Archive May 2, 2025

Manchester City supporters sang Kevin de Bruyne’s name to the Etihad Stadium speakers at full-time on Friday night as the White Stripes performed the song at Seven Nation Army.

The Belgian soaked up the praise by taking the long route around the pitch before heading down the tunnel as the midfielder bids a heartfelt farewell after 11 trophy-laden years at the club.

The 33-year-old will be leaving the city for good when his contract expires in the summer, but he got a second chance to shine in his final game at the Etihad.

De Bruyne scored the only goal in City’s 1-0 victory over Wolves, which could make them eligible for Champions League play next season.

The midfielder claimed last month that he was surprised that no new contracts had been made and that he wanted to make a point about his abilities after the game.

De Bruyne, who is looking at the future, told Sky Sports, “I don’t know about the future, unfortunately.” “I’ve demonstrated that I can still play here; otherwise, I won’t do what I’ve been doing for the past four or five weeks.

Many of my team-mates have spoken to me, and they are also sad that I have to leave. In life, things always go the same way, but I should be doing things the way I should.

When De Bruyne leaves in the summer, he will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.

The former Chelsea and Wolfsburg player has collected 16 impressive trophies from his impressive trophy collection at City.

De Bruyne’s impact on the pitch appears to be diminishing as a result of his injuries, which have all but eliminated him as the pass-master of the past.

He converted a cool cross for Jeremy Doku’s cross to show what he is still capable of.

With six minutes to go, the skipper was given a standing ovation and a pat on the head from Guardiola after being replaced by Phil Foden.

Guardiola thanked Sky Sports for their kind words. His performance against Crystal Palace, when we were 2-0 up, was remembered, and he scored once more today.

We have one more game in the Etihad, and I’m happy that it’s coming to an end.

“I want Kevin to have the best life possible, so we can’t have spent so much time without him.” He has been a fantastic player, but the situation is what it is.

It’s nearly impossible to bring in a replacement for this player. He has been a fan for many, many years, and it is not just the performance. The players are responsible for our success.

Guardiola continued, “The goal was incredibly important for us – it lifted our spirits. I’m pretty sure it is not easy for him.”

On May 20, De Bruyne’s final home game will be against Bournemouth, with away games at Fulham and Southampton to follow.

If City defeat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final at Wembley, he can guarantee a happy ending.

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards speculated that he may still be good enough to play here.

He believes he can still play at the highest level, despite the fact that he may not have the press. He has stated that he is currently playing without injuries.

Your body can’t do what you want, though, and age has gotten hold of you. But he still has a strong football intelligence. He says to the club, “I can still play at this level.”

“I’m speaking as a fan, and I’m a fan of KDB,” I said. He can still do it, but something in me just says “one more year.” Perhaps it’s just a business decision.

Is Richards’ point to be true?

Since turning 30 years old, De Bruyne has scored 30 Premier League goals, with only Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure making the other 41 total.

With 92 goals and 158 assists over the course of nine seasons, he became the first player since Lionel Messi to score 250 goals for Guardiola.

In addition, Wolves will be pleased to see De Bruyne’s back because he has now scored six goals and added five assists in 11 league games for them.

The Belgian has made just 43 Premier League appearances in the past two seasons as a result of a number of injuries, though.

De Bruyne is still “levels above the elite players in the world,” according to Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender.

He still believes he can compete for the top positions in European football. After hearing him speak, it seems like he isn’t ready for that. I originally thought he might travel to Saudi Arabia or America.

He has suffered a lot of injuries and is one of the highest-paid players in football. From a business perspective, it has been difficult to justify awarding him a new deal. He will continue to be a top player, but he won’t play weekly.

Grand Prix of Miami

Miami International Autodrome Location: 2 – 4 May Race start time: 2:00 BST on Sunday

Lewis Hamilton’s struggle following his switch to Ferrari, according to George Russell, is “not nice” to see him struggling.

Despite winning the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix in March, the 40-year-old has generally lagged behind team-mate Charles Leclerc during the season.

Russell, who worked with Hamilton for three years between 2022 and 2024, said he was aware of Hamilton’s dreadful attitude in recent races.

He is a champion, a winner, and a failure, according to Russell. It’s difficult to accept, too. You’d be asking yourself why he’s beaming with a big smile if he was.

I respect him greatly and like him personally. It’s unpleasant to see a person who isn’t enjoying themselves.

In the championship, he is two places and 16 points adrift of Leclerc.

However, Russell claimed that Ferrari’s time-consuming adaptations were “underestimating how challenging Formula 1 is” for Ferrari fans.

Russell said, “Sometimes you can just jump in and it clicks and it’s straightforward.” It sometimes doesn’t click.

Why hasn’t the second seat at Red Bull, along with Max Verstappen, worked out? Because Formula 1 is so difficult,

You’re facing some of the best drivers in the world, and Charles is one of them, in a team he’s been a part of his entire career, and in a car he knows how to maximize.

Russell added that any evaluation of Hamilton should not be taken lightly based on Leclerc’s driving this season.

Russell noted that Charles has also “been a little under the radar” this year. He’s having a fantastic season, he says. He won the Chinese championship race but had a front wing sprained. In Bahrain, he won a super-strong race, and arguably the safety car prevented him from beating me. This season, he could have won three podiums.

You’d be questioning Charles if a driver approaches and immediately puts his pace. “Charles has been doing a mega job.”

Russell continued that it was all psychology, not striving harder, for Hamilton to return to his best. It’s all about how you feel mentally. Driving quickly is challenging if you’re not happy.

Some people are now asking Hamilton if he is past his best due to his difficulties.

He also had a difficult time against Russell in last year’s qualifying, falling 19 to 5 on average in the season-advantage of 0.171 seconds. They each won two races, and Russell placed in the championship standings by 22 points.

Russell said he was unable to identify whether Hamilton was at his best, but that his current situation was comparable to that of his pompous Mercedes, where he won six titles from 2014 to 2014 to 2016.

When you have a car beneath you that is excellent, you don’t feel as pressure, according to Russell. You can still win the race while driving at 98% everywhere.

“Everything is just coming easy,” he said, “and if the guy in the garage, in your own garage, isn’t challenging you. When there is a little more pressure from within or the circumstances change, you only notice those errors creeping in.

Arriving at this weekend’s Grand Prix of Miami, Hamilton drew parallels with his first season with Mercedes back in 2013, after six years with McLaren.

The first six months at Mercedes were challenging for me to adjust to working with new people, he said.

The London Marathon will be held in 2026 in a record-breaking number of people have registered.

Event organisers said more than 1.1 million applications had been received, smashing the previous record of 840, 318 set by last year’s ballot.

The largest day of marathon running ever to take place in the UK was last Sunday when more than 90,000 people ran 26.2 miles across the marathons in London and Manchester.

When you dig into what’s happening, some aspects really stand out:

Believe it or not, the first London Marathon saw a female athlete make up just 4% of the 7, 000 runners up until 1975 when women were prohibited from competing in road races longer than 6 kilometers.

In this year’s edition, 45% of the 56, 640 participants were women – and women made up 49.55% of UK applications for the 2026 ballot.

In 2021, Molly Slater-Davison founded the women’s-only run club These Girls Run, motivated by her own struggles to locate a welcoming local club and some unpleasant running experiences, including being followed and being harassed.

These Girls Run, which operates under the tagline “safe, sweaty, and supportive,” has seen a lot of social media growth, and it currently has record-breaking attendance rates at all nine of its UK locations.

“It’s that social effect – ‘ if my friend’s doing it, then I can'”, said Slater-Davison.

Women who are beginning to run 5 km and share their experiences on social media with longer distance runs have really benefited from sharing their experiences.

A key reason for the surge in running is the increased number of events on offer, with more people than ever taking part in them.

Parkrun has incredibly contributed to our becoming a runner-friendly nation.

Its first run at London’s Bushy Park was conducted 21 years ago, with only 13 runners and 5 volunteers. Now, there are more than 2, 500 events globally with an average of 450, 000 participants every week.

Everyone is equal, whether you walk or run, which is what makes Parkrun so appealing.

The average finish time is continuing to slow as more people take part. Last month it was 33 minutes, compared with 22 minutes in 2005 – something organisers say they are” really proud of”.

However, the number of runners up for the London Marathon suggests we are particularly enthusiastic about endurance away from a 5 km run in your neighborhood park.

The most popular running distance is 10 kilometers, according to England Athletics, followed closely by half-marathons and ultramarathons, which are defined as any distance after the traditional 26.2 miles.

The number of registered grassroots athletics clubs is also at an all-time high, with England Athletics telling BBC Sportthe grassroots athletics scene is “flourishing” and “stronger than ever”.

Over the past ten years, there has been a rise in demand for thecoveted Six Star Medal awarded to runners who complete Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City.

Only 97 UK Six Star finishers were there in 2015, or so. After last week’s London Marathon, there were 2, 023.

There is truly a race for everyone somewhere in the world, so don’t worry if you’re not into pavement-pounding.

Running has been proven to have advantages for both physical fitness and mental health. Many people turned to running during the pandemic as a way to stay active, but five years on the trend has stuck around, in turn becoming more of a lifestyle than a sport.

More than anyone else, the younger generations are adopting that lifestyle. Millennials and Gen Z are increasingly switching late-night binge drinking for early-morning endorphin highs to compete in run-and-earn virtual kudos on fitness apps like Strava.

Friday Night Lights stage 5km and 10km events in cities across the country for tens of thousands of people, sold with the promise of attending” the UK’s healthiest night out”. London Marathon Events has recently invested in the idea because of the high demand for running among 18-34-year-olds.

According to Friday Night Lights founder Charlie A, “The growth has been rapid and shows that people are crying out for something social that doesn’t wreck their weekend with crippling hangovers.”

Running hasn’t always been a popular pastime.

It wasn’t until the mid-late 1970s when a jogging boom took off across the UK.

There was a rise in interest in road running as a leisure activity and a way to stay healthy and fit, in part because of trends in the US.

One million people now consider themselves runners, competing in everything from fun runs to marathons.

This growth is underlined by the London Marathon ballot today.

More than 7 000 people participated in the first London Marathon in 1981.

More than one million people have cast ballots for the London Marathon in 2026, compared to a decade ago.

The growth in demand reflects the nationwide trend for being active. We generally as a society are moving more than ever. The highest level on record was reached by the Sport England Active Lives survey conducted last month, which revealed that between November 2023 and November 2024, there were more people in England engaging in physical activity.

And while the number of adults who run is under the pre-pandemic peak of seven million, according to Sport England, it has grown 350, 000 year on year to six and a half million.

Given the rise in event participation, it seems that despite the overall number being lower than it has been, many of those who run show more vigor than before.

Phily Bowden, the third British woman to win the London Marathon elite race last Sunday, said: “I like to say I was there before it was cool.

“It’s definitely growing.

If you don’t do any cardio and aren’t physically fit when you first start running, the first six to eight weeks will be difficult and won’t be very enjoyable.

The best thing about getting into shape is that you can just go outside and enjoy a run or exercise. So I love that other people have tapped into that and discovered that”.

Will it continue to exist or is it just a fad?

Bowden believes it’s still relevant, despite the fact that she wants to compete in a second marathon major this year.

“We’ve all seen how running can help our mental health and how it can be a really great part of our routine. So I hope the running continues as long as the memories last.

Grand Prix of Miami

Miami International Autodrome Location: 2 – 4 May Race start time: 2:00 BST on Sunday

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli became the youngest driver to take a Formula 1 pole position in the sprint event at the Grand Prix of Miami.

The 18-year-old defeated Oscar Piastri, the championship leader, by 0.045 seconds. Lando Norris’ second McLaren placed third just 0.05secs behind his team-mate Max Verstappen.

George Russell, an Italian rookie, was second fastest behind Antonelli, who was 0. 309 seconds slower.

Before this weekend, Antonelli has remained focused on the start of his career, trying to avoid making a big mistake that might hurt him.

But he consistently showed he could do it and that he did right away at the Hard Rock Stadium. He continued that success into qualifying.

He declared, “I am over the moon.” I didn’t anticipate it,” she said.

“It was good in the car,” I said. I was able to keep improving and close that gap together, going up and down. That’s a really nice outcome for me. We’ll enjoy this, but tomorrow’s focus is important because I’d like to try to repeat myself.

As the Mercedes team wildly celebrated Antonelli’s accomplishment, the team embraced his father Marco in a warm embrace.

After qualifying, Antonelli continued, “It was really nice and also nice to find him in the garage.”

I’m so happy to give him this moment. He is like a rock because it is so important to me. He’s always reliable, I know. I’d like to share it with my sister and mother, but hopefully not the next time.

Prior to this season, Antonelli held the fifth spot on the grid.

Piastri, who is currently 10 points clear of Norris in the championship heading into this weekend, claimed he thought a lock-up at the final corner had caused him to lose pole.

Close qualifying, Norris said after the crash at the final race in Saudi Arabia. Just to get a good lap in there, it felt good and happy.

The Mercedes’ performance today was in a good ballpark, not good enough, but it shows how quickly it can get there. We can still aim for a pole tomorrow because it is so close.

Despite Verstappen becoming the only driver to use two sets of tyres over two runs in the final session, Antonelli’s impressive 0. 309sec margin over Russell was achieved. Everyone else completed one lap while the others left the pits.

The goal of the strategy is to allow the driver to record a “banker” lap and then go all out on the second because the planning is difficult due to the quick turnaround required in the pits after the first lap.

But neither did it succeed. Verstappen did, but Russell was only 0.255 seconds slower than Antonelli and 0.21 seconds off Piastri, and he did not improve on his second lap.

Verstappen, who arrived in Miami late after the birth of his first child, said: “From P1 struggling with a lot of understeer in the car and with all the low-speed corners, you lose quite a bit of lap time.

His lack of pace resulted from the team’s efforts to improve this weekend’s floor.

Verstappen continued, “We were quite competitive in the first sector because a few high-speed corners are there, but we lost a lot of grip once we hit the low speed.” P4 is acceptable, but you must be realistic about the limitations we currently have and how close it is.

Congratulations to Kimi, Russell said. He did a fantastic job. He has been extremely impressive all day.

We wanted to leave early because I wasn’t feeling that confident, and I have been struggling a little bit. Kimi and the team’s reaction to P5 is amazing but not great.

Hamilton, who finished second in the first sprint of the year in China from pole position, was second fastest, one place behind team-mate Charles Leclerc. After a disappointing first three races, Hamilton’s performance improved, but he was still trailing behind his team-mate by 0.222 seconds.

Ferrari’s driver was unhappy, neither. We are just lacking in speed, even though Hamilton said it was a better session. Keep working on it.

Only the second time this season’s two-time champion’s team has reached that high level, after team-mate Lance Stroll’s success in the sprint in China, finished second, with Williams’ Alex Albon, Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, Isack Hadjar, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso finishing second.

Carlos Sainz, Albon’s teammate, should have placed in the top 10, but he made a mistake on his final lap in the second session and will finish 15th.

Yuki Tsunoda, Verstappen’s teammate, was hurt in the opening session, so the sprint will begin in 18th place.