Those who know him say he is not a captain in the Vincent Kompany mould, someone who would roll up their sleeves and head to the trenches.

Walker, 34, is a people person, a joker, a wind-up merchant. Not too intense, a 1990s-style player still cutting it in the 2020s. He looks out for his team-mates and makes the dressing room atmosphere a positive one. When youngsters perform their media duties, he wants to know how they have done.

In delivering his pre-final message in Turkey, Walker was effectively saying ‘winning this competition has been my dream, I have looked after you guys, now you owe me a favour in return’.

It is the reality for most right-backs that their abilities tend to get overlooked.

Gary Neville was an outstanding player in his own right. But what carried him to eight league titles and 85 England caps was the unselfish way he overlapped first David Beckham, then Cristiano Ronaldo, over and over, without getting the ball.

Walker is not Trent Alexander-Arnold. He cannot spray pinpoint passes around the pitch. Ultimately, he is not the player Guardiola felt could be the inverted full-back the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach wanted.

What Walker had was blinding pace and an insatiable competitive streak.

These attributes were presumably overlooked when a Tottenham official, reflecting on the player’s £50m move north in 2017, said his club felt they had struck a good deal because Walker was not an ‘absolute top player’ and they still had Kieran Trippier.

Six league titles and 93 England caps suggests Tottenham got their assessment wrong.

Kyogo arrived at Celtic from Vissel Kobe for an undisclosed fee in July 2021 and has been one of the key players in the club’s domestic dominance.

He has won three Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two League Cups with the Glasgow club.

His involvement in securing those titles was pivotal, scoring 85 goals in 165 games – including 137 starts – as well as providing 15 assists.

The Japan forward, who is contracted to 2027, has scored 12 goals from 32 games this season as Celtic have opened up a commanding lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership and qualified for the knockout phase of the Champions League.

He played for 75 minutes of Wednesday’s victory against Young Boys that secured Celtic’s progress to a Champions League play-off tie.

Kyogo scored his first Celtic goal in his first start against Jablonec in the Europa League in August 2021 and netted a 67-minute hat-trick in his next match – a 6-0 win against Dundee.

His 20-goal tally in his first season included two strikes against Hibernian in the League Cup final at Hampden.

The following campaign he opened the scoring against Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the final of the Scottish Cup that sealed the Treble.

He also scored twice to see off Rangers in the Scottish League Cup final earlier that season.

Since his debut in the Premiership he has scored 63 goals, 12 more times than the next highest scorer, Lawrence Shankland, during that period.

Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Formula 1 drivers could face race bans and hefty fines for criticising the sport’s governing body or using offensive language under controversial new rules introduced for 2025.

The FIA has established a three-strike system that could see drivers suspended from competition for one month and lose championship points for repeated infractions.

The changes to the sporting code mark a significant shift in how the governing body handles criticism and inappropriate conduct from drivers.

FIA chief Mohammed Ben Sulayem has introduced some controversial new rules

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The penalties are four times higher for Formula 1 drivers and others competing in premier championships compared to standard rates.

Team principals, who also hold FIA licences, will be subject to the same penalty structure.

Multiple sources within the FIA have revealed internal opposition to the new rules, which were reportedly pushed through without proper consultation.

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One source told the BBC the changes were implemented via a “snap e-vote and with no consultation with other stakeholders or the GPDA or the FIA’s own drivers’ commission”.

Another source described the process as “not right” and questioned why the matter couldn’t have been discussed at the next world motorsport council meeting.

The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) has declined to comment on the new regulations.

The changes are seen as the latest in a series of moves by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to limit dissent and criticism.

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The new rules follow growing tensions between drivers and the FIA leadership.

Max Verstappen was punished for an outburst in Singapore last year

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Last November, the GPDA wrote an open letter asking to be treated like “adults” and questioning the appropriateness of fines in motorsport.

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The letter came after Max Verstappen was ordered to perform public service for swearing during a Singapore Grand Prix press conference.

Verstappen subsequently appeared at a grassroots motorsport event in Rwanda alongside Ben Sulayem.

Mercedes driver and GPDA director George Russell had recently expressed that drivers were “a bit fed up with” the FIA leadership.

The GPDA’s letter requesting transparency about fine expenditure has received no response.

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The new sporting code outlines two key areas of prohibited behaviour.

One clause bans “language that is offensive, insulting, coarse, rude or abusive” as well as physical assaults and incitement.

The second forbids “words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA” or damage to motorsport’s interests.

Earlier this week, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu expressed frustration with the governing body.

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George Russell has hit out at the FIA

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“Don’t write it (in a) headline: ‘Ayao says FIA is in a mess,’ but that’s what everybody thinks. That’s what everybody experiences,” Komatsu said.

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When asked to elaborate, he added: “I don’t want to get into that political battle.”

An FIA spokesperson defended the changes, saying they aim to “further enhance transparency and consistency in decision-making”.

The spokesperson said the new appendix provides clear guidance to stewards regarding penalties for specific code violations.

“By establishing a more structured framework, the FIA seeks to ensure that penalties are applied uniformly and transparently,” the spokesperson added.

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