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Cristiano Ronaldo admitted on Wednesday (Aug 21) his long-time rivalry with Lionel Messi has made him "a better player" and that he enjoys a "healthy" rivalry with the Argentine great. Cristiano Ronaldo admits his long-time rivalry with Lionel Messi (above) has made him "a better player". (AFP/Josep LAGO) However, Portuguese star Ronaldo, whose influence at Real Madrid mirrored that of Messi at Barcelona before he left for Juventus, admitted that the pair have never socialised together. "I really admire the career he has had and from his side, he has already talked of the disappointment when I left Spain because it was a rivalry that he appreciated," Ronaldo told TVI in Portugal. "It's a good rivalry but it's not unique - Michael Jordan had rivalries in basketball, there was Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in Formula 1. The thing they all had in common is that they were healthy rivalries." Ronaldo and Messi have won the coveted Ballon d'Or five times each, a factor that helps … [Read more...] about Messi made me “a better player”, says Ronaldo

Vietnam is ranked as the 17th best team in Asia in the latest rankings released on August 14.  The nation was ranked as the 17th best team in Asia in the latest rankings released on August 14. The coefficient is based on the total number of points that clubs from various AFC members have gained at tournaments  over the course of the last four seasons. At present, the country has earned 9,362 points since the start of the year, while Malaysia have won 4,450 points. In terms of the total points earned over a four season period, Malaysia sit 217 points higher than Vietnam, although this figure will change in the latest update. In Southeast Asia, the country are still ranked behind Thailand, who have 37,300 points, and the Philippines 23,412 points. As for East Asia, China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea are among the leading countries in the rankings. If Vietnam are able to climb to sixth in East Asia, the country will earn a place for one of its teams in the group stages … [Read more...] about Vietnam set to surpass Malaysia in AFC Club Rankings

Vietnam’s U22 squad Guus Hiddink, the current coach of the Chinese national team, was Vietnamese head coach Park Hang-seo’s mentor over a decade ago. Both men worked together during the Republic of Korea’s successful 2002 World Cup campaign. According to The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), both the U22 team and the national team will take part in a training camp on August 26. Due to the schedule clash, manager Park Hang-seo will place his assistant Kim Yan-yoon in charge of coaching the U22 team. This will allow him to lead the Vietnamese men’s national team in their fixture in the Asian zone’s second qualifying round for the World Cup 2020 on September 5. The team are planning to travel to Thailand on September 1 in preparation for the crunch tie. Following the Thailand clash, Park Hang-seo will return to Vietnam and link up with the U22 squad for their friendly match against China. … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s U22 team to take on China in friendly fixture

Justin Thomas will start with a two-shot cushion as he aims to crown his season with victory at the Tour Championship and a US$15 million FedEx Cup payday on Thursday. Justin Thomas takes a two-shot headstart into the opening round of the Tour Championship in Atlanta. (AFP/SAM GREENWOOD) Under a revamped "staggered start" format to the PGA Tour's lucrative season finale, Thomas will automatically tee off on 10 under at East Lake Golf Club outside Atlanta. The "Starting Strokes" format introduced this week is designed to eliminate the confusion of past FedEx playoffs, when the winner of the final tournament was often different from the series champion. Instead, the 30-man field at East Lake have been given starting totals which reflect their performances this season. Put simply, the player who finishes on top of the leaderboard this week will also pocket the US$15 million prize on offer to the FedEx Cup champion. Thomas, who captured his 10th career title with a win at the BMW … [Read more...] about Thomas eyes FedEx Cup jackpot at Tour Championship

  Colombian Jordan Parra celebrates winning the Mekong River Delta cycling tournament. – Photo tinthethao.com.vn HÀ NỘI — Colombian Jordan Parra who competed for Ynghua Đồng Nai took both overall yellow jersey and green jersey at the Mekong River Delta cycling tournament, known as the Gạo Hạt Ngọc Trời Cup, which finished in Cần Thơ Province on Tuesday. In the last stage around Cần Thơ City, France’s Loic Desriac of Bike Life Đồng Nai triumphed but he couldn’t change titles. Although Parra didn’t finish in top three, he still held the overall yellow jersey with the best overall time of 22:00.17 after nine stages. Quàng Văn Cường and Nguyễn Trường Tài of VUS-HCM City were runners-up. Parra also bagged the green jersey as the best sprinter with 160 points. While Trần Tuấn Kiệt of VUS-HCM City won the white … [Read more...] about Jordan Parra triumphs at Mekong Delta cycling event