"We wanted to create an award that recognised most kids growing up dream of playing for one club. On the other side, we wanted to show despite all the big-money transfers in modern-day football, there are top players all over the world who want to become one-club players."
The Ivorian youngster, who has become an increasingly influential figure at Old Trafford, sat down to discuss the players he admires most across the global game and those who defined the Premier League for him. In a series of quickfire questions, the 23-year-old was asked to identify the stars who currently capture his imagination.
ICYMI: The 2026 Winter Olympics are currently underway in Milano Cortina. From the "Quad God" to all the athletes winning gold, there has been a ton of buzz around this year's games. And while we watch history happen, let's take a walk down memory lane and see how fan-favorite Olympians have transformed over the years: 1. To start, Michael Phelps made his first Olympic appearance at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia, when he was just 15 years old:
With its five-story living room, 200 tons of stonework, soaring redwood beams and five-foot-thick, 14-foot-high, 2,000-pound front door, the triangular temple is still spectacular. Which is not to say that the former playboy's paradise has been turned into anything resembling a traditional home.
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... While it might not be the slam-dunk everyone aimed for, GOAT, a bustling animated venture that's co-produced by the Warriors Stephen Curry (who also voices a giraffe) and hails from the the Unanimous Media company he co-founded, succeeds where it needs to as family entertainment for aspiring athletes. They're the target audience and they'll eat this up.
Over the course of the twelve-year gap between Olympic appearances, the NHL has drastically evolved. Most of the legendary trios of the 2010's, namely Drew Doughty-Dustin Brown-Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings and Duncan Keith-Patrick Kane-Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks, have drifted apart in some form. Superstars Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, in addition to future stars Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard, got drafted into the league.
Cristiano Ronaldo was 50 yards from goal, when he just started running. At the old Estadio Jose Alvalade, less than a year before the 52,000-capacity bowl was knocked down, Sporting were hosts to Moreirense in the Primeira Liga. It was October 2002, and the Lisbon giants had made a difficult start to their title defence five games, only two wins. In a bid to turn around the ailing form, Romanian boss Laszlo Boloni handed a first-ever league start to a 17-year-old.