Patrice Evra joined Manchester United in 2006. He was a key player for United in his tenure at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson. He has won five Premier League titles, one Champions League, one Club World Cup, and three League cups with Manchester United.
After the horrible season under David Moyes, he was out of the plan of new manager Louis Van Gaal. Evra then joined Serie A side Juventus in 2014.
Former Manchester United captain Patrice Evra was asked about the reasons for which he left United.
In that interview, Evra said: “I felt betrayed by Ed. I called Juventus to tell them I am coming. Ed then said: ‘We offer you a two-year contract, more money, the captaincy, a testimonial.’ But it was too late [for Evra to trackback from his Juventus decision].”
Next year Evra was in the Champions League final with Juventus whereas United was facing another horrible season under Louis Van Gaal.
Evra added: “My ex-wife said: ‘See? Manchester are nearly in the Championship and you’re in this final.’
“I love Juventus but I said: ‘Even if they’re in the Championship, I prefer to be at United. Nothing can replace my love for them.’”
Many United fans believed that Evra could have provided his experience to the team back then when United was rebuilding.
A large section of United fans wants Ed and Glazers to resign as soon as possible because of their bad transfer policies and so many other reasons. Manchester United has once again failed in their transfer pursuit, this time for Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho.
This interview of United fans’ favourite ‘Uncle Pat’ can add fuel to the fire.
Emerging as one of the most lucrative markets in recent times, the Indian Esports Industry ranks at No. 17 globally with an estimated net worth of over $818 million and is expected to generate revenue upto $118.8 billion by 2023.
While PC gaming is emerging globally, its counterpart is revolutionizing the Indian gaming industry – Mobile gaming. With access to a wide array of PC-like multi-genre games in mobile, the Indian mobile gaming industry is projected to reach 628 million users by 2021 positioning India to be the next major gaming market. With mobile gaming, the Indian Esports ecosystem has seen increasing engagements by attracting a wide pool of consumers which PC and console gaming were not able to tap.
Being the most interactive and community-driven industry, the gaming community has also seen a surge in online gaming content built by content creators who curate gaming news, fan-art, and video content for the community. With the increase of gaming tournaments, it has opened up opportunities for casters and event managers as well.
There are several reports stating higher anxiety and depression issues amongst people who are stuck at home. Many people have lost their jobs or sent on furloughs, sabbaticals, etc. this time is the toughest for them. However, many have been leveraging this time to engage in their hobbies and other activities. The most trending and popular being – Gaming.
To cope with the isolation/work from home and hometowns during this pandemic, many gaming patrons can now indulge in the following Esports gaming platforms to diversify their time and avoid boredom of any sorts:-
1)Indian Gaming League (IGL) – India’s most popular competitive gaming and Esports league that hosts gaming tournaments online. Games on IGL can be played on any platform including Xbox, Playstation 4, PC, and smartphones.
IGL was created by a team of gamers who strongly feel that Indian players need a stage to jump-start their gaming careers. Participating in IGL will not only give amateur and professional gamers the ability to earn some serious cash, but top tier gamers will also receive an opportunity to compete with other professionals on a national level!
2) JetSynthesys– JetSynthesys is a part of the JetLine group whose primary focus is on IT services, digital media, and new ventures in innovative entertainment and organized consumer retail.
JetSynthesys was formed with the driving purpose to enrich the lives of all Indians. They know the terrain well and are shaping the Indian culture and consumers. They passionately keep their finger on the pulse of the shifting trends and the needs of the Indian people as well as the western world. They take pride in being agile and strategic, helping to generate and provide support structures for these different worlds to connect.
3) Nazara Technologies – Nazara Technologies is one of the leading mobile games companies headquartered in Mumbai, which is engaged in the acquisition of, value addition to and distribution, of mobile games across emerging markets such as India, the Middle East, Africa, South East Asia, and Latin America.
Nazara Technologies Pvt., Ltd. develops mobile content in India. The company offers games, multimedia, themes, and wallpapers. It also provides solutions for the development, deployment, targeting, and tracking of promotional campaigns on mobile platforms; and wireless solutions that integrate the content of media companies, marketing messages, and the consumer reach of wireless carriers.
4) Gaming Monk– The company started as an e-commerce marketplace for games, but recently they became an esports event organizer.
A company actively involved in conducting sports tournaments in India through offline and online portals. They are striving to create a gaming community that can compete against each other and sharpens their skills for upcoming tournaments.
5) Team Brutality– Team Brutality aims to be the best performing team of Asia and is registered with racing game squads such as Need for speed, Forza Motor Sports, etc. Team Brutality is a leading team in CSGO community.
Power A manufactures officially licensed controllers for Xbox and PlayStation. Often we have trust issues with third-party gaming accessories and want to stick with Microsoft and Sony accessories. But Power A have built a name for themselves in all these years. So I decided to try out one of their controllers.
I have been on the lookout for a controller which is priced under Rs 2,000 but offers great gaming experience. Personally I prefer Xbox type controllers over PlayStation type controllers to play games on my PC (previously I was using RedGear Pro Series wired gamepad).
So, I found the XB1 Core Wired Controller (blue) made by Power A on Amazon and decided to have a go. I ordered the controller for Rs 1,899 and got it delivered last week. I have been using it for the last 3-4 days and now I’m going to share my experience with you.
In the box
The box contains 1 Power A – XB1 Core Wired Controller (blue), 1 micro-USB to standard USB cable and 1 user manual.
Specifications of Power A – XB1 Core Wired Controller
Officially licensed and compatible with Xbox One, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, and Windows 10
Dual rumble motors
8-Way plus-shaped directional pad (D-pad) and standard A/B/X/Y button placement
Left/right bumpers and triggers
3.5mm stereo headset jack
Detachable 8ft micro-USB to standard USB cable
Design and build quality
The Power A – XB1 Core Wired Controller looks like the Xbox One controller on the first glance. It is almost the replica of Microsoft’s gamepads. It has a U-shaped frame with large, curved grips. It is very well built and have a premium look and finish. It offers good grip while gaming and feels smooth and soft as well. The buttons are also sturdy and don’t feel like poor quality.
The gamepad also features a 3.5mm stereo headset jack on the bottom edge, just like the Xbox One controller. This is a new feature for me as almost no other controllers under Rs 2,000 provide this feature. It is a very useful addition. The controller has an 8ft long cable so you can easily play sitting on the couch. Normally, wired headsets don’t have such long wires so you can now plug your headset into the gamepad and enjoy listening to music (it doesn’t support mic connectivity).
The only downside of this controller on the built front I felt is that Power A should have made the micro-USB socket in the gamepad normal. It has a rarely built structure so you can’t use the normal micro-USB cables lying at your homes.
Buttons
The controller has offset dual analog sticks with convex caps. It also features a direction pad, two shoulder buttons and standard A/B/X/Y buttons. The two triggers at the back of the gamepad also feel quite handy and you don’t have to worry about it getting damaged (as it is the case in most of the gamepad in this range).
It has a view and menu button and also a round guide button with the Xbox logo, which seems cool though it doesn’t glow while playing, only a small led below it glows.
The buttons are sturdy and offers great gaming experience. The analog sticks are also well-built and you would have almost no problem with them. It also has dual rumble motors which offer great vibration feedback.
Gaming experience
Latency is one of the most important parts of a controller. The latency must be very low in order to offer a good gaming experience. I usually play FIFA 20 on my PC and I have been playing FUT rivals and championship matches with it. I haven’t felt any delay or latency problem while playing the online matches. The buttons and triggers are also very sturdy and the overall grip of the gamepad is quite nice. It actually feels nice to hold the controller in your hands during playing.
I also tried playing Need For Speed: Heat with this controller. I am quite satisfied with the results. The analog sticks allowed me to control my car very precisely and the triggers offered great acceleration and braking features. The vibration feedback also helps to have the feel of driving a real car.
So the overall gaming experience which the Power A – XB1 Core Wired Controller offers is unparalleled in this price range.
Pros and cons
Pros
Cons
Well-built and offers premium finish
USB slot should have been normal
Sturdy and standard buttons
No mic support in the headphone jack
Long cable
No advanced gaming buttons
Headphone jack
Good vibration feedback
Verdict
Personally, I fell this is the best controller you can buy under Rs 2,000. It is definitely worth a buy and you won’t regret buying it either. The other gamepads in this price range like the one I was using before didn’t feel premium like this one and didn’t offer such great build quality. The headphone jack is also a bonus.
So if you’re looking to buy a controller in this price range, then you can go for this one. It won’t disappoint you!
Buy the Power A – XB1 Core Wired Controller from Amazon:
Reliance Jio again brings their boutique of offers as the IPL 2020 approaches and announces the Cricket Dhan Dhana Dhan offer but not only this time will the telecom giant give extra data but also free Disney + Hotstar VIP Subscription.
Yes, you heard it right, Jio is giving away the Disney + Hotstar VIP Subscription worth Rs. 399 for 1 year at no extra cost along with extra data so that you can enjoy IPL on Hotstar and never fall short of data. The telecom giant’s new schemes are:
Rs 499 CRICKET PACK (DATA ADD-ON)
1-year subscription of Disney+ Hotstar VIP worth Rs 399
1.5 GB of data daily for the entire period of the cricket season (56 days)
Rs 777 QUARTERLY PLAN
1-year subscription of Disney+ Hotstar VIP worth Rs 399
131 GB data, unlimited voice calling and access to Jio apps valid for 84 days
Jio has summarized all its new plans that will guarantee you the Disney + Hotstar VIP Subscription and some special add-on packs as well:
So, you can choose from the wide range of plans that Jio is giving away as a part of its Cricket Dhan Dhana Dhan offer and opt for the new data add-on packs if you need for watching endless cricket action on Hotstar.
The new Dutch coach has been called upon in Barcelona to bring back the glorious days of the club. Now, there are heavyweights at the club who have already aged and lack the intensity to play at the club.
The club president, Bartomeu already talked about this and he gave a list of names of the heavyweights who will remain untouchables. Players like Rakitic, Busquets, Vidal, Saurez, Jordi Alba, Umtiti, Pique will have bid farewell this season and it seems Koeman has already informed that to Luis Saurez.
Recently, Saurez left a cryptic message on Instagram, and then he spoke about Bartomeu’s approach of naming him as transfer listed. Now, in the meantime, the club that thrashed Barcelona has become the European Champions, and after that Koeman has made up his mind who he wants to have and who he doesn’t.
According to RAC1, the new Dutch has informed Luis Suárez that he does not have him for next season. Suarez who had not received any notification of return back to training will now have to terminate the year of his remaining contract with Barcelona.
Much likes other players Saurez was too on his vacation Monday morning and he did receive a call from Ronald Koeman. The Dutch coach, in a brief conversation, has informed him that it is not in his plans for the upcoming campaign whose training begins on Sunday.
The Uruguayan striker had his contract with Barcelona till June 30, 2021, and had another optional year but it seems over. According to RAC1, the next step will be for the Uruguayan’s lawyers to negotiate the termination of Luis Suárez’s contract.
As MD points out, the club sources are silent regarding this and have given all the power to the coach to decide and if any news comes up Koeman will officially communicate with the club.
It seems Saurez’s journey has ended in Barcelona after six years of stay when he arrived in the summer of 2014 from Liverpool. As the Barça no 9, he has played 283 games, in which he has scored 198 goals, making him the third-highest scorer in the club’s history, along with 109 assists.
His last goal was against Bayern and in that emphatic 8-2 loss that has totally shaken the club. Luis Saurez jas won 13 titles for Barcelona including 4 La Ligas, a Champions League, 4 King’s Cups, a Club World Cup, a European Super Cup, and 2 Super Cups. No one can forget the the MSN trio in world football and Saurez will always be remembered as the club legend.
The reliability of the news in Spanish media proves truly, Saurez has been asked to leave, and soon more senior players have to bid farewell to the club as well.
After a successful journey of OPPO F15, OPPO comes with its another new F17 series smartphones- OPPO F17 & F17 Pro, but the company not confirmed the launch date of this new series. It is expected that OPPO will launch its new series in early September. Some key specifications of these phones have shared by a reliable leakster, Ishan Agarwal.
Leaked specifications of OPPO F17
It is expected that OPPO F17 comes with 6.44″ S-AMOLED Full HD with the drop-notch display. This set weighs 163 Grams and it dimensions (159.82×72.8×7.45) mm.
The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 662 processor paired with 6 GB RAM and support of 128 GB of internal storage.
This model comes with a quad-camera setup with a combination of 16 MP primary snapper + 8MP+2MP+2MP lenses. The phone has a water drop-notch display which holds 16 MP front shooter.
The phone has 4,000 mAh of battery capacity supported with 30W of fast charging. OPPO F17 offers 3 different colour variants- Dynamic Orange, Navy Blue, and Classic Silver.
Leaked specifications of OPPO F17 Pro
According to the sources, OPPO F17 Pro has a 6.43″ super AMOLED Full HD+ punch-hole display. This upcoming handset weighs 164 grams and it measures (160.14 x 73.7 x 7.48) mm.
This smartphone comes with a quad-camera setup with a comprises of a 48 MP main lens + 8 MP+ 2 MP+ 2 MP lenses, aligned in a rectangular layout at the left on the backside. The screen features a pill-shaped cutout for the dual front-facing camera, which is supported with 16 MP main shooter and a depth sensor. The phone has a fingerprint sensor on the screen.
The OPPO F17 has MediaTek Helio P95 Chipset. The phone is supported with a 4,000 mAh battery capacity that will offer users with 30W VOOC Flash charge technology. The phone will offer 8 GB of RAM capacity paired with 128 GB of internal support.
The OPPO F17 Pro offers 3 different colour variants – Matte Black, Magic Blue, Metallic White.
There are no officials declarations about the price of these phones, but it is predicted that the F17 series could be priced under Rs 25,000.
In the current days, Whatsapp is the most popular messaging service for its amazing features and security. After so many years, Whatsapp has come with a lot of changes. Starting from its new 3D emojis to the access of stickers, it has come a long way. In every big update, users experience some new features which are really helpful for texting or calling.
Now Whatsapp is coming with a new update of group calls. In Whatsapp, the ringtones of normal call and group call are the same right now. So, when a call comes, we can’t distinguish that call by its ringtone. Whether it is a normal voice call or a group call.
To get rid of this problem Whatsapp will add a new ringtone to its group calls, by which we can easily distinguish the type of calling by just hearing the ringtone. The normal call ringtone will be the same as it is now.
Moreover, Whatsapp is also said to be rolling out a new user interface for the calling screen. Every option except the call disconnect button will be at the bottom of the screen. Only the call disconnect button will be at the center of the screen. Every other option, like camera switch, messages, camera mic enable/disable will be placed in a horizontal line at the bottom of the screen.
“This UI improvement is not available yet because it’s under development, but sometimes it might appear due to a bug,” said the report.
That means there is no confirmation about the official update for all the users. But right now, only BETA users of Whatsapp only get the opportunity to experience this update.
Other than this, Whatsapp has also come with the animated stickers update which is very much fun to use by its users. According to Whatsapp, in the upcoming update, there will be a slight change in those animated stickers.
“Recently, Whatsapp has implemented a new type of animation for animated stickers, looping them at most 8 times. Long animated stickers will loop less times. With the 2.20.198.11 update, the feature should be available for everyone now,” says the report.
Samsung is willing to release a new “mid-range” foldable smartphone with an official certification of WI=Fi Alliance, the SM-F415F/DS. The first “F” stands for foldable like Samsung Z Flip is F700. Samsung is very much confident about the affordable pricing of 400-series, but still, the price will be higher than non-foldable mid-range smartphones. That means it will be still a premium level smartphone.
Generally for this type of phone, we have to pay higher prices for its cutting edge technology, which is great to use. If Samsung could get close to $1,000, then it will be slightly pocket-friendly for users.
Regarding other information, there will be no support for Wi-Fi 6 (ax). So, we can expect a non-flagship chipset on this phone. Which way will the F415 fold, is still a mystery. There are two types of folders. One is the premium fold that goes for tablet-like screen size and the other goes for the vertical fold for its compactness. Let’s see in which way Samsung will go. Users want to have the premium fold to use the smartphone as a tablet. Galaxy Fold Lite is expected to have a tablet-like fold, which is reportedly targeting a $1,000 price point.
In the case of other features, there is official information. But according to some leaks, Fold Lite is expected to have internal storage till 256 GB, where the older versions like Galaxy Fold, Z Fold2, and both Z Flip variants had internal storage of just 64 GB to 128 GB. This phone is also now projected to get a Snapdragon 7-series processor.
Frank Lampard is a quick learner and he has already started planning for the next season. Chelsea had already signed Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner. They were interested in Bayer Leverkusen star Kai Havertz. Chelsea had already agreed on personal terms with the Germany international, who was supposed to join the London club on a five-year deal this summer. But Chelsea and Leverkusen were still negotiating over the transfer fee for the 21-year-old.
Now, it has been confirmed by transfer journalist, Fabrizio Romano that Chelsea has submitted a club record bid of €100 m (€80m + €20m add ons). Bayer Leverkusen are happy with the offer and are going to accept the deal. This transfer fee is going to surpass the previous club-record of €80m that Chelsea paid for Kepa Arrizabalaga two years ago.
New bid submitted three days ago. Bayer Leverkusen told to Chelsea on last night… they’re going to accept. Same today morning with Havertz himself. Paperworks time is now on. ✍🏻🔵 #CFC
Romano posted on Instagram the full analysis of the transfer saga: “Havertz-Chelsea, here we go soon!”
“Kai Havertz to Chelsea, one step away and then… here we go! Total agreement to be reached with Bayer Leverkusen. Last bid is going to be accepted. €80M + €20M add ons as final fee. Last details to be completed soon and then paperworks time.”
“Three days ago, Chelsea submitted a new bid for €100M (add ons included). Bayer Leverkusen told yesterday night to Chelsea board and to the player they’re going to say “yes”. Just a matter of time.”
“Personal terms already agreed weeks ago, Kai was pushing to join after speaking with Lampard and he wants to play Champions League football. Havertz contract with Chelsea will be until June 2025.”.
Kai Havertz has scored 17 goals in all competitions for Bayer Leverkusen this season. The 21-year-old’s versatility and willingness to play across various forward positions only adds to his value. Voller described him as a mixture of Michael Ballack and Mesut Ozil.
Frank Lampard has now signed Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, who will join his previous attacking forces including the likes of Christian Pulisic, Tammy Abraham, Olivier Giroud, Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Lampard is also improving his defensive areas. PSG captain Thiago Silva is expected to join on a free transfer with Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell on the verge of signing for the Blues as well.
Manchester City joins the race with Liverpool to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore. According to multiple reports, Wolves are forced to offload one of their star players due to the financial crisis by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Adama Traore joined Wolves in 2018 for a club-record transfer fee of £18 million. In his first season, he was just used as a substitute. His speed, dribbling and strength always caught the eye but he was also criticized for his decision makings.
Last season he found himself scoring 4 goals with 9 assists in Premier League. He had the most successful take-on in the Premier League [184] and also in the Europa League [43]. Traore is now considered as one of the best wingers in the Premier League. Recently he was also called up for Luis Enrique’s Spanish national team.
Wolves’ owners Fosun International have been hit hard by the Coronavirus pandemic. So they have informed manager Nuno Espirito Santo that he will need to sell one of his prized assets in order to fund new signings this summer.
Wolves were keen to sell Mexican striker Raul Jimenez. But Nuno wants the goal poaching striker in his team next season. After Jimenez, the biggest name on the team right now is Adama Traore. So Nuno wants to cash in on Traore.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola are huge admirers of Adama Traore because of his pace and ability to take on defenders. So now they want him in their projects.
Manchester City has already signed Ferran Torres for £24m from Valencia. Liverpool is now searching a back up for Mohammed Salah to stretch their squad. Both the Premier League giants both are keen now to sign the La Masia (Barcelona’s youth academy) graduate for around £30 million. It remains to be seen who wins the race for Traore’s signature.
