Francis Ngannou has released a heartbreaking social media post amid reports his 18-month-old son has died.

Francis Ngannou has released a heartbreaking social media post amid reports his 18-month-old son has died.

Cameroonian outlet 237online.com initially reported the passing of the UFC star’s infant son on Monday afternoon – a claim that was then corroborated by several publications.

The former UFC champion-turned boxer then confirmed the tragic news with a pair of heartbreaking social media posts.

Writing on X, Ngannou said: “What’s the purpose of life if what we’re fighting tooth and nail to get away from is what finally hit us the hardest!?

“Why is life so unfair and merciless? Why does life always take what we don’t have? I’m f***ing tired.”

Ngannou then said: “Too soon to leave but yet he’s gone. My little boy, my mate, my partner Kobe was full of life and joy. Now he’s laying without life. I shouted his name over and over but he’s not responding.

“I was my best self next to him and now I have no clue who I am. Life is so unfair to hit us where it hurts the most.

“How do you deal with such a thing? How can you live with it? Please help me if you have an idea because I really don’t know what to do and how to deal with this.”

Conor McGregor was among the first to send their well-wishes to the Cameroonian.

What's the purpose of life if what we're fighting tooth and nail to get away from is what finally hit us the hardest!?
Why is life so unfair and merciless?
Why does life always take what we don't have? I'm fucking tired

— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) April 29, 2024

The Irishman replied to Ngannou’s post: “I am so sorry to hear of your loss Francis, my prayers are with you and your family at this time.”

Ngannou grew up in the Cameroonian village of Batie and was raised by a single mother in relative poverty. As a child he walked six miles to school every day and by the age of 10 he was digging sand mines.

When he reached adulthood, Ngannou made the journey from Cameroon to the north of the continent, through Nigeria, Niger and Algeria before reaching Morocco.

The 37-year-old then went on to settle in Paris, where he met trainer Fernand Lopez, who convinced him to pick up MMA instead of boxing.

Upon winning five of his first six mixed martial arts bouts, Ngannou penned his first contract with the UFC and went to make waves in the promotion.

He claimed six successive wins to earn a heavyweight title shot against Stipe Miocic, only to suffer a blowout loss in 2018.

Nevertheless, Ngannou would ultimately go on to become a superstar in the sport, winning 17 of his 20 fights to become UFC heavyweight champion in 2021.

A year later however, he quit the promotion and signed with the Professional Fighter’s League, before dipping his toes into the boxing world.

Ngannou has fought both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, suffering a narrow defeat to former, before losing heavily to the latter.

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Tiago Ilori was tipped for big things when he joined Liverpool but left the club on this day in 2017 having never made a Premier League appearance.

With Liverpool likely in need of strengthening at centre-back in the not-too-distant future, Sporting Lisbon is one possible port of call.

The Reds have repeatedly been linked with a swoop for Goncalo Inacio in recent months, while the ECHO reported earlier this week that the Reds are tracking his team-mate, Ousmane Diomande.

But should Liverpool actually ever sign either player, they will hope that they fare considerably better than the previous two times they have bought from Sporting Lisbon.

The Reds first turned to the Portuguese outfit in January 2012, snapping up Joao Carlos Teixeira in an £830k deal after he had impressed against the club in the 2011/12 NextGen Series. However, the move almost fell through due to a back injury.

Once recovered, the playmaker, hailed as the ‘New Deco’ impressed at youth level and, despite an underwhelming loan move to Brentford during the first half of the 2013/14 season, made his Liverpool debut as a substitute in a 3-2 victory over Fulham in February 2014.

The following year, he would impress on loan in the Championship with Brighton & Hove Albion only to see his campaign ended prematurely by a broken foot. And while it would take the appointment of Jurgen Klopp for him to be handed a first team look-in in 2015/16, it soon became clear that he would leave the club the following summer at the end of his contract.

Liverpool ended up pocketing £250k compensation when Teixeira joined FC Porto, having made only eight appearances for the Reds and scored only once. Yet that was still more of an impact than the second Sporting Lisbon player to move to Anfield.

It was August 2013 when former manager Brendan Rodgers completed a double deadline day swoop to land Mamadou Sakho from Paris Saint-Germain for £18m and a 20-year-old Tiago Ilori in a £7m deal from Sporting Lisbon. In doing so, he claimed to have sorted out the Reds’ backline for the next 10 years.

“I wanted to try to protect the present and the future of the club,” Rodgers said at the time. “Centre-halves are so hard to find. You look at some teams and they have ageing centre-halves because it is a struggle to get a really good one.

“We were fortunate in that two became available, one that we had been tracking for a year in Tiago Ilori, a young talent but who can be a big talent.

“He is 6′ 3”, super quick, power, can jump, and he just needs to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League. He is one for the future, but he can be a really big talent.

“Sakho is 23 but he is an experienced player. He has senior international caps and looks an absolute monster in training. He is one who is ready for now and that is what we want.

“We had a chance to do that and protect the club for maybe the next ten years and that is what we have done.”

Alas, Rodgers’ lofty prediction never came close to coming true. Sakho’s rollercoaster Anfield career is well-documented, as the Frenchman found himself bombed out by Klopp and eventually departed for Crystal Palace on a permanent basis in a £26m deal at the end of August 2017.

He had lasted four years, making 80 appearances with his last outing coming in April 2016. Yet such a total was 77 more than the man who had been touted by Rodgers to be his long-term centre-back partner.

Ilori was highly-rated prior to his move to Anfield, to the extent that the FA were hoping to persuade the London-born defender to switch international allegenices from Portugal to England. Yet despite Rodgers claiming to have been tracking the centre-back for a year prior to signing him, the £7m man never even made an appearance under the Northern Irishman.

Unused during the first half of the 2013/14 following his move to Anfield, the Portuguese made just three matchday squads before being sent to spend the second half of that season on loan at Granada. He made nine appearances, before registering 15 appearances on loan at Bordeaux during the 2014/15 campaign.

“I joined Liverpool two seasons ago to play for Liverpool, that is my number one objective so I’m going to do everything to make that happen.”

Less than two weeks later, he found himself sent out on loan again as he joined Aston Villa on transfer deadline day. Yet he failed to make an appearance for the Premier League side before being recalled early in January 2016.

By this point, Klopp was now Liverpool manager, with the German embarrassingly admitting he had previously had no idea that Ilori was even a Reds player.

“When I first came here I didn’t know he was an LFC player to be honest. Of course not, he was at Aston Villa,” he said.

“Time after time I got information about all the players who were on loan, I saw him, a centre-half, and you heard about the problems and you know he didn’t play at Aston Villa, not even in the second team.

“We got him here and you see then the potential. That’s good but they have all to learn, all to improve but they gave the sign but it is one sign.”

Ilori made his debut as part of a makeshift centre-back pairing alongside Jose Enrique against Exeter City in the FA Cup, before starting the third round replay at Anfield. He’d then make what would prove to be the final of his three appearances for Liverpool as they lost to West Ham United in the fourth round.

Not that he knew that at the time. Speaking after the game, he revealed how he hoped to force his way into Klopp’s first team plans.

“I’ve had a few chances to play which is great,” he said. “I always thought there could be a future here. That’s why I signed for Liverpool in the first place. I just try and work hard every day.

“Players get experience by playing. I played alongside Lucas and he didn’t look at me and think: ‘he’s not as experienced’ and I didn’t look at him and think: ‘he’s the most experienced player’.

“We all play together, we train together every day and we’re a team. There are a lot of good players at Liverpool for me to learn from. I just take it step by step.”

Klopp might have seen the potential, but that didn’t make Ilori part of his plans. Never playing for Liverpool again, he was sold to Championship side Reading for £3.75m on this day in January 2018. He would depart having never played in the Premier League.

And while he would be limited to eight appearances in his first half-season at the club, he would total 64 appearances come the end of his two-year stay at the Madejski Stadium.

Despite returning to Portugal and to Sporting in January 2019, his fortunes did not improve. Featuring just 24 times, he joined Lorient on loan in February 2021 but failed to make an appearance as injury disrupted his time in France. 12 appearances would follow on loan at Boavista in 2021/22, while he made four appearances on loan Pacos de Ferreira in 2022/23 before being sent back prematurely in January.

While he would train with Sporting during the second half of the season, he was not registered in their squad and did not play as a result. Come August, his contract was terminated despite having a year still to run.

After nearly five months as a free agent, Ilori would at least find a new club at the end of December. He has had to drop down a level though, signing a short-term contract with Belenenses in Liga Portugal 2 until the end of the season.

Withdrawn at half-time when making his debut in a 2-1 defeat to Benfica B on January 6, he was left as an unused substitute last weekend as Belenenses fell to a last-minute 1-0 defeat to Pacos de Ferreira. That loss saw his new side drop to the bottom of the table.

Now 30, Ilori has never looked like becoming the ‘big talent’ for the future Rodgers predicted he could be. Throw in Sakho’s failings and it was a poorly-invested £25m from Liverpool, with their defensive issues only rectified following Klopp’s arrival and the signing of Virgil van Dijk in 2018.

So much for Rodgers ‘protecting the club’ for the next ten years! Had they lived up to such hype, they could still be at Anfield now. Instead, neither Sakho or Ilori played for the Reds after 2016.

And while the Frenchman’s fall from grace is understandable, the Portuguese’s is shrouded in mystery. Over 10 years on from joining Liverpool, he remains an unknown at Anfield.

He would touch on his struggles and frustrations at Anfield in an interview with Reading’s matchday programme in September 2018, admitting he made the wrong decision to join the Reds when he did.

“I played 12-13 games in a row (at Sporting) and then that’s when I first heard about Liverpool’s interest,” he recalled. “I was negotiating a new contract with Sporting at the time,I had the equivalent of a youth team contract at the time, they were trying to adjust that.

“The club had some financial problems as well and we couldn’t come to an agreement at the time. There was a change of president at the club as well, so he had his ideas about how to get things done – there was a lot going on at the time.

“Then there was some interest from abroad and Liverpool showed more interest than anyone else. I broke my hand so I didn’t have a pre-season at Sporting, then I seem to have been punished for not signing a deal. Being young and stupid really, I reacted. I was willing to sign the deal, but then I was thinking if they were treating me like this then I wanted to leave.

“Looking back now, I think it would have done me good staying another season. It was easy playing there, I was comfortable, they knew me and they knew what I was about. I was a young 19-year-old in the sense that, football-wise, I hadn’t played many games at a professional level. And from there to playing for Liverpool was a big step.

“It’s not that I couldn’t do it, but looking back now, maybe after another full season in Portugal and I would have gone into the next season with some confidence from the campaign before. Hopefully I’d have been able to get 20-30 games in at least, then that would have been different for me.”

He continued: “It was an unbelievable experience for me, the feeling I had when I signed for Liverpool. I only really understood what was happening months afterwards really, walking into training and looking at the players who were there at the time – Suarez, Coutinho was young but he was already unbelievable, Gerrard obviously, Sturridge was on fire as well.

“It was definitely tough. I was in the squad at the beginning and I felt that the coach (Brendan Rodgers) really liked me. It just didn’t happen, it didn’t work – my fault, obviously, because I’m the one who had to prove that I needed to play.

“In my head I was looking too short-term – I didn’t realise the work I’d have to put in. So when someone would tell me that within the next two years I would be starting for Liverpool, I was thinking, why can’t I be in there in the next two months?

“I should have gone there and had a plan. Obviously if I got the chance to play straight away I would, but over the next couple of years I would develop to a point physically and mentally, then be integrated within the club to be able to play and compete in every game. It was probably just an age thing, I’m looking back trying to find a reason but I don’t know why!”

Meanwhile, his loan move to Bordeaux in 2014 was unexpected, with Ilori admitting that derailed him in France as he reflected on his struggles with the club and eventual permanent Anfield exit.

“I had international duty with the Under-21s and it went really well – we got to the final but lost to Sweden on penalties,” he recalled. “Personally and collectively it had been a good tournament – then I got back to Liverpool and, unexpectedly, went on loan again to Bordeaux.

“I should have snapped out of it, but my head wasn’t right at the time. Bordeaux is a great club, a great place to live as well and the club is a really nice place to be. They really looked after me and wanted me to succeed, but my head wasn’t in the right place really.

“I had a few injuries as well during that season, all muscle injuries. I still managed to get 15 or 16 games in, I wanted to play more than double that but considering the injuries and other stuff that was going on, it was enough.

“But at the time it was tough because I had a plan in that I wanted to be at Liverpool to play, I didn’t want to give that up. I wasn’t going to leave until I had my chance, but consistently getting those setbacks was really tough.

“(And) when I left Liverpool (permanently), it was tough. I had been there a while, I didn’t really get a chance and it didn’t happen the way I wanted it to.”

Ilori will always have his Liverpool regrets, but only limited answers, still not knowing why he never got the opportunity he craved at Anfield. But still just a teenager when he left Sporting, he paints a picture of a player who struggled to cope with setbacks and perceived rejection.

Tipped to be a Reds centre-back for the next 10 years by Rodgers, over a decade on from such an admission, the now 30-year-old is instead trying to reignite his career in the Portuguese second division.

Considering his ongoing struggles at a number of clubs since being sold by Klopp, Liverpool will have no regrets themselves. Instead, perhaps only sympathy for a player unsure of where and why it all went wrong.

Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson could be angling for an Anfield return as he mulls over leaving Saudi side Al-Ettifaq but past comments from Jurgen Klopp make that unlikely.

Jordan Henderson could be out of luck if it is a return to the Premier League he is aiming for – less than six months after leaving Liverpool for Saudi Arabia.

The decorated midfielder opted to end his lengthy Anfield stay in search of a new challenge, joining Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq back in July. Henderson’s signature cost the club £12million, but the England ace has struggled to hit the ground running and it is believed the Saudi Pro League outfit are willing to listen to offers for him.

Gerrard’s side are without a win since October and Henderson could be even more tempted to leave if his former Liverpool teammate is sacked from his post as manager. With just 19 appearances under his belt, the 33-year-old hasn’t done much in the Middle East to catch the eye of other clubs.

Comments from his old Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp made when Henderson left Merseyside in the summer have resurfaced and quashed any speculation linking the midfielder with a shock return to the Reds. Klopp specifically cited the lack of game time on offer at Anfield as the former captain’s main issue.

Speaking back in September of last year after Henderson claimed his departure was party inspired by wanting to feel “valued”, Klopp replied: “Hendo said the truth. That’s how it was. We had talks, I told him I wanted him to stay but we talked about maybe not playing regularly.

“I cannot tell a player they can have 50 games because I don’t know that. In our relationship, I thought it was important we speak about ‘what happens if’. Hendo, I love him but he was not great when they didn’t play, [James] Milner and Lucas [Leiva] were the same. So we talk about that now.”

Klopp went on to explain how Henderson struggled to come to terms with the fact that he would not be an ever-present in the starting line-up anymore. This is something that is unlikely to change were he to return to the Reds or a fair few other Premier League outfits.

“So, in Hendo’s ears and mind, he thought I didn’t want him there. If I said Hendo would be the main man for me he would stay but I couldn’t. That’s why it’s better he moved on. Not a bit of bad blood. Captain of the best Liverpool team in the Premier League era.”

Several different factors are believed to have played into Henderson’s doubts over his Saudi switch. Adjusting to lifestyle, the climate and poor attendances have all played on the mind of the midfielder according to MailSport.

There is growing belief that Henderson would be more than willing to take a major pay cut and write off millions in tax if it meant he could return to the Premier League. However, there is hardly an overwhelming amount of suitors for the ageing ex-Sunderland man.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta once again mentioned his team’s draw against Liverpool after losing to West Ham United last night.

The Gunner’s title credentials took a blow on Thursday as they were beaten 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium.

Straight after the game, pundits Alan Shearer and Jermain Defoe suggested that the defeat meant Arsenal were now at best third favourites for the Premier League title, below Manchester City and Liverpool.

That may be true, but Arteta’s team also generated enough chances to win the game against the Hammers. And speaking to that in his post-match press conference, the Spanish coach suggested that it had been the same scenario as at Anfield on Saturday.

“When the team generates that much normally you are going to win games and that’s the way we have done it,” explained the 41-year-old.

Because as well against Brighton we generate so much, against Liverpool as well. But we score goals in different ways and we have to make another step in that area to win the game more comfortably for sure, because today the team deserves to win the game, there’s no question about that.”

Arteta rues missed chances

We’re not sure we agree with Arteta here. Arsenal barely created anything of note against Liverpool last weekend.

The only chance that comes to mind was the one Gabriel Martinelli put past the post when one-on-one with Alisson Becker.

Otherwise, the Reds goalkeeper barely had anything meaningful to do at all. A colossal performance from Ibrahima Konate in particular largely kept the Gunners at bay.

So, while they may have been unlucky last night, it’s a little disingenuous for Arteta to lump the Liverpool game in with this one.

The former Everton midfielder appears to be suggesting that his team have continuously dropped points despite dominating. That simply wasn’t the case at Anfield.

The best chance of the game fell Liverpool’s way. Had Trent Alexander-Arnold’s second-half effort fell just beneath the crossbar, Arsenal would have lost.

Given that they also got away with a pretty blatant handball in the box, it’s a bit rich for Arteta to suggest that their failure to win was merely down to a case of missing too many chances.

Either way, how and why Arsenal drop points doesn’t matter for Liverpool. As long as they keep on dropping them. There’s a title to be won.

Once a star forward at Liverpool, Roberto Firmino now finds himself facing uncertainty at Al-Ahli, a prominent football club in Saudi Arabia. His transfer to Al-Ahli six months ago as a free agent generated initial excitement, especially after he scored three goals in his debut.

However, the promising start has given way to a noticeable decline in Firmino’s performance. Once a key player who even captained the team, he has seen a diminished role and hasn’t been a regular in the starting lineup since late October.

Michael Emenalo, the director of football for the Saudi Pro League, has hinted at possible significant signings in the upcoming transfer window. Balancing incoming talent with potential departures remains a crucial consideration as clubs navigate the dynamics of player acquisitions and exits.

Interest in Firmino has sparked from other clubs within the Saudi Pro League. Al-Fateh, a competitor, is contemplating a potential loan deal, while Steven Gerrard, with his Liverpool connection, is reportedly eager to bring Firmino to Al-Ettifaq, reuniting him with former teammates Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum.

The Saudi Pro League’s regulation limiting foreign players to eight per team adds a layer of complexity. Al-Ahli might view Firmino’s potential departure as an opportunity to recruit another high-profile international player, aligning with their strategic approach. Complicating matters further, Firmino recently faced personal tragedy with the loss of his father to a heart attack.

BREAKING 💣

Roberto Firmino looks set to leave Al-Ahli 🇸🇦

A move to #LFC could be on. pic.twitter.com/vWo9IgXv7T

— 𝗜𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝘄𝗮𝗸𝗼𝗳𝗳 (@Ivan_Schwakoff) December 27, 2023

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