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Benzema, Ronaldo and Haaland nominated for Ballon d’Or, Messi misses out

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Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema is among the 30 nominees on the shortlist for the prestigious men's Ballon d'Or trophy, organizers France Football magazine announced on Friday.

The French international has had an incredible season for Real Madrid, scoring 44 goals in 46 games and helping them win the Champions League and LaLiga, Reuters reported.

Seven times reigning winner Lionel Messi was not nominated for this year's Ballon d'Or for the first time since 2005 and nor was his Paris Saint-Germain team mate Neymar.

Other nominees are Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland - who has just joined the club from Borussia Dortmund - and last season's joint Premier League top scorer Mohamed Salah of Liverpool.

Among the 20 players on the shortlist for the women's Ballon d'Or is Lyon's Ada Hegerberg, who won the inaugural award in 2018, and Barcelona's Alexia Putellas.

Arsenal striker Beth Mead, who won the European Championship with hosts England last month and was named the Player of the tournament, is also nominated.

The honour for the best player in the world will be presented on Oct. 17. The trophy will now be awarded based on a regular season from August to July rather than a calendar year.

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ACB appoints Younis Khan as Mentor for Champions Trophy 2025

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The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced on Wednesday it has appointed former Pakistan batter Younis Khan as mentor for the Afghanistan National team for the Champions Trophy 2025.

The tournament gets underway on 19 February in Pakistan and Khan will accompany the team during their conditioning and preparation camp in Pakistan.

He will remain with the team for the duration of the tournament.

This isn't Khan’s first time with the national team; he previously served as a batting coach during a 15-day camp in April 2022 in the UAE.

With a prolific career, Younis Khan has played 265 ODIs, scoring over 7,000 runs, and has participated in 118 Test matches, amassing more than 10,000 runs for his country.

The Afghanistan team had previously benefited from the expertise of players from host nations in major tournaments, achieving commendable results in the last ODI and T20 World Cups and hope that this assignment will lead the national team to exceptional outcomes in the upcoming Champions Trophy, the ACB said.

CEO of the Afghanistan Cricket Board Naseeb Khan said that ACB is pleased to sign a contract with Younis Khan as interim mentor of the national team for the Champions Trophy 2025.

Naseeb Khan said: “Since the Champions Trophy is being held in Pakistan, it was required to assign a talented and experienced player as mentor from the hosting country.

“We already had efficient experience with hosting countries’ mentors in ODI World Cup 2023 and T20I World Cup 2024. Observing the conditions, therefore, we have appointed Younis Khan as mentor for our national team for the upcoming mega event and wish him best of luck in his crucial assignment.”

Ariana Television and Radio Network (ATN) has the rights to broadcast the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy live in Afghanistan.

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Manchester United ace rumored to be heading for Al-Nassr

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Manchester United are unlikely to do big business in January and one high earner could be on his way out.

Ruben Amorim wanted an improved start to 2025 after five defeats in six Premier League games to end 2024.

This did not happen entirely as Sunday’s match saw United draw 2-2 with Liverpool.

That performance sparked some hope for United fans but Amorim will still need plenty of signings in 2025 to make real progress.

Amorim isn’t expecting a major January though and certainly needs players to leave in order to make new signings.

United will however also be looking to offload big earners this year and one player who fits the bill is Casemiro.

Casemiro joined United from Real Madrid in 2022 with the Brazilian arriving in a big-money move – both in terms of fee and wages.

Selling Casemiro this month is something football journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed is on the cards – a move which could save United a whopping £350,000-a-week (about $440,000).

It is also a move which could prove lucrative for United, with Saudi Arabia appearing to be the likeliest move for Casemiro.
It is thought that United would sell Casemiro for around €30m ($52 million), which represents a huge loss on the €70m ($73 million) which was spent on the Brazilian back in 2022.

If United receive £25m, it would pay off a big chunk of one possible replacement.

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Afghanistan triumphs in Test victory against Zimbabwe

Rashid Khan played a key role, claiming 7-66 and helping Afghanistan clinch the series

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Afghanistan secured victory on Monday against Zimbabwe in their second test match, winning by 72 runs in just 15 balls at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. 

Rashid Khan played a key role, claiming 7-66 and helping Afghanistan clinch the series. 

This marks Afghanistan's fourth test win since obtaining test status in 2017.

Zimbabwe was all out for 205 without adding to their overnight score, losing the final two wickets in a quick 13 minutes.

Richard Ngarava's run-out in the day's second over, due to confusion with skipper Craig Ervine, set the tone. 

Ervine fell in the next over, trapped leg before wicket by Rashid Khan's decisive leg-spin, culminating in figures of 7-66. 

Khan's performance on Sunday shifted momentum when Zimbabwe was poised for victory at 157-4, chasing 278.

The first test in Bulawayo ended in a draw, but Afghanistan's win secured their fourth test victory, two coming against Zimbabwe, since acquiring test status in 2017. 

 

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