Latest news with #PlayerOfTheYear
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Congratulations Pouring In For Caitlin Clark on Wednesday
Congratulations Pouring In For Caitlin Clark on Wednesday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Caitlin Clark has had yet another successful season with the Indiana Fever. Clark is playing in her second season in the WNBA, having led the Fever to a winning record heading into the WNBA All-Star break. On Wednesday, the Fever played the New York Liberty on the road. Clark was ruled out of the game after entering the day as questionable with a right groin injury. She re-aggravated the injury that once kept her out five straight games. While she was sitting out of the matchup against the Liberty, Clark was announced as the "WNBA Player of the Year" at the ESPYs. "The ESPY's @WNBA Player of the Year," posted the official social media account of the Indiana Fever. "Congrats, Caitlin Clark." Upon the release of the announcement, some fans took to social media, sharing their thoughts on the news from the Indiana Fever. "Espy awards are based the previous year's achievement. Congratulations CC," said one fan. "Congratulations from Iowa," said another fan. "CONGRATULATIONS CC!!!! The GOAT of WNBA," mentioned one fan. "Congratulations CC," commented one fan. "Nobody deserves it more," said one fan. "Congratulations Caitlin Clark," said another fan. Caitlin Clark received the honor for the play during her rookie season (2024) with the Fever. Last season with the Indiana Fever, Caitlin Clark was named the Rookie of the Year and was named a WNBA All-Star starter. She finished the season averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game. Throughout her second season in the WNBA, Clark has posted 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game. She's set to lead Team Caitlin Clark in the WNBA All-Star game after being announced as a captain alongside Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
11-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Brentford's Mikkel Damsgaard: ‘In the Premier League, people are beasts'
In the upper tier at the Richmond Theatre, Mikkel Damsgaard squeezes into a box next to The Athletic. There is not a lot of room, but the midfielder is excellent at operating in tight spaces. The famous southwest London venue, which opened in 1899 and was designed by Frank Matcham, the architect who is responsible for some of London's most iconic theatres including the Palladium and the Coliseum, is the scene of Damsgaard's coronation as Brentford's player of the year for 2024-25. 🏆 Players' Player of the Year 🏆 Supporters' Player of the Year Mikkel Damsgaard is him. — Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) May 20, 2025 Bryan Mbeumo, Kevin Schade and Yoane Wissa may all have reached double figures for goals last season, but Damsgaard stitched everything together. The 25-year-old dropped deep to receive the ball from Brentford's centre-backs, slalomed in between midfielders and threaded intricate passes behind the opposition's defence. The Denmark international registered 10 assists, which was the joint-fourth-best record with Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes. Across his first two seasons with Brentford, he only set up three goals in 49 appearances. Damsgaard spoke exclusively to The Athletic at the event to reveal how he bounced back from a difficult couple of years in west London to become their most influential player. Damsgaard grabbed everybody's attention in the summer of 2021 with his superb performances for Denmark at the European Championship. He directly contributed to three goals in five games, including a swerving free kick in the semi-final against England. He returned to Sampdoria after the tournament but struggled with a knee injury. Then, at the beginning of 2022, he was diagnosed with a form of arthritis. Damsgaard recovered and finished the season with only six starts in all competitions for the Italian side. He moved to Brentford that summer on a five-year contract in a deal worth £11.8million. Advertisement Damsgaard was put on a special nutrition programme to help him become stronger and quicker. He made 26 appearances during his first year with Brentford but did not register a single assist or goal. In the 2023-24 campaign, he was limited to seven starts and a grand total of 834 minutes due to keyhole surgery on his knee. 'Those first two seasons, I knew that I had to build up my strength before I was ready to play, but it took a lot more time than I wanted to be able to play at this level,' Damsgaard told The Athletic. 'Mostly gym work and training every day, but I kept having problems. I had another knee surgery, so I felt unlucky. This is the first season where it feels like I have been consistently ready and felt good for every game. I've been more confident and felt better physically and mentally. '(The arthritis) doesn't really impact me day to day. I take medicine for it, but it's just an injection I take every month or so. I don't feel any difference. I just feel good.' Damsgaard joined Brentford in the same transfer window that Christian Eriksen left for Manchester United. He spent the beginning of his career playing on the left wing for Sampdoria, Nordsjaelland and Denmark, so in theory, he was not a direct replacement for Eriksen, who thrived for Ajax, Tottenham Hotspur and Inter in an advanced central role before he dropped slightly deeper with Brentford. It turns out that Damsgaard was just being used in the wrong position and he was the perfect candidate to succeed his international team-mate. 'I've always been a midfielder and a No 10 even though I've played on the left,' Damsgaard said. 'Coming inside, finding space in the pockets — that's my role. It felt natural to play in midfield. 'I like having the ball. If we are not scoring goals, I feel like a lot of that is on me. I take that responsibility for the team to create chances and have a flow offensively.' Advertisement Last season, Damsgaard made more starts (34) and registered more minutes (2,926) than in his first two years at Brentford combined. He completed the second most through balls (27) in the division, behind Fernandes with 31. Only Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, Brighton & Hove Albion forward Georginio Rutter and Fulham's Rodrigo Muniz recorded a higher percentage of passes that were progressive than Damsgaard (23.4 per cent), illustrating how he often looks forward with the ball at his feet. The graphic below shows how he is capable of creating chances from set pieces, in tight spaces around the box and with slick passes that slice through the opposition. One of his best moments of the season came in Brentford's 4-0 victory over Leicester City in February. Damsgaard elegantly shuffled away from Boubakary Soumare before producing an ingenious scooped pass that set up Wissa for a simple finish. Wissa, Schade and Mbeumo scored 50 league goals in total. Even if Damsgaard did not make the final pass, he was always involved in the build-up, his touches much less concentrated on the flanks this season, happy to pick the ball up across the attacking third. 'I like playing with fast players in front of me,' he said. 'They are so fun to play with and they are amazing people. Wissa stepped up this season, while Bryan has been showing his quality consistently for a few years. They are two of the best players I have ever played with. Our offensive structure has been really good this season and Kevin has been a big part of it. We know what each other wants.' Damsgaard has been given a few nicknames by Brentford's fanbase, which jokingly compare him to the former Barcelona, Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Ronaldinho, as well as Zinedine Zidane, who scored twice for France in their victory over Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final. During his childhood, Damsgaard looked up to one of Ronaldinho's team-mates at Barcelona. Advertisement 'My idol is (Andres) Iniesta and I model my game after him,' he said. 'He was so smart. He was not the strongest or most physical, but technically he was one of the best players ever.' Iniesta made nearly 700 appearances for Barcelona and won three major tournaments with Spain. He forged a fantastic partnership for club and country with Xavi Hernandez, both of them small and nimble central midfielders. Damsgaard has a slight, skinny frame, too, and has taken notes on how Iniesta evaded bigger and more physical opponents. 'In the Premier League, people are beasts,' he said. 'I have to be smart and know when to get close to an opponent or when I have to try to get away from them and find pockets of space.' A lot has changed at Brentford since the end of last season. Frank has left to take charge at Spurs and has been replaced by former set-piece coach Keith Andrews, Christian Norgaard has joined Arsenal, and Mbeumo wants to move to Manchester United. Damsgaard had a 'really good relationship' with Frank, but there is little chance of a reunion in north London because he signed a new contract with Brentford earlier this year, which runs until 2030. '(Frank) is a brilliant coach and has done a lot for me,' Damsgaard said. 'He kept believing in me even though there were some rough periods.' With Norgaard also gone and Mbeumo potentially set to follow, Andrews will be grateful that Damsgaard's long-term future is secured and fans will be encouraged to hear that he has big ambitions. 'We have to be respectful because this is the best league in the world, but we want to continue building the environment and atmosphere,' Damsgaard said. 'It's been hard to qualify for Europe, but we will keep pushing to finish as high as possible.' Additional reporting: Thom Harris
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Rudoni named Sky Blues' player of the year
Coventry City midfielder Jack Rudoni has been named the Sky Blues' player of the 24-year-old scored ten times for Coventry last season, with seven of those coming from February onwards, as well as providing 12 assists."Jack Rudoni won the majority of the awards voted for by official supporter clubs, and giving him the player of the year recognises the brilliant season he had," Sky Blues chairman Doug King told the club's website., externalRudoni won the award in his debut year with the club after joining from Huddersfield Town in July told the website that the end of season awards had been postponed from its original slot in May and the decision had now been made to cancel it to focus on the season ahead. He added that the club intended to host an end of season event at the conclusion of the 2025-26 campaign on a date to be fixed.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rovers-linked midfielder completes switch to Championship rivals
Oxford United have completed the signing of Brian De Keersmaecker from Dutch club Heracles Almelo. Rovers were linked with the Belgian midfielder earlier this summer and The Lancashire Telegraph confirmed there was interest in his services. Advertisement But De Keersmaecker has opted to sign for the U's, who are aiming to build on last season's 17th-place finish under Gary Rowett. 'I've shown at previous clubs that I can be a very important player,' the 25-year-old told the club site. 'It is my aim that I can do the same here at Oxford United and be even better than before. 'There have been a lot of conversations with the people at the club. I spoke to the head coach several times and he gave me a good feeling that I am going to be important here. 'This is a big step in my own self development. I'm ready for this challenge, to move to a new city, and perform in such a competitive league. Advertisement READ MORE: Batth and Weimann complete Derby moves after expiry of Rovers deals 'As a player, I'm very aggressive. As soon as we lose the ball, I want to get it back as quickly as possible. You will always see me giving 100 per cent for the cause. 'I will do everything I can to bring more success to this club, and I can't wait to get started.' De Keersmaecker won the Player of the Year prize at his club last season after chipping in with five goals and three assists. 'Brian was a player who was brought to my attention very early on when I joined the club,' Rowett added. 'We had the chance to watch Brian play in person last season and you could see his attributes immediately. Advertisement 'He can control a game of football with his quality in possession, and he also has an outstanding work rate off the ball. 'He is a fantastic addition to the group. We feel he is ready to be an important player for the club and will raise the level of our ceiling.'
BBC News
26-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Gyollai leaves Glens for Kolorcity Kazincbarcika
Glentoran goalkeeper Daniel Gyollai has left the club to join Hungarian side Kolorcity Kazincbarcika for an undisclosed signed for the Glens last summer and his impressive displays saw him named in the NI Football Writers' Association and win Glentoran's Player of the Year made further headlines for scoring a goal in Glentoran's Irish Premiership win over former Stoke City, Wigan Athletic and Peterborough United goalkeeper signed a contract extension with the east Belfast club in January until the end of the 2025-26 season but will now return to his native Hungary. "This has been the best year of my football career, and I want to thank everyone at Glentoran for making it so special. From the moment I arrived, I felt part of something special. The fans, the players and the staff welcomed me with open arms and supported me every step of the way," Gyollai told the club's website."Leaving is not an easy decision. I do so with a heavy heart, but my family are in Hungary and the time feels right to return home for personal reasons."Glens boss Declan Devine added: "Dan signed his new contract on the clear understanding that if the opportunity arose to return home to Hungary, we would not stand in his way. His partner, family and closest friends are all based there and this move is purely for personal reasons. That is the only reason."Naturally, we are disappointed to lose him because he has been absolutely exceptional since the day he arrived. For me, he was the best goalkeeper in the league. He leaves with our full support, and we wish Dan nothing but happiness and success as he begins this next chapter back home."
