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  Naomi Osaka was given the honour of lighting the Olympic cauldron at the Opening Ceremony of the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games. The 23-year-old tennis player follows in the footsteps of a long line of iconic athletes who have been chosen to light the Olympic cauldron at a Games. In Atlanta back in 1996, Muhammad Ali created one of the most powerful moments in the Games' history before Cathy Freeman did the same, four years later in Sydney. At the most recent Games in Rio de Janeiro, the honour was handed to Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima. Osaka, who has been open about her mental health struggles recently, received the torch at the end of a relay that included great icons of Japanese sport, key workers, and children from regions affected by the earthquake and tsunami 10 years ago. Prior to the ceremony taking place, it was thought that Osaka might have a key role to play, after her first-round match was removed from the schedule for Saturday. The lighting of the cauldron by 23-y

  Chelsea have completed the signing of Lauren James from Manchester United on a four-year deal The deal for the forward - the biggest between Women's Super League (WSL) clubs - is worth up to £200,000 with bonuses. The initial fee is in the region of £70,000. One of the reasons behind the transfer was the 19-year-old's desire to move back down south to be closer to her family. Her brother Reece plays for Chelsea. James was a part of the United side that secured fourth place in the WSL last season On signing for the WSL champions, James said: "It's a great feeling to come back home, to a great club, the club I started at the age of six. To be able to play for the first team now and come back here to Emma and the rest of the group is a good feeling. "I'm excited to get started and I can't wait to meet all the fans at Kingsmeadow when the new season kicks in." Chelsea manager Emma Hayes added: "Lauren is an exciting, young talent who

  Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Jadon Sancho has made the perfect step at the right time in his career, as he believes Manchester United's latest addition can showcase 'untapped talent' at Old Trafford. United's long pursuit of Sancho has resulted in a deal that Stats Perform understands is worth £72.9million (€85 million), making him the fourth most expensive signing in the club's history, behind Paul Pogba, Harry Maguire and Romelu Lukaku. The 21-year-old, who left United's rivals Manchester City to join Borussia Dortmund in 2017, has signed until 2026 with an option for a further year. "Jadon epitomises the type of player I want to bring to the club, he is a forward player in the best traditions of Manchester United," Solskjaer told the club's official website. "He will form an integral part of my squad for years to come and we look forward to seeing him blossom. His goals and assists records speak for themselves and he will also br

 England winger Jadon Sancho has joined Manchester United from German club Borussia Dortmund on a whooping 85 million euros ($100 million). The contract will keep Sancho at Old Trafford until June 2026 and includes an option for a sixth season. The agreement had been disclosed while Sancho was on international duty with England at the European Championship. Sancho played four seasons with Dortmund after starting his career at Manchester City. "I'll always be grateful to Dortmund for giving me the opportunity to play first team football, although I always knew that I would return to England one day," Sancho, told the club's website. This is his home. This is where he belongs. Jadon Sancho is .#MUFC x @Sanchooo10 pic.twitter.com/LAIBn7ie7V — Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 23, 2021 “The chance to join Manchester United is a dream come true and I just cannot wait to perform in the Premier League." Sancho emerged as United's No. 1 transfer ta

  Bukayo Saka says he expected to be targeted by racists on social media following his penalty miss in the Euro 2020 final but insists the negativity will not "break" him. The 19-year-old saw his spot-kick saved as Italy triumphed at Wembley on Sunday and was then sent sickening messages along with team-mates Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho. Police have arrested five people for racially abusing England players online after Sunday's final and in a heartfelt message posted on his Twitter account, Saka urged social media platforms to step up their efforts to stamp out racial abuse. He said: "I have stayed away from social media for a few days to spend time with my family and reflect on the last few weeks. "This message won't do it justice how grateful I am for all the love that I have received, and I feel that I need to thank everyone who has supported me. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spoke to Saka following England's defeat to Italy and says he

  Chelsea may have been European champions in 2021, but they have not won the Premier League since 2017 and Blues owner Roman Abramovich is reportedly ready to loosen the purse strings to end their league title wait. Chelsea have been linked with several big-name signings this off-season. Chelsea are ready to ramp up their bid to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland now Euro 2020 is over. Bild reports Abramovich has released the funds required to lure Haaland to London following an impressive 18 months in Germany. Dortmund have reportedly told Chelsea it will take £150m (€176m) to sign the Norwegian, and Chelsea may sell Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech and Tammy Abraham to fund the move. AS Roma are interested in Alex Telles as potential new left back. Roma want him on loan to replace Spinazzola, Manchester United have no intention to accept a loan as of today. #ASRoma @DiMarzio   Daily Express reports Chelsea are making plans to sign Antoine Griezmann on loan fro

The best goal of Euro 2020 has been awarded to the Bayern Leverkusen forward Patrik Schick of Czech Republic which was scored in their opening group game against Scotland. Schick was almost 50 metres from goal when he beat David Marshall with a wonderful lob - his effort gained almost 800,000 votes on the official UEFA we page from users electing the top goal of the tournament. Schick certainly left his mark at Euro 2020. Apart from scoring the best goal, he scored a further four goals, making him the joint-top scorer of the tournament, level on five goals with Cristiano Ronaldo. The Czech Republic advanced to the quarter finals where they were eliminated by Denmark. But prior to that, they emerged from Group D as one of best, third-placed teams and beat one of the favourites, the Netherlands 2-0 in the Last 16.  They came desperately close to making the semi-finals for the first time since 2004, but lost 1-2 to Denmark. Both Schick and the Czech side left a lasting impression

  Jose Mourinho claimed his "disaster" years would be regarded as career high points by many bosses as he began life as head coach of Roma. The 58-year-old rejected any suggestions he was in decline and set his sights on bringing success to the Giallorossi, his second Italian club after a highly successful two-year stint at Inter. Sacked by Tottenham in April, Mourinho believes it could be a long rebuild at Roma, a club that last won a trophy in 2008 when they landed the Coppa Italia. Roma's last Scudetto came in 2001 when a star-studded side pipped Juventus to the title. Mourinho has won the Italian league title since then, guiding Inter to a Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League treble in 2010. "I'm a victim of what I've done and the way people look at me," Mourinho said in a news conference. "If you look at Man United, I won three times and was a disaster. "At Tottenham I took over and took them to a cup final where I couldn&#

  "I don't know," was all Javier Tebas had to say when asked whether he thought Leo Messi will still be playing for Barcelona when the new season kicks off on 15 August.   LaLiga's president spoke to La Sexta's Jugones programme about the situation concerning the Argentinean, whose contract with Barcelona expired on 30 June although the club are hopeful he will agree to a new deal.   Tebas was forthright about club staying within LaLiga's salary limit: "The rules are the rules and everyone has to comply with them, from Alcorcón to Barcelona". He continued, "It's one thing to exceed the salary limit and another to renew a player's contract or bring in players under the one-for-four rule.   For every four euros I save, I am able to spend one euro". With just 38 days until the 2021/22 season starts in Spain, Tebas was frank about the   possibility of Barcelona being able to register the Argentinean. "If another player do