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David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney, David Batty… when footballers swap luxury supercars for motorbikes

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WE know footballers love their supercars – but they also get a real thrill from swapping 4-4-2.

Some of the game’s biggest names love nothing more than ditching their Lambos and Ferraris for a throbbing Harley.

 David Beckham with his Triumph Bonneville

David Beckham with his Triumph Bonneville

David Beckham ventured deep into the Amazon rainforest on his Triumph Bonneville.

And Mario Balotelli was filmed racing round on a mini-bike – after being banned from riding the real thing!

Here, SunSport looks at the icons who eschew the traditional status symbol in favour of something a bit more… rebellious.

David Beckham

 David Beckham absolutely loves riding round on his motorbike

INSTAGRAM: David Beckham absolutely loves riding round on his motorbike

 The former England captain is more often seen on a two-wheeler than behind the wheel of a car

INSTAGRAM: The former England captain is more often seen on a two-wheeler than behind the wheel of a car

The England legend is a big fan of Triumphs.

For his 2015 Amazon documentary he rode a Bonneville T100, which featured custom tank paint, 900cc engine and a handmade leather seat crafted by one of Sao Paulo’s leading custom shops.

It was described as “part desert sled, part Scrambler, part classic Bonneville”.

The bike is famous for also being used by the likes of Hollywood icons Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood.

 David Beckham gets a real thrill off riding his bike round LA

REX FEATURES: David Beckham gets a real thrill off riding his bike round LA

Nowadays Becks, 42, sticks to safe terrain through the rolling LA hills.

Prices for the stunning piece of kit range from £9,000 to £12,000, with custom options available.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

He is from the country famous for Volvo – and though Ibra drives one he has also been seen on the seat of a one-off Harley-Davidson.

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The LA Galaxy striker, 36, splashed out on a custom model when he was at Inter in 2009.

Though reports at the time said riding the iconic two-wheeler – or any motorbike – was banned by the club.

Zlatan’s VRSCF Muscle was a custom-design, boasted 123 horsepower and cost around £25,300.

 Zlatan Ibrahimovic on his custom-made Harley Davidson

INSTAGRAM: Zlatan Ibrahimovic on his custom-made Harley Davidson

Rickard Norden, Harley’s marketing manager, said: “He told us about his wishes, he had a lot. The whole hoist is painted in black and has new black rims.

“It also has a specially designed registration plate holder that is located on the side of the bike so that the 240mm rear wheel should not be hidden.

“Zlatan was only in Sweden to purchase this bike.”

Mario Balotelli

You’d have thought he had learned his lesson first time around.

Back in 2011, Balotelli was banned by Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini from riding his recently-purchased Harley-Davidson.

A source said: “Mario has this huge Harley. It cost him a few quid and he’s bought all the added extras – expensive leathers, helmet and all the rest of it.

“But he asked the club for permission to ride it and was laughed out of the room. It contravenes strict insurance rules for the club’s players.”

 Mario Balotelli set off on a mini-motorbike race with a pal at Nice training

INSTAGRAM, @MB459: Mario Balotelli set off on a mini-motorbike race with a pal at Nice training

 Mario Balotelli expertly - and hilariously - navigated the makeshift circuit

INSTAGRAM, @MB459: Mario Balotelli expertly – and hilariously – navigated the makeshift circuit

Fast forward six years and the Nice frontman is back on two wheels. Actually, make that two tiny wheels.

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Balo, 27, was filmed zooming round a grass track on a mini-motorbike.

Wayne Rooney

While stars spend their fortunes on motors, Wazza designed his own bike to raise cash at an auction.

It was a lovely gesture – but the diamond-encrusted piece ended up going for £15,000 less than it would normally cost.

 Wayne Rooney with his custom-made Lauge Jensen

BONHAMS: Wayne Rooney with his custom-made Lauge Jensen

 An autographed Wayne Rooney 'shirt' covers the petrol tank

GETTY IMAGES: An autographed Wayne Rooney ‘shirt’ covers the petrol tank

 The bike was expected to sell for around £60,000

PA:PRESS ASSOCIATION: The bike was expected to sell for around £60,000

 Wayne Rooney's famous celebration was featured behind the seat

PA:PRESS ASSOCIATION: Wayne Rooney’s famous celebration was featured behind the seat

Ex-England skipper Roo, 32, worked with Danish manufacturers Lauge Jensen to create the chopper, which went from 0-60mph in four seconds and had a top speed of 155mph.

It featured his memorable celebration after scoring that overhead kick against Man City in 2011.

There was also a special shift rod with 22 encrusted diamonds and a front mudguard with WR10 on it.

The bike was expected to sell for around £60,000 at Bonhams’ sports memorabilia auction but went for just £35,000.

Fees brought the total figure to £43,250.

Ian Wright

Wrighty loves riding his Triumph so much that he said it comes “pretty damn close” to the thrill of scoring a last-gasp winner.

He was desperate to escape on his bike when becoming an Arsenal legend, but then chairman David Dein said they would “definitely” not insure him on a motorcycle.

Wrighty – who has also cruised round on a Harley in the past – later admitted he had already been riding for two years by that point.

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 Ian Wright loves the thrill of riding on two wheels

NEWS GROUP NEWSPAPERS LTD: Ian Wright loves the thrill of riding on two wheels

 The Arsenal legend rode his bike to the Prem clash between the Gunners and Crystal Palace in 2015

GETTY IMAGES: The Arsenal legend rode his bike to the Prem clash between the Gunners and Crystal Palace in 2015

 Shaun Wright-Phillips shows the love of motorbikes runs in the family

CHELSEA FC – GETTY: Shaun Wright-Phillips shows the love of motorbikes runs in the family

 Former Chelsea team-mates Wayne Bridge and Shaun Wright-Phillips together with the massive Harley

CHELSEA FC – GETTY: Former Chelsea team-mates Wayne Bridge and Shaun Wright-Phillips together with the massive Harley

 Wayne Bridge poses on his Harley-Davidson

CHELSEA FC – GETTY: Wayne Bridge poses on his Harley-Davidson

The former England hero, 54, now rides a customised Scrambler, complete with full Tiger 800 XC front end and twin discs in khaki metallic matte paint.

His trademark No 8 features on the front board.

And the love extends through the family, with son Shaun Wright-Phillips, 36, also big into hogs.

David Batty

Leeds legend. Speed freak.

Batty, 49, got his taste for life in the fast lane when he rode a Marlboro Doubleseater Yamaha with Moto GP star Randy Mamola around Donington in 2001.

 David Batty rode a Marlboro Doubleseater Yamaha with racing hero Randy Mamola around Donington in 2001

PA:PRESS ASSOCIATION: David Batty rode a Marlboro Doubleseater Yamaha with racing hero Randy Mamola around Donington in 2001

 David Batty took his love of speed to a new level

PA:PRESS ASSOCIATION: David Batty took his love of speed to a new level

The combative midfielder was still with the Elland Road side at the time.

Like many footballers, his contract did not allow him on two wheels, let alone the specially-built 500cc beast he tore round the track.

Frank Laboeuf

The ex-Chelsea star was a keen biker until an accident in 1995 – the year before he joined Chelsea – nearly ended his career.

Laboeuf, 50, said: “It was very scary. I was riding along and this guy just didn’t stop.

 Frank Leboeuf sits atop the special edition, Chelsea-coloured 'Ruud Boy' bike

PA:PRESS ASSOCIATION: Frank Leboeuf sits atop the special edition, Chelsea-coloured ‘Ruud Boy’ bike

“Fortunately I saw him in time. I came off the bike but all that happened was I broke a nail. But I stopped driving bikes after that.”

That incident did not stop him hopping on a limited edition Chelsea Warrs Harley, though.

The blue, white and yellow ‘Ruud Boy’ was unveiled in 1998.

 

 

 

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Crime & Court

Osun police arrest three night guards over alleged murder of 40-year-old man

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A night guard at Ibuowo Estate, Okinni, Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State, on Saturday, allegedly shot dead a 40-year-old man, Badmus Mohammed.

The guard, Rasaq Moshood, DAILY POST gathered, shot Mohammed, a tenant, who is popularly called Lasgidi dead with his dane gun.

His Landlord, Kazeem Jimoh told DAILY POST that he was at a bar with the deceased till midnight on Friday, before he was called on phone about his death.

According to Kazeem, his tenant was killed at the front of the house, while his door was left open.

“I and Kazeem were at a bar till past 12 when I left him.

“I didn’t sleep at home but I got a call around 1 a.m. that Lasgidi was killed by a guard. When i got home, I saw his door open, while his corpse was outside,” he said.

The Police spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola confirmed the incident.

She noted that three night guards have been arrested with their dane guns.

According to her, “one Babatunde Olumide, the Chairman of Ibuowo Estate Okinni reported at dada Estate Divisional Police Hqts., that their night guard, one Moshood Rasaq used his dane gun to shoot one Mohammed Badmus, aged 40 years and he died instantly.

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“Suspect has been arrested, gun used has been recovered, while the corpse has been taken to UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital morgue for autopsy.”

Opalola added that the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.

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Chinese astronauts return to earth after six months in space

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Officials stand near the capsule of the Shenzhou-13 spacecraft after it returned to earth carrying three Chinese astronauts in China’s Inner Mongolia on April 16, 2022. STR / AFP

Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Saturday after 183 days in space, ending China’s longest crewed mission as it continues its quest to become a major space power.

The Shenzhou-13 spacecraft was the latest mission in Beijing’s drive to rival the United States, after landing a rover on Mars and sending probes to the Moon.

Live footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed the capsule landing in a cloud of dust, with the ground crew who had kept clear of the landing site rushing in helicopters to reach the capsule.

The two men and one woman — Zhai Zhigang, Ye Guangfu and Wang Yaping — returned to Earth shortly before 10 am Beijing time (0200 GMT), after six months aboard the Tianhe core module of China’s Tiangong space station.

Ground crew applauded as the astronauts each took turns to report that they were in good physical condition.

Zhai was the first to emerge from the capsule roughly 45 minutes after the landing, waving and grinning at cameras as he was lifted by the ground crew into a specially designed chair before being bundled into a blanket.

“I’m proud of our heroic country,” Zhai said in an interview with CCTV shortly after leaving the capsule. “I feel extremely good.”

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The trio originally launched in the Shenzhou-13 from China’s northwestern Gobi Desert last October, as the second of four crewed missions during 2021-2022 sent to assemble the country’s first permanent space station — Tiangong, which means “heavenly palace.”

Wang became the first Chinese woman to spacewalk last November, as she and her colleague Zhai installed space station equipment during a six-hour stint.

Mission commander Zhai, 55, is a former fighter pilot who performed China’s first spacewalk in 2008, while Ye is a People’s Liberation Army pilot.

The trio have completed two spacewalks, carried out numerous scientific experiments, set up equipment and tested technologies for future construction during their time in orbit.

The astronauts spent the past few weeks tidying up and preparing the cabin facilities and equipment for the crew of the incoming Shenzhou-14, expected to be launched in the coming months.

China’s previous record spaceflight mission length was set by last year’s Shenzhou-12 deployment, which lasted 92 days.

Six months will become the normal astronaut residence period aboard the Chinese space station, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Space race

The world’s second-largest economy has poured billions into its military-run space programme, with hopes of having a permanently crewed space station by 2022 and eventually sending humans to the Moon.

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The country has come a long way in catching up with the United States and Russia, whose astronauts and cosmonauts have decades of experience in space exploration.

But under Chinese President Xi Jinping, the country’s plans for its heavily-promoted “space dream” have been put into overdrive.

Besides a space station, Beijing is also planning to build a base on the Moon, and the country’s National Space Administration said it aims to launch a crewed lunar mission by 2029.

China has been excluded from the International Space Station since 2011 when the US banned NASA from engaging with the country.

While China does not plan to use its space station for global cooperation on the scale of the ISS, Beijing has said it is open to foreign collaboration although the scope of that cooperation is not yet clear.

The ISS is due for retirement after 2024, although NASA has said it could remain functional until 2030.

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Putin’s Russia finally invades Ukraine

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Black smoke rises from a military airport in Chuguyev near Kharkiv on February 24, 2022.(Photo by Aris Messinis / AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine on Thursday with explosions heard soon after across the country and its foreign minister warning a “full-scale invasion” was underway.

Weeks of intense diplomacy and the imposition of Western sanctions on Russia failed to deter Putin, who had massed between 150,000 and 200,000 troops along the borders of Ukraine.

“I have made the decision of a military operation,” Putin said in a surprise television announcement that triggered immediate condemnation from US President Joe Biden and sent global financial markets into turmoil.

Shortly after the announcement, explosions were heard in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and several other cities, according to AFP correspondents.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his address to the nation at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 21, 2022. Alexey NIKOLSKY / Sputnik / AFP

 

Putin called on Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their arms and justified the operation by claiming the government was overseeing a “genocide” in the east of the country.

The Kremlin had earlier said rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine had asked Moscow for military help against Kyiv.

The extent of Thursday’s attacks was not immediately clear, but Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the worst-case scenario was playing out.

“Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes,” Kuleba tweeted.

“This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now.”

Biden immediately warned of “consequences” for Russia and that there would be a “catastrophic loss of life and human suffering”.

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NATO’s chief condemned Russia’s “reckless and unprovoked attack” on Ukraine.

Putin’s move came after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky made an emotional appeal late on Wednesday night to Russians not to support a “major war in Europe”.

Speaking Russian, Zelensky said that the people of Russia were being lied to about Ukraine.

Zelensky said he had tried to call Putin but there was “no answer, only silence”, adding that Moscow now had around 200,000 soldiers near Ukraine’s borders.

Earlier on Wednesday the separatist leaders of Donetsk and Lugansk sent separate letters to Putin, asking him to “help them repel Ukraine’s aggression”, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The two letters were published by Russian state media and were both dated February 22.

Their appeals came after Putin recognised their independence and signed friendship treaties with them that include defence deals.

– ‘Moment of peril’ –

Putin had for weeks defied a barrage of international criticism over the crisis, with some Western leaders saying he was no longer rational.

His announcement of the military operation came ahead of a last-ditch summit involving European Union leaders in Brussels planned for Thursday.

The 27-nation bloc had also imposed sanctions on Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu and high-ranking figures including the commanders of Russia’s army, navy and air force, another part of the wave of Western punishment after Putin sought to rewrite Ukraine’s borders.

The United Nations Security Council met late Wednesday for its second emergency session in three days over the crisis, with a personal plea there by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to Putin going unheeded.

“President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine, give peace a chance, too many people have already died,” Guterres said.

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The US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, warned that an all-out Russian invasion could displace five million people, triggering a new European refugee crisis.

Before Putin’s announcement, Ukraine had urged its approximately three million citizens living in Russia to leave.

“We are united in believing that the future of European security is being decided right now, here in our home, in Ukraine,” President Zelensky said during a joint media appearance with the visiting leaders of Poland and Lithuania.

Western capitals said Russia had amassed 150,000 troops in combat formations on Ukraine’s borders with Russia, Belarus and Russian-occupied Crimea and on warships in the Black Sea.

Ukraine has around 200,000 military personnel, and could call up to 250,000 reservists.

Moscow’s total forces are much larger — around a million active-duty personnel — and have been modernised and re-armed in recent years.

 

– High cost of war –

But Ukraine has received advanced anti-tank weapons and some drones from NATO members. More have been promised as the allies try to deter a Russian attack or at least make it costly.

Shelling had intensified in recent days between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists — a Ukrainian soldier was killed on Wednesday, the sixth in four days — and civilians living near the front were fearful.

Dmitry Maksimenko, a 27-year-old coal miner from government-held Krasnogorivka, told AFP that he was shocked when his wife came to tell him that Putin had recognised the two Russian-backed separatist enclaves.

“She said: ‘Have you heard the news?’. How could I have known? There’s no electricity, never mind internet. I don’t know what is going to happen next, but to be honest, I’m afraid,” he said.

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In a Russian village around 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the border, AFP reporters saw military equipment including rocket launchers, howitzers and fuel tanks mounted on trains stretching for hundreds of metres.

Russia has long demanded that Ukraine be forbidden from ever joining the NATO alliance and that US troops pull out from Eastern Europe.

Speaking to journalists, Putin on Tuesday set out a number of stringent conditions if the West wanted to de-escalate the crisis, saying Ukraine should drop its NATO ambition and become neutral.

Washington Wednesday announced sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which Germany had earlier effectively suspended by halting certification.

Australia, Britain, Japan and the European Union have all also announced sanctions.

 

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