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Madrid's 'Greedy' Bellingham Ready for Dream Champions League Final

Real Madrid's English midfielder Jude Bellingham has been a key figure in his team's charge towards the double this season. JAVIER SORIANO / AFP
Real Madrid's English midfielder Jude Bellingham has been a key figure in his team's charge towards the double this season. JAVIER SORIANO / AFP
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Madrid's 'Greedy' Bellingham Ready for Dream Champions League Final

Real Madrid's English midfielder Jude Bellingham has been a key figure in his team's charge towards the double this season. JAVIER SORIANO / AFP
Real Madrid's English midfielder Jude Bellingham has been a key figure in his team's charge towards the double this season. JAVIER SORIANO / AFP

Jude Bellingham's first year at Real Madrid started in unbelievable fashion amid a whirlwind of goals, but the ending could be more incredible still.
With the Spanish title in the bag Madrid are aiming for a fifth La Liga and Champions League double, against the England international's former team Borussia Dortmund in Saturday's Wembley final.
"It's such a big game, my first Champions League final, back home in England against my old team -- it's a crazy one, I couldn't have dreamed it any better," Bellingham told reporters this week.
The 20-year-old midfielder was voted La Liga's player of the season on Wednesday. Bellingham scored 19 league goals and four in Europe on the way to the final, AFP said.
Arriving at Real Madrid last summer, he revealed his love of former midfield great Zinedine Zidane and even took the Frenchman's number five shirt in homage.
However Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti had other plans for Bellingham, a classy center-midfielder at Dortmund, putting him straight into the space vacated by striker Karim Benzema's departure.
It paid instant dividends, with 13 goals in his first 13 games, getting him off to a flying start with Madrid's fans, quick to serenade him with Beatles song 'Hey Jude'.
Bellingham struck twice, including a 91st minute winner, in his first Clasico to snatch victory over then-champions Barcelona on Catalan soil.
Did he anticipate this kind of impact? "I came here expecting to win," admitted Bellingham.
"I came here because I wanted to win, and to expect it, it's a bit greedy almost, but you have to be confident when you're playing with so many great players."
With another late winner in the second league Clasico and three goals in two matches against shock title challengers Girona, Bellingham delivered in key moments.
His goalscoring slowed as Ancelotti tasked him with more defensive responsibility, chastened by a loss against Atletico Madrid -- their only defeat in La Liga. In the Champions League Madrid are unbeaten.
"What you've seen from me this year is a lot of different kinds of roles and positions," said Bellingham.
There were some concerns around his fitness towards the end of the season following an ankle injury, but he says he feels "very close" to 100 percent after resting once Madrid claimed the title.
'He's going places'
Bellingham joined Dortmund from Birmingham City aged 17. He was the English side's youngest ever player and they retired his number 22 shirt in tribute to him.
Initially outshone by team-mates Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland, Bellingham still managed to establish himself as a regular starter in his first season in Germany.
Dortmund coach Edin Terzic praised Bellingham's maturity, saying he could "hardly believe that he's only 17".
Before his final season at Dortmund, Bellingham was included in the captaincy group alongside skipper Marco Reus and Mats Hummels.
He led them out against Cologne in October 2022, aged just 19, becoming the youngest captain in Bundesliga history.
"You have the feeling he's got three kids at home -– he's going places," marveled Dortmund center-back Niklas Suele, a Champions League winner with Bayern Munich.
Bellingham established himself as a world-class talent at the 2022 World Cup, driving England to the quarter-finals.
Bellingham and Dortmund took the 2022-23 title race to the wire but lost out to Bayern on the final day, with the midfielder named Bundesliga player of the season.
A fortnight later Bellingham joined Madrid for 103 million euros ($112 million).
"He plays very grown-up football, even though he's so young," said Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi this week.
"I'm very happy for Jude, he played a great season," added Emre Can. "But on the pitch we think just about winning for our club."
Record 14-time champions Madrid are firm favorites though, and if they win, what is next for Bellingham?
"Hopefully the European Championship," he said. "I just talked about being greedy... I'm focused on the final."

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Sonmez Becomes Fan Favorite in Melbourne After Coming to Aid of Ball Girl

Zeynep Sonmez of Türkiye and umpire Chase Urban help a ball kid who fainted, from the court during her first round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)
Zeynep Sonmez of Türkiye and umpire Chase Urban help a ball kid who fainted, from the court during her first round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)
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Sonmez Becomes Fan Favorite in Melbourne After Coming to Aid of Ball Girl

Zeynep Sonmez of Türkiye and umpire Chase Urban help a ball kid who fainted, from the court during her first round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)
Zeynep Sonmez of Türkiye and umpire Chase Urban help a ball kid who fainted, from the court during her first round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)

Zeynep Sonmez earned a place in fans' hearts as well as the second round at the Australian Open on Sunday when the Turkish qualifier rushed to the aid of a ball girl who had fainted in the punishing Melbourne heat.

The world number 112 was locked in battle with ‌11th seed ‌Ekaterina Alexandrova and waiting ‌to ⁠receive serve ‌in the second set when the girl, who was positioned beside the chair umpire, suddenly wobbled and fell on her back.

The girl picked herself up but stumbled again moments later, prompting ⁠23-year-old Sonmez to stop play and run towards ‌her.

With the crowd applauding, ‍Sonmez put the ‍girl's arm over her shoulder and ‍guided her to a seat so medical staff could provide treatment.

Sonmez went on to lose the set but she was able to secure a 7-5 4-6 6-4 win and become the ⁠first woman from Türkiye to reach the second round of the Melbourne Park Grand Slam.

Her victory comes on the back of a 2025 season in which she reached the third round at Wimbledon, marking the best Grand Slam result in the professional era for a Turkish woman.

She also reached the ‌second round of the US Open.

Sports

Fans Frustrated by Long Queues, Ticket Sales Halt on Day One of Australian Open

Sebastian Korda of the US serves compatriot Michael Zheng during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)
Sebastian Korda of the US serves compatriot Michael Zheng during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)
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Fans Frustrated by Long Queues, Ticket Sales Halt on Day One of Australian Open

Sebastian Korda of the US serves compatriot Michael Zheng during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)
Sebastian Korda of the US serves compatriot Michael Zheng during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)

Australian Open organizers came under fire on the Grand Slam's opening day on Sunday as frustrated fans sweated in long queues to the gates of Melbourne Park and complained of confusion over the suspension of ticket sales.

With heightened security at the event in the wake of the Bondi Beach shooting in Sydney last month, hundreds of spectators gathered outside the venue in hot weather before tournament officials paused sales of the cheaper "ground pass" tickets within the first hour of play due to intense demand.

Ground passes, which ‌cost A$65 ($43) ‌for adults during day sessions, allow largely unfettered ‌access ⁠to the minor ‌courts and are hugely popular at the year's first Grand Slam.

Tournament director Craig Tiley confirmed in the morning that only the more expensive tickets to the main showcourts were available, but fans were oblivious as they queued for extended periods outside the venue.

Josh Main, a visitor from the Netherlands, said the experience was a letdown during a family trip that coincided with the Grand Slam.

“We went to look for ⁠tickets but there was a big line, so I thought, are we in the right line?” he ‌told Reuters. “They told us there are no tickets ‍left, so we can’t get in.

"They ‍did say there were tickets left for Rod Laver (Arena) but we’re not going ‍to sit there today and it’s expensive ... I think they said it was 300 bucks or something."

Local fans also voiced disappointment, with Melbourne resident Elton Yu surprised to find ground passes unavailable.

“Never expected to not have any tickets for the ground pass which I always do,” he told Reuters.

Susan Walsh, another Melbourne resident, said she and her group had already purchased arena tickets but hoped ⁠to enter earlier.

“We tried to buy a ground pass and they just told us it was only tickets that were $229 per person,” she said. “Didn’t want to spend that much money ... So, a bit disappointed.”

Tiley said the sales halt was just for the Sunday day session and that there were ground passes available for the evening.

“We’ve had to pause them because obviously we want people to come on site and have a great time,” he told reporters.

“There’s still the 'After 5' (o'clock) ground passes available, which is $49, come on-site for that.”

Governing body Tennis Australia (TA) said fans were encouraged to book in advance and that crowd numbers were constantly monitored at Melbourne ‌Park.

“Tickets will become available as capacity allows,” a spokeswoman said in a statement to Reuters.

Sports

Hosts Morocco Ready for Battle with Mane’s Senegal in AFCON Final

Morocco's defender #02 Achraf Hakimi celebrates after the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) semi-final football match between Nigeria and Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium in Rabat on January 14, 2026. (AFP)
Morocco's defender #02 Achraf Hakimi celebrates after the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) semi-final football match between Nigeria and Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium in Rabat on January 14, 2026. (AFP)
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Hosts Morocco Ready for Battle with Mane’s Senegal in AFCON Final

Morocco's defender #02 Achraf Hakimi celebrates after the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) semi-final football match between Nigeria and Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium in Rabat on January 14, 2026. (AFP)
Morocco's defender #02 Achraf Hakimi celebrates after the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) semi-final football match between Nigeria and Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium in Rabat on January 14, 2026. (AFP)

The Africa Cup of Nations reaches its climax on Sunday with a final showdown between the continent's two leading footballing powerhouses as hosts Morocco look to win the title for the first time in 50 years when they take on Sadio Mane's Senegal.

The match kicks off at 1900 GMT at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, where almost all of the crowd of 69,000 will be backing a Morocco side captained by African player of the year Achraf Hakimi.

The first AFCON ever to start in one year and end in another could be the second in a row to be won by the host nation, with the Atlas Lions aiming to follow in the footsteps of Ivory Coast, crowned champions in front of their own fans in Abidjan in 2024.

Walid Regragui's Morocco have established themselves in recent years as Africa's pre-eminent national team, becoming the first from the continent to reach a World Cup semi-final, in 2022, and climbing to 11th place in the world rankings, just above Italy.

However, they have long been AFCON underachievers, with their only title to date coming in 1976. This will be their first final since 2004, when they lost to Tunisia with Regragui part of the team.

Senegal, meanwhile, are appearing in their third final in four editions and are targeting a second title to follow their 2022 triumph, when Mane scored the decisive penalty in a shoot-out win over Egypt in Yaounde.

"We dreamt of being here and now we have done it," Regragui told reporters in the Moroccan capital on Saturday.

He has been under suffocating pressure to deliver the title for the football-mad nation, and would perhaps not have kept his job through to the approaching World Cup in North America had he not at least taken the team this far.

"I hope this is just the beginning and not our last AFCON final," he added.

"Big football nations want to be up there on a regular basis. Tomorrow (Sunday) we want to try to make history."

He added: "Senegal will need to be really strong to beat us at home, although they are capable."

Morocco's success over the last four weeks has been based around the attacking inspiration of Real Madrid winger Brahim Diaz, the tournament's top scorer with five goals, as well as a defense which has conceded only once -- and that a penalty in a group-stage draw with Mali.

Being at home brings extra pressure, but can also be a huge advantage, and Senegal have complained about the conditions in which they were welcomed to Rabat ahead of the game.

The Lions of Teranga were based in the northern port city of Tangiers for the duration of the tournament before arriving in Rabat by train on Friday.

Senegal's star player Mane, a two-time winner of the African player of the year prize, said after netting the winner in the semi-final against Egypt that Sunday's game would be his last ever AFCON appearance.

Remarkably, Senegal coach Pape Thiaw insisted on the eve of the game that the former Liverpool forward may have no choice but to rethink that decision.

"I think he made his decision in the heat of the moment and the country does not agree, and I as coach of the national team do not agree," said Thiaw.

"We would like to keep him for as long as possible," added the coach, who is without center-back and captain Kalidou Koulibaly due to suspension.