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Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been given a “good” injury update on Paul Mullin, with Wrexham waiting on the return of their star striker.

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Frontman underwent spinal operationBeing eased back to full fitnessRed Dragons boast strength in depthGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Mullin, who has netted 105 goals for the Red Dragons across three productive campaigns, underwent minor spinal surgery at the end of last season. He was forced to sit out another series of friendly dates in North America as a result.

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Wrexham have opened the 2024-25 season without their talismanic No.10, with Jacob Mendy another of those currently stuck on the sidelines. They were able to claim a 3-2 victory over Wycombe in the club’s first outing at League One level in 20 years.

Getty ImagesWHAT PARKINSON SAID

More shrewd recruitment, funded by Hollywood co-owners, means that Phil Parkinson boasts plenty of strength in depth. He has said of nursing walking wounded back towards full fitness, with no new knocks picked up in a 4-2 Carabao Cup first round defeat to Sheffield United: “Everyone got through the game well. Mulls is continuing his progress. He didn't travel with us to Sheffield but was working really hard back in Wrexham so that is good. Jacob is getting ever closer to being available for selection so we have got a good squad to choose from and we will think long and hard about the team for Sunday.”

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WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Wrexham will be heading out on the road again in their next fixture, with Parkinson taking his side to Bolton. Mullin is not in contention for that clash, with no risks being taken in his rehabilitation, but the Red Dragons will soon be back to full strength.

Tasmania lost three wickets before scoring a second-innings run on the second day at the Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2020Tasmania’s horror match with the bat continued at the Gabba as they lost three second-innings wickets without a run on the board to leave them facing an innings defeat against Queensland.A battling half-century from Usman Khawaja and handy lower-order contributions had taken Queensland to a lead of 179 after they had dismantled Tasmania for 78 on the opening day.In reply, Alex Doolan, Jordan Silk (who bagged a pair) and Jake Doran all fell for ducks against Michael Neser and Jack Wildermuth.They regained some composure as Charlie Wakim and Ben McDermott added 72 but Wakim was pinned lbw by Mitchell Swepson late in the day.Queensland were already in the lead overnight but Tasmania mounted something of a fightback as they chipped away. Bryce Street’s 171-ball stay ended when he edged Jackson Bird and Sam Heazlett was given caught down the leg side.Khawaja held the innings together with his second Shield half-century of the season before the hard work ended when a booming drive was edged to second slip. Cameron Gannon and Mark Steketee chipped in with 20s from Nos. 9 and 10. The innings was wrapped up by the offspin of Beau Webster who, in a game dominated by the seamers, finished with 3 for 44.

MatériaMais Notícias

Contratado para ser o principal homem do Paraná na disputa da Série C, o meia Maxi Rodríguez está de saída do time da Vila Capanema.

De acordo com o ge, o uruguaio recebeu uma oferta do São José-RS, que também está na mesma divisão e chave do Tricolor.

Apesar do pouco tempo no clube, o meio-campista gostou da oferta e agora espera o acerto do seu staff para ser anunciado pelo clube gaúcho.

No total, Maxi Rodriguez disputou apenas um jogo pelo time paranaense e ganhou elogios da comissão técnica.

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Former England batsman took club to fourth in Division Two while in interim role

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2019Matthew Maynard, the former England batsman, has been appointed as Glamorgan’s permanent head coach after spending the 2019 season in the job on an interim basis.Maynard led the side to fourth in Division Two of the County Championship last season – their joint-highest finish since 2010 – and has been rewarded with a three-year deal.He first re-joined the club at the end of 2017 in a batting consultant role, having previously been head coach from 2008 to 2010. His first spell in charge ended acrimoniously, as he resigned branding his position “untenable” following the appointment of Alviro Petersen as captain, which was made without him being consulted.He later enjoyed a successful spell at Titans in South Africa, where he won the domestic four-day competition and the Ram Slam in 2013. He then spent three years at Somerset as director of cricket before re-joining Glamorgan.Maynard said it was “very exciting to be able to carry on the work we started this year”.”I love being a part of this club and I have enjoyed working with the players and coaching staff throughout the season,” he said. “There is lots of talent within the squad and we have a good mix of young players and experienced heads.”Despite their strong showing in the Championship, Glamorgan struggled in both white-ball competitions last season. They finish sixth in the South Group of the One-Day Cup, and dead last in the Blast, registering their only win in the season’s final game.”We saw a big improvement in the County Championship and Royal London One-Day Cup,” Maynard said, “but it’s important we continue that upward trajectory and take our form across into the Vitality Blast next season.”Mark Wallace, the club’s director of cricket, said: “We are delighted to have secured Matt as our permanent head coach.”After conducting a thorough review of the season with players, coaches and staff, it became apparent Matt should continue his role as head coach. The side showed a great deal of improvement across two of the three formats under his leadership and came very close to gaining promotion in the County Championship.”Matt is a highly experienced head coach who has developed his skills around the world and possesses an intimate knowledge of the club and how we are structured. He has developed a very good rapport with the players since his return and helped to improve their individual games and mindsets.”

In the high-octane world of football, where youth and vitality are often seen as the most coveted assets, a group of remarkable athletes defy the norms, captivating fans with their enduring talent and unwavering passion for the game.

These players, the venerable statesmen of the pitch, have not only surpassed expectations, but have also set a benchmark for longevity in a sport that demands the utmost physical and mental fitness.

To celebrate their incredible journeys, Football FanCast compiled a list of the top 10 oldest active football players in the world in 2024…

The 10 oldest players in the Premier League

A look at some of the oldest players currently in the top flight.

ByMark Marston May 27, 2025

1

Kazuyoshi Miura

UD Oliveirense

Centre-forward

57

2

Georgi Petkov

Slavia Sofia

Goalkeeper

47

3

Dragan Jolovic

FK Alfa Modrica

Centre-back

47

4

Ahmad Korhani

AC Tripoli

Goalkeeper

45

5

Nasir Chowdhury

Chittagong Abahani

Centre-back

44

6

Ferreira Pinto

AC Ponte San Pietro

Right-winger

44

7

Rhys Griffiths

Penybont FC

Centre-forward

44

8

Cesar Medina

Alianza FC Panama

Centre-forward

43

9

Ilion Lika

KF Tirana

Goalkeeper

43

10

Joel Pinto

Sport Huancayo

Goalkeeper

43

10 Joel Pinto (Sport Huancayo) 43 years old

Joel Pinto still finds himself between the sticks at the ripe old age of 43 in the Peruvian first division.

He's started the last three games for current side Sport Huancayo, with one of these appearances coming in the Copa Sudamericana against Cesar Vallejo recently.

The goalkeeper has taken his career tally to a whopping 412 games, with 130 clean sheets over this time.

9 Ilion Lika (KF Tirana) 43 years old

If you don't feel old yet, you definitely will now, as Ilion Lika appeared for the Albanian national side all the way back in 2002 and still plays his football for Albanian outfit KF Tirana today.

He's appeared seven times this season, including in a Europa Conference League qualifier, but is yet to keep a clean sheet.

Despite being active since the early 2000s, he's only on 342 appearances for his career.

8 Cesar Medina (Alianza FC Panama) 43 years old

Cesar Medina is a striker who plays his football in his home country, Panama, for Alianza FC.

He's made just four appearances this season, with one goal to show. However, Medina is the most loyal player on this list, having stayed at Alianza throughout his career and racked up 147 appearances for them. He even appeared once for the Panama national side.

7 Rhys Griffiths (Penybont FC) 44 years old

Rhys Griffiths is a centre-forward who currently plays his football for Welsh Cymru Premier side Penybont FC.

Although he is still an active player, he's yet to appear for the Welsh club this season, despite being on the substitutes' bench in 11 games.

The 44-year-old's career has spanned over 313 games, in which he has netted 199 goals. He appeared for English side Plymouth Argyle 17 times and also had a stint at Newport County.

6 Ferreira Pinto (AC Ponte San Pietro) 44 years old

Winger Ferreira Pinto is now 44 years of age, and has still managed to make 23 appearances so far this season in the fourth tier of Italian football.

He's actually enjoyed a pretty respectable career, which has spanned 686 games, including stints at Atalanta and Lecce.

5 Nasir Chowdhury (Chittagong Abahani) 44 years old

Nasir Chowdhury is still fighting fit over in the Bangladesh Premier League for Chittagong Abahani, where he has made five appearances and scored one goal so far this season.

He's only ever played in his home country and has racked up 132 appearances over the years, as well as 14 goals from centre-back.

4 Ahmad Korhani (AC Tripoli) 45 years old

Now, moving higher up the list with Ahmad Korhani at 45 years of age.

The goalkeeper currently plays his football at Lebanese side AC Tripoli and has made seven appearances this season. He's managed to keep three clean sheets in this time and has conceded just five goals.

3 Dragan Jolovic (FK Alfa Modrica) 47 years old

Dragan Jolovic is still going strong in the second division in Bosnia and Herzegovina at FK Alfa Modrica.

He's appeared 18 times at the heart of the defence and has one goal to show for himself. He's now appeared in over 300 games in his football career, including in Champions League qualifiers, and doesn't look like slowing down anytime soon.

2 Georgi Petkov (Slavia Sofia) 47 years old

Georgi Petkov is a highly decorated goalkeeper whose career began all the way back in the late 1990s. He's amassed an impressive 400 appearances, which includes performances in the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League.

He made his debut for the Bulgarian national side all the way back in 1998, and went on to make 19 appearances for his country.

Nowadays, the 47-year-old plays his football for Slavia Sofia, a side in the Bulgarian top flight.

1 Kazuyoshi Miura (UD Oliveirense) 57 years old

At number one, we have a player who has become a bit of a legendary figure, known for his determination to keep playing the game we love.

Kazuyoshi Miura is currently 57 years of age, playing his football at Portuguese second-division side Oliveirense. Though, this season isn't exactly going great for the striker as he's yet to score in five appearances, but who can knock him at his age?

The crazy thing is, he's been playing since the early 1980s with other stints in Brazil, Japan, Italy and Australia. In this time, he's managed to amass 709 appearances and scored 193 goals. But arguably the most impressive stat is his goalscoring record on the international stage for Japan, as he netted a whopping 55 goals in 89 games.

The 10 Tallest Football Players in the World in 2024 (Ranked)

Football FanCast has compiled a list of the 10 tallest football players in the world.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 11, 2024

Bayern Munich star Matthijs de Ligt has given the 'green light' to move to Manchester United in a £42 million ($53.6m) transfer.

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• Man Utd target new centre-back
• De Ligt gives 'green light' to join
• Bayern eye £42m summer transfer

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to Fabrizio Romano, the 24-year-old has given the go-ahead to swap Bayern for United, personal terms are not an issue, and talks are progressing. Meanwhile, Sky reporter Florian Plettenberg claims the Bundesliga outfit want at least £42m (€50m), plus 'bonus payments' and the Dutch international is keen to move to Old Trafford.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Following Raphael Varane's United exit, Erik ten Hag's team are on the look-out for a new centre-back. If they were to sign the former Ajax man, that would be something of a coup for the Red Devils – who are reportedly surprised that Bayern are willing to let him go. Ten Hag worked with the De Ligt at Ajax and he would no doubt welcome a reunion with the 6ft 2in defender.

• (C)Getty Images
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  De Ligt made his breakthrough at Ajax as a 17-year-old back in 2016 and became one of the most highly-rated young centre-backs in world football. That form earned him a £72.5m ($92m) move to Juventus three years later, before transferring to Bayern in 2022 for £68m ($86m).

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• WHAT NEXT?

  While talks over his future will continue in the coming days and weeks, De Ligt is currently out in Germany with the Netherlands squad at Euro 2024. The defender has been kept out of the starting XI against Romania by Virgil van Dijk and Stefan de Vrij.

Chelsea have arguably one of the best academies in world football. An array of talent has been produced from Cobham and more are still developing.

Some of the most well-known Blues academy graduates in recent times are players such as Reece James, Levi Colwill and Mason Mount.

Additionally, as they are one of the Premier League's most successful clubs and are included as part of the 'big six', the London-based club have a lot of monetary backing behind them.

In fact, since Todd Boehly's acquisition of the club in May 2022, the American has managed to spend over £1b in transfer fees alone – a sum in that region has been unheard of in recent seasons and for good reason.

One signing that Boehly did play a role in bringing to Chelsea was that of Raheem Sterling, the former Manchester City man leaving the Etihad after seven extremely successful years for a fee worth around £47.5m.

Sterling's time at Chelsea in numbers

Although since their Club World Cup win in the 2021/22 season they are yet to win a trophy, Sterling has had a fairly solid impact on the side since joining.

Brought to the club under Thomas Tuchel who claimed he was the west Londoners' "top priority" at the time, the move was one many didn't see coming due to City's prior dominance.

However, a move was likely sanctioned as Sterling – who scored 131 goals in 339 games for his former employers – believed he wasn't getting as much game time as he would have liked whilst with the Cityzens.

Since arriving at Stamford Bridge, the winger has played a total of 67 times for the Blues and managed to contribute to 28 goals during that time.

This season looks set to be his most prolific season of the two as the 29-year-old is already on seven goal contributions after only 29 games played.

Despite Sterling's solid showing, Chelsea are massively underperforming yet again. So, this could mean, in order to try to change their fortunes, the Blues could look towards their academy players.

Why Tyrique George is the perfect heir to Sterling

Tyrique George is the name which is currently being floated about to be next in line for the former Liverpool man's throne.

George is a versatile player who, much like Sterling, can play on either wing or even centrally.

He has been with Chelsea's academy for the entirety of his career and has been involved with the U18's since as early on as the 2021/22 season.

Since then, he has played a total of 41 times for the youth side in a multitude of competitions and has managed to score ten goals and create an additional five for his teammates.

The promising winger – who has nine goals and assists in 18 games this season – has even been described as "very creative" by Chelsea's Under-21 coach, Mark Robinson.

"I was really pleased with Tyrique's performance on Tuesday and he has done well when he has stepped up to the Under-21s," Robinson said.

"He finds space very well and is very creative, whilst also scoring goals. He needs to improve his discipline off the ball, but he knows that and is a willing learner. That is the most important thing."

Chelsea could replace Sterling with academy gem who's like Bernardo Silva

The English international might have to start looking over his shoulder.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 10, 2024

Receiving this level of praise at just 18 years old clearly shows how mature the youngster is and outlines why he could be the heir to Sterling's place within the Chelsea line-up.

It also shows that, despite not performing to the best level on the pitch, the Blues' academy is still producing incredible talent and bodes well for their future.

George has been setting the youth leagues alight with his pace and keen eye for goal which is shown by this stellar strike against Crystal Palace's Under-21 side.

One thing is for sure, the teen sensation is without doubt a special talent and could have a real impact in future seasons for the west London club.

Former Crystal Palace and Newcastle boss Alan Pardew believes that a trophy-laden boss would gladly replace Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea if the west Londoners come calling.

Pochettino under pressure at Chelsea

Following their second humbling in as many games, this time at the hands of Gary O'Neil's Wolves, there is mounting pressure on Pochettino amid what has been another poor Premier League campaign.

"Embarrassing" – Paul Merson singles out £150k-p/w Chelsea man for showings

The Sky pundit doesn’t hold back.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 3, 2024

The era of Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly's takeover isn't exactly bringing on-field success with it, despite serious investment off the field, with Pochettino also failing to sheer the Chelsea ship to higher ground so far.

The west Londoners have now slumped into the bottom half of the Premier League table with every side above them boasting a better defensive record. Chelsea's lack of bite in the forward areas is also highlighted by the fact only West Ham, Wolves and Man United have scored fewer goals than them out of England's top-half sides.

There have been reports that Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali even wants to replace Pochettino with Xabi Alonso of Bayer Leverkusen, with the Blues boss also admitting his job is far from safe.

"Myself, also. I’m responsible for this ­situation. What we showed today was not good enough. We didn’t manage the ­situa­tion properly and of course no one can be safe. I don’t want to come here and say I am the best. We’re all responsible," said Pochettino after the defeat to Wolves.

“The players need to take responsibility like I take responsibility. At the moment we’re not matching the history of the club. That’s true. We need to accept it, be critical but we cannot give up. We’ll work hard to change. If it’s not working in this way, we need to move on and find a different solution.”

Another man who's been floated as a potential candidate is former manager Jose Mourinho, who enjoyed plenty of success there as a real fan favourite.

Pardew says Mourinho would love Chelsea return

Speaking to talkSPORT this week, via The Chelsea Chronicle, Pardew has claimed that Mourinho would jump at the chance to return to Chelsea after departing Roma in his recent post.

World's best club coach

4

League Cup

4

Premier League

3

FA Cup

1

Community Shield

2

Serie A

2

Coppa Italia

1

Supercoppa Italiana

1

La Liga

1

Copa Del Rey

1

Supercopa de Espana

1

Primeira Liga

2

Portuguese Super Cup

1

Portuguese Cup

1

Champions League

2

Europa League

1

UEFA Cup

1

UEFA Conference League

1

“Listen, Jose Mourinho won’t care about [the issues]. If he gets the phone call [from Chelsea], he’ll be walking back in," said Pardew.

There is little denying his success in winning major honours, with West Ham boss David Moyes calling him a "serial winner".

"I want to try and take it a couple of steps further, and I would refer back to the serial winner Jose Mourinho – who found winning this trophy so special for him and his football club," said Moyes on Mourinho's Conference League success at Roma.

"If ever I needed someone to show how hard it is, it would be Jose. He treated it as if it was so important, there's no way we're treating it any less than that."

At the end of last month, when it became clear that Wolves striker Fabio Silva was available on loan, Scottish Premiership contenders Celtic and Rangers battled it out for the signing. While it's the Hoops who are top of the table of the moment, the Gers prevailed in this particular scrap, securing the services of Silva on loan until the end of the season.

However, attention at Parkhead now seems to have turned to another young striker, this time 21-year-old Leeds ace Joe Gelhardt. Gelhardt joined Leeds from Wigan in 2020, and spent the second half of last season on loan in the Championship with Sunderland.

He's only made six second-tier appearances for the relegated Whites this season, with just two coming from the start. Partly due to injury, he's been limited to a solitary league outing for Daniel Farke's side since mid-September.

Celtic and Rangers fight for Gelhardt

Now, a report from The Daily Mail's Simon Jones reveals that Celtic and Rangers are showing "interest" in Gelhardt, potentially setting up a repeat of their Silva duel. It's unclear in the story whether the two clubs are eyeing a loan deal or a permanent move, but it should be noted either way that Gelhardt is under contract at Elland Road until the summer of 2027.

Leeds have previously told Gelhardt that he'll be staying put, with Farke unwilling to sanction even a temporary exit, but it remains to be seen whether that stance changes. Logic dictates that a young player struggling for minutes would benefit from regular first-team action elsewhere.

Gelhardt can strike fear into SPL defences

Former Leeds player Noel Whelan says Gelhardt possesses "something special" and "scares defenders", and he's been showing that since his days in the youth ranks. The Englishman bagged in 18 goals in 27 appearances at Premier League 2 level before graduating to senior football.

While he inevitably hasn't been quite as explosive in the men's game just yet, his numbers are still respectable. Last season, for instance, he provided six direct goal contributions in 18 league appearances for Sunderland, an average of one every 202 minutes, even though he was playing through injury, according to director Kristjaan Speakman.

In 2021/22, his last full season playing in the Premier League, he scored twice and set-up four more at an even better rate of a goal or assist every 122 minutes. This suggests he's a player who can come up with big moments over the course of the season even when he's occupying a reserve role.

At first, he'd be best suited to serving as an understudy for Kyogo Furuhashi, who's Brendan Rodgers' joint-top scorer right now with 10 goals, but maybe if he impressed in a loan spell, Celtic could think about trying to sign permanently and extract the full potential of a player who's previously been called up to England's under-21 side.

Still, they mustn't get ahead of themselves. The first job is to convince Leeds to make him available, and the second is to persuade him to pick green and white over blue.

Offspinner Tom Sole and pace bowler Brad Wheal are in line to make their first appearances for Scotland since the 2018 World Cup Qualifier after being named in a 14-man squad to take on Afghanistan in a two-ODI series, beginning on Wednesday in Edinburgh.The 22-year-old Sole was part of the Northamptonshire line-up that took on the touring Pakistan side in a 50-over match on April 29, scoring 22 at No. 8 and returning figures of 0 for 28 in six overs. He was a key member of the World Cup Qualifying campaign last year, taking career-best figures of 4 for 15 against Hong Kong in just his second ODI.Wheal was similarly instrumental for Scotland in Zimbabwe, taking a career-best 3 for 34 in the controversial five-run loss, on DLS method, to West Indies that eliminated Scotland from a place in England for 2019. However, he hasn’t played for Scotland since due to commitments with Hampshire.The Durham-based pair of Michael Jones and Gavin Main have also been recalled into Scotland’s squad for the pair of matches. Like Wheal and Sole, the 21-year-old batsman Jones has not appeared for Scotland since last year’s World Cup Qualifier.Medium pacer Main has spent a bit longer out of the side, having not appeared in an official match for Scotland since the 2016 T20 World Cup in India when he was in the XI for Scotland’s win over Hong Kong. However, he did play for Scotland in an unofficial 50-over match against Sri Lanka ahead of the 2017 Champions Trophy in which Scotland lost by nine wickets.Four bowlers have been left out from the Scotland side that defeated Oman 2-1 in a three-match 50-over series as well as won the T20I Quadrangular series in February, featuring Oman, Netherlands and Ireland, in Muscat. Medium-pace bowlers Ruaidhri Smith and Adrian Neill as well as left-arm spinner Hamza Tahir and legspinner Chris Greaves have all been omitted.Smith took career-best List A figures of 4 for 7 in a historic rout of Oman in which Scotland bowled them out for 24, in Muscat. But he only bowled three overs in the following match after sustaining a pectoral-muscle strain and has not bowled thus far in 2019 for Glamorgan in the County Championship. Neill, similarly, took 4 for 7 on that occasion against Oman but suffered a lower-back injury later in the tour and is continuing his rehabilitation with the Gloucestershire second XI.Tahir played only one match on tour in Oman and is yet to play any ODIs for Scotland after making his T20I debut last summer, against Pakistan. Greaves is yet to play for Scotland in any format.The two ODIs are Afghanistan’s first visit to Edinburgh since claiming a rain-affected 1-0 series win in the summer of 2016. The fixtures are also Scotland’s first ODIs since defeating England last June at the Grange.On the management side, Wednesday’s series-opener will be the first assignment of new head coach Shane Burger. The Afghanistan series are his first ODIs in charge of Scotland since arriving from South Africa in March, having taken over from interim coach Toby Bailey following Scotland’s tour of Oman.Scotland squad: Kyle Coetzer (capt.), Richie Berrington, Matthew Cross (wk), Alasdair Evans, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Calum MacLeod, Gavin Main, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Tom Sole, Craig Wallace, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal.