Ballon d’Or, F1 Fight Talks and Celebrity Endorsements

Caoimhe Bray plays a shot during the Women’s Big Bash League.Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

1. Rodri was the surprise winner of this year’s men’s Ballon d’Or, beating big favorite Vinícius Júnior. The Manchester City midfielder is also the first Spanish international to win the men’s award since…?

   1. Alfredo Di Stefano

   2. Andres Iniesta

   3. Luis Suarez

   4. Raul

2. Erik ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United on Monday, leaving with a 56% win rate in all competitions. Who is the only post-Ferguson United manager with a better record?

   1. David Moyès

   2. Jose Mourinho

   3. Louis van Gaal

   4. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

3. “That performance wouldn’t have troubled Australia. We need to be better, if I’m honest. Who said that this weekend?

   1. Brendon McCullum

   2. Eddie Jones

   3. Emma Hayes

   4. Shaun Wane

4. 

   A new statue of an NBA player caused a stir this week. Who is it supposed to be?

   1. Chris Bosh

   2. Dwyane Wade

   3. LeBron James

   4. Shaquille O’Neal

5. Erling Haaland is currently the Premier League’s top scorer – no surprise. But who is second in the score rankings?

   1. Bryan Mbeumo

   2. Chris Wood

   3. Cole Palmer

   4. Mohamed Salah

6. In the Women’s Big Bash League, Caoimhe Bray hit the winning runs and took a key wicket on debut for the Sydney Sixers. Why is this particularly impressive?

   1. Bray is an AFLW player who had never played professional cricket before

   2. She is the team’s coach, recalled after a series of injuries.

   3. She is only 15 years old

   4. She dislocated her shoulder in a fall on the way to the match.

7. In the NFL, Washington beat Chicago with a classic “Hail Mary” touchdown on the final play. Which legendary quarterback made the phrase famous?

   1. Bart Starr

   2. Joe Namath

   3. Roger Staubach

   4. Terry Bradshaw

8. 

   Where in the world was this photo taken?

   1. Barcelona

   2. Bern

   3. Birmingham

   4. Bream

9. In the “big five” European football championships, what connects Fribourg, Verona, Le Havre and Barcelona?

   1. These are the top scorers in each division

   2. They are the only teams to have two red cards

   3. They are the only teams in their championship without a draw.

   4. These are the only undefeated teams in each division

10. Max Verstappen was handed a 20-second penalty for his driving behavior during the Mexican Grand Prix, leading Damon Hill to compare him to which cartoon character?

    1. Vile dick

    2. Lightning McQueen

    3. Penelope Pitstop

    4. Road Runner

11. In the Women’s Euro 2025 qualifying playoff, the Czech Republic won their away match against Belarus (hosted in Croatia) 8–1. What was the score in the second leg?

    1. Czech Republic 9-1 Belarus

    2. Czech Republic 0-8 Belarus

    3. Czech Republic 4-5 Belarus

    4. Czech Republic 0-0 Belarus

12. Phil Salt has been joined by which new player in the England team, creating the possibility of a tasty batting partnership?

    1. Sam Cook (Essex)

    2. Haydon Mustard (Durham)

    3. Michael Pepper (Essex)

    4. Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)

13. 

    Another image question: which NFL team is pictured here in their “retro” uniforms?

    1. Denver Broncos

    2. Kansas City Chiefs

    3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

    4. Tennessee Titans

14. The autumn rugby union internationals begin this weekend, with England hosting New Zealand. What was the result the last time the teams met at Twickenham in 2022?

    1. England won

    2. New Zealand won

    3. It was a draw

    4. The game was abandoned due to storms

15. Finally: Birmingham City face another club with celebrity investment – ​​Sutton United – in the FA Cup first round. Which reality TV star co-owns the National League team?

    1. Love Island star Kem Cetinay

    2. Dating guru Paul C Brunson

    3. Harry Clark, candidate for traitors

    4. Sam Thompson, winner of I’m a Celebrity

Solutions

1:C – The Barcelona striker won it in 1960 and was the only player born in Spain to win the award until Rodri’s success in 2024. Di Stéfano, who was born in Argentina but represented Spain, won won the prize in 1957 and 1959. ; Raúl and Iniesta both came second without winning the prize., 2:B – Mourinho’s win rate of 58% is better than Ten Hag’s, but the Dutchman beats Solskjær (55%), Van Gaal (52% ) and Moyes (51%). 3:D – England’s rugby league head coach was unimpressed with his team’s performance despite a 34-18 victory over Samoa in Wigan., 4:B – Wade, who is the Miami Heat’s all-time leading scorer, was on hand to unveil the statue – but many fans on social media felt the statue didn’t look much like, 5:A – The Brentford forward scored eight goals, one more than Wood and Palmer (seven each) and two more than Salah (six). Haaland has 11., 6:C – Bray took the wicket of Melbourne’s Deandra Dottin, then found the winning boundary. “I’ve never seen a 15-year-old hit a four like that to win a game before, so that’s a first,” Sixers captain Ellyse Perry said. “She’s very special, a legend, and we’re very lucky to have her.”, 7:C – Although the term has been around longer in college football, Staubach introduced the phrase to the NFL in 1975. The Dallas QB ‘” said a Hail Mary as he threw the ball downfield for a touchdown to win their playoff game against Minnesota., 8:D – This is the cycle-ball, a event held at the indoor cycling world championships in Bremen. Germany won both the men’s and women’s events. , 9:C – Every team in the Premier League has drawn at least once., 10:A – Hill described the world champion’s maneuver to force his title rival off the track as “It was just stupid, vile stuff from Dick…it was stupid conduct, 11:D – In all honesty, the job was already done., 12:C – Unfortunately, as Pepper is a stand-in wicketkeeper-batsman, it’s unlikely we’ll see Salt and Pepper together in the Caribbean enclosure., 13: C – The team wore their old “creamsicle” kit against NFC South rival Atlanta it’s a popular kit among; fans, despite the fact that the Bucs’ fortunes improved considerably when they changed their colors to red and pewter in 1997., 14:C – England came back from 19 points behind to get a game draw 25-25, with three late tries completing a dramatic comeback, 15:B – Brunson, who appears on Married at First Sight and Celebs Go Dating, entered a draw at Saturday brunch to find him a team of football to support. He went to a match and quickly fell in love with the club

Sheet music

1. 0 and above.

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