kept wickets, he was hardly noticeable, a massive change from the usual.When he wanted to, he used the full stretch to defend against Imran Tahir’s googlies. And then he made Younis Khan run hard too. He made one mistake and paid the price with his wicket. But after giving Pakistan the start they had been lacking in previous matches, Sarfraz had more to contribute.As the team came out to field, Sarfraz’s presence behind the stumps would have set a certain calm among the bowlers. It also freed up Umar Akmal, inconsistent with gloves but an excellent all-round fielder, to be used elsewhere. With moisture in the air, the pace quartet found movement and zip off the pitch. That requires adjustments from wicketkeepers, so Pakistan were well served in that they had a specialist man. Moin-like, Sarfraz was, swooping low to his right as he pulled off a one-handed stunner to send back Hashim Amla and then taking a head-high catch when Steyn edged a bouncer.”I never doubted his abilities. We all knew how good he is,” Waqar said today, before hinting why he may have missed out till now. “He is a makeshift opener, but he did a superb job today.”Can’t ask for anything better if your regular wicketkeeper can play and bat as an opener too. But don’t forget, Umar Akmal has also done a superb job, he got five catches in the last game. So, I am happy with both. Both are doing a wonderful job. It’s the belief that matters the most and both of them have belief with the gloves on. “As Shehzad once again dabbed the pitch with his bat, keeping the bowler waiting during that opening stand, Sarfraz, at the non-striker’s end, wandered along facing the western stand, his head held high, maybe wondering “Am I really here?” but most probably thinking, “I was meant to be here.” Call it confidence, call it self-belief, call it the aggressive posturing, that intent at the start of the match had set the tone for Pakistan.

Gary Ballance, a young left-hander with a Zimbabwean lilt could be asked to solve one of England’s more enduring problems: the No. 6 Test spot.

Alan Gardner24-Sep-2013English cricket has a lot to thank Zimbabwe for. The two coaches most responsible for transforming England into one of the best teams in the world over the last decade and a half, Duncan Fletcher and Andy Flower, hardened their characters and honed their philosophies in southern Africa and now another young leftie with a Zimbabwean lilt could be asked to solve one of the more enduring problems within the current set-up: the No. 6 Test spot.Gary Ballance, of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Mid West Rhinos and, some years ago, Zimbabwe Under-19s, was the Ashes bolter who caught the eye when England’s squad to tour Australia was announced. A powerful batsman, the 23-year-old has been capped once by his adoptive country – making a two-ball duck in the ODI against Ireland earlier this month – having qualified through residency, and could become England’s first Test debutant in Australia since the Lancashire wicketkeeper, Warren Hegg, in 1998.It is often said that a strong Yorkshire makes for a strong England, and Ballance played a full part in the county’s tilt at the title this year, scoring 995 Championship runs so far as they secured second. He may not have mastered the accent but Ballance will happily band together with his friends, team-mates and fellow tourists, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, in England’s young Yorkie club.”I’ve played at Yorkshire for four to five years, I don’t think you get more English than that,” was his unequivocal response to being asked about his allegiances. “I feel 100 percent English.”There will be those that prickle at the claim, as well as England’s recruitment of another foreign-born player to their ensemble. Indeed, upon announcing the Ashes squad the national selector, Geoff Miller, had to defend the selection of yet another player drawn from non-English roots.But Ballance was not inveigled away from his homeland. Like soon-to-be team-mates Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott, who both came through the South African system, he left with a clear goal in mind.Born in Harare to parents who ran a tobacco farm, Ballance played several sports but knew early on that a career in cricket might be more fruitful – and stable – overseas. A family contact, in the form of the former Zimbabwe captain and coach Dave Houghton, then in charge at Derbyshire, was able to assist. Houghton is married to a cousin of Ballance’s father and was happy to be involved in bringing the teenager to England, putting him up for a period before he took up a sports scholarship at Harrow.”His father and mother came to see us on one of my trips back to Zimbabwe,” Houghton recalls. “I knew Gary was a decent player, we’re quite close as a family. They said to us, ‘He’s 15, what do you suggest we do? He wants to play cricket as a profession and he’s got a British passport’ I said, if he can get to England, we’ll happily look after him.”Ballance described his Ashes inclusion as being “quite a shock” and his parents, who are currently in England, were the first to be told. Their farm was among the many confiscated by the Zimbabwe government, shortly after Ballance left home, but they remain in Zimbabwe and involved in the farming industry, making periodic visits to watch their son play.Asked about the challenges of starting a new life in another country at such a young age, Ballance answers with a clear-eyed sense of purpose. “I don’t think it was as hard as people might think, it was in the interests of my career and wanting to play cricket,” he says. “It came down to that. I knew if I wanted to play cricket that England would be the best place to do it. I got help from my parents, when I came over here I got a lot of help from Dave Houghton and that made the decision a lot easier.”Since I moved over it’s been my dream to play for England. I moved to Yorkshire, to the academy there, they’ve treated me very well and I’ve had a great time there. I’ve always dreamed of the opportunity and I’m really looking forward to it.”

A solid, muscular presence, Ballance looks like a bit like a svelte Rob Key and has a similarly cheery disposition, indicating there will not be any animosity should he and Bairstow, a one-time room-mate, end up in competition to bat at No. 6.

An indication of Ballance’s ability is provided by his appearance at the 2006 Under-19 World Cup – at the age of 16. He played against England in the tournament, top-scoring for Zimbabwe in a two-wicket win, and was quick to impress when he was brought to Derbyshire. Karl Krikken, then in charge of the academy, suggested immediately that Ballance be signed on a summer contract.Observant Sky Sports viewers would have caught a glimpse of the future in 2007, when Ballance smashed a century for Derbyshire club side Ockbrook and Borrowash in the televised national T20 cup, and it wasn’t long before he attracted the attention of a bigger county in Yorkshire, whose academy he joined at the end of that year.Ballance learned his cricket in Zimbabwe, where he went to the independent Peterhouse boarding school, and his batting idol was Sachin Tendulkar rather than Michael Atherton or Graham Thorpe (though Michael Vaughan’s personal Ashes of 2002-03 made an impression). He returned in 2010-11 and 2011-12 to further his development in the first-class Logan Cup competition but has since become one of England’s track-suited, talent-identification generation, through the Lions and Performance Programme squads.He impressed with the Lions in Australia over the winter, his only previous visit to the country, and although his one-day debut “didn’t go as well as I’d hoped”, he has now overleapt the likes of James Taylor and Ravi Bopara for Test selection.A solid, muscular presence, Ballance looks like a bit like a svelte Rob Key and has a similarly cheery disposition, indicating there will not be any animosity should he and Bairstow, a one-time room-mate, end up in competition to bat at No. 6.And what of his prospects if called upon to fill the position, which has chewed up numerous candidates since Paul Collingwood’s retirement three winters ago? Could Ballance provide just that and offer Flower, England’s made-in-Zimbabwe coach, a made-in-Zimbabwe solution? Houghton has further words of encouragement.”His business is scoring runs. When he gets in, he gets hundreds and he has got hundreds at every level he’s played at – plenty of them. And I don’t expect that to change once he gets into Test cricket.”

After having lost his place in the Pakistan Test side, Umar Akmal has realised that he needs to control his urge to go hard at the ball. That is not going to stop him from playing his strokes though

Umar Farooq26-Dec-2011Umar Akmal, the Pakistan batsman, has maintained that he will not tone down his hard-hitting approach despite getting dropped from the Pakistan Test team recently, but admitted that he needed to work on batting for longer periods. “Being aggressive and not staying for long at the pitch are two different things,” Akmal told ESPNcricinfo. “I am working hard to strengthen my ability to bat longer. I don’t think I should hold back my shots in Tests. If I do that, I’ll get confused and start declining.”Akmal was axed from the Test squad in October for the series against Sri Lanka after scoring just one half-century in the format in 2011. Mohsin Khan, the chief selector and interim coach, told him to “stop being selfish” and learn how to convert starts into substantial innings by going back to domestic cricket.Akmal said that he now knew what the problem was with his batting: the tendency to fritter away starts. His attacking style didn’t need to be altered. “Being aggressive is in my nature. Playing big shots in Test cricket is no more abnormal. We have [Virender] Sehwag, [Kevin] Pietersen and many other players who play big shots.”Belligerence and Test cricket are no longer mutually exclusive, especially after the advent of Twenty20. Belligerent was the manner in which Akmal announced his arrival on the Test stage in November 2009. In his first Test innings, against New Zealand in Dunedin, 19-year-old Akmal hammered 23 boundaries on his way to 129. None of the other specialist Pakistan batsmen managed 30 in that innings. The Dunedin hundred came after Akmal had blitzed to a century in his third ODI off 70 deliveries a couple of months earlier. No wonder he believes his fearless approach to playing strokes will be instrumental in building his career.But the tremendous potential that he showed two years ago has largely gone unfulfilled till now. Akmal has not made another Test century since his impressive debut. After a poor year in 2010, when he averaged just 24.33, he was left out of the XI for the two Tests in New Zealand though he returned to the side for the Tests in the West Indies. But after struggling to play long innings even in ODIs, he was ultimately left out of the Test squad in October. The axeing was a big setback but Akmal has realised that it was justified. “It was a fair call by the selectors. I was in a hurry to score runs and was ending up without completing what my team required me to do.”It’s very disappointing when you are axed and especially from the Test squad. Test cricket is the supreme form of the game and it is where I want to perform the best. No matter how long you play one-dayers and Twenty20s, it is Test cricket that will determine your worth.”These days, Akmal is playing as much as he can for Cricket Center Cricket Club in Lahore – there has hardly been a day during which he hasn’t played a match. He is also spending most of his time on the field with his brother Kamran Akmal, trying to develop control over his wide range of strokes. He admitted that he needed to cut down on his urge to go hard at the ball.”When I am at the crease everything apart from the ball in the bowler’s hands is a blur and I am very desperate to strike it. I think I need to tone down my desperation and that will come when play more and more cricket. My brother and coaches have helped me a lot in this regard, and you might have seen a difference in my recent batting.”The longer format, of course, demands more restraint and greater concentration compared to limited-overs cricket. Not all players can be adept in all formats, but Akmal asserted that he could cope with the demands of the modern game with a single approach.”Cricket these days is so fast. I think I must not confuse myself by changing my focus again and again for different formats of the game. The approach must remain intact. What I was asked to do was to develop the temperament to stay at the wicket and [told that] the runs would then automatically come. I don’t know what the selectors have decided about me, but I am very much hopeful to regain my place in the Test side. I am still young and learning. This is a process that will never end.”

A stats analysis of Dennis Lillee’s Ashes career

S Rajesh18-Jul-2009Australia have had a tradition of producing some outstanding fast bowlers, but few will rank higher than Dennis Lillee, who has turned 60 today. For many, he is the perfect definition of the ultimate fast bowler: he was fast, aggressive, and possessed the complete armoury, with the ability to swing and seam the ball both ways, and bowl long spells.He also saved his best for Australia’s oldest rivals, taking 167 wickets in only 29 Ashes Tests, an average of 5.76 wickets per match, which was better than his overall stats of 5.07 wickets per match. Lillee is second in the wicket-takers’ list, next only to Shane Warne, who, in seven more Tests, took 28 extra wickets. Both took five wickets in an innings 11 times and ten in a match four times; the latter is a record, with Fred Spofforth and Tom Richardson the only other bowlers to achieve it.The top three are all Australians, with Glenn McGrath in third place. The most wickets taken by an Englishman in Ashes is Ian Botham’s 148, but he needed 36 Tests for that tally, an average of 4.11 wickets per match. (Click here for the complete list.)

Overall, too, Lillee was one of the most feared bowlers for England’s batsmen, though a fair number of West Indian bowlers also make the list of most successful bowlers against them. Curtly Ambrose and Malcolm Marshall both averaged around 19 against them, which is slightly lesser than Lillee’s 21.Almost half his 355 wickets came against traditional rivals England, a team which brought out the best in Lillee. In only 29 Tests against them he took 167 wickets – that’s an average 5.76 per Test – at an excellent average of 21. Only Warne has taken more wickets against them, while both have taken exactly the same number of five- and ten-wicket hauls.The list is dominated by Australian and West Indians, the two teams who have played England most often. Eighty-three of Lillee’s wickets against England came in the 12 Tests that Australia won against them, at an outstanding average of 17.68. The only bowler in the top ten not from Australia or West Indies is Muttiah Muralitharan, who, in only 16 matches, has racked up 112 wickets against England.

Overall, Lillee was one of Australia’s most effective matchwinners. In the 31 Tests that Australia won with Lillee in the team, he took 203 wickets at a fantastic average of 18.27, with 17 five-wicket hauls. Among Australian bowlers with at least 100 wickets in wins, only Clarrie Grimmett, the legspinner who played in the 1920s and 30s, had a better average. Clearly, Lillee’s performances went a long way in determining his team’s fortunes – in Tests that Australia lost he averaged 29.49, and in draws he averaged 32.73 per wicket.In Ashes Tests too, he was one of the biggest matchwinners, with 83 wickets in a mere 12 Tests at an outstanding average of 17.68. Lillee ranks fourth in terms of wickets taken in Ashes wins, and among bowlers who took at least 50 wickets in such games, his average is sixth best, but the greatest since 1940. He also took a whopping 6.92 wickets per Test in these games, a stat bettered only by two bowlers in this list – Fred Spofforth and Bill O’Reilly.

Overall, Lillee was involved in seven Test series against England, plus two centenary Tests, one each in Australia and England. Australia won four of those series (though Lillee didn’t have much of a role to play in 1982-83, playing just one Test), lost two and drew one. His most successful series, in terms of averages, were in 1972, in England, and in 1979-80 at home, when Australia won 3-0. In terms of wickets, though, Lillee’s best was in the historic 1981 series in England, when he took 39 in six Tests and yet couldn’t prevent an Australian defeat.

Wrexham CEO Michael Williamson is burning the midnight oil Down Under as the Red Dragons are working aggressively behind the scenes to build a super-squad ahead of plying their trade in the Championship. Currently on tour in Oceania, the Welsh side have already made headlines with their pre-season outings, but the more significant action may be happening off the pitch, particularly in hotel rooms, meeting rooms and late-night phone calls.

• Wrexham having pre-season in New Zealand
• Red Dragons putting together formidable squad
• Could break transfer record for Liberato Cacace

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Williamson has admitted the tour is far from a relaxing retreat. Instead, he has been spending his nights buried in calls, emails and negotiations as the club pushes ahead with vital squad-building efforts. Tucked away far in the Southern hemisphere, he’s handling communications across multiple time zones, from the UK to the United States, an unenviable challenge to say the least.

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• WHAT WILLIAMSON SAID

  Speaking to , Williamson offered insight into the high demands of building a Championship-worthy side while halfway around the world.

  "I’m aware the impression I’m probably giving is that life on tour is a glamorous affair. But it’s also a very busy one, especially when 12,000 miles from home as we are at the moment," he said.

  "I’ve had many a night working until 2am since we got here. It might be phone calls to agents about players, or maybe the staff back in Wrexham. There are a million different things that need dealing with, especially emails. I’ll find myself getting to sleep at 2.30am and then, thanks to the time difference with the UK and also the U.S., waking up at 7am to see my inbox full once again. But that’s the job. The football world doesn’t stop just because we’re on the other side of the world."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite the physical toll, Williamson emphasised that the tour provides a unique opportunity to catch up with the think tank at any given time, which expedites the entire decision-making process.

  "What I do like about being on tour is we’re all in the same place," he said. "If we need, say, a quick 10-minute chat about a potential transfer, then Phil Parkinson is right here so we can sit down and go through things. There have been a few of those meetings with Phil and his staff in the early hours since we flew out."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  One of the key moves being negotiated is the acquisition of Liberato Cacace, a New Zealand international who currently plays for Empoli. The transfer is expected to eclipse the £2 million fee the club paid for striker Sam Smith earlier this year, making it the most expensive in Wrexham’s history.

Jamal Musiala has been dubbed irreplaceable "like Lionel Messi" by German icon, Lothar Matthaus, after a shock World Cup qualifying defeat to Slovakia. The Bayern Munich midfielder fractured his fibula and damaged ankle ligaments following a brutal collision with Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the Club World Cup. The 22-year-old was stretchered off in Atlanta, visibly distraught, and Bayern later confirmed he requires surgery that will sideline him for several months.

• Musiala suffered a devastating long-term injury
• Germany humiliated by Slovakia without the star
• Matthaus compares Musiala’s value to Messi's

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  For all the star names on Julian Nagelsmann’s teamsheet, Germany looked disjointed and fragile from the outset. Slovakia smelled blood and pounced. The opener came after Florian Wirtz was easily robbed of possession on the flank. David Hancko surged forward into the gaping space, combining with teammates before slotting past the exposed Oliver Baumann. The second goal was even more damning. David Strelec toyed with Antonio Rudiger before unleashing a thunderbolt. 

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  WHAT MATTHAUS SAID

  Matthaus did not hold back when analysing the impact of Musiala’s absence. Comparing him to Messi, the 1990 World Cup winner declared to : "You can't replace Musiala one-to-one. Just like Messi, you can't. Hopefully, he'll be back soon."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Matthaus was scathing in his post-match assessment, labelling the display as “appalling” and suggesting that Germany were fortunate the scoreline was only 2-0.

  "You can always lose 2-0, the question is just how. Much more surprising than the defeat itself was the manner," he said. "The way we played football was appalling. And if we're honest, the result was very flattering. It easily could have been 4-0 or 5-0."

  Germany had never before lost a World Cup qualifier away from home, making this defeat all the more seismic.

  "When you lose 2-0 and the goalkeeper of the losing team was the best player, you know what that means," Matthaus added. "We have the quality in our ranks. But I had the impression that Julian Nagelsmann's team was quite surprised. They weren't expecting this style of play. They were caught off guard by the Slovaks' aggressive pressing. They played one-on-one all over the pitch, and we couldn't cope with that at all. We never found and showed the right attitude in this game. And that's one thing I don't like at all."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR GERMANY?

  Against Slovakia, Germany looked flat, predictable, and unable to cope under pressure. For Nagelsmann, the task is now about more than just securing points. He must find a way to rebuild confidence, sharpen attitudes, and plug the glaring holes that Slovakia so ruthlessly exploited. With Northern Ireland visiting this Sunday, the pressure is firmly on Die Mannschaft to respond. Anything less than victory would deepen the crisis. 

From jersey and ticket sales to the reach of a global audience, the impact of the South Korean star in Los Angeles is tangible

Son Heung-Min couldn't believe his ears. As he made his MLS debut with Los Angeles FC, the South Korean star expected a chorus of boos to descend down upon him.  LAFC were playing the Fire in Chicago, after all. Surely there would be no warm welcome for MLS's newest megastar.

That's where the surprise came. Son's debut wasn't met with antagonism but rather enthusiasm, his arrival in MLS celebrated by both traveling LAFC fans and home Fire fans, alike.

“I really enjoyed it," he said postgame. "I've never ever had this welcome from away fans. I used to play in the Premier League. When I played at away grounds, they were always booing me, but it was nice to see people were celebrating, people were enjoying the football.”

Such is the new reality for Son, who is uniquely as much of an icon as he is a soccer player. It's why his MLS arrival is so meaningful. MLS has had plenty of incredible soccer players join the league, Son among them. The league, though, save for David Beckham and Lionel Messi, may not have ever had another megastar quite like the South Korean and former Tottenham legend.

The impact of his arrival is already reverberating, from the stands in Chicago to the online shopping carts of fans all over the world.

Son may not be a game-changer in the same way that Beckham or Messi were. Both clearly ushered in new eras of MLS, lending their starpower to the league at crucial moments. The South Korean star can be more accurately categorized as a ceiling-raiser, someone who takes that foundation and takes things up a notch.

However you categorize him, MLS seems set to benefit in a variety of manners, expanding the league's reach in ways that they couldn't have imagined with any other signing.

(C)Getty ImagesA new market

Son's joyous move to Los Angeles started with a tearful goodbye. Ahead of Tottenham's preseason friendly against Newcastle in Son's native South Korea, the winger announced that his decade with Spurs was coming to an end. He would be leaving after the friendly, he said. A new chapter was beginning.

Look deeper, and that path to L.A. may just have begun in 2018. It was that summer that Son met with TSG, LAFC's South Korean supporters group, in Koreatown. Seven years later, those fans will now get the chance to watch South Korea's most famous soccer player ply his trade in the City of Angels.

It's no accident that Son ended up in Los Angeles, a city with a massive Korean population. Per the Korean American Grassroots Conference, the state of California has a Korean population of more than 550,000, roughly as much as the next four highest states combined. Los Angeles is home to more than 200,000 Korean-Americans.

For comparison, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that in 2019 that there were approximately 40,770 Koreans living across the entire United Kingdom.

“As a Korean, to know that Koreatown here in Los Angeles has so many Koreans, here in this country, I’m very proud to be a part of the club and the city,” Son said. “And I’ll make them proud with my performance.”

Throughout Son's Tottenham career, he consistently attracted Korean fans to Spurs. According to research commissioned by AIA, one of Tottenham's major sponsors, nearly 12 million Koreans listed Spurs as their favorite European team. That's  a quarter of the country – and doesn't include those that back other teams, but still root for Son.

The fandom was so passionate that, at one point, South Korean broadcasts of Tottenham games would have a Son graphic built into the scoreboard, illustrating that the player was just as big, if not bigger, than the team to those watching from back home.

It's not an unusual phenomenon in U.S. sports. The United States has seen similar connections with fans of Japanese MLB star Shohei Ohtani and NBA champions Nikola Jokic of Serbia and Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece, all of whom draw massive attention from their native countries.

Many South Koreans traveled to London each season to catch a glimpse of their country's icon. That pilgrimage will now be made to Los Angeles.

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MLS has not generally been very forthcoming in sharing data around its 10-year, $2.5 billion streaming partnership with Apple TV. But in his annual address at the MLS All-Star Game this summer, commissioner Don Garber revealed that an average of 120,000 unique viewers are tuning into every game, an increase of over 50 percent over last season.

“Other leagues have a game of the night, game of the week, Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV,” Garber said. “All of our games, for the most part, are on Saturday, all up against each other. So when you have 120,000 unique viewers [per game] across that, that’s a lot of people. Aggregate all that. Depending on what week it is, you have over a million people who are unique viewers.”

A major component of the Apple deal, though, is that it's worldwide. It's been marketed as an opportunity for fans all across the globe to watch Messi or and other stars in the league. With Son's arrival, MLS streams in Asia are expected to skyrocket.

According to a Nielsen survey, 21 percent of South Koreans considered Tottenham their favorite European soccer team. That comes out to around 11 million. Of course, many of those fans will stay loyal to Tottenham, but many, too, will be eager to see Son play with his new club. How many of the millions of fans of other teams will also tune in now that Son no longer plays for a European rival? How many fans of South Korea's national team will now embrace this chance to watch their star?

Son's games in the U.S. will now be early-morning kickoffs for Asian time zone –  not too dissimilar from the ones that American fans experience with the Premier League. Expect Apple and MLS to benefit from an international attraction that should draw viewers from across the Pacific Ocean.

Getty Images SportCommercial impact

Watching matches, though, isn't the only way fans can express support for their favorite players. They can also wear their name and numbers on their backs – and plenty will do just that with a Son LAFC kit.

Per Front Office Sports, Fanatics has confirmed that Son's jersey immediately became their highest-selling across all sports. Additionally, that Son LAFC jersey is the second-most sold for a player joining a new team, trailing only Messi's Inter Miami kit from August 2023. In the MLS online store, Son jerseys are listed as “special event items” at $194.99. 

Son has a completely different personality than Messi, one that could be an asset for both LAFC and the league. While Messi, throughout his career, has been reserved and not embraced a public ambassador role for MLS, Son has been more than willing to play ball when it comes to being the star. He's appeared in countless advertisements and will no doubt bring all sorts of commercial opportunities for both himself and his club now that he's in Los Angeles.

Tickets for what could be his first LAFC home match – Aug. 31 vs San Diego FC at BMO Stadium – are  climbing sharply. The most inexpensive seats are reportedly at $200, up to eight times more than before Son’s arrival. Seats in the central lower 100-level section exceed $500.

The winger, of course, did not come cheap, with LAFC paying a $26.5 million transfer fee to Tottenham in addition to his salary, but they'll surely make that back and more by now being associated with the brand that is Son.

According to the Daily Mail, it's expected that Tottenham could lose up to $80 million in revenues per season due to Son's exit. LAFC, then will stand to benefit, raking in money on everything from sponsorships to tickets to jersey sales.

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Getty Images SportOn the field

For all the marketing buzz and revenue opportunities, at the end of the day, Son's time in MLS won't be judged on how many commercials he's in, but rather how many trophies he wins. The expectations are high, particularly at a club such as LAFC, which has been built on being the right combination of substance and style.

Yes, the club has pursued big names, but they've then had to perform. Players such as Carlos Vela and Gareth Bale earned icon status by helping to win an MLS Cup. Olivier Giroud, meanwhile, was jettisoned after failing to make the right on-field impact.

Son did that in Saturday's match against the Fire. He didn't start as he looked to build his fitness, but the South Korean star was thrown into the fray in the second half with LAFC down a goal. He quickly drew a penalty, which was subsequently handed to Denis Bouanga in a seemingly symbolic moment between the two stars. Son, the new guy, is eager to fit in alongside Bouanga, the established star.

Figuring out that partnership will be key to LAFC's trophy hopes. Both are true MLS elite, and both will need to find a way to play off one another ahead of the postseason. That will take time, as will everything with this move.

This is just the beginning of the Son phenomenon in Los Angeles. It will evolve throughout his time. And even when that new-signee shine does wear off, there will be plenty of intrigue around his time in the United States.

"I want to see this as a new challenge, and do my best," Son said. "All that I’ve received, I want to give back to the ownership and the team and the club, and do the best I can, and leave when the time comes as a legend of the club.”

أفادت تقارير سعودية بأن أحد لاعبي الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي النصر بات قريبًا من الانتقال إلى صفوف الفتح خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية.

وكشفت مصادر صحيفة “الميدان” السعودية، أن إدارة الفتح دخلت في مفاوضات متقدمة مع نظيرتها في النصر لضم اللاعب الشاب ماجد قشيش، في خطوة تهدف إلى تعزيز خيارات الفريق الفنية للموسم الجديد من دوري روشن السعودي.

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ومن المتوقع أن تُحسم تفاصيل الصفقة خلال الأيام القليلة المقبلة، سواء على سبيل الإعارة أو بانتقال نهائي، حيث يسعى قشيش للحصول على فرصة أكبر للمشاركة بعد محدودية ظهوره مع النصر في الفترة الماضية.

وفي سياق آخر، يترقب عشاق الكرة السعودية مباراة مرتقبة تجمع الأهلي مع النصر، في نهائي كأس السوبر السعودي للموسم الجديد 2025-2026، والمقرر إقامتها اليوم السبت. موعد مباراة الأهلي والنصر اليوم في نهائي كأس السوبر السعودي

تقام مباراة الأهلي والنصر، في تمام الساعة 3 عصرًا بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، اليوم السبت 22 أغسطس 2025، على استاد “هونج كونج”.

أعلنت مجلة “فرانس فوتبول” الفرنسية عن أسماء المرشحين للفوز بجائزة كرويف لأفضل مدرب عن عام 2025.

وتعتبر تلك النسخة هي الثانية بعد تطبيق الشراكة بين الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم، يويفا، ومجلة “فرانس فوتبول” العالمية.

أيضًا يتم الإعلان عن المرشحين لجائزة ياشين لأفضل حارس مرمى، وجائزة كوبا لأفضل لاعب صاعد، وأفضل نادي كرة قدم رجال وسيدات، وأفضل مدرب كرة قدم رجال وسيدات.

اقرأ أيضًا | المرشحون لجائزة ياشين لأفضل حارس مرمى في 2025.. موقف ياسين بونو

يُذكر أن الإيطالي كارلو أنشيلوتي مدرب ريال مدريد السابق هو آخر المتوجين بتلك الجائزة الموسم الماضي 2024 بعد الفوز ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا 2023/2024.

وتمكن هانز فليك من تقديم موسم مميز مع الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة والفوز بالثلاثية المحلية (الدوري وكأس الملك والسوبر) والوصول إلى نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا لأول مرة منذ 6 سنوات.

فيما حقق الهولندي آرني سلوت، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ليفربول بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز للمرة الـ 20 في تاريخ الريدز معادلًا بذلك رقم مانشستر يونايتد التاريخي.

وقدم لويس إنريكي، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي باريس سان جيرمان موسمًا استثائيًا في تاريخ النادي إذ حقق أخيرًا لقب دوري أبطال أوروبا لأول مرة في تاريخ النادي الفرنسي كما استطاع أن يفوز بلقب الدوري وكأس فرنسا والسوبر والوصول إلى نهائي كأس العالم للأندية 2025.

ونجح الإيطالي أنطونيو كونتي، في تحقيق لقب بطولة الدوري الإيطالي “سكوديتو” مع نادي نابولي للمرة الرابعة في تاريخه بعد منافسة كبيرة مع إنتر ميلان.

أما الإيطالي الآخر إنزو ماريسكا، الذي قاد تشيلسي للتتويج بدوري المؤتمر الأوروبي هذا الموسم ونهاية الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز بالمركز الرابع المؤهل لدوري أبطال أوروبا الموسم المقبل، مع التتويج الكبير والأبرز ببطولة كأس العالم للأندية 2025 والتي أقيمت في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية لأول مرة في نسختها الجديدة بمشاركة 32 فريقًا. قائمة المرشحون لجائزة أفضل مدرب في عام 2025

أنطونيو كونتي، مدرب نابولي الإيطالي.

لويس إنريكي، مدرب باريس سان جيرمان.

هانز فليك، مدرب برشلونة.

إنزو ماريسكا، مدرب تشيلسي.

آرني سلوت، مدرب ليفربول.

Here are our 2025 nominees for the Men’s Team Coach of the Year Trophy!

Antonio Conte
Luis Enrique
Hansi Flick
Enzo Maresca
Arne Slot#ballondor pic.twitter.com/ES5OaOvP5n — Ballon d’Or (@ballondor) August 7, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

Everton Ribeiro acostumou-se a levantar troféus nas últimas décadas. Um torneio, contudo, ainda falta ao meia: a Copa do Brasil. E, a partir desta quarta, o camisa 7 busca sua redenção, ao vestir a braçadeira de capitão do Flamengo na final contra o Corinthians. A bola rola às 21h45, na Neo Química Arena, com transmissão em tempo real do L!.

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Antes de chegar ao Flamengo, Everton Ribeiro disputou três finais de Copa do Brasil.As duas primeiras foram pelo Coritiba. Em 2011, o meia ainda não era titular e o Coxa perdeu para o Vasco. No ano seguinte, já como um dos principais nomes do time, não conseguiu evitar um novo vice-campeonato – dessa vez para o Palmeiras.

A terceira decisão de Copa do Brasil do Everton Ribeiro foi em 2014, pelo Cruzeiro. Destaque da equipe de Marcelo Oliveira, o meia acabou sem levantar o troféu após duas derrotas para o Atlético-MG.

A passagem de Everton Ribeiro pelo Flamengo começou em 2017, ano no qual o Rubro-Negro foi vice-campeão da Copa do Brasil. Porém, o meia , vindo do Al Ahli (EAU) não participou daquela campanha, pois chegou ao Ninho após o fim do prazo de inscrição.

Copa do Brasil à parte, Everton Ribeiro é dos atletas mais vencedores do futebol nacional das últimas décadas. São quatro Brasileiros – dois pelo Fla e dois pelo Cruzeiro -, seis Estaduais e duas Supercopas do Brasil, além de uma Copa Libertadores e uma Recopa Sul-Americana.

A partir desta quarta, vestindo a braçadeira de capitão, Everton Ribeiro buscará o título que falta na vitoriosa carreira, e à geração que está cravando seu espaço na história no Flamengo desde 2019.