Tag: City

In Search Of Soup Dumplings, Thousands On Cycles Clog Roads In Chinese City

Police in central China imposed traffic curbs at the weekend to halt a viral craze in which thousands of university students borrowed share bikes to ride overnight to the city of Kaifeng in search of breakfast. The “Night Riding Army”, as some participants described it, clogged a highway on Friday, pictures posted on social media showed, a surge in turnout for a rolling flash mob that had been gathering riders for months. “Last night’s ‘Night Riding Army’ was spectacular!” one rider posted. “Two lanes were opened, but that simply was not enough: The cycling army accounted for four!”

The event was part of a trend of young Chinese travelling on the cheap – “like special forces” – and spending as little as possible at a time of scarce job prospects, when wages are under pressure. The riders travelled on a straight road more than 60 km (37 miles) long beside the Yellow River that links Zhengzhou, the largest city in Henan province, with Kaifeng, an ancient capital famed for its soup dumplings.

The trend was set off in June, Chinese media said, after four women college students chronicled their ride on social media to eat dumplings in the morning. “The Night Ride to Kaifeng: Youth is priceless, enjoy it in time,” was the hashtag on social media for the ride, which state broadcaster CMG said tens of thousands of students had completed by the weekend. Key to its success was a glut of shared bikes, which can be rented for as little as $1.95 a month. Pictures posted by riders showed thousands of the bikes had overrun downtown Kaifeng by Saturday.

In addition to the traffic controls, the largest bike-sharing platforms, Hellobike, DiDi Bike, and Mobile, said their vehicles would lock down if ridden out of a designated zone, while media told the students to grow up. “Youthful freedom does not mean following the trend and indulging oneself,” one news outlet admonished in a comment. “Kaifeng is worth arriving slowly and savouring carefully,” read the headline of another.

Chinese authorities have cracked down on other spontaneous gatherings. Last month, police turned out in force in the commercial hub of Shanghai to deter a repeat of 2023 Halloween celebrations in which some revellers wore costumes poking fun at issues such as the stock market, youth unemployment and tough COVID-19 curbs.

(Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

(Disclaimer: This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed. This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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November 12, 2024
In Search Of Soup Dumplings, Thousands On Cycles Clog Roads In Chinese City

Police in central China imposed traffic curbs at the weekend to halt a viral craze in which thousands of university students borrowed share bikes to ride overnight to the city of Kaifeng in search of breakfast. The “Night Riding Army”, as some participants described it, clogged a highway on Friday, pictures posted on social media showed, a surge in turnout for a rolling flash mob that had been gathering riders for months. “Last night’s ‘Night Riding Army’ was spectacular!” one rider posted. “Two lanes were opened, but that simply was not enough: The cycling army accounted for four!”

The event was part of a trend of young Chinese travelling on the cheap – “like special forces” – and spending as little as possible at a time of scarce job prospects, when wages are under pressure. The riders travelled on a straight road more than 60 km (37 miles) long beside the Yellow River that links Zhengzhou, the largest city in Henan province, with Kaifeng, an ancient capital famed for its soup dumplings.

The trend was set off in June, Chinese media said, after four women college students chronicled their ride on social media to eat dumplings in the morning. “The Night Ride to Kaifeng: Youth is priceless, enjoy it in time,” was the hashtag on social media for the ride, which state broadcaster CMG said tens of thousands of students had completed by the weekend. Key to its success was a glut of shared bikes, which can be rented for as little as $1.95 a month. Pictures posted by riders showed thousands of the bikes had overrun downtown Kaifeng by Saturday.

In addition to the traffic controls, the largest bike-sharing platforms, Hellobike, DiDi Bike, and Mobile, said their vehicles would lock down if ridden out of a designated zone, while media told the students to grow up. “Youthful freedom does not mean following the trend and indulging oneself,” one news outlet admonished in a comment. “Kaifeng is worth arriving slowly and savouring carefully,” read the headline of another.

Chinese authorities have cracked down on other spontaneous gatherings. Last month, police turned out in force in the commercial hub of Shanghai to deter a repeat of 2023 Halloween celebrations in which some revellers wore costumes poking fun at issues such as the stock market, youth unemployment and tough COVID-19 curbs.

(Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

(Disclaimer: This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed. This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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November 12, 2024
Man Utd dressing room reaction to Sporting 4-1 Man City as Ruben Amorim receives message | Football | Sport

Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has revealed he was among the players who tuned into Sporting’s demolition of Manchester City on Tuesday night. Incoming Red Devils head coach Ruben Amorim outwitted Pep Guardiola to mark his Lisbon farewell with a touch of Champions League magic.

Viktor Gyokeres’ hat-trick added to Maximiliano Araujo’s strike to cancel out Phil Foden’s early opener and record a memorable 4-1 triumph at the Jose Alvalade Stadium.

Amorim saved one of his finest Sporting results as a parting gift for the kingdom he has built across a transformative four-year reign.

On that note, Brobdingnagian, imagined in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, is a kingdom where everything was of an enormous scale.

That fictitious land will become a reality for Amorim when he switches his self-crafted dominance in Lisbon for the bright lights of a seemingly impossible job in Manchester.

The 39-year-old admitted himself after full-time on Tuesday that he is tasked with lifting United from a “low” point, just as he did Sporting in 2020.

If how Amorim orchestrated a masterclass against the Premier League champions didn’t enthuse United’s fragile squad, nothing will.

But Onana hailed the Portuguese giants’ victory and insisted that he and his team-mates would be ready for the challenge of adapting to Amorim’s vision.

“Yeah, I did. I did watch the game yesterday. Great victory from them, different system, but my players, my team-mates, we are all pragmatic,” Onana explained ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash against PAOK.

“I think everyone is capable of playing in each system so I don’t think this will be an issue for us. We have big players, so we’ll step up.”

United host PAOK at Old Trafford, desperately needing three points, having surrendered leads to draw all three of their opening Europa League fixtures.

Ruud van Nistelrooy will remain in interim charge for the Greek champions’ visit, as well as Leicester City’s in the Premier League on Sunday.

Amorim is set to start work at Carrington on Monday after overseeing his final Sporting match, a trip to his former club, SC Braga.

Van Nistelrooy’s status once Amorim gets started is up in the air, despite only making his welcome return to Old Trafford in the summer.

And the Dutchman has admitted he has yet to talk to the Sporting boss ahead of his arrival in Manchester.

He said: “No, I haven’t had contact so far. There’s no changes in that. I don’t know when [I will speak to Amorim].”

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November 6, 2024
Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame sets 2025 induction Celebration for June 26-28 – Crescent City Sports

NATCHITOCHES – The 2025 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration has been set for Thursday, June 26-Saturday night, June 28, featuring eight shining stars in state sports history, headlined by West Monroe, LSU and NFL star Andrew Whitworth, pro basketball All-Stars Danny Granger and Vickie Johnson, and coaching greats Danny Broussard, Joe Scheuerman and Dale Weiner.

The LSHOF Class of 2025 also includes LSU gymnastics great and NCAA champion April Burkholder, and George “Bobby” Soileau, an NCAA boxing champion at LSU who won a state crown as a football coach at his alma mater, Sacred Heart High School in Ville Platte.

Three more inductees, from the “contributor” categories, will be announced soon – winners of the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award and the Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism.

The new class will be the focal figures during three days of festivities including seven events – three free of charge — at the Hall of Fame’s home in Natchitoches to culminate the 66th Induction Celebration.

Opportunities to purchase admission for the four ticketed events are available at the LaSportsHall.com website through the www.LaSportsHall.com/Induction25 link.

The 2025 Induction Celebration kicks off Thursday, June 26 with the free Welcome Reception from 5-7 p.m. at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum at 800 Front Street in downtown Natchitoches.

The fun-filled Friday, June 27 slate begins with the midday Celebrity Bowling Bash at Four Seasons Bowling Cener in nearby Alexandria. Friday evening’s big party is the Rockin’ River Fest free concert on the Cane River Lake downtown stage, accompanied by the VIP Taste of Tailgating party, a ticketed event at the adjacent Mama’s Oyster House on Front Street above the concert venue.

Saturday begins with the New Orleans Saints & Pelicans Junior Training Camp, a free event for kids ages 7-17 hosted on the Northwestern State campus from 9-11 a.m. with advance registration required and available on the 2025 Induction link at LaSportsHall.com.

The popular Round Table Lunch showcases the induction class interviewed by iconic Fox Sports announcer and 2020 LSHOF inductee Tim Brando of Shreveport.

The festivities peak Saturday afternoon and evening with the Taste of Louisiana Reception at the Hall of Fame museum from 5-6:45, followed by the Induction Ceremony tipping off promptly at 7 o’clock at the nearby Natchitoches Events Center.

A 40-member Louisiana Sports Writers Association committee selected the 2025 “competitors ballot” inductees in August to complete a three-week process. The panel considered 150 nominees from 27 different sport categories on a 34-page ballot.

The complete 11-person Class of 2024 will swell the overall membership in the Hall of Fame to 503 men and women – athletes, coaches, administrators and sports media members — honored since its founding in 1958.

Whitworth won three state titles and two national high school crowns playing for the late Don Shows at West Monroe, then helped LSU win its first national football championship in 45 years under coach Nick Saban in 2003. “Big Whit” capped a 16-year NFL career, mostly in Cincinnati, by starting at offensive tackle as the Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl LVI, just a couple of days after he received the 2021 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award for his community activism. He made four Pro Bowls.

Granger, a New Orleans native and Grace King High School graduate, averaged 17 points per game in a 10-year NBA career that included a 2009 All-Star Game appearance and a gold medal win with Team USA at the 2010 World Championships.

Johnson, from Coushatta, ranks among the greatest players in Louisiana Tech Lady Techster program history under coach Leon Barmore, and twice was a WNBA All-Star in 13 seasons in the league. She ended her pro career winning the WNBA’s Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award in 2008.

Scheuermann will join his father Rags, a 1990 inductee, to form the fourth father-son combination in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. The others: football greats Dub and son Bert Jones, USA Olympic track stars Glenn “Slats” Hardin and son Billy, and the football family of sons Eli and Peyton Manning, and their father, Archie.

Scheuermann succeeded his dad as baseball coach at New Orleans’ Delgado Community College and last spring eclipsed the late Tony Robichaux of UL Lafayette as Louisiana’s winningest college baseball coach with 1,179 victories in 34 seasons.

Broussard, who will begin his 42nd season coaching basketball at St. Thomas More High School in Lafayette, has averaged 27.5 wins per year while collecting 1,130 victories to rank seventh nationally and second in the state behind 2019 LSHOF and pending 2024 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Charles Smith of Alexandria’s Peabody Magnet. Broussard’s Cougars have won six state titles and been runner-up four more times.

Burkholder was a 14-time All-American gymnast and as a senior won the 2006 NCAA beam title to cap an LSU career that featured a school-record 108 victories, helping to dramatically elevate interest in the Tigers’ program locally as it emerged as a national power. She was twice Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Year.

Weiner retired in 2016 after posting 317 wins, now seventh in state history, in 35 seasons as a high school football head coach. The last 30 were at Catholic, where he built a mediocre program into one of Louisiana’s best as he won 282 games, 9.1 per year, including a 2016 state title. He also coached 18 state championship weightlifting teams with the Bears.

Soileau won four high school boxing state crowns, beginning with his eighth-grade year, and captured the 125-pound NCAA title in 1956 in the heyday of the sport at the state and collegiate levels. He won 159 games in 30 seasons as football coach at Sacred Heart, including a 1967 state championship, and is a 1988 Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame inductee and an inaugural Louisiana High School Boxing Hall of fame inductee.

The 2025 Induction Class will be showcased in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum. The facility is operated by the Louisiana State Museum system in a partnership with the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

The striking two-story, 27,500-square foot structure faces Cane River Lake in the National Historic Landmark District of Natchitoches and has garnered worldwide architectural acclaim and rave reviews for its contents since its grand opening during the 2013 Hall of Fame induction weekend.

The new competitive ballot inductees will raise the total of Hall of Fame members to 394 athletes and coaches honored since the first induction class — Baseball Hall of Famer Mel Ott, world champion boxer Tony Canzoneri and LSU football great Gaynell Tinsley — was enshrined in 1959 after their election a year earlier.

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame already includes 25 Pro Football Hall of Fame members, 18 Olympic medalists (including 11 gold-medal winners), 14 members (including pending 2024 inductees Semoine Augustus and Charles Smith) of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, seven of the NBA’s 75 Greatest Players, seven National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, 45 College Football Hall of Fame members, 10 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, 10 Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinees, nine National High School Hall of Fame members, nine College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, five National Museum of (Thoroughbred) Racing and Hall of Fame inductees. The LSHOF showcases jockeys with a combined 16 Triple Crown victories, six world boxing champions, four NBA Finals MVPs, four winners of major professional golf championships, and three Super Bowl MVPs.

Biographical information on all current Hall of Fame members is available at the LaSportsHall.com website, and a steady stream of info is available at the @LaSportsHall X (formerly Twitter) account.

Anyone can receive quarterly e-mails about the 2025 Induction Celebration and other Hall of Fame news by signing up on the website.

The 2025 Induction Celebration will be hosted by the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, the support organization for the Hall of Fame. The LSHOF Foundation was established as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit entity in 1975 and is governed by a statewide board of directors.

For information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Foundation President/CEO Ronnie Rantz at 225-802-6040 or RonnieRantz@LaSportsHall.com, or Foundation Director of Business Development and Public Relations Greg Burke at 318-663-5459 or GregBurke@LaSportsHall.com. Standard and customized sponsorships are available.

@LaSportsHall on X (formerly Twitter)
Instagram: lasportshall
LaSportsHall.com

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November 6, 2024
Football roundup: Commerce wins; Tioga outscores Wolfe City, 60-36 | Local Sports

Canton 14

Quinlan Ford 7

CANTON — Canton’s defense limited Quinlan Ford to only 175 yards of total offense as the victors improved to 8-1 for the season and 3-1 in District 6-4A-II play.

Ford dropped to 6-3 and 2-2.

Ford quarterback Payton Wallen led the Panther rushers with 46 yards on 12 carries. Mason Tigue ran for 43 yards and a TD on nine carries and James Barker ran for 28 yards on five carries.

Commerce 54

Rains 19

COMMERCE — Quarterback Grant Sherley and running back Jordan McMurray both rushed for more than 100 yards during Commerce’s District 7-3A-I win over Rains.

Sherley ran for 175 yards on 10 carries, with a long run of 65 yards and was 2-of-9 passing for 59 yards and a TD. He earned the Herald-Banner Athlete of the Week award.

McMurray rushed for 186 yards on 20 carries, to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the season with 1,031 yards on 141 carries. He’s averaging 7.3 yards per carry and 114.6 yards per game.

Te’dreiyon Nash caught the two passes for 59 yards and a TD as Commerce improved to 4-5 for the season and 3-2 in District 7-3A-I play. Rains fell to 2-7 and 2-3,

Harmony 19

Lone Oak 7

GILMER — Harmony surprised the Lone Oak Buffaloes to go 2-7 for the season and 2-3 in District 9-3A-II.

Lone Oak fell to 7-2 and 3-2.

Lone Oak’s top passers were Slayde Parnell (7-13, 116 yards, 1 TD) and Wyatt Marker (3-of-9, 22 yards).

Lone Oak’s top receivers were Tre Hubbard (4-27), Corbin Johnson (2-34, 1 TD), Daniel Barhona (2-33), Max Ramirez (1-28) and Nick Counts (1-16).

Moi Perez led the Lone Oak rushers with 49 yards on 11 carries and Marker ran for 20 yards on six carries.

Tioga 60

Wolfe City 36

WOLFE CITY — Tioga won a battle with Wolfe City for the 6-2A-I lead at 5-0 as the Wolves fell to 4-1.

Tioga quarterback Rocky Urich, who was averaging 330 yards passing per game, went 12-of-20 passing for 302 yards and five touchdowns.

H.D. Davis, the leading rusher in the state, ran for 309 yards and two TDs on 49 carries for Wolfe City. Davis has now rushed for 2,452 yards and 29 touchdowns on 217 carries this season. He’s averaging 11.3 yards per carry and 272.4 yards per game.

Davis also scored on a 43-yard touchdown pass as Wolfe City quarterback Noah Adams went 16-of-34 passing for 178 yards and three TDs.

Wolfe City’s other top receivers were Brennon Russell (5-81, 1 TD) , Casen Pessel (7-28, 1 TD) and Carson Herron (2-22).

Maud 22

Cumby 20

CUMBY — Cumby quarterback Chett Vaughan was 9-of-16 passing for 135 yards and ran for 77 yards on 11 carries during the Trojans’ District 9-2A-II loss to Maud.

Braylon Boggs ran for 73 yards and two TDs for Cumby and Chayton Vaughan ran for a 9-yard TD and also caught three passes for 25 yards.

Boggs caught three passes for 28 yards.

Maud improved to 5-4 for the season and stayed undefeated in District 9-2A-II at 5-0.

Cumby dropped 4-5 overall and 2-3 in district play.

Saint Jo 56

Campbell 0

CAMPBELL — Saint Jo quarterback Devin Stewart was 7-of-9 passing for 184 yards and four touchdowns during the Panthers’ six-man win over Campbell.

Saint Jo is now 9-0 for the season and Campbell dropped to 2-7 for the season and 0-3 in district play.

Gold-Burg 70

Fannindel 25

STONEBURG — Gold-Burg rushed for 436 yards and six touchdowns during a six-man win over Fannindel.

Jayton Epperson led the victors with 254 yards and three TDs on 11 carries and Paul Jones ran for 125 yards and two scores on six carries.

Kalob Runnels led the Fannindel rushers with 63 yards and two TDs on 13 carries. Daylon Powell ran for 36 yards on nine carries.

Fannindel quarterback Noah Butler was 7-of-10 passing for 120 yards and two TDs as the Falcons dropped to 3-6 for the season.

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November 5, 2024

Josh Stones set for Wigan Athletic loan exit amid York City & Oldham Athletic interest

Out-of-favour Wigan Athletic striker Josh Stones is reportedly set to be allowed to leave the club on loan amid interest from two National League clubs.

That’s according to journalist Alan Nixon, who claims that National League promotion hopefuls Oldham Athletic and York City are both plotting a move for Stones as he continues to struggle for game time at the Brick Community Stadium.

Stones had a promising loan spell with Oldham last season, scoring three goals and providing three assists in four games after joining the club in December, but his time at Boundary Park was cut short the following month due to injury.

The 20-year-old has scored one goal in six games for the Latics this season, but he has made just three substitute appearances in League One, and he was left out of the matchday squad for the 2-0 win at Carlisle United in the FA Cup first round on Saturday.

With his minutes set to remain limited, Stones is said to be keen to leave Wigan in search of regular football elsewhere, and while a loan exit is the most likely possibility, his permanent departure cannot be ruled out.

Oldham Athletic and York City interested in Josh Stones

After the impressive impact Stones made at Oldham under Micky Mellon [pictured] last season, there was speculation that he could return to the club in the summer, but a deal did not materialise.

Wigan manager Shaun Maloney opted to keep Stones in Lancashire, and he was full of praise for the striker after he scored his side’s opening goal in the 2-0 win at Carlisle in the EFL Trophy last month.

“He was very good,” Maloney told Wigan Today.

“There’s still moments, I think his hold up play can be even better. But I thought his overall performance was very good.

“I was really happy with Josh today. His work-rate was outstanding.

“I’m glad he scored, and I just felt that the front three of Michael, Josh and Jonny Smith, they pressed really hard and were very aggressive. With and without the ball today, we were good.”

However, Stones’ goalscoring contribution at Brunton Park has not been enough for him to force his way into Maloney’s plans in the league, and he could now make another loan move to the National League, with Oldham and York set to battle his signature.

Despite only narrowly avoiding relegation last season, York currently sit top of the table after a remarkable start to the campaign, while Oldham are fifth and just five points behind the Minstermen in what is an incredibly competitive race for the automatic promotion spot.

National League table (as it stands 3rd November)
	Team	P	GD	Pts
1	York City	16	19	35
2	Forest Green Rovers	16	16	34
3	Barnet	16	14	33
4	Gateshead	16	9	33
5	Oldham Athletic	16	8	30
6	Rochdale	16	10	27
7	Yeovil Town	16	5	25
8	Solihull Moors	16	-2	24

While York have shown an interest in Stones, Wigan are said to prefer a return to Oldham for the striker, and it remains to be seen whether he will depart on a temporary or permanent basis – albeit it is more likely it will be on loan.

Stoke City eyeing £3m Wigan Athletic transfer swoop

Thelo Aasgaard is thought to be on the Potters’ radar, ahead of the January window.

Oldham Athletic return could be perfect for Josh Stones

While Stones is clearly a player with potential, it seems unlikely he will receive much game time at Wigan this season, so a move away from the club would be a sensible option.

Despite the fact the Latics have scored just 12 goals in their first 13 league games this season, failing to find the back of the net on seven occasions, Stones has still not been given a chance by Maloney, suggesting he does not believe he is ready for League One.

Stones has had two loan spells away from Wigan since joining the club from Guiseley in the summer of 2022, so he could now be keen to make a permanent exit, but the Latics may be reluctant to sell him just yet.

With York looking stronger automatic promotion contenders than Oldham, the LNER Community Stadium could be an exciting destination for Stones, and he would get the chance to develop under Adam Hinshelwood, who is regarded as one of the best managers outside the EFL.

However, Stones thrived during his loan spell at Boundary Park last season before sustaining an injury, so a return to Micky Mellon’s side will no doubt be appealing for him, and it looks to be the most likely outcome at this point.

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November 3, 2024

Charlton Athletic, Birmingham City pride in Ademola Lookman, Jude Bellingham Ballon d’Or rank

The English Football League has enhanced its reputation as a healthy conveyor belt of talent on the world stage in recent years.

From burgeoning academy hotshots to Premier League loanees, a whole host of esteemed global names have spent shares of their formative years cutting their teeth throughout the EFL pyramid.

In particular, we’ve begun to see an increasing number of players emerge from the ranks of EFL clubs; John Stones started off with Barnsley, Ollie Watkins made a name for himself at Exeter City and then with Brentford, Jarrod Bowen launched his career at Hull City, and it all began for Eberechi Eze at QPR.

All four of those EFL graduates represented England at EURO2024, providing fresh reminders of the talent that exists beneath the Premier League.

At this moment in time, though, Charlton Athletic and Birmingham City will be filled with more pride than most following Monday evening’s prestigious Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, as both Ademola Lookman and Jude Bellingham made the final 30-man list.

Charlton Athletic will be proud of Ademola Lookman following Ballon d’Or nomination

It’s somewhat easier to forget than Bellingham’s memorable one-season impact at Birmingham – but Lookman initially started off with Charlton nearly 10 years ago now.

A product of the Addicks’ academy system, Lookman elevated to the first-team frame and enjoyed a breakout season during the 2015/16 campaign by scoring five goals from 24 Championship appearances for Charlton.

They managed to keep him around in League One following relegation, but Lookman ended up leaving for Everton in January. The versatile forward never quite made the grade at Goodison Park and didn’t fare a lot better at Red Bull Leipzig, who loaned him out to both Fulham and Leicester City before cutting their losses by offloading him to Atalanta in the summer of 2022.

Over in Italy, Lookman has gone from strength-to-strength. He made more than 20 goal involvements across all competitions in each of his first two seasons with the club, and marked his crowning moment by scoring a stunning hat-trick in last term’s 3-0 UEFA Europa League victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

The former Charlton flyer has started this season in a rich vein of form, returning four goals and four assists apiece from just six Serie A matches. His talents were recognised in the game’s grandest ceremony, where he finished 14th in the Ballon d’Or rankings – scoring above the likes of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer and Antonio Rudiger.

Charlton, then, have every right to be extremely proud of the success which Lookman has somewhat-unexpectedly enjoyed in his career.

And, as the 27-year-old continues to check off more and more milestones in what’s been a stunning upwards trajectory over the last few years, Charlton will surely be hoping to strike gold with the emergence of another youngster capable of emulating Lookman.

Jude Bellingham’s Ballon d’Or ranking is the latest sign of Birmingham City success

Meanwhile, Blues may not have seen their former prodigy in attendance as Real Madrid boycotted the event after learning that Brazilian forward Vinicus Junior was to lose out on his first Ballon d’Or trophy to Manchester City’s Rodri, but they’ll nonetheless be glowing with pride.

Bellingham, who enjoyed a stunning year at club level with Los Blancos, finished third in the final rankings and had actually been predicted to win the Ballon d’Or by many. His time will come, though. Make no mistake about it.

For the meantime, his status as one of the very best players in world football at 21-years-old has been underlined even further. Birmingham will be extremely proud to see an academy graduate enjoying such storied success at the highest echelons of the game, and they also deserve credit for kick-starting his career.

Jude Bellingham’s career stats across all competitions, as per FotMob
Season	Division	Club	Appearances	Goals	Assists
2019/20	Championship	Birmingham City	44	4	2
2020/21	Bundesliga	Borussia Dortmund	46	4	4
2021/22	Bundesliga	Borussia Dortmund	44	6	13
2022/23	Bundesliga	Borussia Dortmund	42	14	6
2023/24	LaLiga	Real Madrid	42	23	13
2024/25 [as of November 1]	LaLiga	Real Madrid	11	0	3

That’s because many clubs beneath the Category One academy threshold, and particularly those within the EFL, are often susceptible to losing their finest prospects before their graduation to first-team level, but Birmingham were able to retain Bellingham and ended up getting one memorable campaign out of him.

Bellingham, of course, made the step-up to the club’s first-team fold at the tender age of 16 and became the youngest player in Blues history when he debuted against Portsmouth in the EFL Cup aged just 16 years and 38 days before going on to make 44 appearances across all competitions during the 2019/20 campaign.

Jude Bellingham playing for Birmingham City

The midfielder played with both confidence and composure far beyond his youthful years and was duly crowned as the EFL’s Young Player of the Season.

Bellingham, who famously saw his shirt number retired by Birmingham, soon became the most expensive 17-year-old of all time by earning a £25 million move to Borussia Dortmund that summer after reportedly snubbing advances from Manchester United.

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The rest is history as far as Bellingham’s career is concerned, with the five-star midfielder going on to play a leading role on all fronts for both club and country. It all started at Birmingham, though, and they’ll doubtless accompany Charlton in taking away real pride from Monday.