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Who have been the Frenchman's best servants during an iconic 22-year reign in north London?

Goal1How they line upAdvertisementGetty Images2Dennis Bergkamp

A masterful technician who could make the game look easy at times. Bergkamp was never renowned for his goalscoring prowess but still managed over 100 goals during his time at Arsenal. Although he wasn't a Wenger signing it was Bergkamp who led the line for a new, entertaining Arsenal side under the Frenchman. Another player who has his own statue outside Arsenal's stadium.

Getty Images3Thierry Henry

Arsenal's greatest ever goalscorer. Three FA Cups, two Premier League titles and an Invincible season were part of Henry's honours list. The French striker had a blend of pace, skill and technique which was unrivalled in the Premier League. He even has his own statue outside Emirates Stadium.

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Getty Images4Robert Pires

Pure class. Possessed a perfect touch, precise shot and elegant running style which made it look as if he was gliding across the floor. Pires epitomises those who say 'he's a Wenger player'.

Michael Hogan claimed four wickets to give Glamorgan a victory opportunity on the third day of the Specsavers County Championship match with Gloucestershire in Bristol

ECB Reporters Network17-May-2016
ScorecardMichael Hogan spearheaded Glamorgan’s challenge•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesMichael Hogan claimed four wickets to give Glamorgan a victory opportunity on the third day of the Specsavers County Championship match with Gloucestershire at the Brightside Ground, Bristol.The 34-year-old seamer dismissed Cameron Bancroft (70) and Hamish Marshall (58) before striking two more blows with the second new ball, sending back Gareth Roderick (67) and Kieran Noema-Barnett for figures of 4 for 68.Having begun the day on 60 for 1 in their second innings, eight runs behind, the hosts were reduced to 271 for eight, a lead of 203, before some tail-end resistance from Craig Miles and David Payne guided them to 302 for 8. That meant a lead of 234 and all results are possible tomorrow, although the weather forecast is not good.Timm van der Gugten struck the first blow of the day for Glamorgan early on, pinning Graeme van Buuren lbw for 22 with a ball that nipped back.Bancroft was unbeaten on 35 at the start of play and the Australian opener moved to his first half-century for Gloucestershire on the day Michael Klinger, the player he has stood in for as overseas signing, returned to the club.Roderick had helped take the score to 109 for 2 when rain forced an early lunch. Soon after the interval it became 117 for three as Hogan speared a ball into Bancroft’s pads and had him caught at short mid-wicket, having faced 158 balls and hit 10 fours.Hamish Marshall continued his fine early season form, going past 50 for the fifth time in as many games, with 7 fours and a six. But on 58 he misjudged a drive off Hogan and was caught in the gully.It was 232 for 4 at tea, Roderick having reached a painstaking half-century off 144 balls. The new ball was taken immediately after the break and Glamorgan used it well.George Hankins was deceived by a quick ball from van der Gugten in the second over and bowled for 18, while Hogan quickly followed up with a leg-before verdict against Roderick as he looked to work a straight ball through the leg-side.Roderick had battled away for nearly four and a half hours and was clearly frustrated with himself for not going on to a really significant score.Gloucestershire then lost two more quick wickets. Noema-Barnett played a poor shot to Hogan and was caught by substitute fielder Nick Selman above his head at extra cover, while Jack Taylor was guilty of an equally rash stroke as he was caught at mid-on off Harry Podmore for 17.The hosts looked in a hole at 271 for 8 on a still true pitch. But Miles and Payne stopped the rot and by the time bad light ended play for the day their stand was worth a precious 31 runs.

Argentina are chasing down more World Cup glory and would “love” to see Lionel Messi emulate Diego Maradona by attending a crucial rugby semi-final.

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1986 World Cup winner attended 2015 semi-finalGlobal champions from 2022 on international dutyPumas set to lock horns with All Blacks in ParisWHAT HAPPENED?

Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi cemented his standing alongside Maradona when inspiring his country to global glory in football circles at Qatar 2022. The South American nation are now hoping to repeat that trick while competing with a ball of a different shape.

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Argentina have made it to the last four of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, with the Pumas now readying themselves for an epic showdown with the mighty All Blacks of New Zealand. They will have plenty of support in Paris, but it is unlikely that former PSG star Messi will be returning to the French capital as he is currently away on international duty of his own.

WHAT THEY SAID

Argentina veteran Agustin Creevy has told reporters when extending an invitation to his illustrious fellow countryman: "If Messi could now come we’d love that. But I don’t think so because he’s in Miami playing. In 2015 Maradona was retired, it was easy for him to come and stay with us. He was the best player I could meet in my whole life. He sang with us, he made a speech, everything. It was really important for us.”

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Argentina suffered semi-final heartache against Australia eight years ago – in what was a historic fixture for them played out on English soil at Twickenham – and they are hoping to go one better this time around after battling their way to an impressive comeback victory over Wales at the quarter-final stage.

As controversy surrounding James Packer’s proposed casino venture in Sri Lanka settles into the background of presidential election campaigns, the nation’s cricketers have been conducting some risky business of their own

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Dec-2014As controversy surrounding James Packer’s proposed casino venture in Sri Lanka settles into the background of presidential election campaigns, the nation’s cricketers have been conducting some risky business of their own.Kusal Perera trades on the swashbuckling starts that lurch Sri Lanka toward victory. But while Sri Lanka have plonked themselves down on the roulette table, and placed big bets on Kusal at times in the last month, it has seemed like they are playing the hazardous Russian equivalent of the game. In five of his last six innings, Kusal has not made double figures. In three of those games, he collected ducks.His 59 in the first ODI was his first half-century in 13 attempts, but captain Angelo Mathews suggested Kusal’s payouts are great enough to endure those long odds. No changes to the opening partnership were expected for the fourth ODI, though Mahela Jayawardene has expressed a desire to open in the past month.”We have a couple of options, but Kusal is a unique player,” Mathews said. “He batted really well in the first game. It was not his natural game in the first game – he tried to hang in there in the first few overs, and then took off after that. But I think if he gets going he gets really good starts for us. We want to give him a couple of opportunities, to see if he goes well. He works really hard in the nets and we trust him and have faith that he will deliver.”Mathews’ and the selectors’ opposition to Jayawardene opening the innings has been founded on a fear that his promotion top-loads Sri Lanka’s experience, and leaves the middle-order exposed. Kusal’s retention in the squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs is indication that the selectors hope he can come good.”Still the option for Mahela to go up the order is open,” Mathews said. “We just don’t want to take that chance at the moment. We hope to try and give Kusal the opportunity. We’ve got Sanga, Mahela, myself and Thirimanne, and we’ve got used to those roles. We don’t want to change a lot in those areas.”As he bats in the middle order for Colts Cricket Club, Kusal’s potential eviction from the top does not necessarily mean he will be dropped. “He’s one of those guys who can bat from No. 1 to No. 7, and that’s why we are having faith in him – because we know he can change the game,” Mathews said.But while Sri Lanka are gambling on Kusal, they are holding their cards close to their chest with another young player. Rookie chinaman bowler Lakshan Sandakan was a surprise selection in the ODI squad and, although he has not been a fixture in Sri Lanka’s A team over the past year, may be a contender for a World Cup place, Mathews said. Sandakan, 23, was the top wicket-taker in Sri Lanka’s 2014 first-class season, and has been a regular net bowler for the national side’s training sessions.”Sandakan is one of our options for the World Cup,” Mathews said. “No one has seen him yet, and he looks a very good prospect for Sri Lanka. He’s got so many variations of his own. He lands it in the right spot – his accuracy is quite good for his age. We’re not afraid to give him the opportunity. We’ve looked at him seriously in the past few months, and he looks good.”He was in the system, but he hasn’t played that many games in the first-class arena. We thought that he has some kind of mystery in him. We didn’t wait for the last moment, but we will wait for the right time – and that can be the last moment as well.”While Mathews suggested Thilina Kandamby’s World Cup prospects were slim, thanks largely to his weak fielding, Lasith Malinga’s recovery from ankle surgery has been progressing on schedule,”Lasith has been training quite hard in the gym, and also doing a bit of running. He started bowling recently, so that’s good for all of us. We know what kind of bowler he is – he’s the best death bowler in the world. It’ll be nice to have him as soon as possible.”

Jose Mourinho insisted that Carlo Ancelotti will stay at Real Madrid and advised him not to be a "madman" and join Brazil.

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Ancelotti linked with Brazil jobMourinho advised the Italian to stayAlso spoke about his departure from the BernabeuWHAT HAPPENED?

The Portuguese manager emphatically discouraged Ancelotti from departing Real Madrid, denouncing any move to coach Brazil as the decision of a "madman". The Brazilian Football Confederation's claim regarding Ancelotti coaching the national team at the 2024 Copa America has raised questions about the Italian's future in the Spanish capital. Moreover, his contract which ends in the summer of 2024, is yet to be renewed which adds fuel to speculation about the potential Brazil job.

AdvertisementWHAT MOURINHO SAID ABOUT ANCELOTTI

Mourinho, in an interview with TG1, said: "I think only a madman would leave Real Madrid when he is still wanted. I am certain that at the first sign from Florentino [Perez, Madrid's president], Carlo will remain, because he is perfect for Real Madrid and Real Madrid are perfect for him."

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Although Mourinho dismissed any possibility of him returning to the Bernabeu, there was a hint of regret in his voice when he spoke about his own departure from Real Madrid as he left in 2013, despite agreeing to an extension until 2016, a year back.

"That madman was me, the only one who after three years, with a President who still wanted me, and Jose Sanchez too, I decided to leave," he said.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MOURINHO AND REAL MADRID?

Mourinho's future at the Italian capital also hangs in the air as his contract at Roma will come to an end at the end of the season. He had lucrative offers from the Saudi Pro League during the summer and could once again be tempted to set sail for the Middle East after completing his obligations with Roma.

Meanwhile, several names have been floated as Ancelotti's successor which include Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi and Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso.

Mitchell Santner’s quickfire half-century pipped Todd Astle’s to secure Northern Districts’ victory over Canterbury by four wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2015Two spinners competed against each other, with the bat though, and Mitchell Santner’s quickfire half-century pipped Todd Astle’s to secure Northern Districts’ victory over Canterbury by four wickets.Scott Kuggeleijn burst through the Centerbury top three after they had decided to bat. A brief period of stability under Brendon Diamanti, who made a patient 56 off 93 balls. It was built on by Astle’s unbeaten 62 off 41 balls, with 11 fours and led an eighth wicket stand of 61 in 41 balls with Matt Henry. But Northern Districts’ bowlers had done their job before that – none of them cost more than 6.22 to the over and four others picked up a wicket each – and restricted the score to 246.The chase followed a similar stop-start beginning, brief recovery and final thrust. Logan van Beek and Matt Henry had Northern Districts at 71 for 3 in the 17th over before Daryl Mitchell eased the innings forward with 54 off 71 balls. His sedate pace was the perfect foil for Santner who struck 73 off 63 balls with 10 fours during a 110-run partnership. Neither man was able to stay till the end, which gave Kuggeleijn the chance to finish off what he started.

Australia’s potential No.3 for the Sydney Test, Alex Doolan has said it was not until Ricky Ponting told him last summer that he was good enough for Test cricket that he really believed in himself

Brydon Coverdale30-Dec-2013Graeme Swann would probably like Alex Doolan, for nobody could accuse Doolan of being up his own backside. The former Tasmania coach Tim Coyle has always believed in him. So has Michael di Venuto, once the state’s batting mentor and now part of the national setup. But it wasn’t until Doolan was told by Ricky Ponting that he was good enough to play for Australia that he really believed in himself.Like Ponting, Doolan is a classy No.3 from Launceston. Like Ponting, cricket runs in Doolan’s family; Ponting’s uncle Greg Campbell played four Tests, Doolan’s father Bruce was a wicketkeeper-batsman for Tasmania. Like Ponting, Doolan is a cricket bat nerd, constantly picking up and inspecting the bats of his team-mates in the change rooms. There the comparisons must end, for, at 28, Doolan has only six first-class hundreds and an average of 37.92.But the No.3 Test position filled by Ponting for a decade could be occupied later this week at the SCG by Doolan, after he was named in Australia’s 14-man squad for the Ashes finale. It was last summer when Ponting spent much of the season playing for Tasmania that Doolan really started to develop, and two century partnerships with Ponting were high points in his season, along with his unbeaten 161 for Australia A against the touring South Africans.”He led by example. He didn’t necessarily tell me how I had to go about it,” Doolan said of Ponting after being called up for the Sydney Test. “He just tried to instill the belief in me and made sure I believed I was a good player and that I could do it and not be satisfied with anything I’d done. If you got a hundred, to make sure the next time you batted you were looking to get a hundred again.”There’s a difference between belonging and wanting to dominate and contribute every game. I’ve probably felt I belonged at the level for a while but probably had been happy just belonging and not wanting to be one of the best players in the competition. That’s one of the differences for me, that I actually, after having chats with Ricky, wanted to play for Australia.”It hadn’t really been a goal or an ambition of mine … an ambition it was, but I hadn’t set goals in place to play for Australia. And that’s the difference, once he spoke to me and told me he thought I was good enough to do it, that’s what I wanted to do.”Doolan finished the summer with 876 first-class runs at 51.52 and was mentioned by national selector John Inverarity as one of four players considered to replace the newly retired Ponting for the home series against Sri Lanka, along with Phillip Hughes, Rob Quiney and Usman Khawaja. The role went to Hughes, and Khawaja has since then had opportunities and failed to grasp them, and now it could be Doolan’s turn.”He’s a fine young batsman Alex Doolan who over the last year and a half has really started to believe that he is a good player,” di Venuto, who has seen plenty of Doolan as Tasmania’s batting coach and now the national batting coach, said. “He benefitted greatly last year from having Ricky Ponting around at Tasmania quite a bit and learnt a lot from just being up the other end from him.”He was involved in quite a few partnerships with Ricky throughout the year. He actually matched it with him a few times and that’s where he really got his belief that he is actually a very good player. He has had another good start to the season with Tasmania. He scored a very impressive hundred in a run chase against NSW. Michael Clarke was playing in that game and he said it was an outstanding innings. He deserves his spot.”However, Doolan’s overall output has been down this year compared to last summer, and he has 432 first-class runs this season at 38.36. He sits 17th on the Sheffield Shield run tally this summer, well behind Hughes, who must have been a strong contender to come in for the Sydney Test if Shane Watson’s groin problem rules him out.One of Doolan’s greatest challenges has been to ensure the Twenty20 format does not affect his red-ball form; a fortnight ago he conceded that had been the case last summer when he played for the Melbourne Renegades. Doolan said he would play for the Renegades against the Brisbane Heat in Melbourne on Monday night before joining the Test squad in Sydney, and he hoped he would be able to adjust back to long-form cricket.”You’ve got to keep yourself prepared and ready, as much as you can,” Doolan said. “It’s a long [Ashes] series and you never know with form slumps or injuries. But my focus because we’ve had such a hectic start to the Big Bash with the Renegades, basically travel, play, train, travel, play, train, it’s been hard to focus on the Test cricket but it’s always in the back of your mind, I think.”Doolan’s chances of playing in Sydney will most likely rest on Watson’s ability to bowl after picking up a groin injury on the first day of the Melbourne Test. Watson batted and made a valuable contribution in Australia’s victory but appeared hampered by his groin problem while bowling and fielding in the second innings.

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According to renowned journalist Alan Nixon on his official Twitter account, reported Southampton target Che Adams is available before the deadline, as long as a club is willing to pay £12m for his services.

What’s the word, then?

Well, a report in The Mirror at the weekend said that Saints are keen to bring the Birmingham City attacker to St Mary’s before the transfer window slams shut on Thursday night, and have already tabled an £8m bid for the 22-year-old.

However, The Mirror also reported that the Blues had rebuffed the approach, but were expecting the Premier League club to try again for the impressive attacker, who has scored 15 league goals for the Championship outfit this season, as per Transfermarkt.

The latest of those came in the 3-3 draw with Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday night, when he cut in from the left on his right foot before bending an effort into the far corner of the goal from outside the box.

Will Saints pay £12m?

It seems a lot depends on whether they can sell Charlie Austin, whom they are said to be demanding £10m for, also according to Nixon on Twitter, before the deadline.

For the second game running the former QPR striker missed out on the 18-man squad when Saints hosted Crystal Palace at St Mary’s on Wednesday night, and it appears as though his future lies away from the south coast outfit if a deal is right for all parties.

They may well be trying to raise the funds to buy Adams by offloading the 29-year-old, but there has been no progress on that to date with just hours of the window remaining.

Given the pace and strength the Birmingham man has in his locker – as well as the fact he can play out wide or through the middle – he appears to be a perfect fit to succeed under Ralph Hasenhuttl at Southampton.

Check out the video below for Emma Conybeare’s rundown of which clubs need what in the January transfer window…

A placid St Lawrence pitch dictated that Kent’s County Championship clash with second division rivals Hampshire ended in a dull draw in Canterbury

18-Jul-2013
ScorecardMichael Carberry was one of a few batsmen to make the most of a flat pitch•Getty ImagesA placid St Lawrence pitch dictated that Kent’s County Championship clash with second division rivals Hampshire ended in a dull draw in Canterbury.After four days of slow scoring on a docile wicket that led to the loss of only 23 wickets and three centuries, the sides shook hands on a draw at 4.50pm with Hampshire on 200 for 4 in their second innings – an overall advantage in the match of 92 runs.Hampshire, trailing by 108 on first innings and resuming on their overnight total of 15 without loss, had little or no trouble in batting out the final day to secure their sixth draw of the campaign for a seven point return. As for Kent, who have yet to win on home soil, they banked eight points for their seventh draw in 11 starts.The hosts knew they would need quick wickets at the start of the final day if they were to push for their second successive Championship win, but they needed 14 overs before celebrating their first breakthrough.With the total on 45 Jimmy Adams made a late decision to shoulder arms to England off-spinner James Tredwell and departed leg before. Former Kent opener Michael Carberry moved to his second half-century of the game by pulling a Sam Northeast long-hop for four to reach the landmark from 133 balls and with eight fours.The left-hander perished 16 runs on however, when he edged behind to give Tredwell the second of his return of 3 for 87. Liam Dawson, who also scored a first innings 50, proved rock solid second time around in scoring an unbeaten 78 off 166 balls.He lost third wicket partner James Vince to a top-edged sweep that ballooned to Rob Key at leg slip then Sean Ervine who, in attempting a back-foot force against Charlie Shreck, only picked out Darren Stevens close in at gully.Dawson and Adam Wheater batted through the 50 minutes after tea without further alarm allowing the teams to shake hands on the stalemate.

Team-building is the key goal for South Africa as they prepare for an intense Test series against Australia by taking a leisurely time-out

Firdose Moonda06-Feb-2014While Australia will spend the next two days playing an inter-squad match on a wearing Wanderers pitch, South Africa will be braaing fireside, counting stars and darting rhinos. They’re headed to the town of Hoedspruit, close to the Kruger National Park and about as far as you can get from competitive cricket.”We all love the bush so we’re just going to have a couple days to push the reset button,” AB de Villiers explained. “I find the bush is good for the soul. It just slows things down a little bit.”Although the South African squad have not played any international cricket in five weeks, the players have mostly been occupied with the domestic twenty-over competition, so the time has been anything but quiet. As a squad, they were separated before this week and with a high-profile series against opposition who are known for their ability to push on any weak spots, they feel a need to, as de Villiers put it “reconnect.”The South African squad will spend Friday and Saturday in the company of the retired wicket-keeper Mark Boucher and members of the Rhinos in Safe Hands campaign. On one of the afternoons, they will assist in darting a rhino – in effect tranquilize the animal – to collect a DNA sample which will be entered into a database. The idea is that if the rhino is poached for its horn and a sample is then found, there could be grounds to prosecute the offender.Boucher has been involved in the campaign since he was forced to give up the gloves because of his eye injury and, occasionally, members of the South African squad have accompanied him. Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis were two that were involved a few months ago and now the rest will join in. “A lot of the guys have never been that close to a rhino that you can actually touch it, so that’s going to be something new,” de Villiers said.Activities like these are the sports squads’ equivalent of team-building. It sounds funny because they are actually a team and it is thought that they wouldn’t need anything to make them feel more like one. But occasionally they need to be reminded of the ties that bind, like South Africa were in Switzerland ahead of the series against England in July-August 2012.Then, they spent a week with Mike Horn, cycling, climbing mountains and engaging in other physically challenging tasks, which verged on extreme sports. It was a week designed to push them to every limit so that they could see how far they could go. “It was very busy, we had lectures and meetings and strategising and a lot of activities,” de Villiers said.The exertions paid off. South Africa went on to beat England 2-0 and claimed the Test mace. They have held on to it since, triumphing over Australia in Australia, sweeping a home summer against New Zealand and Pakistan, in which no match went to a fifth day, beating Pakistan in the UAE and India at home.It’s fair to say Australia at home is the biggest challenge of that lot. South Africa have defeated Australia in a series in Australia twice but not at home since readmission. With the next profile series coming in as long as two years, against England in the summer of 2015-16, this is the contest South Africa want to win to confirm their authority over the No.1 ranking.To prepare for that, they’re taking another time-out, albeit a less busy one ahead of this series. This time, the focus is on spending time together in a way South Africans love to when they have time off. Chances are the cellphone reception will be patchy, if it exists at all, the team’s partners are not traveling with them and for most of the time, the only thing they will have to do is talk to each other.They may not discuss much cricket at all, which will probably bring them closer together. They hope to come back a unit so strong that Australia will not be able to find ways through and if that is the case, they believe they will break the duck against Australia at home and end of their summer on a massive high.