Rory Smith

1 week ago | observer.co.uk | Rory Smith

Everything about the football Club World Cup was designed to be dazzling. The trophy that will be awarded to the tournament’s eventual victor, for example, is so gigantic and golden that, as Gianni Infantino has been determined to point out, merely calling it a trophy is almost an insult. “It is a masterpiece, a jewel,” the FIFA president said earlier this year. At the apparent recommendation of Jared Kushner, FIFA engaged Tiffany’s to produce it.

1 week ago | independent.ie | Rory Smith

The 12-hour flight from the North Island to San Francisco, then, was not a problem. The issue was making the connection that would take them to their training facility in Tennessee. They had to queue for immigration, wait for their luggage, cross the airport, transfer their luggage to their new flight, and clear customs. They had an hour and a half to do it. “It was my first experience of American airports, and how hectic they can be,” said goalkeeper, Conor Tracey. They did not make the flight.

1 week ago | observer.co.uk | Rory Smith |Andrew Butler

Sport is being reinvented for the digital age. In a special report, we explore how they are coping with the change. Micah Richards did not feel any need to sugarcoat the news. He had been exchanging messages with his old friend Mario Balotelli over the possibility of them working together again.

1 week ago | observer.co.uk | Rory Smith

4,928th-ranked side Auckland City come to the Club World Cup believing it more important than Europe’s elite do Auckland City’s journey to the Club World Cup was a little more circuitous than planned. The New Zealand champions’ semi-professional players are no strangers to long-haul travel; playing in the Oceania Champions League has always required regular trips to as far as Papua New Guinea. The 12-hour flight from the North Island to San Francisco was not a problem.

2 weeks ago | independent.ie | Rory Smith

Astonishing Cristiano Ronaldo a living bridge between the eras of Denis Wise and Lamine YamalPortugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (l) and Spain starlet Lamine Yamal. Lamal said the Nations League final would give him the chance to "prove who I am" after helping his side past France in the semis. There is no shortage of ways to illustrate the longevity of Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s quite a fun game, in fact: Cristiano Ronaldo’s international debut predates the invention of YouTube.