HEROES & VILLAINS
BRENO LOPES
In November he was still playing for Brazil’s Serie B club Juventude, and as recently as 2019 he was in the third tier. He hardly pulled up any trees there either, with four goals in 17 matches, yet fast forward to January 2021 – via loan spells at Figueirense and Athletico Paranaense – and the 25-year-old is at the pinnacle of South American club football, coming off the bench to score Palmeiras’ stoppage-time winner in the Copa Libertadores final.
ASIER VILLALIBRE
The Athletic Bilbao striker came to his side’s rescue in the 90th minute of their Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona, but that’s only half the reason he’s a hero. After Inaki Williams had given the Basques the trophy with a goal in extra-time, Villalibre lead the celebrations by playing his trumpet.
NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO
The Wolverhampton Wanderers manager donated £250,000 to the Wolves Foundation project, Feed Our Pack, which aims to reduce the effects of food poverty and support local people affected by the pandemic. “Wolves fans and the people of Wolverhampton have been fantastic to me since I arrived here almost four years ago, and I wanted to give something back and help the people who are struggling during the pandemic,” the Portuguese coach said.
JACK GREALISH
And Nuno was not the only person to give back to his community in the West Midlands recently. Aston Villa skipper Grealish donated £2,000 towards the funeral costs of an 18-year-old fan of the club, who was recently killed in a car accident. “R.I.P. Mia. Sending my deepest condolences to your family and friends,” he said in an Instagram post.
RACIST FANS
Police made an arrest after racist abuse was sent to West Brom’s Romaine Sawyers, while Chelsea and Manchester United have spoken out against abuse of their players. Meanwhile, an Irish teenager avoided a criminal conviction for racially abusing Ian Wright. “My forgiveness of this young man was for my own need…I wasn’t expecting my forgiveness to be an invitation to lighten a sentence,” the Arsenal legend said on Instagram. “I am disappointed. I’m tired.”
STUART BAXTER
The well-travelled coach was sacked by Indian Super League side Odisha for comments after a defeat to Jamshedpur. “I don’t know when we’re going to get a penalty. I think one of my players would have to rape someone or get raped himself if he was going to get a penalty,” he said on TV. “Odisha FC has decided to terminate head coach Stuart Baxter’s contract with immediate effect,” the club tweeted.
BREEL EMBOLO
The Switzerland and Monchengladbach forward was allegedly at an illegal lockdown party after his side’s 2-2 Bundesliga draw with Stuttgart. German police allege that Embolo fled across a rooftop, but he claims that he simply went to visit a friend at a neighbouring flat: “It is false information. The apartment I was in was near the room where this party took place,” he said.
ANDRE ONANA
The Ajax goalkeeper’s widely expected transfer to one of Europe’s giants has been put on hold after he was handed a 12-month suspension for failing a doping test in October. The Amsterdam club claim it was accidental: “Onana was feeling unwell and wanted to take a pill to ease the discomfort. Unknowingly, however, he took Lasimac, a drug that his wife had previously been prescribed.”