Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse says he is more motivated by the prospect of meeting David Beckham than overtaking the former Manchester United star's Premier League free-kick record.
Ward-Prowse is now only four behind Beckham (18) in the all-time Premier League list for goals scored from direct free-kicks after his strike in the 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
His free-kick halved the deficit after Brighton had raced into a two-goal lead, with Ward-Prowse sealing a point for his side with a superb low drive from outside the penalty area in the second half.
He has now scored eight direct free-kick goals in the Premier League since the start of last season, which is twice as many as any other player in Europe's big five leagues and four times as many as any other Premier League player.
Despite edging closer to Beckham's record, the 27-year-old revealed he is more excited by the opportunity to meet the former United and Real Madrid superstar than surpass his dead-ball achievements in the English top flight.
"My main motivation is to meet my hero from when I was a kid," he told BBC Sport. "If I do get that record, hopefully he'll reach out, but there's a long way to go yet."
Ward-Prowse, who is enjoying his best goalscoring season in the Premier League (nine), praised his team-mates' character for bouncing back from two goals down at the Amex Stadium.
"We gifted them two goals and we felt at half-time we were very much in the game. It's frustrating when you give teams those sorts of leads, but we showed great character," he added.
"Sometimes this happens in the Premier League when you're up against good teams, but we were more frustrated at ourselves. To come from behind is never easy and we did that today.
"We wanted to start the second half quickly and continue the momentum. Probably, on another day we would have nicked a third."
Brazil legend Marta to retire from international football
Brazil star Marta has announced she will retire from international football at the end of 2024.
The 38-year-old is the all-time highest scorer for Brazil, netting 116 goals in 175 matches for the national team.
She is also the top-scorer in the Women’s World Cup with 17 goals, finishing as a runner-up in 2007 when Brazil lost in the final to Germany.
The forward has won three Copa America Femenina titles and was part of the Brazil team that won silver medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
Marta could make her sixth appearance for Brazil at this year's Games if she is selected in the squad at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
"If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because, regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team," Marta told CNN in an interview on Thursday.
"There will be no more Marta from 2025 in the national team as an athlete.
"I am very calm about this because I see with great optimism this development that we are having in relation to young athletes."
Al Hilal 3-1 Al Fateh: Neves on target as Saudi giants close in on title
Al Hilal moved 12 points clear of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr at the top of the Saudi Pro League as Ruben Neves scored in a 3-1 win over Al Fateh on Friday.
Former Wolves star Neves slotted in from the penalty spot in the 74th minute, as Al Hilal completed a rapid comeback.
Having fallen behind to Lucas Zelarayan's 57th-minute opener, Al Hilal responded swiftly through Micheal before Salem Al Najdi fouled Mohammed Al Qahtani in the penalty area.
Ex-Barcelona winger Cristian Trello and Al Fateh coach Slaven Bilic were booked for their complaints, with Neves making no mistake, paving the way for Ali Al Bulayhi to seal victory in the 15th minute of an extended period of stoppage time.
Data Debrief
Al Hilal have now won 21 games on the spin in the league. They have scored 86 goals across their 28 matches this season, winning 26 in total.
They had 19 shots on Friday, accumulating 2.34 xG to Al Fateh's 0.25, with pass-master Neves creating three chances to go along with his goal.
RFEF elects Rocha as new president
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has confirmed Pedro Rocha as its new president.
Rocha has been elected as Luis Rubiales' replacement, despite being under investigation for corruption.
He had been serving as interim president since Rubiales resigned in September over the scandal caused when he kissed player Jenni Hermoso following Spain's Women's World Cup triumph in August.
In a statement released on Friday, the RFEF said: "Pedro Rocha has today been proclaimed the new president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), after having received the support of the majority of the assembly members of this institution that governs Spanish football.
"The process followed the procedure agreed by the Electoral Commission, which met this morning, and the timetable that was established for these elections."
Rocha has been under investigation since earlier in April, after the RFEF's headquarters was raided by police last month. The Spanish government announced on Thursday that it would be stepping in to oversee the running of the organisation.
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