Shubham Gupta is an Indian IAS official for the Maharashtra cadre in 2019. As of 2021, he is working as ...
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Shubham Gupta (IAS) Wiki, Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More
Inside Mason Melia’s rise from St Patrick’s Athletic debut at 15 to sealing Spurs switch for record-breaking LOI amount
MASON Melia has become the first million euro League of Ireland footballer on foot of his future move to Spurs.
The 17-year-old won’t actually join the London giants until January 2026, by which time he will be 18.
Nonetheless, news of him being snapped up by the Premier League giants for the long-term has generated buzz across the LOI as a whole.
The initial sum of around €1.9m that Spurs have agreed to pay the Inchicore outfit will be by far the largest upfront fee paid for a player based in Ireland.
The League of Ireland side will also maintain a sell on clause is 20 percent on the player.
That could be doubled through performance-related clauses, including ones after five and ten first-team appearances, goals scored, senior international caps won and any future transfer.
Shamrock Rovers eventually received well in excess of €2m from the sale of Gavin Bazunu to Manchester City, following his subsequent move to Southampton, but the initial fee was just €500,000.
St Pat’s received around €700,000 for James Abankwah from Udinese three years ago and are still in line to receive further payments relating to the defender, now on loan at Watford.
The duration of his contract is a noteworthy sign of Spurs’ belief in him too as he will be with the club until 2031.
It’s the latest groundbreaking step in what’s already been a career packed full of sizeable leaps for someone so young.
Here, SunSport chronicles his emergence from making his senior debut for St Patrick’s Athletic at 15 to the present day:
How old is Mason Melia?
Despite being a much-hyped prospect for the Saints for quite some time now, he’s still only 17.
His date of birth is September 22, 2007.
How many times has he played for St Pat’s?
He’s already lined out for the Inchicore club on 41 occasions, scoring eight times.
These have included some clinical finishes leading fans to joke his price tag should be a minimum of two million euro.
International record with Ireland:
Unsurprisingly, the Wicklow native has been capped all the way up to Under-19s level with the Republic of Ireland.
He’s found the net once in three appearances at that age grade while he had a one in two strike rate for the U17s with 10 from 22.
Other big clubs to have shown interest:
SunSport revealed in December that Tottenham had launched a major charm offensive in a bid to jump to the top of the queue to sign him.
He was brought over for their game against Chelsea and shown around their training facilities.
That was a decisive move in ensuring Spurs remained in the hot seat to sign the hot prospect.
Everton, Chelsea and Celtic were also keen but, like Tottenham, could not proceed with a deal until he turned 18.
Bologna and Hannover 96 were in a position to sign the forward now but SunSport revealed that he would be staying put until at least the summer.
But now a deal has been done that will see Melia remain at Richmond Park for the duration of the 2025 season before making the move to London.
Saints Director of Football Ger O’Brien said: “We are delighted to agree a deal with Tottenham Hotspur for Mason Melia.
“When we recruited Mason in 2022 we knew we had signed an incredible talent. We had watched his development with St Joseph’s Boys and Bray Wanderers for a number of years.
“He has been fantastic during his three years at the club, and we’re delighted for Mason that he’ll be making the move to the Premier League early next year.
“There has been a lot of interest in Mason from the UK and Europe over the last number of years and our chairman has been negotiating this deal for a number of months, it’s a record transfer fee for a League of Ireland player and something the club is proud of.
“We look forward to working with Mason over the next year before he moves to London in January.”
Kenny praise
Pat’s manager Stephen Kenny added: “Mason is a terrific talent with an exceptional attitude and a real appetite for hard work.
“He has had a dramatic impact for one so young, his performances in our Conference League games playing as a central striker against high calibre opposition were of real quality.
“Every day on the training ground he shows a high work ethic and a capacity to take on information quickly and he grasps the tactical requirements depending on the game in question.
“His pressing out of possession is phenomenal and his pace offers a real threat and adds a dimension to our attacking play.
“His hold up play has been his greatest improvement over the last six months as he continues to develop physically.
“First and foremost he is a goalscorer, he scored some brilliant goals last season, and different types of goals and has shown a capacity to play anywhere along the front three.
“Mason has repeated those performances at international level for Ireland and has a bright future ahead for his country.
“We are looking forward to Mason continuing to be an integral part of the St Patrick’s Athletic team for the 2025 season and we wish him every success at Tottenham Hotspur from January 2026 onwards, in the next phase of his career in what is a brilliant opportunity for him.”
Rare 1950s Mercedes classic dubbed ‘first true sports car after WW2’ hits auction for eye-watering price
AN ultra-rare Mercedes, known as the “first sports car after WW2” is heading to auction as a highly sought-after classic.
The ground-breaking sports car emerged after World War II, redefining performance and design.
The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupe goes under the hammer for a cool £1.1 million.
Finished in a striking Strawberry Red metallic paint with a pristine Natural leather interior, this iconic 1950s classic is a head-turner in every sense.
The vibrant red hue extends to the dashboard, complemented by chrome details, while a matching set of luggage sits neatly behind the seats.
The car, now up for auction with Broad Arrow Auctions, has a rich history, having been part of prestigious collections owned by the likes of Sid Craig and former San Diego Padres owner John Jay Moores.
Labelled the “first true sports car” developed by Daimler-Benz after World War II, the 300L Gullwing Coupe was a game-changer in its era.
It’s distinctive gullwing doors were born out of necessity due to the car’s tubular space frame, which was too high for conventional door.
The 300 SL was based on Mercedes’ 1952 racing car and introduced ground-breaking innovations, including the brand’s first use of direct fuel injection.
This boosted its output by 40 horsepower compared to its carbureted predecessor, making it a lightweight powerhouse at just 2,866 pounds.
This particular model, with chassis number 5500429, rolled off the production line on 20 June 1955 in Graphite Grey, one of only 61 cars to feature this finish that year.
Its interior was originally specified with red leather.
But it was transformed into its current eye-catching strawberry red Metallic with a natural leather interior during a comprehensive restoration in California.
After the restoration, the car was acquired by noted collector Sid Craig and later displayed at the Academy of Art University Collection for 15 years, where it captivated students and visitors alike.
The first true sports car developed by Daimler-Benz after World War II was made possible by Max Hoffman, an Austrian-American and the official U.S. importer of the brand.
George Clarke dealt fresh blow as TV advert is banned for ‘misleading’ fans into thinking they were watching his show
GEORGE Clarke has been dealt a fresh blow as his TV advert was banned for ‘misleading’ viewers.
The TV architect was paid by Scottish Power to star in their latest television advert.
However, it’s been taken off air by the Advertising Standards Agency for breaching their guidlines.
The watchdog said it misled viewers into thinking they were watching George’s Channel 4 hit Amazing Spaces.
During the commercial, the 50-year-old appeared on screen with the text ‘George Clarke’s amazing green spaces’ appearing on screen.
During the advert, he could be heard saying: “I’ve seen some amazing spaces all around the UK.
“From yellow houses, blue houses, pink houses, and … greener houses. Of course, it is not about the colour, it’s all about the green solutions provided by Scottish Power.”
The advert contained the text #ad on screen for twelve seconds and also displayed Scottish Power’s logo.
Banning the commercial, ASA said the clip contained elements that mimicked George‘s Channel 4 show and that the #ad text was likely to be overlooked by viewers.
In a statement, they said: “We considered the audience were likely to interpret the ad as programme content.
“We considered viewers were unlikely to quickly recognise the message as an ad distinguishable from editorial content and were instead likely to believe [they] were watching a programme.”
It’s a fresh blow for George who last year was held at knife point in a horrific robbery that saw his watch snatched.
Speaking previously to The Sun’s TV Mag, he said: “Yeah, I was robbed. It was quite an expensive watch.
“It had no sentimental value at all. And so I just let it go. If it was sentimental value, I think I would have been really, really distraught
about it.
“And in the end I just went, you know what? It’s just a watch. It wasn’t given to me by a member of my family.
“Was it traumatic? Absolutely. Of course it is.”
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NFL Croke Park game deal edges closer with negotiations at advanced stage as announcement before Super Bowl possible
A DEAL to finally bring an NFL game to Croke Park could be announced as soon as this weekend with a match being planned for later this year.
The NFL and the GAA have been in talks to bring American football to Croker with negotiations now at an advanced stage.
Last May, the Irish Sun revealed that GAA President Jarlath Burns had travelled to Pittsburgh to meet with officials about bringing the Steelers to Croke Park for a match.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are owned by the Rooney family with former club President Dan Rooney previously serving as US Ambassador to Ireland under Barack Obama.
Dan Rooney has long campaigned for an annual NFL game in Ireland at Croke Park.
The Irish Sun understands that Sport Minister Patrick O’Donovan today updated the Cabinet on negotiations to bring American football to Croke Park.
Government sources said that a business case has been discussed between the Department of Sport and the NFL however, no deal has been signed yet.
It’s understood the GAA would like to hold the first American football game in September or October of this year with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers the likely line up.
This would be a full professional NFL league match similar to the games held in London every year.
The NFL are keen to expand the game here with hope that the Croke Park game would become an annual fixture in the football calendar.
While a deal is yet to be signed off, the Irish Sun understands that those involved in the discussions are hopeful of making an announcement this weekend ahead of the Super Bowl.
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles will fight it out in the Super Bowl on Sunday in what is one of the most watched sporting events in the world.
Ireland has never hosted an NFL game but the Aviva Stadium hosts college football once a year which is a regular sell-out and sees thousands of fans travel to the city.
The Steelers’ owners want to bring the NFL to Dublin with the Pittsburgh team previously playing a pre-season friendly in Croke Park in 1997.