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Reaction: Dublin GAA Legend Cian O’Sullivan Announces Retirement

Dublin GAA legend Cian O’Sullivan announced his retirement from Gaelic football yesterday.

The 33-year-old defender posted a statement on Twitter that listed the reasons for his retirement.

O’Sullivan said that “the competitive demands have taken their toll” on him and that he can no longer continue to play.

“While my heart would love dearly to continue on, my body simply can’t,” the Dublin stalwart conceded.

O’Sullivan leaves behind him a career filled with gold medals and glory.

His personal inter-county haul is up there as one of the best of all time.

His eight All-Ireland medals for Dublin is the joint-best haul ever.

He shares the aforementioned achievement of eight All-Ireland medals with 11 other players in history.

Seven of those players are part of this golden generation of Dublin football.

Stephen Cluxton, Philly McMahon, Michael Fitzsimmons, Kevin McManamon, James McCarthy and Michael Darragh McAuley have all played with O’Sullivan throughout his career with the county.

Three Dublin medals, one Leinster medal and an All-Ireland medal for Kilmacud Crokes only compliments the footballer more.

Comments underneath his statement underlined his legendary status among Gaelic football fans, especially Dublin fans.

One user crowned O’Sullivan, James McCarthy and Jack McCaffrey as the best half-back to ever play the game.

User @SquareAround stated that the Kilmacud Crokes star made the sweeper role his own in his time playing the sport.

Diarmuid Connolly showed his support for his former teammate’s decision with a blue heart.

Former Republic of Ireland footballer Andy Reid also offered words in response to the statement, congratulating O’Sullivan and wishing him well in his next chapter.

User @nigelmcevoy offered his thoughts on the ex-Dublin defender’s greatest game in blue.

He said that the Dublin legend’s second-half performance against Kerry in the 2013 All-Ireland semi-final has to be up there.

The game is seen as one of the best ever Gaelic football matches and Cian O’Sullivan played a massive part in it.

O’Sullivan leaves behind an enviable legacy and will be remembered fondly by everyone who saw him play.

PSG have signed another Mbappé

PSG have confirmed the signing of Ethan Mbappé, younger brother of the star Kylian Mbappé on a three-year deal

Ethan Mbappé is only 14 years old but signing his first contract will have him stay at the club until 2024.

He is still young but has shown to be a future attacking threat while being a part of the PSG academy team.

Ethan does have another brother that plays football professionally. Jirès Kembo Ekoko is their adoptive older brother and currently plays for DR Congo and Bursaspor in Turkey.

PSG made the announcement, along with fellow youngster Titu Senny Mayulu, in the middle of a heated transfer marketed for brother, Kylian.

What does this mean for Kylian Mbappé?

It is clear that PSG president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, has chosen to use Mbappé’s family to convince him to stay in Paris longer.

The 22-year-old signed four years ago by PSG for an estimated €180 million. He is now heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid who are looking to start a new Galacticos era.

Since joining the Paris club, he has won three league titles, a World Cup and made it to the finals of the Champions League. He has reached the new heights in his young career but is he ready for his next step?

The signing of his younger brother, Ethan may make the Frenchman want to stay in Paris to spend more time and take care of his sibling.

The Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid transfer saga has been going on for more than two years and is reaching its boiling point. It would be hard for the youngster and PSG to say no if Madrid offer around €200 million for his signature.

Only time will tell if PSG’s sneaky plan to convince Mbappé to stay has actually worked.

Dublin’s Cian O’Sullivan hangs up Dublin boots

Dublin veteran Cian O’Sullivan has announced his retirement from Gaelic football.

The Dublin and Kilmacud Croke’s full-back is officially hanging up his boots at the age of 33. Boasting an outstanding career for club and county.

The eight-time All Ireland SFC winner went public with the announcement on Twitter, admitting that injuries were the focal point behind his decision.

O’Sullivan revealed that although he would love to continue playing, the high demands of elite Gaelic football was too much for his body to endure.

Cian O’Sullivan Career Honours

O’Sullivan made his debut in 2009, starting in the 2011 All-Ireland victory against Kerry, which was Dublin’s first All-Ireland since 1995.

For Dublin, he has won eight All-Ireland titles, ten Leinster titles, and five National League titles. While appearing in the All-Star team of the season on three different occasions (2013, 2015 and 2017) in his glistering 12-year county career.

He also experienced a successful club career with his native Kilmacud Croke’s. Picking up two Leinster titles, three Dublin titles and topping off his legacy with one All-Ireland club title to his name.

 

 

Luke Shaw hits back at Mourinho as feud intensifies

Manchester United star Luke Shaw has hit out at former manager Jose Mourinho over his recent comments about his performances.

Shaw, who was treated harshly by the Portuguese manager during his turbulent reign from 2016-2018.

Now, Shaw (25) has hit back at Mourinho, telling him that he ”needs to move on” during a recent England interview.

The pair endured a troubled relationship, with Mourinho pointing the finger at Shaw for his team’s shortcomings on more than one occasion.

 

Three years on and Mourinho is still lashing out at Shaw’s performances. Expressing his opinion on Shaw’s set-piece delivery in England’s win against the Czech Republic as ”very poor” and ”dramatically bad”

Responding to Mourinho’s unfair criticism in a recent interview, Shaw admitted he is bemused at the recent comments against him.

I don’t know why he is still going on and wanting to point at me. I don’t feel like the set-pieces were as bad as he was saying.

“Maybe I might have done one in the second half, a corner, that didn’t get over the first man. But that was one out of three. The other two or three, I don’t think, were as ‘dramatically bad’ as he says.

Shaw also admitted that a number of his England teammates have asked him about the constant negative comments said against him;

“He continuously talks about me, which I find quite strange. Even some of the lads have said ‘what’s his problem?’ and ‘why does he keep talking?’

“I think he just needs to move on. Hopefully, he can find his peace with that and finally move on and stop worrying about me. Clearly, I am in his head a lot and he clearly thinks about me a lot.”

Since his sacking in December of 2018, Shaw has transformed his form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Recently being named in the PFA Team of the Season and regaining his spot in the England squad for EURO 2020.

 

 

Sport on TV this weekend – 1st July to 4th July 2021

Great week of sports this weekend, U20 Rugby, International Rugby, Irish Open Golf, GAA, Wimbledon, and Tour de France. 

Thursday 1st July

8pm Ireland v England (U20 Rugby) – RTE

Friday 2nd July

5pm  Euro 2020

6pm – South Africa v Georgia (Rugby) Sky Sports

7:30pm Limerick v Galway (Minor Hurling) – TG4

8pm – Belgium v Italy (Euros) RTE

Saturday 3rd July

1pm Ireland v Japan (Rugby) RTE/Channel 4

2pm Galway v Dublin (Hurling) – Sky Sports

3pm Wales v Canada (Rugby) – BBC

4:30pm Kilkenny v Wexford (Hurling) – Sky Sports

5pm Czech Republic v Denmark (Euros) – RTE

5pm Emirates Lions v British & Irish Lions – Sky Sports

7pm Limerick v Cork (Hurling) – Sky Sports

8pm Euro 2020

Sunday 4 July

2pm Roscommon v Galway (Football) – RTÉ

2pm England v USA (Rugby) Channel 4

3pm Diamond League Athletics Stockholm – BBC 2

4pm Tipperary v Clare (Hurling) – RTÉ

Irish Open Golf  Thursday-Sunday – RTE

Wimbledon All Week – BBC/Eurosports

Tour de France All Week – TG4/EuroSports

 

7s: Full Olympic Draw

The Olympic Men’s Sevens tournament draw was announced this morning with the pools now known to all 12 competing teams.

The sides will play in the tournament from July 26th to July 28th – the pool stage will take place from July 26th to July 27th.

The men’s competition will be held before the Women’s Olympic Sevens tournament gets underway in a reverse to the schedule from the Rio Olympic games in 2016.

The men’s draw split the 12 teams into three pools of four.

Pool A involves bookies’ favourite New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and South Korea.

The former pair will renew their historic rivalry at the Olympics, making it the perfect opportunity for current Rugby World Cup Sevens and World Series champions New Zealand to make a statement in the pool stages.

Argentina will want to improve on their respectable sixth-placed finish at Rio 2016 with an impressive outing in Tokyo.

South Korea round off Pool A and will take part in Olympic Sevens for the first time in its history after winning the Asian qualification tournament with an extra-time ‘golden-point’ try to overcome Hong Kong.

Pool B includes Fiji, Great Britain, Japan and Canada.

Reigning Olympic champions Fiji will want to assert themselves early but face a tough task to do so in Pool B.

Great Britain will want revenge for their 43-7 defeat in the 2016 Olympic Sevens final at the hands of the champions and the draw has given them an opportunity to do that early.

The pair are joined by hosts Japan who will want to get a medal on home soil after their fourth-placed finish in Rio saw them miss out on one.

Another Olympic debutant Canada is the fourth team in this tough group and will have a lot to prove as a result.

The final pool – Pool C – includes Ireland, the USA, South Africa and Kenya.

Ireland are the last of the three Olympic debutants in Tokyo and face some tough challenges in the United States, South Africa and Kenya.

Anthony Eddy’s side beat 2016 quarter-finalists France to reach Tokyo.

The United States come in as third-favourites to win the Men’s Olympic Sevens tournament this summer and will be tough for opponents to handle.

Rio 2016 Bronze medalists South Africa will want to go at least one game further in the competition this summer.

Kenya failed to get out of their group in 2016 but have grown in the five years since and will pose a threat to the other three teams in the pool.

The draw makes for an exciting tournament in late July.

You can read the Irish Rugby announcement here.

 

American 17-year-old breaks Usain Bolts 200m record

Teenager Erriyon Knighton was milliseconds away from beating Bolts Junior 200m record on Friday and has now smashed it twice

The USA has been holding their Athletics Team Trials to decide their Olympic team over the last week. On Sunday, Knighton broke Bolt’s record with a time of 19.88 and has now gone one step further.

At the race in Eugene Oregon,  the young man finished in 19.84 seconds destroying the Jamaican’s 19.93 seconds. The amazing thing is the Knighton still has two more full years to break his own record again.

The American sprinter finished third in men’s finals making him the first high schooler to make the USA team for the event since 1972.

World Champion Noah Lyles won the race in 19.74. Kenney Bednarek also made the Olympic team, finishing second in 19.78.

America has always been a powerhouse at the Olympic Games but is this their chance to finally get their hands back on men’s sprinting gold.

Who will replace Usain Bolt at the top?

Bolt set the Under-20s record back in 2004. He has since dominated the sport winning many gold medals and breaking records at three Olympics from Beijing to Rio de Janeiro.

With Bolt now retired from athletics, there is finally a chance for someone else to win gold at the Olympics.

Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse is now the favorite for the 100m and 200m sprints. The 26-year-old finished third and second in both events five years ago in Rio.

Is there a chance that he could even break Bolt’s record of 19.19 seconds? That record was set at the 2009 World Championships and he has won the 200m for three reigning Olympics.

Ireland 7s Draw, USA, SA and Kenya At Olympics

The Ireland Men’s Sevens team have been drawn into Pool C with the USA, South Africa and Kenya for the Men’s Olympic Sevens tournament.

The competition will take place from July 26th to July 28th at Tokyo Stadium in the Japanese capital.

Ireland are familiar with all three of their opponents, having played them during the cancelled 2019-20 HSBC World Rugby Sevens series.

Anthony Eddy’s side has also faced the USA more recently in May at the Great Britain International 7s tournament in May.

The United States will be one of the top sides to beat at the tournament after impressive performances in the truncated World Series season.

Also present in the group are Rio 2016 bronze medalists South Africa.

Ireland drew 19-19 with the side in their last encounter during the Los Angeles round of the World Series on February 29th, 2020.

Ireland 7s stars Jordan Conroy and Billy Dardis got on the scoresheet that day.

The side last faced Kenya in December 2019 during the second round of the World Series in Cape Town.

The two teams played out a 24-24 draw on the day.

“We are familiar with these teams from the World Series and the reality is there are no easy games at this level,” Eddy, the IRFU Director of Sevens and Women’s Rugby, said. “We will prepare well for the Pool matches and look forward to each game. I think the Monaco tournament experience will put us in a good position for Tokyo.”

Ireland captain Billy Dardis described today’s announcement as an exciting marker for the side.

“It is going to be a very challenging Pool but we’ve come up against those three teams regularly before and will take confidence from previous meetings,” said Dardis. “We’re really looking forward to getting over to Tokyo and stepping onto the Olympic stage.”

You can view the announcement here.

Wimbledon: 2019 Champion Simona Halep Ruled Out

Wimbledon 2019 Women’s Singles champion Simona Halep has been ruled out of this year’s Championship due to a calf injury.

Halep injured her calf in May during an Italian Open matchup against Angelina Kerber and has not played since.

The world number three tennis player had previously missed the 2021 French Open through injury.

Therefore, Wimbledon will be the second major championship she has missed this year.

In her statement, the Romanian said that she had “gave it everything in order to be ready to play Wimbledon…..unfortunately [her] body didn’t cooperate and [she’ll] have to save that feeling for next year.”

Halep stated that the time on the sidelines has been hard for her and that missing two majors makes it even worse.

However, the two-time major winner  hopes that the experience will make her even stronger than she was before.

No timeline was given for her return to the court.

She closed her statement thanking everyone at Wimbledon for their understanding and support.

The Full Statement:

“It is with great sadness that I’m announcing my withdrawal from The Championships as my calf injury has not fully recovered.

“I gave it everything I had in order to be ready to play Wimbledon and after having such special memories from two years ago, I was excited and honoured to step back on these beautiful courts as defending champion.

“Unfortunately, my body didn’t cooperate and I’ll have to save that feeling for next year.

“I can honestly say that I’m really down and upset about having to take this decision. This period has been difficult but to miss the last two majors has made it even more challenging mentally and physically.

“We will see what the future holds but I’m hoping it will make me a stronger person and athlete.

“Thank you to everyone at Wimbledon for your understanding and support.”

Man Utd open talks with Camavinga for big move

Reports emerged that Manchester United have been given the green light to open talks with Rennes youngster, Eduardo Camavinga

The 18-year-old has been starting and tearing up the French league for two seasons now. He plays as a creative box-to-box midfielder for Rennes and France u21.

The young man only has one year left on his contract and, according to the Daily Mail, Rennes would prefer to sell him for big money now than to lose him for nothing next season.

TransferMarkt has Camavinga priced at €55 million but this cost will surely rise due to his young age and add-ons.

The Reds will be first focusing on closing a deal with Jadon Sancho before moving on to the French midfielder.

Sancho has been neglected in the English Euro 2020 setup but will have to wait for the tournament to end before signing for any new clubs.

 

Camavinga scored a goal and got two assists in 35 games for Rennes last season. He also played four games in the Champions League and four games in the u21 Euro 2021 for France.

The young man stands at 5’10’’ and there have already been similarities made between him and another Man Utd star, Paul Pogba.

Central midfield is considered the Red’s worst position, along with centre back. Many fans are wanting a replacement for Brazilian, Fred, and Camavinga would fit the mold.

United will need to be fast as Madrid and PSG have also shown an interest in luring the midfielder away.

The young French star looks promising but only time will tell if he decides to move to Manchester Red.

For anyone that wants to take a look at the wunderkind, he has been named in France’s Olympic team for Tokyo 2020 and will no doubt play a big part in their results.

 

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