■ENGLAND
Beckham reigns supreme
David Beckham, even in the twilight of his playing career, still reigns supreme in the world of soccer as the highest-earning player in the world, according to Forbes magazine. Beckham earns US440 million a year. Portugal midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo is second on the Forbes list, earning US$30 million a year. Brazil playmaker Kaka, Ronaldo’s teammate at Madrid, is third on the list, earning US$25 million annually. Ronaldinho is fourth on Forbes’ list, also earning US$25 million a year. Rounding out the top five is France striker Thierry Henry, who makes US$24 million a year. Lionel Messi, the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year, is sixth on the list with earnings of US$20 million annually. Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is seventh, earning US$17 million, with teammate John Terry in eighth, earning US$16 million. Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is ninth, also earning US$16 million, while Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard earns US$15 million in 10th place.
■ITALY
Maldini under investigation
AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini and his wife are being investigated over corruption and illegal access to tax records, ANSA news agency reported on Thursday. The former international defender is accused of bribing an incomes official to avoid tax controls, but his lawyer, Danilo Buongiorno, insisted that his client’s role in the investigation was merely minor. “He’s calm and serene. In contesting the accusations, which are without a doubt baseless, he’s certain that he will be able to demonstrate that he and his wife had absolutely nothing to do with this and that they must be injured parties and certainly not those being investigated,” he said. The former AC Milan star is being investigated following a separate probe into an incomes official who has since been imprisoned.
■FRANCE
Davies comeback ruled out
Charlie Davies’ chances of making the US World Cup squad have taken a significant blow after the president of French club Sochaux ruled out any chance that he would play again this season. Davies nearly died in October last year in a car accident that killed another passenger and left the 23-year-old striker with career-threatening injuries. After making an incredible recovery, Davies returned to training with Sochaux last month in a bid to win his place back in the team before the end of the season — but there are now only five games left. “He will not play again in Ligue 1 this season,” Sochaux president Alexandre Lacombe told the online version of daily newspaper L’Est Republicain on Thursday. Davies suffered two broken bones in his right leg, a broken and dislocated left elbow, a broken nose, forehead and eye socket, a ruptured bladder and bleeding on the brain in the crash.
■SPAIN
Dragutinovic ruled out
Sevilla’s Serbia defender Ivica Dragutinovic will miss the rest of the season and the World Cup after he tore his Achilles tendon during training on Thursday, the Spanish club said. “The Serb tore his left Achilles tendon and in this way says goodbye to a campaign where be was performing superbly,” the club said in a statement. Dragutinovic, 34, will travel to Finland to be examined by Sakari Orava, the specialist who operated on David Beckham, who also suffered a torn Achilles tendon. “If there is a person who does not deserve an injury, although nobody deserves one, it was Drago, for everything he has done and what he means to the dressing room,” Sevilla captain Andres Palop said.
‘AWFUL PERFORMANCE’: Golden State were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts Aaron Gordon on Monday scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their Western Conference rivals. A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their lineup. The absentees were barely felt by Denver, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game. The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored twice on Sunday to help secure a late 4-2 comeback win at Atletico Madrid in a pulsating La Liga clash that took the Catalan side back to the top of the table. Barca have 60 points and a game in hand after last week’s postponement of their home game with CA Osasuna. They are level on points with Real Madrid, who won 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday. “I am happy and proud of this team,” Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick told a news conference. “They never give up... It’s a great three points and we are happy to
Paolo Banchero on Sunday scored 24 points as the Orlando Magic overturned a 13-point deficit to end the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 16-game unbeaten streak with a gutsy 108-103 road victory. Cleveland, the runaway Eastern Conference leaders, had looked poised to extend their franchise-record winning run after surging clear of Orlando early in the third quarter, but after a season where they have staged hefty winning comebacks of their own, the tables turned on Cleveland in the face of a furious burst of Orlando scoring. The Magic outscored Cleveland 35-23 in the third quarter, with Franz Wagner leading the charge with nine points and
Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday held their nerve to beat Liverpool 4-1 on penalties and reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after their tie finished one-apiece on aggregate, while Bayern Munich saw off Bayer 04 Leverkusen to complete a 5-0 win over both legs. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha fired Barcelona into the next round as the Catalans bested SL Benfica 3-1, and Inter booked a last-eight meeting with Bayern by seeing off Feyenoord 2-1. At Anfield, Ousmane Dembele netted the only goal of the night as PSG bounced back from Liverpool’s late winner last week to force the tie to extra-time and penalties. Maligned
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