1. The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus grand slams. I had my chances after coming back from giving birth. I went from a C-section to a second pulmonary embolism to a grand slam final. I played while breastfeeding. I played through postpartum depression. But I didn’t get there. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. I didn’t show up the way I should have or could have. But I showed up 23 times, and that’s fine. Actually it’s extraordinary. But these days, if I have to choose between building my tennis résumé and building my family, I choose the latter.
2. ‘They’re leaving the hurling pitch now,’ a Garda had told some of the crowd some time earlier. Two old men in short sleeves sitting in the shade of Tony Brennan’s bar agreed they’d be here within 10 minutes.
It took longer. Two garda outriders, with lights silently flashing, showed a massive party of mourners, led by Dillon’s parents, Dan & Hazel and sisters Shannon & Kellie, in the road.
Dozens of young school children, immaculately turned out in green and yellow, formed a poignant guard of honour.
Outside the local post office, the club colours flew, so often a proud standard for locals to rally around. It is still and Dillon’s coffin was draped in the flag, as well as Tipperary’s famous blue and yellow.
Adrian Russell beautifully details Dillon Quirke’s funeral for The Irish Examiner.
3. When Matt Busby retired in 1969, Manchester United’s three exceptional talents, three winners of the Ballon d’Or, were in decline. Bobby Charlton was 31 and age was closing in. Denis Law was 29 but had never fully recovered from his knee injury. George Best was 22 but had already won his last trophy.
“I represented the future of Manchester United – or should have done,” Best acknowledged. “Charlton represented the past.” That was not simply about age; it was also about attitude. Best once said that he was “grateful” to have been born in 1946 and not 1926. “We don’t have to stick rigidly to the short back and sides and wear-your-club-blazer-at-all-times routine of the past,” he said.
The feud between Best and Charlton that shattered Manchester United – The Guardian’sJonathan Wilson.
4. Given that it is also a beloved national institution in danger of extinction, you’d think the BBC would have been more sympathetic towards the classified football results.
Instead, the decision to axe the reading of the scores at 5pm on Saturdays on BBC radio has provoked a very British furore. In fact, the death of the classified results is what you might call a teachable moment in the ongoing quest to understand our weird neighbours.
‘The symbolic value of the classified results outlived their use,’ writes Tommy Martin for The Irish Examiner.
Maradona facing England at the 1986 World Cup. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
5. If you happened to be listening to Argentinian radio on the afternoon of June 22, 1986, you were privileged to hear one of the great outbreaks of euphoria in the history of soccer. That was the day, of course, when Diego Maradona scored two of the most famous, two of the most iconic goals in the history of the World Cup, back to back, in three minutes and 49 seconds of real time.
The first of those is easily the most controversial goal of all time. We’ll talk about that. But the second, that’s the awesome goal. That’s the one where he runs through basically the entire English defense. The commentator for Radio Argentina is the legendary Victor Hugo Morales. And you can hear the exact moment when he crosses over into euphoria. He doesn’t take his shirt off—that I know of. But he stops narrating and just starts yelling “genius.” Over and over again.
And then even that gets to be too much and he starts repeating “ta.”
Genio genio genio. Ta ta ta ta ta ta.
If you’ve ever seen Diego Maradona moving with the ball, you get it.
The Ringer‘s Brian Phillips chronicles the most iconic goals in the history of the World Cup – Diego Maradona, 1986 World Cup in Mexico, is up first.
6. Two moments best symbolised the summer. The first symbolised the togetherness of the squad. The second symbolised the fact that this group truly do enjoy each other’s company. As well as a place of work, the England camp is a place of joy for the Lionesses.
Leah Williamson had her moment in the spotlight when she lifted the Euros trophy. But her immediate next thought was to pull Jill Scott, 35, and Ellen White, 33, from the pack and hand them the trophy to lift themselves. The pair have over 270 England caps between them. Scott’s been a senior Lioness since 2006. They’ve been through the dark times and arrived in the light. They’ve experienced the days when there was no exposure on the England women’s team and no hope of exposure either. Was this exposure enough for them? White wore her grin like a permanent tattoo all evening.
If that embodied the togetherness, Mary Earps emobodied the good times. The vibes. With Wiegman’s Wembley press conference just a minute in, her players burst through the door and chanted ‘Three Lions’ by Baddiel & Skinner and The Lightning Seeds at the top of their voices. Goalkeeper Earps stood on the table, cheered and danced and sang, and then followed her teammates back out the room again.
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Serena's farewell, Best and Charlton's feud and the rest of the week's best sportswriting
1. The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus grand slams. I had my chances after coming back from giving birth. I went from a C-section to a second pulmonary embolism to a grand slam final. I played while breastfeeding. I played through postpartum depression. But I didn’t get there. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. I didn’t show up the way I should have or could have. But I showed up 23 times, and that’s fine. Actually it’s extraordinary. But these days, if I have to choose between building my tennis résumé and building my family, I choose the latter.
Serena Williams says farewell to tennis in Vogue.
2. ‘They’re leaving the hurling pitch now,’ a Garda had told some of the crowd some time earlier. Two old men in short sleeves sitting in the shade of Tony Brennan’s bar agreed they’d be here within 10 minutes.
It took longer. Two garda outriders, with lights silently flashing, showed a massive party of mourners, led by Dillon’s parents, Dan & Hazel and sisters Shannon & Kellie, in the road.
Dozens of young school children, immaculately turned out in green and yellow, formed a poignant guard of honour.
Outside the local post office, the club colours flew, so often a proud standard for locals to rally around. It is still and Dillon’s coffin was draped in the flag, as well as Tipperary’s famous blue and yellow.
Adrian Russell beautifully details Dillon Quirke’s funeral for The Irish Examiner.
3. When Matt Busby retired in 1969, Manchester United’s three exceptional talents, three winners of the Ballon d’Or, were in decline. Bobby Charlton was 31 and age was closing in. Denis Law was 29 but had never fully recovered from his knee injury. George Best was 22 but had already won his last trophy.
“I represented the future of Manchester United – or should have done,” Best acknowledged. “Charlton represented the past.” That was not simply about age; it was also about attitude. Best once said that he was “grateful” to have been born in 1946 and not 1926. “We don’t have to stick rigidly to the short back and sides and wear-your-club-blazer-at-all-times routine of the past,” he said.
The feud between Best and Charlton that shattered Manchester United – The Guardian’s Jonathan Wilson.
4. Given that it is also a beloved national institution in danger of extinction, you’d think the BBC would have been more sympathetic towards the classified football results.
Instead, the decision to axe the reading of the scores at 5pm on Saturdays on BBC radio has provoked a very British furore. In fact, the death of the classified results is what you might call a teachable moment in the ongoing quest to understand our weird neighbours.
‘The symbolic value of the classified results outlived their use,’ writes Tommy Martin for The Irish Examiner.
5. If you happened to be listening to Argentinian radio on the afternoon of June 22, 1986, you were privileged to hear one of the great outbreaks of euphoria in the history of soccer. That was the day, of course, when Diego Maradona scored two of the most famous, two of the most iconic goals in the history of the World Cup, back to back, in three minutes and 49 seconds of real time.
The first of those is easily the most controversial goal of all time. We’ll talk about that. But the second, that’s the awesome goal. That’s the one where he runs through basically the entire English defense. The commentator for Radio Argentina is the legendary Victor Hugo Morales. And you can hear the exact moment when he crosses over into euphoria. He doesn’t take his shirt off—that I know of. But he stops narrating and just starts yelling “genius.” Over and over again.
And then even that gets to be too much and he starts repeating “ta.”
Genio genio genio. Ta ta ta ta ta ta.
If you’ve ever seen Diego Maradona moving with the ball, you get it.
The Ringer‘s Brian Phillips chronicles the most iconic goals in the history of the World Cup – Diego Maradona, 1986 World Cup in Mexico, is up first.
6. Two moments best symbolised the summer. The first symbolised the togetherness of the squad. The second symbolised the fact that this group truly do enjoy each other’s company. As well as a place of work, the England camp is a place of joy for the Lionesses.
Leah Williamson had her moment in the spotlight when she lifted the Euros trophy. But her immediate next thought was to pull Jill Scott, 35, and Ellen White, 33, from the pack and hand them the trophy to lift themselves. The pair have over 270 England caps between them. Scott’s been a senior Lioness since 2006. They’ve been through the dark times and arrived in the light. They’ve experienced the days when there was no exposure on the England women’s team and no hope of exposure either. Was this exposure enough for them? White wore her grin like a permanent tattoo all evening.
If that embodied the togetherness, Mary Earps emobodied the good times. The vibes. With Wiegman’s Wembley press conference just a minute in, her players burst through the door and chanted ‘Three Lions’ by Baddiel & Skinner and The Lightning Seeds at the top of their voices. Goalkeeper Earps stood on the table, cheered and danced and sang, and then followed her teammates back out the room again.
Dom Smith recalls how England won the Euros for EnglandFootball.org.
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