Circuit de la Sarthe legend Henri Pescarolo started in an incredible 33 Le Mans 24 Hours - 30 of those being consecutively between 1970 and 1999 😲
The Frenchman won Le Mans four times outright in 1972-4 and 1984, with a further two class wins in 1976. and 1992.
Pescarolo also started 57 F1 world championship grands prix between 1968 and 1976.
#LeMans24 #MotorSport
That works out at around £5,000 in today's money.
What a trip this would have been.
The Blues legend, who spent 13 years at Stamford Bridge, has died aged 84
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| Chelsea legend Tambling has sadly passed away aged 84Credit: Getty |
.Tambling scored 202 goals in 370 appearances for Chelsea between 1957 and 1970.
His tally made him the club's all-time top scorer until he was surpassed by Frank Lampard in 2013.
The former England striker also won the League Cup alongside Harris in 1965.
After leaving Chelsea, Tambling joined Crystal Palace before ending his career in the Republic of Ireland.
During his time in Ireland, he had spells with Cork Celtic, Waterford, Shamrock Rovers and Cork Alberts.
Following Tambling's death, Harris joined Ally McCoist and Gabby Agbonlahor on Thursday's talkSPORT Breakfast show.
Paying tribute to his former team-mate, the Chelsea icon said: "I played with Bob for many years.
"He was a fantastic player. A good trainer, came in every day, very seldom missed games and scored goals left, right and centre.
"I think he would have a field day today with people not allowed to tackle, whereas years ago in our time, people used to put some stick around and that.
"Bob was a fantastic trainer, a fantastic lad and a fantastic player."
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| Harris and Tambling were Chelsea team-mates for eight years during the 1960sCredit: Getty |
Tambling had been tasked with replacing Jimmy Greaves in the side after his move to AC Milan in 1961.
Asked if those were big shoes to fill, Harris added: "That is true for somebody to do that, but Bob very seldom missed games.
"He was a good trainer, good lad and always worth a goal or two in games. He’s a fantastic lad. It’s sad that he’s passed away."
The former Chelsea captain continued: "Most of the lads were mingled together and had a laugh and a giggle.
"If somebody got invited out to a function or anything like that, Bob would be one of the first ones to put his name down to go and do a presentation and things like that.
"He was a great lad, Bob, on and off the field."
Harris played alongside Tambling at Chelsea for eight years after making his first-team debut in 1962.
The defender went on to become the club's all-time record appearance maker with 795 outings for the Blues.
As well as winning the League Cup with Tambling, Harris also lifted the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1971.
He left the club in 1980 to join Brentford before retiring three years later.
- Ciaran Wiseman
The Datsun Bluebird first appeared at the East African Safari Rally in 1963. The Safari was already known as the toughest rally in the world, a punishing mix of rough East African terrain, river crossings, dust, rain, and mechanical brutality. European cars like Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, and Volvo dominated the entry lists. Against them, the small, modestly powered Japanese saloon looked outmatched. But its debut in 1963 quietly marked the beginning of a story that would redefine rallying.
Datsun returned year after year, treating the Safari as a proving ground. The cars evolved, engineers learned, and drivers grew familiar with the demanding African conditions. The turning point came in 1966, during the 14th Safari Rally. That year, the Datsun Bluebird 1300SS (P411) took a landmark class win, becoming the first Japanese-built car to win a class in the Safari Rally. It wasn’t an overall victory, but it was symbolic proof that Japan’s approach to reliability, lightness, and efficiency could compete in the world’s harshest motorsport environment.
The breakthrough arrived just four years later. In 1970, Datsun entered the rally with the more powerful and agile Bluebird 1600SSS (P510). Driven by Edgar Herrmann and co-driver Hans Schüller, the car delivered a historic performance, securing Datsun’s first-ever overall Safari Rally victory. That 1970 win was more than a motorsport achievement; it marked the first time any Japanese manufacturer won the Safari outright. It also established Datsun as a world-class rally force and set the stage for Nissan’s future rally legends, including the 240Z and the Violet GT.
Today, the spirit of the Bluebird lives on. Across Kenya and the region, enthusiasts have restored these once-humble machines some kept as cherished family cars, others reborn for competition in the East African Safari Classic Rally, where their durability still shines.And it makes you wonder: where are the original Safari Bluebirds today, who owns them in Kenya, and what condition are they in now?
55 years ago at the Italian GP of 1970 the fearless and popular driver Gianclaudio “Clay” Regazzoni scored his first F1 victory, driving for Ferrari.
It was a bitter victory though, as one day before, in qualifying, the Austrian driver Jochen Rindt died in an accident - he will be declared posthumous world champion, the only time it has ever happened in the history of Formula 1.
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| Arsenal.com |
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Arsenal will need a big performance if they are to overcome Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League second leg. Ousmane Dembele's goal gave the Parisians a first-leg victory at the Emirates with the Gunners heading to France needing a win to remain in contention. TNT Sports looks at whether history is on their side at the Parc des Princes.
Arsenal are facing an uphill task if they are to reach the UEFA Champions League final for the first time since 2006.
Mikel Arteta’s side put in a lacklustre display in the first leg of their semi-final as they were beaten 1-0 by an impressive Paris Saint-Germain, thanks to Ousmane Dembele's early goal.
And ahead of the second leg, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, the Gunners find themselves in inconsistent form, losing their most recent Premier League outing against Bournemouth leaving them with just three league wins in 10.
Europe remains their last shot at silverware this season and Arsenal will have to produce something special to overturn the first-leg deficit and advance to the final in Munich at the end of the month.
The trip to France may be a daunting one, but it presents an opportunity, and Arteta’s side might look to take inspiration from previous trips to the country.
Ahead of their latest showdown in Paris, Arsenal have played away in France in European competition a total of 15 times, winning eight, drawing five and losing twice. They have scored 20 times and conceded 14 in that time.
While Gunners fans will be encouraged by the victories, there will be concern that only one of these has arrived by more than a single goal, which would only be enough to force extra time this week.
Another concern would be that, after a run of seven victories between 2000 and 2015, their last two trips to France against Stade Rennes and Lens have ended in defeat.
Winning in normal time would require Arsenal scoring twice, something they have managed five times in total in France, and have only ever failed to score in the country on one occasion.
Defensively, Arsenal know a clean sheet is probably needed if they are to realise their ambitions, something they have managed six times on previous trips to France.
FC Rouen 1969/70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup third round first leg – 0-0
Arsenal first visited France in the third round of the 1969/70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup – the predecessor to the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League – taking on FC Rouen in a first-leg stalemate.
The Gunners won an equally tight second leg 1-0 with a last-minute winner from Jon Sammels on their way to lifting the trophy.
Arsenal’s next trip to France in European competition was coincidentally to the Parc des Princes to face PSG back in their successful 1994 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup run.
The leg of the semi-final in France saw Ian Wright put Arsenal in front 10 minutes before half-time, though David Ginola levelled for the home side in the second half.
Kevin Campbell secured a 1-0 win in the return match to send Arsenal to the final.
The following year saw Arsenal win in France for the first time courtesy of an Ian Wright screamer in the second leg of the Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final, following a 1-1 draw at home.
The Gunners were left frustrated in their opening match of the group as Tony Vairelles’ stoppage-time equaliser denied Arsene Wenger’s side victory after Marc Overmars had given them a second-half lead.
Leading 3-0 from the first leg, Arsenal were 6-1 up on aggregate by half-time at Stade de la Beaujoire after Gilles Grimandi, Thierry Henry and Overmars cancelled out Antoine Sibierski’s opener for the home side.
Nantes did rally, however, as Sibierski and Marama Vahirua restored pride by salvaging a draw.
With a 1-0 lead from the Highbury fixture, Henry’s goal before the break at Stade Bollaert-Delelis doubled Arsenal’s advantage in the tie.
Although Pascal Nouma reduced the deficit, Nwankwo Kanu restored the two-goal advantage late on to book the Gunners’ place in the final.
Henry was once again the scourge of his countrymen with the winning goal in this clash at Stade de Gerland.
Another hard-fought victory on French soil, with Gilberto netting the only goal of the game at the start of the second half.
A now familiar scoreline when Wenger returned to his homeland with Arsenal. This time the Gunners left it late with Aaron Ramsey snatching the winner deep into stoppage time to steal the three points.
An electric start saw Younes Belhanda fire the home side ahead from the penalty spot but within ten minutes, Arsenal were ahead through Lukas Podolski and Gervinho with no further scoring.
Theo Walcott volleyed Arsenal into the lead at the Velodrome with 25 minutes to play before Ramsey wrapped up victory with 5 minutes to play.
Jordan Ayew scored a late penalty, but it was ultimately inconsequential.
A seventh successive win on French soil, but there was little cause for celebration as Arsenal crashed out of the competition.
A shock 3-1 home defeat left the Gunners with all to do in the return match, but goals from Olivier Giroud and Ramsey weren’t enough and the Ligue 1 side advanced on away goals.
Edinson Cavani headed PSG in front after three minutes and threatened a rout but wasteful finishing allowed Alexis Sanchez to snatch a late point for the Gunners.
A first defeat in France came against an inspired Rennes side who were eyeing a huge scalp.
Alex Iwobi put the Gunners 1-0 up but a red card for defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos turned the game on its head as Benjamin Bourigeaud, a Nacho Monreal own-goal and Ismaila Sarr compounded Unai Emery’s side to defeat.
The Gunners recovered to blitz their opponents 3-0 in the return leg to advance.
Arsenal’s most recent trip across the channel also ended in defeat despite taking an early lead through Gabriel Jesus.
Goals from Adrien Thomasson and Elye Wahi stunned Arteta’s side.
- IBRAHIM MUSTAPHA
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Lakers will honor former coach Pat Riley with a statue outside their downtown arena.
The Lakers announced Monday that they have commissioned a statue to stand in Star Plaza immortalizing the coach who won four championships with the "Showtime" Lakers of the 1980s. Riley also won championship rings with the Lakers as a player and an assistant coach.
Riley, 79, has been part of the Miami Heat as a coach and executive for the past three decades, but his NBA roots are planted firmly with the Lakers. He played for Los Angeles from 1970 to 1975, and he was a team broadcaster before becoming Paul Westhead's assistant in 1979.
He took over as head coach in 1981 and led the Lakers through one of the most dynamic eras for any team in NBA history. With Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leading an exciting team with a groundbreaking fast-break offense, the Lakers went 533-194 (.733) in Riley's tenure and added 102 playoff victories over nine mostly outstanding seasons.
"Pat is a Lakers icon," Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said in a statement. "His professionalism, commitment to his craft and game preparation paved the way for the coaching we see across the league today. My dad recognized Pat's obsession and ability to take talented players and coalesce them into a championship team. The style of basketball Pat and the Lakers created in the 80s is still the blueprint for the organization today: an entertaining and winning team."
Current Lakers coach JJ Redick, whom some within the organization have likened to Riley for his intensity and sharp presentation, lauded the decision on Monday.
"Deserved," Redick said, adding that he watched the Hulu documentary "Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers," which features interviews with Riley, as part of his preparation for the season. "He's a legend in the game of basketball. And obviously did a lot for this franchise. ... So I'm very happy for him. Well deserved."
Riley will become the eighth Lakers luminary to be honored with a statue in Star Plaza, which has become a popular tourist attraction. The others are Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and broadcaster Chick Hearn.
Riley went on to coach the New York Knicks for four seasons before becoming the Heat's team president and coach in 1995. He has remained Miami's president ever since, and he won another NBA title in 2006 during his two stints as the Heat's head coach.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin contributed to this story.
- ESPN News Services
A throw-in from Lee Dixon. Alan Smith controls it at the top corner of the box and plays the ball back out to Dixon as Kevin Campbell, coming from wide, runs past him, drawing the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Paul Le Guen with him. The movement creates space for Dixon, who has time to measure his cross. Campbell continues his run far enough for Le Guen to stop, but not quite far enough for Alain Roche to pick him up. Dixon finds Campbell and, twisting, he guides a low header past the sprawl of Bernard Lama at the near post.
The first leg of the 1994 Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final at the Parc des Princes had finished 1-1. Campbell’s goal, after seven minutes, was the only one of the second leg. Arsenal, after what felt like an extremely characteristic performance, were through to the final, which they won – 1-0, obviously – thanks to a Smith goal against Parma, and they had their first European trophy since the Fairs Cup of 1970.
After George Graham’s side won the league for a second time, in 1990-91, they lost 4-2 on aggregate in the second round of the European Cup to Benfica. There was a sense they and other English clubs had lost their European nous during the Heysel ban. Manchester United may have won the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1990-91, but it was Arsenal’s victory in the same competition three years later that suggested a club, perhaps a culture, readjusting to the European game.
Campbell was key to that. He scored against Odense in the first round, then got two in the 7-0 away demolition of Standard Liège in the second. But it was that goal against PSG in the semi-final that stands out, not just for its importance, but because it felt so characteristic.
Initially, Campbell seemed a classic No 9. He was quick, direct and powerful, good with his back to goal, a gifted header of the ball. In one season with Arsenal’s academy, he scored 59 goals. He got a hat-trick in the FA Youth Cup final in 1988. He impressed during loan spells at Leyton Orient and Leicester without making much of an impression at Highbury, where Alan Smith tended to operate as a centre-forward with Paul Merson just off him.
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| Kevin Campbell (right) celebrates with Alan Smith in the dressing room following Arsenal’s Cup Winners Cup semi-final second leg victory over PSG in 1994. Photograph: Bob Thomas Sports Photography/Getty Images |
Campbell’s breakthrough came in 1990-91. Arsenal lost for the first – and only – time in the league that season, 2-1 at Chelsea, at the beginning of February, a game in which Campbell came off the bench to set up a late goal for Smith. Graham started him alongside Smith for Arsenal’s next game at home to Crystal Palace, replacing Perry Groves, with Merson on the left of midfield. Campbell scored his second goal of the season to make it 4-0 just after the hour; any thought that a first defeat of the season might provoke a collapse was swiftly obliterated. Campbell went on to score a further seven league goals in the run-in as Arsenal won the title by seven points from Liverpool.
Yet there was a curious sense that Campbell wasn’t fully trusted. Ian Wright was signed the following September but Campbell remained a first choice, playing 105 league games over the next three seasons. Wright was the obvious goalscorer, which meant Campbell’s role changing to become more of a supplier. He bulked up over that period and perhaps lost a little of his pace and mobility, yet there were also games when he played wide in midfield, particularly in Europe.
He was never as prolific again for Arsenal as he had been in that final three months of 1990-91, but he did have a habit of scoring important goals – the equalisers at home to Millwall and at Derby in the League Cup in 1992-93, for instance. The goal against PSG was a classic example of how he combined the roles, playing wide and yet using his movement to operate as a de facto target man.
After that Cup Winners’ Cup success, opportunities and goals began to dry up. He left Highbury but scored only nine goals over two Premier League seasons with Nottingham Forest before rediscovering his golden touch in the second tier. Nonetheless there was widespread surprise when Walter Smith insisted Everton should sign him in March 1999 after a stint at Trabzonspor had ended in acrimony over racism and unpaid wages.
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| Everton’s Kevin Campbell and David Weir celebrate a goal against Liverpool in 2000. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images |
Campbell instantly proved his worth with nine goals in eight starts to haul Everton away from relegation. As after that initial burst at Arsenal, he never quite found the same consistency in front of goal again but, in six further seasons at Goodison, Campbell became a hugely popular player.
His 83 Premier League goals (he also got 24 in the top flight before 1992) make Campbell the competition’s highest-scoring English player never to have won an international cap, which seems oddly in keeping. There was little flashy or eye-catching about him and the sense was that he was never fully appreciated, that clubs kept thinking they could do better. Yet Pierre van Hooijdonk went on strike when Forest decided to sell Campbell after he had helped them to promotion and clubs kept playing him after signing his replacement.
Given the variety of positions he played in, his numbers stack up remarkably well. Fans loved him, as did those who played alongside him. He may not have won individual awards of caps, or trophies after 1994, but he was a legend of the early Premier League years.
- Jonathan Wilson
The English Premier League and Fanatics have announced that, starting in June 2025, Fanatics Collectibles will become the exclusive provider of EPL trading cards, trading card games and stickers in a multi-year deal.
"We are delighted to welcome Fanatics as the official sticker and trading card licensee of the Premier League from season 2025/26," Premier League Chief Commercial Officer Will Brass said in a statement. "They bring an outstanding track record and strong commitment to innovation, helping fans all over the world express their passion for the sports they love."
Financial details of the deal were not available.
"When you look at the IP that's out there, the Premier League is a property that we see a huge opportunity -- under-exploited opportunity really," said David Leiner, Fanatics Collectibles' president of trading cards told ESPN. "I think the Premier League was really intrigued by not only what Fanatics could do for the category of collectibles, but what we've been doing with player relationships: Tom Brady, Julio Rodriguez, Ronald Acuña Jr."
Leiner said that Fanatics will be emphasizing global distribution, business-to-business, working with UK-based hobby shops and breakers to give trading cards a bigger footprint on the other side of the pond, where stickers have been a dominant collecting force for decades.
"Panini's first World Cup [stickers were] in 1970, first Euro was 1980, and any fan -- the Panini sticker albums were a massive part of the preparation before any tournament [because] before the age of the Internet, you'd never seen these faces," Greg Lansdowne, the author of Stuck on You: The Rise and Fall...and Rise of Panini Stickers, told ESPN. "[They] enjoyed a renaissance when the '80s children became adults, the Germany 2006 World Cup, and from there it's snowballed. The World Cup album is as big as ever and in more countries than ever."
Topps was a Premier League partner from 1994 to 2019; Panini won the license in late 2018 and started producing EPL cards for the 2019-20 season. The EPL and Panini even renewed their license in late 2021.
"When you look at North America, we're all about trading cards, but we see stickers -- a great on-ramp for young collectors -- trading card games, and trading cards, especially in places like Europe, playing well together," Leiner says. "We're at 70 different hobby shows across the globe and many of those are in Europe. There are definitely dozens of stores [there[, but not hundreds or thousands like you see in the United States.
"But we're developing; our business in Europe, it's big -- you'd be surprised if you knew the numbers -- but we're seven minutes into the match. There's so much ahead of us."
Just months after Fanatics acquired Topps for roughly $500 million in January 2022, Topps replaced Panini as UEFA's producer of European Championship stickers for the 2024 and 2028 men's Euros -- as well as the 2025 women's Euros and Nations League Finals through 2028. Panini can produce NBA cards through 2025, but in 2026, Fanatics has deals in place with the NFLPA, NBA and NBAPA and acquired the MLB and MLBPA license early through its purchase of Topps.
Now they add the English Premier League, whose -- according to Nielsen ratings -- five highest-watched matches of all-time occurred in 2023, the same year the league opened a New York-based office. The EPL extended its broadcast rights with NBC for six years in 2021, a deal worth north of $2.5 billion.
"People don't like change [and] they're just coming to terms with losing European Championship rights [here]," Lansdowne says. "Potentially it will hit older collectors more than younger -- younger U.K. collectors are just as conversive with Topps as Panini -- but I'm sure Fanatics will do a great job as they've done with the Champions League."
- Daniel Hajducky
Brazilian won as a player in 1958 and 1962 before winning the tournament as a manager in 1970
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Former Brazilian manager Mario Zagallo. Photograph: Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty |
Mario Zagallo, a four-time World Cup winner as a player and coach for Brazil, has died, aged 92.
Zagallo won consecutive World Cups in 1958 and 1962 before overseeing his country’s tournament wins in 1970 – as manager – and then as an assistant coach in 1994.
Zagallo, who also took Brazil to the final in 1998 where they were beaten by France, became the first person to win the World Cup as both a player and manager.
Franz Beckenbauer and Didier Deschamps have subsequently achieved the same feats for Germany and France respectively.
A diminutive left-winger, Zagallo played for Flamengo and Botafogo in Brazil and won 33 caps for the national team.
As a manager, he was nicknamed The Professor by his players throughout his coaching career, due to his tactical awareness and commanding presence on the bench.
"A social media message posted to Zagallo’s Instagram account read: “It is with great regret that we announce the passing of our eternal world champion, Mario Jorge Lobo Zagallo.
“A devoted father, loving grandfather, caring father-in-law, faithful friend, victorious professional and a great human being. Giant idol. A patriot who leaves us a legacy of great achievements.”
Brazilian and Manchester United footballer Casemiro tweeted: “A legend of our football left today. Thank you for everything! Rest in peace, Zagallo.”
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| Action Images |
Former England forward Trevor Francis, Britain's first one million pound ($1.28 million) player, has died at the age of 69 after suffering a heart attack, his family said on Monday.
Francis started his career at Birmingham City in 1970 before spells at several clubs, notably Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Sheffield Wednesday.
Francis hit the headlines when he was transferred from Birmingham to Forest in 1979 for one million pounds, scoring the winner in that year's European Cup final against Malmo.
