James Maddison has urged Tottenham Hotspur to investigate their “astronomical” injury record after the club narrowly avoided Premier League relegation on the final day of the season.
The 29-year-old recently recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament tear to feature as a substitute in the final three matches of the campaign.
His timely return helped the North Londoners secure domestic survival with a crucial 1-0 victory over Everton.
However, the playmaker insists the sheer volume of physical setbacks at the club must be urgently reviewed.
Key absentees hinder survival bid
Tottenham were without several crucial first-team figures for extensive periods of a punishing season.
Swedish winger Dejan Kulusevski has been sidelined since May following a severe challenge from Marc Guehi.
Meanwhile, attacking duo Dominic Solanke and Mohammed Kudus were unavailable for half of the league campaign.
The recent cruciate ligament injury suffered by Dutch international Xavi Simons further complicated their battle against the drop.
‘Worse than any other club’
“Our situation with the injuries has been worse than any other club,” Maddison stated.
“People try and say, ‘Oh, but we’ve got this and that’, but ours is astronomical and we need to look at why that is.”
The England international acknowledged that some incidents, such as his own severe knee issue or the heavy knock taken by Kulusevski, are purely coincidental.
“That’s not the medical team, that’s not the pitch or all the theories that you see, sometimes that’s rubbish,” he added.
Impact on league position
Despite winning the Europa League last season, the squad’s depleted options dragged them into a desperate fight for Premier League survival.
Midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was another high-profile casualty, missing three months of action.
Maddison is adamant that a fully fit squad would have comfortably avoided a relegation dogfight.
“We’ve been a bit unlucky,” the former Leicester City man continued.
“But like I said, the big names that we’ve missed, it does affect you and you can’t just deny that.”
“If you had had them for the whole season, we wouldn’t have been in this situation, I strongly believe.”
“That’s just not me being naive, that’s just a fact. But it is the situation we find ourselves in, and I am just proud of the lads to dig deep today.”
Joao Palhinha has expressed his desire to turn his loan from Bayern Munich into a permanent £25.8m move to Tottenham Hotspur after securing their Premier League survival.
The Portugal international scored the decisive goal in Sunday’s nervy 1-0 final-day victory over Everton to guarantee top-flight football in north London next year.
That crucial strike was the all-action midfielder’s seventh goal of a turbulent campaign for the club.
Despite enduring the team’s most challenging season in the modern era, the 31-year-old remains eager to cement his future in the capital.
Desire for a permanent deal
The loanee confessed he has felt completely at home since arriving from the German giants and hopes the relevant parties can reach an agreement.
“Who doesn’t want to play for Tottenham and stay here? I have everything here, but this is like a marriage.”
He added that keeping the team in the division was the primary objective of an otherwise bruising year.
“What I can say to you is I would really like to be here and I enjoy it a lot this season with this club even being a tough season.”
Navigating managerial instability
It has been a fractured twelve months for the north London outfit, featuring turbulent stints under Thomas Frank, Igor Tudor, and Roberto De Zerbi.
The defensive specialist initially thrived, scoring in an early 2-0 victory at Manchester City, before losing his place and occasionally being deployed in a back-three under Tudor.
However, De Zerbi’s critical appointment in late March sparked a vital revival for both the team and the combative enforcer.
The Italian tactician has publicly stated he is fully committed to retaining the player’s services before the current option-to-buy clause expires.
“I think this season will help Tottenham for the future.”
The final-day hero believes the club must thoroughly analyse their mistakes to ensure a major improvement when the new campaign begins.
A panel of sports journalists has ranked the 50 greatest players in Fifa World Cup history as the countdown begins to the 23rd edition of the tournament in North America on 11 June.
The definitive list evaluates global footballing icons based exclusively on their displays in the planet’s most prestigious international competition.
Over the past 96 years, luminaries ranging from Pele and Diego Maradona to Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have left indelible marks on the global stage.
A specific formula and points system have been utilised to assess every tournament, starting from the inaugural 1930 event in Uruguay to the 2022 winter edition in Qatar.
Ronaldo omitted from all-time greats
The strict criteria dictate that selections are based entirely on tournament performances rather than a player’s overall career standing.
Consequently, Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo fails to make the top 50 despite preparing for his sixth appearance at the finals this summer.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is widely considered one of the sport’s finest talents but has struggled to consistently dominate the latter stages of international football’s premier event.
Walter and Vava open the rankings
The countdown begins with West German hero Fritz Walter claiming the 50th spot following his heroics in the 1954 final.
The legendary playmaker orchestrated the ‘Miracle of Bern’, overcoming a heavily favoured Hungarian side that had previously defeated them 8-3 in the group stage.
Walter and his brother Ottmar remain one of only two sibling pairings to lift the famous trophy, alongside England’s Bobby and Jack Charlton.
Occupying 49th position is Brazilian striker Vava, who belongs to an elite group of just four individuals to win the competition twice in exactly two appearances.
The clinical forward netted a crucial brace in the 1958 final against Sweden, sparking a comeback that helped secure his nation’s first global crown.
Lewis Hamilton has secured his best result since joining Ferrari by overtaking Max Verstappen to claim second place at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
The seven-time world champion outshone team-mate Charles Leclerc throughout the Sprint weekend to secure just his second podium for the famous Italian marque.
It marked a remarkable turnaround in form for the British driver following difficult outings at recent rounds in Japan and Miami.
Finding the sweet spot
Hamilton made a promising start to the 2026 campaign with a maiden podium in China, but struggled to match Leclerc in the subsequent six competitive sessions.
However, the veteran racer responded emphatically in North America to silence growing speculation surrounding his recent performances.
“These guys have welcomed me with open arms, and it’s been pretty tough over the past year and a bit, so to finally find our sweet spot and have a good weekend has really been an amazing feeling.”
Dismissing retirement rumours
Prior to his stellar performance on the track, the former Mercedes stalwart faced intense questioning from the media regarding his long-term future in the sport.
“I’m still in contract, so everything is 100 per cent clear to me.”
“I’m still focused, I’m still motivated, I still love what I do with all my heart, and I’m going to be here for quite some time, so get used to it.”
The 41-year-old currently holds a contract with the Scuderia for the 2027 season, which reportedly includes an option to extend his stay into 2028.
Looking to the future
Despite adapting better to the new 2026 technical regulations than previous ground-effect iterations, questions about his motivation had begun to circulate.
“There’s a lot of people that are trying to retire me and that’s not even on my thoughts.”
“I’m already thinking of what will be next, planning for the next five years, so I still plan to be here for some time.”
After letting his driving do the talking in Canada, the legendary driver has firmly re-established his credentials as he looks ahead to the remainder of the Formula 1 season.
Andrei Svechnikov scored deep into overtime as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Final.
The Eastern Conference’s top seeds secured their second consecutive sudden-death victory of the series at the Bell Centre.
Carolina dominated possession throughout the contest, outshooting their Canadian hosts by a staggering 38-12 margin.
Taylor Hall and Shayne Gostisbehere also found the net in regulation for the visitors, who have now improved to an impressive 10-1 record during this postseason.
Scoring change secures crucial victory
The decisive strike was initially credited to Finnish forward Sebastian Aho before officials amended the scorer to Svechnikov during post-match reviews.
“Honestly, I don’t care who gets it,” Aho stated following the late alteration.
“We’ll take the win.”
Despite the unrelenting pressure, Jakub Dobes produced a valiant performance in net for the home side.
The Czech goaltender registered 35 saves before Svechnikov’s decisive deflection finally beat him.
Hurricanes maintain postseason momentum
Mike Matheson and Lane Hutson provided the goals for Montreal, who must now regroup quickly to salvage their playoff hopes.
The Raleigh-based franchise are showcasing the dominant, possession-heavy form that earned them the number one seed in the East.
“I thought that was our best game of the series for sure,” Aho added regarding his team’s relentless offensive output.
“We stuck with it, and I’m happy to get that goal at the end there.”
The two sides will meet again for a pivotal Game 4 on Wednesday night in Montreal.
The New York Knicks have reached their first NBA Finals since 1999 after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers to secure an 11th consecutive playoff victory.
The historic run sees the Eastern Conference champions arrive at basketball’s biggest stage having won every post-season game by double digits.
It completes a remarkable turnaround for a franchise that endured a dismal 2-9 streak during the middle of the regular season.
Owner’s bold prediction justified
Franchise owner James Dolan was widely criticised in January when he publicly demanded a championship while his team struggled for form.
Getting to the Finals, we absolutely have to do. Winning the Finals, we should do.
Dolan told local radio at the time, speaking just hours before his team suffered a 31-point thrashing by the Detroit Pistons.
However, the basketball landscape shifted dramatically during the playoffs, clearing a path for the surging New Yorkers.
Brunson leads modern resurgence
The catalyst for this modern revival has been Jalen Brunson, who was recently crowned Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player.
The 6ft 2in point guard is aiming to join Isiah Thomas and Stephen Curry as the only undersized undisputed headliners to win an NBA championship.
His 2022 arrival in free agency initially drew skepticism, viewed by many as another misguided move by a front office with a history of chasing stars.
Past decades saw the Madison Square Garden faithful place their trust in high-profile but ultimately flawed centerpieces like Stephon Marbury, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Carmelo Anthony.
Chasing a 51-year drought
Unlike those previous eras built on superstar hype, the current squad has forged a cohesive, modern identity.
They now stand just four wins away from hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Should they succeed, it would mark their first championship triumph since 1973, ending a 51-year wait for the sport’s ultimate prize.
Houston Astros starter Tatsuya Imai and two relief pitchers have combined to throw a rare no-hitter in a comprehensive 9-0 victory over the Texas Rangers.
Imai, a 28-year-old rookie recently arrived from Japan, anchored the historic performance at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
He threw six hitless innings before Steven Okert and debutant Alimber Santa completed the feat.
It marks the 17th regular-season no-hitter in the history of the Houston franchise and their fourth combined effort.
Early struggles overcome
The milestone initially appeared unlikely when the former Seibu Lions pitcher walked three of his first four batters.
However, the right-hander quickly settled into a dominant rhythm after benefiting from a crucial first-inning double play.
He proceeded to retire 16 consecutive batters, finishing his 97-pitch outing with two strikeouts.
Okert then navigated the seventh inning, issuing a single walk before shutting down the Rangers’ lineup.
A dream major league debut
The final six outs were entrusted to Santa, who was making his first ever appearance in the major leagues.
The young reliever showed no signs of nerves as he perfectly retired all six batters he faced.
He sealed the milestone by striking out Brandon Nimmo, surviving an automated strike zone challenge to confirm the decisive final pitch.
Catcher Christian Vázquez expertly guided the trio, having previously caught a combined no-hitter during the 2022 World Series.
Ending a significant drought
This spectacular pitching display ended a 630-day wait for a no-hitter across Major League Baseball.
It represents the longest such drought in the sport since an 841-day barren spell between 2004 and 2006.
For Imai, the flawless outing provides a massive confidence boost following a difficult start to his American career.
The three-time Japanese All-Star entered the contest holding a bloated 8.31 earned run average across his first five starts.
Meanwhile, the Rangers suffered the indignity of being held hitless for only the sixth time in their history.
Swedish driver Felix Rosenqvist has earned a record $4.34m payout after securing his maiden Indianapolis 500 victory with the closest finish in the race’s history.
The veteran racer overtook David Malukas in the closing yards of Sunday’s event at the iconic Brickyard.
He crossed the famous yard of bricks just 0.0233 seconds ahead of his rival to secure the historic win.
Organisers announced on Monday that the total race purse had also reached an unprecedented $30.9m.
Historic finish yields unprecedented rewards
The staggering total prize fund represents an increase of nearly $11m from the previous all-time high set last year.
Álex Palou, the 2023 champion, collected over $500,000 less than the new benchmark established by the triumphant Swede.
Average driver payouts across the starting grid have nearly doubled to $936,500.
The previous record for the closest finish in the 500-mile event stood for 32 years, dating back to Al Unser Jr’s 0.043-second triumph over Scott Goodyear in 1992.
Schumacher earns rookie honours
Second-placed Malukas was forced to settle for the runner-up spot on the 2.5-mile oval for a second consecutive year.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles praised the event following a second consecutive grandstand sellout.
“Felix Rosenqvist added his name to the history books in stellar fashion, with the closest finish in Indy 500 history and now the largest purse,” Boles said.
Elsewhere in the field, Mick Schumacher was named the race’s Rookie of the Year.
The son of seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher collected a $50,000 bonus, taking his total earnings to $218,800.