Luciano Spalletti says the late Diego Maradona is playing a big part in irrepressible Napoli's quest to end their long wait to win the Serie A title.

Napoli have not won the Scudetto since Maradona inspired them to be crowned champions back in 1990, but there appears to be no stopping them this season.

A 3-0 win over Cremonese on Sunday put the runaway leaders 16 points clear of Inter, who have a game in hand, and the Partenopei also remain in the hunt for Champions League glory.

Napoli have reeled off six Serie A wins in a row since suffering their only loss to Inter.

Head coach Spalletti, who is on course to win a first Serie A title at the age of 64, revealed they are trying to go about their business in the same manner as club legend Maradona, who died at the age of 60 in November 2020.

He said: "We have him there. In the locker room there's that statue of Maradona that many go to touch. I do too when we go out on the pitch because we want to bring him into the quality of our team.

"He was someone who won through his quality, through all those things that fans like. We want to try to resemble him as much as possible and we will always carry him with us for the teachings he has given us."

Spalletti also compared winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has scored 11 goals and provided 12 assists this season, to Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.

He said of the Georgia international: "He is truly someone who has sensitivity in dribbling, in stroking the ball, in making those tricks that are so difficult to defend against.

"Salah is one of those who has this quality in close quarters and in finishing so precisely. That he didn't feel the pressure, it can be seen that he is a calm boy. He will have a great future."

Stefano Pioli is relishing Tuesday's meeting with old foe Antonio Conte as Milan prepare to host Tottenham in their first outing in the Champions League knockout stages since 2014.

Milan finished second to Chelsea in Group E to progress to the last 16 for the first time since the 2013-14 season, when they were hammered 5-1 on aggregate by Atletico Madrid.

Conte's Tottenham stand between Milan and a spot in the last eight, with the former Juventus and Inter boss one of five Italian coaches still present in the competition.

Conte has won eight of his last nine games against Milan (L1) in a run dating back to 2013, and he joins Pioli, Inter's Simone Inzaghi, Napoli's Luciano Spalletti and Real Madrid's Champions League specialist Carlo Ancelotti on an impressive list of Italian bosses to escape the group stage.

Asked who was the strongest of those coaches at Monday's pre-match press conference, Pioli said: "Ancelotti is a symbol but so are Conte and Spalletti. 

"There are lots of good coaches, we have a good school and important characteristics. 

"Conte is a great coach and one of the few colleagues who called to congratulate me on the Scudetto last season.

"It will be a difficult challenge, inevitably it will be like this for a quarter-final place. A week ago they beat Manchester City. It will be a great game that we will have to play well."

Despite Milan's absence from the latter stages of the competition in recent years, only Real Madrid (14) can better the Rossoneri's tally of seven European Cup/Champions League titles.

Asked whether Milan's illustrious history in the competition could present a psychological barrier for Spurs, Pioli said: "I can't know what our opponents are experiencing, I know what we feel. 

"We are highly motivated and it's normal. We only think up to Tottenham. Winning the Champions League is a dream today but it's useless to think about it now."

With Milan 18 points adrift of Serie A leaders Napoli and suffering defeats in the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana last month, their Champions League tie against Spurs will go a long way to dictating whether their season is deemed a success.  

Speaking to Sky Sport ahead of his press conference, Pioli described the tie as the most crucial occasion of his career.

"They will be the two most important matches of my career, having never played in a Champions League round of 16. We have prepared ourselves in the best possible way," he said.

"Our aim is to play with more pace and intensity, you can't ignore that in these competitions. We have prepared ourselves to be up to it."

Kylian Mbappe has returned to training ahead of Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League clash with Bayern Munich, raising the prospect of the forward featuring after he was thought likely to miss the game.  

Mbappe sustained a hamstring injury in PSG's 3-1 win at Montpellier on February 1, leading the French giants to announce he was likely to be sidelined for three weeks.

PSG boss Christophe Galtier has stressed the need to carefully manage Mbappe's injury, while Bayern counterpart Julian Nagelsmann accused the Ligue 1 champions of "playing poker" regarding his availability.

On the eve of Tuesday's round-of-16 first leg between the two European giants, PSG were handed a boost as Mbappe was pictured in training with his team-mates.

Mbappe's potential return could be pivotal for a PSG side that has struggled in his absence, exiting the Coupe de France against Marseille last week before being beaten 3-1 by Monaco in Ligue 1.

Since making his PSG debut in 2017, Mbappe has recorded 57 goal contributions (34 goals, 23 assists) in 50 Champions League appearances – no other player has managed 20 goals and 20 assists in the competition during that span.

Lionel Messi was also absent for PSG's dire defeat at Monaco, though Galtier maintained he would return to training on Monday, and the World Cup winner was seen alongside Mbappe as the side stepped up their preparations for Tuesday's game.

The last 16 of the Champions League gets underway on Tuesday with two potentially fascinating encounters.

Milan host Tottenham in the Rossoneri's first Champions League knockout game since the 2013-14 season, while two of the favourites in this year's competition, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, face off in the French capital.

Neither Milan nor Spurs come into their first leg in the best form, with Stefano Pioli's side getting their first win in eight games on Friday against Torino, while their English opponents were thrashed 4-1 by Leicester City.

PSG are also faltering, having lost 3-1 at Monaco at the weekend, leading to fan protests and Presnel Kimpembe having to calm them down through a megaphone.

Bayern will hope to add to the problems of Christophe Galtier's men, who seem likely to be without Kylian Mbappe, but Julian Nagelsmann admitted his own players are "not in the flow" in spite of their 3-0 win against Bochum on Saturday.

Stats Perform has taken a look at some Opta numbers ahead of the first pair of Champions League knockout games.

Milan v Tottenham

This will be the fifth competitive meeting between Milan and Tottenham, with the Premier League side unbeaten across each of the previous four (W2 D2).

They last played each other in the 2010-11 campaign at the same stage of the Champions League. Spurs won 1-0 on aggregate, with Peter Crouch scoring the only goal of the tie.

Spurs boss Antonio Conte has won eight of his last nine games as a head coach against Milan (L1), between 2013 and 2021. Indeed, he has seen his side win and keep a clean sheet in each of his last three trips to face the Rossoneri away from home (2-0 in 2014, 2-0 in 2019 and 3-0 in 2021 – all in Serie A).

Conte will be looking to win consecutive away games in the Champions League for just the second time in his managerial career, having last done so in the 2012-13 campaign when he was at Juventus (1-0 v Shakhtar Donetsk and 3-0 v Celtic).

Olivier Giroud has been directly involved in six goals for Milan in the Champions League (four goals and two assists) – the last player with more in a single campaign in the competition for the club was Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 2011-12 season (nine – five goals and four assists).

Ivan Perisic has three assists in five appearances for Spurs in the Champions League, already his joint-most for a club among the four he has played for in the competition: three in 10 games for Bayern, one in 20 for Inter and none in 11 for Borussia Dortmund.

The three players to have recovered possession most often in the middle third of the pitch in the Champions League this season all play for either Milan or Spurs: Rodrigo Bentancur (34), Ismael Bennacer (32) and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (31), though Bentancur will be missing after suffering a season-ending knee injury at the weekend.

Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich

PSG have faced Bayern on 11 previous occasions, with all of them coming in the Champions League. The teams are separated by just one victory (six for PSG and five for Bayern), while they have scored the same number of goals (15 each).

Among teams who have faced Bayern on 10+ occasions in the Champions League, PSG are the team with the highest win percentage against them (55).

Bayern won all six of their group games this season, scoring 18 goals and only conceding twice. The only previous occasion in which they won their first seven matches of a Champions League campaign was in the 2019-20 campaign, when they had a 100 per cent record (11/11) in the competition.

PSG have only failed to score in one of their last 32 home games in the Champions League (averaging 2.6 goals per game), though the exception was in a 1-0 defeat against Bayern in the 2020-21 quarter-final second leg.

Joshua Kimmich has won 76 per cent of his matches for Bayern in the Champions League (50/66). Among all players to make 50+ appearances in the competition, he is the only player to have featured on the winning side in more than three quarters of his games.

Since the start of the 2017-18 season – his first at PSG – Mbappe has been directly involved in 57 goals in 50 appearances in the Champions League (34 goals and 23 assists). Indeed, he is the only player with both 20+ goals and 20+ assists during this period. He will be a big miss should he not recover from injury in time, though he did train on Monday.

In the last two Champions League campaigns, only Robert Lewandowski (21), Mbappe (20) and Mohamed Salah (18) have been directly involved in more goals than Leroy Sane (17 – 10 goals, seven assists).

Lionel Messi has generated more shots following a carry (moving five or more metres with the ball) than any other player in the Champions League this season (14 – six shots and eight chances created).

UEFA has confirmed a minute's silence will be held at each of this week's European ties as a mark of respect for the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

Over 33,000 people are confirmed to have died after high-magnitude earthquakes struck southern Turkey and northern Syria last Monday, and the United Nations' aid agency on the ground says that toll is likely to double.

Turkey has said over a million people in the country are using temporary shelters after the tremors, while over five million people are estimated to have been made homeless in Syria.

Ahead of this week's knockout-stage matches in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League, UEFA has confirmed the details of tributes to show support for those affected.

A minute's silence will be observed before every fixture across UEFA's club competitions this week, while a commemorative banner featuring the message, 'We are together with you', will be displayed in Turkish and Arabic.

A statement released by European football's governing body on Monday also confirmed black armbands could be worn at the discretion of teams and referees.

Last week, UEFA confirmed it would donate €150,000 to the Turkish Football Federation and an additional €50,000 to the Bonyan Organization and Tiafi, both assisting in disaster relief.

Trabzonspor are the only Turkish club in action in UEFA's competitions this week, hosting Basel in the first leg of their Europa Conference League knockout round play-off tie.

Istanbul Basaksehir and Sivasspor advanced to the last 16 of that competition as group winners, while Fenerbahce are into the same round in the Europa League.

Hatayspor and Gaziantep, two clubs based in the region effected by the earthquake, have withdrawn from the Turkish Super Lig.

Former Chelsea, Newcastle United and Everton winger Christian Atsu, who plays for Hatayspor, is still missing.

New Zealand are struggling to piece their team together ahead of the first Test against England, with Cyclone Gabrielle impacting several players' travel plans.

Five players from New Zealand's 14-man squad, as well as three support staff, are yet to arrive at Mount Maunganui ahead of the start of the first Test on Thursday.

Cyclone Gabrielle's impact on New Zealand's North Island has led some areas to declare a state of emergency, with over 46,000 homes losing power and hundreds of flights being cancelled.

The Black Caps trained indoors at Bay Oval on Monday in a bid to avoid the worst of the weather conditions, with strong winds and heavy rain expected to continue in the build-up to the opener.

Henry Nicholls, Blair Tickner and Will Young are among those yet to meet up with their team-mates ahead of the two-match series, leaving head coach Gary Stead's plans in flux.

"We've got a number of players that are still arriving here at the moment, the cyclone that's happening at the top of the North Island has had a wee bit of an impact on travel for some people," Stead said.

"It's disappointing the weather is the way it is, but there's a lot of people up at the top of the North Island who are a lot worse off than us.

"Originally we were planning to have an evening training session but we managed to get in a touch earlier. 

"We were just worried that the winds might get up to such a point that we wouldn't be able to train later on."

England arrived in New Zealand having won nine of their 10 Tests under head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, and Stead has admiration for their aggressive style.

"I think it's great what Brendon and Ben have done with this English team," he said. "They've managed to take a team that was really struggling and turn it into something now that's probably the talking point of world cricket.

"But I think what each team has to do is work out is what becomes really unique to them and natural for the way that they play."

James Anderson hailed the depth of bowling talent available to England ahead of the first Test in New Zealand, saying the presence of Matthew Potts and Olly Stone is keeping him on his toes.

England will attempt to continue their outstanding form under head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes across a two-match series in New Zealand this month, having won nine of their last 10 Tests.

England bolstered their seam attack by recalling Potts, Stone and Stuart Broad for the trip to McCullum's homeland, with Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed rested after starring in last year's 3-0 whitewash of Pakistan.

With Jofra Archer also impressing on his long-awaited ODI return after an injury-ravaged few years, Anderson is in awe at the options available to England.

"To be able to bring these guys [Potts and Stone] back into the squad after having Mark Wood in Pakistan, and with Jofra getting back fit, it feels like we're building up a real good bank of fast bowlers that will be able to win games in any conditions anywhere in the world," Anderson told The Guardian.

"I think whether they're young or old, guys always keep you on your toes. Broady's keeping me on my toes, we're pushing each other in the nets all the time.

"At the minute, Ollie Robinson is probably one of the best bowlers in the world, for me. 

"He just doesn't miss, can swing it both ways, nips it, gets bounce – he's comfortably the one bowler that the guys don't want to face in the nets here. Everyone keeps you on your toes and it keeps those standards really high."

England have not won a Test series in New Zealand since 2007-08, when a 26-year-old Anderson tore through the hosts' top five in Wellington to kick-start their comeback in a 2-1 triumph.

Anderson was invited to play for Auckland against Wellington in the State Championship ahead of that impressive outing in the second Test, a decision criticised by several members of the New Zealand team – including McCullum – for enabling the England man to find form. 

"It was amazing for me. It turned out to be a very good decision. I bowled a lot of overs. I didn't set the world alight but it got me into a good rhythm to play the next Test," Anderson recalled.

"Baz brought that up the other day. He was fuming at the time! Apparently the whole New Zealand team were fuming with Auckland. It was huge for both of us.

"And not just the way we played, but with [Matthew] Hoggard and [Steve] Harmison having been such a massive part of England's success – the 2005 Ashes and Harmy being number one in the world at one point. 

"Them being the senior bowlers and us taking their places gave us so much confidence to go on and try and emulate them. We never looked back."

Nick Sirianni has seen Jalen Hurts deliver some remarkable performances in victory, but the Philadelphia Eagles coach believes there has been no more impressive display than the one the quarterback produced in their heartbreaking Super Bowl LVII loss.

Hurts and the Eagles fell victim to a vintage comeback from Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium, seeing a 24-14 lead slip away.

The Chiefs fought back to prevail 38-35 in an Arizona thriller, despite an MVP-calibre performance from Hurts.

Hurts broke the Super Bowl record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback (70) and also tied records for the most points scored by a single player (20) and the most touchdowns from scrimmage (three).

He did, by contrast, also lose a second-quarter fumble that was recovered by Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton and returned for a touchdown.

But to lay the blame at the feet of Hurts would be grossly unfair, with Sirianni perhaps more worthy of criticism for settling for a 33-yard field goal in the third quarter at the end of a 17-play drive.

That drive saw Hurts connect with Dallas Goedert on two outstanding throws, and Sirianni highlighted such high-difficulty completions as he lauded his signal-caller's efforts.

"To me, Jalen played the best game I've seen him play in the two years that we've been together," Siranni said. 

"He was outstanding. I really thought he was in complete control. He did things with his legs in the run game. He did things with his arm in the pass game, made some unbelievable throws, unbelievable reads.

"I thought he played outstanding. And you know you really look at the game and that was good for the NFL in the sense that the two best quarterbacks in the NFL played against each other on the biggest stage in the biggest lights. And Jalen played great."

Asked what he said to Hurts after the game, Sirianni added: "I know he's hurt and he's hurting. I just said, 'We'll work our butts off every day.' 

"I know he's going to get better from this, and he played really good. That's why I keep saying I don't think we know what Jalen's ceiling is because he is just going to continue to get better.

"But I said I was happy for him that he played his butt off. He left it all out there, played good in the run game, played good in the pass game, was in complete control of our offense. He led us to 35 points.

"I just told him I was happy for him. It just wasn't this year. I told him I thought it was his best game that he's played. It wasn't just this game. It was this entire season that he's shown to be a special leader, a special player. I'm sure glad he's our quarterback."

Kansas City Chiefs tackle Chris Jones said Patrick Mahomes simply has to be appreciated as he hailed the "once in a generation" talent setting the standards for another Super Bowl triumph.

Mahomes once again got the better of his ankle issue to propel the Chiefs to their second Super Bowl championship in the space of four seasons in Arizona on Sunday.

The Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 at State Farm Stadium, as Mahomes – who took a blow late in the second quarter, having already had to deal with a high ankle sprain he suffered in the Divisional round – went on to become the first NFL MVP since Kurt Warner in 1999 to win the Super Bowl in the same season.

Mahomes threw three passing touchdowns and was not intercepted or sacked, leaving Jones in awe of his team-mate's excellence.

"He is a dog, next year y'all, we will be like 'is this his flu game?'," Jones said in a post-game press conference.

"I appreciate it, Pat is a once and generational lifetime type of player and sometimes he does things so special that it becomes normality for him.

"We've got to just appreciate Pat."

Asked what he thought when Mahomes was hobbling, Jones cited the standards set by coach Andy Reid and the Chiefs' QB as the reasoning behind the organisation's sustained success.

He said: "I knew there was blood in the water, because Pat is the type of competitor where if he's hurt or he's sick, he wants to come back and show everybody that he's even better now.

"That trickles down from coach Reid, he's the type of coach you'll never see hurt, never see sick. Even if he is sick, you wouldn't even know it.

"I think one time he had to get taken to the hospital after the game and no one knew. And he was at work the next day, he was handing schedules out the next day. It just trickles down the type of coach Reid is, the type of player Pat is, the type of organisation we have here."

Jones, who said he would be celebrating with a bottle of Yamazaki Japanese whiskey, added: "Coach Reid is legendary.

"I'm just very fortunate honestly, heck of guy, better person. He makes us all look good."

When it was put to Jones that he was now part of a dynasty, the 28-year-old said: "Do you think so? Well then there it goes, I don't have to speak about it.

"I told y'all this after our first Super Bowl, we going back-to-back, everybody laughed, everybody just thought I was talking out the side of my neck. We've been very fortunate, the core here, Pat Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Bud [Harrison Butker], Tommy [Townsend], Frank Clark.

"Clark came here his first year and won a Super Bowl, the core here is special. It's a special group of guys, that I was fortunate enough to play with this year in the D-line room. Got my fingers crossed that we can bring everybody back but I still want them to get paid and be successful.

"This is the bittersweet part about it, because you have a special room and you guys win it and you know the room is always changing, always evolving, players always coming in and out. I just want to say here on record that I am super, super grateful for the D-line this year.

"This is probably the most unselfish group that I've been a part of. Starting with Frank Clark, number three in all-time in sacks in the playoffs.

"I'm so grateful just to be in the Chiefs organisation, to be in this position, Just a kid from Houston, Mississippi coming out of Mississippi State. I didn't think I had a chance of going to Kansas City [inaudible] coming to visit me.

"Seven years later, two Super Bowl rings, four to five AFC championships and we're still going. This team has a lot of fight in them, I definitely feel we can be in position to compete again for another one. This is a special team, we keep this core together, keep Frank Clark, keep killing it, keep me and him together, I think we can be very, very special."

Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering knee ligament damage.

The Uruguay international opened the scoring for Spurs in their eventual 4-1 Premier League loss to Leicester City on Saturday before limping off.

Bentancur collided with Leicester counterpart Nampalys Mendy shortly after the hour mark and required oxygen on the pitch.

Tottenham confirmed on their official website on Monday that the 25-year-old "ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will be out of action for the remainder of the campaign." He will undergo surgery before beginning his rehabilitation.

Bentancur has played in 26 of Tottenham's 32 games this season, forming a strong midfield partnership with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

The former Juventus man's lay-off has come at a bad time for Spurs, with fellow midfielder Yves Bissouma out indefinitely after undergoing ankle surgery on Friday.

Captain Hugo Lloris is also out for two months, while Hojbjerg is suspended for Tuesday's Champions League last-16 first leg away at Milan.

Tottenham's defeat to Leicester leaves them two points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United, who also have a game in hand.

Antonio Conte's side are still in the FA Cup, with a last-16 tie against Sheffield United to come at the start of March.

Luis Diaz is determined to help Liverpool turn their miserable season around when he returns from a knee injury.

However, the winger is unsure whether he will be ready for the Reds' Champions League tie with Real Madrid. 

Diaz missed Liverpool's last 10 games prior to the World Cup after sustaining the issue in October's 3-2 defeat at Arsenal, and he suffered a setback upon his return to training in December.

Liverpool have endured a dreadful run in his absence, failing to win a Premier League game in 2023 (D1 L3) to leave them well adrift of a top-four place.

Reports had suggested Diaz could feature in the second leg of Liverpool's last-16 tie against Champions League holders Madrid next month, but the Colombia international is unable to put a timeframe on his comeback. 

"The frustration is big, of course, but I try to put into my head that it could happen to anyone and it is now done," he said in an interview with The Telegraph.

"An injury like this could happen to any player, to the best player. I put it in my head that I could go through this injury and just need to recover and work hard to come back when I'm 100 per cent.

"The mentality is the most important because you are not playing and that is the thing you want to do. If you have a good mentality, you can improve.

"I'm already out on the pitch making recovery but as you can understand with an injury on the knee, the recovery is day by day so I cannot tell you in which match I'll be back.

"I'm trying to be back as soon as possible. The desire is big to be back playing when 100 per cent ready to help the team."

Only once in the Premier League era have Liverpool started a calendar year with a longer winless run than 2023's four games (five in 2017), but Diaz hopes his return can provide a spark for Jurgen Klopp's under-performing side, who host struggling Everton in the Merseyside derby on Monday.

"I want to be back and after that I know there are a lot of matches before the end of the season and I just want to help the team with my football," he said.

"It is important to be back, but it is not only me. The idea is to be back and help the team with all my friends and team-mates. I want to be back to make a good second part of the season."

Graham Potter has acknowledged the need for Chelsea to snap out of their frustrating run of form quickly, saying: "long-term doesn't exist in this job".

Potter has come under pressure amid a difficult period for the big-spending Blues, who recorded three successive Premier League draws for the first time since 2012 after Saturday's 1-1 stalemate with West Ham.

Chelsea have won just one of their eight games across all competitions since the turn of the year (D4 L3), and the Champions League now represents their only chance of avoiding a trophyless season.

With a trip to Borussia Dortmund for the first leg of an enticing last-16 tie on the horizon, Potter is aware of the need for things to change at Stamford Bridge.

"You can't talk about the long-term because that doesn't exist in this job," he told reporters. 

"You have to acknowledge there's a long-term but there's a short-term and medium-term that is challenging for us in terms of results.

"The experienced players know what we've been through. You're talking about some top professionals who know football. 

"While people on the outside may have an opinion on things, these guys have been around and know the challenges we've faced.

"They know the situation the club has been in and what's happened. So then it's about helping them get through it, the inevitable frustration because they want to win. We all do and the supporters do. That's where it's been challenging."

Chelsea's two previous Champions League titles were delivered during campaigns which saw them struggle in the Premier League, and while Potter is excited by the start of the knockout stages, he is taking things game by game.

"In a knockout competition, anything can happen, that's the thing," he said. "It's two games. I don't think it's valuable for us to look past Dortmund.

"We have the capability to beat Dortmund but they are also a strong side with the capability to get a result as well. We have to understand that, go to Dortmund with humility, with respect, and try to get the result.

"[This squad] has won the Champions League. They've experienced it. They'll want to fight for the game, that's for sure, and that's exciting for us."

Despite Chelsea's domestic struggles, Potter is unbeaten in his five Champions League games at the helm, winning the last four.

Victory in Dortmund on Wednesday would therefore make Potter the first English coach to win five successive matches in the competition. 

You can find many things on the field after a Super Bowl. Confetti is dotted around everywhere, along with fans, media and friends and family of the victorious all taking their time to dance around on it.

The other thing that was also extremely noticeable when strolling along the State Farm Stadium turf after a captivating Super Bowl LVII was divots. 

Every blade of grass at the home of Arizona Cardinals in Glendale came in for severe scrutiny as players often struggled to keep their feet on the biggest stage. Yet no area of the field was more significant than the 26 yards Patrick Mahomes covered with his incredible fourth-quarter scramble, which set the Chiefs up for a field goal that sealed a thrilling 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Mahomes had already taken an awestruck crowd on a remarkable journey prior to that rush. His Super Bowl looked like it might be done when he injured his ankle on a second-quarter run, coming up limping heavily and striking fear into the hearts of Chiefs fans that they may have to overturn a 24-14 deficit with Chad Henne at quarterback.

That was not to be. Mahomes returned for the second half and returned to execute a tremendous Andy Reid gameplan that confounded the defense of his head coach's former team, Reid masterfully manipulating the Eagles with a combination of outside and inside runs, using the latter to set up passes to wide open receivers in the flat, Reid's use of motion proving devastating as he continually schemed his receivers into open space.

Indeed, both Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore were able to stroll in untouched for the scores that gave Kansas City a 35-27 fourth-quarter lead.

But, having seen Jalen Hurts answer in lightning quick fashion in this bewitching battle of the first black quarterbacks to face off in the Super Bowl, Mahomes did not rely on Reid's easy buttons to deliver the defining play of one of the finest Super Bowls of the modern era, he put the team on his back, and an injured ankle.

Mahomes gained speed belying his physical status as he scampered to the Philadelphia 17-yard line on a play that will stand alongside his third-and-15 connection with Tyreek Hill in Super Bowl LIV as the most magical in a career of a player who possesses endless reserves of wizardry.

Three plays later, James Bradberry was called for holding on third down, giving Kansas City a new set of downs and allowing the Chiefs to milk the clock before Harrison Butker sent his decisive kick sailing through the uprights with eight seconds left. Hurts' subsequent Hail Mary fell short, leaving an ecstatic Chiefs sideline to pour onto the field following another miraculous finish from Mahomes.

"Toughest son of gun you ever met man," tight end Travis Kelce said. "That Texas gunslinger ain’t going to let nothing get in the way."

Obstacles have been plenty for Mahomes throughout a postseason that looked as if it might come to an end in the Divisional round when he suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But Mahomes has what Muhammad Ali once defined as the pivotal combination that fosters champions, the skill and the will, and it is that blend that has elevated the Chiefs back to the top of the NFL mountain, with Reid crediting his formative years spent around baseball locker rooms with father Pat Mahomes for his apparently limitless drive.

“He grew up in a locker room. He’s seen the greats and he strives to be the greatest," said Reid. "Without saying anything, that's the way he works. He wants to be the greatest player ever. That's what he wants to do, and that's the way he goes about his business. He does it humbly. There's no bragging.

"He could stand up here and give you these stats that are incredible that he's had, but he is never go doing to that. That's just not him, and we appreciate that.

"Then when it's time for the guys around him to raise their game, he helps them with that. The great quarterbacks make everybody around him better, including the head coach, so he's done a heck of a job."

The first quarterback to win the Super Bowl and MVP in the same season since Kurt Warner in 1999, Mahomes is rapidly ascending up the ranks of the greatest to play the game.

Still only 27, he has a long time in which to continue his climb.

There are those who will argue he is already at the summit after appearing in three Super Bowls and winning two in his first five seasons as the starter.

Some will remain unconvinced whether that is the case, but this is a week in which Mahomes has removed all doubt as to his status as the NFL's current gold standard.

He collected 48 of the 50 ballots for MVP, which he won at Thursday's NFL Honors ceremony. After this incredible show of grit, it is fair to wonder how the vote was not unanimous.

But that will be of no concern to Mahomes. There will be more potentially unanimous MVPs and there will almost certainly be more Super Bowls.

Mahomes has not yet met a piece of adversity he cannot overcome and, still arguably shy of his prime, there is no ceiling to what he can achieve.

"He's special," offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said. "He's very special and the sky's the limit for him.

"Each and every year he takes his game to another level. The kid is special."

No argument here.