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Jude Bellingham hopes to help inspire the next generation of footballers to take up a sport that the teenage sensation surprisingly admits he did not like growing up. The 19-year-old is one of the greatest talents in the world and was this week crowned Bundesliga player of the season after going agonisingly close to winning the title with Borussia Dortmund. Bellingham has established himself as a key figure for country as well as club, shining in England’s run to the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar during the winter. But if it had not been for a light-bulb moment as a kid, things could have been so very different. Despite regularly going to watch his father, Mark, score goals aplenty for non-league clubs around the Midlands, football initially sparked indifference rather than excitement in Bellingham. “I just wasn’t really having it,” the England midfielder told the PA news agency. “My dad would take me to his non-league games and over time it kind of clicked but it did take a while. “I think it was frustrating for him for a while, but when it did I was addicted and I still am, thankfully.” Bellingham cannot pinpoint the exact moment of football enlightenment but says his time at boyhood club Birmingham made him “fall in love with it”. He fondly remembers the “wide-eyed happiness” he felt going to training at Blues – the same kind of joy he is now looking to bring to others. Bellingham has joined McDonald’s Fun Football as an ambassador – a programme that provides free, inclusive football coaching for children aged five to 11 across more than 1,500 locations in the UK. Speaking after his first taste of Fun Football, he said: “It was a pleasure for me to come here and play with the kids and have a kickabout with them and see what it’s all about. “It’s obviously my first time experiencing the things that McDonald’s are doing and how they want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to get into football. “For me, it’s so important because the game is showing that it’s becoming more inclusive. “You know, what the (England) women did last year (winning the Euros) kind of put women’s football on the map essentially, and you had such a great mix of boys and girls today from whatever backgrounds. “They all just come and have a great time and they’re playing. When they’re having fun and laughing, that puts a smile on my face and is exactly what it is all about.” Bellingham feels “a lot of pride” knowing he can “make an impact on the next generation” and spent time signing autographs and posing for photos long after the session. Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney were the kind of players he idolised growing up and the teenager finds it surreal to now be the subject of similar adulation. “Days like today are really humbling, to be honest,” Bellingham said. “You come in and there’s people with your shirt on and they know who you are straightaway, and they can’t wait to play football with you. “I think, for me, it’s a feeling that’s priceless to be honest. You do what you do on the pitch and you hope that people enjoy watching it but their love for you is so genuine, it’s so pure. “They really enjoy being around you, not because they want something because it’s just a fun day for them. I wanted to repay that and make sure that they had as much fun as possible but, yeah, it’s all come very fast. “It still feels a bit surreal but I’m trying to enjoy it one day at a time.” :: Jude Bellingham was speaking at a McDonald’s Fun Football session to announce his role as an ambassador for the UK’s largest grassroots participation programme for 5-11 year-olds. Find your nearest free session at www.mcdonalds.co.uk/football. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jude Bellingham focused on winning everything as he targets trophies not records Leeds confirm Sam Allardyce will not be staying on as manager De Bruyne v Casemiro and Haaland v Varane – The key FA Cup final battles

Premier League teams have spent more than $2.5 billion on players in a record outlay during European soccer’s transfer window

Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira will meet in a tantalising UFC main event tonight, as they clash for the vacant light-heavyweight title. The original headline bout at Madison Square Garden pitted heavyweight champion Jon Jones against Stipe Miocic, but an injury to Jones has led the initial co-main event to be elevated. The bout will see former champion Prochazka, who vacated the light-heavyweight belt due to injury last year, face ex-middleweight champ Pereira in an intriguing match-up of striking specialists. In the new co-main event of UFC 295, Britain’s Tom Aspinall and Russia’s Sergei Pavlovich will fight for the interim heavyweight title, with the winner in line to challenge Jones in 2024 – possibly leaving former champion Miocic out in the cold. Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is UFC 295? The event is set to take place on Saturday 11 November at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The early prelims are due to begin at 11pm GMT (4pm PT, 6pm CT, 7pm ET), with the regular prelims following at 1am GMT on Sunday 12 November (6pm PT, 8pm CT, 9pm ET on Saturday). The main card is then scheduled for 3am GMT on Sunday (8pm PT, 10pm CT, 11pm ET on Saturday). How can I watch it? The card will air live on TNT Sports in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Odds Prochazka – 11/10; Pereira – 13/20 Pavlovich – 10/11; Aspinall – 10/11 Via Betway. Get all the latest UFC betting sites’ offers Full card (subject to change) Jiri Prochazka vs Alex Pereira (vacant light-heavyweight title) Sergei Pavlovich vs Tom Aspinall (interim heavyweight title) Jessica Andrade vs Mackenzie Dern (women’s strawweight) Matt Frevola vs Benoit Saint-Denis (lightweight) Diego Lopes vs Pat Sabatini (featherweight) Prelims Steve Erceg vs Alessandro Costa (flyweight) Tabatha Ricci vs Loopy Godinez (women’s strawweight) Mateusz Rebecki vs Nurullo Aliev (lightweight) Nadim Sadykhov vs Viacheslav Borschchev (lightweight) Early prelims Jared Gordon vs Mark Madsen (lightweight) John Castaneda vs Kyung Ho Kang (bantamweight) Joshua Van vs Kevin Borjas (flyweight) Dennis Buzukja vs Jamall Emmers (featherweight) Read More What time does UFC 295 start tonight? UFC 295 card in full with two titles on the line Tom Aspinall admits he’s ‘scared’ ahead of UFC title fight Tom Aspinall makes UFC 295 vow ahead of Sergei Pavlovich fight Dana White responds to Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey UFC 300 rumours UFC announces three major title fights will kick off 2024

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 6, 2023--

Mercedes clung on to second place in the constructors’ championship by the skin of their teeth – and a £10milllion cash boost – as Max Verstappen ended the most dominant season in Formula One history with another victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen failed to triumph at just three of the 22 rounds staged, and his latest win takes him to 54 for his career, leaving only Lewis Hamilton (103 wins) and Michael Schumacher (91) ahead of him. The Dutchman finished 17 seconds clear of team-mate Sergio Perez but the Red Bull driver was demoted to fourth following a five-second penalty for a collision with Lando Norris. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was promoted to second with Mercedes’ George Russell third. Lewis Hamilton finished ninth in the other black-liviried machine with Mercedes three points clear of Ferrari in the standings to land a £105million reward, rather than £95m. However, it marked a second straight season without a victory for Hamilton – a losing streak of 45 races – and Mercedes’ first winless campaign in a dozen years. Norris finished fifth for McLaren, one place ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri. Verstappen has been in a class of one this season and Sunday’s 58-lap race round the Yas Marina Circuit never looked anything other than a Red Bull triumph – the team’s 21st of their all-conquering year – after he resisted a first-lap attack from Leclerc. Leclerc tried and failed on three occasions to fight his way past Verstappen only for the triple world champion to keep him at bay on each occasion. Behind, and Norris was on the move, making his way up to third ahead of Piastri and Russell. Further back and Hamilton, who started 11th, was up two places to ninth, but by the end of the third lap he was in 10th as Perez swept by. With Leclerc in second, and Russell and Hamilton fifth and 10th, Ferrari held second spot. But Russell was soon on the move to hand the initiative back to Mercedes. On lap 11 he got ahead of Piastri after sling-shotting ahead of the Australian’s McLaren, and then three laps later, he took advantage of a slow pit stop for Norris to take third. But in the other Mercedes, Hamilton feared he had sustained damage to his front wing after he biffed Pierre Gasly’s Alpine. A check from Mercedes suggested otherwise, and team principal Toto Wolff was on the intercom to provide his star man with a pep talk. “Lewis, you were the second quickest car on the last lap,” he said. “You are quick.” Moments later, the Austrian was back on the radio to tell Hamilton he was the speediest out there. Wolff’s encouragement seemed to work. On lap 25, Hamilton was up to eighth after he passed Daniel Ricciardo before a second stop dropped him back down the order and in a duel with old foe Fernando Alonso. Hamilton made his way ahead of Alonso only for the Spaniard to fight back past. Hamilton then accused Alonso of brake-testing him. Carlos Sainz’s poor qualifying session left him 16th on the grid, but a desperate one-stop strategy saw him exposed to Alonso and then Hamilton as they moved by for eighth and ninth. Advantage Mercedes. But Perez then threatened to provide a sting in their tail by hunting down Russell in the battle for third. If Perez finished ahead of Russell, the Silver Arrows would lose second spot. With four laps to go, Perez fought his way past the English driver. Perez took Leclerc on the last lap, but finished only 3.9 sec clear of Russell – dropping Perez to fourth – as Mercedes breathed a sigh of relief. The in-lap was emotional because it was my last time sitting in a car that has given me so much Max Verstappen “It means a huge amount to so many people back at the factory,” said Russell. “They have worked so hard to achieve this. It has been a challenging season. But I can chill out now. “I came out of the pits and Perez came from nowhere. He had great pace and it was tense at the end because the tyres were dropping off, but I am just pleased to secure P2 for the team and I am sure everyone will have a few drinks tonight.” Leclerc said: “On one hand I am happy because there was not one thing we could have done better. We did an incredible job to get everything right but it is just a shame that we finished third in the championship.” Verstappen, who became the first driver to lead 1,000 racing laps in a season, said after his 19th victory of the year: “It has been an incredible season. “The in-lap was emotional because it was my last time sitting in a car that has given me so much. It will be hard to do something similar again but we definitely enjoyed this year.” Read More Lewis Hamilton cannot wait for season to end after qualifying 11th in Abu Dhabi George Russell fastest as rookies handed chance in first Abu Dhabi practice Class action lawsuit filed over farcical start to Las Vegas Grand Prix F1 Abu Dhabi GP LIVE: Race results and reaction at Yas Marina When does the 2024 F1 season start? Walking with the stars: Inside the white lines of the Las Vegas Grand Prix grid

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