Pakistan have been docked five World Test Championship (WTC) points and fined 25% of their match fee for maintaining a slow over rate during their 10-wicket defeat in the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town. They were ruled to be five overs short of their target after time allowances were taken into consideration.Match referee Richie Richardson imposed the sanction, which Pakistan captain Shan Masood accepted after pleading guilty to the charge – levelled by on-field umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Nitin Menon, third umpire Alex Wharf and fourth umpire Stephen Harris – which meant that was no need for a formal hearing.Related

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• South Africa seal ten-wicket win despite Pakistan's great resistance

Teams are deducted one point for every over by which they fall short of their target. This is Pakistan’s third points deduction in the 2023-25 WTC cycle. They were docked two points after the first Test against Australia in Perth in December 2023, and six points following the first Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi in August 2024.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

As a consequence, Pakistan now have 35 points – instead of a possible 48 – from 12 Tests in the 2023-25 cycle. The latest deduction has brought their percentage of points contested – the number that determines a team’s position on the WTC table – down from 27.78 to 24.31. They remain in eighth place as before, but their points percentage is now only a few decimal points better than West Indies, who occupy the bottom of the nine-team table with a percentage of 24.24 – with no over-rate deductions.The deduction adds a layer of intrigue to one of the two remaining series in the 2023-25 WTC cycle – Pakistan are due to host West Indies for two Tests, in Karachi and Multan, starting January 16.

Tottenham Hotspur fell by the wayside last season, but they picked themselves back up when on the road in Europe and managed to win the Europa League.

It was quite a feat, with Ange Postecoglou securing himself some poetic justice after promising silverware right at the start of the season, unaware of the landslide in form that was forthcoming in the Premier League.

Though Tottenham finished 17th in the top flight, they struggled against an incredible amount of injuries that knocked Postecoglou’s vision so far away from course, and that ultimately led to his dismissal as a trophy-winning hero.

With Thomas Frank now at the helm, Spurs are ready to springboard toward new heights, using last season as a foundation for a sustained period of success.

However, despite adding Mohammed Kudus to the wings, joining from West Ham United for £55m, and reinforcing the midfield with the initial loan signing of Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha, the Lilywhites want more.

Spurs' outstanding summer transfer plans

James Maddison’s knee injury will see him sidelined for the majority of the imminent campaign. It’s a cruel blow, and it has added emphasis on the need for a creative midfielder, with Dejan Kulusevski still recuperating from an injury too.

However, with Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur both anticipated to be leaving the club this summer, it’s not out of the question that Frank adds a deeper-lying midfielder to his ranks, even after signing Palhinha.

Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton has been earmarked as a long-term option for the Tottenham midfield, but the Eagles man will be hard to sign.

However, there’s another Premier League talent who has entered technical director Johan Lange’s radar.

Spurs lining up another midfielder

According to Caught Offside, Tottenham have joined the long list of clubs interested in signing Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba this month.

The 21-year-old has emerged as one of the Premier League’s brightest talents, and the Seagulls have no intention to sell, having priced their midfielder at a jaw-dropping £104m.

Manchester United have already made their intentions known in the last week and have started direct contacts with the player’s camp as they look to pull off a sensational August signing.

However, Tottenham boast the allure of Champions League football, and could offer him a starring role, should their aforementioned midfielders be sold.

Why Spurs should sign Carlos Baleba

Tottenham need to add not just quantity but quality to their ranks this summer. Signings not for the sake of signing but for the graduation from one level to another, restoring a place among the big hitters on the Champions League stage and challenging for more silverware.

Baleba could be that player, having had a profound impact on Brighton’s football over the past two seasons, with analyst Ben Mattinson singling him out as a “one-of-a-kind” midfielder.

Though this is a physical beast of a player with a clear skill for protecting the backline and flying in with crunching challenges, he’s also a progressive and technically sharp midfielder, ranked among the top 12% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

He also knows his way around a thunderous strike, winning the Premier League Goal of the month for April 2025 after a powerful late winner against West Ham United.

His completeness in the middle of the park and underrated passing range, having completed 88% of his passes in the Premier League last season, could lead Baleba to prove an even better signing for Frank’s side than Wharton, whose deep-lying elegance for Crystal Palace has led journalist Henry Winter to declare him a “passing machine”.

As per Sofascore, Wharton also brought firm defensive roots to the table in the Premier League last year, averaging one interception and 1.7 tackles per game, but he also missed a large chunk of the season due to a groin injury, ultimately starting only 16 times in the top flight.

Given the defensive woes that Tottenham endured under Ange’s wing last season, it’s crucial that the midfield raises its level and eases the pressure on the defenders.

The tough-tackling Palhinha will help in that regard, to be sure, but then Palhinha is 30 years old, almost a decade Baleba and Wharton’s senior.

Given that the marquee buy would cross the £100m threshold, it’s obvious that Frank and Levy would expect the player to cement themselves as one of the finest in the division across so many years. And given that Baleba has more of an all-encompassing profile about him, bringing it all together, it might just be that he’s the perfect player to replace the likes of Bissouma and Bentancur.

Content creator Ryan Adsett has hailed the Cameroon international as a “powerhouse”, who has also displayed a remarkable degree of intelligence, reading the game like a scholar and positioning himself just so.

His engine and strength would charge Frank’s system for an age, and if Spurs truly are in the running, they must get this one done.

Frank's very own Bale: Spurs preparing offer to sign "world-class" talent

Tottenham Hotspur are starting to make huge moves in the transfer window this summer.

By
Ethan Lamb

Aug 8, 2025

He hasn’t played ODIs since the 2023 ODI World Cup but hopes to make a return for Pakistan next month

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jan-2025Fakhar Zaman is “100% certain” he will play for Pakistan again and is gearing up for the 2025 Champions Trophy, which begins on February 19 and will be hosted in Pakistan and Dubai.”A 100%, I will play for Pakistan (again),” Fakhar, 34, told the . “Actually, many people do not know about that, but after the T20 World Cup I got sick and because of the medical condition I was not fit, so I was not a part of the team.”But now I [have] recovered 100%, and you will see me in the next white-ball series which Pakistan play.”Related

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Fakhar, once an integral part of the Pakistan white-ball setup, has not played international cricket since the 2024 T20 World Cup last June in the USA and West Indies, where Pakistan were eliminated in the group stage. He last played an ODI in the 2023 ODI World Cup but is hopeful of returning for the Champions Trophy at home.Incidentally, it was in the 2017 Champions Trophy that Fakhar shot to prominence with a title-winning 114 against India in the final at The Oval in London. “My plan has been around the Champions Trophy,” he said. “I did not play in the Australia tour or in the South Africa tour, so my whole plan was just to play in the Champions Trophy, to make myself available and to be fully fit for the tournament.”That was in the back of my mind, and I am thankful, and I am lucky to be fit right now. I started from the Champions Trophy 2017 and that went really well for me and now I am very excited for the next edition also. I talked to the selectors, the head coach, and everyone wanted me to play in the Champions Trophy.”Fakhar Zaman is currently in the UAE for his maiden ILT20 stint•Associated PressFakhar had high praise for 22-year-old opener Saim Ayub, who has become a regular across formats for Pakistan. Ayub has had a sensational start to his ODI career, with three centuries and a fifty in nine innings, which includes hundreds in Australia and South Africa. However, an ankle fracture sustained during the first morning of the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town has put his Champions Trophy campaign in jeopardy.”I hope and I believe that he will recover quickly, and I was thinking yesterday to call Saim just to talk to him about this injury,” Fakhar said. “Believe me, he is such a great player that if he continues to play for the next four to five years, he will be at the top and he will be amongst the top three players in the world.”

“In Pakistan, we have three of the best players in the world in Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub, so sometimes I feel lucky to be in the team even if I am not able to make my place in the team as an opener”Fakhar Zaman

While Fakhar wants to open the batting for Pakistan, he may not find a slot there, with Ayub, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan already at the top of the order.”In Pakistan, we have three of the best players in the world in Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub, so sometimes I feel lucky to be in the team even if I am not able to make my place in the team as an opener,” Fakhar said. “If the team has faith in me and they want me to bat at number four or five, that totally makes sense, because for me the team is always first and I play wherever the team wants me to play, but I always prefer to open.”Fakhar is currently gearing up for his maiden ILT20 stint where he will feature for the 2023 runners-up Desert Vipers. “There are many Pakistani players who have played for the Desert Vipers including Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Azam Khan and Mohammad Amir and they talk really highly about this team, the environment, the management, the way they play the cricket and the way their mindset is,” Fakhar said. “So when I got the offer, without any discussion with anyone, I said ‘yes, I would love to play for this team.'”The ILT20 begins on January 11, with the Dubai Capitals taking on MI Emirates in Dubai.

India’s head coach dismisses talk of his team having an “undue advantage” in the Champions Trophy

Sidharth Monga04-Mar-2025

It comes with the territory that everything around India gets magnified, be it good or bad. Barely a press conference has gone by during this Champions Trophy where India’s supposed advantage has not been spoken about.Because of geopolitical issues, India haven’t travelled to the host nation, Pakistan, and have played all their matches – which will now include the final – in Dubai, while other teams have had to travel within Pakistan and then to Dubai to play India. It has been suggested that India benefited on two fronts: that their squad had fewer bases to cover, and that they had a chance to get used to one square unlike any other team in the competition. Coach Gautam Gambhir must have been really annoyed at such insinuations, and dismissed any such talk emphatically even when not directly asked about it.Gambhir was asked if India knew about the conditions in Dubai when they picked five spinners in their squad, three of them allrounders of varying capability. Gambhir came off the long run in response, taking aim at “perpetual cribbers”.Related

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“See, first of all, this is as neutral a venue for us as it is for any other team,” Gambhir said. “We have not played here. I don’t remember when last we played here. And in fact, we didn’t plan anything like that. The plan was that if you pick two frontline spinners in the 15-man squad, then even if we played in Pakistan or anywhere, we would have picked two frontline spinners because this was a competition in the subcontinent.”So it’s not like we wanted to spin a spinners’ web. If you look at it, we only played one frontline spinner in the first two matches. We played two frontline spinners in this match and the previous match.”And there’s a lot of debate about the undue advantage and all that. What undue advantage? We haven’t practised here even for one day. We’re practising at the ICC academy. And the conditions there and here are 180 degrees different. Some people are just perpetual cribbers, man. They’ve got to grow up. I feel that there was nothing like we had any undue advantage.”It is fair to say the vanquished captain Steven Smith is not one of those perpetual cribbers. He played down any advantage for India in the lead-up to the match, and was asked again about it afterwards.2:32

Do India have an unfair advantage at the Champions Trophy?

“Yeah, look, I’m not buying into it,” Smith said. “I think it is what it is. India obviously played some really good cricket here. The surface kind of suits their style with the spinners that they’ve got and the seamers that they have at their disposal for a wicket like that. They played well, they outplayed us, and they deserve the victory.”However, the tournament’s top wicket-taker, Mohammed Shami, did say the familiarity of playing at the same ground has helped him. It doesn’t mean that what he said directly contradicts what Gambhir said. Gambhir had spoken glowingly about how well Shami prepares for matches. So Shami was asked about his preparations.”Main thing is to know the conditions and the behaviour of the pitch well,” Shami said. “Because you are playing at one venue, you have an opportunity to get used to the conditions properly. So, at practice, I keep things simple, and try to bowl according to the pitches for the match.”When asked if it was a benefit to be playing at the same venue, Shami said, “Definitely. Because you get to know the conditions, the behaviour of the pitch. A lot of things… the way the weather was today – cool – your brain works even more. It can be said that it is a plus point that all your matches have been played at the same venue.””What undue advantage? We haven’t practised here even for one day. We’re practising at the ICC academy. And the conditions there and here are 180 degrees different”•Associated Press

Having said all that, India’s unbeaten run into the final of another ICC event will gladden many a heart. India lost only the final in the 2023 ODI World Cup, won the T20 World Cup in 2024 without dropping a match, and have won all four of their matches in the ongoing Champions Trophy. Having been through some tough times in Test cricket recently, Gambhir rejoiced in the “flawless” performance but was wary of India getting ahead of themselves.”You used a very good word that we played ‘flawlessly’,” Gambhir said in response to a question. “I think yes, we did, but we still have one more game to go. We know that we are a good one-day side, and the most important thing is the way we’ve actually played throughout this competition. The hunger, the commitment, and the eagerness to try and do something special for the country is always there in the dressing room.”In international sport, you want to keep improving. You don’t say that you’ve ticked all the boxes. There’s always room to improve. There’s always something to improve, be it in batting, fielding, or bowling. And we still haven’t played a perfect game. We still have one more game to go. Hopefully we can play a perfect game.”And that is the kind of person I am. I will never be satisfied with the performances. We want to keep improving, we want to stay humble, we want to be ruthless on the cricket field, but absolutely humble off the field as well. That’s the kind of team environment and that’s the kind of culture we want to create in that dressing room, and be absolutely honest. So hopefully we can play one more game and play our best game.”

Senior pro takes the reins as Somerset prepares for new era of women’s cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2025Sophie Luff has been named as Somerset Women’s first professional captain, for the inaugural season of the new Women’s County competition.Luff, 31, played for Somerset’s age groups before making her debut for the senior women’s team in 2009. She has featured in 74 List A matches for the club, scoring 2330 runs at 43.14 with a highest score of 138 not out. She has also played in 68 T20 matches, scoring 1675 runs at 35.63.She previously captained the county side between 2017 and 2022, and was also an ever-present for the Taunton-based Western Storm, having been named captain in 2020.She was the first player to make 100 appearances for Storm and during that time scored over 1760 runs in List A cricket at 50.54 with a best of 157 not out. Her T20 record for Storm included 850 runs at 25.90 and a best of 78.The former England Academy, Development and Under-19 international has also represented Welsh Fire, London Spirit and Southern Brave in the Hundred.”It feels like I’ve really come home this winter,” Luff said. “I’m excited to be leading such a great group of girls, and to be able to do this at my home club and to become the first-ever professional captain gives me an unbelievable sense of achievement and fills me with pride.”Somerset County Cricket Club means an awful lot to me. I used to come here when I was young and watch the likes of Marcus Trescothick, and it’s where I fell in love with the game. I’ve been involved with the club for a very long time and this group has got the opportunity to set the standards for how we want Somerset Women to play.”This club has a tremendous history and has had some incredible captains over the years. To have my name on that list is incredibly special and is a real privilege.”Somerset Women Head Coach, Trevor Griffin, added: “Sophie has proved during the course of her career that she is a genuine leader both on and off the field. She has the respect of everyone in the dressing room and is a model professional. Her wealth of experience will prove invaluable alongside her outstanding understanding of the game.”Sophie is passionate about cricket and passionate about this club. Her genuine understanding of what it means to represent Somerset means that she will lead by example every time she takes to the field.”SCCC Director of Cricket, Andy Hurry added: “Sophie is very much a part of the DNA of women’s cricket in the region. She is an inspiration to her teammates and a role model for young cricketers across the South West. Her tenacity and will to win are second to none, and she possess an abundance of the necessary traits required to be a successful captain and leader.”

Liverpool are reportedly set to open contract talks with a Reds star who has made a strong start to the season. The Merseyside outfit have enjoyed a very promising start to Arne Slot's tenure after winning the Premier League in May and having an unbeaten start to this campaign. And now one of their top performers could be set for a new bumper deal.

• Liverpool to begin contract talks

  According to GiveMeSport, Liverpool are set to begin contract talks with midfielder Ryan Gravenberch this winter. After tying down Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, and most recently Cody Gakpo to new deals, the Reds have got Gravenberch in their sights.

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  Gravenberch shining at Liverpool

  The Dutchman swapped Bayern for Liverpool in 2023 on a five-year deal but had a bit-part season under former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp at Anfield. His successor, Slot, moved the 6ft 3in player into a deeper lying midfield role and that decision has proven to be a masterstroke. The report states Gravenberch is already on more than £100,000 a week but the new offer will, naturally, increase that salary.

• Gravenberch's stock on the rise

  The former Ajax youngster has enjoyed an excellent start to the campaign, scoring two goals in just five matches. Gravenberch was named Liverpool's young player of the season in 2024-25 but failed to score in 49 appearances. His contribution isn't geared towards goals but adding that to his game is an extra boost.

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  Busy period for Liverpool and Gravenberch

  Liverpool are gearing up for three games in the space of week, starting with a trip to unbeaten Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday. Gravenberch's side then take on Galatasaray on Tuesday in the Champions League, before travelling to Chelsea next Saturday.

MatériaMais Notícias

Uma das promessas da equipe sub-17 do CSA, o meia Kauan teve grande atuação na última rodada do Campeonato Alagoano da categoria. O paulistano de Diadema marcou duas vezes contra o Metropolitano e ajudou o seu time a vencer a partida por 4 a 0. O jovem falou sobre o seu bom momento.

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– Estou bastante feliz pela minha ótima fase. Contribuir diretamente para as vitórias do CSA é o meu objetivo, sempre. Tenho certeza que me dedicando da maneira como venho fazendo, as coisas seguirão acontecendo da melhor forma – afirmou.

Kauan tem três assistências no torneio estadual e já vem treinando com o elenco sub-20 do CSA. O atleta revelou o sonho de chegar à equipe profissional.

– Tenho que respeitar todas as etapas e sou bem tranquilo quanto a isso. Mas claro que tenho o sonho de realizar um jogo oficial pelo CSA e às vezes fico imaginando. Mas até lá existe ainda o sub-17 e o sub-20 e o meu foco está todo voltado para o que vivo hoje – definiu.

تحدث ماركوس راشفورد لاعب فريق برشلونة الإسباني، عن مستقبله مع البلوجرانا، حيث يلعب للفريق على سبيل الإعارة لمدة موسم.

وانضم راشفورد لبرشلونة في الصيف الماضي، على سبيل الإعارة من مانشستر يونايتد الإنجليزي، لمدة موسم، ويملك الفريق الإسباني خيار الشراء النهائي مقابل 26 مليون جنيه إسترليني الصيف المقبل.

ويركز راشفورد على تقديم أداء جيد مع برشلونة يضمن له تفعيل خيار الشراء النهائي في عقده، حيث يرغب في الاستمرار بصفوف الفريق الكتالوني.

وقال راشفورد في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ميرور” البريطانية: “أريد البقاء (في برشلونة) لأكبر عدد ممكن من المواسم، سنرى، عليّ التركيز على أداء واجبي ومساعدة الفريق بكل الطرق الممكنة”.

اقرأ أيضًا | برونو فرنانديز يوضح حقيقة اتفاقه للرحيل إلى الدوري السعودي

وأضاف راشفورد: “أتعلم الكثير، إنه أسلوب جديد في كرة القدم، ولكنه يجعلني لاعبًا أفضل، بصراحة، إنها تجربة رائعة، لطالما كنت من أشد المعجبين ببرشلونة، فكل لاعب في سني شاهدهم يلعبون، إنها كرة قدم رائعة”.

وصرح المدير الرياضي لبرشلونة، ديكو، مؤخرًا: “لا يوجد شرط جزائي في عقد الإعارة في حال عدم التعاقد معه، لدينا خيار الشراء النهائي إذا أردنا، من السابق لأوانه الحديث عن قرارات الموسم المقبل؛ المهم هو رضانا عنه”.

Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield pacesetter Jake Weatherald blazed another big century to put the heat on Victoria ahead of a final-day run chase in Hobart.The hosts began their second innings 22 runs behind Victoria, but the former South Australian opener turned the tables with a blazing 155 off 212 balls on Monday as Tasmania made 291.Related

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Victoria, second on the Shield ladder with three rounds remaining, were 55 for 2 at stumps They need a further 215 to deny the last-placed Tasmania just their second win in the seventh match of the season.Weatherald found some support from Jake Doran and debutant No. 9 Raf MacMillan, whose bright innings came to an unfortunate end when he miscued a juicy Harry Dixon full toss.Weatherald clattered 20 boundaries in his innings, lathering drives through point and cover, and latching on to anything short with sweetly timed pull shots that sounded like cannons echoing around the Bellerive stands.He was the last man out, his crisp knock following 185 against Queensland in November to put him on top of the Shield run-scoring list this season.Opener Marcus Harris was an early casualty in the chase, trapped in front by Gabe Bell. Bell then dismissed Campbell Kellaway in similar fashion, Jon Merlo and Sam Elliott the unbeaten pair at stumps.

Retiring a shirt number in football is relatively rare compared to other sports, but there have been instances where multiple clubs have dedicated specific numbers to players who have represented them in the past.

Liverpool have become the latest side to do just that, following the extremely sad news of Diogo Jota’s passing. The Portuguese forward wore the number 20 shirt at Anfield and will be the last to do so for the Reds after those at Anfield honoured him by retiring the jersey.

Other clubs have immortalised their former players by hanging up shirt numbers.

10 Jude Bellingham Birmingham City – shirt number 22

Birmingham City knew they had a talent on their hands when they decided to retire Jude Bellingham’s number 22 shirt when he left St Andrew’s in 2020.

Now known as one of the best midfielders in the world for Real Madrid, Bellingham was just 17 years of age when he swapped Birmingham for Borussia Dortmund.

Some saw it as an interesting decision by the Blues, but as time goes on, you can see why they decided to do just that.

9 Bobby Moore West Ham – shirt number 6

The only Englishman to lift the World Cup, Bobby Moore is a Three Lions legend and at club level, is immortalised by West Ham.

The centre-back made more than 600 appearances for the Hammers over a 16-year period, helping the Irons win the FA Cup and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.

Moore was only 51 years of age when he passed away in 1993, and 15 years later, West Ham decided to retire his number 6 shirt in honour of their greatest ever defender.

8 Dylan Tombides West Ham – shirt number 38

Alongside retiring the number 6 shirt for Moore, West Ham also took the decision to hang up the number 38 shirt in memory of Dylan Tombides.

The Australian forward progressed through the Hammers’ academy and made one senior appearance for the Irons in 2012 after overcoming testicular cancer a few months before. However, tragically, Tombides’ cancer returned and metastasised to his liver, with the youngster passing away in April 2014.

7 Marc-Vivien Foe Manchester City – shirt number 23

During the 2002/03 season, Marc-Vivien Foe impressed on loan at Manchester City from Lyon and was subsequently selected to play for Cameroon in the Confederations Cup.

The midfielder helped his nation to the semi-finals but collapsed against Colombia in the second half and was rushed to hospital. Foe would pass away shortly after reaching hospital, with an autopsy showing a heart-related issue for his death.

City, who were managed by Kevin Keegan at the time, quickly acted and announced they would retire Foe’s number 23 shirt in his memory.

6 Matija Sarkic Millwall – shirt number 20

In the summer of 2024 at the age of just 26, Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic suddenly passed away from heart failure.

A Montenegro international, Sarkic made the permanent move to The Den in 2023 from Wolves after loan spells at Shrewsbury Town, Birmingham City and Stoke City.

He made a big impact in a short space of time with Millwall, who retired his number 20 and also introduced the “Matija Sarkic Award” for the season’s best save.

5 Joe Thompson Rochdale – shirt number 15

Joe Thompson has rightly been recognised as a Rochdale legend, after making more than 200 appearances for the club across three spells.

The midfielder scored an iconic goal in 2018 which meant Dale avoided relegation from League One and retired a year later. Thompson was diagnosed with cancer for a third time in 2024 and died a year later at the age of just 36.

Rochdale were quick to retire their number 15 shirt in honour of their former star, calling him “an incredible person who had a positive impact on everyone”.

4 Billy Kee Accrington Stanley – shirt number 29

Billy Kee represented numerous Football League clubs during his career, but it was with Accrington Stanley where he is best known after scoring 83 goals in more than 200 appearances.

However, at the beginning of 2020 at the age of 30, Kee decided to retire from football after seeking treatment for depression, anxiety and bulimia.

Accrington Stanley and Kee agreed to terminate his contract, with the club dedicating the number 29 to their former forward.

3 Ray Jones QPR – shirt number 31

Queens Park Rangers retired their number 31 shirt in 2007 following the passing of highly-rated teenager Ray Jones, who died in a car crash.

Jones, who was just 18, had already made more than 30 Championship appearances for the R’s and had a promising career ahead of him before the tragic incident.

2 Jack Lester Chesterfield – shirt number 14

Jack Lester was scoring as frequently as Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernando Torres in his first season as a Chesterfield player, and he has rightly gone down as a club legend after six free-scoring years with the club.

The forward helped the Spireites win League Two and the Football League Trophy during his time at the SMH Group Stadium, resulting in the club retiring the number 14 shirt in 2013 in his honour. Lester couldn’t stay away, though, and returned as manager four years later.

1 Diogo Jota Liverpool – shirt number 20

Most recently, Diogo Jota’s passing in the summer of 2025 stunned the footballing world. Just a week after getting married, Jota and his brother Andre Silva were involved in a fatal car crash during the off-season.

The Portugal forward helped the Reds win the Premier League title just months before his death, with the Reds dedicating the number 20 shirt to Jota forever.