Deepti Sharma was one of India’s stars throughout the World Cup, and upped her game in the final with a run-a-ball 58 and then a five-wicket haul

Vishal Dikshit03-Nov-2025

Deepti Sharma derailed South Africa’s chase in the death overs•ICC/Getty Images

Deepti Sharma. South Africa. World Cup.Till Sunday night, even Deepti would have thought of that World Cup night in Christchurch, back in 2022, if those words had been put to her together. India were on the verge of progressing to the semi-finals then, they had to go past South Africa in a must-win game, and Deepti had the task of defending six runs in the last over with the set Mignon du Preez in front of her.When South Africa needed three from two, Deepti had du Preez caught at long-on to spark wild celebrations before realising that the umpires were checking for a no-ball and Deepti had no part of her heel inside the crease. Two balls later, du Preez hit the winning runs. The abiding memory from that moment is of Jhulan Goswami, out of that match with a niggle, her mouth covered with her hands as she saw her last World Cup dream shattered.Related

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• 'Numb' Harmanpreet tries to grasp enormity of the greatest day

• Stats – Deepti in a league of her own in World Cups

It’s hard to know how Deepti would have slept that night. Or how she dealt with that in the days and years to come. In fact, Deepti might have gone into the 2022 World Cup with baggage already, having not been able to see India through in the 2017 final when she was the second-last wicket to fall and India fell short by just nine runs against England.The nature of sport is such that sportspersons often feel redeemed by shining in similar situations, often against the same team, and even more when there’s a lot at stake.Harmanpreet Kaur and India have often fallen back on Deepti as the partnership-breaker in recent times, and Sunday night was no different. But it was the World Cup final, so there was the added pressure. Deepti was first bowler Harmanpreet turned to after the opening quicks didn’t get a wicket in the first eight overs. But the nature of the pitch and the way the South Africa batters manoeuvred her, that Deepti only got the one wicket, of Sinalo Jafta, in her first seven overs. Wickets had been falling at the other end, though, and South Africa needed 92 from 66 with five wickets in hand when Deepti began her eighth.Deepti is known for her variations and her deception, gained from over 250 international games and two overseas T20 leagues. She sent down a yorker that Annerie Dercksen, whom she had dropped on 24, couldn’t pick and was bowled for 35. The cross-seam delivery was a reminder of how Deepti thought on her feet when the conditions were not in her favour or if the batters were going after her, just like in India’s opening game, when Chamari Athapaththu was taking her down. She nailed this one. Just like when Tammy Beaumont were looking to accelerate after a half-century opening stand before Deepti darted a quicker one that bowled her around her legs.8:05

‘What dream? We’re living it’

Deepti has been a consistent death-overs bowler this tournament and that responsibility could have felt heavier in front of a packed stadium. It didn’t show when she got the biggest one of them: Laura Wolvaardt. Deepti fired one in flat to the century-maker with the field spread out and the miscued slog sweep went to Amanjot Kaur at deep midwicket, and the crowd caught its collective breath as Amanjot juggled the ball before completing the catch on the third attempt. Three balls later came another pace variation and when Chloe Tryon missed a flatter one to be given lbw.”I’ve always like challenges so I was confident going into my second and third spells,” Deepti told the host broadcaster after the game. “When we got the momentum with Dercksen’s wicket and then Laura’s wicket, I had this belief that as a senior player I have to pick up my performance and back the others.”I always look to use variations along with my stock ball and I know when to use which one, like against a set batter or a new batter. I’ve also practiced for them a lot in the WPL and other series, so all those games helped me. That season of the WPL when I was the MVP (2024) it really helped me.”Deepti Sharma made good use of the sweep in the final•AFP/Getty Images

Emergence of the quick-scoring lower-order batter

Deepti has rescued India on several occasions with the bat in this World Cup, too, while also scoring runs quickly. It was the lift in her strike rate in 2025 that added a new dimension to her game. When India were 121 for 5 against Sri Lanka, Deepti steered the ship with a run-a-ball 53 that gave them a competitive score.As much as the thought lingered after the England loss that she should have carried the team through in the chase, Deepti had scored 50 off 57 and kept India going till the 47th over. And then in the finale, she again produced a gritty run-a-ball 58 when the two batters before her – Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet – had fallen with strike rates of under 70. Her expansive slog sweeps in search of boundaries, her six off Marizanne Kapp, her singles and doubles in the end when South Africa’s quicks took the pace off the ball to stem the flow of runs helped India inch closer and closer to the 300 mark that they wanted to get.Deepti Sharma took two wickets in the same over•ICC/Getty ImagesDeepti’s knocks this World Cup combined for 215 runs at a strike rate of 90.33, not far behind her strike rate of 103.25 this year until the World Cup had started, a remarkable improvement from 71.38 in the last two years.”My batting used to come mainly in the last 15 overs so I worked on it with Bala (her brother Sumit) in recent times,” Deepti said. “I worked on the shots that I would have to play in the slog overs. So I improved accordingly and tried to stay positive.”It was fitting that it was Deepti who sealed India’s maiden World Cup triumph when she had Nadine de Klerk caught by a leaping Harmanpreet to get the party started, for her team, the near-40,000 crowd at the ground, and millions of Indian watching from around the world.And the next time someone says Deepti Sharma, South Africa and World Cup together, the night that will be remembered is the one on November 2, 2025, Navi Mumbai. Capped off with Deepti proudly holding the Player-of-the-Tournament trophy, big smile on her face.

From first-time captains to new venues, there’s plenty to look forward to

S Sudarshanan29-Sep-20252:06

Harmanpreet: ‘No pressure at all’ playing World Cup at home

There is an air of newness around the Women’s World Cup 2025.Harmanpreet Kaur and Alyssa Healy may now be synonymous as India and Australia captains, but this is their first ODI World Cup as captains – replacing the now-retired Mithali Raj and Meg Lanning, respectively. Nat Sciver-Brunt is only two series old as England’s skipper. Chamari Athapaththu will be playing her first 50-over ICC event in home conditions and Sri Lanka return to the competition after missing out in 2022.Off the field, the first cricket World Cup in Guwahati is less of a celebration. The city – and by extension the state of Assam, the gateway to north-east India – is mourning the loss of one of its own in singer Zubeen Garg, who passed away last week. Apart from his songs, he was known for his philanthropy.Durga Puja, a festival celebrated grandly in eastern India, has also been scaled down hugely. There won’t be the usual grand processions. For those living in Guwahati, the city itself feels very different. This is the unlikely backdrop for what promises to be a huge ICC event.Related

• This World Cup promises to take women's cricket to brand-new heights

• Athapaththu alone at the top as she carries Sri Lanka above her

• Afghanistan women's players to attend World Cup opener

• India and Sri Lanka kick off a Women's World Cup with a difference

Never mind that four of the five venues haven’t hosted a women’s game in recent years, the eight teams will vie for record prize money – a sum (USD 13.8 million) that is higher than what was at stake at the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup (USD 10 million). With the subcontinent hosting a Women’s ODI World Cup after 12 years, the level of competition is also expected to be higher. The WBBL has existed for close to a decade now, but this is the first time the effects of the various leagues such as the WPL and the Hundred will be seen.For instance, Sri Lanka beat India for only the third time in ODIs earlier this year. India, on their part, beat Australia for the first time at home and ended their 13-match winning streak.Chamari Athapaththu wants an Asian team to lift the trophy•AFP/Getty Images”We are playing in the subcontinent and that’s a good advantage for us,” Athapaththu said on the eve of the World Cup-opener against India. “But if we take too much pressure and think too much about this, we can’t play our best cricket.”From days of sparsely filled stadiums to endless demands for tickets, Harmanpreet has witnessed it all in her career. She has also suffered heartbreak in front of close to 90,000 people at the 2020 T20 World Cup final in Melbourne. With the DY Patil ground in Mumbai, that attracted close to 50,000 people during the WPL, pencilled in to host the final of this World Cup, she has a chance to be on the other side of the equation in what could be her last 50-over World Cup.”Firstly, earlier five fielders used to be outside, now there are four,” Harmanpreet joked when asked about the changes in women’s cricket over the last decade. “Besides that, we are playing in bigger stadiums – the last time we played at the CCI [Brabourne stadium in Mumbai]. The stadiums are packed every time we play. Apart from that, we also see a lot of 300-plus scores, which was not normal earlier. I could go on about it all night.”The exponential growth of the women’s game has everybody buzzing. “I want to see some Asian team lift the trophy,” Athapaththu said, “Maybe Sri Lanka, maybe India, maybe Pakistan, maybe Bangladesh. Every time Australia, England and New Zealand have been dominant. In Asia, cricket is like a second religion; it’s a privilege to play on home soil. So I want an Asian team to win.”India and Sri Lanka’s game at the ACA Stadium on Tuesday could well be the start of something new.

Unsatisfactory series demonstrates so much that is wrong with international game

Cameron Ponsonby23-Oct-2025I’m gonna be honest. You’ve read this one before.The hyperinflation of the modern game, where cricket is on all the time in a desperate attempt to stay relevant, while diluting its product with every caveated fixture.It has been a constant question to Black Caps players this series.”What’s it like playing cricket in October?”It is not cricket season here. The domestic season hasn’t started yet – it begins in full this weekend. The opening match of New Zealand’s series against Australia earlier this month was played on October 1, the earliest that the Kiwis had ever played a home international.Six matches and three washouts later, the result was entirely predictable. It rained. A lot. The weather here has, admittedly, been extreme. Warnings were announced for much of the country as high winds left 90,000 homes on the South Island without power. Kiwi head coach Rob Walter made the point that, across both the Australia and England series, they had been unlucky with sunny training days sandwiching rainy matchdays. That is true – and in his position it is a point he is almost contractually obliged to make – but some sunny days and some rainy days sounds an awful lot like the middle of spring to me.The result was an uncomfortable theme that ran throughout, of Kiwi players talking about the importance of taking the opportunity to play the likes of Australia or England whenever you can. A team that won the World Test Championship in 2021, and has reached numerous ICC finals in recent years, is still thankful for the chance to take the pitch against their equals.”You’ve got to take every chance to play them,” Kiwi wicketkeeper Tim Seifert said ahead of the match at Auckland. “You’d rather play them at this time of the year than not.”For the second year in a row, New Zealand have no home international cricket scheduled for January or February. The height of their summer. The rest of their season consists of West Indies arriving for a multi-format tour in November and South Africa arriving for a white-ball tour in March, which will clash directly with the IPL and be without several high-profile players for either side.England are a key drawcard for the nations that rely on the income they generate•AFP/Getty Images”There’s no point trying to compete against some of the top franchise leagues,” explained Walter after the Auckland washout. “But rather coexist with them.”And are they co-existing?”It depends on who you ask, I guess.”New Zealand have been up against this for years. Shane Bond missed 18 months of international cricket in 2007 after signing up for the Indian Cricket League. Trent Boult was the first Kiwi to move to a “casual” contract in 2022 and now there are five players – Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Seifert and Kane Williamson – in the New Zealand squad who operate on such a deal. The cold hard cash facts are that top Black Caps players believe they can earn up to US$1 million more a year by pursuing a life solely on the franchise circuit.”We are really privileged that the guys really do enjoy playing for their country and want to come back and play for the Black Caps,” said Walter. “We want to maintain that but part of the job is understanding that you can’t have guys playing all formats and in every game.”The “casual” contracts symbolise a commitment from the player to be available for a certain number of matches a year. They operate on an annual basis and the number jumped from two to five this year due to the upcoming T20 World Cup, as the T20 specialists had to commit themselves to x number of games to be eligible for selection.Related

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But it is wishful thinking to consider that any “casual” relationship can end well. Just ask any 20-year-old across the globe.England, Australia and India are now committed to touring each other once a year. These arrangements take up space, meaning that other series end up being shortened, played with weakened sides, and pushed to the margins. And so the un-valuable series become even less valuable. And the invaluable tours become even more so. It is a vicious cycle. And one that administrators show no signs of breaking. South Africa, the current World Test Champions, are currently poised beautifully at one-all in their series against Pakistan – with zero games to play. An unsexy series, deprived of the chance to make itself more attractive to broadcasters next time round.It would be funny if it wasn’t so relentless. A year ago, England played a white-ball series in the West Indies with a second string squad because the matches had been sandwiched in between their Test tours of Pakistan and New Zealand. The games were scheduled, for broadcast reasons, at 4pm which had the double-jeopardy effect of meaning fewer fans could attend the game in person and dew had a decisive impact on each match as it arrived at the halfway stage in each fixture. Of the seven completed matches on that tour, all were won by the team who won the toss.”When we looked at the schedule we knew that would be a problem,” Windies captain at the time Rovman Powell said.Cricket relies on broadcast rights to keep it, barely, afloat. The problem is that with every series that is designed for TV at the cost of quality, the product becomes less valuable the next time around. Ultimately, broadcasters are creating a product that, eventually, it won’t want to buy itself.You know this. You’ve read it before. And one day, hopefully, it will change. England won this three match T20I series one-nil. 61.4 overs were bowled.

Celtic are in the hunt for a permanent manager and that will take their focus over the international break, albeit they appear to be prioritising new arrivals regardless of who the new man in the dugout will be.

Martin O’Neill has presided over the Parkhead hotseat since Brendan Rodgers’ acrimonious departure from the Scottish Premiership champions, and there is still plenty of speculation over who could replace the Irishman on a full-time basis.

Since coming into the club after a 20-year hiatus, the former has delivered a morale-boosting victory over Falkirk and led the Bhoys to the Premier Sports Cup final in an enthralling triumph over Rangers, leading some reports to claim O’Neill could take the role permanently.

Nevertheless, there is a long list of candidates, something that refuses to narrow ahead of the international break. Bodo/Glimt manager Kjetil Knutsen is also a Celtic managerial candidate amid a glorious spell in Norway.

On the flipside, the main drawback of any approach to hiring the 57-year-old is that he would like to finish their Champions League campaign before committing to life in Scotland.

Wilfried Nancy, Robbie Keane and Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna are also on the Bhoys’ radar. Either way, this feels like a pursuit that may go on for time to come as majority shareholder Dermot Desmond carefully considers his options.

Away from the managerial hunt, Celtic are considering a bid for Kilmarnock midfielder David Watson, who is available to sign a pre-contract in January and is also wanted by rivals Rangers.

Recruitment is ongoing as the reigning champions look to bolster amid Heart of Midlothian’s push for the title, and they may now look to an untapped market to land a shining star.

Celtic bid to sign Under-20 World Cup winner Hossam Essadak

According to AfricaFoot, Celtic have submitted an offer for Moroccan attacking midfielder Hossam Essadak, who is currently on the books of Union Touarga Sport.

Recently, he featured in the Under-20 World Cup with his nation, captaining them to glory after they defeated Argentina 2-0 in the final to record a historic triumph.

Hossam Essadak’s senior career

Appearances

35

Goals

4

Assists

4

Not short of suitors, Sunderland have also made an official bid to try and sign the blossoming talent, and European clubs are said to be at the front of the race for his signature despite further interest from Wydad Casablanca and RS Berkane in his homeland.

Per Fotmob, Essadak created four chances, completed four dribbles and won six duels during Morocco’s World Cup heroics, and he could well be the latest star Celtic look to sign from North Africa after their summer capture of Sebastian Tounekti.

Celtic are also plotting an emotional move for a Premier League icon

Admittedly, the Bhoys are well-stocked in midfield, and departures may be needed before new arrivals can integrate themselves at Lennoxtown, though it does seem as if work is ongoing to bolster the ranks with talented stars with potential to develop.

خطف منتخب المغرب، فوزًا صعبًا من سوريا، بهدف نظيف، في اللقاء الذي جمعهما اليوم الخميس، ضمن منافسات كأس العرب.

وأقيمت مباراة المغرب ضد سوريا، في ربع نهائي كأس العرب 2025، على ملعب “خليفة الدولي” في العاصمة القطرية الدوحة.

وسجل وليد أزارو، هدف المغرب الوحيد في الدقيقة 79 من عمر المباراة ليقود أسود أطلس إلى نصف النهائي.

طالع.. بالمواعيد | مواجهات دور الـ 8 من كأس العرب 2025

وكان المغرب قد تأهل إلى ربع النهائي عدما تصدر مجموعته برصيد 7 نقاط، حيث استهل “أسود الأطلس” مشوارهم بالفوز على جزر القمر بنتيجة 3-1، قبل التعادل السلبي مع منتخب عمان في الجولة الثانية، وانتصار على السعودية بهدف دون رد.

على الجانب الآخر، منتخب سوريا حصد 5 نقاط وضعته في المركز الثاني بفارق الأهداف عن فلسطين المتصدر.

منتخب سوريا بدأ مشواره بفوز ثمين على تونس بهدف نظيف، ثم خطف نقطة مهمة من قطر بالتعادل 1-1، قبل أن يفرض التعادل السلبي على فلسطين في الجولة الثالثة. هدف فوز المغرب على سوريا في كأس العرب

MatériaMais Notícias

Gabigol levou bronca de Tite na vitória do Flamengo sobre o Boavista, e o episódio reacendeu uma intriga antiga entre os envolvidos. Em 2022, por exemplo, o atacante não foi convocado para a Copa do Mundo e reforçou provocações de torcedores ao ex-treinador da Seleção Brasileira.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Mengão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Flamengo

O ídolo do Rubro-Negro atuou pelo Brasil entre 2018 e 2022 e chegou a disputar uma Copa América com o técnico. Após ser ausência na lista do Mundial, o jogador ouviu a torcida flamenguista gritar: “Ô Tite, vai se f…, o Gabigol não precisa de você”, durante a comemoração do título da Libertadores do Flamengo, há dois anos.

O atacante respondeu às provocações com a seguinte frase: “Eu já jogo em uma seleção”. No fim de 2023, Tite foi contratado como técnico do Rubro-Negro e ambos se entenderam em relação ao episódio.

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Ainda no ano passado, em dezembro, Gabigol afirmou que estava incomodado com a reserva e citou que apenas ele não recebia tantas oportunidades com Tite no Flamengo. Além disso, o atleta disse que a preferência do técnico era pelo centroavante Pedro, atual titular da posição.

– Ele levou o Pedro para a Copa. O Pedro é a preferência dele, isso ficou nítido até na convocação. O estilo de jogo é mais propício ao Pedro e o que eu tenho que fazer é trabalhar e mostrar que posso ser útil para ter mais tempo de jogo. Na temporada eu tive muito pouco tempo de jogo, sempre entrei por 10 ou 15 minutos. Professor, me coloca aí! – disse, em entrevista ao “PodPah”.

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– Acho que todos os jogadores já saíram jogando com ele, e eu não. É claro que eu fico put*, quero jogar! Não estou suave e falei isso para ele. Estou aqui falando a verdade. É óbvio que não estou feliz. Fui para a Inter de Milão e para o Benfica e saí porque não estava jogando. Não é um pensamento individualista, é ter mais oportunidade. Todo mundo foi titular com ele e eu não fui, joguei pouco tempo.

“TRETA” RECENTE

Na quarta-feira (21), Tite não gostou da postura de Gabigol, que estava próximo de entrar em campo e pediu para antecipar sua substituição para cobrar um pênalti.

Em frente ao elenco, o treinador demonstrou sua insatisfação e disse que nada girava em torno do ídolo. O técnico também pediu respeito à camisa do Flamengo, sem que houvesse uma resposta de Gabigol.

Tudo sobre

FlamengoGabigolTite

“Sometimes we can be too humble. We don’t show off to the world enough what we’re capable of doing”

Firdose Moonda16-Aug-2025

Shukri Conrad wants South Africa to play with a little more chutzpah•Getty Images

It’s not whether South Africa have the skills and mental fortitude to come out on top in close games that concerns their coach Shukri Conrad. It is whether they have the confidence to show that they possess those qualities.In the aftermath of their last-over defeat in the T20I series decider against Australia in Cairns, which came after a last-over defeat in a tri-series final against New Zealand last month, Conrad asked his players to strut their stuff a little more if they want to become a champion side.”Sometimes we can be too humble. We don’t show off to the world enough what we’re capable of doing,” Conrad said, as he almost used Australia as an example of what self-belief could look like.Related

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“This has got nothing to do with the way Australia plays, but they have got a blueprint as to how they want to play. There are times when it looks absolutely brilliant and it’s box-office stuff. And there are times when you can have them in trouble, like we had them in the first couple of games. But they stay true to it. What does it mean for us? It’s easier on the batting front, guys like [[Tristan Stubbs] and Ricks [Ryan Rickelton] and Aiden [Markram] himself… there’s so much that they can do. But feel that they have maybe boxed themselves in a little bit too much.”Of the three Conrad mentioned, only Rickelton made a score of significance in the series – 71 off 55 balls in the first game – but even after that knock, he acknowledged that he started too slowly for South Africa to successfully chase 179. There was another name on Conrad’s lips when he spoke about how he wants to see his players approach matches: Dewald Brevis.Dewald Brevis finished the series with a strike rate of 204.54•AFP/Getty Images

The 22-year-old was the leading run-scorer in the series, became the holder of South Africa’s highest individual T20I score of 125 not out in the second match and had the highest strike rate among all batters of 204.54. He played in a way that is best described by the Afrikaans word , which is a mixture of confidence and cockiness and is maybe best explained by one of his shots in this series.In the second T20I in Darwin, Brevis was on 22 when he lofted Sean Abbott for six over long-on and didn’t even need to look at where the ball went. Watch the replays and you’ll see Brevis keep his head down until well after the ball has gone into the stands in a manner that seems to suggest, “I’ve hit that so well, I don’t even need to look at where it’s gone.” Off the field, Brevis is as modest as they come, and attributes his talent to God alone. Whatever ego he has is confined to what happens on the field but it’s enough to allow him to play with freedom, and Conrad hopes it will rub off on other players.Chief among them is Markram, who has gone 31 innings without a T20I half-century, and who was dismissed driving waftily in all three matches in the series. One reason for Markram’s under-performance in Australia is that he is still getting used to his new role as an opener; another could be that he has been too tentative in his shot selection. Whatever it is, Conrad knows Markram has it in him a little because he saw him do it just two months ago, when it mattered most. “I know it’s a different format, but in the World Test Championship final not so long ago, Aiden showed exactly what he is about,” Conrad said. “And I’m sure he is a couple of games away from unlocking that state of genius.”Even when he does, Conrad cautioned that South Africa could not expect to come out on top every time because that’s just the nature of sport but at least, they would be giving themselves a good chance. “It’s not always going to result in winning. But I just want us to show off a bit more.”Whether that’s Conrad talking up or having a little dig at his hometown is to be figured out at another time. For now, his work is to continue preparations for the next T20 World Cup in six months time. So far, under his watch, South Africa have lost two deciders – one chasing, one defending. Against New Zealand, they needed seven runs off the last over and Conrad believes they “should have won going into the last over” but “in and amongst all of that, I’m really happy with the growth”.That was a series played without several regulars, this is one that is only without David Miller, which has left the batting line-up unbalanced. Conrad conceded that South Africa were a “batter light” but explained that if the players they have were willing to play with a little more chutzpah, it could work in their favour. “If we want to be brave, we have got to select attacks to beat a team like Australia and if I can nudge a batting unit into playing a certain way where we are a batter light and I concede we were a batter light, imagine what they can do when we have got a properly balanced side,” he said. “It’s all part of the slightly longer-term plan.”He also rejected the idea that he has put his store in allrounders, albeit that both his left-arm spinners, George Linde and Senuran Muthusamy, were also picked on batting strength, and that his selections are conventional. “Your top six will be your best batters, and Nos. 7, 8 possibly allrounders, so there’s nothing untoward,” he said. “I’m not obsessed with allrounders in T20 cricket, I can guarantee you that.”And he said it with the kind of conviction he expects his players to have.

Manchester City are now planning to make a move for Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior if he becomes available, amid tension with manager Xabi Alonso.

Rodri might have something to say about Man City making a move for Vinicius, given what happened back in 2024, with the Real Madrid forward refusing to attend the Ballon d’Or ceremony after finding out the Spanish midfielder was set to win the award.

Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele went on to win the prestigious award for the first time this year, with the Brazilian missing out again, but he remains in the top 10 of the Ballon d’Or power rankings for 2026, with two City stars also in the top 20.

After the controversy that unfolded, City fans unveiled a banner mocking the Madrid forward using Oasis lyrics ahead of a Champions League tie against the Spanish side last season.

Man City planning to make move for Vinicius Junior

Despite the fallout after the 2024 Ballon d’Or, a report from Spain has now revealed that Man City intend to make a move for Vinicius if he becomes available, amid rumours of tension with Real Madrid manager Alonso.

A number of elite clubs are closely monitoring the situation, including Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich, with the winger yet to put pen to paper on a new contract to extend his stay at the La Liga club beyond 2027.

However, it could take a huge bid to get a deal over the line, with reports from elsewhere revealing Madrid are expected to demand €250m (£220m) to sanction a departure.

Lauded as “the best player in the world” by Real Madrid columnist Kiyan Sobhani, the Brazil international has been one of the driving forces behind his side’s fantastic start to the season, having won nine of their opening ten La Liga matches.

Indeed, the 25-year-old has featured in every game, chipping in with nine goal contributions, but he stole the headlines for different reasons in the El Clasico last time out, having engaged in a heated exchange with Alonso after being substituted.

The most recent outburst, coupled with his reaction to being snubbed, suggests the Rio de Janeiro-born forward may cause problems behind-the-scenes for Pep Guardiola, but there can be no denying he is a top player, excelling across several key metrics over the past year.

Statistic

Average per 90

Non-penalty goals

0.41 (89th percentile)

Assists

0.29 (83rd percentile)

Progressive carries

7.36 (99th percentile)

Successful take-ons

3.0 (97th percentile)

That said, £220m would be a huge fee to shell out on any player, so it may be worth waiting another year to see if Vinicius’ price-tag drops towards the end of his contract.

Vinicius Junior has been named as one of the best wingers in the world Related The Best 15 Wingers in World Football Ranked (2025)

Who is the best wide man in world football right now?

Posts ByCharlie Smith Nov 28, 2025