The famously diet-conscious Ronaldo has inspired a new level of abstemiousness within the Man United squad

It would stand to reason that people might begin to lose interest in a team who can only be reliably expected to provide moments of real joy twice or three times a decade. Life is short. You went to Italy in a transit van? Great. We’ve got Netflix and Instagram and electric bicycles now

Doing the right thing by women’s football is expected now, thankfully. But how often the game does right by women in general?

If Limerick were to win this Sunday, making it three hurling titles in four years, playing this brand of hurling, will they be crowned the GAA’s new imperial overlords?

This is a summer of fire sales and belt-tightening, bargain buys and free transfers. Exceptions to the general frugality are those like PSG, Man City, and Chelsea, financed by fossil fuel billions, or Man United, financed by car tyres, noodles, and dreams

At the time of writing Team Ireland have four medals, their joint third best total ever, and still there is a slight air of underachievement. There’s been rotten luck, injuries and some have plain underperformed

Like any exotic holiday, attempting to speak the language is part of it

It is almost as if the Olympic movement are engaged in their own version of Citius, Altius, Fortius: bigger, more expensive, more ridiculous.

What’s that? You think this dramatic conversion to the Ukrainian cause is because of who they are playing on Saturday night? How dare you...

It barely needs pointing out that the promotion of football is a key piece in Orban’s populist toolbox, alongside less happy-clappy items like the mistreatment of immigrants and the suppression of the media