Latest news with #trophy
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Eric Trump claims Chelsea wanted Donald Trump on stage as ‘greatest honor of their lives'
has claimed that Chelsea wanted Donald Trump on stage with them for their Club World Cup trophy celebrations, saying that they considered it the "greatest honor of their lives." The US president descended to the pitch to present the trophy to Blues captain Reece James. Instead of leaving, Mr Trump remained front and center as James lifted the trophy, leaving Chelsea teammates to celebrate around him. Speaking to BBC Sport, the Republican's second-eldest son said: "The winning team invited him to the stage because they said it would be the greatest honor of their life if the president of the United States could present the Club World Cup trophy. "There's no one that's done more for sport than him."
The Independent
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Why the true potential of the Lionesses' legacy goes further than you think
In the most demanding moments of the Euro 2025 final, when the England players had to go to the depths of their will, they also felt something different. They didn't endure the same tension as in previous games, or even the same doubt. It was a common sentiment, from substitute Niamh Charles to Sarina Wiegman. Charles insisted there wasn't a single moment when she thought England would lose to Spain. Wiegman, even more strikingly, admitted that marked a change from the quarter-final and semi-final. 'To be honest, I didn't have that. I had a couple of times in the Sweden game and the Italy game and I thought: 'We might be going home tomorrow.'' They of course went home on Monday anyway, but with the trophy itself. 'Never in doubt,' was the line used in jest after every win, but could be said now with real meaning. And while the words 'spirit', 'resolve', and 'team culture' have been repeated a lot in the last two weeks, they also have a deeper consequence. This England developed that final belief out of the three weeks that had gone before, as well as Euro 2022, and even the dogged run to the 2023 World Cup final. It is now 2-1 in major tournaments to England in what looks like a series against Spain, and 2-2-2 in overall results in Wiegman's time. There is clearly no inferiority complex there, despite Spain's vaunted ideology and the argument that England luckily got away with it in the final. This England, put bluntly, can always fall back on the truth: they are winners. Repeat winners. They're the only English side in history, outside the current men's under-21s, who can stand on their results alone. They can just point to their medals. It shouldn't be overlooked just how much of a historical deviation this represents for the national game, especially with how often the legacy of the men is inevitably transposed onto the women. The men have all sorts of emotional and cultural baggage, which seems to most brutally reveal itself in matches similar to the Euro 2025 final. You only have to think of Argentina 1998, Portugal 2004, right up to their own Euro 2024 final against Spain. England, for multiple reasons, found a way to fall short. Wiegman's found a way to win. That historical doubt is absent, with every consequence of that – like this Euro 2025 final – only further bolstering their confidence. Even better, they did it in a way that the English football public has historically appreciated: backs to the wall, grit, 'proper England'. After more than a century, the country finally has that kind of football win. It has an even more important legacy right now, because the women's game had been enduring doubt in a different way. One report by the Women's Sports Trust before Euro 2025 revealed that broadcast audiences for the Women's Super League had fallen by 35 per cent, with the competition set to undergo an overhaul. Momentum from the cultural moment that Euro 2022 represented had stalled. Separate to that, concern has grown that the talent pool is nowhere near as strong for the next cycle or two. There could be a gap after this group. It should be stressed that Uefa figures insist England are going to enjoy a talent explosion in 10-15 years – perhaps for the grand ambition of the 2035 World Cup – in the exact same way the men did from 2018. The Football Association's investment since 2016 has been that extensive, so they genuinely deserve success for that. Not every wealthy country treats the women's game like that. Italy, England's semi-final opponents, only turned professional three years ago. Spain's ultimate final defeat still has links to the old regime, too, The tactical acumen of coach Montse Tome has been questioned in less intense ways than Jorge Vilda's. She was his assistant and only got the job when Vilda was sacked, with Tome having notoriously applauded Luis Rubiales's announcement that he was not resigning in August 2023. The world champions still soared to supreme levels, elevating this competition. From her own perspective as a coach, Wiegman felt the quality of the tournament 'went up again', with 'the intensity of the games through the roof'. 'We've seen it in the games but also the data we have.' That's maybe inevitable given the 'chaotic, ridiculous' nature of England's matches, to quote Wiegman, but didn't quite feel the case from outside. While the 2023 World Cup has a more pronounced concentration of quality, from a larger field, Euro 2025 looked more staggered. There were only five truly top teams. The Dutch were held up as challengers but were dismal. Again, Euro 2025 itself may aid this. Switzerland, a country with 16 percent of England's population, saw a considerable increase in attendance from Euro 2022. The hosts really took to this. The 657,291 who attended games marked a new record for the tournament, despite the conscious choice of smaller stadiums to ensure full crowds. The final venue, Basel's St Jakob-Park, was the biggest ground, with a crowd of 34,203 for Chloe Kelly's fateful last kick. It could have attracted over 70,000. England probably could have got at least 50,000 for any game. Such figures will get federations like Switzerland and Italy moving. As to that staggered quality, that is just the ebb and flow of international football. Italia '90 was one of the lowest-quality men's World Cups but has one of the strongest legacies due to its storylines. Euro 2025 had this, as well as many absorbing games. There were certainly many more 'moments' than Fifa's Club World Cup this summer. England's semi-final was duly ITV's most watched programme so far this year, at 10.2m, with the final then BBC's most watched at 12.2m. This truly is event sport, at least in the knockouts. The question will now be about translating it to club games, in the way Arsenal have done by using the Emirates, but it is pointless to compare to the men. The men's game has been described by historian Tom Holland as 'the single most popular activity that's ever been known by humanity'. Literally nothing can compete with it. More likely is that women's football becomes like rugby union, where big fixtures are huge events, sustained by more modest structures. More important should be participation, and one of the FA's admirable goals is to 'have the same number of girls and boys playing football'. Victory powers this. The social impact of the players is perpetuated, their inspiration for young girls increased. Uefa figures themselves show that, while females only formed 16 per cent of the crowd at Euro 2024, they formed 50 per cent here. There might be deeper questions about the Uefa leadership's commitment, given president Aleksander Ceferin only went to two games: the first and last. Sources believe that some figures within the federation would gladly sign a cheque for there to be a separate women's federation. Something of its own is being built, though, as England are showing. There was even that extra social impact. England rallied around Jess Carter at a difficult moment given the racist abuse she received, and she herself chose to go for it in the final. She was superb, dealing with everything Spain threw at her. Everything came together for England. Wiegman believes it can lift the wider game, and she knows a thing or two about that.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'Making Women's Euro trophy cases was a privilege'
A Merseyside-based carpenter who created this year's UEFA Women's Euro trophy presentation boxes said the project had been "one of the most rewarding things I've ever worked on".Yana Daniels, a former Liverpool striker and Belgian international, handcrafted all the wooden boxes for the competition's Player of the Match trophies in her workshop in Daniels was approached by Visa, which had helped her to set up her business through its careers development programme for female players after they retire."Being entrusted with this responsibility was a privilege," she said. Ms Daniels, who has also made a range of products for LFC retail, said creating the boxes by hand had been "a labour of love"."Every detail, from the grain of the wood to the final engraving, was created with pride and care, knowing these boxes will be part of a moment that matters," she added the boxes were "a keepsake for those who gave their all, and left their mark on European football".Ms Daniels, who represented her home nation at the tournament in 2017, said the women's sport had "grown immensely" in recent years."It's not a taboo any more. Women's football is normal, which should have always been the case," she said."I had to play with boys teams. I was the only girl for about five years. You can't compare it to 20 years ago."Now every girl can dream of being a professional footballer, which is amazing." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Ella Toone and Beth Mead share moving tributes after Euro 2025 win
Ella Toone dedicated England 's Euro 2025 victory to her late father, Nick, marking her first trophy since his passing last September. Following England's shootout win against Spain, an emotional Toone looked skyward and was comforted by teammates. She later shared on Instagram that a spare seat next to her mother at the final felt like a sign her father was watching. Toone also shared a poignant moment with Beth Mead, who lost her mother 18 months ago, dedicating their win to 'our angels in the sky'. Toone and Mead have shared a special bond during the tournament by supporting each other through grief and posed with their Euro 2025 medals.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
England needed the ultimate team performance to beat world champions
It is a sight we have never seen, a senior England football team hoisting a major trophy in overseas air, an unparalleled away-from-home achievement, history made in Basel. And then there was the blissful soundtrack that accompanied it. That sweet, glorious sound of We Are The Champions being sung abroad by England and their supporters, Sarina Wiegman conducting everyone with her waving arms, and every England player and staff member belting out Queen's words. Wiegman is this sport's undisputed queen of coaching, winning this silverware three times in a row, and now the first England manager to successfully defend a trophy. The Dutchwoman is the greatest signing the Football Association has made. What this win was defined by, though, was a 'team', and on Sunday they produced the ultimate team performance to beat the world's best. The phrase these Lionesses players have been repeating since February, to describe the way they want to play, is 'proper England'. You could be forgiven for wondering: 'What does that mean?' Maybe they all love Yorkshire puddings, chips with curry sauce. Or maybe they are all really patient when queueing. Maybe they had a character-building evening together waiting for a delayed train from Euston station. What they do mean by that phrase can be summed up by their unwavering, never-say-die attitude, their refusal to give in, their endeavour. It is their banter, too. It is Ella Toone joking on Friday about the chances of Michelle Agyemang getting 'papped while eating a pasty'. Football-wise, it is their ability to execute a gameplan to perfection. Even if the shootout had gone Spain's way, there would have been so many aspects to this England performance for the nation to be proud of. Jess Carter, brought back into the starting XI a week after revealing she had been racially abused, was immense, winning duel after duel, courageous like no other, demonstrating her strength of character as well as the strength of her defending. Alongside her, Leah Williamson produced her best display of the tournament. This was the Williamson we had seen in the Champions League final, blocking cross after cross, timing her tackles well and reading the game to perfection with her positioning. Without the ball, the whole team worked tirelessly. For a short while, there was an understandable worry it might be in vain. At half-time, England fans who watch men's and women's football may have feared they were about to endure a near‑identical summer to that of 2024; watching a team saved by late goals in the knockout rounds, who sometimes could not click into gear but were boosted by game-changing substitutes who propelled them to the final, who would ultimately be beaten by a Spain side that were simply better. Not this time. This is not the same team. These are the Lionesses. These are – as Williamson suggested in a team meeting in 2019 – 'badass women'. This is a group of born winners who refuse to lose. They find a way. They always find a way. Chloe Kelly always finds a way to produce the inch-perfect cross. Alessia Russo who – like Williamson, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Beth Mead and Kelly, is now a club and European champion in the same summer – found the classy headed finish her excellent season for club and country had merited. Up against the most gifted set of players in the world, England required such intense levels of concentration defensively, for 120 minutes, and for all but one first-half moment, they found it. Alex Greenwood stood up to Vicky López. Lauren Hemp fought, terrier-like, on the wing. Georgia Stanway's tackles came crunching in. Spain just kept coming. The ball came back and back but England fought. Hannah Hampton's strong hands kept Clàudia Pina at bay. Importantly, it was the roles Khiara Keating, Anna Moorhouse, Maya Le Tissier and Wubben-Moy – none of whom played a minute of football in this tournament – that epitomised the unity in this team. None of them complaining, none of them causing any rifts in the camp. Le Tissier popped up to give Grace Clinton an energy gel before she went on in extra time. This is a real team. That spirit shows through the friends and families of the players, too, sitting directly behind the dugout, with Lucy Bronze's brother Jorge standing to urge the England fans to make more noise in extra time. The feeling was there in Agyemang, battling to win a late throw-in. It was Kelly's nerveless spot-kick that struck the net. As the song said: 'We'll keep on fighting 'til the end.' 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 The lyrics we have not heard much, in this fabulously well-run tournament in Switzerland, are 'football's coming home' by Three Lions. It has not been played through the stadium speakers after victories here. Perhaps that is fitting; it is too melancholy a tune for this team of winners. This team are rewriting how we perceive English football success. This trophy is not coming home, it is staying home.
