Bellingham Voted LaLiga Player of the Season 

27 May 2024, Spain, Valdebebas: Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham speaks with the press during Real Madrid Open Media Day at Ciudad Real Madrid, ahead of their UEFA Champions League final soccer match against Borussia Dortmund. (dpa)
27 May 2024, Spain, Valdebebas: Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham speaks with the press during Real Madrid Open Media Day at Ciudad Real Madrid, ahead of their UEFA Champions League final soccer match against Borussia Dortmund. (dpa)
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Bellingham Voted LaLiga Player of the Season 

27 May 2024, Spain, Valdebebas: Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham speaks with the press during Real Madrid Open Media Day at Ciudad Real Madrid, ahead of their UEFA Champions League final soccer match against Borussia Dortmund. (dpa)
27 May 2024, Spain, Valdebebas: Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham speaks with the press during Real Madrid Open Media Day at Ciudad Real Madrid, ahead of their UEFA Champions League final soccer match against Borussia Dortmund. (dpa)

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham has been voted LaLiga's Player of the Season after the 20-year-old played a pivotal role in leading the club to their 36th league title.

Bellingham edged out teammate Vinicius Jr, Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Artem Dovbyk (Girona) and Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) in votes cast by fans, club captains and a panel of experts.

He scored 19 goals and had six assists in 28 league games this season, and tallied 23 goals and 12 assists in all competitions for the club.

Bellingham, who could not attend Tuesday's ceremony in Sardinia as he was preparing for the Champions League final at Wembley against his former club Borussia Dortmund, said he was honored to have received the award.

"I would like to dedicate it to my teammates, the coaching staff and, most importantly, to the fans of the best club in the world," he said in a message. "It's a pleasure every time I play for this team. Hala Madrid!"

The Englishman also won the 2022-23 Bundesliga Player of the Season playing for Dortmund before moving to Real for a fee of around 103 million Euros ($111.71 million).

Earlier on Tuesday, Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl was full of praise for Bellingham.

"I know how strong Jude is and I know his personality very much, so he's an amazing player, an amazing character and of course, he will do everything to win that final," he said.



Olympic Cauldron to Rise into Paris Skies Each Night

 Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)
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Olympic Cauldron to Rise into Paris Skies Each Night

 Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)

The Olympic cauldron that made a stunning first flight at the Paris Games opening ceremony will sit on the ground during the day and rise again every evening.

Paris Olympics organizers said that from Saturday, the cauldron attached to a balloon will fly more than 60 meters (197 feet) above the Tuileries gardens near the glass pyramid entrance to the Louvre museum from sunset until 2 a.m.

During daytime hours, 10,000 people each day can get free tickets to approach the cauldron, which is the first in Olympic history to light up without the use of fossil fuels.

Organizers said the electric flame uses 40 LED spotlights “to illuminate the cloud created by 200 high-pressure misting nozzles.”