Continued from Pt 4
SPORTS
TOP 5 REMARKABLE STORIES THAT STUNNED SPORT FANS IN 2021.
The year 2021, proved to be a very eventful year in the world of sports as it gave us the good, the bad and the ugly. A quick run-down through some of the most memorable moments will show us that. However, we have picked the five moments which stood out for us.
EMMA RADUCANU, US OPEN CHAMPION AT 18
Going into the US open as a wild card who had to play in the qualifiers so as to book a place in her first ever grand slam while being ranked no. 150 by the world women’s tennis association(WTA) player ratings; Emma Raducanu, an 18-year-old, female, British, professional tennis player certainly had no idea she would be leaving the tournament a champion as well as the British No. 1, and go on to be ranked No. 19 by the Women’s Tennis association(WTA).
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Prior to her appearance in the US open, Raducanu had only three months of fully professional experience. She had only previously alternated between junior and professional tournaments in 2018 and 2019. However, on the 11th of September, 2021, at 18 years and 239 days old she won the US open after beating Leylah Fernandes of Canada, 6-4, 6-3, to become the first British woman to win a Grand Slam singles title since Virginia Wade in the 1977 Wimbledon Championships and also the youngest grand slam champion since Maria Sharapova in 2004.
RONALDO AND MESSI MOVEMENTS
Lionel Messi was not just a Barcelona player but also arguably their most valuable player until the 2021summer transfer window. He had spent a prolonged playing career at Barcelona after joining the academy at age thirteen. Now thirty-four, lionel Messi had spent a total of twenty one years at Barcelona and won an array of recognitions ranging from trophies and personal accolades including six balon d’or titles (now seven) at the time.
He is also Barcelona’s most capped player of all time as well as their all-time highest goal scorer with 778 caps and 672 goals respectively to his name. It can therefore be said that he is unarguably a Barcelona legend.
It came as a shock when speculations began linking him to a move away from the Camp Nou. As expected, considering his achievements with Barcelona, a move away was unexpected and seemingly impossible. However, the situation of a financial crisis at Barcelona combined with La Liga’s unwillingness to relax their strict salary limits soon became public knowledge and the realities of Lionel Messi’s possible move away from Barcelona dawned on sports fans all over the world.
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On Sunday, 8th of August, 2021, it was confirmed in an emotional press conference held by Lionel Messi, live at the camp Nou, that he had made the shock move to Paris Saint German. As far as transfers go, this must be most unexpected.
The footballing world, however, wasn’t prepared for what was to hit it. It thought it had seen the most of what could possibly happen in a single transfer season hence no one was prepared when barely a few weeks into the shocking move of Lionel Messi, Portuguese star and five time balon d’or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo was in the news.
Having 134 caps for Italian topflight club, Juventus, and being their highest goal scorer of the past season with 36 goals as well as 101 goals in total for the old ladies, it looked like he was in a comfortable place. However, a few days to the end of the transfer window, he was linked to a move to Manchester city, archrivals of his beloved Manchester United side.
The world of football was thrown into another frenzy, questions began flying; considering his affiliations with Manchester united and his coach turned father, Alex Ferguson. Will a move to their archrivals pull through? The questions were answered when, on the 27th day of August 2021, he was instead signing for Manchester united, where he won his first balon d’or.
EURO SHOCKER: ERIKSEN COLLAPSE, ITALY WIN
When the 2021 European tournament began, no one expected that on the 12th of June, 2021, while Denmark played their Euro 2020 opening game against Finland at Parken Stadium, that the Danish star, Christian Eriksen, would collapse suddenly to the ground and remain unmoving, but that was to be.
Christian Eriksen, In the 42nd minute of the game against Finland, stumbled and dropped to the ground, where he lay motionless. It called for immediate concern seeing as there was no player close to him and he hadn’t been in contact with any player nor was he with the ball when he fell to the ground. Thanks to the prompt intervention from the Danish goalkeeper, Casper Schmeichel; the Danish captain, Simon Kjaer; the referee, Anthony Taylor; the paramedics on ground as well as other players on the pitch, Eriksen was revived with a defibrillator after his heart stopped.
Christian Eriksen had never been diagnosed with any heart issue prior to his collapse. However, he was said to have experienced a cardiac arrest while on the field of play. It was a scary moment for sports fans all over the world.
The game was stopped until both teams decided to continue the game and although Denmark lost that match, they went on to the knockout stage of the tournament and went on to reach the semi- finals of the tournament. Although they lost on penalties to a star-studded English side, it already felt like a win for them and the world at large considering that Cristian Eriksen survived the scare.
MESSI FINALLY WINS WITH ARGENTINA
Lionel Messi has always been in the debate of being the greatest football player of all time. Having won the best player in the world more than any other player, there was still a caveat to that assumption; he hadn’t won any international trophy with his country, Argentina. That however turned around when he lifted the COPA America as the skipper of the Argentine national team. The debate has now taken a different turn since winning the COPA America and having international silverware to his name. He further went ahead to win the 2021 balon d’or which places him on a record seven balon d’or, two more than his closest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.
SILENT OLYMPICS HOLD LATE
The Tokyo Olympics originally scheduled to hold in 2020 was put on hold after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. It got moved to 2021due to the Covid-19 pandemic which broke out early in 2020. Although it eventually held between the 23rd of July and the 8th of Aug 2021, for the first time ever, the Olympics event was without the spectators.
Since athletes were required to stay in a protective ball during the tournament and spectators were not allowed into game venues due to Covid-19 restrictions, the usual pomp and pageantry associated with the Olympics were clearly absent.
To be continued..
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK