Here’s an up-to-date list of all NFL Players from Provo High School, Provo, Utah.
The list includes only those players who have played in an NFL game.
See where it ranks among other schools in the state here.
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NFL Players from Provo H.S. (Provo, UT)
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Arsenal recorded an impressive 4–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze both scoring twice.
Arsenal started the match strongly and controlled much of the first half. They took the lead in the 33rd minute when Eberechi Eze controlled Bukayo Saka’s cross and finished well past Guglielmo Vicario.
Tottenham responded quickly. Just two minutes later, Randal Kolo Muani equalised after winning the ball from Declan Rice and firing past goalkeeper David Raya.
Arsenal came out with more intensity after the break. Gyokeres restored the lead with a powerful strike from the edge of the box early in the second half. On the hour mark, Eze scored his second goal after a loose ball fell to him inside the area.
Tottenham tried to get back into the game and had chances, including an effort from Richarlison that Raya cleared off the line. However, Gyokeres sealed the win in injury time, holding off a defender before scoring his second goal of the match.
The result keeps Arsenal five points clear at the top of the Premier League table. Tottenham, who were managed by Igor Tudor for the first time, remain in the lower half of the table and continue their struggles at home.
Arsenal will return to action next Sunday with a home match against Chelsea, while Tottenham will look to bounce back in their upcoming fixtures.
AC Milan fell seven points behind Inter Milan in the Italian title race after drawing 1-1 at home to Como.
Argentina midfielder Nico Paz put the visitors ahead in the 32nd minute on Wednesday, following a clumsy error from Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
The France No. 1 tried passing the ball from the edge of his penalty area, but Paz swiftly intercepted it and shot through Maignan’s legs for his ninth league goal of the season.
Portugal winger Rafael Leao equalized midway through the second half for Milan with a neat lob, after being set up by midfielder Ardon Jashari.
Second-place Milan is four points ahead of defending champion Napoli in third.
Como moved into sixth spot on goal difference from Atalanta in the race for a Champions League place next season. Fifth-place Juventus is four points ahead.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Published: Feb 19 2026 | 10:32 AM IST
Fullback C.J. Ham retired from the NFL a couple of weeks ago, shrinking the Minnesota Vikings’ list of internal free agents from an even 20 to 19. And with free agency just two weeks away, here’s a look at who the club should prioritize in ascending order.
Minnesota’s list is big, yet the real pressure sits on a few names at the top.
It’s actually a very quiet internal free agency for Minnesota compared to recent years, mainly because former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s four draft classes turned out so poorly. So, that’s a perk, right? Sarcasm.
The Short List That Is Minnesota’s Free Agency
Counting down the Vikings’ top free agents of 2026.
Nos. 19 thru 14
19 — Matt Nelson (LT)
18 — Brett Rypien (QB)
17 — John Wolford (QB)
16 — Tavierre Thomas (CB)
15 — Carson Wentz (QB)
14 — Ben Sims (TE)
Nelson: Do you know who Matt Nelson is? Exactly.
Rypien: This guy was the Vikings’ QB2 fix for about two months of the 2025 offseason. Now, he’s a footnote.
Wolford: Wolford served as the emergency plan behind J.J. McCarthy and Max Brosmer last year. He might’ve even played better than Brosmer if given a chance. Regardless, with the Vikings emphasizing a deep quarterback room in 2026, Wolford is expendable.
Wentz: The veteran passer did his damndest to keep the enterprise afloat during McCarthy’s absence, but Wentz was just too on-and-off to be considered a QB2 solution going forward. Perhaps a QB3 job title would look great on him.
Sims: If Minnesota makes all the release rumors about T.J. Hockenson come true, it will need TE depth. And that’s Sims.
Thomas: A penalty machine at times in 2025, Thomas stabilized down the stretch of 2025.
Nos. 13 thru 9
13 — Taki Taimani (DT)
12 — Zavier Scott (RB)
11 — Jeff Okudah (CB)
10 — Ty Chandler (RB)
9 — Fabian Moreau (CB)
Taimani: The Vikings suddenly have a crowded DT room. It’s so rare in recent years for the club to employ DTs with nose tackle size. Perhaps keeping Taimani aboard for his size (6’1″ and 330 pounds) would be wise.
Scott: Minnesota gave Scott a whiff at RB2 and RB3 jobs in 2025. The man was serivceable. He should be retained on the practice squad at the very least.
Okudah: The former third overall pick experienced a horrid year in 2025, between poor play and two concussions. As a CB4, he might be intriguing. Brian Flores seems to like him.
Chandler: This Adofo-Mensah draft pick scripted a game from heaven in 2023 at the Cincinnati Bengals. And then that was about it. Unbelievably, Chandler will turn 28 this offseason. His career is on the back nine, believe it or not.
Moreau: Moreau did not get enough credit from Vikings fans last year. He held down the fort at CB3, banking a sweet 54.2 passer-rating-against. If your phone buzzes in March and says, “The Vikings have re-signed Fabian Moreau,” you should smile. The guy can ball.
Nos. 8 thru 5
8 — Ryan Wright (P)
7 — Bo Richter (EDGE)
6 — Justin Skule (LT)
5 — Ivan Pace Jr. (LB)
4 — Harrison Smith (S)
Wright: The Vikings’ punter was a machine as a rookie, returned to earth in 2023 and 2024, and resurged in 2025. He’ll likely be the punter again in 2026. Kicker Will Reichard also trusts him as his holder. Sign us up for more.
Richter: Behind Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner next season, Minnesota will need an OLB4. Why not Richter to battle for the job?
Skule: Christian Darrisaw’s ACL recovery is as mysterious as it is scary. Brian O’Neill is also starting to get “up there” in age. The Vikings need dependable OT depth; Skule is accordingly a priority.
Pace Jr.: Flores benched Pace Jr. for poor tackling in 2025. Is he eternally doomed? Purple fans just watched a season where Sam Darnold felt eternally doomed for ruining the Vikings’ 2024 season with two dastardly quarterback performances. He later redeemed himself in Seattle to the tune of a Super Bowl. Like Darnold, perhaps a few poor games from Pace Jr. won’t define his career forever.
Smith: With every day that passes and Smith has not announced his retirement, the odds climb on his return for Year No. 15. Why not come back with Flores still in the mix and use Smith as a situation safety? No one would be mad about it.
Nos. 3 thru 1
3 — Jalen Nailor (WR)
2 — Eric Wilson (LB)
1 — Jalen Redmond
Nailor: Some reports say Nailor’s next contract will fetch $5 million per season. Some reports say $12 million. The Vikings have the cash for Nailor at $5 million; they do not have the cash for Nailor at $12 million. It’s pretty simple.
Wilson: Wilson will turn 32 in September. He’s not the long-term fix at ILB. But wouldn’t it be criminal to let him leave after his 2025 campaign damn near earned the man a Pro Bowl appearance? The Vikings should do both — re-sign Wilson for a year or two and draft a rookie ILB in the middle rounds of April’s draft. Flores should be able to scout the best option.
Redmond: Minnesota owns Redmond’s rights of free agency. Behind Justin Jefferson last season, Redmond was arguably the Vikings’ best player. He’ll be back, and he deserves it. He’s one of the coolest Vikings stories of the last decade. From UFL obscurity to NFL stardom.
The French delegation had another day to remember at the Winter Olympics on Saturday, with Océane Michelon clinching gold in the final biathlon race while Emily Harrop and Thibault Anselmet won the first-ever ski mountaineering mixed relay.
Barcelona election season is in full swing, with the countdown ongoing to the presidential vote next month. Joan Laporta is the overwhelming favourite to be re-elected, and right now, he is in the process of staking his claim to return to office.
On Saturday, Laporta was out-and-about in Barcelona, as he continued his campaign run. He made a speech at the Port Sitges Resort Hotel, and as per MD, he spoke during this on how he had helped stabilise the Catalan club’s financial woes.
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“The club is objectively and indisputably better than five years ago, thanks to a management that has allowed the entity to save itself from a limit economic situation, recover its institutional credibility and put it back in the front line. Good management is not the result of chance, but of constant work, courageous decisions and the commitment of a management and executive team that has placed the shield above any other interest.”
Image via David Ramos/Getty Images
Laporta: Barcelona cannot fall into inexperienced hands
Laporta made it clear that he believes voters should back him because of his experience of running the club, as he aimed a small dig at the candidates also in the running to become Barcelona’s next president.
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“The club does not it must fall into inexperienced hands. Institutional stability must be reaffirmed, social and economic, culminating the project of the new Spotify Camp Nou, consolidating a modern, professional and high-level governance model, maintain the sporting ambition in all sections, guarantee the ownership model of members and continue to defend the essence of the Club and the commitment with democracy, freedom and the Catalan language and culture.”
It has been two weeks since Laporta handed in his resignation, as per Barcelona rules for the election process. He is confident of being re-elected, and right now, it is clear to see why, given how popular he has been with the club’s members and supporters.
Skip next section Ceremony done and dusted
February 22, 2026
Ceremony done and dusted
A few more musical acts wrap up a ceremony that’s had opera, dance, DJs, flag waving, medals and some IOC speeches. The ceremony was certainly authentically Italian and the Verona Arena played its part, an evocative venue for the occasion.
After 17 days, 2900 athletes, 116 gold medals and 150 minutes of closing ceremony, the flame is extinguished and the Winter Olympics moves on to the French Alps for 2030.
That’s it for us, too. Thanks for reading.
https://p.dw.com/p/59Dpd
Skip next section 2026 Olympics officially closed
February 22, 2026
2026 Olympics officially closed
Kirsty Coventry takes to the lectern to congratulate volunteers, athletes and her own organization for a successful Games. The general consensus is that it has, indeed, been a success despite a number of political challenges for the IOC. They will likely face more in Los Angeles at the next summer Games in 2028.
“The Olympic Games will continue to be the space where athletes can inspire the world through sport freely, safely and proudly,” she said before declaring the Games closed and seeing the Olympic flame extinguished.
Then we’re quickly back to the high opera that we started with to extinguish the light in a figurative sense, too.
https://p.dw.com/p/59Dpc
Skip next section Winter Olympics officially pass to France
February 22, 2026
Winter Olympics officially pass to France
IOC President Kirsty Coventry enters, along with various other dignitaries, behind the Olympic flag. She’s all smiles despite a tough first Games in charge, where her tearful response to her organization banning Ukraine skeleton athlete Vladyslav will likely be the enduring memory of her.
The flag is passed to a pair of beaming representatives from France, who will host the next Winter Olympics in the French Alps in 2030. The French flag is then raised to a brass-y, subdued rendition of the French anthem, ‘La Marseillaise’ that gradually builds a little momentum without every reaching the punch it usually packs.
https://p.dw.com/p/59Dpb
Skip next section Volunteers honored and moment of rememberance
February 22, 2026
Volunteers honored and moment of rememberance
After a mercifully brief spinning of 90s Eurodance earworm ‘Blue’ by Eiffel 65, we see a montage of the numerous volunteers who help these things run smoothly. With this Games so spread, the logistics were particularly tricky this time around.
Then there’s a moment to remember those no longer with us through an interpretive dance. Next it’s the last artistic element of the night, another dance symbolizing the poetic journey through the states of water. Mostly ice and snow the relevant ones here you’d imagine.
https://p.dw.com/p/59DpZ
Skip next section Medals for final events awarded
February 22, 2026
Medals for final events awarded
As is tradition, medals for the last set of events of the Games will be awarded in the stadium. We start off with the women’s 50 km mass start cross country skiing, won by Sweden’s Ebba Andersson.
Then it’s the same event for the men. This one, muc like fve other events, was won by Johannes Hosflot Klaebo, who won six golds in total and formed part of a Norwegian podium clean sweep in this event.
The country of just 5.5 million have punched well above their weight to finish top of the medal table by some distance.
https://p.dw.com/p/59DpY
Skip next section And now for something a little different…
February 22, 2026
And now for something a little different…
A real change of pace now, with some electronic music bringing dozens of figures that resemble white mushrooms on to a stage packed with mirrors. One splits off to jump on a trampoline and then we get a huge figure in a sort of jellyfish get-up reciting lines from, we are reliably informed, Dante’s Divine Comedy, a narrative poem published in 1321.
https://p.dw.com/p/59DpX
Skip next section Athletes arrive in the arena
February 22, 2026
Athletes arrive in the arena
After the flag bearers complete their long trudge in to the stadium, athletes from all sorts of countries flood through the impressive stone archways and on to the stage.
They just keep coming, which makes you realise the scale of an Olympics. Though some will have gone home or on to other competitions, there were 2900 athletes who competed over the course of the games in Italy. Even that is dwarfed by a summer games though. There were 10,500 athletes at Paris 2024 and will likely be more at LA 2028.
https://p.dw.com/p/59DpV
Skip next section Italian flag raised as Olympic flame arrives
February 22, 2026
Italian flag raised as Olympic flame arrives
As the Italian flag is raised and the country’s anthem is picked out on a lone trumpet later joined by a full orchestra and choir, the country’s medalists stand side by side on stage belting out the words despite the slower tempo than usual.
The camera pans to IOC chief, Kirsty Coventry, who is decked out in a dazzling white bomber jacket emblazoned with the Olympic rings.
Then the flame is carried in by four men in white tracksuits and beanie hats, one of whom is holding a glass vase with said flame.
According to the IOC, it is “a manifestation of the positive values that Man has always associated with the symbolism of fire and thus makes the link between the ancient and the modern Games.”
The flame is always lit in Olympia, Greece, a few months before the Games and carried to that year’s venue where it is kept burning throughout the event.
https://p.dw.com/p/59DpT
Skip next section Closing ceremony for 2026 Olympics begins
February 22, 2026
Closing ceremony for 2026 Olympics begins
And we’re off! The stunning Verona Arena is ready and starts in a fashion familiar to it, with an operatic performance getting things going in front of an audience mostly wrapped up in disposable ponchos.
https://p.dw.com/p/59DpR
Skip next section European nations dominate Winter Olympic medal table
February 22, 2026
European nations dominate Winter Olympic medal table
As mentioned earlier, there was a distinctly European feel to the top of the medal table. Aside from the US in 2nd and Japan in 10th, the rest of the top 10 on the table were European nations.
While we wait for the ceremony to begin, it might be a good time to look at our stories on how big a difference hosting has made for the Italians and the German ski jumper who overcame a fear of heights to win gold.
https://p.dw.com/p/59DpQ
Skip next section Final weekend brings protests and PR gaffes
February 22, 2026
Final weekend brings protests and PR gaffes
Even at this late stage, there have been a couple of significant news lines from the Games’ final weekend. On Saturday, the IOC cleared FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who is also an IOC member, saying he had not broken the Olympic Charter’s neutrality requirement by donning a red MAGA-style USA hat at the first meeting of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace earlier in the week.
IOC chief Kirsty Coventry said she didn’t even know Infantino was an IOC member when pressed ahead of the decision during a press conference where she admitted she “wasn’t aware” of a number of issues which face her organization.
Then, on Sunday, ahead of the closing ceremony, protesters took the streets of Verona to object to having had the Games in their region. Hundreds of people marched through Verona just hours before the ceremony was set to start to protest against housing costs and environmental concerns linked to the Winter Games.
The “Olympics? No thanks” rally was organised by university groups and others that oppose hosting an event they say disrupts forests, pours concrete onto fragile land and deepens social inequality.
https://p.dw.com/p/59DpP
Skip next section Politics and sport prove tough to separate at 2026 Olympics
February 22, 2026
Politics and sport prove tough to separate at 2026 Olympics
While there have been countless sporting achievements, there have also been plenty of moments during this Games where the spotlight was away from the events.
Perhaps the biggest was the IOC decision to ban Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych from wearing a helmet that featured images of Ukrainian athletes killed during Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Heraskevych told DW moments after his disqualification was announced that: “If (the) IOC reacts in a way with common sense, we will not have this terrible scandal now. And then there is much less politics in this competition and also much more attention (being paid) to the athletes in the competition now.”
The new boss of the IOC, Kirsty Coventry had tears down her eyes when announcing the decision, admitting that it was ” a message of memory and no one is disagreeing with that” but confirming it broke IOC rules.
There were also protests against the presence of American ICE agents, a British skier urinating a profanity against Donald Trump in the snow and the decision, announced during these Games, that Russian athletes can compete under their national flag at the upcoming Paralympics.
https://p.dw.com/p/59DpO
Skip next section What to expect from the Olympic closing ceremony
February 22, 2026
What to expect from the Olympic closing ceremony
Organizers the IOC have promised to tell the story of Italy through a “tapestry of music, art, and storytelling,” adding that the ceremony will showcase “not only athletic excellence, but also Italian cultural identity and innovation.”
Performers include Italian singer and rapper Achille Lauro, award-winning Roman actress Benedetta Porcaroli and Italian DJ Gabry Ponte.
As with the opening ceremony earlier this month, each nation — with a handful of exceptions — will have chosen athletes to be their flagbearers. In Germany’s case this will be Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt. The pair became the country’s most successful Winter Olympians by each winning a seventh gold in luge.
https://p.dw.com/p/59DpN
Skip next section Welcome to our Winter Olympics closing ceremony coverage!
February 22, 2026
Welcome to our Winter Olympics closing ceremony coverage!
Hello and welcome to DW’s live blog of the 2026 Winter Olympics closing ceremony.
After 17 days of skiing, sliding, jumping and curling, the USA defeated neighbors Canada to win the last of 116 gold medals at Milan-Cortina. That left the US second on the medal table, six behind Norway whose Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won six on his own, becoming the most successful Winter Olympian of all time in the process.
With the sport over, it will soon be time for the curtain to officially come down on the Games. The closing ceremony will take place at the Verona Olympic Arena, a beautifully preserved ancient amphitheater built in 30AD and is scheduled to start at 20:30 CET and run for somewhere approaching three hours.
https://p.dw.com/p/59DpI
Elite jumper Constitution Hill appears headed toward a pioneering bid for the 2026 Melbourne Cup on the back of his dominant return to action in England last weekend.
Michael Buckley, the owner, discussed on Racing TV’s Luck on Sunday—screened Sunday afternoon Australian time—that the $10 million 3200m Flemington spectacle in November is his prized objective.
Buckley with trainer Nicky Henderson haven’t confirmed a hurdles comeback at next month’s Cheltenham Festival, but the owner holds firm views on late-year plans.
“I think we need to make a plan, we can always change it along the way,” Buckley said.
“I think that the horse should be running around about the end of August or beginning of September, in either the Ebor (at York), or there’s a race at Goodwood, or in the Irish St Leger, with a view to going to Melbourne.
“I think he’ll stay two miles on the flat.
“If you were asking me what I’d like to do, that’s what I’d like to aim at.”
Constitution Hill returned via a 9-1/2 length rout at 2414m on Southwell’s all-weather track, raced in Saturday’s early Australian hours.
This was his first flat race, following falls in three of four preceding jumps starts. He entered with a streak of 10 jumps victories, eight Grade 1s.
A March 17, 2017 foal by Blue Bresil, the horse would enter the Melbourne Cup as a 10-year-old per Australian standards for hemisphere-bred runners.
The oldest Melbourne Cup winners at eight years old are Toryboy (1865), Catalogue (1938), and Twilight Payment (2020), from the event’s 1861 origins.
Given his jumps background, Constitution Hill must secure black-type flat credentials for Melbourne Cup qualification and undergo Racing Victoria’s thorough vet checks.
The owner is confident of approval, despite the horse’s odd trotting gait, with Henderson set to supply video evidence to examiners.
“As far as I know, he doesn’t have anything that would be adverse to getting in,” Buckley said.
“Nicky will make sure that they have a video of the way he trots…he’s a terrible trotter but he seems OK when he’s galloping.”
Constitution Hill is quoted at $15 in places for the 2026 Melbourne Cup slated for November 3.
Discover leading racing betting markets featuring Constitution Hill for the Melbourne Cup.
Zoe Atkin capped Team GB’s best ever Winter Olympics with a bronze medal in the freeski half-pipe, to go with three golds and a silver won earlier in the Games.
The 23-year-old is the reigning world and X Games champion and had qualified in top spot, but China’s Eileen Gu recovered from a poor qualifying performance to win gold in her best discipline, defending her title from Beijing four years ago.
Atkin was a disappointing ninth in Beijing and withstood the pressure in Livigno Snow Park to seal a first Olympic medal despite a crash on her second run, equalling her older sister Izzy’s slopestyle bronze from Pyeongchang 2018.
China took gold and silver through Gu – the most decorated freeskier in history, who added a gold to her slopestyle and Big Air silver last week – and Li Fanghui, with whom Atkin shared the overall World Cup crystal globe last season.
Atkin’s bronze takes GB’s overall medal haul up to five, matching the record set in Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang, but an improvement with three golds compared to just one at each of those Games.
She said: “I can’t even begin to describe the rollercoaster of emotions it is here at the Olympics. I was so stressed out today and so nervous. So I kind of played a little bit safer on my first run just to put one down. And then I set it up on that third run there, so I’m just super stoked.”
Her family and fellow Olympic medallist sister were in Livigno to cheer her on, and she added: “I wanted to one up her so bad! But no, watching her in 2018 has always been such a big moment of inspiration for me. And she’s always been my biggest role model. It was so full circle to have her watching me here and supporting me, when I was watching her in Pyeongchang when she got her medal. It’s really special, and to share that with her means so much.”
The final was initially delayed by an hour and a half due to heavy snowfall in Livigno which completely blanketed the half-pipe, with poor visibility making it unsafe for the event to go ahead, before the decision was made to push it back to Sunday.
Fortunately the weather gods smiled on Livigno on the final day of the Games, and 11 athletes – missing Canada’s Cassie Sharpe, who qualified third but crashed hard and withdrew with a concussion – took to the Snow Park in bright sunshine.
Nerves were on show for much of the field, with several of the early starters crashing on their first run and struggling to maintain balance landing on the fresh snow.
Gu produced a huge first trick but landed slightly awkwardly and bailed on the remainder of her run, having lost all her speed, and scored on 30.00 to go into eighth place.
But Li was on impeccable form, launching up the 7 metre wall fearlessly and transitioning well between difficult tricks to post 81.25, going into provisional third.
A relaxed-looking Atkin, who had qualified in first place, chatted to her coach at the top of the half-pipe and spent some time on her phone selecting her music choice for the run before setting off.
The 23-year-old’s amplitude – the height she gets on her jumps – is her major advantage over her rivals, and she powered into the lead with a superb, consistent opening run to score 90.50, remaining in the lead and with more difficult tricks in her locker.
Gu put together a much better second run – successfully landing the trick she erred on in qualifying – to soar into the lead with 94.00, putting the pressure back onto Atkin.
Australian 16-year-old Indra Brown recorded the first 1080 of the day – a cork 1080, three full rotations in the air – but only scored 65.00, while Li pushed Atkin down to third with a 91.50.
Atkin soared 5.4 metres, nearly 2 metres higher than most of her rivals, into the air with her first trick but came unstuck later in the run, clipping the pipe with her skis and crashing hard, unable to improve her score.
Gu posted a 94.75 with her best run yet, reaching a height of 4 metres to maintain her position at the top of the standings and guarantee a medal.
The 22-year-old ran to hug compatriot Li after the latter completed another strong final run, posting 93.00 to put China in the top two podium spots.
Atkin dropped into the half-pipe last, recovering after her crash to put in an excellent run, including a huge switch 900 for her final trick. Her amplitude was again miles higher than any of her rivals but it was only enough for bronze, a 92.50 – half a point off silver.
But she was delighted to make the podium and celebrated with her fellow medallists, the tears flowing as she prepared to accept her medal, while Gu dropped to the snow in joy and disbelief after defending her title.
The Milan Cortina Olympics ended Sunday and passed the Olympic flag over to the next Winter Games host nation, France, raising its flag next to Italy’s and Greece’s. The closing ceremony payed tribute to Italian dance and music, as some 1,500 Olympians filed into the arena waving small national flags to a medley of Italian pop hits.
Cristiano Ronaldo recently wen on striker at Al-Nassr after the club’s owners allowed title rivals Al-Hilal to sign Karim Benzema.
Cristiano Ronaldo has declared that he ‘belongs to Saudi Arabia’ in a forceful rebuttal to rumours surrounding his future. The 41-year-old former Manchester United star raised questions about his Al-Nassr career earlier this month when he refused to take to the pitch.
The Portugal skipper sat out two matches in protest at the PIF’s decision to permit Karim Benzema to join Al-Nassr’s title competitors, Al-Hilal, from defending champions Al-Ittihad. All three sides are owned by the PIF, who fund Ronaldo’s staggering £488,000-a-day salary.
Ronaldo ended his boycott last weekend, finding the net in his team’s 2-0 away triumph against Al-Fateh. On Saturday, the five-time Ballon d’Or recipient was back on home turf at Al-Nassr’s stadium and netted a crucial double.
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Their 4-0 triumph over Al-Hazem enabled them to overtake Al-Hilal and claim top spot in the standings by a single point. After the match, Ronaldo spoke to Thmanyah Sports and reasserted his dedication to Saudi Arabia.
“Yeah, I’m very happy,” the forward smiled. “As I say so many times, I belong to Saudi Arabia. It’s a country that welcomed very well to me and my family and my friends.
“I’m happy here. I want to continue here. And the most important, it’s we keep pushing. We are there in the top. Our job is to win, make pressure [on our title rivals], and let’s see.
“We are on track. We’re back; we are good; we are confident. Game by game. We are in a good shape. Let’s see what’s going to happen.”
After reaching an astonishing career total of 962 goals, with assists from team-mate Kingsley Coman in both halves, Ronaldo commented: “We created so many chances, in my opinion. We should score more, but we won – that is the most important.
“Without conceding goals, again. I’m very happy with the result and, of course, for the goals.”
Following the match, Ronaldo donned a traditional bisht to mark Saudi Arabia’s Founding Day. The gesture served as a reminder that the former Manchester United icon continues to be the face of sport across the Middle East.
Earlier in the week, Ronaldo’s manager, Jorge Jesus, defended his captain by suggesting that Al-Hilal possess greater ‘economic power’ than Al-Nassr. “I’ve already been at Al Hilal,” Jesus said.
“I’ve been on the other side, so I know what that’s like. I’ve already benefited from it. They have more economic power.
“hen I was there, I benefited as a coach. It’s normal. Al-Nassr, with different resources, has to compete for the top spots. We have to continue to be strong.”
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