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Cristiano Ronaldo is, as a "big icon who loves hair", being tipped to become the A-list barber that eventually gets to give The United Strand a fresh trim. Red Devils fan Frank Ilett has gone viral after vowing not to cut his locks until Ruben Amorim's side have won five games in a row. They recently ticked three of those boxes, but the wait goes on as various names are offered up as potential cutters of what has become rather wild hair.

When did The United Strand make his pledge?

Ilett made his pledge back in October 2024, with United preparing to pass managerial reins around that time from Dutch coach Erik ten Hag to Portuguese tactician Ten Hag. They rarely looked like stringing together back-to-back victories, never mind five-in-a-row, when stumbling to a 15th-place finish in the 2024-25 campaign.

A slow start was made to the current season, leading to more uncomfortable questions being asked of Amorim and his favoured 3-4-3 system, but United did show signs of life when overcoming Sunderland, Liverpool – at Anfield no less – and Brighton. With Ilett starting to get excited, Nottingham Forest held the Red Devils to a 2-2 draw at the City Ground.

AdvertisementRonaldo the barber: Saha floats interesting idea

The United Strand is back to square one, as his bouffant grows ever larger, with there no end in sight when it comes to a rather questionable challenge. He has, however, become infamous in his own right, with suggestions being made as to who should eventually shear his overgrown locks.

Ex-United striker Louis Saha has joined that debate, with the Frenchman telling : "There is hope (for The United Strand). That's a funny one to be honest. If you have more pressure with fans who are doing stuff like this, I think it's good.

"I can see that there is a need for results and to be serious on that point. The consistency is extremely important so the fans have a point here. I think when you look at over the years, the big icons who love doing the hair, there is no bigger name than Cristiano Ronaldo. He should come and shave his new haircut."

Getty/via @theunitedstrand on Instagram What about Beckham? Another option for The United Strand

Ronaldo’s hair has been big business down the years, while the same could once be said about his fellow iconic former United No.7, Sir David Beckham. The ex-England captain, who is now working with Lionel Messi at MLS side Inter Miami, is another to have seen his name added to the pop-up barber pot.

Former Red Devils winger Nani has told : "If that means that Man Utd is winning, I want him to cut his hair. I believe it's going to happen because of the way we've been playing. I think it’s deserved. Man Utd just need to be very, very disciplined during the next games, staying humble and working hard. It doesn’t need to be 3-0 or 4-0, 1-0 is enough. I think after he cuts his hair then everything will change and we will look forward. I think he’d like a legend to cut his hair and I think David Beckham should do it, he’s had plenty of practice. He'd be perfect!"

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Man Utd fixtures: Cam Red Devils win five on the bounce?

One-time United defender Wes Brown has said of Ilett’s long-running escapade: "I like the banter. It’s funny because the other day my daughter showed me. When you’re thinking of five games on the bounce to win it sounds fairly straightforward. That can be done. That’s what I love about the game. Regardless of the results some fun can come from it. But is he going to get it cut? How long does this go on for? How many teams have done five in a row in the league? Even from last season. It’s probably harder than you think. He might have to get it braided."

United have one more game to take in prior to the November international break, with that contest set to take place at Tottenham on Saturday. Ronaldo has admitted to still keeping an eye on how the Red Devils are faring, claiming that the Premier League giants need a change in “structure” if they are to get themselves back on track and recapture former glories.

The Padres are set for some significant changes this offseason, but those likely won't be coming at the top of the organization.

Despite a disappointing playoff exit in the wild-card round against the Cubs, key pieces of the organization will reportedly remain in place. Kevin Acee of the is reporting that president of baseball operations, A.J. Preller, and manager Mike Shildt are expected to return for the 2026 season.

From Acee's report:

After the Padres fell to the Cubs in three games, there were questions about Preller's future with the franchise. He had the full backing of former owner Peter Seidler, who died in November of 2023, but now that his brother, John Seidler, runs the team, his position seemed far less secure. It appears Preller will continue in his position for the foreseeable future after guiding the Padres to the postseason in four of the last six seasons.

Shildt replaced Bob Melvin as San Diego's manager before the 2024 season, and the team has topped 90 wins and reached the playoffs in each of his first two years in charge. While just making the postseason is no longer the expectation for the franchise, Shildt has done a solid job so far.

Padres Face Major Changes This Offseason

San Diego has several key players likely set to leave this winter. Starting pitcher Dylan Cease, first baseman Luis Arraez, and trade deadline pickup Ryan O'Hearn are all set for free agency. Meanwhile, closer Robert Suarez and starter Michael King can both opt out of their contracts and are widely expected to do so. Lefty Nestor Cortes and utility infielder Jose Iglesias are also free agents.

With so many pieces likely leaving, Preller will have his hands full attempting to build a championship-caliber roster for 2026. Given the team's payroll constraints, there may not be much room to add this offseason.

One thing the Padres don't have to worry about is fan support. San Diego finished second in attendance in 2025, welcoming a record 3,437,201 fans to Petco Park. The team sold out 72 of its 81 home games, which was also a record.

The Padres have a core built around Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, and Xander Bogaerts, plus 2025 additions Mason Miller and Nick Pivetta. The return of Joe Musgrove from elbow surgery should help as well. There's a solid foundation there.

San Diego's biggest challenge will be adding more punch to its lineup next season. The team ranked 22nd in slugging (.390) and 28th in home runs (152) during the regular season. That lack of pop reared its ugly head against Chicago in the wild-card round, when the top three in the team's lineup, Tatis, Arraez, and Machado, combined to go 4-for-33 (.121) with one home run. The team's offense needs more depth.

With continuity at the top, building for 2026 should be easier.

حقق منتخب فلسطين الفوز على قطر، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم الإثنين، في افتتاح مشوارهما ببطولة كأس العرب 2025، بنتيجة هدف دون رد.

وتواجه منتخبا فلسطين وقطر، في إطار منافسات الجولة الأولى لمواجهات المجموعة الأولى من بطولة كأس العرب 2025 المقامة في قطر.

وبذلك، يتصدر منتخب فلسطين ترتيب المجموعة الأولى من بطولة كأس العرب بالتساوي مع منتخب سوريا الذي حقق الفوز أيضًا بهدف دون رد على تونس.

بطولة كأس العرب، تقام في قطر، بمشاركة 16 منتخبًا خلال الفترة من الأول من ديسمبر حتى 18 من الشهر نفسه.

طالع | مدرب تونس بعد الهزيمة أمام سوريا في كأس العرب: لعبوا على أخطاءنا ترتيب المجموعة الأولى في كأس العرب بعد انتهاء الجولة الأولى

1- منتخب فلسطين، 3 نقاط.

2- منتخب سوريا، 3 نقاط.

3- منتخب تونس، بدون نقاط.

4- منتخب قطر، بدون نقاط.

It has been a rough few days when it comes to sports fans acting normally when gifted a souvenir from an athlete.

At the U.S. Open, a man was spotted snatching the hat of Kamil Majchrzak out of the hands of a child. While Majchrzak made things right the next day, it was still an odd moment to behold.

On Friday night at LoanDepot Park, that awkward moment got its sequel. After Phillies centerfielder Harrison Bader hit a solo shot to put his team up 5–1 over the Marlins, a mini fracas broke out in the stands.

One Phillies fan hustled to retrieve the ball, nabbed it after a brief moment on the ground, and went back to his seat to give the ball to the young fan he was sitting with, presumably his son. But another fan, whose seat was closer to the initial landing spot of the ball, took issue with the move, and went over to give the fan that got the ball the business. Eventually, the fan who got the ball appeared to say, “fine, okay, whatever sheesh” and gave the ball back.

You can watch the scene unfold below.

On the one hand, we cannot see the moment that the ball was initially possessed, so it is possible that there were some dastardly moves done behind the seats that would offer more clarity to the scene. On the other hand, once a kid has the home run ball, it’s usually best policy to let the kid keep the home run ball.

Thankfully, the Marlins’ stadium staff went out of their way to make things right, hooking up the fan who was briefly without the home run ball with a new ball and a prize pack.

After the game, the Phillies made sure to give the fan an unforgettable moment as well, with Bader coming out to meet the family and offer up a signed bat.

A great gesture by the Phillies, but really a huge shoutout to the Marlins staff for acting in the moment to make sure everyone left the stadium with a happy memory instead of an awkward one. Seeing one team make such a gesture for opposing fans is just a nice reminder that a love of baseball can transcend a particular fandom or rooting interest.

All of that said, please, if you or a loved one happens to be in the stands when a home run ball is hit, or a player offers a fan their hat, or anything of the sort occurs and puts you in a position to possibly nab a souvenir, please just be normal about it.

Six out of eight equity sales have been completed, but Oval Invincibles and Trent Rockets still negotiating

Matt Roller30-Jul-2025The ECB insists that external investment in two Hundred teams remains “on track” despite the fact that their deals are yet to be completed.ESPNcricinfo revealed last week that Knighthead Capital’s investment in Birmingham Phoenix had been signed off and five more investors have now completed deals, which were agreed in principle earlier this year. The sales process valued the eight teams at nearly £1 billion collectively, with over £500 million invested in English cricket as a direct result.But two deals have taken far longer than anticipated to complete. The ECB initially gave new investors an eight-week deadline to finalise paperwork, which was later extended after disagreements over the participation agreement, and the deadline for completion has now been extended further for both Oval Invincibles and Trent Rockets.Related

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The ECB announced the completion of six deals on Wednesday, with chair Richard Thompson hailing a “seminal moment” for English cricket. The board said in a statement: “The remaining two [deals] are set for formal completion at a later date. They remain on track, in line with the ECB having offered investors the option of completing later.”Invincibles will be run as a joint-venture between Surrey (51%) and Reliance (49%), the Indian conglomerate which owns Mumbai Indians and their affiliated franchises around the world. Surrey declined to comment, but are understood to be very confident that the deal will be completed at the start of October.ESPNcricinfo has learned that the Ambani family, which owns Reliance, will attend the fifth England vs India Test at The Oval, but that the visit is unrelated to the timeframe of the deal. One outstanding issue in discussions surrounds the name of the franchise, which could be renamed MI London or MI Oval in line with Reliance’s other franchises outside of India, but branding is not considered a major sticking point.The Rockets’ new investors are Cain International – whose co-founders Todd Boehly and Jonathan Goldstein are part of the consortium that owns Chelsea FC – and private equity firm Ares Management. They will run the franchise as minority partners, with Nottinghamshire – who also declined to comment – retaining a 51% interest.Trent Rockets’ new investors are Cain International and Ares Management•Nathan Stirk/ECB via Getty ImagesBoth investor groups are understood to have taken up the option presented to them by the ECB to complete their deals post-season on October 1, when they will assume operational control of their teams.Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, has previously blamed the deals’ slow progress on the need to consider “what ifs” and new investors wanting “clarity on all sorts of details” before signing. Gould told ESPNcricinfo last month: “I hate to think how many sets of lawyers are in on this, but that’s what they’re paid to do.”The imminent financial windfall will be significant for many counties, not least Yorkshire, who have sold 100% of Northern Superchargers to the Sun Group. “The deal puts the club in a strong financial position, which has been far from the case for many years,” Sanjay Patel, their chief executive, said. “The first priority is clearing our debts.”The new investors will assume operational control from October 1, with the ECB running all eight teams for the 2025 season which runs from August 5-31.

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