ETHAN AMPADU draws inspiration from Chelsea legends John Terry and Didier Drogba as he chases Wales’ ticket to the 2024 Euro 2024 final.

The Leeds captain will win his 50th cap at the age of 23 in the play-off semi-final against Finland in Cardiff on Thursday.

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Aaron Ramsey is Wales’ leader but boss Robert Page last week called Ampadu a “future skipper”.

Ampadu returns to his country’s support act instead of captain at club level and says his boyhood blues heroes Terry and Drogba pushed him to lead by example on the pitch.

Ampadu said: “Growing up as a Chelsea fan, I looked up to John Terry and Didier Drogba.

‘I was lucky enough to see those two.

‘Didier was not a captain like John. It was the way he led the team through his achievements rather than wearing the armband.

“Being a leader comes naturally to me. Because of the position I play in, as a midfielder or as a defender, you are in the middle of the field. You try to help the team in any way you can.”

Ampadu, who left Stamford Bridge for Elland Road last summer on a £7million contract, is set to reach his international half-century at the same age as England duo Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen.

He was introduced to the Wales squad at the age of 15 by Chris Coleman before Euro 2016.

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Ampadu then made his senior debut against France in November 2017.

The versatile player plays centre-back for Leeds but central midfielder for Wales.

But he would trade his personal night of celebration, in which he becomes the youngest Welsh player to be 50 caps ahead of Chris Gunter, for a third successive European Championship final for the Dragons.

Ampadu added: “It is nice to reach the milestone. It’s a huge achievement.

“I am still young, but I have experienced a lot and I am very grateful for that.

“I hope that even if people say I’ve always been there, I still have a long way to go in the game and I can achieve a lot more.

“But if it meant I didn’t reach 50 caps and we reached the European Championship, I would probably enjoy that more. It’s huge for us.”

Ampadu has guided Leeds to the top of the Championship above Leicester after Sunday’s 2-0 win over Millwall.

But he suffered three successive relegations during loan spells at Sheffield United, Venezia and Spezia, prompting cries that he was cursed.
Ampadu laughed at the online headlines: “I often had that!

But what has he learned from the bad times to help Daniel Farke’s high-flying side in their promotional mission?

He added: “I still have the same dedication and application in preparing for games.

“I have accepted the feeling of three relegations and how much it hurt me. I was disappointed.

“I used that as motivation to not have that feeling anymore.
“It’s a lot more fun and enjoyable when you win.

“It’s a different pressure, but the mood is better and more positive when you’re trying to win something.”

ISAAK DAVIES is attracting interest from across Europe, with clubs in France, Germany and Belgium all keen to sign him.

The 22-year-old forward from Wales is on loan to Belgian side Kortrijk from Cardiff for a season and has scored eight goals in twenty games in the Jupiler Pro League.

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Davies’ impressive performances on the continent have alerted Euro hopefuls, with Monaco, Freiburg and Genk all leading the hunt for his signature.

Davies is under contract with the Bluebirds until the summer of 2025, but his emergence means the forward is likely to make a move this summer.

Kortrijk are second in the table but Davies’ winner at second-placed Anderlecht on Saturday inflicted their first home defeat of the season.

Davies was a youth team product of Cardiff and was previously the subject of a £2.5 million bid from Burnley.

While the highly rated Davies, who joined the Championship club at the age of seven, had also attracted the attention of Brentford and Southampton.

Uncapped Davies was left out of Wales’ Robert Page squad for Thursday’s Euro 2024 play-off semi-final against Finland in Cardiff.

But the versatile forward has represented Wales at all levels between U17 and U21 and if he continues his form in Europe, Page will have to take that into account.

Cardiff could do with Davies’ goals and assists at the moment as they sit 11th in the Championship.

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They are currently eight points away from a play-off spot, with the season at risk of coming to naught.

Adding to the misery is the fact that they lost the South Wales derby 2-0 to Swansea City this weekend.

In more positive news, Aaron Ramsey returned for the Blue Birds this weekend after coming off the bench.

His fitness will be key for Wales if they want to qualify for the European Championship.

Some Brits go to the beach rain or shine.

But those who only venture to the coast during moments of ‘shine’ should pay close attention to the Met Office’s rainfall data which reveals the country’s 20 rainiest seaside destinations. And take first place? It’s Aultbea.

The fishing village, in the Scottish Highlands, averages 121mm of rainfall each month, with more than half the year (209 days) receiving more than 1mm of daily rainfall.

In total, there are five coastal towns in Scotland in the rankings, as well as seven in Wales, three in Northern Ireland and five in England. These include Blackpool and two popular seaside resorts in Devon and Cornwall.

The rankings were compiled based on former BBC weather presenter Owain Wyn Evans’ analysis of the Met Office data in collaboration with Sykes holiday homes.

Scotland takes all three places on the unwanted winners podium, with the Isle of Tiree, Inner Hebrides, in second place (average rainfall of 106mm per month) and Lochboisdale, Outer Hebrides, in third (100mm ).

The Scottish streak continues with Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute (137mm) in fourth place, followed by Portrush in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, in fifth (81mm).

Rounding out the top ten are Fair Isle, Shetland, Scotland (sixth, 77mm); St Bees, Cumbria, England (seventh, 92mm); Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales (eighth, 100mm); Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales (ninth, 95mm); and Milford Haven, also in Pembrokeshire (tenth, 90mm).

Those planning a beach holiday in Britain may also want to avoid the popular seaside resort of Bude in Cornwall.

While Visit Cornwall says it is ‘known for its great beaches’ and ‘unique cityscape’, and receives an average of 75mm of rain per month, putting it in 17th place.

Other popular beach destinations on the list include England’s Slapton, Devon (19th, 93mm) and Blackpool, Lancashire (20th, 73mm).

On a sunnier note, the analysis shows that seaside resorts are generally drier than the rest of Britain, yielding an average 75 mm of precipitation per month, compared to 97 mm in the rest of the country.

What’s more, a separate survey of 2,000 British adults found that 72 percent wouldn’t let the typically wet British weather get in the way of a good stay.

And 61 percent think it wouldn’t be a British holiday if it didn’t rain, with sightseeing (53 percent), walks along the pier (37 percent) and enjoying fish and chips on the seafront (30 percent). percent) of the activities they would do anyway, the study shows.

Commenting on the findings, Evans, who is now a DJ at BBC Radio 2, said: ‘I think it’s great that holidaymakers will still embrace a Great British staycation even in the rain.

‘We Brits don’t let a bit of wet weather keep us indoors, and I’d say some activities could even be better with a few drops of rain.

‘Despite my experience as a weather presenter, the exact details of rainfall, especially showers, can be difficult to predict, so hopefully this analysis will give Brits an idea of ​​what to expect and plan for when heading to a seaside location this year. year.’

A father of conjoined twins has emotionally opened up about the “tremendous privilege and blessing” of witnessing his inspiring seven-year-old daughters’ “constant struggle for life” every day.

Ibrahima Ndiaye opened up about being a father to Marieme and Ndeye, who he brought to Britain from Senegal in 2017 when they were seven months old to seek help from doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

The twins have separate brains, hearts and lungs, but share a liver, bladder, digestive system and three kidneys. Doctors had predicted that they would not survive more than a few days after birth.

In the new BBC documentary Inseparable Sisters, he cherished the joy of his children defying all odds as they filmed the girls celebrating their seventh birthday, and told the program about the challenges his family has faced.

“To be a parent with conjoined twins is something you didn’t expect,” he said.

‘Something you could never have imagined. I don’t want to pretend it’s easy. It’s not. But it is a huge privilege, a huge blessing.

“You feel happy when you witness this constant struggle for life.”

Ibrahima admitted he was shocked when hospital staff told him he would be the father of conjoined twins as he was only expecting one baby.

‘I read about conjoined twins. But it’s only for other people. Not for you. This isn’t going to happen to you,” he said. “You’re all knocked down.”

His world was thrown into orbit when he was told his new babies probably wouldn’t survive more than a few days.

“I prepared myself to lose them very quickly,” he revealed. “All we can do is stand with them and not let them walk this journey alone.

‘The two weeks passed, the four weeks passed. We started to build up hope and then we could see very clearly that we would be dealing with warriors. They clung to life.”

Marieme and Ndeye were born in Senegal in 2016, where doctors thought their best chance of survival was divorce.

The family contacted hospitals around the world – including in Belgium, Germany, Zimbabwe, Norway, Sweden and America – ‘begging’ for help, before choosing to bring the twins to London.

Ibrahima had hoped that doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London would be able to separate the girls and that they could return to their siblings in Senegal.

But tests showed that Marieme’s heart was too weak for the operation and doctors predicted that she would not survive the operation.

Officials at the hospital helped Ibrahima deliberate the options and ultimately it was decided not to separate the girls.

The father opened up about the impossible position he was in, saying, “Right now it’s just killing one of my children for another. It’s just something I can’t do. I can’t allow myself to choose who will live, who will die.

‘I never expected one. So I had one, two, three. It shows that no matter how complicated your task is, you can do it.”

Ibrahima and his daughters were granted discretionary leave to remain in Britain so that they could continue to receive medical treatment in Britain. They now live in Cardiff.

The twins’ mother returned to Senegal and is caring for their siblings.

Their father revealed on the program that he has embraced his “parental responsibility” to ensure the girls “have someone who will be there for them.”

“If you are told from the beginning that there is no future, you live for the present,” he added. ‘I am completely absorbed in this journey.’

At an emotional end to the program, Ibrahima gratefully addressed the hospital and school staff who supported him and his daughters on their journey.

“You fought for these girls, I witness it every day,” he said.

“You make life easier for me every moment… Thank you so much for everything.”

He also told the documentary that he and his daughters are “lucky to be part of this community” and “couldn’t expect better.”

“This shows how resilient they are,” he added. They’ve accomplished things no one ever thought they would, and they’re proving everyone wrong.

‘Where it comes from, I don’t know… They bring me such joy that I wouldn’t find anywhere else.

“It’s a huge blessing to be their father.”

Ibrahima concluded with an urgent appeal to parents who may be in a similar situation to him to ‘never give up’ – and ‘celebrate life’.

WALES are sweating on skipper Aaron Ramsey ahead of their Euro 2024 play-off bid next month.

The 33-year-old midfielder from Cardiff is being scanned today for a calf injury.

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Former Arsenal and Juventus star Ramsey missed Saturday's 4-1 Championship defeat to Norwich.

And boss Erol Bulut expects him to sit out Blackburn's visit tomorrow.

Bulut said: “For Tuesday it will be difficult, I think about a week.

“He got injured and has problems with his calf.

“Perry Ng also injured his hip. That's why they didn't play.

“For Tuesday, Aaron, it will be difficult. I think it will be a short time, about a week.

“We saw in the last game, at West Brom, that when he came in it was a different game to how we started.

“We had a few chances to score and make it 1-1.

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“It would be great to have him, but if a player is injured, I can't change that.

But SunSport understands Ramsey, recently back from a serious knee injury sustained in September, will now undergo a scan.

Both club and country will hope it is a minor setback when Wales host Finland in the European Championship semi-finals in Cardiff on March 21.

A mother has revealed how she paid £600 for her eight-month-old son to 'live in an attic at the top of an old man's house'.

Arlo's mother Anya, who lives on the top floor of an 'old man's house' in Cardiff, explains that it was a 'very interesting experience'.

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Her living space currently consists of a small living room, with adjacent kitchen, as well as a bathroom and bedroom.

She says, “The tricky part is that this is the living room, Arlo's playroom, the laundry room and the kitchen all in one.”

The young mother is now documenting her journey as she moves from the one-bedroom house to a two-bedroom house.

Anya, who shares updates on her TikTok, says: “I wanted to be completely transparent and show my living situation with an eight-month-old.

“I'm grateful for a safe place, but walking up two flights of stairs and not having enough space now that he's older can be stressful.”

She continues: “I am raising my eight-month-old child in an attic upstairs in an old man's house.

“That sounds so unreliable, but no.

“I live in a flat on the top floor, which is essentially the attic, and the landlord, who is old enough to be my grandfather, lives at the bottom of the house – which has been a very interesting experience.”

Anya is currently using her son's playpen for storage as they prepare for the move.

She currently pays £600 a month for the small apartment, but appreciates the cost because of how 'expensive' Cardiff is to 'live in'.

Anya says: “In Cardiff that's great for a flat.

“It is also located in a beautiful area, where everything is within walking distance.”

Speaking of attic apartment, she says: “The kitchen is small, the oven is really old-fashioned, just like the washing machine.”

But Anya likes the living room area.

She says: “I tried to make it as nice and cozy as possible, but the sofa is really uncomfortable.

“Arlo has a lot of toys, but we have to put them away.

“It's really cute how high up we are, and the views from up here can be so beautiful.”

Despite not liking the size of the place, Anya will 'miss' her 'small, cozy place'.

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She says: “Mostly because Arlo's first few months were his, but for the most part I hate it. It's so old fashioned, there's no storage space.

“It's hard to be proud of your own place if you don't like your living situation.”

The video has since gone viral and many are shocked at the amount she pays in rent per month.

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One wrote: “£600 a month girl. I have a five bedroom house and my mortgage is less than 500 landlords preying on people and ripping them off.”

Another added: “My jaw dropped when you said £600 a month.”

To which Anya replied: “And I think that's good. Purely because most apartments here are much more expensive than that.”

A third said: “£600??? I'm £750, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, lounge, dining room, front and back garden, double driveway. I am in central Scotland. I thought I paid too much.”

Anya then uploaded another video in response to the comments.

She said: “I am absolutely in shock.

“The funniest thing is that I actually thought it was a good deal, at £600 a month, because I've been brainwashed by how expensive it is to live in Cardiff at the moment.”

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MIGUEL AZEEZ is set to end his Arsenal career by joining Spanish side Atletico Baleares.

The midfielder came through the ranks at the Gunners and was tipped for big things, playing for England at youth level.

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But he failed to make it into Arsenal's first team and was loaned out to Portsmouth, Ibiza and Wigan for a while.

And now, after just one senior appearance for his boyhood club, Azeez is taking his career to Spain in a bid to revive it.

The playmaker is still just 21 and hopes a run of regular football can help him reach the heights once touted for him.

Azeez's contract also expired in the summer.

Arsenal have also been forced to welcome outcast keeper Alex Runarsson after his loan deal at Cardiff was cut short.

The stopper signed for the Bluebirds on loan in August.

But he was an understudy to No. 1 Jak Alnwick in the Welsh capital and made only six appearances in the Championship.

That is why Cardiff have decided to terminate Runarsson's loan and he has returned to Arsenal The Telegraph.

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He is now ready to join Danish giants Copenhagen.

28-year-old Runarsson signed for Arsenal in 2020, but made just six appearances for the club.

He was also loaned out to OH Leuven and Turkish side Alanyaspor, where he spent the 2022/2023 season.

LUKE LITTLER responded to Michael van Gerwen's taunts by promising: I can take on the big boys in the Premier League.

The Warrington sensation, 17, will make his Prem debut in Cardiff tomorrow.

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Three-time world champion MVG was asked if he would help protect the youngster.

But the Dutchman, 34, replied: “Of course not. Welcome to the big boys. Those days are over. He is no longer a youth player.

“Now you have to compete against each other on the stage, there can be no more mercy.

“You have to fight for every stage, every match. Everyone plays for themselves.”

When Littler was told about the jibe, he said, “Sure, I'm one of them now!” I competed with them in the big boy competition. I know what awaits. I can handle it all myself.

“If not, I will speak to my father and manager if it all goes wrong.

'But I'm mature enough to know what's going to happen.

“This is what I signed up for: to play with the best of the best. I have to beat them every week somehow.”

Littler has already proven he can do that. Since emerging from Ally Pally he has defeated five of his seven Prem rivals: Van Gerwen, Luke Humphries, Nathan Aspinall, Gerwyn Price (twice) and Rob Cross.

Those victories came in three events, including a nine-darter against Aspinall at the Bahrain Darts Masters, which Littler won.

He has yet to play Michael Smith and Peter Wright.

Littler's Prem opener is a repeat of the World Darts Championship final between him and world number 1 Humphries, who lifted the Sid Waddell Trophy that evening.

And Littler wants to get into the heads of his rivals during the 17-week competition.

The world number 31 said: “I know I can beat anyone if I put my mind to it.

“I've seen quite a few people say, 'Will the pressure get to him?' But I just do what I'm good at. Throw my darts at the board.”

ORDER OF GAME (quarter-finals, best of 11 legs): Wright v Cross, Price v Aspinall, Van Gerwen v Smith, Littler v Humphries.

A top international rugby star is alleged to have sexually assaulted three separate women as he celebrated with his team before a match he was due to play today.

Fijian Api Ratuniyarawa, 37, was due to play for the Barbarians against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff today.

Yet the 6ft 4in London Irish lock forward, who weighs 19st 5lb, was dropped from the squad and instead appeared in court after allegedly assaulting three women in separate incidents at the Revolution bar in Cardiff.

Ratuniyarawa had been out with other Barbarian players when he was arrested and held in custody early on Wednesday morning.

Ratuniyarawa, of Orchard, Kislingbury, Northampton, was charged with assault by penetration and touching. He denies the violations.

Cardiff magistrates heard that none of the women knew each other and that the three alleged assaults took place independently.

Second-row Ratuniyarawa, who has played 38 times for Fiji, was named as a replacement for the Barbarians squad, which is largely made up of players from the southern hemisphere.

Prosecutor Michael Evans said: ‘Ratuniyarawa is accused of penetrating two of the women with his finger and touching the breast and body of a third woman.

‘The women were not known to each other or to Ratuniyarawa before the evening in question.’

Ratuniyarawa, who spoke only to confirm his name and address, was jailed under ‘strict’ bail conditions and an electronic curfew was imposed between 7pm and 7am.

Magistrate Peter Hamley banned the player from re-entering Wales until he appears at Cardiff Crown Court on December 4.

He is not allowed to enter locations where alcohol is sold, such as bars, clubs and restaurants, and he is not allowed to contact witnesses in the case.

A spokesman for the Barbarians said: ‘As soon as we were contacted by South Wales Police we fully co-operated and assisted them with their investigation.

‘We cannot comment further on their advice as the investigation is still ongoing.’

It is considered a great honor to be chosen for the Barbarians, a British invitational side dating back to 1890.

The Barbarians team selected to play Wales arrived in Cardiff early this week and were seen drinking in the city on several nights.

They also had a Wild West costume team meal at a French restaurant.

The team is captained by Welsh rugby legend Alun Wyn Jones, who retires after becoming the world’s most capped player with 170 appearances for Wales and the British Lions.

Players will receive £15,000 for their participation in the game.

Ratuniyarawa was due to play for Fiji at the recent Rugby World Cup in France but withdrew from the squad in July due to family reasons.

A South Wales Police spokeswoman said: ‘Api Ratuniyarawa, 37, from West Northamptonshire will appear before Cardiff magistrates charged with assault by penetration and assault by touching.’