Christiano Ronaldo.

Christiano Ronaldo.

(born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr and the Portugal national team. Nicknamed CR7, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and has won numerous individual accolades throughout his professional footballing career, including five Ballon d'Or awards, three the Best FIFA Men's Player awards (formerly the FIFA World Player of the Year), a record three UEFA Men's Player of the Year Awards, and four European Golden Shoes. He has won 33 trophies in his career, including seven league titles, five UEFA Champions Leagues and the UEFA European Championship. Ronaldo holds the records for most goals (140) and assists (42) in the Champions League, goals (14) and assists (8) in the European Championship, and most international appearances (217) and international goals (135). He is one of the few players to have made over 1,200 professional career appearances, the most by an outfield player, and has scored over 900 official senior career goals for club and country, making him the top goalscorer of all time.

Ronaldo began his senior career with Sporting CP, before signing with Manchester United in 2003, winning the FA Cup in his first season. He went on to become a star player at United, as they won three consecutive Premier League titles, the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup; his 2007-08 season earned him his first Ballon d'Or, aged 23. Ronaldo was the subject of the then-most expensive association football transfer when he signed for Real Madrid in 2009 in a transfer worth €94 million (£80 million). He was integral to Madrid becoming a dominant force again, as they won four Champions Leagues from 2014 to 2018, including La Décima. He won back-to-back Ballon d'Or awards in 2013 and 2014, and again in 2016 and 2017, and was runner-up three times behind Lionel Messi, his perceived career rival. He also became the club's all-time top goalscorer and finished as the Champions League's top scorer for six consecutive seasons between 2012 and 2018. With Madrid, Ronaldo's additional titles include two La Liga titles, including a record-breaking title win in 2011-12, and two Copas del Rey. In 2018, following issues with the Madrid hierarchy, Ronaldo made a surprise transfer to Juventus in a transfer worth an initial €100 million (£88 million). He won several trophies in Italy, including two Serie A titles and a Coppa Italia, and broke several records for Juventus. He returned to United in 2021; despite a collectively disappointing season, Ronaldo's individual performances earned him being included in the PFA Team of the Year at 37 years old. His contract was terminated in 2022 due to a fall out with the newly appointed manager, and in 2023 he signed for Al Nassr, a move that since been widely credited for revolutionising football in Saudi Arabia.

Ronaldo made his international debut for Portugal in 2003 at the age of 18 and has earned more than 200 caps, making him history's most-capped male player.[8] Ronaldo has played in eleven major tournaments and scored in ten; he scored his first international goal at Euro 2004, where he helped Portugal reach the final and subsequently made the team of the tournament. In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, his first World Cup, he was a focal part to Portugal ultimately finishing in fourth place. He assumed captaincy of the national team in July 2008 ahead of Euro 2008; four years later, at Euro 2012, he was named to the team of the tournament. In 2015, Ronaldo was named the best Portuguese player of all time by the Portuguese Football Federation. The following year, he led Portugal to their first major tournament title at Euro 2016, being named in the team of the tournament for the third time and receiving the Silver Boot as the second-highest goalscorer of the tournament. This achievement saw him receive his fourth Ballon d'Or. In 2018, Ronaldo had his most prolific World Cup campaign and was voted in the Fan Dream Team. He led his country to victory in the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019, receiving the top scorer award in the finals, and also received the Golden Boot as top scorer of Euro 2020. In the 2022 World Cup, he became the first player to score at five World Cups.

One of the world's most marketable and famous athletes, Ronaldo was ranked the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2016, 2017, 2023, and 2024 and the world's most famous athlete by ESPN from 2016 to 2019. He is the first footballer and the third sportsman to earn US$1 billion in his career. Time included him on their list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2014. Ronaldo is the most popular sportsperson on social media: he counts over 1 billion total followers across Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, making him the first person to achieve that feat. Ronaldo was named in the UEFA Ultimate Team of the Year in 2015, the All-time UEFA Euro XI in 2016, and the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2020. In recognition of his record-breaking goalscoring success, he received special awards for Outstanding Career Achievement by FIFA in 2021 and Champions League All-Time Top Scorer by UEFA in

 2024.

Lionel Messi.

 

Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi. (Spanish pronunciation: born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi set numerous records for individual accolades won throughout his professional footballing career such as eight Ballon d'Or awards and eight times being named the world's best player by FIFA. He is the most decorated player in the history of professional football having won 45 team trophies,^{[note 3]} including twelve Big Five league titles, four UEFA Champions Leagues, two Copa Américas, and one FIFA World Cup. Messi holds the records for most European Golden Shoes (6), most goals in a calendar year (91), most goals for a single club (672, with Barcelona), most goals (474), hat-tricks (36) and assists (192) in La Liga, most assists (18) and goal contributions (32) in the Copa América, most goal contributions (21) in the World Cup, most international appearances (191) and international goals (112) by a South American male, and the second-most in the latter category outright. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi has scored over 850 senior career goals and has provided over 380 assists for club and country.

broke Argentina's 28-year trophy drought by winning the 2021 Copa América, which helped him secure his seventh Ballon d'Or that year. He then led Argentina to win the 2022 Finalissima, as well as the 2022 FIFA World Cup, his country's third overall world championship and first in 36 years. This followed with a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or in 2023, and a victory in the 2024 Copa América.

Messi has endorsed sportswear company Adidas since 2006. According to France Football, he was the world's highest-paid footballer for five years out of six between 2009 and 2014, and was ranked the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2019 and 2022. Messi was among Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2011, 2012, and 2023. In 2020 and 2023, he was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, the first team-sport athlete to win it. In 2020, Messi was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team and became the second footballer and second team-sport athlete to surpass $1 billion in career earnings. Following his arrival and impact on football in the US, Messi was named Time's Athlete of the Year in 2023, and in the following year was bestowed with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by decision of the president of the United States.

Kabaddi.

 Kabaddi is a Contact team sport played between two teams of seven players. It is one of the traditional game of South Asia. In this game, a raider enters the opposing half to tag defenders and return within 30 seconds while avoiding tackles. Points are awarded for successful tags, while defenders earn points for stopping the raider. Tagged or tackled players are temporarily out but can re-enter when their team scores. Raids alternate between teams throughout the game.

It is popular in India, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other surrounding Asian countries. Although accounts of kabaddi appear in the history , the game was popularised as a competitive sport in the 20th century. It is the national sport of Bangladesh It is the second most popular and viewed sport in India after Cricket It is the state game of the Indian state s of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.

There are two major disciplines:  also called "circle style", comprises traditional forms of the sport that are played on a circular field outdoors, and the "standard style", on a rectangular court indoors, is played in major professional leagues and international competitions such as the Asian Games.

This game is known by numerous names in different parts of the Indian subcontinent, such as: kabaddi or chedugudu in Andhra pradesh and Telangana Kabaddi in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala Kabaddi or ha-du-du in West Bengal and Bangladesh in kabaddi in the Punjab region hu-tu-tu in Western India ha-do-do in Eastern India in South India in Nepal kabadi or sadugudu in Tamil Nadu and  in Sri Lanka.

AB De Villiers.

 

Abraham Benjamin de Villiers (born 17 February 1984) is a South African former international cricketer, and a current commentator. AB de Villiers was named as the ICC ODI Player of the Year three times during his 15-year international career and was one of the five Wisden cricketers of the decade at the end of 2019. He is regarded as one of the greatest cricketers in the history of the sport and the best batsman of his era, dominating the Number 1 ranking for batsmen in tests & ODIs more than any other batsman of his era.De Villiers began his international career as a wicket-keeper-batsman, but he has played most often solely as a batsman. He batted at various positions in the batting order, but predominantly in the middle-order.

Regarded as one of the most innovative and destructive batsmen in the modern era, de Villiers is known for a range of unorthodox shots, particularly behind the wicket-keeper.He made his international debut in a Test match against England in 2004 and first played a One Day International (ODI) in early 2005. His debut in Twenty20 International cricket came in 2006. He scored over 8,000 runs in both Test and ODI cricket and is one of the very few batsmen to have a batting average of over fifty in both forms of the game.In limited overs cricket, he is an attacking player. He holds the record for the fastest ODI fifty (16 balls), fastest ODI century (31 balls), and fastest ODI 150 (62 balls).

De Villiers captained South Africa in all three formats, although after a series of injuries, he stepped down from the Test captaincy. In 2017, he stepped down from captaining the national limited-overs games and in May 2018, he announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket. In January 2020, however, de Villiers expressed an interest in making an international comeback and play in the 2020 T20 World Cup, although later in the year it was confirmed that he would not do so. On 19 November 2021, de Villiers announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. In October 2024, de Villiers became the 8th South African cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

Virat Kohli.

 Virat Kohli

born 5 November 1988) is an Indian international cricketer who plays Test and ODI cricket for the national team and is a former captain in all formats. He is a right-handed batsman and an occasional right arm medium pace bowler. Kohli holds the highest IPL run-scorer record, ranks third in T20I, third in ODI, and stands the fourth-highest in international cricket. Regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, he holds the record for the most centuries in ODIs and has the second most centuries in international cricket all time.

Kohli was a member of the Indian team that won the 2008 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, 2011 Cricket World Cup, 2013 Champions Trophy and 2024 T20 World Cup and also captained India to win the ICC Test mace three consecutive times in 2017, 2018, and 2019.He represents Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League and Delhi in domestic cricket.

In 2013, Kohli was ranked number one in the ODI batsmen ICC rankings. In 2015, he also achieved the same for T20I rankings. In 2018, he was ranked the top Test batsman, making him the only Indian cricketer to hold the number one spot in all three formats. He is the first player to score 20,000 runs in a decade. In 2020, the ICC named him the male cricketer of the decade.

Kohli has garnered 10 ICC Awards making him the most awarded player in International Cricket history. He won the ICC ODI Player of the Year award four times in 2012, 2017, 2018, and 2023. He also won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, given to the ICC Cricketer of the Year, on two occasions, in 2017 and 2018 respectively. In 2018, he became the first player to win both ICC ODI and Test Player of the Year awards in the same year. Also, he was named the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for three consecutive years, from 2016 to 2018. Kohli has the most Player of the Series awards and second most Player of the Match awards to his name in all three formats combined. He was honored with the Arjuna Award in 2013, the Padma Shri in 2017, and India's highest sporting honor, the Khel Ratna Award, in 2018. In 2018, Time magazine included him on its list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

After winning the 2024 T20 World Cup and the Player of the Match in the Final, Kohli announced his retirement from T20Is.

Champions Trophy.

 the tournament.

The current format involves a qualification phase, which takes place in the preceding edition of the Cricket World Cup, to determine which teams qualify for the tournament phase. The top eight ranked teams in the World Cup (including the hosts of the Champions Trophy) secure a berth for the tournament. A total of thirteen teams have competed in the 8 editions of the tournament, with eight teams competing in the 2017 tournament. Australia and India are the two most successful teams winning the tournament twice, while South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Wes Indies and Pakistan have won it once each. Seven national teams have played in every edition of the tournament yet.

Pakistan are the current champions after winning the 2017 tournament, held in England and Wales.

Sports

Sport includes all forms of competitive physical activity or games which,through casual or organized participation, at least in part aim to use, maintain or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants, and in some cases, entertainment for spectators.Sports can bring positive results to one's physical health. Hundreds of sports exist, from those between single contestants, through to those with hundreds of simultaneous participants, either in teams or competing as individuals. In certain sports such as racing, many contestants may compete, simultaneously or consecutively, with one winner; in others, the contest (a match) is between two sides, each attempting to exceed the other. Some sports allow a "tie" or "draw", in which there is no single winner; others provide tie-breaking methods to ensure one winner and one loser. A number of contests may be arranged in a tournament producing a champion. Many sports leagues make an annual champion by arranging games in a regular sports season, followed in some cases by playoffs.

Sport is generally recognised as system of activities which are based in physical athleticism or physical dexterity, with the largest major competitions such as the Olympic Games admitting only sports meeting this definition,and other organisations such as the Council of Europe using definitions precluding activities without a physical element from classification as sports.However, a number of competitive, but non-physical, activities claim recognition as mind sports. The International Olympic Committee (through ARISF) recognises both chess and bridge as bona fide sports, and SportAccord, the international sports federation association, recognises five non-physical sports: bridge, chess, draughts (checkers), Go and xiangqi,and limits the number of mind games which can be admitted as sports.

Sport is usually governed by a set of rules or customs, which serve to ensure fair competition, and allow consistent adjudication of the winner. Winning can be determined by physical events such as scoring goals or crossing a line first. It can also be determined by judges who are scoring elements of the sporting performance, including objective or subjective measures such as technical performance or artistic impression.

Records of performance are often kept, and for popular sports, this information may be widely announced or reported in sport news. Sport is also a major source of entertainment for non-participants, with spectator sport drawing large crowds to sport venues, and reaching wider audiences through broadcasting. Sport betting is in some cases severely regulated, and in some cases is central to the sport.

According to A.T. Kearney, a consultancy, the global sporting industry is worth up to $620 billion as of 2013.The world's most accessible and practised sport is running, while association football is the most popular spectator sport.