The world of sports is surprisingly full of friendships that show fans the value of having a great friend. Over the years, some of the fiercest on-field rivals have come to become the best of friends off it. It's hard to imagine such great competitors forging beautiful human bonds away from the playing arena, and therefore always an interesting story for the fans, and what better way to celebrate than by taking a look at some of the best friendships in sports history? 

Sourav Ganguly- Sachin Tendulkar

The duo formed the most destructive and successful opening partnership on the pitch and an abiding friendship off it. If interviews and social media are anything to go by, these two idols of Indian cricket have still remained the best of friends, ocassionally engaging is friendly banters and revealing funny anecdotes about their playing days. 

In his autobiography titled 'A Century is not enough' Ganguly remebers the time Sachin Tendulkar taped his bat when India toured England in 1996, a sojourn which saw the Bengal southpaw announce his arrival on the international stage. 

 Roger Federer- Rafael Nadal

Spanning years of rivalry, Federer and Nadal have ruled world tennis for quite some time. Although they are rivals on the court, the two personalities are great friends off it. 

It is worth noting that Federer was invited as a special guest when Nadal opened a tennis academy in 2016. Also, on occasions like joint-interviews, their budding friendship is very visible. It is also known that Federer credits Nadal as the most inspiring and influential person he has met in his life.

But not these two. By all accounts, they hold each other in high regard and have spoken glowingly about each other during interviews. The mutual respect they have is clear

Cristiano Ronaldo- Marcelo

Ronaldo and Marcelo had a wonderful relationship at Real Madrid, and a combination that began and ended thanks to Ronaldo's big money moves to Juventus in 2018. Their link-up play on the left side of the pitch was ruthless, and their time together helped them form a special bond while winning record number of trophies together at Madrid.

LeBron James - Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James won two NBA Finals together and played in two more from 2010-2014, but their friendship runs much deeper than that. This partnership began when the two were just entering the league and continued when they played together for the gold medal in the 2008 Olympics.

Rumor has it they made a pact at the Olympics, along with Chris Bosh, to join forces at some point in their careers. They did just that to great effect. Even after James left the Heat, the two have stayed close. Now their sons will team up on the same high school basketball team ushering in the next era of athlete friends.

Magic Johnson- Larry Bird

Magic Johnson and Larry were college basketball rivals. Throughout the 1980s, they played against each other for NBA titles. 

It was only when both were invited for a shoe commercial, that a blossoming friendship started. Earlier, Johnson thought Larry was overrated, meanwhile, the latter thought that the former was a showoff. The commercial bought them together and they remain friends to this day.

Xavi- Iniesta

Xavi and Andres Iniesta spent more than a decade together at Barcelona, creating one of the best midfield partnerships in the sport's history. Off the field, they hold each other in high regard and are the best of mates. In 2015, when Xavi left Barcelona for Al Sadd, Iniesta was reduced to tears as he bid farewell to his friend at a special event and labelled Xavi as his "captain, team-mate and friend."

MS Dhoni- Suresh Raina

MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina are a pair of cricketers who retired from international cricket on the same day. In fact, Suresh has also stated that he will have zero interest in participating in the Indian Premier League if Dhoni decides to end his IPL career.

Raina and Dhoni have had many memorable partnerships on the field. Their match-winning partnership in a tricky run-chase against Zimbabwe in the 2015 Cricket World Cup is a partnership that is very close to the hearts of all cricket fans.

Virat Kohli- AB de Villiers

Virat Kohli is the captain of the Indian cricket team and the Royal Challengers Bangalore right now. At RCB, Kohli joined hands with former South African cricket team captain AB de Villiers in 2011.

Ten years have passed and now Kohli and de Villiers are the best of the friends. Their bromance has wowed the cricket universe, and they have destroyed many bowling attacks together while donning the RCB jersey.

Smriti Mandhana- Jemimah Rodrigues

Indian women's cricket has certainly been on the rise in last few years. While the performances on the field have been incredible, the popularity has something to do with off the field stuff as well. From their singing sessions on Instagram to their comradery while batting together, the friendship of Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues is certainly known to everyone.

The silent attitude of Smriti and the jolly nature of Jemimah just make their bond even more exciting. They are the face of Indian women's cricket going ahead and the fans would just hope that the duo's amazing bond stays intact for years to come.

Steven Gerrard- Xabi Alonso

Gerrard and Alonso created a talented midfield anchor at Liverpool, with their strong chemistry crucial to the Reds' success. They played a huge part in Liverpool's famous Champions League triumph, both scoring in the "Miracle of Istanbul" 14 years ago.

This completes our list of the Best Friendships in Sports.

In the world of football, few clubs stand out like Chelsea FC. Their trophy cabinet tells a story of incredible success, proving that they have truly won it all!

With their recent UEFA Conference League 4-1 victory over Real Betis, Chelsea completed a historic sweep of all major UEFA titles.

Here is trophy cabinet of Chelsea FC that defines their successful journey in the football world. Take a look.

European Royalty: Conquering the Continent

Chelsea have battled across the continent's most prestigious stages and won every major UEFA club trophy, a feat few clubs can claim.

Their crowning achivements including 2 UEFA Champions League titles, notable defeating Bayern Munich [1-1 (4-3 pens)] in 2012 and Manchester City (1-0) in 2021.

Beyond the Champions League, Chelsea also lifted the UEFA Europa League twice (2013, 2019), and the now-defunct UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1971, famously against Real Madrid in the replay, and also in 1998.

Additionally, two UEFA Super Cup victories (1998, 2021) further highlight their continental dominance.

The collection was completed with their 2025 UEFA Conference League triumph, where Chelsea FC beat Real Betis 4-1 in the final.

The domestic dominance of Chelsea FC

Beyond their European conquests, they have also established as masters of England by securing highest domestic honors.

The Blues clinched the First Division/Premier League title and impress six times (1955, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2017) along with eight FA Cup victories (1970, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2018). This makes them the competition's most successful team.

Their domestic dominance also extends to League Cup, which they have won five times in the following years: 1965, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2015.

Completing the Set: Global and Historic Honors

Chelsea's trophy cabinet truly lives upto the "won it all" status by having a collection of unique, historical, and global titles.

The FIFA Club World Cup win over Palmeiras (2-1) in 2021, made them only London club to win the Champions League as well as FIFA Club WC.

Further adding to their phenomenal collection are four Charity/Community Shield triumphs (1955, 2000, 2005, 2009), which mark their traditional early-season dominance.

As we move down to the final count, Chelsea also holds two Full Members' Club Victories (1986, 1990).

A look at Chelsea's Trophy Cabinet:

If anyone has followed cricket casually over the last decade, they're likely familiar with four key names: former Indian captain Virat Kohli, batting genius Steve Smith, English great Joe Root, and New Zealand's all-time leading run-scorer Kane Williamson.

They together are known as the 'Fab Four' in the modern era of cricket.

Each of them has set new benchmarks for performance, continually pushing one another to enhance their skills. These four batsmen have not only dominated the world of cricket but have also met the expectations of their respective nations.

In this article, we will examine the statistics of the Fab Four across all formats.

Fav Four in cricket: How many runs & centuries have they scored in International Cricket?

Virat Kohli has been the most prolific all-format batter among the fav-four. Kohli, till now in his 550 international games, has scored 27,599 runs with an outstanding average of 52.27. His record of 82 international centuries is only second to Sachin Tendulkar's 100 international centuries.

Read Also | Most ICC Trophies by any men's team

Joe Root comes in second among them with 20,724 runs so far for England across formats. However, undoubtedly, he has been the best test batter of his generation with 12972 test runs, which sets him as the highest test run scorer for England. Root has also scored 53 international hundreds, of which 36 came in tests only.

Read Also | Winners list of last 10 ICC Tournaments (men's)

Kane Williamson, New Zealand's highest runscorer in international cricket, comes at number three in terms of international runs among the fav four. The former Kiwi leader has scored 19,086 runs so far in his career at an average of 48.56. Kane is now only two short of reaching 50 international hundreds. 

Read Also | Most Test runs in 2024: Root, Jaiswal, Duckett and more

Aussie great Steven Smith comes at four with 17,165 runs at an average of 47.81. A late bloomer with the bat, Smith has been outstanding for Australia in tests and ODIs. Along with Root, Smith has also been one of the greatest test batters of this generation.

Here is a comparison of international stats of the fav four. 

Read Also: Most Wickets in Test Cricket

Fab Four in Cricket: Stats across different formats

Virat Kohli (IND)

Joe Root (ENG)

Kane Williamson (NZ)

Steven Smith (AUS)

Note: The article was initially written by Abishek Goswami and then got updated by Koushik Biswas

Premier League, also known as the English Premier League, is a top-tier football league in England. This league consists of 20 teams in a league system with a relegation and promotion system to/from the English Championship.

Each team plays 38 matches against every other team, 19 at home and away. The seasons generally start in August and run till May. The Premier League is the most-watched sports league globally and is broadcast in over 200 territories with an average number of viewers of 4.7 billion.

As Liverpool FC won their second title of the Premier League era, we will look at the clubs with the most Premier League titles in the history of English Football.

Read also- Most Bundesliga titles till 2023

Premier League: History

The Football League First Division was the top-tier football league in England from 1888. But in the post-1970s and early 1980s, the league started to reach a low point with incidents like the 1985 Heysel Stadium disaster, which banned them from UEFA Competitions for five years. 

But after England reached the 1990 FIFA World Cup semi-finals, the downward trend started to reverse. The stadium started to get filled, and the Taylor Report on stadium safety standards also helped clubs to create better standard stadiums. 

After a dispute over TV rights and maximising the club revenue, the big five clubs, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, and Arsenal, opted to come out of the Football League First Division and create another league. 

At the close of the 1990-91 season, the FA Premier League was formed, and from 1992-93 the Premier League era started with 22 teams. Manchester United were the first Premier League champions and went on to win seven of the first nine trophies.

Who has won the most Premier League titles?

Till now, 51 teams have played in the Premier League since the tournament was rebranded in 1992. 7 teams have successfully won the Premier League title.

Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Tottenham are considered the 'Big Six' in the Premier League. Unfortunately, Tottenham haven't lifted any major title in their history, but still, they go toe to toe with every club and take part in the title race.

Manchester United, with 13 Premier League titles since 1992, are the most successful club in the Premier League era.

Most Premier League titles won by the clubs

Most Premier League Titles

7. Leicester City - 1 title

In the 2015-16 Premier League season, Leicester City won the title in the Premier League. They were considered to be an underdog before but they overcame the rough phase and won the Premier League title in the club's 132-year history.

Striker Jamie Vardy broke the record for consecutive games with a goal in the Premier League (11). Meanwhile, Riyad Mahrez became both the first African and Algerian player to be the recipient of the PFA Players' Player of the Year.

Also Read: Football Facts: Son-Father Football Pair Who Played For Same Club

6. Blackburn Rovers - 1 title

Blackburn Rovers was one of the 22 founding members of the Premier League era. They won the Premier League a long time ago in the 1994-95 season. Alan Shearer, with 34 goals for them, was the top scorer of the season. However, they were relegated in the 1998–99 season, becoming one of the 42 teams that were relegated as the Premier League champions.

Right after two seasons, they were promoted again in the 2000-01 season, but they were relegated yet once again, and that too in the same season. Unfortunately, they have not returned to the Premier League since then.

5. Liverpool FC - 2 titles

The Anfield Giants are one of the most popular English Clubs. Midfield maestros Steven Gerrard and William Shankly were a few of the legends that the club produced.

However, Liverpool had to wait for 30 years for their first-ever Premier League title. The club won the Premier League once in 2019-20 under German tactician Jurgen Klopp. That was Liverpool's nineteenth overall title in England's top-tier football. 

Mohamed Salah, with 19 goals, was one of the star performers for the Reds in that season. 

As their most recent league success, Liverpool won the Premier League 2024-25 title with 4 games to go in the season. Arne Slot's first season as the Liverpool manager gave them their 20th Title in the top flight and 2nd in the Premier League era.

Mohamed Salah again played a pivotal role in their success with 28 goals and counting. 

4. Arsenal FC - 3 titles

The London Giants Arsenal are one of the most famous football clubs on planet earth. They have won the title 3 times in the years 1997-98, 2001-02, and 2003-04.

They were the first club to create Premier League history by maintaining a 38-game unbeaten streak to win the title in 2003-04.

In domestic football, Arsenal has won 13 league titles, a record 14 FA Cups, two League Cups, and 17 FA Community Shields, but they haven't won a single European title yet.

Read Also: The Invincibles: 8 times a football team won their league undefeated

3. Chelsea FC - 5 titles

Another London club, Chelsea, is on this list, and there is no doubt why they are the best London Club in the Premier League. They won the title 5 times in the years 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2014-15, and 2016-17.

The Blues won their first Premier League title under the 'Special One' Jose Mourinho, who completely changed the face of this London Club alongside Roman Abramovich, who was the Chelsea owner at that time.

They have also won the Champions League 2 times, alongside 2 Europa League titles. 

2. Manchester City - 8 titles

Manchester City, the Blue side of Manchester, are the reigning champions of England and Europe. This team have won the title 7 times in the years 2011-12, 2013-14, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24.

In the 2023-24 season, Manchester City became the first club to win the Premier League for a record fourth consecutive season. No side in English football history had ever won the top-flight more than three years back-to-back.

They are the second Club after Manchester United to complete the three-pit in the Premier League and win the European treble.

The club has won nine league titles, seven FA Cups, eight League Cups, six FA Community Shields, one UEFA Champions League, one European Cup Winners' Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, and one FIFA Club World Cup.

Read Also | Barcelona 2008/09 vs Man City 2022/23 - which Pep Guardiola treble team is better?

1. Manchester United - 13 titles

The team with the most Premier League Titles is Manchester United, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. They are the most successful team in the English Premier League and also the most famous English Club on the Entire Planet. United were also the first-ever team to win the Premier League.

They were the first English club to ever win the European treble, and that remained a record until Manchester City finally matched it in the 2022-23 season. Manchester United won the titles in 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11, and 2012-13.

Read Also | 15 most successful football clubs in England

They have also won the most number of trophies in England, and that happened because of the Scottish manager Sir Alex Ferguson. He managed Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. Sir Alex is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time and has won more trophies than any other manager in the history of football

Ranji Trophy was founded as the 'Cricket Championship of India' at a meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in July 1934. The first Ranji Trophy fixtures took place in the 1934-35 season.

Mumbai are the most successful state in Ranji's history, winning 42 titles, including 15 consecutive trophies between 1958 and 1973. Here is the Ranji Trophy winners list since the inaugural season.

Mumbai - The most successful team in the Ranji Trophy

Mumbai are the most successful first-class team in Indian domestic cricket across different competitions. They have won the Ranji Trophy title a total of 42 times and also won the inaugural season of this prestigious tournament.

Read Also | Most Wickets in a Ranji Trophy Season

Mumbai won seven out of the first 20 seasons and then between the 1950s and 1970s, they won 20 out of 22 titles in the Ranji Trophy. Mumbai's latest title came in the 2023-24 season.

After Mumbai, Karnataka have won the most Ranji Trophies (8) followed by Delhi (7), Baroda (5), and Madhya Pradesh (5). Karnataka have been part of the tournament since the inaugural season. They had to wait until the 1973-74 edition to lift their maiden title. Their latest win came in the 2014-15 edition.

Also Read: Most Successful Teams in the Ranji Trophy History

Delhi won their maiden Ranji title in 1978-79 and their most recent win came in the 2007-08 edition while Baroda made their first-class debut in 1937 and won their maiden title in 1942-43.

Madhya Pradesh have also won five titles after their debut in the 1941 season. They won their first Ranji title in 1945-46, defeating Baroda in the finals.

Also Read: Last 10 winners of the Ranji Trophy

Ranji Trophy winners since 1934-35 season

Technology is quickly changing how players train in football and cricket, transforming conventional practices for these games and it is redefining human performance.

The role of technology in these two popular sports is visible, from relying on sensors which monitor all activity; to virtual reality simulations that aid decision-making, 

In recent years, technology has become smaller, more robust, and versatile, and thus new opportunities, especially in sports, have emerged. At the moment, updates are provided through smartphones, wearable functionality is used to avoid injury, GPS is used to track movement, and players are outfitted with sensors that send real-time information to a coach's device.

This article addresses the state-of-the-art equipment and approaches that are changing the paradigm of training, player development, and the game itself.

How Technology is Changing Cricket and Football Training

1. Wearable Technology

Trainers can invoke sensors wired to the body or some portion of "smart clothing" for measurement and monitoring in real-time. The real-time displays can be used to help the trainer determine what every sportsperson should push more. During training practice, trainers can use real-time measures to inform when to stretch, rest, or make training more challenging.

Laser and GPS are both being used more and more in different aspects of sports preparation. Instead of looking only at times and splits, coaches can measure athletes' exact position, distance, velocity, and acceleration, to better analyze their areas of improvement.

2. Video Analysis Tools

Modern-day football is becoming faster and more tactical. Athletes have to acquire both their athleticism and tactical awareness to enhance their decision-making process in the course of play. Video analysis is used for both individual and team tactical development.

In football, video analysis usually consists of a careful analysis and examination of game matches, practice, and player activity, to assess player performance, tactics, and strategies. Advanced technologies such as wearable tracking units and video analysis techniques are used in the process of achieving these things to capture and analyze critical elements of data, e.g., player location, combinations of teams, and player movements.

Video analysis can be used by coaches, analysts, and players to obtain a more complete picture of what goes on around the ball by giving a graphical representation of the game happening around them.

Video analysis can help a group of individuals to recognize the points of improvement, e.g., to enhance the winning approach and cope with different match situations effectively as the tool between the raw performance data and useful insights.

3. Virtual Reality (VR) Training

Virtual Reality (VR) applications have been of considerable interest in many high-performance and entertainment applications over the past few years with advances in technology, increased availability, and the mobility of VR systems.

More precisely, by embedding environmental constraints within an interactive virtual space, VR can also be used to train in motor, mental, and cognitive skills, strategy, and tactics.

VR offers promising novel solutions to many professional high-pressure, high-skill environments, especially for the training, and learning of difficult skills in otherwise expensive and/or hazardous settings. When properly used, VR provides complete control over the training environment, including cues and challenges, along with safe and reproducible training tasks. 

Because of this, it is designated as a promising instrument, which could help increase athletes' performance.

4. Biomechanical Analysis

The scientific study of biomechanics focuses on the physics and mechanics of how organisms move. In its general sense, it may include anything from knowing how a dancer entirely moves the whole body to the microscopic muscle cell-level response and observing the posture of an active horse.

Biomechanics is a narrower area in sports, which can offer helpful input to sportsmen, trainers, and sports medicine professionals who can help to enhance performance and decrease the chance of injury.

All of these biomechanical tests, including poor kinematics, rotational forces in specific joints, muscle imbalances, fatigue monitoring, and the quality of the movement being rehabilitated, may be detected.

5. Data Analytics

Data analytics has optimized athletes' performance by identifying previously unknown factors and related events. Those actions include, for example, leg motion, dive angle, rotational speed, and fluid motion.

Trainers can help players to successfully use this type of sophisticated movement tracking. If it is on the order of milliseconds, it can be the deciding factor for a race win or loss.

6. Recovery Technology

A significant reduction in injury levels and faster detection times demonstrates how technology greatly benefits sports training. Performance monitoring, movement processing, and improving communication are not only advantages but also contribute to making less susceptible environments.

Trainers and coaches can use training management software to monitor the specific training-based elements related to, for example, energy, nutrition, and sleep, that constitute the training process. Individualization of practices by trainers or coaches to optimize results helps prevent fatigue and self-inflicted injuries.

Besides the unavoidable external factors, injury-free sports may eventually be realized as a future scenario.

7. Communication and Collaboration Tools

Training communication has been enhanced by tools such as YouTube. YouTube contains millions of minutes of exercise and entertainment that are available to, and easily shared by anyone.

Physicists, especially in the area of sport and motor control, need to put much more emphasis on teaching sport and motor control with play debates or footage from films for their continuing education.1 Athletes and coaches can load and view the required films during sports practice or leisure time.

Other communication technologies have further been developed, namely My Fitness Pal, computer or mobile-phone journals on food and exercise, and personal digital health. My Fitness Pal enables trainers to monitor athletes' everyday diets, and players would be responsible for their training.