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The 18-year-old was officially presented as a Real Madrid player on Friday and here, Goal looks at the biggest teenage talents to emerge from Brazil

Getty ImagesPele

Considered by most as Brazil's greatest ever player and by many as the finest footballer of all time, Pele was a World Cup winner at the age of 17 in 1958, having made his debut for Santos as a 15-year-old in 1956.

went on to score over 1,000 goals in his career, spent mostly with Santos before a short stint in the USA with the New York Cosmos. He is the only player to have won three World Cups and is still Brazil's top scorer with 77 goals from his 92 games.

AdvertisementGettyZico

Such was Zico's talent that the Flamengo forward was nicknamed "the white Pele" in his homeland. And although he never won a World Cup with Brazil, he is still regarded as one of the finest footballers ever produced by the South American nation.

Zico made his Flamengo debut as an 18-year-old and would go on to score over 400 goals for the Rio de Janeiro side, most of those in the first of two spells either side of a two-season stint with Udinese. He finished his career with Kashima Antlers in Japan and scored 48 goals for Brazil.

gettyRomario

Romario started his career with Vasco da Gama in Rio, initially just as a fan and later as a professional once he had made his debut just days after his 19th birthday. At the age of 22, he then moved to PSV Eindhoven and later to Barcelona.

Short in stature, the striker was famous for his lobbed goals in a spectacular career which saw him play until beyond his 40th birthday. He won the World Cup in 1994 with Brazil and hit 55 goals in 70 games for the Selecao overall.

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GettyRonaldo

Ronaldo made his debut for Cruzeiro at just 16 years of age and after an impressive year, he followed a similar path to Romario as he joined PSV Eindhoven and then Barcelona, before moving to Inter and Real Madrid later in his career.

Part of the 1994 World Cup-winning squad with Brazil, did not feature that year, but played in two finals and claimed the trophy as the star in 2002. He scored 62 goals in 98 games for the Selecao and despite suffering a number of injuries, is among the nation's best-ever players.

Anya Shrubsole, the right-arm medium pacer, has been named England Women’s player of the year for the first time after leading the attack through what has been a difficult year for the team

ESPNcricinfo staff16-May-2016Anya Shrubsole, the right-arm medium pacer, has been named England Women’s player of the year for the first time after leading the attack through what has been a difficult year for the team.Meanwhile, an award voted for by the fans went to the recently retired Charlotte Edwards.Shrubsole, 24, took 32 wickets across three formats including 4 for 63 in the Women’s Ashes Test where she removed Australia’s top order, 4 for 11 against Australia in a T20I in Cardiff and a four-wicket haul against South Africa in an ODI in Benoni. It follows her award at the end of the previous season in September as England’s player of the summer.Since then, she has taken seven wickets in a three-match away ODI series against South Africa, five in the T20Is that followed, and seven scalps in five games at the Women’s World T20 in India.Following the retirement of Edwards last week, after she was told that there would be a change of captain and no place for her in the side in the near future, as well as the potential unavailability of Sarah Taylor, Shrubsole will be an increasingly senior figure in the team this season as they enter a rebuilding phase ahead of the 2017 Women’s World Cup in England.Shrubsole made her England debut in 2008 and has played 34 ODIs and 47 T20 internationals alongside four Tests.

Barcelona are hoping to keep Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix at Camp Nou, but permanent transfers for the pair will cost around €105 million (£92m/$113m).

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Portuguese pair joined in summer of 2023Due to spend the season at Camp NouPermanent deals will be sought in 2024WHAT HAPPENED?

The reigning La Liga champions put loan agreements in place for the Portugal internationals during the summer window. Versatile defender Cancelo arrived from Premier League giants Manchester City, while Felix made a “dream” move from domestic rivals Atletico Madrid.

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Felix has only netted once in his last 10 games, while questions have been asked of Cancelo as Barca continue to leak goals, but sporting director Deco says the club want to keep both men on board – despite their reported fees coming in at €25m (£22m/$27m) and €80m (£70m/$86m) respectively. Deco has told : “We are still in November, it is early. But of course we are already thinking about it. We see how the season is going. There is no doubt that we want to have them next season, because they are good for the squad. We are happy with their performance. How? We’ll see, these are discussions for later.”

WHAT THEY SAID

While looking ahead to next summer, Deco has claimed that no business will be done in January – with Vitor Roque set to be the only arrival if his agreed switch from Athletico Paranaense is pushed through ahead of schedule. Deco added to : “When the squad was drawn up, it was intended for the entire year. And that idea has not changed nor will it change regardless of fair play. I don’t think we can make any move in January regardless of what happens with Roque.”

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Barca have faced criticism this season after struggling for consistency in La Liga and Champions League competition, but head coach Xavi retains the full support of the club’s board and the expectation is that a star-studded squad will be reinforced at some point in 2024 – despite much-publicised financial struggles being endured in Catalunya.

In the light of the spot-fixing controversy, the Indian board has decided that all player agents will need to be accredited

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2013The Indian board has outlined its first detailed response to the spot-fixing controversy, which includes an accreditation process for player agents and increased security for teams during the IPL. The plan was announced by BCCI president N Srinivasan after a meeting of its working committee on Sunday, three days after three Rajasthan Royals players were arrested on charges related to corruption in cricket.The BCCI also appointed a commission of an inquiry into the spot-fixing, to be headed by its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) chief Ravi Sawani. He will present his findings to the BCCI’s disciplinary committee, after which the Indian board will decide what action to take on the three players.Srinivasan also said that Rajasthan Royals will file a police complaint against three of their players arrested earlier this week on allegations of spot-fixing. He said the BCCI itself will not press legal charges. “We are advised that the BCCI by itself cannot because they (the players) are contracted to the franchise, the franchise is filing.”In a statement issued by Royals on Sunday, the franchise said they would file FIRs to help the police carry out the investigation. “It is critical that this evil is rooted out of the game, and as such we will be filing FIRs with the Delhi Police. This will ensure that justice is pursued to its most complete end, and that the police is able to appropriately conduct its investigation.”Betting on sports, except horse-racing, is illegal in India and since the controversy broke, there have been demands for legalising betting, but Srinivasan wasn’t sure that would solve the problem. “In other countries they have legalised betting and it has helped control … but I do not know as far as India is concerned.”Srinivasan also acknowledged the limitations of the ACSU in stopping corruption in cricket. “They can’t gather information like police can. They can’t tap phones. They have got a lot of restrictions,” he said. “Not being a police organisation, we are handicapped when it comes to control over bookies.”The BCCI meeting was convened after three cricketers playing in the IPL – Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila – were arrested by Delhi Police for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing. Amit Singh, a former Royals cricketer, was arrested as a bookie.BCCI had suspended the four cricketers, pending enquiry, after the controversy occurred. The three Royals players were arrested on Thursday by Delhi Police for allegedly indulging in spot-fixing during three IPL matches. The Delhi Police also arrested several bookies for their role in the matter.

The unnatural calm that existed between these two teams evaporated in the Adelaide heat when the umpires had to intervene on at least two occasions to separate the squabbling players

Sidharth Monga at Adelaide Oval12-Dec-20141:18

‘Sometimes I cross the line’ – Warner

The unnatural calm that existed between these two teams evaporated in the Adelaide heat when the umpires had to intervene on at least two occasions to separate the squabbling players. David Warner and Virat Kohli were involved in both instances, but as pacifiers in one each. On day three, when Kohli was hit on the helmet, Warner was the first one to walk up to him and check on him.The players lost their cool when Varun Aaron bowled Warner in the middle session on day four. Kohli had already been in the face of Chris Rogers when the opener had been dismissed. Now when Warner got out, both Kohli and Aaron gave him a bit of a send-off. It was the 34th over, Warner had already raced away to 66, and Australia were effectively 1 for 193. The send-off and the celebration didn’t quite look on for the state India were in.However, the umpires checked the replays and found out that Aaron had overstepped. Warner came back all happy and mocking the send-off, shouting “come on, come on”. All hell broke loose. The not-out batsman, Shane Watson, and Shikhar Dhawan got into an altercation even as Kohli was trying to pacify Aaron and Warner. Warner shouted “come on” again as he left alone a delivery. That incensed the Indians some more. And when Warner crossed Aaron while taking a single, more pleasantries were exchanged, including a kiss blown by Warner to Aaron, who just didn’t know how to react at being sledged by a batsman, a reversal of roles to which he didn’t seem accustomed.Later during the day, when Steven Smith had joined Warner, Rohit Sharma appealed for a leg-before when Smith had been miles down the wicket. It was by all accounts just a polite – albeit far-fetched – enquiry to the umpire, Marais Erasmus. Smith gave the Indians an incredulous look and shrugged, which for some reason made Rohit lose his cool. “What? What?” Rohit was heard asking Smith, who just kept smiling until he saw Kohli had left his station at first slip and planted himself mere inches from Smith. Angry words seem to fly until Warner walked all the way up to separate the two.The umpires had to get involved again, and could be seen having a long chat with Kohli, followed by smaller ones during the next few over breaks. The rest of the day went largely incident-free, but it has the potential to sour the spirit in which the first three days were played. Both sides, though, sought to underplay what happened.”I don’t know if the temperature got to 40 degrees-plus, but it was getting to a few people out there,” Warner said of the incidents. “When some decisions don’t go your way, you get bowled off a no-ball, it’s what happens in cricket. They’re always going to come at you and come at you, and you’ve got to learn to bite your tongue a bit, and sometimes we don’t.”Warner hinted at a history between the individuals that might have built up to this. Dhawan, for example, had mocked an injured Watson in an ODI in India last year with a deliberate limp in his walk. “Things happened in the past,” he said. “Things happen in IPL as well. There are a few send-offs here and there. It was the last over of his spell, and he got another one the next over. He bowled pretty well, he bowled tight and he thought he deserved the reward. It is unlucky in cricket that you bowl no-balls.”Asked if all this didn’t quite sit well with a side that had extended immediate concern towards Kohli when he was hit on day three, Warner sought to look at the two incidents as mutually exclusive. “Given the last week and a half it is quite tough when someone gets hit in the head,” Warner said. “You sit back and you hope he is okay. That’s what you have to do. We play the game within the spirit of the game, when we get tough we play tough. That’s getting verbal. But when someone gets hurt you are always going to give him sympathy. You have to.”Ajinkya Rahane, who addressed the press conference on India’s behalf, didn’t see much wrong in what went on. He said it was “part and parcel” of the game when things get “competitive”, and that the umpires did a good job in keeping things quiet.

Sri Lanka coach Marvan Atapattu expressed confidence that Sachithra Senanayake will return successfully to international cricket, after the ICC cleared the spinner’s remodeled action.

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Dec-2014Sri Lanka coach Marvan Atapattu expressed confidence that Sachithra Senanayake will return successfully to international cricket, after the ICC cleared the spinner’s remodelled action.Senanayake, 29, was the team’s top spinner in the first half of 2014, regularly bowling in the Powerplay and at the death, while also posing a menace during the middle overs.His new action – which is said to have a higher release point than before – has served Senanayake well in domestic cricket so far. He has five wickets from three List A games for Sinhalese Sports Club, and was also effective in the Mercantile Cricket Association tournament in August, when he first bowled with his remodelled action.”It’s hard to gauge how effective he is when he hasn’t played international cricket yet,” Atapattu said. “The domestic cricket here is played at a different level. The big challenge is to perform with all the pressures of an international match. I have a lot of faith in Sachithra. Having seen him over the years, I know he’s a tough character, and a player that is well-liked in the team. I trust that he’ll be the same bowler, with a different action.”Senanayake may even play in the fifth ODI on Wednesday, after being drafted into the side after Rangana Herath pulled a hamstring at training on the eve of the match. He was observed closely in the months he was banned from international cricket, with the board devoting significant resources to his remedial work, and eventual redemption.”When he was doing work with his action, we had cameras covering the matches that he played. He was comfortable then, and though I know that it is a different challenge and different pressure bowling on the international stage. But knowing him, I think he’ll be up for it. He was enthusiastic to get back as soon as he can.”Sri Lanka’s World Cup preparation suffered setbacks during Senanayake’s five-month ban. The selectors trialled Suraj Randiv in Senanayake’s place, while the opposition’s Powerplay overs – when Senanayake had routinely bowled – were an area of weakness, particularly in the tour of India. Senanayake was integral to Sri Lanka’s limited-over successes in the first half of 2014, and Atapattu suggested the ban had come at a bad time for the team.”People have questioned the timing of the ban,” he said. “Everyone was preparing their squads for the World Cup, and you need your best spinners in operation in those conditions. It would have been much better if the ban came after the World Cup or much earlier than it did. But if it had to come, it had to come. In our case, we got through it. Our main concern was Sachithra – we’ve got the good news today. We’ll proceed with whatever plans we have.”

Sri Lanka do not have the best of records in Hambantota, but they will need to beat Pakistan – who are minus Younis and Ajmal – on Tuesday to keep the series alive

Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Aug-2014Match factsTuesday, August 26, 2014
Start time 1430 local (0900 GMT)Fawad Alam has scores of 62, 114* and 74 in his three ODIs this year•AFPBig PictureThe locals in Sri Lanka’s southeast had been hoping for heavy rains to rejuvenate their crops and refill their wells. The rain though, has been in Colombo. Hambantota gets extra cricket instead. Given Sri Lanka have now lost three on the trot at the venue, that may not be much of a condolence prize.Sri Lanka is often thought of as a tough team to beat at home, particularly in limited-overs cricket. But since 2006, they have lost seven bilateral ODI series at home to the six they have won. In the last two years, they have also drawn against New Zealand and Bangladesh.Pakistan now have the chance to inflict a successive ODI series loss on the hosts, after South Africa beat them 2-1 last month. Angelo Mathews already has one eye trained on the World Cup, and had said he would experiment with Sri Lanka’s combination in this series. But he will be tempted to shelve those ambitions for now, and pick his strongest team.Pakistan, meanwhile, are out to get silverware out of this tour. They had seemed sunk on Saturday until two batsmen with fewer than 50 ODIs between them put on a partnership worthy of seasoned one-day cricketers. Perhaps the wisest thing about their 147-run stand was that neither batsman seemed keen to rely on Shahid Afridi.Saturday’s was the kind of win that fills a batting unit with confidence. If they can win a chase from five down, 160 adrift and the required rate touching seven an over, they might feel anything is possible. Moreover, Misbah-ul-Haq now seems to have some level-headed company in the middle order. They will be without their other middle-order anchor though, with Younis Khan returning home due to personal reasons. They will also need to make do without ace spinner Saeed Ajmal for one more match, but even without him, the bowling and batting appears to have the depth and variety to deal with whatever the temperamental Hambantota venue serves up on Tuesday.Form guideSri Lanka: LLWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan: WLWWWIn the spotlightUpul Tharanga’s reintroduction to the top teams has been well-earned, but he is still working on locking down a place in both the ODI and Test teams. He top scored in the Test victory at SSC, but the edginess outside off stump that has always been his bane has not yet been fully dealt with. There is now competition for opening spots, across all formats. If Tharanga wants a place in Sri Lanka’s World Cup side, he will need consistent scores.Sohaib Maqsood was the star of Saturday’s chase, but alongside him for much of his innings was Fawad Alam who has begun to carve a niche for himself as the busy engine-room batsman in Pakistan’s middle order. There is nothing eye-catching about Alam’s batting, except an ability to find gaps, and an opportunistic streak that sees him squeeze out runs when most would see none there. He has a bandit’s beard and hairstyle, to match his style of play. Alam has crossed 50 in all his three ODIs this year, and an average of 47.38 after 28 innings suggests Pakistan unearthed something valuable.Teams newsThe only place in Sri Lanka’s top order that does not seem settled is the Dinesh Chandimal-Lahiru Thirimanne spot. Elsewhere, Sri Lanka may be tempted to bring in offspinner Suraj Randiv, if only to prevent Rangana Herath from disintegrating into the molecules that comprise him, given his workload this year.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Lahiru Thirimanne/Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Angelo Mathews (capt), 7 Ashan Priyanjan, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Nuwan Kulasekara 11 Lasith MalingaIn Younis Khan’s absence, Sharjeel Khan and Ahmed Shehzad will open, while Mohammad Hafeez will be pushed down to No.3.Pakistan (probable): 1 Sharjeel Khan, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Umar Akmal (wk), 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Fawad Alam, 7 Sohaib Maqsood, 8 Shahid Afridi, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Mohammad IrfanPitch and conditionsStrong winds are almost always a factor at Hambantota, but the seamers may find something in the pitch under lights as well. Good weather is forecast for the duration of the match.Stats and trivia Sri Lanka have lost five out of the nine completed matches they have played against Full-Member opposition in Hambantota Mathews has had an outstanding year in ODIs as well, averaging 57.27 with the bat, while contributing economical spells with the ball Pakistan have won 11 matches and lost nine against Sri Lanka since 2010Quotes”If one gets going he needs to play well and post a good total for the bowlers to bowl at. We can’t expect all seven to perform well everyday.”

Emma Hayes has warned Chelsea’s rivals that there is even more to come from Sam Kerr, with a Champions League hat-trick hit at “80 per cent”.

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Blues in European action against Paris FCStar forward claimed another match ballWorking her way back to full sharpnessWHAT HAPPENED?

The Australia international has been working her way back from a calf problem that threatened to dash her World Cup dreams on home soil at one stage. Kerr is not yet fully match fit, but the prolific 30-year-old is still too good for most of those that she comes up against – with that point highlighted when claiming the match ball in a 4-1 victory over Paris FC in the Champions League group stage.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT HAYES SAID

Chelsea boss Hayes told reporters afterwards of Kerr having more gears to go through yet: “If that is her at 80 per cent – or whatever the per cent she is – then I’ll take that every week, that is not bad. I can’t wait for the 100 per cent version to come. I said to Paul (Green) in the dressing room before the game, she doesn’t get credit for all the other little bits she does and while she’s not, by her standards, top top yet, I don’t know anyone who puts the ball away like she does. She is so alert, so decisive with her movement. She can make a bad pass a good pass and I think the third goal, the lob, is just brilliant centre forward play.”

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Sophie Ingle was also on target for Chelsea against Paris FC, as she stepped off the bench to complete the scoring in stoppage-time, and Hayes was delighted with the impact made by her substitutes in what is becoming a gruelling schedule for the Blues. She added: “Sophie coming on [in the second half], I thought she brought the calm, composed impact we needed. Same with Maren (Mjelde) and Eve Perisset, Mia (Fishel) getting her first Champions League appearance. Some days, you’ve got to dig it out and need the bench. Today, the bench did their job.”

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Chelsea sit second in Group D, with four points taken from two games, and are top of the WSL after going unbeaten through seven games in domestic competition. They will be hoping to land multiple major honours this season, offering Hayes the perfect send off before she takes the reins with the USWNT.

Stuart Broad has expressed his confidence that he will be fit for the first Test of the Investec Ashes series which starts in front of his home crowd at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

George Dobell04-Jul-2013Stuart Broad has expressed his confidence that he will be fit for the first Test of the Investec Ashes series which starts in front of his home crowd at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.Broad was forced to miss England’s warm-up game against Essex at Chelmsford after sustaining an injury to his right shoulder while diving to regain his ground while batting in the final of the ICCChampions Trophy.He subsequently had a cortisone injection on Monday in an aim to ease the inflammation and pain and returned to some gentle bowling on Wednesday.”I couldn’t be more confident that I will be 100% right,” Broad said. “If the series started today I’d be ready to go. It only really hurt when I got to the top of my bowling action and that was where the swelling was. So I had an anti-inflammatory injection to get rid of the swelling.”How it pulled up two days after the injection was the major part and that was yesterday. I managed to bat and bowl and do some running without any pain, so I am very confident I’ll be fine for TrentBridge.”Broad missed three Tests of the victorious 2010-11 Ashes series after sustaining a side injury and the second half of the successful Test series in India before Christmas due to a heel injury. If fit, he is almost certain to share the new ball for England with James Anderson.

Fakhar Zaman scored 88 to lay the platform for Karachi Zebras to beat Sialkot Stallions by 24 runs at the National Stadium.

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Dec-2013Group IFakhar Zaman scored 88 to lay the platform for Karachi Zebras to beat Sialkot Stallions by 24 runs at the National Stadium. Zaman struck nine fours and three sixes in his 97-ball knock, which propelled Karachi Zebras to 261 for 9 in their 45 overs.Sialkot Stallions were doing reasonably well in their chase, with an opening stand of 74 between Salman Ali and Israr Ali and a 68-ball 93 from captain Mansoor Amjad taking them to 222 for 5. But their last five wickets only added 15, as the team collapsed to 237 all out with 16 balls remaining. Debutant Mohammad Ali was Karachi Zebras’ most successful bowler, picking up three wickets.