Marcus Stewart is determined to “live in the moment” as he prepares for the fund-raising March of the Day to raise awareness of Motor Neurone Disease.
The ex-footballer was diagnosed with the illness in January 2022 and has spoken openly about the effect on his life.
A fans’ favourite at his former clubs such as Bristol City, Huddersfield, Ipswich and Sunderland, the 51-year-old refuses to dwell on the future too much.
He told the PA news agency: “I don’t really think about it. We all sit down to ponder our thoughts sometimes, especially at night.
“I have always lived in the moment, doing things week to week. It’s like when I played football. I always try to have something to look forward to. It might be a holiday, or a night out or going to see the kids.”
Nevertheless, MND has had an impact on Stewart’s life, with very little use of his left arm and the condition now having an effect on his right arm.
“When I was diagnosed I could still play golf, two years down the line and I can’t do that now,” he said.
“I’ve still got independence (he drives an automatic). People look at me and I’m no different. My arms are a little slimmer than they should be, but I look pretty normal.
“It’s a massive unknown, it affects everyone differently in different areas of your body.”
Now working at Yeovil “a couple of days a week”, Stewart pays tribute to his family, particularly his wife Louise who has been the driving force behind the fund-raising.
“I think it’s important that people with MND who haven’t got a profile, that they are shown that something is happening,” he said.
“There is help out there and people are trying to find a cure. It’s getting closer and closer. It’s important that we keep it in the press and give people hope. The more we do this, the more chance we have got of finding a cure.”
March of the Day has been set up to support Stephen Darby, Stewart and the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation.
Former Bradford defender Darby retired from football in 2018 aged 29 after he was diagnosed with MND.
Darby and close friend and British Forces veteran Chris Rimmer launched the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation to create awareness, fund and assist research into the illness.
The walk is 175 miles from Bradford’s Valley Parade to Liverpool, visiting other football grounds along the way. Taking place in stages, it starts on Friday, March 22 at 9am and is scheduled to finish on Sunday at 5:30pm.
For more information and to support March of the Day go to https://www.justgiving.com/page/motd-core-team
Bayern Munich 3-0 Augsburg: Hat-trick hero Kane smashes Bundesliga record
Harry Kane scored a hat-trick to become the quickest player to score 50 Bundesliga goals as Bayern Munich comfortably dispatched Augsburg 3-0 on Friday.
Kane opened the scoring in the 63rd with a penalty before netting a quickfire double in second-half stoppage time to smash the record previously held by Erling Haaland.
Despite controlling the early possession, Bayern were unable to make their dominance count, with Nediljko Labrovic rarely troubled in the opening 45 minutes.
The hosts maintained their dominance after the interval, with Leon Goretzka's looped header grazing the crossbar before Jamal Musiala went close soon after.
However, Bayern were awarded a penalty after a lengthy VAR review saw Mads Pedersen penalised for handling the ball, with Kane stepping up to score from 12 yards.
The England captain grabbed his second of the game in the third-minute of stoppage time following another VAR review which saw Keven Schlotterbeck sent off after tripping Kane inside the box.
Kane sent Labrovic the wrong way but was not to be denied a fourth treble of the season, brilliantly taking down Goretzka's searching ball before heading the ball home.
Data Debrief: HurriKane
Kane has now scored 50 Bundesliga goals in 43 matches. Before him, Haaland was the quickest player to reach 50 Bundesliga goals, having done so in 50 appearances in the competition for Borussia Dortmund.
He is also the quickest to reach that total for Bayern by some distance. Kane has reached that tally quicker than the likes of Gerd Muller (83 games), Mario Gomez (71 games), Roy Makaay (67 games) and Robert Lewandowski (64 games).
10 of Kane’s goals have come from penalties, while 32 of them have been with his right foot, nine with his left and nine with his head.
Messi 'will be our No.10 in 2026', hopes Inter Miami chief Mas
Inter Miami fully expect Lionel Messi to remain at the club beyond his current contract ahead of the 2026 MLS season.
Those were the words of Miami's club managing owner, Jorge Mas, who was speaking to the media following Gerardo Martino's resignation earlier on Friday.
Messi joined the MLS side in July 2023 on a two-and-a-half-year contract, leading the Herons to the Supporters' Shield and Leagues Cup during his time in the United States so far.
His current deal is due to expire at the end of next year, though Mas made clear his desire to see Messi remain with the Herons at Miami Freedom Park, the club's new stadium that will open in 2026.
"He’s under contract through 2025. Leo and I will sit, and we’ll discuss the future,” Mas said.
“As I’ve said before, and I will repeat it now: I fully expect that in the opening of our new stadium in 2026 in Miami and the opening of our 2026 season, hopefully after a trophy-laden 2025 season, that Lionel Messi will be our No. 10.”
Man United could be without Toone until new year, says Skinner
Marc Skinner revealed that Manchester United could be without midfielder Ella Toone until the new year after she picked up a calf injury in training.
Toone has featured in five games in the Women's Super League this season, but is yet to register a goal or an assist so far this term.
The 25-year-old has missed United's last two games and was not selected in Sarina Wiegman's England squad for their upcoming friendlies against the United States and Switzerland.
She had previously appeared in a staggering 96 straight matches before missing United's WSL showdown with Leicester City last weekend.
But ahead of the Red Devils' meeting with league leaders Chelsea on Sunday, Skinner confirmed they would be without Toone for not only that game, but for the foreseeable future.
"We have three games [after the international break and before Christmas]. There's always the hope, but I think you balance and you go, 'right, if we can get her back, we get her back'," Skinner said.
"But we're just not going to rush her in this moment because it's a calf injury, it's your running mechanism. If we injure the running mechanism, it takes longer.
"So ideally we'd like her back for those games afterwards.
"The projection is she misses this game [Chelsea], she misses the international window, probably misses the first game after that, and then we'll see from there.
"But because it is such a short block of only three games, we'll assess whether it's worth that or actually resetting to come back after Christmas."
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