data-mm-id=”_cqgp50iho”>Ahead of Super Bowl XL some 14 years ago, aging Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis allowed cameras to follow him around and showcase what he endured physically to play in an NFL game. The segment aired during Super Bowl pregame and, though I searched in vain to find it on YouTube, what I remember clearly from it was the pain on his face as he walked down the stairs and saying his body felt like it was in a "car accident" after every game. That memory stirred this morning when I read a quote from Ben Roethlisberger about what his body felt like in the aftermath of the Steelers' Week 1 win over the New York Giants. In his first game back since suffering what could have been a career-ending elbow injury in Week 2 last year, Roethlisberger stayed mostly upright, and yet this is what it was like for him waking up on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Roethlisberger on soreness: "I was saying today I feel like I was just in a car accident. Yesterday I felt like I was in a trainwreck. Hopefully tomorrow it'll feel like I just fell off a bike."I'm definitely sore. The good news is my arm is the only thing that doesn't hurt."— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) September 16, 2020The NFL is a physically punishing sport and everyone who plays it knows there will be pain at the end of each game. But seeing it in those terms provides a clearer perspective. And this was in a game Big Ben didn't take much abuse. Roethlisberger was sacked twice against the Giants and took three additional hits while passing, according to ProFootballFocus. If taking five hits in a game results in you feeling like you were in a trainwreck, what is Roethlisberger going to feel like in Week 16? Hell, what's he going to feel like in Week 2? Bettis was 33-years-old when he retired from football after winning that elusive Super Bowl in 2006. When I interviewed him a few weeks ago, I asked him about his health and he said he was feeling good and able to play golf, which clearly meant something to him. He also said Roethlisberger was the toughest teammate he ever had, which likewise means something coming from a player like Bettis who dealt with pain throughout his NFL career. Roethlisberger is now 38-years-old playing against 20-somethings who probably don't remember him helping lead the Steelers to that Super Bowl and deliver a ring to a franchise legend who was holding out for just that. He's played only one full season since 2015 and has battled too many injuries to count during that time. At this point, they're adding up and his body is dealing with the consequences. Is Big Ben looking for one more title run before hanging it up and riding off into the sunset like Bettis? Of course, every athlete dreams of retiring on top. But the ride up the mountain is fraught with danger and pain as Bettis can attest. Clearly, Roethlisberger is willing to deal with that as long as he can.
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The 41-year-old announced on Wednesday he will call time on a career of incredible longevity when Betis campaign comes to an end.
Captain Joaquin made his Betis debut 23 years ago and returned to the LaLiga club in 2015 following spells with Valencia, Malaga and Fiorentina.
Only the great Andoni Zubizarreta has made more LaLiga appearances than Joaquin s incredible 615, with the ex-Spain goalkeeper playing 622 times in the Spanish top flight.
Betis have nine games remaining this season, so Joaquin could take that record, although he has started only once this term.
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Had they not been deducted 15 points, Juve would be above Inter and firmly in that battle.
As it is, victory here is critical for Juve s slim chances of climbing into the top four — they are 10 points adrift of fourth-placed Milan — with both sides hoping the Rossoneri slip up at Udinese and Lazio and Roma play out a draw.
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Ryan Mason is looking for Tottenham to pick up where they left off in Thursday s 2-2 draw with Manchester United when they visit Liverpool on Sunday.
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While Mason s second stint as interim boss started poorly as United raced into a 2-0 lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a rousing second-half fightback saw Spurs clinch an unlikely draw.
Tottenham s failure to beat United may have killed their slim hopes of Champions League qualification, but Mason wants to see a similar performance at Anfield.
In football, negativity can spread very quickly, but so can positivity, he said.
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Arsenal are interested in signing Ivan Toney from London and Premier League rivals Brentford in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Arsenal were keen on a deal for Toney in the January transfer window and remain interested in the striker.
Brentford were willing to sell Toney in the January transfer window, but the London club were looking for £80 million for the England international striker. Arsenal were willing to pay around £50 million for the 27-year-old. The North London club, who are in the running for the Premier League title this season, think that they will get Toney for a lower fee in the summer of 2024.
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The race for second place in Euro 2012 qualifying Group E will be on in earnest on Tuesday, with Sweden, Finland and Hungary all in action.
The Netherlands have a six-point lead in the group, with six wins from six matches, with Sweden the next best on 12 points.
Hungary are third with nine points ahead of their trip to minnows San Marino, and Finland are fourth with six, desperately in need of full points from their trip to Sweden to keep their hopes alive.
Sweden coach Erik Hamren certainly has no worries up front before the Finland match, even without suspended superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
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Alvaro Morata has his sights set on World Cup glory with Spain next year, even though he concedes it will be impossible to match La Roja s famous team from 2008 to 2012.
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For the new generations it is hard, even impossible, to compete with that side that won everything, Morata, 24, said in an interview with GQ.
However, all of us players in the squad have dreams of doing something great with Spain.
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Norway s 3-1 win over Cyprus did little to alter the complexion of the group as they had to settle for third, on goal difference, behind Portugal.
Sweden spoiled Group E leaders the Netherlands unblemished qualifying with a 3-2 win as Hungary had to settle for third in the group.
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Both Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid will be eager to put their recent European frustrations behind them when they clash in La Liga on Sunday night.
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Real Sociedad
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Manuel Neuer has surpassed Philipp Lahm as Germany s outright leader for appearances at major tournaments.
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35 Manuel Neuer makes his 35th start at a major international tournament tonight, the outright most of any German player (Philipp Lahm, 34). Indeed, only Cristiano Ronaldo (43) and Paolo Maldini (36) have more among European players at the World Cup/EUROs c…
Dani Alves wants to make history with Sao Paulo as the full-back reiterated his desire to play for Brazil at the 2022 World Cup.
Alves, 36, signed with the Brazilian giants until the end of 2022, returning to play in his homeland for the first time since leaving Bahia in 2002.
The defender, who was linked with several European clubs, said he wanted to deliver for Sao Paulo.
I come here to Sao Paulo to work, I don t come to finish my career, Alves told a news conference, having been presented by the club on Tuesday.
I still have a lot of goals ahead, and one of them is to make history with Sao Paulo.
Sente o clima, torcida! Morumbi lindo demais!
Transmissão ao vivo:
— São Paulo FC (@SaoPauloFC)
Alves spent 17 trop…