Roll up, roll up – it’s time for BBC Sport’s first end-of-season football awards.

Voted for by our expert pundits, dedicated team of journalists, and specialist football programme makers, these awards celebrate the players who starred in the Premier League, Women’s Super League, Scottish Premiership and EFL in 2025-26.

Those voting include Chris Sutton, Danny Murphy, Dion Dublin, Glenn Murray, Pat Nevin, Nedum Onuoha, Shay Given, Theo Walcott, Ellen White and Fara Williams.

From the players who propelled their teams to glory, to those whose quality stood out in less successful surroundings, these are the men and women whose contributions on the pitch this season deserve to be recognised.

Jauan Jennings is the main newcomer at Minnesota Vikings organized team activities (OTAs) in terms of longevity, and he’s excited about his squad, so much so that he compared himself and his WR peers to the dynastic Golden State Warriors.

It’s big talk in May that Jennings and friends will have to back up in September.

Vikings New WR Trio Has Immediate Star Power Expectations

Jennings: We’re a Big Three

The new Viking was all smiles on Wednesday, fresh off six years in San Francisco with the 49ers — hence the Warriors analogy — and reporters were anxious to ask about his mindset with the Vikings.

“It’s awesome. I feel like Kevin Durant and the Warriors. Because it’s the big 3, man, you know what I’m saying? There’s a lot of talent over here, just top-down, head-bottom, lot of talent,” Jennings said.

Jennings once played with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk at the same time, but Minnesota’s current group evidently takes the cake.

The Vikings’ Deepest WR Group in Years — Because of Jennings

One month ago, after the draft, Vikings fans looked at the wide receiver depth chart after no new rookies arrived at the position from Round 1 through 7, and thought, “What are they going to do at WR3? Is Tai Felton ready?”

The WR group felt stable because a unit with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison is never too far from prominence. Yet, at WR3, anxiety prevailed. Would the Vikings trust the responsibility to Felton?

Nope — they signed Jennings for $8 million, and instantly, the group became its deepest since the days of Randy Moss, Cris Carter, and Jake Reed. The current trio isn’t quite as talented from head to toe as those three, but it’s not silly to suggest Jefferson-Addison-Jennings is the top trio since.

Overall, here’s the full WR setup at OTAs:

• Justin Jefferson
• Jordan Addison
• Jauan Jennings
• Tai Felton
• Myles Price
• Jeshaun Jones
• Dontae Fleming
• Joaquin Davis
• Dillon Bell
• Luke Wysong
• Marcus Sanders
• Terrill Davis

Not bad.

FantasyLife‘s Adam Pfeifer on Jennings: “Over the past two seasons, Jennings has ranked 32nd and 16th in fantasy points per route, largely due to a 35% end-zone target share. He’s played 15 games in both seasons, while running a route on nearly 82% of dropbacks.”

“The Vikings are getting a tough, reliable player to complement Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Since 2024, Jennings’ 69 receptions on third down are the 10th most in the NFL, drawing a target on over 26% of third-down routes and accounting for 24.5% of San Francisco’s third-down targets.”

The Superteam Constructed to Stop LeBron James

In 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied from behind to complete a historic comeback and defeat the Warriors in the NBA Finals. Golden State led the series three games to one, but thanks to James and his co-pilot, Kyrie Irving, Cleveland pulled off the impossible.

How’d the Warriors, a 73-win team, respond? Signing Kevin Durant, who averaged 28 points per game on a 55-win Thunder team. That’s right: the only way to stop James’s second career prime was for one of the NBA’s leading scorers to join a 73-win team, stacking the odds in Golden State’s favor. The plan worked — the Warriors won two titles with Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson assembled as an unstoppable force.

And that’s how Jennings sees this Vikings WR corps. It’s probably an exaggeration, but you can understand his excitement.

Murray and McCarthy on Jennings

Not only is Jennings excited about his cohorts, but his quarterbacks are also stoked about him.

J.J. McCarthy on Jennings: “I’m so happy to have that guy as part of the squad. Jennings has got great energy about him. I’ve been watching him for a long time. He’s been doing it at a really high level for a long time, and we’re blessed to have him as part of this group. It’s just building those on-time and on-rhythm passes for each concept, each route. It’s just tremendous to be around that guy every single day.”

Kyler Murray sang Jennings’s praises, too: “Jauan, honestly, getting to meet him now, it’s been great. I understand what type of competitor he is. He’s kind of given us fits for the past couple of years. Just really a dog, you know. Throw it his way, pretty, ugly, whatever way it gets done. That’s the type of energy and juice he brings to the team and the field.”

Jennings has logged 15 touchdowns in the last two seasons. Vikings fans hope that production will transfer to the Twin Cities.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker

Leinster v Lions URC Quarter-Final Preview: Team News, Stats And Betting Angle

James Lowe is set to make his 100th Leinster appearance as Leo Cullen names his side for Saturday night’s BKT United Rugby Championship quarter-final against the Fidelity SecureDrive Lions at the Aviva Stadium.

The game kicks off at 8pm and will be shown live on TG4 and Premier Sports 1.

Caelan Doris captains Leinster from number eight, with six changes to the matchday squad from the Investec Champions Cup final. Lowe returns to the side after equalling Shane Horgan’s all-time Leinster try-scoring record of 69 tries in his last outing.

Big Talking Point

Wow.

Ciarán Frawley being left out of the 23 is a very strange call unless there is an injury issue involved. Someone at Leinster may end up regretting not giving him a proper run at 10 over the last two years.

The Lions should be a lot more confident after seeing this Leinster starting team. Leinster are still packed with quality, but with Sam Prendergast and Luke McGrath starting at half-back, and Frawley not involved, there is definitely a betting angle here.

The handicap is Lions +15, and that looks huge based on this team news.

Recent URC Form

Leinster Last Six URC Matches

• Glasgow Warriors 38-17 Leinster
• Leinster 36-19 Scarlets
• Ulster 21-29 Leinster
• Benetton 29-26 Leinster
• Leinster 31-7 Lions
• Leinster 68-14 Ospreys

Lions Last Six URC Matches

• Lions 54-17 Edinburgh
• Lions 42-26 Dragons
• Lions 54-12 Glasgow Warriors
• Lions 33-21 Connacht
• Leinster 31-7 Lions
• Munster 24-17 Lions

The Lions have lost their last two matches in Ireland, but before that they had put together a seriously impressive run, including big home wins over Glasgow, Connacht, Edinburgh and Dragons.

Head-To-Head

• 25 February 2022: Leinster 21-13 Lions
• 15 April 2023: Lions 36-39 Leinster
• 20 April 2024: Lions 44-12 Leinster
• 26 October 2024: Leinster 24-6 Lions
• 09 May 2026: Leinster 31-7 Lions

Leinster have won four of the five URC meetings between the sides, with the Lions’ only win coming in Johannesburg in April 2024.

Key Match Stats

• This is Leinster’s eleventh successive appearance in the URC play-offs.
• Leinster have won all five URC quarter-finals they have played, with all five taking place in Dublin.
• Leinster’s only defeat in their last five URC matches was away to Benetton.
• The Lions have reached the URC play-offs for the first time.
• The Lions’ last eight URC matches have all been won by the home team on the day.
• The Lions’ only victory in ten visits to Ireland was a 38-14 win over Connacht in March 2024.
• The only away victory in this fixture was Leinster’s 39-36 win in Johannesburg in April 2023.

Top Scorers This Season

Leinster

• Top try scorer: Joshua Kenny – 9 tries
• Scott Penny – 5 tries
• Tommy O’Brien – 5 tries
• Top points scorer: Harry Byrne – 67 points
• Sam Prendergast – 56 points
• Joshua Kenny – 45 points
• Ciarán Frawley – 27 points

Lions

• Top try scorer: Ruan Venter – 7 tries
• Henco van Wyk – 6 tries
• Francke Horn – 5 tries
• Sibabalwe Mahashe – 5 tries
• Top points scorer: Chris Smith – 154 points
• Ruan Venter – 35 points
• Henco van Wyk – 30 points

Leinster Rugby Starting XV

1. A. Porter
2. D. Sheehan
3. T. Furlong
4. J. McCarthy
5. J. Ryan
6. M. Deegan
7. S. Penny
8. C. Doris (C)
9. L. McGrath
10. S. Prendergast
11. J. Lowe
12. J. Osborne
13. R. Ioane
14. J. O’Brien
15. H. Keenan

Replacements

16. G. McCarthy
17. A. Usanov
18. T. Clarkson
19. D. Mangan
20. J. van der Flier
21. J. Gibson-Park
22. H. Byrne
23. R. Henshaw

Match Details

Fixture: Leinster Rugby v Fidelity SecureDrive Lions

Competition: BKT United Rugby Championship Quarter-Final

Venue: Aviva Stadium

Kick-off: Saturday, 8pm

TV: TG4 and Premier Sports 1

Referee: Sam Grove-White

Verdict

Leinster should still win this game. Their pack is stacked, Doris captains the side, Lowe returns for a landmark 100th appearance, and the bench contains serious international quality in Josh van der Flier, Jamison Gibson-Park, Harry Byrne and Robbie Henshaw.

However, this does not feel like a full-throttle Leinster selection. Frawley missing out is the eyebrow-raiser, and the Lions have enough power and attacking threat to stay within range if they start well.

Prediction: Leinster to win, but Lions +15 looks a big handicap.

LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s skipper Rajat Patidar. (ANI Photo)

BENGALURU: From being one of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s most dependable finishers to becoming a key figure in the backroom setup of the IPL defending champions, Dinesh Karthik has witnessed the franchise’s evolution from close quarters.In a freewheeling interview with TOI, the 40-year-old RCB mentor and batting coach spoke about the champions’ mindset within the squad, the emergence of captain Rajat Patidar as a calm leader, and coaching international stars. Excerpts:The mindset of a team defending the titleAt the outset, each player was given a structure outlining what they should be doing. In terms of results, there were bound to be ups and downs, so the key was to make sure we did the things we were good at very well and the things we could get better at. We are constantly addressing it and getting better at it, and that is a good way to look at this tournament. It is a long tournament, and it is important to stay fresh.Evolution of Patidar as a captainIt’s been heartwarming to see him remain the same person: cool, calm, and relaxed on and off the field. As a leader, he’s absorbed pressure well without showing it, which is commendable.He’s still the person he was before becoming captain, which says a lot about him. I’ve played with him and have a good relationship. Seeing him succeed as both a batter and a skipper makes me very proud.The coming of age of Devdutt PadikkalHe was always an extraordinary batter for Karnataka and across formats. But in IPL, I think he wanted to change certain areas of his game, which he addressed straight away, and we were happy enough to help as a group and you can see the results on the field, the confidence and the way he is batting. It’s always a good sign when a young boy like that understands what it takes to take his game to the next level and asks for suggestions and opinions, but he does it his own way. He’s a strong man. I believe he’s a superb talent and it’s great to see that talent evolving into something very special for the team.On the difference between coaching Indian and international playersYou have to adapt to international players differently. For example, Tim David is very different from Romario Shepherd, so you need to understand both and where they are coming from. They are very independent people, so you need to see what works for them, and sometimes less could be more, and I try and say very little if I am not required to do a lot of the talking. I have learned a lot from Andy (Flower) and Mo (Bobat) about how they handle different players and about their character traits. They are very different from the ones I have with the Indian players, but one steeped in respect.On being rated among the best coaches by Phil SaltPhil has obviously travelled the world and has worked with many coaches. It was nice to see him acknowledge that something I said helped him. My role was to understand what Phil was doing and help him enhance his game. He was open to discussing areas for improvement, which empowered me to provide useful feedback. Such open relationships with foreign players are always rewarding. The conversations you have with players on the bench. Being in the IPL’s top 11 or 12 doesn’t define you as a player. It’s about team combinations; if you’re not in, it doesn’t diminish your value. Avoid overthinking your selection status.On grooming the finishersThe finisher role is a niche role. It is a tough one because you end up not facing as many deliveries as the top order batters. So, you have to understand what it means to do well and accept certain ways in which you could get out. That is very important for being a good finisher because you are taking a high risk a lot of the time for a majority of the innings that you play. So you need to be very aware of what success means, being a finisher and at times how failures can actually be quite misleading. The challenge is to understand and treat them both equally. Also, the way you practice and get ready for a game is extremely important.

When Vaibhav Sooryavanshi attended the Rajasthan Royals trials back in the day, neither did he possess the pronounced back-lift nor the super-sonic bat speed that has now forced an entire bowlers’ industry to suffer from chronic nightmares. But with a gifted cricket brain and clarity to die for, Sooryavanshi often reminds Zubin Bharucha of a young Sachin Tendulkar, who had similar traits when he was 15. Bharucha, possibly one of the best modern day batting mentors in the country, who also worked with Sooryavanshi, gave a ringside view of the science in his batting and the elements that make him special.

“One of Vaibhav’s rare qualities is his ability to grow alongside the game. What people see today is not what existed when he was eight years old. This exaggerated backlift, for example, evolved progressively as the quality and pace of bowling improved around him,” Bharucha told PTI during an interaction.

In fact, Bharucha, who back then was associated with the Royals spoke about how the coaches worked on his bat speed before the start of the 2025 Indian Premier League.

“Interestingly, at the trial he attended, he did not even possess the fastest bat speed amongst the group. This was identified and worked on diligently for a period of three months where we were able to improve it by another thirty percent,” the former Mumbai batter recalled.

So what exactly separates Sooryavanshi from other talented young batters who are coming through the ranks? “That ability to delay commitment, to almost suspend time for a fraction longer, is one of the defining traits of elite batting,” Bharucha replied.

Deconstructing Sooryavanshi’s technique

If one has watched Sooryavanshi, the footwork has been minimal where he has mostly stood and delivered with an amazing bat-speed armed with a high back-lift. But there is a slight trigger of the backfoot which allows him to use the depth of the crease.

“A lot of that comes from his loading onto the backfoot and his back-lift. The back-lift is not merely a stylistic feature; it acts almost like a self-propagating depth-perception mechanism. As the ball travels, the body, hands, and eyes work together to create spatial awareness.

“Great batters do not just react to the ball, they seem to receive extra information from it. That is incredibly difficult to teach because it sits at the intersection of vision, timing, balance, and instinct,” said Bharucha.

While he is much younger compared to team’s senior players like Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel, his training routines haven’t been any different from them.

“Jurel. There is no radically different magic formula.” “The process is built around deconstruction and reconstruction — breaking the batting down into smaller components, identifying inefficiencies, and then rebuilding movements and decisions in a more repeatable way. The core objective is always risk reduction through fault reduction, while simultaneously enhancing scoring options.” What one has noticed in Sooryavanshi’s batting is the increase in scoring options. In 2025, his scoring chart was dominated by shots on the on-side but in this one year, he has developed shots on the off as well.

“At the highest level, batting development is as much about adding range as it is about removing weaknesses and increasing clarity under pressure.

“What is interesting is that his practice routines between IPL seasons have not dramatically changed. He has been hitting roughly the same volume of balls for the last couple of years.

“With elite sport, people often search for some secret technical breakthrough, but more often than not the biggest shift is belief,” Bharucha said, relating from his decades of coaching young talent, who come up through the system.

So what has been the difference between Sooryavanshi of 2025 and Sooryavanshi of 2026? “The difference now is that his confidence has multiplied,” Bharucha answered.

“Earlier, he knew he could dominate U19 bowlers. Now he believes the same methods, the same tempo, and the same instincts can work against international bowlers as well. That internal shift is enormous. Talent gives players a ceiling, but belief is often what allows them to actually reach it.” Sooryavanshi is enjoying a high but obviously there will be low phases like it happens with every player. The noise around him will increase exponentially but Bharucha feels that after Tendulkar, he hasn’t seen any teenager with such clarity.

“In that sense, he reminds me very much of a young Sachin Tendulkar. Not necessarily stylistically, but in terms of maturity and clarity. Some players arrive young in age but already old in understanding. He is one such,” said Bharucha.

“It would be unrealistic to suggest that he will somehow be immune to the struggles every cricketer experiences. Failure, scrutiny, and the weight of expectation are unavoidable parts of any sporting career, particularly in India but what stands out, though, are some of the qualities he possesses beyond pure skill.

“His leadership instincts and his cricket intelligence are unusually advanced for someone so young. He processes situations quickly and has a natural awareness of the game around him.” While there are people skeptical about how he will fare in red ball cricket, Bharucha won’t mind if selectors throw him towards the deep end of the pool.

“So if the belief is that he has the capability, then there is also an argument that throwing him into the deep end may actually accelerate his learning. Great players often adapt quicker against the highest standard because their learning curve sharpens under pressure.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Legendary NFL agent Leigh Steinberg, who has represented a record eight first-overall draft picks and is the subject of the hit sports movie “Jerry Maguire,” has revealed his judgment on Jaxson Dart’s decision to introduce President Donald Trump at a recent rally.

Steinberg also revealed he once helped with a coalition called “Athletes for Obama,” but it was canceled before it was even announced, and why.

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New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart greets President Donald Trump during a Fighting For American Workers event in Suffern, N.Y., on May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Steinberg agreed that the recent backlash against Dart by the mainstream media is “overblown.”

“I do, because again, there’s a long history of athletes backing Democratic candidates,” Steinberg said when asked if he believed the backlash was “overblown.”

“Athletes like LeBron James and Stephen Curry have openly backed Democratic candidates, with little comparative comparable backlash.”

Dart’s presence at the Trump rally was limited to the quarterback leading a simple “Go Big Blue!” chant and then introducing Trump with the phrase, “I’m grateful, I’m honored, I’m pleasured to introduce the 45th and 47th President of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump!”

Dart did not make any political statement at the rally. Steinberg believes that making a political statement is a line that Dart was smart not to cross.

“If he had gotten up and done a partisan speech, that would have been a step too far… we like athletes to be accessible to people of all political persuasions,” Steinberg said.

NFL quarterback Jaxson Dart hugs President Donald Trump during a Fighting For American Workers event in Suffern, N.Y., on May 22, 2026. (Ryan Murphy/AP)

“Traditionally, the president of the United States has various roles. On the one hand, he is partisan and, on the other hand, he is apolitical, he is the  representative of our country. If the president is not partisan in the event, then it is particularly appropriate to introduce him.”

Steinberg was only concerned for Dart at a moment during the event when Trump was speaking, and invoked Dart in a bit that appeared related to the issue of trans athletes in women’s sports.

Trump asked Dart how he would fare competing against women, before saying “this is not a good thing for women,” during the speech.

“The president evidently talked about transgender issues, and that’s another particularly polarizing issue,” Steinberg said. “I would not want Jaxson Dart to be in the middle of a controversy about transgender athletes.”

Ultimately, from a business perspective, Steinberg believes that Dart’s introduction of the president can be advantageous to the quarterback’s brand and marketing potential.

“He’s making friendships, making contacts, meeting business people, doing a variety of things,” Steinberg said.

GIANTS’ JAXSON DART BALKS AT BUYING PREFERRED JERSEY NUMBER FROM TEAMMATE, SUGGESTS PRICE TAG WAS ‘TOO MUCH’

President Donald Trump shakes hands with New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart as he arrives to speak at Rockland Community College in Suffern, N.Y., on May 22, 2026. (Alex Brandon/AP)

“There’s endorsements that can come because of elevated profile. There are plenty of people who backed the president who owned businesses that could he could have equity in or own or do endorsements with.

“And public speaking is always the skill and being able to connect with the crowd, and so there are a lot of ways in which you could help him.”

‘Athletes for Obama’

Steinberg said that back in 2008, as an NFL super agent, he was helping to organize an interest group called “Athletes for Obama.”

However, after Obama’s Republican opponent, the late John McCain, began using campaign tactics to portray Obama as a “celebrity” candidate, the interest group was canceled, per Steinberg.

“They never announced the organization because it came at a time where McCain kept making the point that he was a ‘celebrity,’” Steinberg said. “They never announced it because McCain made a big political issue out of the fact that this was a ‘celebrity’ candidate, that he wasn’t serious about stuff.”

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However, Steinberg said that each of the athletes that originally committed to “Athletes for Obama” ended up endorsing Obama individually anyway.

“There were a whole lot of athletes who endorsed Obama when he ran for president. Of course, he was the perfect athletic candidate, because he was Black, he was young, he was athletic himself,” Steinberg said.

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David Benavidez has been linked to a move to heavyweight after halting unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez, and highly-rated trainer Robert Garcia has laid out his prediction for how ‘The Mexican Monster’ would fare against former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and other top names in the division.

Benavidez has captured world titles at super-middleweight, light-heavyweight and now cruiserweight, but his latest performance was a career-best; dispatching of ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez with ease to make his case as one of the very best fighters in the world.

In fact, the display was so impressive, that many are convinced ‘The Mexican Monster’ has what it takes to become a future heavyweight champion.

Speaking with Fino Boxing, Garcia – who had a stint training former unified champion Anthony Johua – discussed the idea of Benavidez venturing up to the top division, predicting that the 29-year-old would overcome all three former poster boys Wilder, Joshua and Tyson Fury.

“Wilder, Fury, Anthony Joshua, I think David Benavidez beats all three of them. They’re slow compared to David. They won’t even have a chance to throw a punch. By the time David already landed 20 punches on them.” 

Benavidez still remains keen on a showdown with unified light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, who defends his titles against Germany’s Michael Eifert on Saturday.

The 29-year-old has said that he does anticipate a move to heavyweight in the future, but would like to build his body up slowly. This calculated plan will give him the best chance of success, but also essentially rules out him meeting any of the ageing stars of the division mentioned above, as well as Oleksandr Usyk, inside the ropes.

For now, Benavidez remains most keen on a showdown with unified light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, who defends his titles against Germany’s Michael Eifert on Saturday.