Tag: sport

Gukesh Dommaraju – Youngest Chess Champion of the World

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Gukesh Dommaraju ; commonly known as Gukesh D, is an Indian chess grandmaster and the 18th World Chess Champion. He is the youngest world chess champion in history, third-youngest grandmaster in history, the third-youngest to reach a chess rating of 2700, the youngest to reach a rating of 2750, and is the eighteenth-highest rated player in history with a peak rating of 2794. He is also the youngest Candidates Tournament winner and the youngest World Chess Championship winner beating Ding Liren of China. He has won one team and two individual gold medals at the Olympiad as well as one bronze team medal. He is a silver medalist at the Asian Games.

Gukesh Dommaraju, an 18-year-old Indian chess prodigy, made history on December 12, 2024, by becoming the youngest-ever undisputed World Chess Champion. He achieved this remarkable feat by defeating reigning champion Ding Liren in a tense and closely fought match that ended with a score of 7.5–6.5 in Gukesh’s favor​

Hailing from Chennai, India, Gukesh began playing chess at the age of seven. Over the years, he trained under the mentorship of Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand, who played a crucial role in nurturing his talent. Gukesh’s rise to prominence included several milestones, such as surpassing Anand in 2022 to become India’s top-ranked player—a position Anand had held for 36 years​

In 2024, Gukesh won the prestigious Candidates Tournament, becoming the youngest winner in its history. He carried this momentum into the World Chess Championship, where his skill, preparation, and psychological resilience were on full display. His journey to the title also saw him shine in the 2024 Chess Olympiad, where he led India to its first-ever team gold medal​

Gukesh’s victory marks a new era for chess, as he not only broke records set by legends like Garry Kasparov but also demonstrated the growing dominance of young talent on the global stage​

Sixth medal for India at Tokyo Olympic

Bajrang Punia became the sixth ever Indian wrestler to win an Olympic medal, and the second wrestler from India to win a medal at Tokyo Olympics.

Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia defeated Kazakhstan’s Daulet Niyazbekov to win the bronze medal in men’s freestyle 65kg wrestling at Tokyo Olympics.

Punia won the 6th medal for India at the games this year, and the 4th bronze for the nation.

Now India is eyeing it’s highest Olympic medal haul in an Olympic campaign (as India equals best ever Olympics medals haul of 6 medals now.)

Rename of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced today the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, the highest sporting honour of India, has been renamed as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The renaming recognises the ultimate hockey hero and legend of the sport, Dhyan Chand.

The prime Minister said the move was based on the numerous requests he received from across the country.

Indian women’s Hockey team in Olympics

The time the women had made their first Olympic apperance was at the 1980 games in Moscow. The second Olympic appearance was at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The Indian Women’s hockey team had created history after they had entered the semi-finals of the big tournament. While they lost against Argentina, they will now play for the bronze in their maiden Olympic podium clash at Oi Hockey Stadium against Great Britain tomorrow (6th August,2021) at 7 AM.

Women Boxer clinched Bronze

Women Boxer Lovlina Burgohain won bronze medal for India in Tokyo Olympic after being defeated in semi final. She lost the match to top seed Busenaz Surmenili of Turkey in a 0-5 score.

Lovlina, was assured of bagging a medal after defeating former world champion Nien Chin Chen of Chinese Taipei 4-1 to enter the semi-finals of the welter weight category.

She has became the third Indian boxer after Vijender Singh and Mary Kom to win an Olympic medal.

Fifth medal for India in Tokyo Olympic

Ravi kumar Dahiya wins silver Medal for India in men’s 57 kg freestyle wrestling at Tokyo Olympic.

Ravi kumar became the fifth Indian wrestler after KD Jadhav, Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt and Sakshi Malik to finish on the Olympic podium.

Ravi kumar bagged the silver medal after losing in the final of men’s 57 kg freestyle category to Russian Olympic committee’s (ROC) zavur Uguev today.

This is India’s fifth medal in the Tokyo Olympics and second silver of the campaign.

How Much Does India Invest In Olympic Athletes?

Postponed by a year due to the pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics is now less than a month away. Last week, the Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju urged the people to extend their support to India’s Olympic-bound athletes, the same way they back India’s cricketers. However, India’s abysmal performances at the Olympics is in striking contrast to India’s immense success at cricket. The model of sports governance and financial irregularities are often blamed for the lack of competitive edge in sports other than cricket. So, the most obvious question that comes to our mind is, how much does India invest in the Olympics?

Money allocated for Sports

In the 2020-21 annual budget, the Government of India allocated Rs 2826.92 crore for sports, which meant an increase of mere ₹ 50 crore from the revised estimates of the financial year 2019-20. The Modi government’s flagship sports programme ‘Khelo India’ received a substantial hike of ₹ 312.42 crore and was allocated ₹ 890.42 crore compared to ₹578 crore in 2019-20. On the other hand, the National Sports Development Fund saw a reduction of ₹ 27.15 crore from ₹77.15 crore in 2019-20 to ₹ 50 crore in 2020-21. National Sports Federations saw the highest decrease after Finance Minister allocated ₹ 245 crore, ₹ 55 crore less than the previous financial year, according to The Wire. Even the budget for meritorious sportspersons saw a 40% reduction from the last financial year. It is important to note that the 2020-21 annual budget was presented in January 2020, when the government had no idea of the coming pandemic. It was also supposed to be the year of the Tokyo Olympics.

Target Olympic Podium Scheme

While these are the broad schemes under which Indian sportspersons are funded, the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) provides financial assistance to potential Olympic medal winners. Launched in 2014, TOPS is the flagship programme of the Sports Ministry of India. The top-up funding scheme considers the performance of Indian athletes in the past three years. They are provided with personal coaches and other staff fees, cost of travel during competitions, purchase of equipment, and pocket allowance.

Looking Back At The Last Olympics

In the 2016 Rio Olympic, India spent ₹ 36.85 crore under TOPS, as per Financial Express. Nearly half of that amount was spent on shooting, which was India’s most successful Olympic sport in the previous three games. Shooting is also very expensive, which requires importing equipment from other countries. But shooting failed to bring any medal. Athletics received the second-highest funding of ₹ 7.80 crore in 2016, but India failed to make a mark in the sport. Unfortunately, out of the ₹ 36.85 crore, ₹30.49 crore had gone to disciplines that fell short of goals. Only 1.66 per cent of the total TOPS fund went to the fields that brought India two medals – PV Sindhu in Badminton and Sakshi Malik in wrestling.

Comparison With Other Countries

The United Kingdom allocated close to Rs 9000 crore on sports infrastructure and training in the annual sports budget, whereas India spent only one-third of the UK, Rs 3,200 crore, on youth affairs and sports, before 2016. The UK won 67 medals against India’s two at the Rio Games 2016. Abhinav Bindra had also tweeted back in 2016 that a medal cost UK 5.5 million pounds, and that is the kind of investment India needs to make. Otherwise, we cannot expect much. In the USA, a large number of athletes are privately funded. Individual athletes had started their own funding portal for donations from the general public. Therefore, only 10% of the US Olympic Committee’s finance was spent on athletes in Rio 2016, and the USA finished first. China, on the other hand, is known for its aggressive state-sponsored promotion of sports.

Private Investment In India

Before the 2016 Olympics, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) received donations from Reliance Jio, Amul, Tata Salt, Edelweiss Financial Services, Herbalife, Li Ning, and SBJ. Sakshi Malik had also thanked JSW Sport, a foundation funded by the OP Jindal group, after becoming India’s first medal winner in Rio Games, as reported by Hindustan Times.

However, unlike NSDF, where the contributions and sponsorships are open and documented, private funding to individual athletes is not. And most recently, the JSW Group has come on board to be the official sponsor of Team India in the Tokyo Olympics and has agreed to pledge sponsorship support of ₹ 1 crore to IOA. In 2018, the Sports Ministry earmarked ₹ 100 crore for funding of the athletes for the preparation of Tokyo Olympics 2020, which will take place this year. While the number of medals won cannot be equated to the investments made, since medals are not the only measure of success, India nonetheless needs to invest more and put in a new model of sports governance in action. A

Basketball in India

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately 9.4 inches (24 cm) in diameter) through the defender’s hoop (a basket 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter mounted 10 feet (3.048 m) high to a backboard at each end of the court) while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own hoop. A field goal is worth two points, unless made from behind the three-point line, when it is worth three. After a foul, timed play stops and the player fouled or designated to shoot a technical foul is given one, two or three one-point free throws. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but if regulation play expires with the score tied, an additional period of play (overtime) is mandated.

The five players on each side fall into five playing positions. The tallest player is usually the center, the second-tallest and strongest is the power forward, a slightly shorter but more agile player is the small forward, and the shortest players or the best ball handlers are the shooting guard and the point guard, who implements the coach’s game plan by managing the execution of offensive and defensive plays (player positioning). Informally, players may play three-on-three, two-on-two, and one-on-one.Invented in 1891 by Canadian-American gym teacher James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, basketball has evolved to become one of the world’s most popular and widely viewed sports.

Bball in India

In India, basketball is a popular sport, with a multi-tiered professional club league system, as well as men’s and women’s national teams.In India, the game of basketball started its journey in 1930 when it was played for the first time. The first Indian National Championship for men was conducted in 1934 in New Delhi. The Basketball Federation of India (BFI), which controls the game in India was formed in 1950. Throughout history, Indians learned to appreciate the game because of its fast scoring and intense activity from the beginning until the end.Basketball in India is played in most of the high schools, colleges and universities. There is considerable patronage for the game among the younger generation. Basketball in India is played by both men and women of all ages and ability. Many government institutions have professional basketball teams, who work for the institution and play for them. For example, ONGC in Uttarakhand, Indian Overaseas Bank in Tamil Nadu, Indian Bank in Karnataka, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited in New Delhi, Indian Railways, and Kerala State Electricity Board in Trivandrum play for their respective institution and state.

There are many championships for senior, junior, and youth levels for boys and girls.Being one of the earliest countries to adopt basketball, India has so far produced numerous talented basketball players, who have earned recognition in the international arena. Indian basketball players have also won several trophies for their country. Basketball in India is mainly being run and managed by a large number of national and state level associations, spread all over India. These basketball associations are working with a common view of popularizing the game in all parts of the country. Apart from that, developing the overall infrastructure for the game and uncovering new talent from the grass route level are some of the other principal objectives of the Indian basketball associations.

Professional leagues

List of major Basketball Tournaments in India:

  1. UBA Pro League
  2. National Championship
  3. Federation Cup
  4. ISBL and ICBL (Indian School Basketball League and Indian College Basketball League)

DOPING

To continue the fight against doping - Fondazione Gianni Benzi Onlus

Doping is not new to the people . In ancient Greece, there were specialists who used to offer athletes nutritional ingredients in order to enhance their physical performance. Those specialists may be compared to the current sports medicine specialists . During the Olympic Games in the third century BC, the athletes tried to increase their sports performance by taking mushrooms and opium . In the Ist centaury AD, the Greek runners used to drink a herbal beverage to increase their strength and become capable to run long distance races. Gladiators are also reported to use various substances for enhancing strength . In the modern era , the use of performance enhancing substances and techniques by the top sportspersons across the world has been a presistent issue in the world of sports for nearly four decades. Since the beginning of the 21st century, many athletes have been engaged in taking such substances. Some of them have been tested positive such as Tim Montgomery, Marion Jones, swimmer Phelps, etc.

Concept of Doping

‘Doping’ is the word, which is used in the field of sports, to refer to the situation when athletes use prohibited substances or methods to unfairly improve their sporting performance. In general terms, doping is the use of performance enhancing substances or methods by athletes to gain an advantage over their competitors . In fact , some athletes take illegal substances to enhance their performance . This activity is known as ‘doping’ . Doping in sports is the deliberate or inadvertent use by an athlete of a substance or method banned by the International Olympic Committee. In fact, the ban or prohibition on such substances is necessary to protect the athletes from the unfair advantage which may be gained by those athletes who use prohibited substances or methods to enhance their performance and also from the possible harmful side effects which these substances or methods can produce. The following definitions of doping may help in understanding its exact meaning:

According to International Olympic Committee, ‘‘Doping is the use of any method or substance that might harm the athlete, in a quest to gain an unfair advantage, over his/her fellow competitors”. In fact, doping is the use of prohibited substances or methods designed to enhance an athlete’s physical or mental abilities or to mask the use of such substances or methods during preparation for or participation in a sports competition .

According to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) ,” Doping is defined as the occurrence of one or more of the anti-doping rule violations set forth in Article 2.1 through Article 2.8 of the code.”

World Sports Journalist Day: a tribute to those who make Sports beautiful!

Sports be it soccer, cricket or baseball or any other has some or the other time played a role in some of our lives. But sometimes we just overlook those who make our sports look more spicy and enthusiastic before us.

Significance:

In 1994, International Sports Press Association established July 2 as “World Sports Journalist Day” as the organisation was found on July 2, 1924 and this was an effort made to honour sports journalists all over the world.

Sports Journalists do a lot of work before, dyeing and after sports matches, all of which are often overlooked. They’ve always played an integral part in transferring the information pertaining to sports to their ever loving audiences.

History of Sports Journalism.

Sports Journalism started in early 1800s when sports was beginning to get itself presented as a separate section in Western Newspapers. In early 1800s only elites could afford newspapers and as a result information relating to sports were restricted to horse riding or boxing , that is, the sports that were typically meant for elites.

In 20th century, New York Herald and New York World were two of the world’s first newspapers to cover sports journalism separately and have a complete full time sports department.

Slowly, the need and love for sports started to increase among the masses and that is why there was the demand for all together separate sports channels in television like ESPN and sports magazines like Sports Illustrated.

Digital Era and Sports Journalism.

Online Sports Journalism started when ESPN created its first ever sports website in the world in 1995. During initial years, only broad topics relating to sports were covered in Digital Sports but as internet expanded all over the world, many big and small bloggers, internet channels, web portals began covering all single and minutest topics relating to sports.

A majority of big and small websites are completely dedicated to sports and they also at times charge subscription fee from their readers. Search Engines like Google or Bing also provide information relating to sports during those days which are important for a particular sport.

Issues faced by Sports Journalists.

1) Deadline Pressures:

Sports journalists face deadline pressures than any other beat reporters as sports matches generally happen in late noon or in the evening and as a result reporters who’re covering sports or writers who’re into sports have to manage completion of work in shortest time possible.

2) Political Pressures

There has been an interlinking of sports and politics in the past. And if this is so, how can the media be kept away? Sports Journalists face lots of threats by certain sports associations that expect the journalists to cover sport matches in their own way and they also expect journalists to shape the public opinion.

3) Accusations of low objectivity:

Sports Journalists have also been accused of favouring or promoting their own favourite teams or players in the past. Some have also been accused of giving more preference to their home teams and this is one more challenge they face in the sports world.

In any way, Sports Journalists do a lot for their audiences to make the sport matches more interesting and entertainment their viewers or readers throughout and even after the matches. It’s important for us to celebrate them and honour them genuinely.

WOMEN AND SPORTS

In the field of games and sports, people do not acknowledge women’s sports to be at par with men’s sports .Right from the beginning of Olympic Games, the role of women in sports and games has been neglected. However, from the last decade of previous century , there is an increasing interest of women in sports both as participants and spectators. The provision of sports facilities to both women and men in sports shows a new trend. More people, than in the past, now want to see women on the playfields. However , few discriminations still persist in terms of salaries, cash awards, television time, etc. Indeed a lot of efforts have been taken vis-a`-vis women participation in sports and even greater steps are yet to be taken.

SPORTS PARTICIPATON OF WOMEN IN INDIA

Here, we will discuss in detail women’s participations in the field of sports .As a matter of fact, women’s participation in sports has a long history . In ancient Olympics , women were not allowed to even watch sports competitions . Even in the first modern Olympic games which were held in 1896 in Athens , there was no participation of women .In fact , women started participating in the modern Olympic Games from 1900 onwards . They participated only in two sports events . In this Olympics , only twenty – two women participated . In 1904 Olympic Game , only six women participated in three events . With the passage of time , the number of women participants in Olympics increased and exactly after 100 years i.e., in 2000 Sydney Olympics , the number of women participants increased up to 4,096 . In this Olympics , a total of 10,500 sportspersons from 199 countries took part and out of which 38.2 per cent were women. This number of women participants was a record during that time . In 2008 Olympic Games , which were held in Beijing , a total of 10,700 sportspersons from 205 countries took part and out of which 4,637 were women whose percentage was 42.4 , whereas only 23 women of India participated in the London Olympics . In 2012 London Olympic Games , 10,960 sportsperson from 205 countries participated , out of which 4,862 were women whose percentage was more than ever before . For the first time women boxing was included in the Olympic program . In 2008 Olympics , 26 female sportsperson participated from India . Only four Indian women participated in the Olympics held in 1952 in athletics . Karnam Malleshwari became the first Indian Women to secure a bronze medal in weightlifting in Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 . In 2012 London Olympic Games , Sania Nehwal and MC Mary Kom added feather in the cap of India by securing one bronze medal each . Though PT Usha could not win any medal in the 1984 Olympic in 400 m hurdle race , yet her performance was remarkable and extraordinary . In fact , there is a long list of Indian woman sportsperson who have won various positions in the World Cups , Common Wealth Games, Asian Games ,SAF Games , etc.

INTERnational olympic day 2021

The first Olympic day was celebrated on 23 June in 1948 by countries including Venezuela, Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, Portugal, Greece, Austria, Great Britain, and Uruguay.

Every year on 23 June, International Olympic Day is celebrated across the world. The day was initially observed to promote the idea of the Olympics and in order to celebrate the establishment of the International Olympic Committee(IOC). This committee was formed on 23 June, 1894 in Sorbonne, Paris. The Olympics games were revived by Pierre de Coubertin, as mentioned on the website of the International Olympic Committee.

International Olympic day history

The International Olympic Day was first observed in 1947. At the 41st Session of the International Olympic Committee in Stockholm that year, Dr Josef Gruss, a Czeh IOC member, proposed the concept of a World Olympic Day. He advocated designating a day to commemorate everything the Olympics stands for. After a few months work, Dr. Gruss idea was approved at the 42nd IOC session in Switzerland. The International Olympic Committee(IOC) was formed on the same day in Sorbonne, Paris, in 1894, and June 23 was chosen as the International Olympic Day because

of its historical significance.

International Olympic Day 2021 Significance

The International Olympic is significant as it aims to attract people, regardless of their age, gender, social background, to participate in the Olympics. The day now bases itself on three pillars- move, learn and discover to engage people to take part in sports or perform physical exercises regardless of their sporting ability. This is enabling the day to develop into much more than a run or just a sports event.

International Olympic Day 2021 Theme

Stay healthy, stay strong, stay active with the Olympic Day workout on June 23rd.

International Olympic Day 2021 Activities

The international Olympic Day 2021 is incorporated into the school curriculum in few countries while others hold concerts and exhibitions. The recent Olympic Day activities also include meetings for children and young adults with top athletes.

International Olympic Day 2021

The International Olympic Day 2021 is being observed just a month ahead of the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games, which were postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Olympic games will now start from July 23 and conclude on August 8,2021.

The World Health Organization is expected to discuss managing COVID-19 risks with Japanese authorities and the International Olympic Committee during the Olympic Games. The organisers have announced that the audience will be allowed for the Olympic Games, filling up to 50 percent capacity of the venues.

A maximum of 10,000 domestic spectators will be allowed in Tokyo 2020 venues.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on the occasion saying,” Today on Olympic Day, I appreciate all those who have represented India in various Olympics over the years. Our nation is proud of their contributions to sports and their efforts towards motivating other athletes”.

Olympic Day Run

The International Olympic Day has been associated with Olympic Day Runs all over the world for the last 20 years. The first Olympic run was launched in 1987 and 45 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in the event. The run was organized to cover a distance of 10km. The Olympic Day Run symbolizes and supports the Sports for All movement by uniting men, women and children of all ages. Now, over 150 National Olympic Committees(NOCs) organize the

event in their respective countries.

bcci to donate rs 10 crore to indian olympic association

The Indian cricket board will donate Rs 10 crore to the Indian Olympic Association(IOA) to support Indian athletes competing at the Tokyo Olympic Games next month, it was decided at an emergent meeting of its apex council.

The summer Olympics is scheduled to be held in Tokyo from 23rd July to 8th August 2021. The BCCI has decided to support Indian athletes in every form and manner it can. In that spirit, based on the request received from the IOA/MYAS, the Apex Council of BCCI has decided to extend support to the Indian Olympic Association and has pledged a monetary gesture of Rs. 10 crores.

The support to the IOA has come as a bit of surprise, particularly considering some lingering doubts about the Olympic Games actually taking place due to Covid-19 situation around the world and its impending third wave. Certain people and organizations have called for the postponement/cancellation of the July-August Games, which were scheduled for last year but were postponed due to the pandemic. The apex council also decided to constitute a committee to suggest measures to give compensation to domestic cricketers for domestic season 2020 and 2021. The BCCI didn’t organize several men’s and women’s tournaments, largely due to the Covid-19 situation, in the two

seasons despite huge demand to organize them.

“Yes, BCCI will be helping out the Olympic contingent. An amount of Rs 10 crore has been sanctioned by the Apex Council,” a senior BCCI official told PTI.

“It(fund) will be used for the preparation and other contingency purpose of our elite athletes who have qualified for the Tokyo Games. The modalities of the payment will be finalized after talking to Sports ministry and Indian Olympic Association(IOA)”.

The Tokyo Olympic Games will begin from July 23. It is understood that post the departure of LiNing as the kit sponsor, the amount donated by the BCCI will certainly help in multiple ways for the contingent in covering various costs which includes training and preparation.

“The BCCI has always believed in helping the development of Olympic Sports and this is not the first that a big amount is being donated,” he said. The BCCI hoped the Indian athletes would “return with more medals than ever before.”

EL CAPITAN DEPARTS

Sergio Ramos, one of Real Madrid’s most accomplished players, has bid an emotional farewell to the Santiago Bernabeu club after 16 years in which he played 671 times and won 22 titles. Only two players in history have scored more Champions League final goals (neither is a defender like Ramos), and no one has led Real Madrid to European Cup or Champions League success as many times (three) as this Sevilla native. A natural force is now ready to leave his club.

ACHIEVEMENTS– Sergio’s career is decorated with trophies and records both at the club and international level. He is 2004 U-19 Europe Cup champion(Spain), 2010 FIFA World Cup Winner(Spain), two times Europe Cup Champion(Spain). At the club level, with Real Madrid,he is four times Champions League winner, five times Spanish Champion, two times Spanish Cup winner, four times Spanish Super Cup winner, four times FIFA Club World Cup winner, and three times UEFA Supercup winner.His €27 million transfer from Sevilla to Madrid in 2005, when he was 19 years old, remains a record fee for a Spanish youth. Ramos has scored in 17 straight Liga seasons, a Liga record for a defender. Ramos is one of only a few defenders to have scored in two different European Cup finals, and he is the only one to have done it during the UEFA Champions League era. . He is LaLiga’s top goalscoring defender of all time(68 goals). Ramos has been named to the FIFPro World11 eleven times, a defender record and the third-most all-time. He has also been included to the UEFA Team of the Year nine times, a defender record and the third-most of any player. Ramos has also been voted La Liga’s Best Defender a record five times, as well as a member of the La Liga Team of the Season in 2015–16. Ramos is the most capped player in the history of the Spanish national team, and he is the country’s eighth-highest all-time goalscorer. He also holds the record for most international victories for Spain, having won 131 games. These records can show his importance for the team both at national and club level.

SERGIO RAMOS LAST MATCH IN REAL MADRID JERSEY

WHY HE IS LEAVING-Ramos requested a new two-year contract to stay in Madrid, but Los Blancos president Florentino Perez was unwilling to break his policy of only offering one-year contracts to players beyond the age of 30. Conversations between Perez and Ramos had been going on for a year and had lasted into June. However, neither party was willing to make a concession. He is no longer the man he once was at the age of 35. Injury has badly affected his season, particularly in the second half, and Luis Enrique has decided to keep him out of Spain’s team for Euro 2020. The club tried its best to convince Ramos to stay for one year but it was too late.

FUTURE– Despite his age, Ramos is one of the world’s top defenders. A number of prominent European clubs are still keeping an eye on Ramos, who will be available on a free transfer. According to reports, the Premier League three of Manchester United, Chelsea, and Manchester City are interested in bringing Ramos to England. Paris Saint-Germain, another French powerhouse, has been connected with the defender. These are the only clubs which will be able to handle the Spaniard’s reported €12million annual salary demands. Everyone, including Real Madrid’s fans are curious to know about his next destination

Top 5 most overrated players in the Premier League 2019-20


A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart.

I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents.

I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine. I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents.

I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment; and yet I feel that I never was a greater artist than now.

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me: when I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects and flies, then I feel the presence of the Almighty, who formed us in his own image, and the breath of that universal love which bears and sustains us, as it floats around us in an eternity of bliss; and then, my friend, when darkness overspreads my eyes, and heaven and earth seem to dwell in my soul and absorb its power, like the form of a beloved mistress, then I often think with longing, Oh, would I could describe these conceptions, could impress upon paper all that is living so full and warm within me, that it might be the mirror of my soul, as my soul is the mirror of the infinite God!

O my friend — but it is too much for my strength — I sink under the weight of the splendour of these visions! A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine.

I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents. I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment; and yet I feel that I never was a greater artist than now. When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me: when I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects and