Ballon d’Or, F1 fighting talk and celebrity backers

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

   1. Alfredo Di Stéfano

   2. Andrés Iniesta

   3. Luis Suárez

   4. Raúl

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 Moyes

   2. José Mourinho

   3. Louis van Gaal

   4. Ole Gunnar Solskjær

3. ‘That performance would not have troubled Australia. We need to be better, if I am honest.’ Who said this over the 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 this 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 goalscorer – no surprises there. But who is second in the scoring charts?

   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 her debut for 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, called into the side after a spate of injuries

   3. She is only 15 years old

   4. She suffered a dislocated 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 picture taken?

   1. Barcelona

   2. Bern

   3. Birmingham

   4. Bremen

9. In Europe’s ‘big five’ football leagues, what connects Freiburg, Verona, Le Havre and Barcelona?

   1. They’re each division’s top scorers

   2. They’re the only teams with two red cards

   3. They’re the only teams in their league without a draw

   4. They’re the only unbeaten teams in each division

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

    1. Dick Dastardly

    2. Lightning McQueen

    3. Penelope Pitstop

    4. Road Runner

11. In the Women’s Euro 2025 qualifying playoffs, Czech Republic won their away leg against Belarus (held in Croatia) 8-1. What was the score in the return 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 squad, 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 picture question – which NFL team are pictured in their ‘throwback’ uniforms here?

    1. Denver Broncos

    2. Kansas City Chiefs

    3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

    4. Tennessee Titans

14. Rugby union’s autumn internationals kick off this weekend, with England hosting New Zealand. What was the outcome 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 star is co-owner of the National League side?

    1. Love Island star Kem Cetinay

    2. Dating guru Paul C Brunson

    3. Traitors contestant Harry Clark

    4. I’m A Celebrity winner Sam Thompson

Solutions

1:C – The Barcelona striker won it in 1960, and was the only male Spain-born player to win the award until Rodri’s success in 2024. Di Stéfano, who was born in Argentina but represented Spain, won the award in 1957 and 1959; Raúl and Iniesta both came second without winning the award., 2:B – Mourinho’s 58% win ratio is better than Ten Hag’s, but the Dutchman beats Solskjær (55%), Van Gaal (52%) and Moyes (51%) , 3:D – The England rugby league head coach was unimpressed by his team’s display despite a 34-18 win over Samoa in Wigan., 4:B – Wade, who is the Miami Heat’s all-time leading scorer, was present to unveil the statue – but many fans on social media felt the statue was not a great likeness, 5:A – The Brentford forward has 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 haven’t seen a 15-year-old hit a four over cover like that to win a game before, so that’s a first,’ said the Sixers captain, Ellyse Perry. ‘She’s very special, a legend, and we’re very lucky to have her.’, 7:C – While the term has been around in college football for longer, Staubach brought the phrase to the NFL in 1975. The Dallas QB ‘said a Hail Mary’ which launching the ball downfield for a touchdown to win their playoff game against Minnesota., 8:D – This is cycle-ball, an 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 already drawn at least once., 10:A – Hill described the world champion’s manoeuvre to force his title rival off the track as ‘Just daft and Dick Dastardly stuff … that was silly driving.’ , 11:D – In fairness, the job was already done., 12:C – Sadly, as Pepper is a backup wicketkeeper-batter, it’s unlikely we’ll see Salt and Pepper at the crease together in the Caribbean., 13:C – The team wore their old ‘creamsicle’ kit against NFC South rivals Atlanta; it’s a popular kit among fans, despite the fact that the Bucs’ fortunes improved drastically when they changed their colours to red and pewter in 1997., 14:C – England came from 19 points down to earn a 25-25 draw, with three late tries completing a dramatic comeback, 15:B – Brunson, who features in Married at First Sight and Celebs Go Dating, took part in a random draw on Saturday Brunch to find him a football team to support. He went to a game and quickly fell in love with the club

Scores

1. 0 and above.

   Thanks for playing, and enjoy your weekend