Rumours of a rift between Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale followed the pair during their time as Real Madrid superstars

Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo have repeatedly dismissed rumours of a rivalry between them during their time as Real Madrid team-mates.

Ronaldo, 41, is set to start in Portugal’s opening fixture of the 2026/27 Nations League campaign against Wales on Thursday night at the Estadio Jose Alvalade. Bale, meanwhile, retired from professional football in January 2023 as Wales’ most-capped player and top goal-scorer of all time.

The pair played together at the Bernabeu for five seasons prior to Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus in 2018, tormenting opposition full-backs while at the peak of respective their powers.

Despite forming a highly successful forward trident along with Karim Benzema, which won four Champions League titles, there were plenty of suggestions in the media and online that they did not have the best relationship on or off the pitch – unlike Barcelona’s trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

The rumoured tension boiled down to Ronaldo sometimes appearing unimpressed when Bale scored, while the Portuguese also fuelled the notion of their fractious relationship by admitting he did not spend a lot of time with his team-mates away from training, specifically name-checking Bale.

But Ronaldo had already shown his true colours by defending Bale in his first season following his big-money move to Madrid. Bale, who arrived in 2013 from Tottenham Hotspur for £85million, was immediately under intense pressure to perform after injuries disrupted his start in Spain.

“I think Gareth Bale is doing well since he arrived,” Ronaldo said in a 2013 press conference. “He has had a difficult time because [of a lack of] pre-season, and injury. It’s better to leave him alone, don’t put pressure on him, because I’m sure 100% he’s going to do well for the club because he is a fantastic player, a fantastic boy and he always wants to learn.”

The current Al-Nassr forward’s words hardly painted a picture of animosity with Bale. In March 2019, Bale returned the favour by telling MailOnline: “Cristiano is an incredible player, I thoroughly enjoyed playing with him. Obviously the media try and hype up these problems which were never there. We got on really well.”

In a July 2023 interview with The Times, the winger addressed the speculation about his uneasy dynamic with the Manchester United legend.

Bale insisted: “I never had one single problem with anybody. I don’t think I ever had an argument with anyone. Even through the hard times, it was good in the changing room. I honestly really enjoyed my time there apart from the few moments where it was difficult on the pitch.” The Welshman added: “I have no regrets. I made the right decision.”

The former Tottenham talisman left the Spanish giants in 2022 and hung up his boots less than a year later, aged 35, following a brief stint with Los Angeles FC and representing Wales at the 2022 World Cup.

He appeared on the Stick To Football podcast earlier this year, where he once more shed light on the fact his relationship with Ronaldo was always professional, dismissing any animosity. However, Bale explained that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was obsessed with scoring goals to the point where his body language sometimes suggested he was angry with his team-mates – which he also defended.

Bale said: “We got on very well in the dressing room. We never had a problem. Karim was very calm. Cristiano and I were on the wing with more spark, but he was holding it all together. I came in as the last piece of the puzzle.”

“Whether in training or matches, all he wanted to do was score goals. If you didn’t pass him the ball, you noticed it,” Bale said regarding Ronaldo with a laugh while recalling the Portuguese star’s mentality.

“I’ve had a few arm flails when I’ve missed a one-on-one and I maybe could have passed to him. You also have to take that that is his drive and motivation. He just wants to score, not just one but he wants to score three, four, five, six a game, if he can.

“You know, he’s chasing records and wants to beat Lionel Messi doing that. You get it, and also you can’t argue because he’s scoring the goals.

“He was just so driven. Going into a game you knew pretty much that you had a 1-0 headstart because he was going to score at some point. He was a confidence booster for the team.”

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will contest their long-awaited all-British heavyweight fight at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on 11 December.

The bout, more than a decade in the making, will be broadcast globally on Netflix.

BBC Sport understands the main event could take place in the early hours of Saturday morning in the UK, with organisers considering a late start to cater for audiences in the United States.

Joshua and Fury will come face-to-face at a news conference in London on Wednesday, 30 September, as the build-up begins to one of the most anticipated fights in British boxing history.

“I am inspiring a generation,” Joshua, 36, posted on Instagram. Fury, 38, is yet to comment on the announcement.

The event is being promoted as a collaboration between Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh’s The Ring and UFC chief Dana White.

“Two of the best heavyweights of this generation, finally in the ring together,” Alalshikh said.

“This will be one of the biggest fights in boxing history. I am very happy to make this fight happen for the fans.”

The former two-time world champions had already signed contracts for the bout earlier this year, but the date and venue had yet to be confirmed.

London’s Wembley Stadium and New York’s Madison Square Garden were the frontrunners to stage the fight, but both presented issues before Cardiff recently emerged as an alternative.

The Principality Stadium has hosted late-night boxing before, including Joe Calzaghe’s fight with Mikkel Kessler in November 2007, which began at 01:00 GMT.

Welsh Rugby Union and Cardiff Council officials welcomed the fight, saying it would reinforce the city’s reputation for staging major events and could bring a significant economic boost, although some operational details still need to be finalised.

Joshua had been pushing for the fight to take place in the UK and has got his wish.

“Forever indebted to the UK public for their support of Anthony Joshua. We couldn’t have got this over the line without you,” his promoter Eddie Hearn said.

It is notable that White, who fronts Zuffa Boxing, is involved in the promotion.

“For more than a decade, boxing fans have been clamouring for the heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Together, they bring 66 wins, 52 knockouts and multiple heavyweight world titles into the ring,” White said.

“On December 11, two of the biggest heavyweights of this generation finally collide – and the winner will take a significant place in heavyweight history.”

There was no official statement from Hearn or Fury’s promoter Frank Warren in the official news release sent by Netflix. Hearn had previously said he did not want White to be involved in promoting the fight.

By DAVID BARRETT, HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR

Published: 12:37 BST, 24 September 2026 | Updated: 13:38 BST, 24 September 2026

It’s also surrounded by stunning countryside

There are many pretty villages in England, but Cambridgeshire is home to one with a number of claims to fame. Elsworth is not only a picturesque old village full of thatched cottages, but it has not one but two historic facts.

The South Cambridgeshire village was once home to a very famous resident, who you might not know by name but you will definitely know his work. Rev W Awdry, was the vicar of Elsworth’s Holy Trinity church between 1946 and 1950 – and you probably know him best as the writer of the very well known Thomas the Tank Engine.

He was rector of the parish of Elsworth in 1946 when he was writing his books. He wrote five books while working in Elsworth before moving to be the vicar in Emneth – another Cambridgeshire village.

The village’s other claim to fame is that it helped create what is known as ‘the Cambridgeshire dialect’. Many people might say there isn’t an accent in Cambridgeshire – it’s certainly not as strong as the likes of Liverpool, Newcastle or Essex – but there is still an accent.

Advertisement

The Cambridgeshire dialect varies depending on whether you’re in the north of the county, where the Fenland accent rules, or further south where it’s difficult to tell where people are from, but this small village is the first place where any of the dialects were first recorded.

In 1950, it was one of only two sites in Cambridgeshire to be covered by the Survey of English Dialects. The village was chosen to be a part of the survey because it was a rural area with a history of a stable population.

Residents were talked to and recorded so that their dialect would not be completely lost to history. Extracts from these recordings are now all freely available online through the British Library. The other village to have its dialect recorded in Cambridgeshire was Little Downham.

The village is just nine miles away from Cambridge and seven miles from Huntingdon. You will find two pubs there – George & Dragon on Boxworth Road and The Poacher on Brockley Road. It also has a community shop, a primary school and a Church.

Despite its small size today, Elsworth has always been a well-populated village and was also a very successful and bustling Medieval village, dwarfing those around it. It’s name has also changed a little over time. It was listed as Eleswurth in 974, and Elesuuorde in the Domesday Book of 1086.

Taylor Swift is lifting the lid on what fans should expect from her latest musical offering.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the Grammy winner was releasing a new version of her Life Of A Showgirl album dubbed The Encore, led by the new single Patient Zero, this Friday.

In addition to her new song, Taylor has revealed that she’s already shot a music video for it, which features a couple of familiar faces.

A 13-second teaser shared on the I Knew You Were Trouble singer’s social media channels on Thursday revealed that the clip will feature appearances from Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell.

Of course, Swifties know that this is far from the first time Taylor has recruited some A-list talent to star in her music videos.

Announcing new music on Wednesday, Taylor told her fans: “About a year ago, you guys did a truly unfathomable thing. Something that completely blew my mind… You gave The Life of a Showgirl the biggest first week for an album in history.

“I took a trip to Sweden to celebrate with Max [Martin] and Shellback, my two collaborators on this album. Really we just wanted to reflect and take in how grateful we were for the moment we were in, but there was a studio there and we did what we do when we feel anything at all: We wrote more songs.

“I hope you love them, because they were born out of pure gratitude for your exuberance for and celebration of the album we made.”

The incident occurred in Husk, in Station Square, Harrogate on August 9 at 4.24pm.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “The victim and her partner had just entered the bar with their dog when they have been attacked by a dog belonging to a couple already seated inside.”

RECOMMENDED READING:

A terrier type dog, police said, is believed to have initially attacked the alleged victim’s golden retriever before biting its owner as she tried to move away.

In the process, she is said to have injured her knee.

A force spokesperson said: “If you can help our appeal, please email peter.henderson@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101 and ask for PC1668 Henderson.

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“Please quote reference 12260155379 when passing on information.”

Up to 4,500 more cancer cases will be reviewed by an NHS trust that admitted women had their breasts removed unnecessarily.

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust today agreed to widen its investigation into its dysfunctional breast unit.

Victims have told how they were left in agonising pain after being ‘butchered’ and ‘mutilated’ by surgeons, with at least 20 women known to have been subjected to mastectomies they did not need.

Officials probing the scandal will now examine breast cancer cases going back more than a decade to 2015 in a process that is expected to take five years.

The trust’s ‘lookback review’ began in April last year and initially looked at patients treated between January 2023 and February 2025.

It has so far reviewed 538 cases and identified 321 who experienced some form of harm, including one death.

It will now examine up to 4,500 more cases, starting with the most recent and working backwards, taking the total past 5,000.

The decision to extend the review was taken at an extraordinary meeting of the trust’s board in Durham this morning.

Board chair Alison Marshall said: ‘I would like to offer a sincere apology to all the women and their families who have been affected by the failings in our breast services.

‘I can’t imagine the impact that has had.’

She said they could ‘not turn back the clock’ but would be ‘open, honest and transparent’ about the failings.

Chief nurse Gill Hunt told the board concerns were first raised in 2015 after a ‘service reconfiguration’ and loss of breast surgical trainee posts.

Over the following years patients and bodies such as the Northern Cancer Alliance, Care Quality Commission and NHS England raised multiple issues, she said.

The key ‘themes’ included treatment ‘not aligned to best practice’, excessive surgery and delayed diagnosis, she added.

About 640 patients have contacted a special helpline asking for their cases to be reviewed, the board heard.

The review cost £523,000 in its first year and involved nine reviewers looking at about 80 cases a month, a report to the board said.

Pam Brown, from Durham, was an NHS patient who underwent a mastectomy in 2022 at Spire Hospital in Washington, where one of the outsourced private clinics was based.

Ms Hunt said the expanded review would ‘provide a proportionate and evidence-led clinical approach’ in response to ‘emerging findings’, while decisions would be ‘supported by clear clinical rationale and formal governance review’.

‘We are committed to doing the right thing,’ she stressed.

The National Crime Agency is working with Durham Police to investigate allegations by former patients and determine if any criminal offences have taken place.

The Daily Mail previously told how consultant surgeon Amir Bhatti, who was CDDFT’s clinical lead for breast services from 2013 to 2024, has been suspended from clinical practice while an internal investigation is carried out – but he remains employed by the trust on full pay.

The trust spent nearly £6million over six years on breast cancer diagnostic clinics and surgery companies run privately by Mr Bhatti in what Mr Russell admits was a ‘conflict of interest’.

A 2025 review into the running of the trust – carried out by governance specialist Mary Aubrey – raised concerns about the arrangement.

She said there was a ‘clear financial incentive’ for Mr Bhatti’s firms to treat more NHS patients when it was paid per case, potentially creating a ‘risk to clinical standards’.

Consultants performed significantly more operations and consultations per session when acting in a private capacity than doing their usual NHS shifts, it found.

Further concerns were raised last year in a report by the Royal College of Surgeons that breast cancer cases had not been discussed properly in multi-disciplinary team meetings (MDTs), leaving surgeons to largely act as they pleased.

The trust had a high rate of repeated procedures, low uptake of breast reconstruction immediately after mastectomy, and operations that may have been carried out ‘too quickly’.

The Aubrey review also suggested patients were potentially treated by locum consultants who were not competent, and noted that Mr Bhatti had repeatedly raised concerns about trust delays in obtaining vital diagnostic equipment.

Mr Bhatti last week denied performing unnecessary mastectomies and blamed the NHS for paying £6million to his private clinics in just six years.

He refused to apologise to women who said they had been ‘mutilated’ under his care and instead said of the unnecessary removal of breasts: ‘Nobody ever does anything like that.’

The Daily Mail approached Mr Bhatti at his large detached farm conversion in Hetton-le-Hole, near Sunderland, where a Range Rover Sport with a personalised numberplate sits on the drive.

Speaking via the Ring doorbell, he said he was out of the country, adding: ‘I can’t say anything because obviously it’s all under investigation and it is all in legal hands really.

‘I wish I could say more.’

One of Mr Bhatti’s companies, Durham Surgical Services Ltd, currently has assets of more than £2.6million, company accounts show.

Chief executive Steve Russell today said the trust was ‘incredibly conscious women and their families’ had experienced ‘distress, uncertainty and harm’.

He said no apology could undo that but the trust would ‘support women who have been impacted’ in any way possible.

For example, some women who had undergone unnecessary mastectomies could be offered breast reconstruction surgery as they previously should have been, Russell said.

He also said the trust was currently exceeding national standards for breast cancer treatment, including for the number of women having breast conservation surgeries and being offered immediate reconstruction.

‘None of that changes what has happened to women in the past but hopefully gives confidence the changes made in the service have had an impact on the outcomes,’ Mr Russell said.

He said patients today could be ‘confident’ they would be ‘treated appropriately’ and get ‘good clinical outcomes’.

The helpline, which is available by phone or email, would remain open with any concerned patients encouraged to contact it ‘irrespective’ of when they were treated, he said.

Campo in Whitefield, Bury, reacted to the comments they had seen about their prices

A tapas bar and restaurant in Whitefield has taken to social media to open up about the challenges faced by the hospitality industry and explained the breakdown behind their prices.

Campo, located on Moss Lane in Whitefield, specialises in tapas, drinks and Sunday roasts. It opened in 2018 as Campo Blanco and is run by husband and wife team Faye and Aaron Cummings.

The popular restaurant has spoken out about the challenges faced by the industry before. In 2022 they spoke to the Manchester Evening News about their soaring energy bills, which at the time rose to between £8,000-£10,000 a month.

Click here for the latest on Manchester’s food & drink scene, gigs and more in our CityLife newsletter

Now, the business has opened up about the current challenges faced by the industry in a social media post. The restaurant took to both Instagram and Facebook to share “a little bit of honesty”.

They cited that customers sometimes complain that they are charging ‘town prices’ but Campo explained why they have to charge what they do, breaking down the extra costs that often remain unseen by the customer, such as wages, rent and bills. The team also highlighted that quieter periods are becoming more common, especially during the week.

What the restaurant said

The post, which acquired more than 800 likes on Instagram and Facebook combined, read: “We’ve held off writing something like this for a while, but we wanted to share a little of what running Campo feels like at the moment. We love what we do and being part of Whitefield, but quieter weekends are becoming harder to manage as the cost of keeping our doors open rises.

“So we wanted to speak openly with the people who make Campo what it is. We know that people do not have the same disposable income they once had. Eating out can feel expensive when household bills have increased too, and we never take it for granted when someone chooses to spend their money with us.

Advertisement

“At the same time, the cost of running an independent restaurant has increased enormously. Food, drink, wages, energy, rent, VAT and countless other costs all have to be covered before a restaurant makes anything at all.

“We sometimes receive comments that our drinks are at “town prices”, and we understand that people want to feel they’re getting good value. Being outside the city centre doesn’t automatically mean our food and drink costs less to buy.

“Larger venues and chains can often secure better buying prices because of the volumes they purchase. We work incredibly hard to keep our prices fair while covering our costs and offering the food, service and atmosphere you come to Campo for.

“We still have plenty of busy moments at Campo, but we’re seeing more quiet days between them. The quieter weeks are becoming much harder for independent businesses like ours to manage.

“The response to our recent menu post reminded us how many Campo fans are still out there, which genuinely meant so much to us. We have an amazing team, brilliant regulars and a community that has supported us for over eight years.”

The restaurant added that they appreciate any form of support, whether that’s people coming for a roast or just for a coffee and a dessert. The team explained that advanced bookings can help the business in terms of planning food and staffing, while it also helps the business reduce waste. Campo explained that even supporting the business on social media helps as well.

They also called for honest feedback on how they can improve and to understand what it is people want. They added: “If there’s a reason you stopped visiting, our inbox is open and we promise to listen.

“We’re working hard behind the scenes on our new menu, our events and the overall Campo experience. We aren’t asking our customers to solve the challenges facing hospitality. We simply wanted to be honest and remind people that choosing local and independent really does make a difference.”

How customers have reacted

The post received dozens of comments across the two social media platforms, with many praising the venue and sharing their thoughts on the menu. One comment from Lindsay on Facebook read: “We love campo and wish we could come more often.. purely out of busyness of life! We will be visiting in October for sure to get our campo fix! Keep going guys doing a great job.”

Another from Stacey said: “Lovely words and would always rather pay a hard working business that’s passionate and caring and not a just a chain that doesn’t really care about the customer too – Fab food and people you are missing out if you haven’t been here already.”

On Instagram, Bury-based bakery business Little Blonde Bakes commented: “Had too many conversations like this this week, the winter months can get increasingly more quiet up until near Christmas so many may not make it through. It’s so sad. I’ll be in asap.”

For more of the latest What’s On news, click here.

Like a beacon of dread the ejection handle on a fighter jet is a terrifying object – as initiating it would be the same as pulling the pin on a massive bomb beneath your backside. It’s going to bruise.

This is the part of the cockpit no pilot wants to have to touch – because it will set off an incredibly violent reaction, triggering a huge explosion beneath him or her as they rocket to safety. But it could save their life- and yesterday it did.

As two British RAF pilots recover from ‘minor injuries’ having ejected from their Hawk T2 craft above Anglesey yesterday, they know they may have notched up a once in a lifetime nightmare – hopefully the most violent ordeal of their careers.

Barely having time to acknowledge the word “eject” both pilots will have wrenched their heads back into their headrest to prepare as one or both pulled the ejection lever and they were blasted into a maelstrom of unimaginable noise and confusion.

One or both of them made that incredibly quick decision to take advantage of their plane’s barely upright position so ejecting would point them upwards to safety.

A split second after ejection was initiated they will have been catapulted at a speed through the air few humans survive, perhaps as much as a bone-crunching 20G-force at 50 feet per-second as a rocket fired them out of the cockpit and the nightmare was still not over.

The G-force alone might be double what most fighter pilots ever endure, even in wartime and the chance of serious injury or worse is sky-high. That is the measure of force on the human body, normally set at 1G on the ground and up to 5G on a rollercoaster.

It increases as jets manoeuvre at – literally – breakneck speeds and pilots are given special suits which pump varying pressures all their body to protect them from that force.

It can feel like being punched in the stomach or limb but the first stays in place whilst the G-Force is increasing.

Apart from learning about the correct posture for the explosion, it is impossible to train fully for ejection it because it is so hazardous.

I have sat on one of these bomb-catapult ejector seats, with a handle between your legs to set it off, after joining a war veteran fighter pilot called Brian, nicknamed “Sumo”, flying an RAF Tornado over Scotland in 2012.

It was one of the most exhilarating experiences I have had in decades of war reporting and flying in all kinds of warplanes and helicopters.

On take-off it was hard to take my eyes off the taped handle as the pilot, Gulf War veteran Wing Commander Brian “Sumo” James, then 42, told me to pull it only if he is incapacitated and the plane is in trouble and I needed to eject from the plane.

Otherwise, he advised me, he would pull a master control to eject for both of us …and that for now it was probably best to “leave it alone,” that we were just off on a one hour flight and there was nothing to worry about.

Fortunately my one hour Top Gun experience, which marked the one millionth flying of British Tornados, above Scotland did not go wrong and I was being flown by the best.

But I recall the G-Force suits pressurising as we went into dives and it felt like a person many times my weight sitting on me and not getting up.

If something does go wrong with the jet – and apparently it did yesterday, one or both flyers can pull the ejector handle or button, if the other is injured or unconscious.

The ejector control is indeed a frightening device, even though it may save your life, because you are told how violent the force will be and the chance of injury.

This can range from severe spinal, head or limb injuries caused by the immense pressure.

When ejection is initiated the canopy explodes above you and then you shoot through the air and if too high, perhaps 10,000 feet, you free fall uncontrollably until the parachute opens, possibly above enemy territory, a desert, mountains or the sea and maybe injured.

Some who are forced to eject suffer long-term back injuries or worse.

These two are said to have suffered minor injuries and they were lucky.

Their parachutes will have opened fairly soon after the jet explosion rocketing them to safety expired as they were low-flying.

When I flew in the Tornado I asked “Sumo” what pressure he endured in the Gulf War as he took evasive action from enemy missiles and he told me it was above 9G-force.

Even double the 4G I endured is hard to imagine without breaking something.

But the force these two pilots endured was probably five times that.

They are very fortunate only to have suffered minor injuries.