Simone Inzaghi is a household name in the world of football, though perhaps he is best known for being the younger brother of World Cup-winning striker Filippo Inzaghi.

Born in April 1976, Simone Inzaghi is a former professional footballer and he is the current manager of Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal.

How Much Is Simone Inzaghi Worth?

As of June 2025, it is widely believed that Simone Inzaghi has a net worth of around £4 million – with the majority of his earnings obtained in his post-playing career.

He has enjoyed successful tenures at Lazio and Inter Milan, two of Italy’s biggest football clubs, and he is likely to attract some of Europe’s top outfits in the coming years.

Inzaghi was one of Europe's highest paid managers at Inter but he is now the highest paid manager on the planet, joining Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal for £25 million per year, with a signing bonus in the region of £4 million.

Having signed on the dotted line with Al-Hilal, Inzaghi is officially the highest-paid manager in the world. Stefano Pioli, Matthias Jaissle, and Laurent Blanc are current Pro League managers with higher salaries than many of the managers at Europe's biggest clubs. 

Playing Career

Simone Inzaghi started his professional football career with Piacenza in 1993 but his rise to prominence truly began during his time at Lazio.

In the 1999/2000 campaign, he scored 15 goals in 30 Serie A encounters and he was key to the club’s domestic double that season.

Winning both the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia crown in the same season would be a dream come true for any aspiring Italian footballer but you could argue that he peaked early in his career.

Inzaghi found himself in the shadow of his older brother at times but enjoyed stints at Sampdoria and Atalanta before retiring from football in 2010.

He did get one over on his sibling in 2000 as Lazio clinched the Scudetto on the final day of the Serie A season, much to Filippo’s disappointment.

Switch To Management

After making the tough decision to retire in 2010, Simone Inzaghi decided to try his hand at management – beginning with Lazio’s youth teams. He was an instant hit and worked his way up to first team coach just a few years later.

In five years at the club, he led Lazio to a Supercoppa Italiana title and they consistently finished inside the top five in Serie A, securing European football on a regular basis.

His impact did not go unnoticed and Inter Milan came knocking in 2021, and the Nerazzurri made an offer that he simply could not refuse.

It took Simone Inzaghi a few years to settle down and adjust to life at San Siro but Inter were crowned Serie A champions in 2023/24 while the Italian giants faced Paris Saint-Germain in the 2024/25 Champions League final at the end of May 2025.

En route to the final, Inter consistently defied the odds – and their semi-final success over competition favourites Barcelona will live long in the memory as one of the best Champions League semi-final stories of all-time. The final didn't end so positively, however, with Inter on the wrong end of a 5-0 scoreline. 

Family Life

While Filippo has stolen much of the limelight, that has allowed Simone Inzaghi to enjoy a more private personal life over the years. He shares a son with actress and television presenter Alessia Marcuzzi, though the couple are no longer together.

In 2018, Simone Inzaghi married Gaia Lucariello, a fashion model and famous social media influencer in Italy. The couple have two sons; Lorenzo, born in 2013, and Andrea, born in 2020.

Brother Filippo, an iconic figure with sports betting punters, and ex-partner Alessia were both in attendance at the wedding in Tuscany, with over 200 guests witnessing the marriage.

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*Photo credit belongs to Adobe*

The battle to be the most successful football club in England is a storyline spanning decades, with fans arguing until they're blue in the face over the number of awards in the trophy cabinet.

Trophies are the currency of success in football – they are what so many conversations around the sport resort to.

At the start of each season, the football betting markets attempt to predict which teams will be adding to their trophy cabinet during the campaign. Of course, the favourites do not always prevail.

The most successful teams in England have had multiple periods of sustained success, some recent, others in generations past. 

English Clubs With Most Trophies

1. Liverpool - 70 trophies
2. Manchester United - 68 trophies
3. Arsenal - 48 trophies
4. Manchester City - 37 trophies
5. Chelsea - 36 trophies
6. Tottenham Hotspur - 28 trophies
7. Aston Villa - 25 trophies
8. Everton – 24 trophies 
9. Newcastle United – 15 trophies
10. Nottingham Forest – 13 trophies
11. Wolverhampton Wanderers – 13 trophies

Throughout the era of Premier League outright odds, the below list has evolved, as droughts have extended and clubs have bolstered their hardware collection.

A treble for Manchester City in 2022/23 saw the club edge closer to Chelsea's tally of 34 major honours and it is surely only a matter of time until the Citizens take fourth place on the list.

Here are the most successful football clubs in England, according to this list of major honours - though many argue that some of the competitions should not be counted in such standings…

• The Championship Playoff Final first took place in 1987, with Charlton beating Leeds

• Crystal Palace are the most successful team in football’s most lucrative match with four wins

• Read below for the history of the Championship Playoff Final

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The Championship Playoff Final is not only a big occasion in football betting.

It is arguably football’s most lucrative fixture, and in seasons where two teams have sewn up the automatic spots, the opportunity to enter the playoffs gives clubs and fans hope. 

It helps retain competitiveness deep into the campaign. Teams can get rolling over the closing weeks of the season and ride that wave to Wembley, and perhaps to the riches and glamour of the Premier League. 

This format also gives something else to ponder in Championship predictions. Here’s all you need to know about the Championship Playoff Final.

How Do The Championship Playoffs Work?

Teams finishing third, fourth, fifth and sixth in the Championship qualify for the Playoffs. This opens up the season for those who can’t quite catch the best Championship teams.

From then on, it’s a straightforward matchup of third versus sixth and fourth versus fifth.

These are two-legged ties, with the lower seed playing at home in the first leg. This gives the team with a better league position home advantage to finish the tie, which is generally considered to be beneficial. 

As is commonplace for two-legged ties like these, the winner is determined by aggregate score. The two scores are simply added together. There are no away goals to consider in the Playoff Semi-Finals.

If they are level after 180 minutes, and at the end of a long season, it goes to extra time. This in the standard format of two 15-minute halves. Should the scores remain level through this period, a penalty shootout will decide the tie.

The winners of the semi-finals meet at Wembley. All of the Football League Playoff Semi-Finals usually take place across a bank holiday weekend in May.

If tied after 90 minutes of the final, it’s once again straight to extra time and penalties. The winner goes into the Premier League next season, while the loser remains in the Championship.

Championship Playoff Final History

The 1990 Playoff Final was the first to be played in the current format. The 1987, 1988 and 1989 Playoff Finals were played across two legs. In fact, the first ever Playoff Final required 270 minutes of action.

Each getting a 1-0 win in the two-legged tie, Charlton and Leeds were forced into a replay at St Andrew’s. The Addicks were victorious in the one-off game, which served as an example for how the Playoff Final would work from 1990 onwards.

Played at the old Wembley from 1990 until 2001, Cardiff was home to the Championship Playoff Final from 2001 until 2006. The Millennium Stadium hosted the three heaviest wins in the history of the Playoff Final.

Although only hosting for a few seasons, the Millennium Stadium saw some of the bigger Playoff moments.

In 2004 and 2005, for instance, Crystal Palace and West Ham snuck into the Playoffs in sixth, but both went on to win the final.

Palace had a change of manager to thank for their turn around, while the Hammers were lucky to have this format, having been 12 points off third-placed Ipswich.

The Playoffs don’t always reward the teams who have been thriving in live betting throughout the season.

The Final returned to Wembley in 2007, and there have been further examples of this with Blackpool gaining promotion from sixth in 2010, and Watford missing out in 2013 despite being just two points off the automatic spots.

Luton, who won the 2023 Playoff Final, were 11 points clear of sixth across the 46-game regular season but it doesn't always work out that way. Southampton finished fourth in 2023/24 and beat Leeds United, one place above them, in the 2024 Playoff Final.

The last decade has generally seen teams finishing third or fourth win the final. Blackpool in 2009-10 were the last team to finish sixth in the table and earn promotion. 

Championship Playoff Final Winners List

The Championship Playoffs are a different test from the 46-game grind. It’s a question of coping under pressure, and of hitting form at the right time.

Having one of the Championship top scorers might not matter if they aren’t on top of their game in May. Here are the teams who have overcome those pressures to win the Championship Playoff Final:

• 1987 – Charlton

• 1988 – Middlesbrough 

• 1989 – Crystal Palace

• 1990 – Swindon Town

• 1991 – Notts County

• 1992 – Blackburn Rovers

• 1993 – Swindon Town

• 1994 – Leicester

• 1995 – Bolton

• 1996 – Leicester

• 1997 – Crystal Palace

• 1998 – Charlton

• 1999 – Watford

• 2000 – Ipswich

• 2001 – Bolton

• 2002 – Birmingham

• 2003 – Wolves

• 2004 – Crystal Palace

• 2005 – West Ham

• 2006 – Watford

• 2007 – Derby

• 2008 – Hull

• 2009 – Burnley

• 2010 – Blackpool

• 2011 – Swansea

• 2012 – West Ham

• 2013 – Crystal Palace

• 2014 – QPR

• 2015 – Norwich

• 2016 – Hull

• 2017 – Huddersfield

• 2018 – Fulham 

• 2019 – Aston Villa

• 2020 – Fulham

• 2021 – Brentford

• 2022 – Nottingham Forest

• 2023 – Luton Town 

• 2024 - Southampton

• 2025 - Sunderland

Biggest Margin Of Victory In A Championship Playoff Final

Three goals is the biggest margin of victory in a Championship Playoff Final. This was achieved three times in six years with Bolton, Wolves and Watford running out 3-0 victors against Preston, Sheffield United and Leeds respectively.

The highest scoring Championship Playoff Final was before the trio of 3-0s, though.

Charlton and Sunderland matched up at the old Wembley back in 1998 and played out a 4-4 thriller.

The Addicks were the eventual winners in a dramatic penalty shootout, securing their second Championship Playoff Final win after toppling Leeds over two legs in 1987.

Of the 3-0 wins, Wolves’ triumph can be viewed as the most emphatic. The Midlands club scored all of their goals before half-time, with Mark Kennedy, Nathan Blake and Kenny Miller getting on the scoresheet.

While Wolves blew the Blades away in 2003, the final between Bolton and Preston two years earlier was a different pattern, despite finishing with the same score line.

Gareth Farrelly’s strike from outside the box gave Wanderers a first half lead. It was a tense affair from then on, though, with both teams enjoying periods of pressure.

Only in the 89th minute did Bolton get an insurance goal. Ricardo Gardner scored a matter seconds later to seal a 3-0 win for Sam Allardyce’s side.

Since 2015, Playoff finals have been nervy affairs. Brentford’s 2-0 win over Swansea in 2021 is the only time a team has won by two clear goals at Wembley with Huddersfield and Luton needing penalty shootouts to win in 2017 and 2023 respectively. 

Which Club Has Won The Most EFL Championship Playoff Finals?

Crystal Palace have won the most EFL Championship Playoff Finals. The Eagles won in 1989, 1997, 2004 and 2013. No other club has won more than two Playoff Finals.

Fulham, Hull, West Ham, Watford, Bolton, Charlton, Leicester and Swindon have each won the EFL Championship Playoff Final twice.

This includes Playoff Final wins before the division was renamed. Fulham have been the most successful club in recent memory, winning the big game in 2018 and 2020.

Palace have been ruthless in finals, winning four of their five appearances. At the other end of the spectrum, Derby and Reading have lost three Playoff finals apiece while Sheffield United have lost four finals. 

While previously seen as a yo-yo club, Palace have consolidated in the Premier League. The 2023-24 season is their eleventh consecutive campaign in the top flight.

How Much Do Clubs Earn For Winning The Championship Playoffs?

There is no direct financial prize for winning the Championship Playoffs.

It is, however, regarded as the most lucrative match in world football. Some estimates suggest that promotion can be worth towards half a billion pounds, with more conservative estimates coming in at £150 million.

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Tony Incenzo's Championship Playoff Final Memories

THE Championship Play-Off Final is abundantly described as football’s richest game. It delivers a massive financial carrot via promotion to that elusive top flight promised land.

To quantify, Play-Off Final winners will subsequently pocket a minimum of £140-150 million in 12 months of Premier League membership. The match itself attracts frenzied Championship betting.

On a personal note, this wonderful showpiece provided me with my greatest day as a football supporter. It came when I was in the press box to watch my beloved Queens Park Rangers defeat Derby County 1-0 at Wembley Stadium on 24th May 2014 before 87,348 spectators.

QPR’s decisive goal was scored by Bobby Zamora in the last minute. So I caught up with Zamora for an interview to ask him about his priceless match winning moment…

Bobby, before we talk about your goal let’s look back at the match itself. Rangers went down to 10 men when Gary O’Neil was sent-off after an hour. The scoreline was 0-0 at the time. In-play betting suggested it would be an uphill struggle from there and it most certainly was wasn’t it?

Yes it made things more difficult. It was a very tough game and Derby were a very good side. They were in great form and they were playing some excellent football that season. So we were up against it somewhat with 10 men.

The R’s had to defend really well in that last half an hour at Wembley as Derby were dominating possession weren’t they?

Our defenders were absolutely magnificent. Richard Dunne and Nedum Onuoha were fantastic. They really, really were. It was fortunate enough for us that everyone defensively was on their ‘A’ game and we managed to grind out the victory.

Despite all the pressure from Derby, QPR managed to break away and you sensationally scored the winning goal with 10 seconds of normal time remaining. What do you remember about that moment?

I just wanted to get into the box. Whenever the ball goes wide, it is a case for the strikers to make sure they are in the penalty area. When I was initially running in, I thought I couldn’t get in front of the two Derby County centre-backs as I was a little bit of a distance away from them.

But as it happens, Junior Hoilett crossed the ball a couple of seconds earlier than I anticipated. So I checked back. Then their defender Richard Keogh miscued his clearance and it fell just in front of me.

After many years of training and me staying behind after training for repetition of hitting the target, it just becomes instinctive rather than thinking about it. Thankfully it worked in our favour. It dawned on me afterwards how huge the occasion was and it was nice to be a part of that.

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I also chatted to another QPR man who was in the thick of the action against Derby County – Gary O’Neil, who took one for the team with a last man challenge for his red card…

Gary, even for an experienced player like yourself it must have still been a really big game at Wembley?

Oh yeah the Play-Off Finals are the biggest games I’ve ever played in because of what is riding on them. You have worked through the whole season and what’s going to happen in the next year is dependent on 90 minutes.

In my first Play-Off Final with West Ham, I found it difficult to play the game rather than the occasion. So in the second one with QPR, I think I managed to perform a bit better having been there before. I had learnt from how I prepared and got ready for the previous Final.

You were sent-off in QPR’s Play-Off Final against Derby for bringing down Johnny Russell just outside the box in the 60th minute to prevent a goal. What are your recollections of that incident?

I didn’t think it was definitely going to be a red card. That was the reason that I made the foul. I was never going to get the ball – it was three or four yards further ahead of me. So it was one of those situations where you get a split second to make a decision.

For some reason, something told me that it was the right thing to do. But for about the next 30 minutes when I was sat in the changing room, I was pretty sure it wasn’t the right thing to do!

However it turned out to be the right decision in the end as we got the winning goal. It was an up and down day for me.

So you weren’t able to watch the rest of the game after you had been sent-off?

There was a very small TV screen just inside the tunnel. I managed to watch that and I was just praying that the lads could get to penalties, where it would be like the toss of a coin who would win promotion.

Obviously we had Bobby Zamora up our sleeves to score the vital goal – the joker in the pack to come and save us with seconds to go.

What did the other QPR players say to you after the final whistle at Wembley?

They were saying stupid things at the time when emotions were running high. They were saying it was the best red card they had ever seen and all sorts of silly stuff!

In the end, I was lucky that it ended up working out for the best as I could easily have been the villain and the one who cost us promotion. If I could go back in time, I would hope to not be the one who had to make that decision.

I’d leave it for someone else to bring Russell down! But unfortunately, it was only me and goalkeeper Robert Green from there on that could stop him.

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*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*

The Oaks at Epsom takes place on the first day of the Epsom Derby meeting. It is always run on the Friday of The Derby Festival, the day before the Saturday highlight - the Epsom Derby.  

First run in 1779, the Oaks at Epsom Downs is the second oldest of the five horse racing betting Classic races and for three-year-old fillies only. 

Epsom Oaks History

The 12th Earl of Derby and some friends came up with the idea of running the race for fillies during a party at his estate, which was called The Oaks, on the outskirts of Epsom.

The race was first run as The Oakes Stakes the following year, 12 months before the introduction of The Derby. 

The Oaks subsequently became one of the most important races for three-year-old fillies anywhere in the world and has prompted other countries to devise their own equivalents, including the Irish Oaks (Ireland), the Prix de Diane (France) and the Oaks d’Italia (Italy) 

Run over 1 mile 4 furlongs – just like the Epsom Derby - the Oaks has been staged at Epsom Downs every year since its inaugural race, apart from between 1915-1918 and 1940-1945 when World Wars 1 and 2 meant the race had to be switched to Newmarket for safety reasons. 

Most Successful Oaks Jockey 

Frank Buckle has ridden the winner of the Epsom Oaks nine times.

He has partnered Nike (1797), Bellissima (1798), Bellina (1799), Scotia (1802), Theophania (1803), Meteora (1805), Neva (1817), Corinne (1818), Zinc (1823) to victory. 

Most Successful Oaks Trainer 

Robert Robson has been successful 13 times in the Oaks.

Scotia (1802), Pelisse (1804), Meteora (1805), Briseis (1807), Morel (1808), Maid of Orleans (1809), Music (1813), Minuet (1815), Landscape (1816), Corinne (1818), Pastille (1822), Zinc (1823) and Wings (1825) all did the business for the trainer. 

Oaks Winners (2014 -2024) 

Epsom Oaks Result 2024 

• 1st - Ezeliya 13/2, Jockey: Chris Hayes, Trainer: Dermot Weld 

• 2nd - Dance Sequence 7/1, Jockey: William Buick, Trainer: Charlie Appleby 

• 3rd - War Chimes 50/1, Jockey: Tom Marquand, Trainer: David Menuisier 

Epsom Oaks Result 2023 

• 1st - Soul Sister 11/4, Jockey: Frankie Dettori, Trainer: John & Thady Gosden 

• 2nd - Savethelastdance 5/6F, Jockey: Ryan Moore, Trainer: Aidan O’Brien 

• 3rd - Caernarfon 40/1, Jockey: Connor Beasley, Trainer: Jack Channon 

Epsom Oaks Result 2022 

• 1st - Tuesday 13/2, Jockey: Ryan Moore, Trainer: Aidan O’Brien 

• 2nd - Emily Upjohn 6/4F, Jockey: Frankie Dettori, Trainer: John & Thady Gosden 

• 3rd - Nashwa 4/1, Jockey: Hollie Doyle, Trainer: John & Thady Gosden 

Epsom Oaks Result 2021 

• 1st - Snowfall 11/2, Jockey: Frankie Dettori, Trainer: Aidan O’Brien 

• 2nd - Mystery Angel 50/1, Jockey: Ben Curtis, Trainer: George Boughey 

• 3rd - Divinely 20/1, Jockey: Seamie Heffernan, Trainer: Aidan O’Brien 

Epsom Oaks Result 2020 

• 1st - Love 11/10F, Jockey: Ryan Moore, Trainer: Aidan O’Brien 

• 2nd - Ennistymon 6/1, Jockey: Seamie Heffernan, Trainer: Aidan O’Brien 

• 3rd - Frankly Darling 7/4, Jockey: Frankie Dettori, Trainer: John Gosden 

Epsom Oaks Result 2019 

• 1st - Anapurna 8/1, Jockey: Frankie Dettori, Trainer: John Gosden 

• 2nd - Pink Dogwood (IRE) 3/1, Jockey: Ryan Moore, Trainer: Aidan P. O'Brien 

• 3rd - Fleeting (IRE) 25/1, Jockey: Wayne Lordan, Trainer: Aidan P. O'Brien 

Epsom Oaks Result 2018 

• 1st - Forever Together (IRE) 7/1, Jockey: Donnacha O'Brien, Trainer: Aidan P. O'Brien 

• 2nd - Wild Illusion 5/2F, Jockey: William Buick, Trainer: Charlie Appleby 

• 3rd - Bye Bye Baby (IRE) 8/1, Jockey: Wayne Lordan, Trainer: Aidan P. O'Brien 

Epsom Oaks Result 2017 

• 1st - Enable 6/1, Jockey: Frankie Dettori, Trainer: John Gosden 

• 2nd - Rhododendron (IRE) 8/11F, Jockey: Ryan Moore, Trainer: Aidan P. O'Brien 

• 3rd - Alluringly (USA) 16/1, Jockey: Seamie Heffernan, Trainer: Aidan P. O'Brien 

Epsom Oaks Result 2016 

• 1st - Minding (IRE) 10/11F, Jockey: Ryan Moore, Trainer: Aidan P. O'Brien 

• 2nd - Architecture (IRE) 12/1, Jockey: Frankie Dettori, Trainer: Hugo Palmer 

• 3rd - Harlequeen 14/1, Jockey: Silvestre De Sousa, Trainer: Mick Channon 

Epsom Oaks Result 2015 

• 1st - Qualify (IRE) 50/1, Jockey: Colm O'Donoghue, Trainer: Aidan P. O'Brien 

• 2nd - Legatissimo (IRE) 5/2F, Jockey: Ryan Moore, Trainer: David Wachman 

• 3rd - Lady of Dubai 7/1, Jockey: Adam Kirby, Trainer: Luca Cumani 

Epsom Oaks Result 2014 

• 1st - Taghrooda 5/1, Jockey: Paul Hanagan, Trainer: John Gosden 

• 2nd - Tarfasha (IRE) 9/2, Jockey: Pat Smullen, Trainer: Dermot K. Weld 

• 3rd - Volume 9/1, Jockey: Richard Hughes, Trainer: Luca Cumani 

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*Photo credit belongs to Adobe*

Darts is now one of the most entertaining spectacles in sport.

It has gone from being a pub game to a fully functioning sport in a relatively short amount of time and millions of people around the world tune in every week to watch the 2020 Premier League Darts.

Fallon Sherrock sent shockwaves across the sporting world back in December 2019 as she became the first female player to win a game at the PDC World Championship.

Her impact and influence on the biggest stage of all only helped to increase darts’ reputation.

Sherrock’s achievements will go down in history and her victory over Mensur Suljovic will surely rank as one of the greatest darts matches ever in years to come.

For now, let’s look at the current list of the best darts games of all-time…

Phil Taylor vs Raymond van Barneveld (2007)

We simply have to start with that clash between Taylor and Van Barneveld in the 2007 PDC World Championship final.

Trailing 3-0 early on, Taylor rallied to level the scores at six sets apiece – the 2007 final was going to a deciding set.

The Circus Tavern went wild as Barney celebrated a famous success – it was the perfect way to sign off at the venue before the tournament moved to the Alexandra Palace.

To this day, most fans believe that this is the greatest darts match in history.

Adrian Lewis vs Phil Taylor (2013)

This was easily the most exciting match in Grand Slam of Darts history – Lewis and Taylor combined for a sensational 32 maximums.

Lewis finished the match with a 110.99 average while Taylor recorded 109.46; the fans were treated to a top-class spectacle.

Taylor himself stated that he felt that this was the best he had ever played – the match will certainly live long in the memory.

He eventually secured a 16-9 triumph over his darting protégé but Lewis wouldn’t have to wait too long to get revenge.

 

Raymond van Barneveld vs Michael van Gerwen (2016)

Van Gerwen was incredible in 2015, winning a range of major tournaments including The Masters, UK Open, World Matchplay and Grand Slam of Darts.

Going into his clash with Van Barneveld, the world number one was unbeaten in over two months…

The 2007 champion secured a shock triumph, snatching a 4-3 victory in front of a jubilant Alexandra Palace crowd.

Van Gerwen averaged a staggering 105.78 but it wasn’t enough to defeat a spirited Van Barneveld on that occasion.

Michael van Gerwen vs Michael Smith (2016)

Van Gerwen set a new record for the highest televised average, recording a colossal 123.40 against Smith in the 2016 Premier League.

The Dutchman almost clinched a 7-0 whitewash but missed a chance at double 18 to secure the sweep.

Bully Boy admitted afterwards that he was second best from the beginning – Van Gerwen was just too good on the night.

The world number one is still the best darts player in the business and many believe he ranks above Taylor as the greatest of all-time.

 

Mensur Suljovic vs Gary Anderson (2018)

This game will live long in the memory with darts betting fans all over the world.

Anderson came out on top in one of the greatest televised darts finals, with the Scotsman joining Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen as the only players to win the darts Triple Crown.

Both players topped the 100 average mark and recorded 14 maximums apiece.

Suljovic was crestfallen at the end but the Austrian will be proud of his involvement in what is widely regarded as the best match in World Matchplay history.

 

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Tom Hevezi / AP Photo*

Added to the Epsom Oaks/Derby meeting in 1902, the Coronation Cup regularly attracts runners who lined up in the Derby or Oaks during their Classic campaign and contains a roll of honour of all-time greats.

Horses such as Pretty Polly, Petite Etoile, Mill Reef, Rainbow Quest, Singspiel, and St Nicholas Abbey are all etched on the winner’s board. 

Offering £425,000 (2024) in total prize money, the race never fails to attract a field containing the most talented older horses in training. 

Top Coronation Cup Jockeys 

Legendary jockey Lester Piggott is the most successful rider in the Coronation Cup winning the race on nine occasions from 1953 to 1983.

Three of those wins were back to back starting with Nagami in 1959 followed by a double win on Petite Etoile in 1960 and 1961.

The two leading jockeys in the Coronation Stakes over the last 20 renewals are Ryan Moore and Frankie Dettori who have both won the race twice each. 

With Dettori now plying his trade in the United States, Moore is the jockey who can continue to make/break new records in this race. 

Top Coronation Cup Trainers 

The leading trainer in the Coronation Cup over the last 20 renewals is Aidan O’Brien O'Brien who has won the race a record nine times.

Those nine winners coming from Yeats (2005), Scorpion (2007), Soldier Of Fortune (2008), Fame And Glory (2010), St Nicholas Abbey (2011, 2012 & 2013), Highland Reel (2017) and Luxembourg (2024). 

Emphasising the often international appeal of this race, it is multiple French Champion Trainer André Fabre who lies second on the all-time list with six wins in all, In The Wings (1990) and Swain (1996) are just two of the Fabre-trained horses that took the the prize back across the Channel to France. 

Top Coronation Cup Horses Of All Time 

Being open to runners aged four and older, some previous winners return to Epsom in a bid to defend their crown. With new four-year-olds breaking on the scene season upon season, to do so is no mean feat.  

Double winners include Petite Etoile, Pretty Polly, The White Knight, Triptych and Warrsan, but the only horse to win the race on three separate occasions was St Nicholas Abbey.  

Hailing form the yard of Aidan O’Brien, St Nicholas Abbey landed close to £5 million in total prize money during his career, was a six time Group 1 winner, including this race in 2011, 2012 and 2013. 

It’s highly unlikely his record in the Coronation Cup will ever be bettered. 

Recent Coronation Cup Winners

• 2024 – Luxembourg, Aidan O'Brien / Ryan Moore 

• 2023 - Emily Upjohn, John & Thady Gosden / Frankie Dettori 

• 2022 – Hukum, Owen Burrows / Jim Crowley 

• 2021 – Pyledriver, W Muir & C Grassick / Martin Dwyer 

• 2020 – Ghaiyyath, Charlie Appleby / William Buick 

• 2019 – Defoe, Roger Varian / Andrea Atzeni 

• 2018 – Cracksman, John Gosden / Frankie Dettori 

• 2017 – Highland Reel, Aidan O’Brien / Ryan Moore 

• 2016 – Postponed, Roger Varian / Andrea Atzeni 

• 2015 – Pether’s Moon, Richard Hannon / Pat Dobbs

The French Open is the second of tennis’ four Grand Slams. Taking place in late May and early June, it is the only Grand Slam played on clay courts.

As a result, the list of tennis betting favourites for the event often features some different names – this is a chance for clay-court specialists to write their name into the sport’s history books.

There are other factors to consider from a live betting perspective, too.

Long rallies are the norm on the iconic red clay of Roland Garros, testing the durability, flexibility, and recovery times of each player competing across the men’s and women’s draws.

Here are the most successful players in the Open Era:

Rafael Nadal – 14 titles

The King of Clay is – by an enormous margin – the most successful player in French Open history.

Rafael Nadal holds a raft of records on clay courts, including winning 81 consecutive matches, which is the longest single-surface streak in the Open Era.

From 2005 until 2022, only three other players won the men’s singles title at Roland Garros. His 96.6% winning percentage at the event is clear of anyone else, as is his total of 112 total match wins and 15 semi-final appearances.

In 2008, 2010, 2017, and 2020, Nadal won the French Open without dropping a set.

Unsurprisingly, he’s the only player to have done this on four occasions. He’s not only the lone player to have won a French Open title in three separate decades – the Spaniard won multiple titles in each of those decades. 

Standing alone in every category, Nadal is undeniably the greatest clay-court player in tennis history. Many of his records look utterly unbreakable. 

Chris Evert – 7 titles

Seven of Chris Evert’s 18 Grand Slam titles were won at Roland Garros. Evert, with 70 overall clay titles, is the most successful clay court female tennis player of all-time.

The American defended the French Open on three occasions, going back-to-back in 1974, 1975, 1979, 1980, and 1985, 1986.

Her French Open finals were dominated by duels with Martina Navratilova – four of her eight finals were against Navratilova, and she was victorious on three occasions.

Steffi Graf is the only player with more wins at the French Open. In the Open Era, Iga Świątek is the only player who can boast a better winning percentage than Evert at Roland Garros. 

Björn Borg – 6 titles

Prior to Nadal’s reign, Björn Borg was in a league of his own at the French Open. Borg has double as many titles as any other man in the Open Era, winning four in a row from 1978 to 1981 after going back-to-back in 1974 and 1975.

The Swede’s wins in 1978 and 1980 were completed without dropping a set. His winning percentage of 96.1% is only narrowly behind Nadal and puts him over 10 percentage points ahead of his nearest rival.

Borg didn’t have the longevity to put up a huge number of wins (he has less than half of Nadal’s total), but he was a Nadal level of dominant during his pomp in the 1970s and early eighties. 

Steffi Graf – 6 titles

Twelve years separated Graf’s six French Open titles. Runner-up on three occasions, including some iconic bouts with her rival Monica Seles, Graf first won at Roland Garros when she defeated Navratilova in an epic final in 1987.

In 1988, Graf won the French Open without dropping a set en route to completing the calendar year Grand Slam. She lost three of the next four finals before winning three French Open titles in a four-year period. 

Justine Henin – 4 titles

Justine Henin defeated compatriot Kim Clijsters in straight sets to claim her first French Open title. Two years later, the Belgian dispatched Mary Pierce to win at Roland Garros for a second time.

This started a run of three consecutive French Open titles, equalling the record set by Monica Seles. In the second and third of those titles, Henin didn’t drop a single set.

Only four players in the Open Era can boast a better winning percentage at Roland Garros. 

Iga Świątek – 4 titles

Świątek is destined to climb this list. Champion of this event in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024, Świątek has already equalled Henin and Seles’ historic mark of three consecutive French Open crowns. 

A 35-2 record at Roland Garros is unmatched in the Open Era. A run of 21 consecutive wins is already the fourth-most all-time and could be added to at the 2025 edition of the French Open.

Most Roland Garros Wins All-Time

• Rafael Nadal – 14

• Max Decugis – 8

• Chris Evert – 7 

• Björn Borg – 6

• Steffi Graf – 6 

• Suzanne Lenglen – 6 

• Henri Cochet – 5 

• Margaret Court – 5 

• Adine Masson – 5 

• Iga Świątek – 4 

• Justine Henin – 4 

• Andre Vacherot – 4 

• Paul Ayme – 4 

• Kate Gillou – 4 

• Jeanne Matthey – 4 

• Helen Wills – 4 

• Mats Wilander – 3 

• Ivan Lendl – 3 

• Gustavo Kuerten – 3 

• Novak Djokovic – 3 

• Maurice Germot – 3 

• Rene Lacoste – 3 

• Arantxa Sánchez Vicario – 3 

• Monica Seles – 3 

• Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling – 3 

Who are the Most Successful French Open Doubles Players?

Martina Navratilova holds the record with seven women’s doubles titles and two mixed doubles titles. Roy Emerson is the most successful player in men’s doubles with six titles in six years in the 1960s. 

Emerson and Navratilova also won two singles titles apiece at Roland Garros.

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