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Shahid Afridi has joined Karachi Kings as “president”, according to the franchise

Umar Farooq07-Apr-2017

Shahid Afridi has joined Karachi Kings as “president”, according to the franchise. He is likely to feature for the team as a player, too, in the third edition of Pakistan Super League in 2018, though this is yet to be confirmed; the PSL’s trading window ahead of the next edition is yet to open. Last month Afridi had announced on Twitter that he had left Peshawar Zalmi after two years with the franchise.ESPNcricinfo understands that Afridi is likely to be traded between Peshawar and Karachi as part of the formalities later this year. For now, Karachi Kings owner Salman Iqbal confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Afridi had joined his franchise as president.Afridi had tweeted on March 25 that he was “announcing my end of service as president & player of Peshawar Zalmi Team due to my personal reasons”. He said it was “time for another” team. Following his tweets, Peshawar’s owner, Javed Afridi, told ESPNcricinfo that he was “clueless” in the matter. Later, it was learnt that Afridi had parted ways from the franchise over disagreements with the owner.”There are things that I don’t want to bring in media but Javed’s vision has changed with the time,” Afridi said on a TV show on Geo News. “I don’t want to become a hindrance to Javed’s goal and vision, because I have my own foundation and a lot of other things. So I can not fullfil his commitments and want to focus on my things as well. I wanted to announce it after the PSL final, but I had couple of commitments with Zalmi, so I waited for the right time.”Afridi, who is based in Karachi but was born in Khyber Agency, had talked about the importance of Peshawar Zalmi to his local region, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a day before his Twitter announcment. “We have not created the Peshawar Zalmi team to play just a month’s cricket in the PSL and then sit at home,” Afridi had said. “Our work goes beyond the cricket field and we want to change the lives of the underprivileged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”Peshawar Zalmi won the PSL title in 2017, defeating Quetta Gladiators in the final held at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Afridi had missed the final with a finger injury that he picked up during the playoffs in the UAE. In all, in ten matches in PSL 2017, he had scored 177 runs at 25.28 with a strike rate of 173.52, and taken two wickets with an economy rate of 6.75. He had captained the franchise in the inaugural edition of the tournament, before handing over to Darren Sammy this year.

Manchester United remain interested in signing AS Monaco defender Axel Disasi this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.

What’s the latest Man United transfer news?

The Red Devils and Erik ten Hag appear to be after a new defender this summer, with Harry Maguire’s future up in the air. The England international is attracting interest from Aston Villa, Newcastle and Tottenham, and should he depart, United would be left with just three senior centre-back options.

Napoli’s Kim min-jae appeared to be the top target at Old Trafford, and a deal looked like it was gathering real pace, however, it now seems as if the South Korea will make the move to Bayern Munich.

Should that be the case, a swoop for Disasi could be on the cards, according to Romano. The transfer expert took to Twitter in the last 48 hours to share a Red Devils transfer update. He stated that Man United remain interested in the Monaco defender, while Nice’s Jean Clair Todibo is another option.

“Axel Disasi remains concrete name in the list at Manchester United in case Kim Min-jae will end up joining Bayern as expected [next week will be crucial for Kim deal].

“Man Utd also sent their scouts to follow Jean Clair Todibo multiple times — no decision made yet.”

Who is Axel Disasi?

Disasi is primarily a centre-back but can also turn out as a right-back so would bring plenty of versatility to Ten Hag’s side, should a transfer materialise.

The 25-year-old appears to be at the peak of his powers with a career-high €25m Transfermarkt valuation and has been on the books with Monaco since 2020.

During that time, the 6ft 2 France international has made 129 appearances for the Ligue 1 side – 49 of which came during the 2022/23 campaign.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig described Disasi back in 2020 as a “complete” and “dominant” centre-back, comparing him to Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk. Kulig labelled his pace, tackling, heading, athleticism, tenacity, timing as his main strengths, saying he “would be an amazing signing for any top Premier League club”.

As per WhoScored, Disasi averaged a match rating of 6.83/10 last season, a better score than Man United’s Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Maguire, and on the ball, he looks comfortable, ranking in the 96th percentile for progressive carries and passes into the final third, as per FBref.

Therefore, he could be a shrewd alternative target to someone like Kim, and by the looks of it, an Old Trafford transfer could be one to watch over the coming months.

Leeds United centre-back Diego Llorente could join Roma permanently during the summer transfer window, according to a new update.

How has Llorente fared this season?

The Spaniard moved to the Serie A giants back in January, having been allowed to leave the Whites on a temporary basis by then-manager Jesse Marsch. The £45,000-a-week defender hasn't necessarily been a key man there, however, featuring in only eight league matches, with just five of those appearances being starts.

In Wednesday's Europa League final defeat to Sevilla on penalties, Llorente was only used as a substitute in extra-time, with Jose Mourinho clearly not seeing him as a key starter throughout the campaign. Despite this, he has still done a solid enough job when called upon, averaging 2.1 clearances and 1.3 interceptions per game.

The Leeds man isn't out of contract at Elland Road until the summer of 2026, but with the Whites now relegated to the Championship, it looks almost impossible that he will stay put.

Could Llorente join Roma permanently?

According to Corriere dello Sport [via Sport Witness], Roma are actually keen on the idea of making Llorente's move a permanent one, having seen enough positives from his loan spell. There is an €18m (£15.5m) buy clause in his temporary deal that can ne triggering, and the Giallorossi are considering it.

They will only sign the 29-year-old "under certain conditions", though, meaning they will likely not be willing to pay the aforementioned amount in the clause.

In truth, it is hard for Leeds to expect Llorente to stay at the club next season, considering they will be plying their trade in the second tier. Ideally, he could continue as a Whites player, but he is a 10-time capped Spain international, and he surely won't be without offers, even if Roma end up choosing not to sign him.

He has been hailed as "heroic" for Roma by BT Sport commentator Dave Farrar, following one huge tackle against Lazio in the Rome derby earlier this season, and he could be an effective permanent signing for them, providing experience and quality for a number of years to come.

Should Llorente suddenly decide to commit himself to Leeds and help them make a swift return to the Premier League, it would certainly make him adored among the fanbase, but it is hard to begrudge him a move away for good, especially at this point in his career.

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza has said the quick fall of Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman – the set batsmen – cost the side in a chase of 196 in Mount Maunganui

Mohammad Isam06-Jan-2017

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza has said the quick fall of Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman – the set batsmen – cost the side in a chase of 196 in Mount Maunganui. Sarkar and Sabbir added 68 off 40 balls for the fourth wicket before both batsmen exited in a space of 10 balls. The double-strike triggered another Bangladesh collapse, this time they lost their last seven wickets for 44 runs and lurched to a 47-run defeat.”We were hopeful after they made 195,” Mashrafe said. “We were batting positively after losing three early wickets. We were on course to the target but lost the last seven wickets far too quickly.”They [New Zealand] made 15 extra runs at this ground where 180 is a par score. We had two set batsmen chasing well. So when they got out, the match got out of our reach. We did create chances with the ball by taking three early wickets but we didn’t attack with the wind and then defend when the batsmen were hitting down wind.”Although Sarkar’s wicket contributed to the slide, he briefly found form with 39 off 26 balls, including three fours and two sixes, after scores of 0 and 1 in his last two innings. In fact, it was Sarkar’s first 30-plus score in international cricket since March last year. Mashrafe termed Sarkar’s effort as a “positive sign” but rued the lost opportunity.”He [Sarkar] is back in runs after some time, so he must also be feeling better,” Mashrafe said. “But he lost an opportunity to make a big score. It would have helped us because he was playing their pace well.”While Bangladesh struggled to come to come to terms with the wind, Colin Munro used it an ally to hammer seven sixes during his 52-ball century.”Munro didn’t start off with his shots early because they had lost three early wickets,” Mashrafe said. “Munro was constantly targeting to hit down wind. We couldn’t stop him from doing that. We knew his style of batting. He got out off the first ball in the last game. We failed to take advantage of the opportunity we created ourselves. I don’t think it has anything to do with Munro or anyone. We have the ability to keep creating opportunities but we should capitalise on it.”

Newcastle United cannot be discounted in the potential race to sign Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane ahead of the summer window.

How much would Harry Kane cost?

Eddie Howe's side face a big clash on the weekend against the England captain and his north London side with the Lilywhites attempting to close the gap on the top four.

And the future of the 29-year-old remains up for debate ahead of the summer transfer window with a number of clubs believed to be showing an interest.

Spurs are also still keen to tie their all-time record goalscorer down to a new deal with the upcoming summer marking the final year on his current deal.

However, the issues in north London could potentially see the striker seek a move as he did back in 2021 when Manchester City came calling.

With Manchester United believed to be interested in the striker, insider Graeme Bailey has mooted the Toon as a potential landing spot in the summer.

Indeed, speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast, Bailey noted the owners' long-standing interest in potentially making a huge statement with the possible signing of England's captain:

(31:45) "This is the one player, guys, if you remember going back 18 months to when Eddie Howe was appointed, Harry Kane was the one who Newcastle always highlighted as being their marquee number nine signing.

"He hasn't been linked again but I wouldn't rule [them out]. You see Newcastle starting to have little conversations – we're going to talk about another player coming up – I wouldn't discount them making a little sneaky offer for Harry Kane. I wouldn't discount them"

Would Kane be a good fit for Newcastle?

The £200k-per-week Spurs striker is perhaps the only reason the north London side are going into this weekend's clash on Tyneside with even a glimmer of hope of playing Champions League football next season.

Only Erling Haaland has outscored Kane this season with the 29-year-old having provided an impressive return of 23 goals in the league and has more than doubled the tally of the next-highest scorer at Spurs.

Journalist Alasdair Gold has hailed Kane as a "machine" in the past and that is certainly the case as he chases down Alan Shearer's all-time Premier League goals record.

However, would he fit the current set-up at Newcastle?

Alexander Isak has begun to establish himself as the main man in Howe's attack having netted eight Premier League goals in just 906 minutes (via Transfermarkt).

In that sense, a potential arrival for Kane could cause a huge disruption in Howe's squad with their current record signing likely to be shifted out wide where he has played sporadically in the past.

Goals aside, Kane has provided Tottenham with a real creative outlet over recent years and that can be seen through his return of 3.57 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes – significantly higher than Isak's 2.13 (via FBref).

But with the north London side expected to be looking for in excess of £100m for Kane, could this be money spent better elsewhere when they seemingly already have a promising long-term option up top?

Ian Bell’s excellent 67 steered the Birmingham Bears to a thrilling four wicket victory off the final ball of the NatWest Blast T20 match against the Derbyshire Falcons at Derby

ECB Reporters Network17-Jun-2016
ScorecardIan Bell set up a last-ball victory•Getty Images

Ian Bell’s excellent 67 steered the Birmingham Bears to a thrilling four wicket victory off the final ball of the NatWest Blast T20 match against the Derbyshire Falcons at Derby.The Bears appeared to be coasting in pursuit of the Falcons 141 for 7 when Bell was leading the chase but his dismissal in the 19th over left the game in the balance and it needed a four from Ateeq Javid off the last ball to deny the home side.Derbyshire’s new head coach John Sadler, whose appointment for the rest of the season was confirmed before the game, said: “It’s disappointing but that’s T20 cricket and we did well to get back in the game.”Former Derbyshire captain Rikki Clarke had taken 2 for 17 off four overs as the Falcons struggled in the first part of their innings before Wayne Madsen with 38 from 34 balls and some late blows from Shiv Thakor took them to a challenging score on a slow pitch.The Falcons innings began with Clarke striking Billy Godleman on the helmet with the first ball before the opener pulled Oliver Hannon-Dolby to deep midwicket.John Sadler, Derbyshire head coach•Getty Images

Chesney Hughes pulled Clarke for six but two balls later drove low to mid off where Bell took a good catch and Clarke struck again when Neil Broom top-edged a pull to cover in the fifth over.The accuracy of the Bears attack restricted the Falcons to 58 for 3 at the halfway point and Madsen responded by lifting Jetan Patel over midwicket for six before pulling Mark Adair just past the diving Chris Woakes for four.Madsen dispatched another short ball from Patel for six but Hamish Rutherford was lbw in the same over for 33 from 31 balls when he tried to work the off-spinner behind square.Adair ended Madsen’s innings when a top-edged pull landed in the gloves of Luke Ronchi and although Jimmy Neesham drove the next ball high into the stands, he edged a drive in the next over and was well caught by Ronchi diving low to his left.Thakor gave the innings a late flourish by pulling Hannon-Dolby and Woakes for sixes in an unbeaten 20 from 13 balls as 26 came from the last two overs to give the Falcons a respectable total.But Bell and Sam Hain gave the Bears an excellent start by taking 44 from the first five overs with Bell taking three fours off consecutive balls from Thakor.Bell drove Matt Critchley over long on for six but the leg-spinner struck three balls later when Hain sliced a drive to cover although after 10 overs, the Bears were well placed at 73 for 1.Alex Hughes should have removed Bell on 42 but Broom at deep midwicket spilled the catch diving forward and he completed his 50 from 39 balls before Laurie Evans became the latest batsman to top-edge a pull.Bell drove Andy Carter for six but Ronchi drove Alex Hughes to long off in the 18th over and Bell holed out to long on in the next to give the Falcons a chance of victory with the Bears needingAaron Thomason scooped Neesham to square leg and although the next ball shot through for four byes, Woakes was run out going for a second off the penultimate ball but Javid’s drive beat the bowler’s despairing dive to clinch victory.

India finally find themselves in the possession of a luxury they have craved for some time now – a settled combination topped up by a bunch of all-rounders. The presence of like-for-like replacements in the squad is exactly what captain MS Dhoni desires as India head into the World T20. But the inevitable upshot of such squad dynamics is that a few players are not going to play even a single game in the tournament.In the Indian context it is hard to see how Ajinkya Rahane and Harbhajan Singh can force themselves into the first XI. For Rahane to get a look in, one of the openers – Shikhar Dhawan or Rohit Sharma – would either have to be injured or suffer a sudden form slump. The team’s batting order is so well grooved that it can’t accommodate him in the middle order.

Want to be like Kallis – Pandya

India allrounder Hardik Pandya has said he wants to play a role similar to the one former allrounder Jacques Kallis played for South Africa. The 22-year-old allrounder, who made his international debut against Australia earlier this year, said he wants to emulate Kallis’ impact.
“Big things start with the dream only. This was the dream. Yes, it’s fulfilling. I want to be like Jacques Kallis. What he has done for Proteas in batting and bowling. I want to do the same thing for India,” Pandya said during a media session in Kolkata.
Pandya, who first came to the fore as an allrounder for Mumbai Indians, said the Indian Premier League had changed his life.
“IPL has changed my life big time,” he said. “Same time last year, I had posted a photo saying that I was sold to Mumbai Indians for Rs 10 lakh. This year on same day, I won the Asia Cup. Just imagine playing for the national team within a year and winning the Asia Cup. The journey has been quite amazing.”
Pandya said he was eager to repay the faith India captain MS Dhoni had shown in his batting abilities. One such instance was the second T20I in the home series against Sri Lanka last month, when Pandya was promoted to No. 5, ahead of Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, and smacked a 12-ball 27.
“When you see your captain promoting you ahead of big names, [it] is really a good thing. It helps a lot. I quite like the faith he is showing. I want to contribute as many times as I can. I don’t take pressure [on myself],” he said.

Harbhajan, similarly, would find it hard to dislodge the team’s frontline spin options, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. He would have reason to feel hard done by given that his recent performances have been impressive; he picked up nine wickets from five games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali domestic T20 tournament. While India have played 11 T20Is since January, Harbhajan got his solitary opportunity against UAE in the Asia Cup where he returned figures of 4-1-11-1.Rahane, on the other hand, has had luckier circumstances: he got to play the entire Sri Lanka series with Virat Kohli being rested and turned out against Pakistan in the Asia Cup after Shikhar Dhawan was out with a niggle. However, he hasn’t really pushed his case with a tally of 51 runs from four games.What has helped India’s cause though is neither Harbhajan nor Rahane has appeared to harbour any feelings of negativity or frustration. Instead, both the players have sought to derive happiness from contributing to the team in some form, be it mentoring, sharing ideas or running drinks. Rahane insisted there was no need for him to feel disappointed.”For me, even if I am not in the XI, it’s important to be of some help to the team. I think kisi ko paani pilaana bhi bahut badi cheez hoti hai [even carrying drinks for someone is a very important thing],” Rahane said at a media interaction in Kolkata on Tuesday. “If you do anything from your mind, whether you are in the XI or not, if you are offering drinks or helping someone by being the 12th man it’s of some value to the country.”Getting the team combination right is the best priority. I am quite happy that the ones who have got opportunity have done well. It only gets difficult [to deal with being dropped] when you don’t prepare but if I prepare well and practice with purpose I am sure I will do well when I get the opportunity. “Harbhajan said he gained satisfaction from sharing his knowledge, and that a receptive bunch of team-mates made the process even better.”It’s important to share your knowledge. If you don’t, you haven’t done much in your life,” he said. “If my seniors have helped me to become the player I have become then it’s important to share my knowledge on what to do in different situations, not just on the field but off the field.”Guys like me understood many things late; I would get angry a lot but with time we all learn. So I share my knowledge even when I am not playing. If someone is looking to do something as a bowler help him out with things he wants to achieve in the net sessions. Luckily this team has those sort of guys who are good listeners. They believe in sharing thoughts.”A naturally introverted person like Rahane has found his voice in team-meetings. He attributed that to the enhanced confidence level gained from constantly working on his game.”Whoever is playing now I try to learn from them about their shot-selection in different conditions,” he said. “In Bangladesh, the ball was moving around quite a bit initially, and I was noticing how our openers and also the batsmen in the opposition were playing. Specifically how Rohit took some time initially but after 10 overs began opening out. It’s about how quickly you analyse a situation and adjust mentally that’s most important.”My wife told me many times that I need to talk a little more. My nature is such that, even during the days I used to practice karate, I was very shy. Sometimes you end up not saying things that are right and which ought to be said that also you don’t end up speaking. I think it’s important to speak for yourself. We all speak in team meetings and it is very important to speak your mind and if what you say helps the team it is important. Like you said my confidence has also improved and because of that you express your mind better.”Harbhajan said two things, faith and satisfaction, played a huge part in him keeping pace with youngsters. He even has the word ‘faith’ tattooed on his hand to reinforce the message.”I have done one and only thing – I have worked really hard on my fitness which has kept me going,” he said. “If I have to compete with a 25-year-old then I have to have the same sort of fitness. You need to have the will along with the skill. If the will is big enough you can achieve anything.”Playing for India satisfies me the most and playing anywhere gives me pleasure. This is a very important part of my life. Till the time I can play I must play, whether it is 40 or 45 or 50. I don’t know anything else other than playing. [The tattoo refers to] faith in God, faith in your ability, faith in everything you do. There is a reason behind your working hard.”

Tottenham Hotspur right-back Emerson Royal missed the game on Saturday against Nottingham Forest after struggling with a knee injury.

Why didn't Emerson Royal play against Forest?

Since the arrival of Pedro Porro in January, the Brazilian right-back has impressed massively for the Lilywhites and has kept ahold of the starting spot for the majority of the games since.

However, he was not included in the game on the weekend as Spurs took all three points against Forest as Porro starting at right wing-back.

Emerson did play 70 minutes on Wednesday night as AC Milan knocked the Londoners out of the Champions League with their 1-0 aggregate victory.

And speaking on his YouTube channel, Alasdair Gold has claimed the Brazilian's injury issue is to do with his knee and is something which continues to flare up:

(52:20) "Emerson's got a little, he's got this problem in his knee that kind of keeps flaring up at the moment, occasionally, so obviously Porro got his chance again."

What does this mean for Porro's game time?

As aforementioned, since arriving in north London, Porro has not exactly had a smooth transition into life in the Premier League as he shared the minutes with Emerson.

But he has started the last two Premier League games now for Spurs and his performances have continued to develop after he made an impression coming on against Milan.

And he did so again on the weekend as he grabbed his first assist for the club with a superb cross which Harry Kane was able to head home.

Gold awarded the Spaniard with an 8/10 rating for his display in the game on Saturday as he played a role in all three of the goals for the hosts.

With Emerson struggling with an ongoing issue, this feels like the perfect opportunity for Porro to nail down some consistent displays for Spurs in the starting XI.

Because Emerson's displays have been so impressive recently it has felt perhaps a little unfair to dislodge him from the team just because of Porro's arrival.

But at the end of the day, Porro is a big-money signing for Spurs and fans will want to see him on the pitch as well as Antonio Conte who will have likely been crying out for a natural right wing-back in January.

There is definitely room for improvement in his game having lost possession 22 times and been dribbled past on five occasions (via SofaScore).

However, it does seem as if he could be set to be handed some back-to-back starts in the league if Emerson's issue is something Spurs want to treat with caution.

In the 'Match For Hope' charity game on Friday, influencer IShowSpeed went too far with a horror tackle on Brazilian legend Ricardo Kaka.

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Match For Hope charity game being playedSpeed commits horror tackle on KakaInfluencer goes too far with challengeWHAT HAPPENED?

In the 2024 edition of the 'Match For Hope', featuring the likes of Eden Hazard, Roberto Carlos, Didier Drogba, Claude Makelele, Tim Cahill and David Villa among others – as well as creators in the industry – one influencer went too far!

Social media personality IShowSpeed was trailing Ballon d'Or winner Ricardo Kaka and slid in behind him studs up, taking down the Brazilian.

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Speed was handed a yellow card for the foul, much to his dismay, but Kaka appeared to be all right despite the shocking tackle.

The charity match, taking place at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Qatar, saw social media influencers Chunkz and Aboflah captain each respective side with superstars on each side. All profit obtained from the match will go to the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, supporting out-of-school children around the world.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR KAKA AND SPEED?

The 2007 Ballon d'Or winner will continue enjoying his retirement from the professional game, while making unique cameos like these when available. Speed, meanwhile, will continue producing content and influencing on social media.

Sheffield United may not be the biggest club in Yorkshire but they certainly boast a notable number of celebrity supporters. It’s a club that generates local passion, after all – and that’s seen in those who grew up there.

Athletes, actors, musicians, and one Argentinian footballer all feature on a list of those struck by the Blades. Here is our pick of the bunch for Sheffield United’s most famous supporters.

8 Juan Sebastián Verón

Let’s get the strangest one out of the way first. Former Argentina international Juan Sebastián Verón was a Sheffield United fan in childhood and openly admitted wanting to play for them.

There’s a good reason for it, too. Verón’s uncle, Pedro Verde, spent time there at the tail-end of his career and it sparked interest in the young footballer-to-be.

“I was a fan of Sheffield United but I sadly never had the chance to play for them, but I would have wanted to!” Verón went on to say. Oh what could have been…

7 Jessica Ennis-Hill

An Olympic champion and a three-time World champion – Jessica Ennis-Hill is one of the most successful individual athletes to come out of Britain in recent years. She’s also born and raised in Sheffield.

Ennis-Hill is a Blades fan, too, and even had a stand named after her post-Olympic gold. However, that did change in 2015 when it was instead named after a sponsor.

6 Kell Brook

Sticking on the wildly successful athlete theme, Kell Brook is a Sheffield native who went on to hold the IBF Welterweight title for nearly three years between 2014 and 2017.

Brook is a lifelong fan of the Blades, as with just about everyone on this list, and even fought at Bramall Lane back in 2017.

“I’ve imagined this for weeks and I’ve dreamt about this since being a young kid,” he said ahead of that fight.

“I never thought I’d see a boxing ring on the pitch at Bramall Lane, but I’m ready and I’m determined and I’m excited. I’ve got a lot of memories of watching the Blades, my uncle used to throw me up in the air when we scored and at the weekend I want to be throwing my belt above my head once again.”

5 Joe Elliott

Joe Elliott, as the lead singer of Def Leppard, is in the discussion for the most successful person on this list. The band was formed in Sheffield back in 1976. Elliott is from the city and has called United his team all his life.

Sheffield has had more than their fair share of world-renowned music acts and Def Leppard are arguably the biggest. That other group that has an argument are all Wednesday fans, if you’re wondering.

4 Paul Heaton

Paul Heaton was born on the Wirral but moved to Sheffield when he was very young. He and his brothers all struck up an interest in football but while they all went with Wednesday, Paul followed United.

Heaton would go on to form the Housemartins and The Beautiful South, with massive success in the ’80s and early ’90s. And in terms of Blades fans, he might be one of the biggest on this list.

3 Joe Root

Former England Test Cricket captain Joe Root is another from Sheffield and has made no secret of his love for United. In fact, Root has appeared on the club’s social media channels several times, while one of the first interviews he gave after receiving the captaincy was at Bramall Lane.

His support runs through the family, too, it seems. “I’ve always been a Blade,” Root told the Athletic in 2020. “There were three generations of Roots there when I watched my first game. Myself and my brother, dad and grandad.”

Root, of course, will go down as an all-time great Test batsman – yet one more wildly successful name on this list, then.

2 Michael Palin

Michael Palin might be a bit of a controversial one on this list as he’s very openly talked about also wanting Wednesday to do well. The comedy legend is from Sheffield and grew up supporting the Blades – but he’s a little bit more about the city doing well than his club.

Here’s what he told When Saturday Comes back in 2000:

“United were the club I supported when I was growing up, mainly because their ground was the nearest to our house. I used to see Wednesday supp­orters as a different type of person, just… deeply dis­turbed. But then I was always excited when either club was involved in a big game and Wednesday tended to be involved in bigger games. When I first came to London, it was 1966 and Wednesday were in the Cup final, so I couldn’t say I wasn’t interested because they were from my city. Eric Idle was a big Chelsea fan and I used to go there to see either Sheffield team play. I found myself being sucked in as a sort of associate Wednesday fan, though I would have been disem­boweled in Sheffield if they’d known that.”

Fans can make their own minds up whether they’re accepting that one or not.

1 Sean Bean

We thought we’d save the most famous Sheffield United fan until last. Sean Bean isn’t just the most famous person on this list, after all, but he’s also incredibly public with his love for them.

Bean has tattooed his support on his shoulder, while he’s also competed in charity matches and above all, served on the club’s board in the 2000s. He als, chewed-out manager Neil Warnock after the club were relegated from the Premier League back in 2007 – though, Bean claims this wasn’t as aggressive as the manager claimed in his book.

“Yes, I was looking for him after we were relegated – and I wasn’t the only one,” he said, per the Mirror. “We were all devastated. But I didn’t storm into Warnock’s office and confront his wife as he claims in his book. I was outside in the corridor when I told her what I thought of him.

“What I didn’t know was that his kid was behind the door and when someone pointed that out to me, I immediately apologised.”