RANGERS CONFIDENTIAL: Russell Martin's girlfriend will bring a bit of glitz and glamour to Ibrox... PLUS fans are warned 'moneyball' approach won't bring instant success
Martin is in a relationship with former glamour model Lucy Pinder.
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The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Anxiety and excitement combine for Williamson with Wiegman's new England
Leah Williamson said she had felt anxious in the buildup to England beginning their European title defence against France on Saturday night, the Arsenal defender having missed the 2023 World Cup after an anterior cruciate ligament injury. 'I've probably held some anxiety up until this moment just because I wanted to be here and I wanted to be here with the team and I wanted to experience another tournament with England,' said the Lionesses' captain. 'It's special when you come to another country, to represent your country and just take everything in. It's a bit different to England in 2022. I'm very excited but so much has changed, so I'm intrigued to come back and enjoy this tournament football.' England look different from the team that beat Germany in the final in 2022. Millie Bright stepped back to protect her mental and physical health and Jill Scott, Ellen White, Rachel Daly, Mary Earps and Fran Kirby have retired completely or, in the case of the last two, retired from international duty. The mantra has been that this is a new England. 'The team has been a bit in transition, of course,' the manager, Sarina Wiegman, said, 'and we absolutely cherish what we have done before, and we never forget it, and those are lifetime experiences for us and for our families and also for the fans. But you have to move on and you have to be on top. Things are changing very quickly, so we have to, too. We came together in February and we said: 'It's a new challenge.' The approach was there anyway, but we called it the New England.' France have changed too, but there are familiar faces everywhere, not least in the dynamic Chelsea forward Sandy Baltimore. How do you stop her? 'Whisper in her ear,' said Lucy Bronze, her Chelsea teammate, with a grin. What do you say? 'Nothing in English,' the England full-back said, still grinning. Bronze, competing at her seventh major tournament having been part of every Euros and World Cup squad since 2013, has probably played with or against most players in Switzerland for Euro 2025. There is one absent face in particular she will miss, though – that of the France centre-back Wendie Renard, who was dropped by the manager, Laurent Bonadei, along with Kenza Dali and Eugénie Le Sommer. It is a testament to Bronze's competitive nature that she was unhappy about Renard's omission. 'I want to play against Wendie,' she said of her former Lyon teammate. 'I want to play against the strongest French team. I want Wendie to be playing, defending corners and I can jump over her and win the ball. Winning a header over Wendie Renard, that's an achievement.' Renard's replacement as France's captain, Griedge Mbock, another former Lyon clubmate of Bronze's, is a doubt. The Paris Saint-Germain centre-back has been training separately after a calf injury. The potential stand-in, 21-year-old Alice Sombath, who has four caps, was also at Lyon with Bronze. 'She's probably got more maturity than people might give her credit for,' Bronze said. France have an enviable attacking lineup that includes Kadidiatou Diani, Baltimore and Marie-Antoinette Katoto. 'I think England have one of the best attacking lineups,' said Bronze. 'The type of attackers France have got, we have quite similar, and as defenders we defend against that every day in training.' Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion Bronze has played in some of the best teams in the history of women's domestic football, so where does England's front three, likely to be drawn from Alessia Russo, Lauren Hemp, Beth Mead, Lauren James and Chloe Kelly, rank in terms of providing that top-level test of a defender in training? 'I'd say it's similar to those kinds of teams that I've been in,' said Bronze. 'I might be playing up against Hempo for 30 minutes and then it's LJ, then it's Chloe; it's just non-stop, and they've all got such different attributes. Even someone like Michelle [Agyemang], who is relatively young, just runs into people and bodies them because she's so strong.' James is ready to play more minutes, said Wiegman, after returning from a hamstring injury as a substitute against Jamaica last weekend. 'I won't give you the lineup but she played 30 minutes last week so she can play more than that,' the manager said. After France, England face the 2017 European champions, the Netherlands, on Wednesday before completing the group stage against Wales. It has been referred to as the group of death. There is little room for error. Bronze said it was 'a good and a bad thing' having to start against a serious contender. 'If we lose that game, everyone says it's the worst; if we win that game, it's the best,' she said. 'We just try to look at the positives: the fact that we get to test ourselves against the good teams straight away. There's no surprises going through the tournament. We know the standard that you have to be at. When you get to these kinds of tournaments, you want to play in the big games against the best players. Why not have it in your first game? It makes it more exciting.'
The Guardian
41 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Infantino awaits his ‘big bang' as Club World Cup refuses to slide away
Like Dr John Hammond and his scientists in Jurassic Park, Gianni Infantino and his fawning Fifa lickspittles have spent recent years so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn't stop to think if they should. The upshot is that a preposterously lucrative tournament described by its creator as 'a big bang' has been crowbarred into an already jam-packed calendar. And the largesse of its in-no-way unethically sourced prize-money for those participating now threatens to destroy several already under-threat footballing ecosystems around the world. Excessive heat, often sparse crowds, overambitious stadium bookings, concerns over immigration raids, exhausted players, that Juventus video from the Oval Office, Saudi money, individual player walk-ons, discordant mismatches, lengthy weather delays – the list of snags that need to be ironed out in the inevitable future editions of Copa Gianni goes on and on. But if you can see past the Fifa overlord's self-aggrandising and disingenuous bombast, this brain-fart of his is a wheeze that's not entirely without merit. And with the quarter-finals upon us, the tournament might finally live up to the garrulous hype with which Fifa's equivalent of The Simpsons' monorail guy Lyle Lanley has long been trying to sell it to us marks. First up are Al-Hilal and Fluminense in Orlando, the stuff of lurid Infantino fantasies that will ensure either a Saudi Pro League side or a Brazilian team will make the final four. One of two remaining Brazilian sides left in the competition, Fluminense have thoroughly enjoyed their stateside sojourn and are favourites to see off the self-styled plucky Saudi underdogs who have spent just £412m on transfers over the past two years. While most of their fans will be in bed, Chelsea take on Palmeiras, but may have to make do without one of their players of the tournament, Pedro Neto, who is mourning the sudden loss of his great friend Diogo Jota. 'In terms of Pedro, he is very sad,' said Enzo Maresca. 'Probably more than sad. I had a chat this morning with Pedro. We support him. Any decision he will take is the correct one.' In what would certainly have been billed as the Bellingham Brothers derby if Jobe hadn't gone and earned himself a spell on the Naughty Step, Dortmund play Real Madrid at the MetLife Stadium in Noo Joyzee, while Bigger Cup winners Paris Saint-Germain go toe-to-toe with Bayern in Atlanta. 'We feel that when we're at our best, we can beat anyone,' chirruped Harry Kane, reading from his Big Book of Pre-Match Platitudes. 'We'll approach this match with the same feeling.' As for the plodding dinosaurs who've been brought back from extinction? Well, their eagerly-awaited reunion tour kicks off later in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium and, unlike at Copa Gianni, the dynamically priced tickets are sold out. Join Barry Glendenning at 5pm (BST) for Euro 2025 updates on Denmark 0-0 Sweden and Scott Murray will be on hand at 8pm for Germany 0-0 Poland. I want to talk about my mate. My buddy. The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy. I could talk about him as a player for hours, but none of that feels like it matters right now. It's the man. The person. He was such a good guy. The best. So genuine. Just normal and real. Full of love for the people he cared about. Full of fun. He was the most British foreign player I've ever met. I can't believe we're saying goodbye. It's too soon, and it hurts so much. But thank you for being in my life, mate – and for making it better' – Liverpool's Andy Robertson remembers his friend, Diogo Jota. And Miguel Dantas reports on how the deaths of Jota and his brother André Silva have shaken Portugal, where mourners are gathering in Gondomar for the funeral on Saturday. Diogo Jota, an opponent that you'd have in your team in a heartbeat, and that's from a Toffee' – Ian Taylor. Regarding Chinese third-tier club Changchun Xidu and the superstitious paper charms (yesterday's News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition). Are they effective if you want to put off a co-worker competing for the same promotion? Asking for a friend' – Steve Mintz. Please send your letters to This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Dakota Johnson has flirty exchange with mystery man on Ibiza yacht after Chris Martin split
Dakota Johnson put on a flirty exchange with a mystery man as she spent time on a star-studded yacht in Ibiza this week. The Materialists actress, 35 - who has been enjoying her new single life following her split from Chris Martin - joined other celebrities on the spacious boat, including BFF Kate Hudson and Tom Brady. Just one month earlier, it was reported that Johnson and the Coldplay frontman had officially separated after eight years together. At one point during the relaxing day, the beauty was seen resting under a shady area on the yacht as she conversed with another guest. The mystery man - who went shirtless and wrapped a towel around his waist - approached the star as she flashed a small smile on her face. Dakota was then seen placing her hand on his muscular bicep before he took a seat next to the Hollywood actress. She was also seen leaning on the handsome brunette while enjoying a sun-filled day The pair were later spotted spending time at another side of the yacht as the star made her way up a set of stairs. He donned a black life vest as they held a conversation while also looking out at the scenic views. Johnson wowed wearing a skimpy black bikini top as well as matching drawstring bottoms. A black cap was placed on top of her brunette locks that flowed down past her shoulders in natural waves. Just a few days earlier on Wednesday, the star was also spotted mingling with the same male friend during her getaway to Ibiza, Spain. The pair strolled side-by-side as Dakota showcased her toned figure in a white bikini top as well as a floral skirt. She completed the ensemble by adding a hat on top of her head and slipped into a pair of black flats, while the mystery man kept it casual in a white shirt as well as black shorts. Last month in June, it was reported that the Hollywood actress and Coldplay frontman had officially called it quits after eight years of dating. Just a few days earlier on Wednesday, the star was also spotted mingling with the same male friend during her getaway to Ibiza, Spain The pair were later spotted spending time at another side of the yacht as the star made her way up a set of stairs A source told at the time: 'Their relationship has been over for a long time, they just haven't been able to figure out to make it official. 'Dakota held a flame for them to be together because she loved him so much and loved his kids so much.' The insider continued, 'Breakups aren't instant and they continued to breakup and makeup and sometimes things would work when they were away from each other, while they were working because absence makes the heart grow fonder. 'But then they'd get back together and little things just kept adding up to where they weren't right for each other anymore.' They added that Johnson 'is devastated that she isn't going to be around his kids as much anymore, but wants them to know that she is always there for them.' Martin is dad to Apple, 21, and Moses, 19, whom he shares with ex-wife and fellow actress Gwyneth Paltrow. While the source noted that the exes could potentially rekindle their romance, they said 'right now, being separated will do wonders if they were to have any type of future together.' However, a separate insider recently told that Dakota's mom Melanie Griffith believes the breakup was a 'huge mistake.' 'Melanie is desperately working behind the scenes to save Dakota's strained relationship with Chris. 'She's convinced that they are meant to be together and isn't giving up on them. She thinks her daughter is making a huge mistake and needs to meet Chris halfway. Melanie has always felt a kinship with Chris, he's like a son to her.' During a Coldplay performance last month in Las Vegas, Chris sparked speculation that both he and Johnson could rekindle their romance. In a clip shared by DeuxMoi at the time, Martin gave a shoutout to his fans and expressed, 'Be kind to yourself, be kind to each other. Don't forget to see Materialists! We love you!' The singer was referencing to the actress's latest movie which hit theaters in June - and also starred Pedro Pascal and Chris Martin. The person who had submitted the clip wrote, 'THEYRE NOT BROKEN UP,' but one fan pointed out, 'I can totally seeing him supporting her even after the break up.' During her latest yacht day, Dakota joined other A-list celebrities such as Kate Hudson, Tom Brady and Naomi Campbell in celebration of Saudi Arabian producer Mohammed Al Turki's birthday. Dakota received a hug from Hudson who stood directly behind her as the pair soaked up the summer sun, while the retired NFL quarterback lounged nearby. Kate wowed in a vibrant blue bikini and completed her look with a black cap and fashionable shades. Brady was another celebrity on board the lavish yacht in Ibiza over the weekend - fresh off his trip to Venice to attend the wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. The sports star showed off her sculpted physique as he went shirtless under the bright sun and sported a pair of black swim trunks. And Campbell brought along her little one while opting for a white bikini top as well as a pair of patterned bottoms and a sheer white coverup.
