Latest news with #Juliane
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Wonderful:' Parisians, tourists gleeful as Seine opens to bathing
Parisians and tourists swam in the Seine river on Saturday, after authorities in the French capital lifted a ban that stood for over a century. Mayor Anne Hidalgo, French Sports Minister Marie Barsacq and other prominent faces celebrated the reopening of the famous river to bathing. Three outdoor pools have been set up: one opposite L'île aux Cygnes (Swan Island) near the Eiffel Tower, one near Notre-Dame Cathedral and one opposite the national library. The pools are accessible free of charge throughout the summer. Water quality is to be continuously monitored, as swimmers will dive directly into river water, a statement from the city said. The swimming locations feature changing rooms and showers, are supervised by lifeguards and offer space for sunbathing, the statement added. A German exchange student was among the first to have a dip in the Seine in front of the Eiffel Tower on Saturday. Juliane, from Munich, said the scene was "wonderful" and that the water was warm, adding that she was unconcerned about the water quality. "Of course there are could be a few bacteria in there, but if is being measured, then it can't be that bad," she told dpa. Véronique, a French pensioner, said she hopes that the new swimming facilities will not only please Parisians. "I hope that lots of tourists will come here, it's also free. They can then say 'I swam in the Seine,' it's sensational." Hidalgo said the pools were an attempt to improve the quality of life in the French capital in view of the expected rise in summer temperatures due to climate change. Bathing in the Seine was officially banned in 1923, but swimming was still practised until the early 1960s. The Seine was the site of the triathlon swimming legs and open water swimming in the 2024 Paris Olympics after more than €1 billion ($1.2 billion) was spent to improve water quality. Also on Saturday, the city's public beaches along the river reopened for the summer with a variety of leisure and cultural activities for residents and tourists. "Paris Plages" transforms the banks of the Seine over several kilometres into an open-air paradise with beach bars, deckchairs, boules courts and sports activities. The urban beaches with large sandy areas provide relaxation with stunning view of the Parisian sights.
The Irish Sun
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
£126m Man City and Liverpool transfer target Florian Wirtz is youngest of TEN siblings who only got a TV for Euro 2016
FLORIAN WIRTZ missed most of Kevin De Bruyne's first season at Manchester City — because the German star's family did not even own a telly until 2016. Yet this summer , playmaker Wirtz could replace icon De Bruyne at the Etihad to make Pep Guardiola's side essential viewing once again. Advertisement 10 Florian Wirtz has been the gem of Bayer Leverkusen over the last two seasons Credit: GETTY 10 The 23-year-old played a huge role in Leverkusen winning the Bundesliga title in the 2023/24 season Credit: GETTY 10 His exploits have seen him become a bonafide Germany star Credit: GETTY 10 Wirtz is one of TEN children born from his father, Hans-Joachim, and his mum, Karin Gross Credit: ALAMY City are fighting it out with new champions Liverpool and German giants £126MILLION-RATED Wirtz. Boss Madrid in the coming weeks. FA Cup finalists City want him to take over from De Bruyne, who pulls down the curtain on an unforgettable, trophy-laden decade at the club when leaving on a free this summer . And it is easy to see why Guardiola is after the 22-year-old, who appears as grounded as he is talented and hard-working. Advertisement READ MORE ON FLORIAN WIRTZ Born in Pulheim, on the North-West outskirts of Cologne, Wirtz has NINE siblings — with four brothers and five sisters. He is the youngest of the ten kids, though only he and sister Juliane are the children of both dad Hans-Joachim, 71, and mum Karin Gross, 64, with the rest from previous relationships . Wirtz's parents were once mistaken as his grandparents by a red-faced DAZN reporter during a man-of-the-match interview in March last year. Like Florian, 23-year-old Juliane is also a professional footballer and plays for Werder Bremen — all the siblings apart from Marie play football . Advertisement Most read in Football JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 10 Florian Wirtz's sister, Juliane, is also a professional footballer who players for Werder Bremen Credit: REUTERS 10 Wirtz didn't have a TV until he was 14 years old as his dad didn't buy one until Euro 2016 Credit: GETTY Florian and Juliane's first club was local side Grun-Weiss Brauweiler, where his dad is still chairman. Advertisement The family spent so much time there that they did not feel it necessary to buy a TV for their home until just before Euro 2016. If they wanted to watch games, they would view them together in the clubhouse. Florian Wirtz talks about his highlights playing for Bayer Leverkusen Wirtz honed his lethal shooting by firing footballs at the family piano as an 18-month-old, before joining Cologne at seven and stayed for ten years. Bayern tried to sign him in 2020, along with He picked the latter for two reasons, with the first being that then-manager Peter Bosz promised him he would throw him straight into the first team. Advertisement The other was because he wanted to continue at his Cologne school, which was only 15 miles away from Leverkusen. Wirtz was an average academic student, doing just about enough to graduate from high school. But, unsurprisingly, he excelled at sport and was a competent handball player — helped by his mum Karin being a professional coach in the discipline — and gymnast. Florian's close relationship with his mother stems back to her attending all his training sessions growing up. Advertisement Karin looks after his finances, while Hans handles his contracts. Wirtz told Sports Illustrated last week: 'The sporting perspective is much more important than the money . I think my parents would be angry if I were too fixated on money , 'After I moved to Leverkusen at 16, my parents managed my salary and sent me 150 Euros a month. That shaped me.' 10 Advertisement The star and his girlfriend Aaliyah Mohamed are keen cooks, who are said to mix up the menu every day except for Saturdays when it is almost always boiled potatoes and warm beetroot with horseradish. But Karin is always on hand to help with any new recipes and also cooked for her boy for a fortnight after Die Mannschaft star did his ACL in March 2022 and could not walk. Wirtz was still in rehab by the time Spanish manager Alonso, 43, took over at Leverkusen in October 2022. But the then-teenager showed his leadership skills by travelling home and away to stay connected to the team, even though he could not play. Advertisement Wirtz's influence means, famously, no coach has ever dropped him. And indeed, former Liverpool star Alonso built his invincible, Double-winning side — the one that denied Harry Kane the Bundesliga title last term — around the youngster. Wirtz made an electric return from injury, having worked harder than required throughout his recovery. He netted a hat-trick off the bench to clinch the title in a 5-0 battering of Bremen in April, and was named the league's player of the season. Advertisement Alonso compared Wirtz to the German's boyhood idol Lionel Messi for how easy he made the game look. Despite his stellar season, Wirtz never looked close to leaving Leverkusen last summer. 10 Liverpool and Manchester City will have to shatter the Premier League's transfer record to sign Florian Wirtz Credit: REX 10 City are eying Wirtz as a potential replacement for club legend Kevin de Bruyne Credit: PA Advertisement 10 Wirtz could be joined in the Prem by team-mate Jeremie Frimpong, who Liverpool are eyeing as a potential replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold Credit: GETTY But 12 months on, he is expected to go and City — also chasing AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders , 26, and Morgan Gibbs-White , 27, of Nottingham Forest — are right in the mix. Should he opt for England , he could be joined by his best mate The pair have a shared love of rap music and fashion, while Wirtz is a fan of Mercedes cars . Advertisement Bayern feel they are in pole position for Wirtz, with sources in Germany claiming Hans-Joachim prefers the switch, particularly at this stage of his son's career. The German giants may have to rejig their formation to fit in Wirtz, though, and there are question marks over how the set-up would work with fellow No 10 Former City and Bayern midfielder Didi Hamann, 51, claimed: 'I have my doubts that it will work with Musiala. Both are central players and want to play there. 'Both of them next to each other at No 10 — that works on the computer, but not in practice. Advertisement 'One will suffer, maybe even both of them.' Never discount the pull of Bayern on German players. But the Prem appeals, as Wirtz himself noted last week by stating his desire to 'leave my comfort zone at some point and experience something new'. Now it's over to the big guns to battle it out for his signature. Advertisement
