Sports Supplement 13th Issue

DT
VOL 1, ISSUe 13 | Saturday, april 29, 2017
Sports Tribune
500
up for
Maestro
Messi
3
EPL basement
battle hots up
Top 10 Messi goals
5 for Barcelona
7
Sharapova wins on return
from doping ban

2
Saturday, April 29, 2017
DT
Week in Review
Feature
3
Saturday, April 29, 2017
DT
Picture of the week
Barcelona players pose for a team photograph prior to their La Liga match against Osasuna at Camp Nou on Wednesday. In the background fans hold up a large banner
congratulating Argentine superstar Lionel Messi for his 500th goal for Barcelona
AFP
April 26
England’s Zafar
Ansari retires
aged 25
Surrey all-rounder Zafar Ansari
unexpectedly announced his retirement
from cricket at the age of
25 on Wednesday, just six months
after making his England debut.
Ansari said he wanted to pursue
other opportunities and was contemplating
a career in law.
“After seven years as a professional
cricketer and almost two
decades in total playing the game,
I have decided to bring my cricket
career to an end,” he said.
“This has been a very difficult
decision to make and I have not
made it lightly. It is...with great
sadness that I say goodbye.
“Nevertheless, I have always
been clear that when the time was
right for me to move on I would,
and that time has now come.
“While the timing may come as
a surprise, I have always maintained
that cricket was just one
part of my life and that I have other
ambitions that I want to fulfil.”
APril 27
New ICC finance model breaks up Big Three
The “Big Three” financial model drawn
up by the boards of India, England and
Australia unveiled amid much consternation
three years ago is no more,
replaced by a plan to vastly reduce
the BCCI’s share of ICC revenue and
offer identical amounts to seven of the
game’s Full Member nations.
After a week of negotiations that
saw the BCCI’s opposition to change
outmaneuvered by the collective will
of the rest, the amount of ICC revenue
to be handed out to each nation is now
as follows. The BCCI will receive $293m
across the eight-year cycle, the ECB
April 23
Record-breaking Younis
reaches 10,000 Test runs
Younis Khan became the first Pakistan
batsman to score 10,000 Test runs
on Sunday, reaching the milestone
against the West Indies in the opening
match of his farewell series.
Earlier this year, Younis also
became the first batsman to score
centuries in all 11 countries that have
hosted Tests after completing his set
with a maiden ton in Australia, and
the Pakistan Cricket Board was quick
to pay tribute to the 39-year-old’s
“prolific career”.
$143m, ZC $94m and the remaining
seven Full Members $132m each. Associate
Members will receive funding of
$280m. While this distribution is not a
rollback to the equal funding from ICC
events that Full Members used to receive,
it is a distance from the $440m
the BCCI stood to earn under the Big
Three model. The distribution to the
ECB has reduced from around $150m,
while CA’s share is similar to what it
received, albeit now in line with those
afforded to South Africa, Pakistan, New
Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the
West Indies.
“Younis Khan has been an excellent
ambassador of Pakistan cricket,”
PCB chairman Shaharyar M. Khan said
on the board’s website.
This week
Following three enthralling rounds
down under, China and Bahrain,
the 2017 Formula 1 Championship
moves over to Russia with race day
scheduled for Sunday.
Meanwhile in football, all
attention will be towards the north
London derby with Tottenham
Hotspur hosting Arsenal on Sunday.
Prior to that, Spurs will be rooting
for Everton who take on Chelsea on
the same day.
There is also the small matter
of a Catalan derby on Sunday as
Espanyol face Barcelona in what will
be an important clash for the latter.
A day earlier, Real Madrid will
lock horns with Valencia with the
former looking to continue their
surge towards their first La Liga title
in five years. In another important
tie in Spain, European hopefuls
Celta Vigo and Athletic Bilbao pit
their wits against each other on
Monday.
April 25
Benitez steers Newcastle
back to Premier League
Rafael Benitez succeeded in his
gamble of staying on as manager as
he steered Newcastle United straight
back up to the Premier League with a
4-1 win over Preston on Monday.
The former Liverpool, Chelsea and
Real Madrid boss stayed on after they
were relegated to the Championship
at the end of last season and even
though Newcastle stumbled of late,
the victory over Preston guaranteed a
top two finish.
The Magpies became only the
seventh team out of 18 to go straight
back up in the past six years.
They will join Brighton - who were
assured of promotion to the Premier
League for the first time last Monday -
in the top tier next season.
Derby stats
t Seven of the eight red cards
given in this Premier League
fixture have been to Manchester
United players.
t Sergio Aguero attempted
nine shots in this match. The
last player to attempt more in
a competitive game against
the Red Devils was Cristiano
Ronaldo (11) for Real Madrid in a
Champions League match back
in March 2013.
t This equals the most shots
that Aguero has attempted in a
Premier League game without
scoring (nine) - level with
his appearance versus West
Bromwich Albion in March 2015.
t The two occasions that United
have allowed their opponents
the most shots in a Premier
League game this season have
both been against Manchester
City (18 at Old Trafford and 19
tonight).
t United have equalled their
record for the longest unbeaten
run within a single top-flight
season - 24 games, level with
2010-11.
t City have now failed to score in
four of their last five Manchester
derbies in all competitions.
t City will climb above
Liverpool, who don't play
until Monday, if they win
at relegation-threatened
Middlesbrough on Sunday,
while United host struggling
Swansea City at Old Trafford
on the same day.
Man City Stats Man Utd
69 Possession 31
19 Shots 3
6 On Target 1
7 Corners 4
10 Fouls 8
EPL basement battle hots up
• AFP
While the race for the Premier League
title has become a contest solely between
leaders Chelsea and Tottenham
Hotspur, the battle to beat the drop is a
more complicated affair.
With a maximum of five rounds left,
the identities of the bottom three who
will be relegated into the second-tier
Coca Cola Championship come the
end of the season have still to be confirmed.
Sunderland have excelled at staying
up in recent seasons, but even their
reputation as the Harry Houdini of the
Premier League may not be enough to
save them this time.
Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat by northeast
rivals and fellow struggler Middlesbrough
left bottom of the table
Manchester derby
ends in a dull draw
what jose said
"In the first half we controlled easily
the game, we controlled easily the
defensive side of the game and
we were always dangerous on the
counter-attack and we had two
good chances to score. Marcus
(Rashford) gave their defenders
lots of problems, they stopped him
sometimes with lots of fouls, so for
me the spirit was amazing and the
first half was really good. In second
half, I think they were stronger than
us. Despite the fact that we were
very strong defensively, we didn’t
create enough problems in attack
and we allowed them to be more
offensive and play more in our half.
Sunderland 12 points adrift of safety
with a maximum of 15 still available to
them this season.
Defeat completed a wretched day
for Sunderland manager David Moyes,
who has been charged by England’s
Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante was selected as
the PFA player of the year
The much anticipated Manchester derby was somewhat of an anti-climax as City and United fired blanks at Etihad Stadium
on Thursday night
REUTERS
Football Association for telling a female
reporter she might “get a slap”.
But the defiant Scot, whose side are
at home to Bournemouth on Saturday,
insisted he had no intention of walking
out on the Black Cats.
Tottenham’s Dele Alli was elected as
the PFA young player of the year
KEY FIXTURES
Man Utd v Swansea
5:00pm, Sunday
Middlesbrough v Man City
7:05pm, Sunday
Everton v Chelsea
7:05pm, Sunday
Star Sports Select HD 1
TOP goal SCORERS
24: Romelu Lukaku (Everton)
20: Harry Kane (Tottenham)
19: Diego Costa (Chelsea), Alexis
Sanchez (Arsenal)
17: Sergio Agüero (Man City),
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Man Utd)
16: Dele Alli (Tottenham)
what pep said
"In my career I have come across
many different styles. I am going
to be respectful of my opponents'
style. We did absolutely everything
to win and tonight it wasn't
enough. We tried to have the ball
and attack like we have tried to do
all season. Today it was much harder
against a team who hadn’t lost in
23 (games) - it was not easy but we
tried. We cannot forget which team
we were against tonight. They
created two clear chances and I am
satisfied. I know how difficult it is
to play against Manchester United.
Every game until the last game now
will be a final for us in the League.
POINTS TABLE
Team P W D L GD Pts
Chelsea 33 25 3 5 40 78
Tottenham 33 22 8 3 47 74
Liverpool 34 19 9 6 28 66
Man City 33 19 8 6 48 65
Man Utd 33 17 13 3 26 64
Arsenal 32 18 6 8 24 60
Everton 34 16 10 8 23 58
West Brom 33 12 8 13 -3 44
Southampton 32 11 7 14 -5 40
Watford 33 11 7 15 -17` 40
Stoke 34 10 9 15 -13 39
Crystal Palace 34 11 5 18 -8 38
Bournemouth 34 10 8 16 -14 38
West Ham 34 10 8 16 -15 38
Leicester 33 10 7 16 -13 37
Burnley 34 10 6 18 -16 36
Hull 34 9 6 19 -31 33
Swansea 34 9 4 21 -29 31
Middlesbrough 34 5 12 16 -19 27
Sunderland 33 5 6 22 -33 21

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Statistics
Saturday, April 29, 2017
DT
Feature 5
The Breakdown Of Lionel Messi's 502 Goals
Home Away Neutral
284 203 14
La Liga
Champions
League
Copa
del Rey
Supercopa
de Espana
Club World
Cup
UEFA
Super Cup
Most goals by opponent
Sevilla - 29
Atletico Madrid - 27
Valencia - 24
Real Madrid - 23
Athletic Bilbao - 22
Osasuna - 21
Matches
Most goals by opponent --
non-Spanish clubs
Arsenal - 9
AC Milan - 8
Celtic - 8
Bayer Leverkusen - 7
Manchester City - 6
Ajax - 6
378
114
Most hat tricks by opponent
Valencia - 4
61
15
5
4
Goals
345
94
43
12
5
3
577 502
Messi in numbers
Osasuna - 3
Atletico - 3
Goals by minute block
1-15 - 52
16-30 - 80
31-45+ - 90
46-60 - 81
61-75 - 76
76-90+ - 120
106-120+ - 1
HOW HE SCORED THEM
Left foot: 402
Right foot: 74
Head: 22
Other: 2
WHERE HE SCORED THEM
Camp Nou: 284
Santiago Bernabeu: 14
Vicente Calderon: 13
Goals per season
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
Riazor: 10
Mestalla: 9
WHO SET THEM UP
Dani Alves: 42
Andres Iniesta: 34
Xavi Hernandez : 31
Pedro Rodriguez: 25
Luis Suarez: 25
WHO CONCEDED THEM
Diego Alves: 21
Gorka Irazioz: 18
Iker Casillas: 17
Andres Fernandez: 15
Andres Palop: 12
IF MESSI SCORES, BARCA...
Win: 275 (86.70 per cent)
Draw: 30 (9.50)
Lose: 12 (3.80)
1
8
17
16
38
47
53
73
60
41
58
41
49*
1
4
32
104
THE MILESTONE
MOMENTS
14. Mar 3 2007 – Barcelona v Real Madrid:
Lionel Messi's first in El Clasico. He goes on
to score a hat-trick, including a 90th-minute
equaliser.
19. Apr 18 2007 – Barcelona v Getafe: Comparisons
to Diego Maradona are cemented as
Messi dribbles though an entire Getafe defence
to score a goal eerily similar to his legendary
compatriot's solo stunner against England in the
1986 World Cup.
80. May 28 2011 – Manchester United v
Barcelona: Messi scores the second goal in a 3-1
demolition of the Premier League giants in the
Champions League final.
228. Mar 7 2012 – Barcelona v Bayer Leverkusen:
Messi becomes the first player to score five
goals in a single Champions League game.
252. May 5 2012 – Barcelona v Espanyol: Racking
up four goals in this city derby makes Messi
the first player to hit 50 in a LaLiga season.
313. May 5 2013 – Barcelona v Real Betis: The
last goal in a 4-2 win sees Messi score for the
21st game in succession – a LaLiga record.
347. Mar 23 2014 – Real v Barcelona: Another
Clasico hat-trick takes Messi beyond Alfredo di
Stefano as the fixture's record goalscorer.
368. Nov 22 2014 – Barcelona v Sevilla: His
251st in LaLiga, surpassing Telmo Zarra as the
league's all-time top scorer.
500. Apr 23 2017 – Real v Barcelona: It does
not get much sweeter, Messi brings up his
500th Barca goal with a last-gasp Clasico winner
at the Santiago Bernabeu to breathe new
life into the title race.
Repoker
Pokers
Hattricks
Doubles
Top 10
Messi
goals
500 career goals for one club
Name Club Period Goals Matches Ratio
Pelé Santos 1956-74 643 656 0.98
Gerd Müller Bayern München 1964-79 564 605 0.93
Fernando Peyroteo Sporting CP 1937-49 544 334 1.63
Josef Bican Slavia Praha 1937-48 534 274 1.95
Jimmy McGrory Celtic 1922-23, 1924-37 522 501 1.04
Uwe Seeler Hamburger SV 1953-72 507 587 0.86
Lionel Messi Barcelona 2004- 500 577 0.87
v Real Madrid - 10/03/2007
The attacker announced himself on the Clasico
scene in typical fashion, 10 years ago, with a hattrick.
The pick of his goals that night ensured his
hat-trick. Lionel Messi broke through the Real Madrid
defence, creating space for himself to allow him
to fire a shot across Iker Casillas and into the bottom
corner.
v Manchester United - 27/05/2009
Messi’s record against English teams, away from
English soil, is an impressive one, with 15 goals in
his last 16 against Premier League representatives.
This, however, was arguably his biggest. Xavi’s cross
found the head of Messi, with his looping effort
across Edwin van der Sar leaving the Manchester
United goalkeeper with no chance.
v Arsenal - 08/03/2011
Arsenal’s European woes have been in no way
eased by Messi and Barcelona over the years, and
this strike goes to prove that.
The ball finds its way through to the five-time
Ballon D’or winner, who showed his class, chipping
over Manuel Almunia, leaving the path clear to put
home, first-time.
v Athletic Bilbao - 27/04/2013
Messi’s close control was put to the test with this
effort - a test which he passed with complete ease.
Thiago Alcantara played the Argentine into possession,
allowing him to see off two defenders and
finish with aplomb into the bottom corner.
v Atletico Madrid - 26/02/2012
Messi’s quality caught everyone off guard with this
attempt, not least Thibaut Courtois.
Despite not being in a goalscoring position,
he looped a free-kick over the head of Courtois, after
catching him and the Atletico defence off-guard,
when most expected him to line up a cross.
v Getafe - 18/04/2007
A goal that it’s hard to believe is 10 years old and one
that continues to be regarded as one of the greatest
ever.
Messi channelled his inner Diego Maradona
to beat four players with ease, before rounding
Getafe’s goalkeeper to slot home.
v Real Zaragoza - 21/03/2010
Yet another special solo effort, in which Messi wrestles
possession back for Barcelona, before taking
another two players out of the game and finishing
well past a helpless Zaragoza goalkeeper.
v Real - 27/04/2011
We’ve already established that Messi is the master
of the solo effort, and this attempt against El Clasico
rivals Real Madrid proved that further. Messi picked
the ball from the feet of Sergio Busquets and with
that embarked on an astonishing run that saw him
beat three men before sending Casillas the wrong
way with a low effort across goal to finish the move.
v Bayern Munich - 06/05/2015
Another strike that has graced a big Champions
League game, although Jerome Boateng probably
won’t be watching it too often.
Messi sat Boateng down with a touch through
his legs, before leaving Manuel Neuer with little
chance with a delicate chip.
v Bilbao - 30/05/2015
Yet more magic from the Argentinian, with this
strike in the 2015 Copa del Rey final.
Messi cut in from the right-hand side, beating
three, before finishing at the near post past Iago
Herrerin, breaking the deadlock and helping Barcelona
to a 27th Copa del Rey title.
DT
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Supporter By
Shahnoor Rabbani
Magical Messi
What did you think? Lionel Messi
was going to stop performing in
big games? It had been a while; but
it had been coming. Even though
doubts had crept up among many
including myself. And what a way to
mark his 500th goal in international
football. Scoring the goal in the dying
seconds of arguably the best El
Clasico of all time and taking Barcelona
to victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The score might have read
2-3 but the way both teams played
was certainly remarkable, especially
Real Madrid, when they managed to
equalize 2-2 even with Sergio Ramos
sent off for a malicious challenge on
Messi. But what Messi did in that
game was pure magic while his biggest
rival and Ballon d’Or challenger
Cristiano Ronaldo had an off night.
Just last week I was mentioning
here how Messi was falling short of
his best in big games whereas CR7
had been proving the difference in
such games with the two Champions
League quarter-finals being the
most recent example. CR7’s five
goals proved the difference in those
two legs and made sure the German
giant would not be going any further
in the tournament. Messi had last
scored in the El Clasico in 2014 when
he scored a hat trick against the Los
Blancos at the Bernabeu. But since
then, especially the loss in the World
Cup final to Germany dented his
confidence and his ability to score
goals and change the course of the
game in big matches.
The Argentine now finds himself
ahead in the race for the Ballon
d’Or once more thanks to his performance
in the Clasico having scored
49 goals in 47 games including 14
assists in all club competitions.
Cristiano is a quite distant second
having scored 31 goals in 39 games
with 12 assists in club competitions.
Now that could once again change if
CR7 was to take his side to another
Champions League and La Liga. But
it could once again be the catalyst to
another La Liga and Copa Del Rey
win for Messi’s men. Whatever the
case, a tantalising month of football
awaits us and the race of the Ballon
d’Or remains as captivating as ever!

6
Saturday, April 29, 2017
DT
Football
Feature
7
Saturday, April 29, 2017
DT
Maradona open to coaching
Argentina, criticises Sampaoli
• Agencies
It remains to be seen who will take
charge of the Argentina national
team when they take on Brazil in
Australia in June, but Diego Maradona
has expressed his concerns
over Jorge Sampaoli's suitability
for the role.
The current Sevilla coach has
long been the favourite to replace
Edgardo Bauza and to try to lead
the Albiceleste to the 2018 World
Cup, but Maradona is unconvinced.
There is a lot being
said about the
Argentine team, but I
don't think Sampaoli
has the feel for it or
the connection with
the players
"I'm not sure [about him taking
the job]," he said in an interview
with Rivadavia radio station.
"The [appreciation] of Sampaoli
is inflated. With Chile he was
having an amazing career. Sevilla
aren't slowing down and I think he
is a candidate [for the Argentina
job], but I don't know if that's fair.
"There is a lot being said about
cleaning up the Argentine national
team, but I don't think Sampaoli
has the feel for it or the connection
with the players."
Maradona, who coached the team
to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa,
also refused to completely rule his
name out of contention.
"I am still Argentinian and I'll
die an Argentinian," he said. It's not
that I'm offering myself for the job,
but I'm saying that the coach inside
me hasn't died and that the smell
of the pitch continues to attract me
like the smell of a pretty woman."
As for alternative candidates,
the 56-year-old explained that his
role as a Fifa ambassador prohibited
him from suggesting any. •
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich yet again dropped
points as they were held to a 2-2 draw
at home to Mainz on Saturday but it
seems the games are running out fast
for second placed RB Leipzig, who drew
1-1 away to Schalke a day later.
Borussia Dortmund rose to third,
leapfrogging Hoffenheim, after their
3-2 win against Borussia Moenchengladbach
on Saturday. Hoffenheim
dropped to fourth following their 1-1
draw away to Cologne.
Max Kruse (Bremen)
The German
footballer
shone brightest
in the
Bundesliga
when he
netted four
times against
struggler Ingolstadt to take his side
to seventh position.
Real to be tested by Valencia
• Reuters
Real Madrid’s bid for a first La Liga
title in five years will be put to test on
Saturday when they host Valencia.
A Cristiano Ronaldo double saw
Madrid squeak past them 3-2 on the
penultimate day of last season, but
that was Real’s first victory over Valencia
either home or away in the league
since 2013.
A largely second-string Madrid
side, missing the rested Ronaldo, Karim
Benzema, Toni Kroos and without
the suspended Sergio Ramos, recorded
an impressive 6-2 victory away to
Deportivo La Coruna on Wednesday.
Bayern out to secure title
• Reuters
League Round-Ups
Hertha Berlin are fifth after
their 1-0 win against struggler
Wolfsburg while Freiburg are a
surprising sixth following their 2-1
home win over Bayer Leverkusen.
LA LIGA
Real Madrid received a jolt in their bid
to win the La Liga title for the first time
in five years when they were beaten 3-2
by Barcelona in the El Clasico on Sunday.
Among other notable clashes over
TOP goal SCORERS
33 Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
24 Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
19 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
16 Antoine Griezmann (Atletico),
Iago Aspas (Celta)
After a season that promised so
much, Bayern Munich have been sent
packing from two Cup competitions
in the space of eight days and Carlo
Ancelotti’s side are determined to
take a step closer to the league title
when they travel to VfL Wolfsburg on
Saturday.
A Bayern win combined with defeat
for RB Leipzig against relegation
candidates Ingolstadt would give
them an unassailable 11-point lead
with three games remaining. Bayern
are without a win in their last five
matches in all competitions.
TOP goal SCORERS
27: Pierre Emerick Aubameyang
(Dortmund)
26: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern)
23: Anthony Modeste (Cologne)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Messi bagged
four goals
this week in
La Liga, two
against Real
Madrid on
Sunday and
two against Osasuna on Wednesday
as Barca continue their surge
towards the title.
KEY FIXTURES
Real Madrid v Valencia
8:15pm, Saturday
Ten 3
Espanyol v Barcelona
12:45am, Sunday
Sony Six
POINTS TABLE
Teams P W D L GD Pts
Barcelona 34 24 6 4 68 78
Real Madrid 33 24 6 3 52 78
Atletico 34 20 8 6 35 68
Sevilla 33 19 8 6 19 65
Villarreal 34 17 9 8 22 60
KEY FIXTURES
Dortmund v Cologne
7:30pm, Saturday
Wolfsburg v Bayern
10:30pm, Saturday
Star Sports Select HD 2
POINTS TABLE
Teams P W D L GD Pts
Bayern 30 21 7 2 56 70
RB Leipzig 30 19 5 6 27 62
Dortmund 30 16 8 6 30 56
Hoffenheim 30 14 13 3 25 55
Hertha Berlin 30 14 4 12 3 46
the weekend, Athletic Bilbao defeated
Eibar in the Basque derby while
Atletico Madrid edged Catalan side
Espanyol.
In midweek, Barca thrashed
Pamplona outfit Osasuna 7-1 and Real
too were not to be denied as they
thumped Galicia side Deportivo la
Coruna 6-2.
In other results, Atletico were handed
a 1-0 loss at home to Villarreal while
Valencia suffered a 3-2 defeat against
Real Sociedad at the Mestalla.
2016
Jan 26 - Sharapova loses to old rival
Serena Williams in the Australian Open
quarter-finals.
March 7 - Sharapova calls press conference
at a Los Angeles hotel where she
reveals that after her loss in Melbourne
she tested positive for meldonium,
a substance placed on the World
Anti-Doping Agency banned list at the
start of the year.
March 8 - Nike, Tag Heuer and Porsche
halt their lucrative relationships with
Hero
Lionel MessI
Messi is our hero of the week following a
scintillating last few days for the Argentine.
He began the week with a brace
against Real Madrid in the El Clasico
on Sunday and if that wasn’t enough,
he followed it up with another double
against Osasuna on Wednesday.
Maria Sharapova doping ban timeline
Sharapova.
March 9 - WADA president Dick Pound
describes Sharapova's actions as "reckless
beyond description".
March 10 - Sharapova's racquet manufacturer
Head says it will stand by the
Russian.
March 12 - Sharapova insists that
contrary to media reports, she had
not received five separate warnings
about changes to anti-doping rules. "I
should have paid more attention to it.
But the other 'communications'? They
were buried in newsletters, websites,
or handouts," the Russian star said. "I
guess some in the media can call that a
warning. I think most people would call
it too hard to find."
March 15 - United Nations suspends
Sharapova as a goodwill ambassador.
March 24 - WADA says 123 cases involving
meldonium recorded since the
endurance-boosting drug was banned
on January 1.
April 13 - WADA says athletes could
escape a ban for taking meldonium
Quote of the Week
First of all, thank you for all the
support and love. It’s no news I got
injured so I will be out of football
for a while. I will go through this like
everything else and come back even
stronger. So far I played with one leg
so it shouldn’t be any problem. One
thing is for sure, I decide when it’s
time to stop and nothing else. Giving
up is not an option.
- The 35-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic, United’s
top scorer this season with 28 goals, wrote on his
Instagram account on Sunday
because it does not know for sure how
long it takes the substance to leave the
body.
June 7 - Sharapova earns $21.9m over
the previous 12 months, down almost
$8m from the previous year, according
to Forbes Magazine.
June 8 - Banned for two years by ITF,
Sharapova announces she will appeal to
the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Oct 4 - Ban reduced to 15 months by
Court of Arbitration for Sport.
2017
Jan 10 - Announces return to the tour will
be at Stuttgart on April 26 on a wildcard
Feb 8 - Madrid Open grants Sharapova
wild card for their May tournament
March 1 - Rome Open also gives Russian
wild card; Andy Murray criticises
such decisions, claiming players should
"work their way back".
April 19 - Sharapova celebrates 30th
birthday
April 22 - Sharapova beats Italian Roberta
Vinci in opening match
Sharapova wins on return
• AFP, Stuttgart
Maria Sharapova marked her return
from a 15-month doping ban
on Wednesday with a rusty 7-5, 6-3
win over Roberta Vinci in Stuttgart,
describing victory as the "best feeling
in the world".
Sharapova, the former world
number one and five-time Grand
Slam champion, brushed off a
nervous start to eventually claim
a convincing win on her controversial
comeback having tested
positive for meldonium at the 2016
Australian Open.
"It's the best feeling in the world
to walk out (on court), it's been a
stage of mine since I was a young
girl and it was very special," said
Sharapova who celebrated her win
with a succession of double fist
pumps and a broad smile before
blowing kisses to all corners of the
Porsche Arena.
"I have been waiting for this a
long time."
Sharapova was given a wildcard
to play in Stuttgart, where she has
been champion three times, a move
which drew a barrage of criticism
from rivals who believed she was
receiving preferential treatment.
She fired 39 winners and 11 aces
past 34-year-old Vinci, one of the
Russian's many critics.
After receiving warm applause
from the crowd, which included
one fan who held up a Russian
flag bearing the words “Welcome
back Maria”, Sharapova, dressed
in an orange top and lilac-coloured
dress, initially struggled.
She quickly found herself 2-0
down before she broke back to level
at 2-2.
As was to be expected after her
long break, Sharapova laboured to
find her shots and Vinci profited
from several mistakes.
But the 30-year-old Russian
started to move her Italian opponent
around the court and found
her range with a pair of aces.
Sharapova finally broke the Italian
in the 11th game and then held
her service, converting her second
set point in exactly an hour.
Vinci had lost to Sharapova in
both their previous meetings and
the Italian trailed from 2-0 down in
the second set on Wednesday.
Sharapova quickly moved to 5-3
ahead up with an ace and extended
her domination in the following
game, racing into a 40-0 lead and
converted her first match point for
victory in one hour, 45 minutes. •
fact file
Name: Maria Sharapova
Residence: Bradenton, Florida, USA
Date of Birth: April 19, 1987
Birthplace: Nyagan, Russia
Height: 6' 2" (1.88m)
Weight: 130 lbs. (59kg)
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed
backhand)
Status: Pro (April 19, 2001)
Career earnings: $36,484,486
Official website: www.mariasharapova.com
Twitter: @MariaSharapova
Career details:
WTA singles titles: 35
WTA doubles titles: 3
Grand Slam singles titles: Australian
Open (2008); French Open
(2012, 2014); Wimbledon (2004);
US Open (2006)
WTA Championships title: 2004
Fed Cup: 2008
Olympics: Silver medal, London
2012
Highest ranking: 1
Current ranking: Unranked
Win/Loss: Singles 601/145
Coaches: Yuri Sharapov (early
career); Michael Joyce (2008–10),
Thomas Hogstedt (2010–13), Jimmy
Connors (2013), Sven Groeneveld
Tweets
Andrew Orsatti
PR strategist
April 23
He came, he was
elbowed, spilled
blood, he conquered.
#Messi
#ElClasico
Gerard Pique
Spain and Barcelona
footballer
April 24
One more time
I gonna celebrate
Oh yeah, all right
Don’t stop the dancing.