Drogba tells Chelsea: I’m off

SO LONG ... Didier Drogba bows out on a high after Chelsea's Champions League triumph

DIDIER DROGBA broke down in tears as he told stunned team-mates: ‘I’m off.’

The big hitman insists it broke his heart to finally admit his eight-year stay at Chelsea was over.

Drogba started to cry when he informed John Terry, Frank Lampard and the rest: ‘We will no longer be together next season.’

He made the shock announcment at the Blues victory parade, 24 hours after helping them to Champions League glory.

The 34-year-old is expected to link up with former team-mate Nicolas Anelka at Shanghai in China in a £200,000-a-week deal.

But the move was thrown in to doubt last night when it emerged coach Anelka is involved in a row with Shanghai’s owners.

Drogba said: “Even though it’s been three years since I said that I wanted to leave, I find it hard to admit that it’s over with this club — especially since I did not want this end.”

Drogba told France Football magazine: “I could not see myself sitting on the bench watching others play when the club plans to set up a new team.

"I’m not relieved, I am especially sad to leave such good guys. I prepare for my leap into the void, into the unknown.”

The Ivorian claims he could never play for another Premier League side.

He added: “If I must leave it will be for an adventure that’s totally different from the big leagues.

"First, because there is no question I would play for anyone else in England other than Chelsea and also, because I don’t know what I could get in Spain, Italy or Germany that I don’t already know.

“I don’t want to start an ordinary adventure elsewhere. I’m more attracted to a new life.”

Anelka has helped negotiations between Shanghai and Drogba reach an advanced stage.

But the Frenchman is unhappy with the interference he has encountered since taking over as player-coach from Jean Tigana last month and could decide to walk away.

'Perlawanan gila'

SHARAPOVA memegang trofi selepas menjuarai Rome Masters awal pagi semalam.

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ROM - Ratu Rusia, Maria Sharapova muncul juara kejohanan tenis Rome Masters buat kali kedua berturut-turut.

Pada aksi final awal pagi semalam, Sharapova berjaya mempertahankan kejuaraan yang dimenanginya tahun lalu apabila menumbangkan pemain handalan China, Li Na.

Bagaimanapun, Sharapova diberi tentangan sengit oleh Li Na sebelum meraih kemenangan 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) dalam masa dua jam.

Aksi tersebut juga terpaksa dihentikan seketika kerana hujan lebat.

Selepas tewas pada set pertama, Sharapova yang juga pemain No. 2 dunia, tidak menunjukkan tanda- tanda dia akan mudah menyerah kalah.

Sebaliknya dia kembali bangkit dalam set kedua, seterusnya mengheret perlawanan ke set penentuan.

Perlawanan set penentuan itu juga berlangsung sengit apabila kedua-dua saling memungut mata sebelum Sharapova menang menerusi tie-break.

"Ia satu perlawanan yang gila. Salah seorang daripada kami (Sharapova dan Li Na) harus memenangi perlawanan itu, jika tidak ia akan berterusan lebih lama.

"Agak sukar untuk memberikan aksi terbaik kerana angin kencang. Perlawanan ini cukup sukar kerana berlangsung dua jam.

"Memang menyedihkan kerana pada akhirnya seorang yang akan tewas tetapi saya gembira dengan kejayaan ini.

"Memang cukup hebat apabila dapat mengalahkan seorang pemain yang memiliki skil permainan yang tinggi," jelas Sharapova.

Sementara itu, Li Na menganggap aksi final tersebut seperti bermain bola sepak dalam cuaca hujan.

"Ia suatu perlawanan yang lucu. Walaupun kami direhatkan buat seketika tetapi kami tetap perlu memberi tumpuan setiap masa, situasi itu cukup memenatkan kami.

"Pada masa yang sama, situasi itu memberi tekanan kepada kami. Namun, saya mahu mengambilnya dari sudut positif," jelas Li Na yang juga juara Terbuka Perancis tahun lalu.

Kejayaan di Rom menyaksikan Sharapova menambah koleksi kejuaraan tahun ini selepas menjuarai Grand Prix Porsche di Stuttgart bulan lalu. - Reuters

Jersi dilelong RM13.85j

JERSI Babe Ruth yang dilelong kelmarin.

NEW YORK - Sehelai jersi besbol yang dipakai oleh pemain pasukan New York Yankess, Babe Ruth dilelong AS$4,415,658 (RM13,850,170) kelmarin.

Firma lelongan SCP Auctions menyatakan, ia merupakan jersi terawal yang pernah dipakai oleh pasukan New York Yankees.

Jersi itu keluaran tahun 1920.

Baju berkenaan yang bertahun-tahun dipamerkan di Muzium Kelahiran Babe Ruth di Baltimore dibeli oleh laman web Lelands.com.

Menurut SCP Auctions, harga itu mengatasi rekod lelongan memorabilia sukan sebelum ini yang dicatat pada 2010 untuk set undang-undang permainan bola keranjang oleh James Naismith. - Agensi

Chelsea akhirnya takluk Eropah

MUNICH - Pengurus Chelsea, Roberto Di Matteo berjaya membuktikan kredibiliti beliau selaku pengendali yang hebat sebaik membantu pasukan itu menjulang trofi Liga Juara-Juara.

Awal pagi semalam, The Blues berjaya menamatkan kemarau trofi Liga Juara-Juara apabila menewaskan Bayern Munich 4-3 menerusi penentuan sepakan penalti di Allianz Arena.

Sebelum ini, nasib malang The Blues yang dilihat agak hambar pada permulaan musim ini di bawah kendalian Andre Villas- Boas, ternyata berubah sebaik menerima sentuhan Di Matteo, 41, pertengahan Mac lepas.

Namun, tidak mustahil aksi final semalam merupakan perlawanan terakhir Di Matteo sebagai pengendali sementara The Blues memandangkan pemilik kelab, Roman Abramovich dilaporkan begitu ghairah mahu mendapatkan pengurus baharu yang lebih terkenal musim depan.

"Kadang-kadang bola sepak boleh membuatkan anda menjadi gila. Tidak ada sesiapa yang menyangka kami mampu muncul juara musim ini.

"Bagi saya, ia penamat yang cukup sempurna," kata Di Matteo.

Menurut beliau: "Kami hanya melakukan yang terbaik untuk menang.

"Kami berjaya melakukannya meskipun tanpa empat pemain utama, sebabnya memang kami layak muncul juara."

Pada masa sama, Di Matteo juga enggan mengulas mengenai masa depannya di Stamford Bridge meskipun mendapat sokongan majoriti pemain terutama kapten, John Terry yang mahu- kan beliau kekal sebagai pengurus.

"Ia tidak penting sama ada saya kekal ataupun tidak.

"Sejujurnya, saya gembira dengan peranan yang diberikan dan menerima apa jua keputusan mengenai nasib saya selepas ini," katanya.

Rakan sejawatannya di Bayern, Jupp Heynckes juga memuji kredibiliti yang dimiliki Di Matteo.

"Jika saya Abramovich, saya akan menawarkan kontrak selama tiga tahun lagi buat Di Matteo," katanya. - Reuters

Mooves like lightning Cow racers are hightailing it

Sound yer horn ... racer hurtles along

COW fast can you go? Farmers race pairs of cattle through muddy rice fields — by hanging on to their TAILS.

The riders even BITE the animals to make them go quicker in the traditional harvest celebration event in Indonesia.

Hoof it ... farmer splashes through field

Steak your bets ... pair look on fine form

I've got a beef ... jockey takes a tumble

Barca line up Drogba

DROG BARCS ... Catalans want Didier

Exclusive

BARCELONA are eyeing up a move to nab Didier Drogba on a free transfer from Chelsea.

The Spanish giants want to offer Drogba, 34, a two-year deal worth up to £5million a season to quit Chelsea and snub a move to China, Milan or the USA.

Chelsea have also offered the striker a new two-year deal with owner Roman Abramovich pulling out all the stops to keep him.

But Drogba is out of contract and could quit the Blues after the Champions League final on Saturday.

Though a move to Shanghai FC could be far more lucrative, the lure of playing alongside Lionel Messi and Co could prove irresistible for the Ivory Coast star.

A Barcelona source confirmed: “What the team needs is an attacking player who has the presence and strength to trouble defenders.

“Drogba has that profile and is one of the players the club are looking at.”

Drogba has spent eight seasons at Stamford Bridge but new boss Tito Vilanova, who will succeed Pep Guardiola after the Copa Del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao next week, wants a world-class striker as cover for David Villa.

The Spain superstar missed most of this season with a broken foot but will be fit for next season.

Italian giants AC Milan, who have wanted Drogba for years, were also in touch to declare their interest just after Chelsea beat Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final.

Cheerful spider that always looks happy to see you

Cheerful ... Happy Face Spider, which cheerfully is only ¼in long and harmless to humans

DARLYNE MURAWSKI / NAT GEO STOCK / CATERS NEWS

By ANDREW SNELL

THERE aren't many people who are happy to be around spiders, but this one at least will always look pleased to see you.

The tiny arachnid is called the Happy Face Spider, after the bizarre markings it sports on its back.

The cheerful creature — found in the rainforests of Hawaii — is only millimetres in size, and luckily is harmless to humans.

Snapper Darlyne Murawski said: “I took the picture when I was in Maui, while I was there I wanted to take the opportunity to see if I might be able to find a Happy Face Spider.

“We spent a while looking before we discovered one under a leaf in the rainforest.

“They’re so tiny, they’re difficult to find and you have to look at them through a magnifying glass to see the smiley face.

“But I eventually found one beneath a leaf in a rainforest. At first I was amazed at how small it was, less than a quarter of an inch big.

“You need look at it through a magnifying glass to see its smiley face, but it was fascinating.

“I was so thrilled I couldn’t wait to get home and find out more about it.”

Filem The Avengers kutip lebih RM3 bilion

SALAH satu adegan yang terdapat dalam filem The Avengers.

LOS ANGELES - Filem The Avengers memperoleh kutipan pecah panggung lebih AS$1 bilion (RM3.08 bilion) di seluruh dunia, kata beberapa pegawai kelmarin.

Menurut laman industri IMDb, filem tersebut memperoleh kutipan sebanyak AS$$1,002,082 (RM3,083,406).

Menurut agensi Exhibitor Relations yang mengumpulkan jumlah kutipan tiket, filem tersebut mengutip sebanyak AS$207 juta (RM638.3 juta) pada tayangan pembukaan dua minggu lalu menambah kutipan sebanyak AS$103.1 juta (RM317.8 juta) pada hujung minggu lepas di Amerika Utara.

Filem arahan Joss Whedon dengan kerjasama pengeluar komik terkenal, Marvel itu diadaptasi daripada komik bersiri paling popular, The Avengers.

Ia mengisahkan watak Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye dan Black Widow mengalahkan kuasa jahat yang diketuai oleh Loki. - AFP

Cari makanan dalam tong sampah

GAMBAR menunjukkan dua orang mencari makanan dalam tong sampah di Vancouver pada 10 April lalu.

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Beberapa orang mencari sisa makanan yang dibuang dalam tong sampah untuk dimakan di sini.

Mereka merupakan kumpulan yang dikenali sebagai freegan yang tidak membelanjakan wang untuk membeli makanan.

Freegan ialah gabungan dua perkataan dalam bahasa Inggeris iaitu free bermaksud percuma dan vegan yang merujuk kepada para pemakan sayur.

Kumpulan itu akan mencari pelbagai jenis makanan terbuang sama ada untuk disimpan atau dimakan.

Anggota-anggota kumpulan itu turut membuat makanan seperti sandwic daripada sisa makanan.

Matlamat kumpulan itu ialah untuk membangkitkan kesedaran orang awam tentang isu pengambilan makanan yang berlebihan. - Agensi

Beetle Royale Amazing fighting insect snaps

Stag don't ... Papuan Stag Beetles get testy

Igor Siwanowicz / Barcroft Media

THE FIRST rule of this Fight Club is — use insects.

That’s the fighting talk from Polish photographer Igor Siwanowicz, who has spent hours capturing head-to-head stag beetle battles.

His shots of battling insects, which are all male, also include nymphs and caterpillars all showing their true colours in a variety of interactions.

Although the beetles are between four and seven centimetres long, and the mantids less than six centimetres, Igor uses macro photography to capture them in all their creepy-crawly glory.

True colours ... two male African mantids get ready to fight in Munich, Germany

Igor Siwanowicz / Barcroft Media

“The mantids are suspicious of each other and display their wings to appear much larger, but the stag beetles really go at each other,” said Igor.

“They never fight to the death, but in the wild, the loser is tossed down from the tree trunk where the fight has taken place and the victor gets to mate with the female.”

Igor, 35, a research specialist at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Maryland, US, took many of the shots in his former home studio in Munich, Germany.

What's your point? ... baby chameleons get ready for a tussle

Igor Siwanowicz / Barcroft Media

He said: “I do keep some of my ’models’ as pets.

“Back in Munich, at the peak of my interest in keeping exotic animals, I owned three chameleons, two tree frogs, and 20-some species of praying mantids.”

Igor insists that all the insects are alive during the shooting.

So colourful ... two varieties of the Death's Head Hawk Moth caterpillars in Igor's studio

Igor Siwanowicz / Barcroft Media

“I’m often asked if the animals are dead, or if I freeze or stun them in any way. That is never the case." He adds: “The work requires a lot of patience.

“The animals cannot be trained into displaying more complex behaviour, but you may learn how to trigger a certain response, such as a threatening display.”

Even though he deals with some poisonous creatures, Igor claims he has never been bitten.

Metallic marvel ... the beetles spar in close-up

Igor Siwanowicz / Barcroft Media

“I’ve never felt threatened when taking photos, even when dealing with an angry hornet or a short-tempered tarantula.

“The most discomfort I’ve ever experienced as a result of photo session came from a New World Tarantula.

“Its venom has no medical significance, but it kicks off the hairs on its abdomen when it gets annoyed and they spread around like a cloud of itching powder — not a nice sensation.”

Standing proud ... the African Spiny Flower Mantis looks regal in battle

Igor Siwanowicz / Barcroft Media

Igor bought his first camera nine years ago, but he has always had a fascination with bugs.

“My parents are biologists and I grew up surrounded by biology textbooks,” he said.

“I enjoyed browsing through the illustrations and photographs before I learned how to read.”

He hopes to change misconceptions that insects should be feared.

Coming out of their shell ... land hermit crabs of Biak Island face off

Igor Siwanowicz / Barcroft Media

He said: “I often hear that my photos make animals that people would normally step on or run away from look strangely adorable.

“The highest prize a macro photographer can hope for is positive feedback from someone with a phobic fear of creepy crawlies.

“Some people have even turned my photography into art. I’ve seen it transformed into an oil painting, water colours, and there are six people I know of walking around with my photos tattooed on to their skin. How weird is that?”