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New Zealand have arrived in England but they are determined not to make any ripples. At least not yet. For all their on-field panache, it is New Zealand’s style to keep things low key

Alan Gardner06-May-20151:12

NZ looking to ‘earn right’ to longer Test series

New Zealand have arrived in England but they are determined not to make any ripples. At least not yet. For all their on-field panache, it is New Zealand’s style to keep things low key. Then again, with expectations around the team as high as they have ever been, that may prove difficult. Even on a rainy weekday at Lord’s, two weeks before the start of the Test series, cameras and microphones jostled for space in front of Mike Hesson and BJ Watling.The squad, missing a handful of IPL participants, arrived a few days ago and have been getting acclimatised even as England begin the inquiries into their failure to beat West Indies. When New Zealand last played in these parts, they were the side attempting to put a period of internecine strife behind them; they lost 2-0 but, under Brendon McCullum’s captaincy, are unbeaten in six series since, winning four.Last year was New Zealand’s best ever in Tests but they then scaled another peak by reaching their first World Cup final. Defeat to Australia might have prevented the fairytale finale but, as Hesson conceded, their success has only left New Zealand’s fans wanting more.Mike Hesson and BJ Watling talk to the media at Lord’s•Getty Images”There’s definitely expectation, which we probably haven’t had a lot of,” Hesson said. “We found that out in the World Cup – if we won a game, if we didn’t win it well we got criticism, whereas in the past we were just happy winning. There’s a growing expectation that has happened over the past couple of years, we’ve got more following at home and an expectation that we perform over here.”For 18 months we’ve played good cricket, six series in a row Test-wise … We’re a developing side but we manage to play good cricket. The country have got behind us in all forms of cricket, we’ve ridden the wave really, the public support has been amazing.”New Zealand are perhaps the least likely side in world cricket to make any big statements but their unshowy, methodical approach has nevertheless won them many admirers. In the week of the UK’s general election, there was perhaps a politically astute message in Hesson’s refusal to make bold claims about his side’s ability to win a Test series in England for the first time in 16 years: under promise, over deliver.”It would be another step forward,” he said. “We’ve won four Test matches here in our history so to win a series would be huge. We never get too far ahead of ourselves, we’re pretty boring in that respect, just deal with the next day and do it as best we can. We’ve got a pretty well grounded group.”It’s just another stepping stone, really, for us. We’ve had some really good achievements away from home, winning in England… Well, let’s start at Lord’s, winning at Lord’s is a huge thing. In 1999 the guys that were part of that, it was a big part of their careers. We’ve got a lot of work to do in the next couple of weeks to prepare us for that first day.”Eleven fit for New Zealand XI

New Zealand have brought former U-19 batsman Will Young to provide cover for their depleted squad. Young, who plays for Central Districts, will act as 12th man during the tour match against Somerset.
With Martin Guptill unable to play due to an injury sustained while scoring 227 for Derbyshire last week, New Zealand will play the three young bowlers – seamers Jacob Duffy and Ben Wheeler and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner – who are not part of the official Test squad at Taunton.
New Zealand XI: BJ Watling (capt), Doug Bracewell, Mark Craig, Jacob Duffy, Tom Latham, Luke Ronchi, Hamish Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, Ben Wheeler.

Those preparations will be necessarily disjointed, with five members of New Zealand’s likely Test side currently at the IPL and unlikely to arrive in England until a few days before the Lord’s match begins, on May 21. For this week’s tour match against Somerset, only 11 players are fit, which at least makes selection straightforward. Martin Guptill will not play, due to a side strain, but Hesson hopes to have him back for the match at Worcestershire starting on May 14.Watling will captain the side, in the absence of McCullum, who is in India along with Kane Williamson, Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Matt Henry. Those players are trusted to be ready to make the switch from T20 to Test cricket and have Dukes balls with them to allow for appropriate practice during the IPL. “We’ve become more used to the fact it’s part of the landscape,” Hesson said, pragmatically.Hesson was also diplomatic about New Zealand only being granted two Tests in the English spring. The last time they played as many as four was in 1999, when a 2-1 victory left England bottom the rankings; should they win on this occasion they would go above their hosts, pushing England down to fifth.”I think some of it’s been performance, we’ve been down the pecking order in terms of our ranking,” Hesson said. “England obviously have two tours so we normally get the early one and we tend to be a bit of an entree to the Ashes. But you have to earn the right for those extended series and you do that over a period of time, so that’s something we’re looking to do.”English cricket may habitually – and lazily – take the Ashes is its barometer but New Zealand increasingly look overqualified as underdogs. While England underwent a trial by white-ball cricket over the winter, New Zealand won a legion of new followers; as England return from the Caribbean buffeted by another embarrassment, New Zealand are waiting, courteously, to take another step on their own upward journey. Just don’t expect a comment about the opposition.”Haven’t paid a heck of a lot of attention, to be fair, we’ve been worrying about our own backyard,” Hesson said of England’s recent struggles. “We’ve scouted them and we’ve spent a bit of time studying methods and techniques but we haven’t studied their psyche.”Watling put forward a similar line and, despite New Zealand being bowled out for 68 at Lord’s in 2013, it seems likely England will be the side wrestling with their demons. “We’ll worry about our own thing,” Watling said. “We obviously came here two years ago and didn’t have the greatest of series. We’ll be looking to improve on that effort and learn from those mistakes. These two first warm-up games will be crucial in terms of getting loads up for the bowlers and getting the batsmen used to the conditions. We’ll look to carry on our good form in Test cricket.”

Mario Saliwa, a former South African first-class cricketer, died aged 31 last weekend

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jun-2015Former South African first-class cricketer Mario Saliwa has died aged 31. Reports suggested he had been stabbed last weekend.Saliwa played 67 first-class and 20 List A games for three teams – Free State, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Eagles (now called Knights) – between 2006 and 2010 and was described as “one of the most feared bowlers of his generation,” by Lions coach Geoffrey Toyana, who knew him well.Toyana, in a post on Facebook, said Saliwa was highly regarded as a youngster: “At some point in him we saw another Makhaya Ntini. We will always miss your bounce and unbelievable pace even the likes of Abongile Sodumo were not comfortable to face this guy.”CSA also paid their respects. “It is always tragic to see a young life being cut short in its prime. On behalf of the CSA family I extend our thoughts and condolences to his family, friends and cricketing colleagues,” Haroon Lorgat, CSA CEO said.

Essex got back on the winning trail to keep alive their slim hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the NatWest Twenty20 Blast, beating Glamorgan by 16 runs

ECB/PA19-Jun-2015
ScorecardGraham Napier’s late assault carried Essex to a winning total•Getty ImagesEssex got back on the winning trail to keep alive their slim hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the NatWest Twenty20 Blast, beating Glamorgan by 16 runs in their South Group duel at Chelmsford to record their fifth win in the competition.After posting a total of 187 for 7, they dismissed their opponents for 171 in 19.4 overs. Essex were indebted to Graham Napier for their imposing total, although his innings lasted just seven balls. That proved sufficient time to use all his muscular power to hoist Graham Wagg for four sixes in an over before he was run out by Michael Hogan attempting a second run.Napier’s savage assault enabled Essex to smash 41 from the final 14 deliveries of the innings after their opponents had looked in control of the situation. The home side’s innings was underpinned by Ravi Bopara, although he never looked likely to cut loose. Although his 52 came off 40 deliveries before he was caught in the deep by Dean Cosker on one of the few occasions that he opened his shoulders, his contribution contained 24 singles and just three boundaries – a couple of fours and a six.Insights

Given that Glamorgan ended up just 16 runs short of Essex’s total, Graham Napier’s savage assault that saw him take 27 runs at a strike rate of 385.71 can be seen to be the difference between the two teams. No Glamorgan batsman batting below No. 4 managed a strike rate even half of that of Napier and not a single six was hit by those players. Intensity of performance in T20 cricket is so valuable and although Napier faced just seven balls he justified his place in the team with the briefest of brief innings. Welcome to the future.

The early momentum was provided by Nick Browne who made 38 from 21 balls during a partnership of 58 with Bopara for the fourth wicket that carried Essex into three figures.Browne was caught at extra cover by Wagg to give Craig Meschede his only success. It was Hogan who emerged as Glamorgan’s most successful bowler, the Australian fast bowler returning 3 for 33 in his four overs.The visitors lost Meschede in the opening over without a run on the board when he was bowled by Reece Topley at the start of their reply. Only briefly did Glamorgan threaten to offer a serious challenge and that was when Wagg and Colin Ingram were together. They launched an assault that saw 52 runs added for the third wicket in 4 overs, Wagg being the dominant partner as he smashed 41 in just 19 deliveries with the help of three sixes among his seven boundaries.Ingram went on to make 70 from 46 balls, with four fours and four sixes before he was caught in the deep by Mark Pettini attacking Napier. But no other batsman was able to get beyond 18 as Bopara, who ended the fireworks provided by Wagg, emerged with figures of 3 for 25 to underline his value as an allrounder.

Ben Dunk, Alex Doolan and George Bailey all peeled off centuries as Tasmania maintained their domination of the Sheffield Shield frontrunners Victoria on day two in Hobart

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Ben Dunk raised his fourth century of the season•Getty ImagesBen Dunk, Alex Doolan and George Bailey all peeled off centuries as Tasmania maintained their domination of the Sheffield Shield frontrunners Victoria on day two in Hobart.The Bushrangers captain and wicketkeeper Matthew Wade was reduced to bringing himself on to bowl near stumps in the middle of an unbroken partnership of 172 between Bailey and Tom Triffitt.Their stand capitalised on the platform laid by Dunk and Doolan, who added a match-shaping 296 together after the visitors had been bowled out for a mere 165 on day one.Dunk’s ton was his highest in first-class matches and his fourth for Tasmania this season, while Doolan’s contribution was a welcome return to form after he had endured a lean patch following his exit from the Australian Test side in late 2014.The pair were ultimately dismissed within nine runs of each other, both caught by Peter Handscomb from the bowling of Scott Boland, but Bailey and Triffitt ensured Victoria’s punishment was far from over.Victoria had built a big lead at the top of the Shield table but are now likely to come back to the field with two further rounds remaining.

Afghanistan kissed the World T20 goodbye by beating table-toppers West Indies by six runs in a low-scoring thriller

The Report by Mohammad Isam27-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:38

Chappell: Afghanistan showed WI’s weakness against leg spin

Afghanistan kissed the World T20 goodbye by beating table-toppers West Indies by six runs in a low-scoring thriller. Asghar Stanikzai had shown his hand when he said they would use spin to restrict West Indies’ big hitters on the eve of the match. Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan backed up their captain’s confidence with figures of 2 for 26 each and kept West Indies to 117 in their chase of 124.West Indies finished as the No. 1 team in Group 1 and will take on either India or Australia in the semi-final, but they will go to Mumbai with a sobering defeat. They became Afghanistan’s second Full Member scalp in the tournament, after Zimbabwe, and the match was another strong reminder that cricket needed to be more inclusive.West Indies required 40 runs from the last five overs, but Rashid had Denesh Ramdin stumped at the end of the 16th to tip the game off balance. Then it was Afghanistan who had to deal with a blow as fast bowler Hamid Hassan was pulled out of the attack. He was deemed to have bowled a second hip-high full toss by the square leg umpire, but Andre Russell, the batsman who had been struck by that ball, was rubbing his body below the waist.Gulbadin Naib finished the over with two dot balls and in the next one, Russell was run out. West Indies needed 25 runs from 12 balls when Carlos Brathwaite thumped Naib for a six over long-off but a ball later, Darren Sammy was caught at deep cover. Brathwaite freed his arms again and found another six over midwicket and wisely nudged the last ball of the 19th over for a single to retain strike. At the time, West Indies needed 10 runs off six balls.Nabi began the final over with two dots before Najibullah Zadran, who got them to a competitive score with his unbeaten 48, ran about 20 yards to his left from deep midwicket to complete a superb diving catch to get rid of Brathwaite, West Indies’ last dangerman. With the equation demanding 10 runs off three balls, Andre Fletcher, who left the field at the start of seventh over with a tweaked hamstring, came out again and could only hobble across for three singles as Afghanistan completed a historic win.West Indies had, however, begun the chase on the right note. Johnson Charles blasted Mohammad Nabi for two massive sixes in the second over. But Evin Lewis, on T20I debut, was tied down and dismissed by Amir Hamza, when the batsman slogged one down Rashid’s throat at deep midwicket.Fletcher struck Hamid and Hamza for fours through cover but Charles, on 22, was beaten by Hamid’s pace and chopped the ball onto his stumps. That’s when West Indies’ troubles began. First Fletcher left the ground with what looked like a hamstring strain and a ball later Rashid removed Samuels with a big-spinning googly.Ramdin and Dwayne Bravo added 41 runs for the fourth wicket, and seemed set to produce the one partnership a chasing team needs in the face of a low total. They took plenty of singles and Bravo crashed the legspinners Samiullah Shenwari and Rashid for a pulled four and six each in the 10th and 13th overs. It was Nabi again who brought Afghanistan back, trapping Bravo lbw in the 14th over, and took them home from there. For a spinner to bowl the last over, with only nine runs to defend, it was a spectacular effort.Things hadn’t looked particularly promising for Afghanistan when they batted. Samuel Badree and West Indies had them at 56 for 5 in the 12th over, but Najibullah persevered. Given a promotion to No. 6, he was unbeaten on 48 off 40 balls with five boundaries that included a six over long-on. His last two fours, in the final over, came via a switch hit and a crash through the covers.Najibullah added 34 runs for the sixth wicket with Nabi, who was unlucky to be caught by Marlon Samuels at mid-off after a rebound from Sammy at cover. That the ball even carried that far indicated how hard Nabi had hit his drive.Such scrapping was made necessary by Badree’s skillful spell. The legspinner, who took 3 for 14 off his four overs, bamboozled Usman Ghani with a googly, kept Mohammad Shahzad quiet and then dismissed him when the release shot – a big hoick down the ground – was taken by mid-off. Shahzad finished as second-highest scorer behind Tamim Iqbal and by the end of the night, he had even more to celebrate.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson expected spin to play a big part in the World T20 and hoped that his side would step up to the challenge

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Nagpur14-Mar-2016The last time New Zealand played a World T20 game, they crashed to 60 all out against Sri Lanka. Since that horror day in Chittagong, New Zealand are yet to play any match, in any format, in the subcontinent. In the two years since that nightmare against Rangana Herath, New Zealand have grown immeasurably in terms of confidence and experience, but their personnel remains largely the same, and their ability in spin-friendly conditions remains untested.Kane Williamson is New Zealand’s best player of spin, as he showed in that game by scoring 70% of their total, but seldom adds any spin to his public pronouncements. They are almost deliberately bland. On the eve of his side’s World T20 opener against India, he dead-batted every question thrown at him.”Yeah, whenever you play around the world, you need to adapt to different conditions,” Williamson said, when asked about New Zealand’s preparedness for Indian conditions. “We have been playing a bit of cricket at home, it is important that we make those adjustments coming into this tournament. We have had some good preparations in the UAE and in Mumbai as well. But at the same time, whichever ground you play around India, the conditions can be slightly different so we have to assess those again tomorrow.”Having watched some of the the first-round action from the ground, Williamson expected a slow turner at the VCA Stadium.”We certainly are expecting spin to pay a big part in this tournament,” he said. “I suppose, judging by the warm-up games in Mumbai, they had a bit for the seamers and it swung a little bit. They were very good surfaces but from what cricket we have seen here in Nagpur, spin looks likely to play a big part. It’s important that we adjust our game plans accordingly.”Williamson is leading the side following the retirement of Brendon McCullum, who perhaps surprisingly chose to quit international cricket following the home series against Australia even though the World T20 was only a few weeks. Williamson refused to divulge his views on the timing of McCullum’s exit.”I suppose we were certainly fortunate to have Brendon leading us and being in the side for as long as we had him and I guess, in a way, there is no great time for him to walk away with all the good that he is doing,” Williamson said. “But it’s part and parcel of anything you do that it comes to an end and there’s so many other priorities in Brendon’s life and we certainly wish Brendon well. He is very close to this side still and he has got a little bit of cricket left to play in some of the T20 competitions around the world, which is exciting for him, but I know he will be watching us closely.”New Zealand will be playing for the first time since the death of Martin Crowe, their greatest ever batsman and a mentor to Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill. Williamson said the team would wear black armbands and observe a minute’s silence before Tuesday’s match.”In the match tomorrow, we will be showing our respects by wearing black armbands and I believe after the anthems, there will be a moment where there will be a pause, so that will be a special time of recognition on behalf of the side,” he said. “Some blokes in the side, they were very close to Martin, and I guess they will deal with it in their own way throughout the tournament and throughout the cricket that is coming up. He was a big part of their lives as a cricketer and as a person. It’s just the process that you get through when something significant like this happens.”

Neil Wagner made an immediate mark in a Lancashire shirt with six wickets on the opening day against Nottinghamshire

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford17-Apr-2016
ScorecardThe new boy: Neil Wagner takes the acclaim for his six-wicket haul•Getty ImagesSo rapid has been Lancashire’s recent progress up and down the levels of English first-class cricket that one or two mordant local wags have suggested that the next company to advertise its products at Emirates Old Trafford should be lift manufacturers. Indeed, since winning the title in 2011 the county has not spent successive seasons in the same division, so it is no surprise that a few gleeful Yorkshire zealots have advised their keenest rivals to sell Red Rose yo-yos to junior punters.The theme at the club’s recent media day was set early on as Lancashire’s coach, Ashley Giles, and the club skipper, Steven Croft, talked about “consolidation” and “stability”, with Croft offering, rather than conceding, the argument that simply staying in the Division One would represent progress for his team. So the home supporters who made their way away from the ground in the cold evening sunlight at the end of the first day of this game may have felt modestly encouraged by what they had seen.The first 74.2 overs of County Championship cricket had been pleasing enough as Croft’s seamers had dismissed Nottinghamshire for 242 on what still seems a decent batting wicket, albeit one that gives bowlers plenty of hope. Neil Wagner’s 6 for 66 were the best figures returned by a Lancashire bowler on debut since Alfred Hall took 6 for 23 against Oxford University in May 1923. Kyle Jarvis supported him well by removing three batsmen and James Anderson, though wicketless, kept a tight line and was probably a little unfortunate.Yet what may have calmed Lancashire supporters even more was the tranquil batting of Haseeb Hameed and Luke Procter, who guided their side to 25 for 1 after 19 overs with a combination of resolute defence and…even more resolute defence. Hameed’s driven four off Jake Ball was one of only two boundaries in the home side’s innings but that mattered little in the context of the game.This four-man Nottinghamshire seam attack is one of the strongest on the circuit, especially when it includes Stuart Broad, and they gave Hameed and Procter a proper examination after Karl Brown had been leg before for nought when playing no shot to Jake Ball. Old Trafford loyalists were used to seeing their favourites crumble to 40 for 3 or something even more dismal in 2012 and 2014. It didn’t happen like that on Sunday evening. So far, so acceptable.For Nottinghamshire players, who came into this game fresh from their hard-quarried victory over Surrey, Sunday’s play was surely something of a disappointment, although they are not far behind in the game. Eight of their batsmen got into double figures but no one scored more than Chris Read, whose 108-ball 52 rescued his team from 98 for 6, their grim score half an hour after lunch, when three wickets apiece for Wagner and Jarvis had removed all the top order batsmen.True, both Jarvis and Wagner had bowled well in the morning session, with Wagner enjoying the swing he could get from a Dukes ball and Jarvis eventually finding his line and taking wickets even when he had switched ends, perhaps to accommodate Anderson’s preference. But Greg Smith slapped Wagner carelessly to Liam Livingstone when he had made 17 and Brendan Taylor will not reflect too happily on the crooked drive that dragged a wide half volley from Wagner onto his middle stump. As Nottinghamshire’s coaching consultant, Peter Moores, admitted later, too many of his batsmen had got starts and not gone on to play major innings against his old team.Wagner, of course, was not complaining; Moores and Mick Newell, though, probably were. At which point Read played the sort of innings he has been producing for Nottinghamshire over the past 17 summers. First in combination with Broad, with whom he added 74 for the seventh wicket, then helped by Ball, whose 33 included two fine sixes off Jarvis, Read ensured that his bowlers would have a total to defend.Nottinghamshire’s skipper is a cricketer who seems steeped in the rich tradition of the county. One can imagine him enjoying playing alongside George Gunn or Joe Hardstaff. He rarely gives it away. Displaying obduracy during his stand with Broad, who was worked over by Wagner in his 45-ball 43, and then attacking a little more when joined by Ball, Read had taken the total to 229 for 7 when Wagner took three wickets in four overs to complete a fine first afternoon as a Lancashire cricketer.And indeed, it eventually seemed entirely consonant with cricket’s endearing ability to mock our expectations that on a day when much attention was given to Broad and Anderson, who have played 204 Tests between them, the modest batting honours of the day should be captured by Read, who has played just 15 five-day games for England and will probably play no more. Wagner, on the other hand, has played 19 Tests and New Zealand, his adopted country, will be rich in bowling resources if they do not need him again.

The Barcelona superstar and Patriots quarterback are both living legends — but which one has been more impressive in their sport?

Lionel Messi and Tom Brady are often considered the greatest of all time in their respective sports. Messi has won everything there is to win on the club level in soccer, while Brady has a handful of Super Bowl rings and can add one more on Sunday. Both have racked up unbelievable amounts of individual honors during their careers on their way to becoming living legends.

Although Brady is 10 years older than Messi, the New England Patriots quarterback got his career off to a later start than the Barcelona superstar. But for nearly two decades the two have been in the global spotlight and have only gotten better and better with no end point in sight.

Which player has accomplished more? Who has had more of an impact on their sport? Goal takes a closer look at who will go down in history with a more impressive career:

GettyBallons d'Or/NFL MVP awards

Messi – 5
Brady – 2

It may seem strange to even compare the two honors but allow us to explain… 

Both the Ballon d'Or and the NFL MVP award are given to the best player in the sport over the year. Despite there being several more teams and players to choose from in soccer, the winner will most likely be someone who has carried his team deep into the Champions League. The NFL is much like the Champions League due to the fact it's a league comprised of the best teams and players in the world competing each week. Long story short, it's equally impressive to individually stand out from the rest in both soccer and the NFL.

It's been a two-man race between Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo for the Ballon d'Or over the past 10 years, with the Argentine forward being named the world's best player a record-tying five times. The NFL seems to have more competition for its MVP award than the Ballon d'Or, as there have been seven different winners over the same span.

But Brady was named MVP only twice during his 17-year career and Messi has won the Ballon d'Or five times over 13 years.

Edge: Messi

AdvertisementGetty ImagesEuropean Golden Shoes/Passing Touchdowns Leader

Messi – 4
Brady – 4

Messi has led all players in Europe in scoring four times, while Brady has led the NFL in touchdown passes in four seasons. Messi has had to compete with thousands of players as Brady is up against only 31 other starting QBs each year. But don't let that fool you.

We can partially credit Messi's goal-scoring totals to the fact Barcelona plays in La Liga, where the Blaugrana are consistently more talented than their opposition most weeks. Messi has had a list of all-time greats playing with him, with players like Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Neymar, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o and Luis Suarez sharing the attacking load and making the job a bit easier on the Argentine. 

Brady, on the other hand, goes head to head with the best quarterbacks on the planet each week. He also has to face the top defensive players in the world every time he takes the field. On top of that, the talent around Brady has not always been world class. Aside from Randy Moss – who was seemingly past his prime when he joined New England in 2007 – and Rob Gronkowski, the Patriots QB has worked with a list of pass-catchers that is entirely underwhelming. It's telling that the first year Moss and Brady played together they set an NFL record for touchdowns by a duo.  

Edge: Brady

Getty ImagesChampions League titles/Super Bowl wins

Messi – 4
Brady – 5

The most realistic comparison of any soccer league in the world to the NFL is the Champions League. The top club competition pits Europe's top teams and players against each other each meeting, with 32 of the best teams in Europe making the group stage. The NFL doesn't have any competing leagues, which makes the 32-team league ultra competitive all season.

Messi has led Barcelona to Champions League titles four times and Brady has a record five Super Bowl trophies to his name. The QB has a very good chance to add another ring against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII.

The fact Brady has won more championships in the NFL than Messi in the Champions League makes this category an easy one to decide.

Edge: Brady

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Getty ImagesLa Liga titles/AFC East titles

Messi – 8
Brady – 15

How can we compare a four-team NFL division to the 20-team Primera Division? That's a good question but hear us out…

The 32-team NFL is divided up by eight divisions. Brady's Patriots have dominated the AFC East since he became their starting QB, which has given them an easy path to the playoffs almost every season. 

La Liga may feature more teams, but recently it's been a two or three-team race between Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico for the title. With the top three in the table earning a Champions League berth, Barca is nearly a lock to play in Europe every year.

But due to the poor play of opposing AFC East teams over the past 18 years and the fact Barcelona has to compete with Real Madrid for first place, it's more impressive for Messi to win La Liga than Brady to win his division.

Edge: Messi

While they may not be household names yet, a number of individuals who are set to take part in this month's tournament have the potential to shine

Some of the best teenage talents in the world will be on show in the coming weeks as Ireland hosts the Under-17 European Championships.

The tournament kicks-off on Friday, with the likes of France, England, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and defending champions Netherlands all involved.

But who are the players that fans should be keeping an eye on? Goal takes a look at some of the potential stars…

Getty ImagesKarim Adeyemi | Germany

Despite Adeyemi playing his football for Austrian second division outfit FC Liefering, the speedy forward arrives in Ireland as the star man among the current German crop.

A regular starter at senior level for the best part of a year, it is believed that he will make the step up to join Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg in the not-too-distant future.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesThierno Ballo | Austria

Upon his arrival at Chelsea in January 2018, then 16-year-old striker Ballo claimed that he wanted to be in the first-team picture within a year in west London.

That has not quite come to pass, but he has still earned rave reviews and carries much of Austria's hopes on his shoulders this month.

Getty ImagesBrian Brobbey | Netherlands

Likened to Romelu Lukaku due to his physical stature and eye for goal, striker Brobbey is one of a number of talented teens who look set to step up into the Ajax first team in the coming years.

Part of the Oranje squad which won this competition in 2018, he is a decent bet to finish as top goalscorer this time around.

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Getty ImagesSebastiano Esposito | Italy

While most Italy fans are resting their hopes on Moise Kean to end their wait for a regular goalscorer at international level, in Esposito they may have an even more clinical finisher to look out for.

He became the first player born in 2002 to feature in top level European competition when making his debut for Inter in their Europa League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt in March.

On his birthday, GOAL takes a look at the Argentina star's best moments in El Clasico 🎂

Lionel Messi loved El Clasico and holds the record for most goals in games between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner's first appearance in the Clasico cauldron came back in 2005 and he lit up the derby games until his departure to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.

Given their volume, it is difficult to choose which of his Clasico games are the most memorable, but GOAL takes a look at the games where Messi was king…

Check out even more magic Messi moments!

Lionel Messi's greatest goals of all timeRemembering Messi's best games for ArgentinaGetty10Real Madrid 0-3 Barcelona, December 2017

Having lost the 2017 Supercopa to Real Madrid, Barcelona recovered to strike a revenge blow in their first Liga meeting of 2017-18.

Messi scored from the penalty spot to put Barca 2-0 up in the capital before providing a clever cut-back cross for Aleix Vidal to make the final score 3-0.

It was a comparatively subdued performance from the Argentine, but he still had a hand in two goals.

AdvertisementGetty9Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona, August 2012

Despite losing the 2012-13 Spanish Supercopa to Real Madrid, Messi nevertheless was on form, contributing goals in both legs of the decider.

Barca won the first leg 3-2, with Messi scoring from the penalty spot, but they were undone in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, the second leg saw Messi's most memorable contribution in the form of a free kick, which he curled into the left corner to give Barca hope.

Unfortunately for Messi and Co. though the game ended 2-1 and Real won thanks to the away goals rule.

Getty8Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid, October 2012

The 2-2 game between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou in the 2012-13 season was a memorable battle, which saw Messi score an outrageous 30-yard free kick.

Messi scored both of Barca's goals – the first being a predatory follow-up finish inside the box and the second from a set-piece, which left Iker Casillas grasping desperately at air.

The game was something of a symbolic stand-off between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored Real's two goals.

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Getty7Real Madrid 3-4 Barcelona, March 2014

The 2013-14 season wasn't particularly special for Barcelona, whose only silverware that season came in the form of the Spanish Supercopa, or Messi, whose goal tally dipped significantly by his high standards.

However, one of the season's high points was undoubtedly Messi's virtuoso display in El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu, where he scored a hat-trick and set up Andres Iniesta in a 4-3 victory.

The Argentine showed ice-cool composure to score the winning goal from the penalty spot with just over five minutes left on the clock.

Barca finished the season runners-up in La Liga behind Atletico Madrid and they secured second place ahead of Real Madrid on goal difference thanks to a single goal – meaning their Clasico triumph was ultimately crucial.