Category Sports News

Kylian Mbappe won the European Golden Shoe for the first time since scoring twice for Real Madrid in their 2-0 defeat of Real Sociedad on Saturday.

In his first season in Spain, the French international scored 31 league goals, earning him the La Liga title.

In Real’s final game of the year, Mbappe won the title with a double, beating out Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Sporting’s Victor Gyokeres (39 goals).

Because a weighted-points ranking system determines the rankings, Gyokeres finished second overall in the league despite scoring eight more goals than Mbappe.

Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1 goals scored by players in Europe’s top five leagues are worth two points.

One point is exchanged for goals in Uefa’s rankings’ sixth to twenty-second leagues, including the Portuguese Primeira Liga, for goals scored in those leagues.

In Liverpool’s final Premier League game against Crystal Palace on Sunday, Mohamed Salah and Mbappe both needed a hat-trick to share the trophy. In a 1-1 draw, the Egypt international scored once.

Mbappe is just the third Real player to win the award, after Hugo Sanchez (1989-90) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2010-11, 2013-14 and 2014-15).

Because Sporting’s league campaign ended the previous weekend, Gyokeres, who has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal, had no chance to catch Mbappe.

The Sweden international finished the season with 53 goals in 51 games overall after scoring in his side’s 3-1 defeat of Lisbon rivals Benfica on Sunday.

Kylian Mbappe has won the European Golden Shoe for the first time after scoring twice in Real Madrid’s 2-0 defeat of Real Sociedad on Saturday.

The France international scored 31 league goals in his debut season in Spain, meaning he also won La Liga’s top scorer prize.

A double in Real’s final game of the season secured Mbappe top spot in the rankings ahead of Sporting striker Victor Gyokeres (39 goals) and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah (29 goals).

Though Gyokeres scored eight more league goals than Mbappe, he finished runner-up because a weighted-points based system decides the rankings.

Goals scored by players competing in Europe’s top five leagues – Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 – are worth two points.

Goals from those who play in leagues ranked sixth to 22nd in Uefa’s coefficient, including the Portuguese Primeira Liga, are worth 1.5 points.

Mohamed Salah needed a hat-trick in Liverpool’s final Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Sunday in order to share the prize with Mbappe. The Egypt international scored once in a 1-1 draw.

Mbappe is just the third Real player to win the award, after Hugo Sanchez (1989-90) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2010-11, 2013-14 and 2014-15).

Gyokeres – who has been heavily linked with a summer move to Arsenal – had no chance of catching Mbappe because Sporting’s league campaign ended the previous weekend.

After scoring in his side’s 3-1 defeat of Lisbon rivals Benfica in the Portuguese Cup final on Sunday, the Sweden international finished the season with 53 goals in 51 games in all competitions.

Kylian Mbappe won the European Golden Shoe for the first time since scoring twice for Real Madrid in their 2-0 defeat of Real Sociedad on Saturday.

In his first season in Spain, the French international scored 31 league goals, earning him the La Liga title.

In Real’s final game of the year, Mbappe won the title with a double, beating out Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Sporting’s Victor Gyokeres (39 goals).

Because a weighted-points ranking system determines the rankings, Gyokeres finished second overall in the league despite scoring eight more goals than Mbappe.

Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1 goals scored by players in Europe’s top five leagues are worth two points.

One point is exchanged for goals in Uefa’s rankings’ sixth to twenty-second leagues, including the Portuguese Primeira Liga, for goals scored in those leagues.

In Liverpool’s final Premier League game against Crystal Palace on Sunday, Mohamed Salah and Mbappe both needed a hat-trick to share the trophy. In a 1-1 draw, the Egypt international scored once.

Mbappe is just the third Real player to win the award, after Hugo Sanchez (1989-90) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2010-11, 2013-14 and 2014-15).

Because Sporting’s league campaign ended the previous weekend, Gyokeres, who has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal, had no chance to catch Mbappe.

The Sweden international finished the season with 53 goals in 51 games overall after scoring in his side’s 3-1 defeat of Lisbon rivals Benfica on Sunday.

Dwayne McCracken is making the most of his new lease of life as a road racing team owner at the 2025 Isle of Man TT, just two years after being given six months to live.

The Northern Ireland man received the news that he had Stage 3 inoperable pancreatic cancer in June 2023, but after extensive treatment defied the doctors’ diagnosis and is now running the Lionheart Moto Racing team.

Belgian rider Julian Trummer has already ridden for the team at the Cookstown 100 and North West 200, before focusing on tackling the ultimate challenge of the TT Mountain Course.

“I went through a tough time with chemo and radiotherapy but thankfully I have come out the other side,” McCracken told BBC Sport NI.

“I’m 18 or 20 months down the line and I feel really, really good.

“That’s part of the motivation for this. I want people to see that you can come through a bit of a tough time and come out the other side.”

The Bangor man said his family provided him with all the incentive he needed to recover.

“I was told my prognosis wasn’t very good but in terms of treatment I just said ‘hit me with both barrels, I don’t care, I’ll take the pain, because I have a young family, I can’t be going anywhere’.

“The chemo regime that I was on was very strong and made me really sick but you have to have a focus and you have to have the end goal.

Dwayne’s long-time passion for and involvement in motorcycle racing inspired him to set up his team and the name ‘Lionheart’ evolved from listening to a particular song on the radio on his visits to hospital for treatment.

“Lionheart is a song by Joel Corry and Tom Grennan and every time I went for chemotherapy the song kept coming on the radio.

“My wife said to me, ‘that’s you’ and when you listen to it it’s quite a powerful song, it’s very inspirational. It just has a special meaning to me.”

Conversations with Trummer last summer led to them exploring the options of putting together a race team and also supporting the NIPANC charity which supports those affected by pancreatic cancer.

“It gives me a focus and a purpose, it gives me something to do and it’s a self medication because motorbikes are my passion.

“I also had the overwhelming urge to give back to the charity, to the people that helped me and my family.

McCracken has received significant support from sponsors and is hoping for some positive results at the TT with Trummer on board.

“Julian’s a talented lad, he’s a very nice lad, and we’ve put together a fantastic team of mechanics.

“I feel the top 10 for us is a realistic goal, we have really good bikes, Kawasaki have helped us, so we’re in a good spot.”

“I built the bikes myself from my house and it’s a Northern Ireland team with a Northern Ireland sponsor so it’s quite humbling the support I’ve had. I’ve had a lot of people coming on board wanting to help and support us, which is just fantastic.”

Dwayne will draw on the experience of many years working with some of the biggest names in the sport, including 23-time TT winner John McGuinness.

“I’ve been really lucky to work with some of the best guys that there are.

“John McGuinness’s record at the TT goes before him but I was with him at the start whenever he got his first Superbike win, his first Senior win, on one of my bikes, so for me that was a real special moment and a real special time in my life.”

Angel Cabrera won his second senior major title at Congressional after winning the Senior PGA Championship.

The 55-year-old from Argentina won the Regions Tradition on Monday in Maryland, a follow-up to his Regions Tradition victory.

In the final holes, Cabrera, the 2007 US Open champion and 2009 Masters champion, shot up Padraig Harrington to win by one shot.

Irishman Harrington and Danish captain and former European Ryder Cup player Thomas Bjorn finished in second place.

Cabrera missed the cut for the first time in six years after being released from prison in April in his first Masters appearance.

In 2021, he was found guilty of assault and intimidation of former partners.

Iain Carter, a BBC golf correspondent, analyzes the game.

Cabrera, a former Masters winner, has a lifetime exemption to play in Augusta, and his victory on the Senior PGA gives him another opportunity to compete at the highest level.

Similar to Richard Bland, 52, who won the 2024 Senior PGA Championship at Quail Hollow earlier this month, the 55-year-old becomes eligible for the US PGA at Aronimink next year.

Bland finished in a respectable 37th place in North Carolina and qualified for the weekend action against several of his long-awaited competitors, arguably playing the best golf of his career.

Angel Cabrera won his second senior major title at Congressional after winning the Senior PGA Championship.

The 55-year-old from Argentina won the Regions Tradition on Monday in Maryland, a follow-up to his Regions Tradition victory.

In the final holes, Cabrera, the 2007 US Open champion and 2009 Masters champion, shot up Padraig Harrington to win by one shot.

Irishman Harrington and Danish captain and former European Ryder Cup player Thomas Bjorn finished in second place.

Cabrera missed the cut for the first time in six years after being released from prison in April in his first Masters appearance.

In 2021, he was found guilty of assault and intimidation of former partners.

Iain Carter, a BBC golf correspondent, analyzes the game.

Cabrera, a former Masters winner, has a lifetime exemption to play in Augusta, and his victory on the Senior PGA gives him another opportunity to compete at the highest level.

Similar to Richard Bland, 52, who won the 2024 Senior PGA Championship at Quail Hollow earlier this month, the 55-year-old becomes eligible for the US PGA at Aronimink next year.

Bland finished in a respectable 37th place in North Carolina and qualified for the weekend action against several of his long-awaited competitors, arguably playing the best golf of his career.