johnnyrocket - MyTwoCents
Daily sports briefs | Lionel Messi only the 22nd most vaulable player in the world (really?!), the time Sir Alex Ferguson kicked Ryan Giggs out his office for requesting a car - and more!
MESSI ONLY 22ND MOST VALUABLE PLAYER IN THE WORLD
The latest list of player valuations will shock you ... not because of who tops the list but how low GOAT Lionel Messi ranks. Messi is the 22nd ranked most valuable player in the world according to data compiled by CIES Football Observatory! Certainly age plays a major factor in the valuations with Messi 33-years-old already. Kylian Mbappe is unsurprisingly the most valuable at £231m followed by Raheem Stirling at £173m, with Jaden Sancho (£159m), Trent Alexander-Arnold (£152m) and Marcus Rashford (£136m) rounding out the top 5. Shockingly, Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't even make the top 30 ... again largely due to his age of 36.
MYTWOCENTS VERDICT: With the way players look after themselves these days, give me Messi and CR7 all day over Mason Mount 19th and Alphonso Davies (who???) at 9th. We think both Messi and Ronaldo have at least 3 quality years left in them.
THE TIME SIR ALEX KICKED GIGGS OUT FOR REQUESTING A CAR
In a story that ran in The Daily Mail, Ryan Giggs revealed the time he was kicked out of Sir Alex Ferguson's office for asking for a club car as an 18-year-old. Most of Manchester United's first-team players had a club sponsored car and Giggs felt that because he had played 25 games for the first team that he should ask for the same. Club captain Bryan Robson egged him on, suggesting he should ask the boss. Needless to say the meeting didn't go too well with Sir Alex telling him he would be lucky to get a club bicycle and to get out of his office before he threw him out!
MYTWOCENTS VERDICT: It didn't take too long for Giggs to get the car he wanted but the story illustrates how Sir Alex managed to keep egos in check and the youngsters grounded.
DISSENSION IN THE RANKS REGARDING TENNIS' PROPOSED RETURN
There is apparently a growing division in the ranks between the big 3, Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic (in no particular order!) and some of the lower ranked players regarding the return to competitive tennis. The top 3 are concerned about proposals that would limit the size of their entourage (to just 1) and would force them to stay in airport hotels, while the lower ranked players are eager to get back to competing ASAP in order to earn a living.
MYTWOCENTS VERDICT: Both sides have a case but I would lean in favour of the lower ranked players. If safety protocols can be put in place the top players just need to suck it up and deal with it.
A TRIBUTE TO CECIL AFRIKA
Although this isn't breaking news, we felt it would be remiss of us not to honour the career of SA Sevens Rugby legend Cecil Afrika, who was sadly not able to retire on his own terms due to the season postponement caused by Covid-19. Afrika had planned to retire after the Olympics but since that was postponed to next year, his contract was not renewed. Afrika, has been a legend not only on the field but also off it, and will be sorely missed.
MYTWOCENTS VERDICT: Hopefully SA Rugby will find a mentor/coaching role for Afrika and include him in their group for the Olympics next year. We wish him the best and thank him for his service.