Culture

Karim Benzema, Alexia Putellas win Ballon d'Or awards for best players in the world

PARIS - Real Madrid's France forward Karim Benzema won the 2022 Ballon d'Or award for the best men's player in the world on Monday, while Barcelona's Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas won the women's award for a second time.

Benzema, who played a pivotal role in Real's run to the Champions League title last season, is the first French player to win the trophy since Zinedine Zidane in 1998 and the fifth after Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini and Jean-Pierre Papin.

World watches as part-timers Blyth Spartans force FA Cup replay against Wrexham

Wrexham AFC — House Targaryen of the National League and harnessing the ability, with the blessing of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, to transform an FA Cup fourth qualifying round match to a global spectacle on ESPN — have been forced into a replay in the world's oldest football competition by the part-time players of Blyth Spartans. 

Barcelona will wear Drake's OVO owl on their jersey against Real Madrid – Here is why

Barcelona's kits will look different in El Clasico against Real Madrid this Sunday. Instead of featuring the logo of their current commercial sponsor Spotify, they'll switch to the famous OVO owl from singer Drake. 

Why Barcelona has an owl on their jersey?

Confusing, isn't it? To be clear, Barcelona hasn't thrown away their multimillion, lever-pulling deal with Spotify. In fact, the idea of adorning the blaugrana jerseys with the rapper branding came from the very own music streaming service to celebrate the artist's success on the platform. 

Corinthians fans display phenomenal hawk-inspired tifo during Brazilian Cup final

Corinthians and Flamengo delivered a forgettable 0-0 draw in the first leg of the Brazilian Cup final Wednesday. However, there was some action worth mentioning in the stands thanks to the Timão's fans, who deployed a fantastic hawk-inspired 3D tifo before kick-off.

Corinthians tifo shines during the Brazilian Cup final

The Gaviões da Fiel — the biggest group of supporters of Corinthians — were behind the imposing design. The whole process took 14 days, and 100 fans worked together to raise it over the east stands of the Neo Química Arena.

The18 exclusive: 18% off the game's most coveted cleats

When UNOZERO launched in 2019, founder and director Sam Garzon was largely testing the waters around his own need for a soccer-centric brand that celebrated classic beauty and quality without sacrificing modern design techniques. 

Messi, Pogba and Ronaldinho star in Pepsi's ‘Nutmeg Royale’ ahead of the World Cup

Pepsi is not an official sponsor of the 2022 FIFA World Cup — that position belongs to eternal rival Coca-Cola. But a smart way to save money while cashing in on the global phenomenon is by associating with the event in more creative ways — like by getting Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, Ronaldinho, Fabrizio Romano, RECEBA!!! and Kaljit Atwal to sell your products in a place that vaguely looks like Qatar but isn't.

Collectors swarm as ball from Maradona's ‘Hand of God’ match is put up for auction

The football that was at the feet — and hand — of Diego Maradona as he shocked the world with acts of both brazen gamesmanship and breathtaking skill in Mexico 36 years ago has been put up for auction and is expected to sell for at least $2.8 million.

The ball in question is from the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal between Argentina and England, in which Maradona scored six minutes into the second half by sneakily punching the ball over England goalkeeper Peter Shilton into the net, a goal he said afterwards had been helped by the "Hand of God."

Clint Dempsey hints at comeback in 7-on-7, winner-takes-all tourney for $1 million

Given the success of TBT Enterprises' "The Basketball Tournament" — which has grown over 10 years to a 64-team tournament of global talent competing for $1 million on ESPN — it was only a matter of time before the event organizers turned their focus to accomplishing something similar with the world's game.

Erling Haaland reveals the bizarre carnivore diet fueling his goalscoring festival in Manchester City

20 goals in just 13 games for Manchester City. What Erling Haaland does every time he goes onto a soccer pitch seems out of this world, not human. The Norwegian is mauling every competition he sets foot in and questions are starting to pile up trying to understand how he does what he does.

Exercises? Routines? Diet? What's the darn secret?

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