Gheorghe Hagi might be a wrinkly old 36 these days, but that didn't stop Galatasaray offering him a new £2.5 million one year contract to stay with the club where he is regarded as nothing less than God-like. The offer was a much needed boost too, coming fresh on the heels of a gifthorse Hagi would have done better to look in the mouth.

When he was presented with a racehorse by the Romanian Racing Federation he was, by all accounts, overcome with emotion, emotions that, perhaps, spilled over a bit when he learnt of the horse's career earnings to date: £12. In fact, it has been alleged that said horse possesses all the pace of the man he was named after - Pavarotti.