SOCCER
Messi wins 8th ‘Ballon d’Or’
Lionel Messi on Monday won the eighth Ballon d’Or of his remarkable career at a glittering ceremony in Paris, while Spain’s World Cup-winning star Aitana Bonmati took the women’s prize. For Messi, the trophy rewards, above all else, his inspirational performances at last year’s World Cup in Qatar, when he dragged Argentina to victory, scoring seven goals and being named the tournament’s best player. “This is a gift to the whole Argentina team for what we achieved,” Messi said on stage after receiving his award from David Beckham, the co-owner of Messi’s Inter Miami. Bonmati was rewarded for starring as Spain won the World Cup in Australia in August.
SOCCER
Police search for Diaz’s dad
Police air and land patrols on Monday searched a cloud forest in northern Colombia for Liverpool star Luis Diaz’s father, who was kidnapped over the weekend along with the player’s mother. The couple were at a gas station in the small town of Barrancas on Saturday when they were abducted by armed men on motorcycles. Diaz’s mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was rescued within hours by police, but his father, Luis Manuel Diaz, remained missing. On Monday, special forces searched a mountain range that straddles both countries and is covered by cloud forest. Police also offered a US$48,000 reward for information leading to Luis Manuel Diaz. Officials said they did not rule out the possibility that he could have been smuggled into Venezuela, where he would be beyond the reach of Colombian police. Luis Diaz, 26, is one of the most talented players on Colombia’s national team. He joined the English Premier League’s Liverpool last year in a deal worth US$67 million.
TENNIS
Swiatek wins Finals opener
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek on Monday overcame a shaky start to defeat Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets in her opening WTA Finals match in Cancun, Mexico. Polish star Swiatek looked out of sorts in an error-strewn first set in which she trailed 2-5 before roaring back to clinch a 7-6 (7/3), 6-0 victory. The 22-year-old four-time Grand Slam champion is bidding to reclaim her world No. 1 ranking from Aryna Sabalenka at this week’s season-ending finals in Mexico. In Monday’s other clash, US Open champion Coco Gauff opened her tournament with a 6-0, 6-1 drubbing of Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur.
SOCCER
FIFA bans Rubiales
Former Royal Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales, who provoked a players’ rebellion and reckoning on gender when he kissed an unwilling star player on the lips at the Women’s World Cup final trophy ceremony, was banned for three years on Monday by FIFA. His conduct at the Aug. 20 final in Australia — and his defiant refusal to resign as president for three weeks — distracted many people from the women’s career-defining title win. Rubiales is now barred from working in soccer until after the men’s 2026 World Cup. His ban would expire before the next women’s tournament in 2027. Spanish authorities have launched a criminal investigation against Rubiales for kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips after the team’s 1-0 victory over England in Sydney.
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946