BIRTHDAYS
Raul (soccer) - Former Real Madrid and Spain forward, now manager at Real Madrid Castilla, born 1977.
Kevin Pietersen (cricket) - Former England batsman, born 1980.
Dale Steyn (cricket) - South Africa fast bowler, born 1983.
Gokhan Inler (soccer) - Switzerland midfielder, formerly with Leicester, born 1984.
Svetlana Kuznetsova (tennis) - Russian 2004 US Open and 2009 French Open champion, born 1985.
James Hook (rugby union) - Wales and Ospreys fly-half, born 1985.
Nico Rosberg (motor racing) - Retired Formula One champion, born 1985.
LaShawn Merritt (athletics) - American 2008 Olympic 400 metres champion, born 1986.
ON THIS DAY
1890: Canadian George Dixon beat Nunc Wallace with an 18th-round knockout at the Pelican Club in London to win the world bantamweight boxing title in what was the first fight under Queensberry Rules held in England.
1979: Muhammad Ali announced his retirement from boxing after 59 professional fights, nine months after regaining the world heavyweight title for the second time against Leon Spinks. He was tempted back into the ring a year later, though, losing to former sparring partner Larry Holmes for the title.
2006: Ronaldo broke Gerd Muller's World Cup finals record of 14 goals as Brazil beat Ghana 3-0.
2009: South Africa beat the British and Irish Lions 28-25 in the second Test in Pretoria to win the series.
2010: England were knocked out of the World Cup, losing their last-16 tie 4-1 to Germany in Bloemfontein. Frank Lampard's disallowed goal proved the catalyst for the introduction of goalline technology into football.
2012: Spain beat Portugal 4-2 on penalties in Donetsk to reach the European Championship final. The game finished 0-0 after extra time.
2013: Everton rejected a bid from Manchester United for defender Leighton Baines.
2014: Luke Shaw, 18, became the most expensive teenage footballer in history after completing his £27million move to Manchester United from Southampton.
2016: England crash out of the European Championship in France in a humiliating 2-1 defeat to Iceland. Manager Roy Hodgson stood down immediately after the shock loss that placed the smallest nation to grace a major tournament in the quarter-finals.
2017: The England 2018 World Cup bid team was found to have "accommodated or at least attempted to satisfy the improper request" of FIFA executive committee members, including former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, by the Garcia report.
2018: Holders Germany crashed out of the World Cup after a 2-0 defeat to South Korea, while Brazil, Switzerland, Sweden and Mexico all advanced to the knockout stages.
QUICK QUIZ
1 Kylian Mbappe joined Paris St Germain in 2018 from which club?
2 Who is the only male Japanese tennis player to have been ranked inside the world top five in singles?
3 Eoin Morgan plays for which cricket county?
4 In golf, who is the defending champion of the Open Championship?
5 The Kings, Canucks and Flames all play which sport?
(See quiz answers at bottom)
SPORT ON TV
Today (Thursday, June 27)
CRICKET: World Cup, West Indies v India - Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Cricket 1000.
SPORT: European Games, day seven - eir Sport 1 0700 & BT Sport 1000.
SOCCER: Women's World Cup, Norway v England - BBC One 1930; Africa Cup of Nations, Madagascar v Burundi - Eurosport 2 1515, Senegal v Algeria - Eurosport 2 1745, Kenya v Tanzania - Eurosport 2 2045.
TENNIS: WTA, Eastbourne - Eurosport 1100 & BBC Two England 1300.
GOLF: European Tour, Andalucia Valderrama Masters - Sky Sports Golf 1100; PGA Tour, Rocket Mortgage Classic - Sky Sports Golf 1300 & Sky Sports Main Event 2200; Seniors Tour, US Seniors Open - Sky Sports Golf 2300.
RUGBY LEAGUE: Super League, Hull KR v Hull FC - Sky Sports Arena & Sky Sports Main Event 1900.
SNOOKER: World Cup - Eurosport 1 0730 & 0555 (Fri) & Eurosport 2 1225.
POOL: World Cup - Sky Sports Action 1330.
BASEBALL: MLB, Chicago Cubs v Atlanta Braves - BT Sport//ESPN 1900.)
Tomorrow (Friday, June 28)
CRICKET: World Cup, Sri Lanka v South Africa - Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Cricket 1000.
SPORT: European Games, day eight - eir Sport 1 0800 & BT Sport 1000.
SOCCER: Africa Cup of Nations, Tunisia v Mali - Eurosport 2 1515, Morocco v Ivory Coast - Eurosport 2 1745, South Africa v Namibia - Eurosport 2 2045; SSE Airtricity League, Shamrock Rovers v Dundalk - eir Sport 1 1930.
TENNIS: WTA, Eastbourne - Eurosport 1100 & BBC Two England 1300.
AUTO: Formula One, Austrian Grand Prix practice - Sky Sports F1 0945 & Sky Sports Main Event 1345.
GOLF: European Tour, Andalucia Valderrama Masters - Sky Sports Golf 1100; PGA Tour, Rocket Mortgage Classic - Sky Sports Golf 1300 & Sky Sports Main Event 2215; Seniors Tour, US Seniors Open - Sky Sports Golf 2300.
RUGBY LEAGUE: Super League, Warrington v St Helens - Sky Sports Arena & Sky Sports Main Event 1900.
RUGBY UNION: Women's Rugby Super Series, England v USA - Sky Sports Action 2030, Canada v New Zealand - Sky Sports Action 2355.
MOTO: MotoGP, Grand Prix of Assen practice - BT Sport 2 0745.
SNOOKER: World Cup - Eurosport 1 0730 & 0555 (Sat) & Eurosport 2 1225.
POOL: World Cup - Sky Sports Action 1330.
BASEBALL: MLB, Tampa Bay Rays v Texas Rangers - BT Sport//ESPN 0000 (Sat).
QUICK QUIZ answers: 1 Monaco; 2. Kei Nishikori; 3. Middlesex; 4. Francesco Molinari; 5. Ice hockey.
