Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami Ahmed (born 3 September 1990) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian national cricket team. He is a right-arm fast bowler, who consistently bowls around the 140 to 145 km/h (87 to 90 mph) mark, and swings and seams ball at that pace which makes him a deceptively potent fast bowler.[1][2] He is also known as a reverse swing specialist.[3] He made his ODI debut against Pakistan in January 2013 where he bowled a record four maiden overs. He picked a five-wicket haul on his Test debut against West Indies in November 2013.[4] On 23 January 2019 he became the fastest Indian bowler to take 100 ODI wickets.[5] On 22 June 2019, Shami took a hat-trick[6] against Afghanistan in world cup 2019 and India record's 50th World Cup win,[7] and Shami became the fourth Indian cricketer to do so in One Day Cricket after Chetan Sharma, Kapil Dev and Kuldeep Yadav.
Early life and career
Shami is originally from Sahaspur village in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh.[8] His father Tousif Ali was a farmer, who was also a fast bowler in his younger days. Shami has a sister and three brothers, all three of whom wanted to be fast bowlers.[9] In 2005, Tousif recognised Shami's bowling abilities and took him to Badruddin Siddique, a cricket coach in Moradabad which was 22 km from their village.

When I first saw him [Shami] bowling at the nets as a 15-year-old kid, I knew this boy is not ordinary. So I decided to train him. For one year I prepared him for the UP trials, as we don’t have club cricket over here. He was very co-operative, very regular and very hard working. He never took a day off from training. During the under 19 trials he bowled really well, but due to politics, he missed out on selection. They asked me to bring him next year, but at that moment I didn’t want Shami to miss one year. So I advised his parents to send him to Kolkata.

— Badruddin Siddique on Mohammed Shami
After Shami missed out on getting picked for the Uttar Pradesh Under-19 team, Badruddin sent him to Kolkata later in 2005. Shami started playing for the Dalhousie Athletic Club. While he was playing for this club, he was noticed by Debabrata Das, a former assistant secretary of the Cricket Association of Bengal, who was impressed with Shami's bowling and drafted him into his team, Town Club, with a contract of Rs 75,000. Das took Shami, who had no place to stay in Kolkata, to his own residence.[10] Shami bowled well for Town Club, but could not get selected for the Bengal Under-22 team. Das went to one of the selectors, Samarban Banerjee, and asked him to watch Shami's bowling. Banerjee was impressed with his bowling and selected him for the Bengal Under-22 team.

"Shami never wanted money. His goal was the stumps, the sound that comes from hitting the stumps. Ever since I saw him, most of his wickets were bowled. He bowls with an upright seam, on or just outside off stump, and gets it to cut back in."[10]

— Debabrata Das on Mohammed Shami
In order to get selected for the Bengal team, Das sent Shami to Mohun Bagan Club, which is one of the top clubs in Bengal. After joining the club, Shami could bowl to Sourav Ganguly at the Eden Gardens nets. Ganguly saw Shami's bowling skills and asked the selectors to "take special care of him". Soon after, Shami was picked in the Bengal Ranji squad in 2010.

Domestic career
Shami made his first-class debut in 2010 against Assam, picking up three wickets.

In the aftermath of his good performance in the domestic season, he was selected for the West Indies-bound India A squad in 2012. He shared a match-winning partnership of 73 runs for the 10th wicket with Cheteshwar Pujara during India A's unofficial Test match against the West Indies A in June 2012.

During Ranji Trophy 2012–13, in a match against Hyderabad on a green at Eden Gardens, he took 4/36 and 6/71, and scored 15* from 6 balls in the second innings to help his side win the match by 4 wickets, along with Wriddhiman Saha. He also took 7/79 and 4/72 against Madhya Pradesh at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, but in spite of that his side lost the match by 138 runs. It included a hat-trick in the first innings to wipe out the tail.

Indian Premier League
Shami was signed by Delhi Daredevils (DD) for the 2014 season of the Indian Premier League, which was then coached by Gary Kirsten. However, Shami played only a few matches in that season.

However, his team had a bad season. He was retained by the franchise in the 2015 edition of the IPL. He got good pace and bowled at 140 km/h and above regularly, with his fastest being 150 6 km/h.

In January 2018, he was bought again by the Delhi Daredevils in the 2018 IPL auction.[11] In December 2018, he was bought by the Kings XI Punjab in the player auction for the 2019 Indian Premier League.[12][13]

In 2019, Shami was bought by Kings XI Punjab he was the highest wicket-taker for Punjab in 2019.

International career
ODI career
As a result of his remarkable performances in domestic matches, Mohammed Shami was selected for India's ODI series against Pakistan, replacing his Bengali teammate Ashok Dinda[14] and subsequently made his debut in the third ODI in Delhi on 6 January 2013.[15] He returned a tidy figure of 1/23 from 9 overs in a low-scoring game that India won by 10 runs.[16] He was selected for India's Australian tour in October 2013. After sitting on the bench for the first 3 matches, he was given a chance in the fourth match in which he took 3 wickets.

In India's tour of New Zealand in 2014, Shami picked 11 wickets in ODIs at an average of 28.72.

On 5 March 2014, in an Asia cup match against Afghanistan, Shami became the second fastest Indian to take 50 ODI wickets. He ended the tournament with 9 wickets at 23.59.

After losing the Test series by 3–1 against England India won the ODI series by 3–1 in which Shami took 8 wickets at 24.16. In 5th ODI he bowled a good spell in death overs with tight line and length & Middle stump Yorkers. After that many cricket pundits started calling him the future of Indian bowling.[17]

Shami took 10 wickets at 17.40 against West Indies in October 2014.[18] In the 2nd ODI of the Series he got his best bowling figure in ODIs as he picked up 4 wickets for 36 runs in his 9.3 overs.

He was in the 15 man Squad for 5 Odis against Sri Lanka in November 2014 but he was replaced by Dhawal Kulkarni due to a toe injury he suffered during the West Indies Series.[19]

For his performances in 2014, he was named in the World ODI XI by the ICC.

2015 World Cup
Shami was in the 15-man squad named for the 2015 World Cup and was eventually included in the playing XI. He picked 4 wickets for 35 runs from his 9 overs in India's first match against Pakistan, helping India win the match. In the second against South Africa, he finished with 2/30 from 8 overs. Against West Indies, he was awarded the Man of the Match after finishing with figures 8–2–35–3.[20] He had a good game in the next as well, against Ireland, finishing with 3/41 from 9 overs. In the last of the league games, against Zimbabwe, he took another 3-wicket haul giving away 48 runs from his 9 overs which included two maidens. India went on to win all the league games. In the quarterfinal against Bangladesh, he picked 2 wickets for 37 runs off 8 overs. He had a poor game against Australia in the semifinal, which India lost, where he gave away 68 runs off 10 overs without picking a wicket, thus finishing the tournament with 17 wickets at 17.29 and an economy rate of 4.81. In June, after the conclusion of the tournament, Shami revealed that he bowled through a recurring pain in his left knee. He later underwent a surgery.[21] He was also named in the 'Team of the tournament' by Cricbuzz.[22]

For his performances in 2015, he was named in the World ODI XI by the ICC.[23]

India in New Zealand 2019
In January 2019, during the tour of New Zealand, Shami claimed his 100th ODI wicket in first of the five games bowling Martin Guptill out. He is the fastest Indian to reach the milestone in terms of matches (56).[24] Playing in four games, he picked a total of nine wickets at 15.33 and was named man of the series.[25]

2019 Cricket World Cup
In April 2019, he was named in India's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.[26][27] On 22 June 2019, in the match against Afghanistan, Shami took a hat-trick.[28] He became the second Indian bowler after Chetan Sharma to claim a hat-trick in a World Cup match.[29][30][31] He became the ninth player to have achieved a hat-trick in the Cricket World Cup.[32] On 30 June 2019, in the match against England, Shami took his first five-wicket haul in ODIs.[33]

Test career
Shami made his Test debut against West Indies in November 2013 in front of his home crowd at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. There, he took his maiden Test wicket – that of Kieran Powell – finishing with figures of 17–2–71–4 in the first innings of the Test match. In the second innings, his figures were 13.1–0–47–5. He had a dream debut, taking 9 wickets for 118 runs – the most by an Indian pacer on debut – surpassing Munaf Patel's 7 wickets for 97 runs in Mohali in 2006.

He played Tests against South Africa and New Zealand and picked 6 and 10 wickets respectively. He had a poor series at the 2014 tour of England with 5 wickets in 3 matches at an average of 73.20. He was involved in a 111-run partnership for the 10th wicket, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the first Test at Trent Bridge, and scored his maiden half-century in the process, and helped India post 457 in the 1st innings when India were struggling on 346–9.[34] He was a part of 19-member squad for 2014–15 Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia where he played 3 matches and had a good series picking up 15 wickets at an average of 35.80.[35] he took 100 wickets in 29th Test.

T20I career
Shami made his debut in Twenty20 Internationals on 21 March 2014 against Pakistan in the opening match of the World T20 and took the wicket of Umar Akmal. He was played for only three matches in the tournament and dropped from the rest. He was included in the side in 2014 tour of England, following the Test series, in July. He played in the lone match of the series and finished with 3 wickets conceding 38 runs.[36]

Personal life
On 9 March 2018, a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against Shami and his family members by his wife citing domestic violence and adultery.[37][38][39][40] Further, Shami was charged for attempted murder, rape and adultery which was claimed by his wife, Hasin Jahan.[41][42] Hasin had also levelled allegations of match fixing against the bowler.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) withheld Shami from their national contracts list as a result of the allegations.[43] On 22 March 2018, the BCCI cleared Shami's central contract after its Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) cleared him of corruption charges.[44][45]

On 2 September 2019, the Alipore Court court issued an arrest warrant against Mohammed Shami in connection to his domestic violence and physical assault charge levied by his wife Hasin Jahan.[46] He has 15 days as of the issuance of the warrant to surrender.[46] The arrest warrant was stayed by a district court on 10 September 2019 because the court that issued the warrant failed to issue a summons to appear in court after filing the charge sheet, and that an arrest warrant should only be filed after the defendant fails to appear before court after being issued a summons

Shardul Thakur

Shardul Narendra Thakur (born 16 October 1991) is an Indian cricketer who plays first-class cricket for Mumbai.[1] He was a member of the Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai cricket team and India A cricket team. Currently, He is a member of the Indian cricket team and plays for Chennai Super Kings in IPL. In March 2017, he played for the team Rising Pune Supergaints
Domestic career
Earlier in his school cricket, he hit 6 sixes from 6 balls in an over while representing Swami Vivekanand International School, Borivali. He made his First-class debut against Rajasthan cricket team at Jaipur in November 2012. He did not have a good start to his career as he took four wickets at a bowling average of 82.0 from his first four games. In 2013–14 Ranji season, he took 27 wickets at 26.25 from six games, with one five-wicket haul. In the 2014-15 Ranji season, he took 48 wickets at 20.81 from ten games with five five-wicket hauls.[3]

In 2015-16 Ranji Trophy final, he took eight wickets against the Saurashtra cricket team and led Mumbai cricket team to win its 41st Ranji Trophy title.[4]

International career
He was named in India's 16-man squad for India's Test tour of West Indies in 2016, but he did not play.[5] In August 2017, he was named in India's limited-overs squad for the series against Sri Lanka.[6] He made his One Day International (ODI) debut on 31 August 2017 against Sri Lanka.[7]

He became the second Indian cricketer to wear the number 10 jersey after Sachin Tendulkar, which raised various controversial comments in social media. Later, he changed his jersey number to 54 due to controversy. On 29 November 2017, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) retired Tendulkar’s No. 10 jersey.[8]

He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut for India against South Africa on 21 February 2018.[9]

In March 2018, he was selected to play in the 2018 Nidahas Trophy.[10] In a match against Sri Lanka he took a career best 4-27 [11] to bring the game back to India's favour, winning the Man Of the Match award. He finished with 6 wickets from 5 matches at an average of 29.33.[12]

In May 2018, he was named in India's Test squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in June 2018, but did not play.[13]

In October 2018, he made his Test debut against the West Indies, making him the 294th player to represent Team India in Tests.[14] His debut ended after bowling just 10 deliveries due to suffering from a groin strain in his right leg.[15]

IPL career
He was signed up by Kings XI Punjab for INR 2 million at the 2014 IPL player auction for 2015 season of Indian Premier League and made his debut against Delhi Daredevils where he took one for 38 in his 4 overs. In March 2017, he was acquired by the Rising Pune Supergiants for the tenth season of the IPL.[16] In January 2018, he was bought by the Chennai Super Kings in the List of 2018 Indian Premier League personnel changes.

Thakur played less matches in 2019 Indian Premier League for Chennai Super Kings. Though he played in the Final where he took 2 wickets against Mumbai Indians. Chennai however failed to win the IPL title in 2019 after Thakur got out LBW when 2 runs were needed of the final delivery.

آل باتشينو

آل باتشِينُو الاِسم الكامِل ألفرِيدُو جِيمس باتشِينُو (25 أبرِيل / نيسان 1940) مُمثِّل، ومُنتَج، ومُخرِج، ومُؤَلّف أَمرِيكِي. حصل على العدِيد مِن الجوائِزِ والتّكرِيمِ عن أَداهءِ فِي التَّمثِيل؛ مِن بينها جائِزة الأُوسكار، وجائِزتين مِن جوائِز تُونِي، وجائِزتي إِيمِي، وجائِزة الأَكادِيمِيَّة البِرِيطانِيَّة لِلأَفلام، وأَربع جوائِز غُولدِن غلُوب، وجائِزة المسرح العالمِيّ، وجائِزة الإِنجازات مدى الحياة مِن معهد الفِيلم الأَمرِيكِي. نَشَأَ آل باتشِينُو فِي مدِينة نيُويُورك إِحدَى أَهمّ مُدُن الثَّقَافَة والفُنُون وصِناعة الإعلام فِي العالَم؛ مِن أَبوين أَمرِيكِيِّين؛ تعوُّد أُصُولهُما إِلى جزِيرة صقلِيَّة الإِيطالِيَّة. أُعجب بالسِّينما فِي وقتٍ مُبَكِّر؛ وعِشق المَسرح. يُعتبر أَحد أَفضل المُمثِّلِين فِي تارِيخ السِّينما الأَمرِيكِيَّة؛ كمَا أَنهُ واحِد مِن قلائِل المُمثِّلِين الَّذِين فَازُوا بجائِزة الأُوسكار، وجائِزة إِيمِي، وجائِزة تُونِي معاً؛ والَّتِي تُوصف بـ«التَّاج الثُّلاثِيّ لِلتَّمثِيل».
النَّشأَة
وُلِد ألفرِيدُو جِيمس باتشِينُو والَّذِي إِشتهر لاحقاً بآل باتشِينُو فِي 25 أبرِيل / نَيسان 1940؛ فِي شرق حَيّ هَارلِم فِي مِنطَقة مانهاتَّن شمال مدِينة نيُويُورك الَّتِي تمتَلِك إِحدى أكبر الموانئ فِي الوِلَايَات المُتَّحِدَة الأَمرِيكِيَّة؛ وإِحدَى أَهمّ مُدُن الثَّقَافَة والفُنُون فِي العالَم. مِن أَبوين أَمرِيكِيِّين؛ فهُو ابن السَّيِّد سِلفاتُور ألفرِيدُو باتشِينُو (1922-2005) الَّذِي وُلِد فِي حيّ هارلِم لِمُهاجِرِين صِقِلِّيِّين مِن بلدَة سَان فراتِيلو فِي مِنطقة مسينة شمال شرق جزِيرة صِقِلِّية الإِيطالِيَّة؛ وابن السَّيِّدة رُوز جِيمس جيلالدي (1919-1962) مِن موالِيد مدِينة نيُويُورك لِمُهاجِرِين صِقِلِّيِّين تعوُّد أُصولُهُما إِلى بَلدَة كُورلِيُون فِي مِنطقة بالِيرمُو شمال غرب جزِيرة صِقِلِّية الإِيطالِيَّة؛ إِسم المدِينة والشَّخصِيَّة الرِّوائِيَّة الرَّئِيِسيَّة الَّتِي أَلفها مارِيُو بوزُو فِي رِواية «العرَّاب». وقْع سِلفاتُور فِي الحبّ وهُو فِي سِن الخامِسة عشرة بعد أَن اِلتِقاء بالآنِسة رُوز؛ وتزوجاء بعد لِقائِهِما الأَوَّل بِعامَّين؛ وإِستقر الزّوجان فِي شرق هارلِم؛ وبعد مُرُور عام على زواجِهِما أَنجبا إبنهُم الأَوَّل والوحِيد ألفرِيدُو سِلفاتُور باتشِينُو، وبعد مُرُور عامَّين اِنفصل الرَّفيقِين؛ وحول تِلك الفترة المُبكِّرة مِن حيَّاتِه يصِفُها ويقُول: ”كَان والِدِيّ فِي الجيش أثناء الحرب العالمِيَّة الثَّانِية، حصل على تعلِيمِه الجامِعِيِّ مِن الجيشِ؛ وأَصبح مَندُوبٍ التَّأمِين ولم تُتِح لِي الظُّروف الفُرصة كي اُعرف والِدِي جيِّداً.. إِنفصلا والِدَاي بعد الحَرب؛ ونشأَت فِي كنف والِدتي وأَبويها“ لم تكِن حيَّاته العائِلِيَّة فِي أفضل حالاتها فِي تِلك الأَثناء، عاش بِرِعاية والِدتِه السَّيِّدة رُوز مع والِدِيها؛ السَّيِّد جِيمس والسَّيِّدة كاثِرِين جيلالدي جنُوب حيّ برُونِكْس، أحبّ سُونِّي (لُقِّب ألفرِيدُو فِي تِلك الفترة "بسُونِّي" و"المُمثِّل") السِّينما مِن خِلال والِدتِه؛ فِي وقتٍ مُبكِّر مِن حيَّاته، ويتحدَّث حول ذلِك ”عندما تعوُّدِ والدتي إِلى المنزِل مِن العمل، كانت تأخُذِنَّي معها إِلى السِّينما.. كانت طرِيقُها لِلخُرُوج.. وعِنْدما نعُود إِلى المنزل أَقومُ بأَداء جمِيع الأَدوار.. كان لها تأثِير كبِيرٍ على أَن أَكون مُمثلا“ ولم يكِن فِي الحُسبان أَن يصبح هذا اليافِع فِي يوم مِن الأَيَّام أَحد أَفضل المُمثِّلِين فِي تارِيخ السِّينما.

التَّمثِيل
وفِي تِلك الأَثناء كان ولابد أَن يلتقي آل باتشِينُو بالمسرَّح؛ فجُذُورُهُ صقلِيَّة حَيث مَسرح سيجيستا فِي الجزِيرَة الغنِيَّة والفرِيدَة بِالثَّقافة مِن ذُو العُصُور الكِلاسِيكِيَّة؛ ووُلِد بِالقُرب مِن مسرح برُودُوَاي؛ ونشأَة فِي إِحدَى أَهمّ مُدُن الثَّقَافَة والفُنُون وصِناعة الإعلام فِي العالَم فِي التَّارِيخ المُعاصِر. ومِن خِلال المدرسة (مراحِل التَّعلِيم المُبكرِ) تعرُّف على المَسرح عن كثب؛ وأدّى كمثِّل مسرحِيَّات على المسرح المدرسِيٌّ. وفِي فترة المراهقة أُوقِّف لِمُدة ثلاثة أيام بتهمة حيازته سلاحاً دون ترخيص. وفِيما بعد إِلتحق بِالعدِيد مِن مدارِس التَّمثيل؛ إِلى أَن أدّى أولى أَدوارة فِي المسرَّح؛ تلا ذلِك أَدواراً مميزة أَثارت اِهتِمام الجُمهُورِ والنُّقَّاد، وفِي ذلِك الوقت كان يُرِيد شِق طَرِيقِه إِلى السِّينما فِي مُنتصف السَّبعِينات وبِالطَّبع لَم يكِن يظُن يوماً أَنهُ سيصبح نجماً كبِيراً ولامِعاً؛ أَو حتَّى أَن يكوُن لهُ دور بُطولة فيلم. وبعد مُشاركة آل باتشِينُو فِي فيلمِي «The Panicin Needle Park» و«Me, Natalie» كما سبقتُهُما مُشاركتِه فِي مُسلسل «Deadly Circle of Violence» فِي ذلِك الوقت كان المُخرِج فرانسِيس فُورد كوبولا يُعد العُدة لِفلم «TheGodfather»، ووقع الاِختِيار على آل باتشِينُو لِلقِيام بِدُور شخصِيَّة (مايكِل كُورلِيُوني) زعيم المافِيا. لم يكِن آل آنذاك يُرِيد القيام بِالدُّور، وكان يطمح فِي الحُصُول على دُور فِي أحد الأَفلام الكُوميدِيَّة لِاِعتِقادِه بِأَن الجُمهُور لايُحِب مِن يُؤدي الأَدوار الشِرِيرة. ولكِنه قام بِالدُّورِ بِموهِبَة وملكة فنِّيَّة كبِيرة. بعدها قام بِعمل فيلمِيَن مُهِمَّين وأَدواراً خالِدة جعلت لهُ مكاناً مُميَّزاً فِي ذاكِرة التَّارِيخِ السّينمائِي ففِي عقد السَّبعِينات تعاون آل باتشِينُو مع المُخرِج الكبِير سِيدنِي لوميت حيث شارَّك معهُ فِي عملين هامِّين هُما «Serpico 1973» و«Dog DayAfternoon 1975» فِي العمل الأَول يُؤدِّي دور شرطِي نَزَّيه يصطدِمُ بِتيَّارات الفساد الَّتِي أَحكمت سيطرتُها على قطاع الأَمن فِي ولايته، وقد حاز جائِزة الغُولدِن غلُوب كأفضل مُمثِّل عن دوره هذا، ونال ترشِيحاً للأُوسكار كذلِك. أَما فِي الفِيلم الثَّانِي فيظهر بدور شابٍ فقِير يسطُو على أحد البُنُوك فتفشل الخُطة وتتطور المسأَلة إِلى أَن تُحاصِره قوات الأَمن هُو وزميلُه الآخر "سَال"؛ الفِيلم ملِيء بِلحظات الترقب وهُو أَحد أَهم أَفلام المكان الواحِد.

الجوائز والترشيحات .
ترشح آل باتشينو إلى 70 جائزة مختلفة فاز منها ب 46 ,ومن أهم تلك الجوائز جائزة الاوسكار التي حصل عليها آل باتشينو عام 1993 على فيلم  Scent of a woman , بعد سبع ترشيحات للجائزة كان اولها عام 1973 على فيلم The Godfather كافضل ممثل دور مساعد , وحصل آل باتشينو على 4 جوائز غلودن غلوب من اصل 17 ترشيح , 10 منها كأفضل ممثل في فيلم سينمائي - دراما , و 2 غولدن غلوب كأفضل ممثل في فيلم سينمائي - كوميدي أو موسيقي, و 3 كأفضل أداء من قبل ممثل في مسلسلات صغيرة أو صورة متحركة مصنوعة للتلفزيون , و 2 كأفضل أداء لممثل في دور مساعد , وحاز آل باتشينو على جائزتين ايمي من اصل ثلاث ترشيحات  , الترشيح الأول كان عام 2004 على مسلسل Angels in America وفاز بها , والترشيح الثاني كان عام 2010 على الفيلم السينمائي You Don't Know Jack وفاز بها و الترشيح الثالث كان عام 2013 على الفيلم السينمائي فيل سبيكتور , وحاز آل باتشينو على جائزة البافتا مرة واحدة من اصل 4 ترشيحات  كان اولها عام عام 1973 على فيلم The Godfather كأفضل وافد جديد واعد إلى ادوار الافلام الرئدة , والترشيح الثاني عام 1975 على فيلم Serpico كافضل ممثل , والترشيح الثالث على فيلم Dog Day Afternoon وفيلم The Godfather: Part II وفاز بها هنا , والترشيح الرابع عام 1991 على فيلم Dick Tracy كأفضل ممثل في دور مساعد .

Al Pacino

Alfredo James "Al" Pacino (/pəˈtʃiːnoʊ/; Italian: [paˈtʃiːno]; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor and filmmaker.[1] In a career spanning over five decades, he has received several accolades, including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards, becoming one of the few performers to have received the Triple Crown of Acting. He has also been honored with the AFI Life Achievement Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the National Medal of Arts.

A method actor and former student of the HB Studio and the Actors Studio, where he was taught by Charlie Laughton and Lee Strasberg, Pacino's film debut came at the age of 29 with a minor role in Me, Natalie (1969). He gained favorable notice for his first lead role as a heroin addict in The Panic in Needle Park (1971). Wide acclaim and recognition came with his breakthrough role as Michael Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972), for which he received his first Oscar nomination, and he would reprise the role in the sequels The Godfather Part II (1974) and The Godfather Part III (1990). His portrayal of Corleone is regarded as one of the greatest performances in film history.

Pacino received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor for Serpico (1973), The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon (1975), and ...And Justice for All (1979), ultimately winning it for playing a blind military veteran in Scent of a Woman (1992). For his performances in The Godfather, Dick Tracy (1990), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), and The Irishman (2019), he earned Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominations. Other notable portrayals include Tony Montana in Scarface (1983), Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way (1993), Benjamin Ruggiero in Donnie Brasco (1997), Lowell Bergman in The Insider (1999). He has also starred in the thrillers Heat (1995), The Devil's Advocate (1997), Insomnia (2002), and appeared in the comedy-drama Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).

On television, Pacino has acted in several productions for HBO, including the miniseries Angels in America (2003) and the Jack Kevorkian biopic You Don't Know Jack (2010), winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for each. He has also had an extensive career on stage. He is a two-time Tony Award winner, in 1969 and 1977, for his performances in Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? and The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel. A Shakespeare enthusiast, Pacino directed and starred in Looking for Richard (1996), a documentary about the play Richard III, the lead role of which Pacino had earlier portrayed on stage in 1977. He has also acted as Shylock in a 2004 feature film adaptation and 2010 stage production of The Merchant of Venice. Having made his filmmaking debut with Looking for Richard, Pacino directed and starred in the films Chinese Coffee (2000), Wilde Salomé (2011), and Salomé (2013). Since 1994, he has been the joint president of the Actors Studio.
Early life
Alfredo James Pacino was born in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City on April 25, 1940, the son of Italian American parents Rose (née Gerardi) and Salvatore Pacino. His parents divorced when he was two years old.[2] He then moved with his mother to the Bronx to live with her parents, Kate and James Gerardi, who were Italian immigrants from Corleone, Sicily.[3] Pacino's father was from San Fratello, Sicily, and moved to work as an insurance salesman and restaurateur in Covina, California.[2][4]

In his teenage years, Pacino was known as "Sonny" to his friends. He had ambitions to become a baseball player and was also nicknamed "The Actor".[5] He attended Herman Ridder Junior High School,[6] but soon dropped out of most of his classes except for English. He subsequently attended the High School of Performing Arts,[7] after gaining admission by audition. His mother disagreed with his decision and, after an argument, he left home. To finance his acting studies, Pacino took low-paying jobs as a messenger, busboy, janitor, and postal clerk,[2] as well as once working in the mailroom for Commentary magazine.[8]

Pacino began smoking and drinking at age nine, and used marijuana casually at age 13, but he abstained from hard drugs.[9] His two closest friends died from drug abuse at the ages of 19 and 30.[10] Growing up in the Bronx, Pacino got into occasional fights and was considered somewhat of a troublemaker at school.[11] He acted in basement plays in New York's theatrical underground but was rejected as a teenager by the Actors Studio.[5] Pacino joined the HB Studio, where he met acting teacher Charlie Laughton,[a] who became his mentor and best friend.[5] In this period, he was often unemployed and homeless, and sometimes slept on the street, in theaters, or at friends' houses.[3][12]

In 1962, Pacino's mother died at the age of 43.[13] The following year, his grandfather James also died.[2] Pacino recalled it as the lowest point of his life and said, "I was 22 and the two most influential people in my life had gone, so that sent me into a tailspin."[4]

After four years at HB Studio, Pacino successfully auditioned for the Actors Studio.[5] The Actors Studio is a membership organization of professional actors, theater directors, and playwrights in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan.[14] Pacino studied "method acting"[2] under acting coach Lee Strasberg, who appeared with Pacino in the films The Godfather Part II and in ...And Justice for All.[3]

During later interviews he spoke about Strasberg and the Studio's effect on his career. "The Actors Studio meant so much to me in my life. Lee Strasberg hasn't been given the credit he deserves ... Next to Charlie, it sort of launched me. It really did. That was a remarkable turning point in my life. It was directly responsible for getting me to quit all those jobs and just stay acting."[15] In another interview he added, "It was exciting to work for him [Lee Strasberg] because he was so interesting when he talked about a scene or talked about people. One would just want to hear him talk, because things he would say, you'd never heard before ... He had such a great understanding ... he loved actors so much."[16]

In 2010, Pacino was co-president, along with Ellen Burstyn and Harvey Keitel, of the Actors Studio.[14]

Stage career
In 1967, Pacino spent a season at the Charles Playhouse in Boston, performing in Clifford Odets' Awake and Sing! (his first major paycheck: US$125 a week); and in Jean-Claude Van Itallie's America, Hurrah. He met actress Jill Clayburgh on this play. They had a five-year romance and moved back together to New York City.[17]

In 1968, Pacino starred in Israel Horovitz's The Indian Wants the Bronx at the Astor Place Theater, playing Murph, a street punk. The play opened January 17, 1968, and ran for 177 performances; it was staged in a double bill with Horovitz's It's Called the Sugar Plum, starring Clayburgh. Pacino won an Obie Award for Best Actor for his role, with John Cazale winning for Best Supporting actor and Horowitz for Best New Play.[18] Martin Bregman saw the play and became Pacino's manager, a partnership that became fruitful in the years to come, as Bregman encouraged Pacino to do The Godfather, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon.[19] "Martin Bregman discovered me off Broadway. I was 26, 25. And he discovered me and became my manager. And that's why I'm here. I owe it to Marty, I really do," Pacino has said about his career.[20]

Pacino and this production of The Indian Wants the Bronx traveled to Italy for a performance at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto. It was Pacino's first journey to Italy; he later recalled that "performing for an Italian audience was a marvelous experience".[17] Pacino and Clayburgh were cast in "Deadly Circle of Violence", an episode of the ABC television series NYPD, premiering November 12, 1968. Clayburgh at the time was also appearing on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow, playing the role of Grace Bolton. Her father would send the couple money each month to help with finances.[21]

On February 25, 1969, Pacino made his Broadway debut in Don Petersen's Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? at the Belasco Theater, produced by A&P Heir Huntington Hartford. It closed after 39 performances on March 29, 1969, but Pacino received rave reviews and won the Tony Award on April 20, 1969.[17] Pacino continued performing onstage in the 1970s, winning a second Tony Award for The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel and performing the title role in Richard III.[2] In the 1980s, Pacino again achieved critical success on stage while appearing in David Mamet's American Buffalo, for which Pacino was nominated for a Drama Desk Award.[2] Since 1990, Pacino's stage work has included revivals of Eugene O'Neill's Hughie, Oscar Wilde's Salome and in 2005 Lyle Kessler's Orphans.[22]

In 1983, Pacino became a major donor for The Mirror Theater Ltd, alongside Dustin Hoffman and Paul Newman, matching a grant from Laurence Rockefeller.[23] The men were inspired to invest by their connection with Lee Strasberg, as Lee's daughter-in-law Sabra Jones was the founder and Producing Artistic Director of The Mirror. In 1985, Al offered the company his production of Hughie by Eugene O'Neill, but the company was unable to do it at the time due to the small cast.

In October 2002, Pacino starred in Bertolt Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui for the National Actor's Theater and Complicite.[24] Directed by Simon McBurney, the production starred a host of Hollywood names, including John Goodman, Charles Durning, Tony Randall, Steve Buscemi, Chazz Palminteri, Paul Giamatti, Jacqueline McKenzie, Billy Crudupp, Lothaire Bluteau, Dominic Chianese and Sterling K. Brown.[25] The production was a critical success in which "Pacino grabs and holds the attention like a coiled spring about to snap. He is all brooding menace and crocodile grimace, butchering his way to the top with unnervingly sinister glee."[26]

Pacino returned to the stage in the summer of 2010, playing Shylock in the Shakespeare in the Park production, The Merchant of Venice.[27] The acclaimed production moved to Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre in October, earning US$1 million at the box office in its first week.[28][29] The performance also garnered him a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Play.[30]

Pacino starred in the 30th-anniversary Broadway revival of David Mamet's classic play, Glengarry Glen Ross, which ran from October 2012 to January 20, 2013.[31] In January 2016, he starred on Broadway in China Doll, a play written for him by Mamet. This was in a limited run of 87 performances following the acclaimed reviews of four performances in October 2015.

Film career
Pacino found acting enjoyable and realized he had a gift for it while studying at The Actors Studio. However, his early work was not financially rewarding.[3] After his success on stage, Pacino made his film debut in 1969 with a brief appearance in Me, Natalie, an independent film starring Patty Duke.[32] In 1970, Pacino signed with the talent agency Creative Management Associates (CMA).[17]

1970s
His role as a heroin addict in The Panic in Needle Park (1971) brought Pacino to the attention of director Francis Ford Coppola, who cast him as Michael Corleone in what became a blockbuster Mafia film, The Godfather (1972).[33] Although Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, and the little-known Robert De Niro were tried out for the part, Coppola selected Pacino, to the dismay of studio executives who wanted someone better known.[3][34]

Pacino's performance earned him an Academy Award nomination, and offered a prime example of his early acting style. This was described by Halliwell's Film Guide as "intense" and "tightly clenched". Pacino boycotted the Academy Award ceremony, insulted at being nominated for the Supporting Acting award, as he noted that he had more screen time than co-star and Best Actor winner Marlon Brando—who also boycotted the awards, but for unrelated reasons.[35]

In 1973, Pacino co-starred in Scarecrow, with Gene Hackman, and won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. That same year, Pacino was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor after starring in Serpico, based on the true story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico, who went undercover to expose the corruption of fellow officers.[35] In 1974, Pacino reprised his role as Michael Corleone in the sequel The Godfather Part II, which was the first sequel to win the Best Picture Oscar; Pacino, meanwhile, was nominated a third time for an Oscar, this second nomination for the Corleone role being in the lead category.[35] Newsweek magazine has described his performance in The Godfather Part II as "arguably cinema's greatest portrayal of the hardening of a heart".[36]

In 1975, he enjoyed further success with the release of Dog Day Afternoon, based on the true story of bank robber John Wojtowicz.[3] It was directed by Sidney Lumet, who had directed him in Serpico a few years earlier, and Pacino was again nominated for Best Actor.[37]

In 1977, Pacino starred as a race-car driver in Bobby Deerfield, directed by Sydney Pollack, and received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his portrayal of the title role. His next film was the courtroom drama ...And Justice for All. Pacino was lauded by critics for his wide range of acting abilities, and nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for a fourth time.[37] He lost out that year to Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer—a role that Pacino had declined.[37]

During the 1970s, Pacino had four Oscar nominations for Best Actor, for his performances in Serpico, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, and ...And Justice for All.[3]

1980s
Pacino's career slumped in the early 1980s; his appearances in the controversial Cruising, a film that provoked protests from New York's gay community,[38] and the comedy-drama Author! Author!, were critically panned.[2] However, his performance in Scarface (1983), directed by Brian De Palma, proved to be a career highlight and a defining role.[3] Upon its initial release, the film was critically panned due to violent content, but later received critical acclaim.[39] The film did well at the box office, grossing over US$45 million domestically.[40] Pacino earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role as Cuban drug lord Tony Montana.[41]

In 1985, Pacino worked on his personal project, The Local Stigmatic, a 1969 Off Broadway play by the English writer Heathcote Williams. He starred in the play, remounting it with director David Wheeler and the Theater Company of Boston in a 50-minute film version. The film was not released theatrically, but was later released as part of the Pacino: An Actor's Vision box set in 2007.[3]

His 1985 film Revolution about a fur trapper during the American Revolutionary War, was a commercial and critical failure, which Pacino blamed on a rushed production,[42] resulting in a four-year hiatus from films. At this time Pacino returned to the stage. He mounted workshop productions of Crystal Clear, National Anthems and other plays; he appeared in Julius Caesar in 1988 in producer Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival. Pacino remarked on his hiatus from film: "I remember back when everything was happening, '74, '75, doing The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui on stage and reading that the reason I'd gone back to the stage was that my movie career was waning! That's been the kind of ethos, the way in which theater's perceived, unfortunately."[43][44] Pacino returned to film in 1989's Sea of Love,[3] when he portrayed a detective hunting a serial killer who finds victims through the singles column in a newspaper. The film earned solid reviews.[45]

1990s
Pacino received an Academy Award nomination for playing Big Boy Caprice in the box office hit Dick Tracy in 1990, of which critic Roger Ebert described Pacino as "the scene-stealer".[46] Later in the year he followed this up in a return to one of his most famous characters, Michael Corleone, in The Godfather Part III (1990).[3] The film received mixed reviews, and had problems in pre-production due to script rewrites and the withdrawal of actors shortly before production.

In 1991, Pacino starred in Frankie and Johnny with Michelle Pfeiffer, who co-starred with Pacino in Scarface. Pacino portrays a recently paroled cook who begins a relationship with a waitress (Pfeiffer) in the diner where they work. It was adapted by Terrence McNally from his own Off-Broadway play Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (1987), that featured Kenneth Welsh and Kathy Bates. The film received mixed reviews, although Pacino later said he enjoyed playing the part.[47] Janet Maslin in The New York Times wrote, "Mr. Pacino has not been this uncomplicatedly appealing since his "Dog Day Afternoon" days, and he makes Johnny's endless enterprise in wooing Frankie a delight. His scenes alone with Ms. Pfeiffer have a precision and honesty that keep the film's maudlin aspects at bay."[48]

In 1993, Pacino won the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his portrayal of the blind U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade in Martin Brest's Scent of a Woman.[3] That year, he was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Glengarry Glen Ross, making Pacino the first male actor ever to receive two acting nominations for two movies in the same year, and to win for the lead role.[3]

Pacino starred alongside Sean Penn in the crime drama Carlito's Way in 1993, in which he portrayed a gangster released from prison with the help of his lawyer (Penn) and vows to go straight. Pacino starred in Michael Mann's Heat (1995), in which he and Robert De Niro appeared on-screen together for the first time (though both Pacino and De Niro starred in The Godfather Part II, they did not share any scenes).[3]

In 1996, Pacino starred in his theatrical docudrama Looking for Richard, a performance of selected scenes of Shakespeare's Richard III and a broader examination of Shakespeare's continuing role and relevance in popular culture. The cast brought together for the performance included Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, and Winona Ryder. Pacino played Satan in the supernatural thriller The Devil's Advocate (1997) which co-starred Keanu Reeves. The film was a success at the box office, taking US$150 million worldwide.[49] Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "The satanic character is played by Pacino with relish bordering on glee."[50]

In 1997's Donnie Brasco, Pacino played gangster "Lefty" in the true story of undercover FBI agent Donnie Brasco (Johnny Depp) and his work in bringing down the Mafia from the inside. In 1999, Pacino starred as 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman in the multi-Oscar nominated The Insider opposite Russell Crowe, and in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday.

2000s
Pacino won three Golden Globes since 2000; the first being the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2001 for lifetime achievement in motion pictures.[51]

In 2000, Pacino released a low-budget film adaptation of Ira Lewis' play Chinese Coffee to film festivals.[52] Shot almost exclusively as a one-on-one conversation between two main characters, the project took nearly three years to complete and was funded entirely by Pacino.[52] Chinese Coffee was included with Pacino's two other rare films he was involved in producing, The Local Stigmatic and Looking for Richard, on a special DVD box set titled Pacino: An Actor's Vision, which was released in 2007. Pacino produced prologues and epilogues for the discs containing the films.[53]

Pacino turned down an offer to reprise his role as Michael Corleone in the computer game version of The Godfather. As a result, Electronic Arts was not permitted to use Pacino's likeness or voice in the game, although his character does appear in it. He did allow his likeness to appear in the video game adaptation of 1983's Scarface, quasi-sequel titled Scarface: The World is Yours.[54]
Director Christopher Nolan worked with Pacino on Insomnia, a remake of the Norwegian film of the same name, co-starring Robin Williams. Newsweek stated that "he [Pacino] can play small as rivetingly as he can play big, that he can implode as well as explode".[55] The film and Pacino's performance were well received, gaining a favorable rating of 93 percent on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes.[56] The film did moderately well at the box office, taking in $113 million worldwide.[57] His next film, S1m0ne, did not gain much critical praise or box office success.[58]

He played a publicist in People I Know, a small film that received little attention despite Pacino's well-received performance.[59] Rarely taking a supporting role since his commercial breakthrough, he accepted a small part in the box office flop Gigli, in 2003, as a favor to director Martin Brest.[59] The Recruit, released in 2003, featured Pacino as a CIA recruiter and co-stars Colin Farrell. The film received mixed reviews,[60] and has been described by Pacino as something he "personally couldn't follow".[59] Pacino next starred as lawyer Roy Cohn in the 2003 HBO miniseries Angels in America, an adaptation of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name.[3] For this performance, Pacino won his third Golden Globe, for Best Performance by an Actor, in 2004.[61]

Pacino starred as Shylock in Michael Radford's 2004 film adaptation of The Merchant of Venice, choosing to bring compassion and depth to a character traditionally played as a villainous caricature.[62] In Two for the Money, Pacino portrays a sports gambling agent and mentor for Matthew McConaughey, alongside Rene Russo. The film was released on October 8, 2005, to mixed reviews.[63] Desson Thomson wrote in The Washington Post, "Al Pacino has played the mentor so many times, he ought to get a kingmaker's award ... the fight between good and evil feels fixed in favor of Hollywood redemption."[64]

On October 20, 2006, the American Film Institute named Pacino the recipient of the 35th AFI Life Achievement Award.[65] On November 22, 2006, the University Philosophical Society of Trinity College, Dublin awarded Pacino the Honorary Patronage of the Society.[66]

Pacino played a supporting role in Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Thirteen, alongside George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Elliott Gould and Andy García, as the villain Willy Bank, a casino tycoon targeted by Danny Ocean and his crew. The film received generally favorable reviews.[67]

88 Minutes was released on April 18, 2008, in the United States, after having been released in various other countries in 2007. The film co-starred Alicia Witt and was critically panned,[68] although critics found fault with the plot, and not Pacino's acting.[69] In Righteous Kill, Pacino and Robert De Niro co-star as New York detectives searching for a serial killer. The film was released to theaters on September 12, 2008. While it was an anticipated return for the two stars, it was not well received by critics.[70] Lou Lumenick of the New York Post gave Righteous Kill one star out of four, saying: "Al Pacino and Robert De Niro collect bloated paychecks with intent to bore in Righteous Kill, a slow-moving, ridiculous police thriller that would have been shipped straight to the remainder bin at Blockbuster if it starred anyone else."[71]

2010s

Pacino played Jack Kevorkian in an HBO Films biopic titled You Don't Know Jack, which premiered April 2010. The film is about the life and work of the physician-assisted suicide advocate. The performance earned Pacino his second Emmy Award[72] for lead actor[73] and his fourth Golden Globe award.[74] He co-starred as himself in the 2011 comedy film Jack and Jill. The film was panned by critics, and Pacino "won" the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor at the 32nd ceremony.[75]

He was presented with the Glory to the Film-maker award on September 4, 2011, prior to the premiere of Wilde Salomé, a 2011 American documentary-drama film written, directed by and starring Pacino.[76][77] Its US premiere on the evening of March 21, 2012, before a full house at the 1,400-seat Castro Theatre in San Francisco's Castro District, marked the 130th anniversary of Oscar Wilde's visit to San Francisco, the event was a benefit for the GLBT Historical Society.[78][79][80] Pacino, who plays the role of Herod in the film, describes it as his "most personal project ever".[77]

Pacino starred in a 2013 HBO biographical picture about record producer Phil Spector's murder trial, titled Phil Spector.[81] It was announced in January 2013 that Pacino would play the late former Penn State University football coach Joe Paterno in the television film Paterno based on a 2012 biography of Paterno by sportswriter Joe Posnanski.[82] He took the title role in the comedy-drama Danny Collins (2015) and this performance as an aging rock star garnered him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy nomination.[83] In 2016, he received the Kennedy Center Honor.[84]

Pacino starred alongside Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in Quentin Tarantino's comedy-drama Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which was released on July 26, 2019.[85] Later in 2019, Pacino co-starred with Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's Netflix film The Irishman, based on the 2004 book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt.[86] Harvey Keitel, Joe Pesci, Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin, and Ray Romano also star in the film. The film's teaser trailer was released during the 91st Academy Awards. He will play Meyer Offerman, a fictional Nazi hunter, in the Amazon Video series Hunters.[87]

Personal life

Pacino has never married and has fathered three children. The eldest, Julie Marie (born 1989), is his daughter with acting coach Jan Tarrant. He also has twins, son Anton James and daughter Olivia Rose (born January 25, 2001), with actress Beverly D'Angelo, with whom he had a relationship from 1996 until 2003.[88][89]

Pacino also had a relationship with his The Godfather Trilogy costar Diane Keaton. Their on-again, off-again relationship ended after the filming of The Godfather Part III. Keaton said of Pacino, "Al was simply the most entertaining man... To me, that's, that is the most beautiful face. I think Warren was gorgeous, very pretty, but Al's face is like whoa. Killer, killer face."[90] He has had relationships with Tuesday Weld, Jill Clayburgh, Marthe Keller, Kathleen Quinlan, and Lyndall Hobbs.[53]

Pacino had a ten-year relationship with Argentine actress Lucila Polak from 2008 to 2018.[91] Though the couple never married, Polak's daughter, Camila Morrone, refers to Pacino as her stepfather.[92]

Awards and nominations

Pacino has been nominated and has won many awards during his acting career, including nine Oscar nominations (winning one), 18 Golden Globe nominations (winning four), five BAFTA nominations (winning one), two Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on television, and two Tony Awards for his stage work. In 2007, the American Film Institute awarded Pacino with a lifetime achievement award and, in 2003, British television viewers voted Pacino as the greatest film star of all time in a poll for Channel 4.[93]

Eurostar

Eurostar is an international high-speed railway service connecting London with Amsterdam, Avignon, Brussels, Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Disneyland Paris, Lille, Fréthun, Lyon, Marseille, Paris, and Rotterdam. All its trains travel through the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, owned and operated separately by Getlink.

The London terminus is St Pancras International, the other British calling points are Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International in Kent. Intermediate calling points in France are Calais-Fréthun and Lille-Europe, with trains to Paris terminating at Gare du Nord. Trains to Belgium terminate at Midi/Zuid station in Brussels. The only intermediate calling station in the Netherlands is Rotterdam Centraal and trains terminate at Amsterdam Centraal. There are direct services from London to Disneyland Paris at Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy, direct services to southern France (Lyon, Avignon and Marseille), and seasonal direct services to the French Alps in winter (December to April).

The service is operated by eighteen-coach Class 373/1 trains and sixteen-coach Class 374 trains which run at up to 320 kilometres per hour (199 mph) on a network of high-speed lines. The LGV Nord line in France opened before Eurostar services began in 1994, and newer lines enabling faster journeys were added later—HSL 1 in Belgium and High Speed 1 in south-east England. The French and Belgian parts of the network are shared with Paris–Brussels Thalys services and TGV trains. In the United Kingdom the two-stage Channel Tunnel Rail Link project was completed on 14 November 2007 and renamed High Speed 1, when the London terminus of Eurostar moved from London Waterloo International to St Pancras International.

Until 2010, Eurostar was operated jointly by the national railway companies of France and Belgium, SNCF and SNCB/NMBS, and Eurostar (UK) Ltd (EUKL), a subsidiary of London and Continental Railways (LCR) that owned the high-speed infrastructure and stations on the British side. Eurostar has become the dominant operator on the routes it operates, carrying more passengers than all airlines combined. Other operators expressed an interest in starting competing services following deregulation in 2010. On 1 September 2010, Eurostar was incorporated as a single corporate entity, Eurostar International Limited (EIL), replacing the joint operation between EUKL, SNCF and SNCB/NMBS.[1] EIL is owned by SNCF (55%), Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) (30%), Hermes Infrastructure (10%) and SNCB (5%).[2][3][4]

In June 2014, the UK shareholding in Eurostar International Limited was transferred from London and Continental Railways / Department for Transport to HM Treasury.[5] That October, it was announced that the UK government planned to raise £300 million by selling its stake.[6] In March 2015, the UK government announced that it would sell its 40% share to an Anglo-Canadian consortium made up of the Caisse and Hermes Infrastructure. The sale was completed in May 2015.[3]
The history of Eurostar can be traced to the 1986 choice of a rail tunnel to provide a cross-channel link between Britain and France.[7] A previous attempt to construct a tunnel between the two nations had begun in 1974, but was quickly aborted. Construction began on a new basis in 1988. Eurotunnel was created to manage and own the tunnel, which was finished in 1993, the official opening taking place on 6 May 1994.[8]

In addition to the tunnel's shuttle trains carrying cars and lorries between Folkestone and Calais, the decision to build a railway tunnel opened up the possibility of through passenger and freight train services between places further afield.[9] British Rail and SNCF contracted with Eurotunnel to use half the tunnel's capacity for this purpose. In 1987, Britain, France and Belgium set up an International Project Group to specify a train to provide an international high-speed passenger service through the tunnel. France had been operating high-speed TGV services since 1981, and had begun construction of a new high-speed line between Paris and the Channel Tunnel, LGV Nord; French TGV technology was chosen as the basis for the new trains. An order for 30 trainsets, to be manufactured in France but with some British and Belgian components, was placed in December 1989.[citation needed] On 20 June 1993, the first Eurostar test train travelled through the tunnel to the UK.[10] Various technical difficulties in running the new trains on British tracks were quickly overcome.[11]

Launch of service
On 14 November 1994, Eurostar services began running from Waterloo International station in London, to Gare du Nord in Paris, and Brussels-South railway station in Brussels.[9][12][13] The train service started with a limited Discovery service; the full daily service started from 28 May 1995.[14]

In 1995, Eurostar was achieving an average end-to-end speed of 171.5 km/h (106.6 mph) from London to Paris.[15] On 8 January 1996, Eurostar launched services from a second railway station in the UK when Ashford International was opened.[16]

On 23 September 2003, passenger services began running on the first completed section of High Speed 1.[10] Following a high-profile glamorous opening ceremony[17] and a large advertising campaign,[18] on 14 November 2007, Eurostar services in London transferred from Waterloo to the extended and extensively refurbished St Pancras International.[19]

Records achieved
The Channel Tunnel used by Eurostar services holds the record for having the longest underwater section of any tunnel in the world,[20] and it is the second-longest railway tunnel in the world.[21]

On 30 July 2003, a Eurostar train set a new British speed record of 334.7 km/h (208.0 mph) on the first section of the "High Speed 1" railway between the Channel Tunnel,[10][12] and Fawkham Junction in north Kent, two months before official public services began running.

On 16 May 2006, Eurostar set a new record for the longest non-stop high-speed journey, a distance of 1,421 kilometres (883 mi) from London to Cannes taking 7 hours 25 minutes.[22]

On 4 September 2007, a record-breaking train left Paris Gare du Nord at 10:44 (09:44 BST) and reached London St Pancras in 2 hours 3 minutes 39 seconds;[23] carrying journalists and railway workers. This record trip was also the first passenger-carrying arrival to the new St Pancras International station.[24]

On 20 September 2007, Eurostar broke another record when it completed the journey from Brussels to London in 1 hour, 43 minutes.[25]

Regional Eurostar and Nightstar

The original proposals for Eurostar included direct services to Paris and Brussels from cities north of London (NoL): Manchester via Birmingham on the West Coast Main Line and on the East Coast Main Line Leeds and Glasgow via Edinburgh, Newcastle and York.[26] Seven 14-coach "NoL" Eurostar trains for these Regional Eurostar services were built, but these services never came to fruition. Predicted journey times of almost nine hours for Glasgow to Paris at the time of growth of low-cost air travel during the 1990s made the plans commercially unviable against the cheaper and quicker airlines.[27] Other reasons that have been suggested for these services having never been run were both government policies and the disruptive privatisation of British Rail.[28] Three of the Regional Eurostar units were leased by Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) to increase domestic services from London King's Cross to York and later Leeds.[29] The lease expired in December 2005, and most of the NoL sets have since been transferred to SNCF for TGV services in northern France.[30]

An international Nightstar sleeper train was also planned; this would have travelled the same routes as Regional Eurostar, plus the Great Western Main Line to Cardiff.[31] These were also deemed commercially unviable, and the scheme was abandoned with no services ever operated. In 2000, the coaches were sold to Via Rail in Canada.[32][33]

Ashford International station

Ashford International station was the original station for Eurostar services in Kent.[34] Once Ebbsfleet International railway station, also designed to serve the Kent region, had opened, only three trains a day to Paris and one to Disneyland Paris called at Ashford for a considerable amount of time. There were fears that services at Ashford International might be further reduced or withdrawn altogether as Eurostar planned to make Ebbsfleet the new regional hub instead.[35][36] However, after a period during which no Brussels trains served the station,[37] to the dissatisfaction of the local communities,[38][39][40] Eurostar re-introduced a single daily Ashford-Brussels service on 23 February 2009.[41][42]

Rules for cycles on trains

In 2015, Eurostar threatened to require that cyclists dismantle bicycles before they could be transported on the trains. Following criticism from Boris Johnson and cycling groups, Eurostar reversed the edict.[43]

Wi-Fi and onboard entertainment

By March 2016, onboard entertainment was provided by GoMedia, including Wi-Fi connectivity and up to 300 hours of movies and television kept on the train's servers and accessed using the passenger's own devices: mobile phones, tablets, laptops etc. A tracker app allows customers to see where they are.[44]

Mainline routes

أكسفورد يونايتد

نادي أكسفورد يونايتد لكرة القدم هو نادي كرة قدم إنجليزي محترف مقره في مدينة أوكسفورد ، أوكسفوردشاير ، إنجلترا. يلعب الفريق في دوري الدرجة الأولى، وهو المستوى الثالث لكرة القدم الإنجليزية. الرئيس هو سومريث تانكارنياناسوث ، المدير كارل روبنسون وقائد الفريق هو جون موسينيو.

تأسست أكسفورد يونايتد في عام 1893 تحت اسم هيدنجتون يونايتد، واعتمدت اسمها الحالي في عام 1960. انضمت إلى دوري كرة القدم في عام 1962 بعد فوزها في دوري كرة القدم الجنوبي، ووصلت إلى القسم الثاني في عام 1968. بعد الهبوط في عام 1976، بين عامي 1984 و 1986، حصل النادي على متتالية. الترقيات في القسم الأول، وفاز بكأس رابطة المحترفين في عام 1986. ومع ذلك، لم يتمكن أكسفورد من دخول بطولة كأس الاتحاد الأوروبي 1987 بسبب حظر الاتحاد الأوروبي على الأندية الإنجليزية في المسابقات الأوروبية. بدأ الهبوط من دوري الدرجة الأولى في عام 1988 في انخفاض استمر 18 عامًا، مما أدى إلى هبوط النادي إلى المؤتمر عام 2006، ليصبح بذلك أول الفائزين بجوائز كبرى يتم إسقاطها من دوري كرة القدم. بعد أربعة مواسم، عاد أوكسفورد إلى الدوري الثاني في عام 2010 عن طريق التصفيات، وبعد ستة مواسم حقق ترقية إلى دوري الدرجة الأولى، بعد أن أنهى المركز الثاني في دوري الدرجة الثانية في عام 2016.

يحتفظ رون أتكينسون بسجل النادي لأبرز العروض في عام 560، ويحمل جون شوكر الرقم القياسي لمعظم مظاهره في دوري كرة القدم مع 478 وشقيق رون الراحل غراهام أتكينسون يحمل الرقم القياسي لمعظم الأهداف التي سجلها مع 107. في المجموع، تسعة عشر اللاعبون قاموا بمظاهر دولية أثناء اللعب للنادي. موطن فريق يونايتد هو ملعب القسام في أكسفورد وتبلغ سعته 12500. انتقل يونايتد إلى الاستاد في عام 2001 بعد مغادرة مانور جراوند، منزلهم لمدة 76 عاما. سويندون تاون هو المنافس الرئيسي للنادي.

Oxford United

Oxford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of English football. The chairman is Sumrith Thanakarnjanasuth,[2] the manager is Karl Robinson[3] and the team captain is John Mousinho.[4]

Founded in 1893 as Headington United, Oxford United adopted its current name in 1960. It joined the Football League in 1962 after winning the Southern Football League, reaching the Second Division in 1968. After relegation in 1976, between 1984 and 1986 the club earned successive promotions into the First Division, and won the League Cup in 1986. However, Oxford was unable thereby to enter the 1987 UEFA Cup because of the UEFA ban on English clubs in European competitions. Relegation from the top flight in 1988 began an 18-year decline which saw the club relegated to the Conference in 2006, becoming the first winners of a major trophy to be relegated from the Football League. After four seasons, Oxford returned to League Two in 2010 via the playoffs, and six seasons later achieved promotion to League One, after finishing second in League Two in 2016.

Ron Atkinson holds the club record for the most overall appearances with 560, John Shuker holds the record for the most appearances in the Football League with 478 and Ron's late brother Graham Atkinson holds the record for the most goals scored with 107. In total, nineteen players have made international appearances while playing for the club. United's home ground is the Kassam Stadium in Oxford and has a capacity of 12,500. United moved to the stadium in 2001 after leaving the Manor Ground, their home for 76 years. Swindon Town and Reading are the club's main rivals.
Headington United
Oxford United were formed as Headington in 1893,[1] adding the suffix United in 1911 after merging with Headington Quarry. The club was founded by Rev. John Scott-Tucker, the vicar at Saint Andrew's Church in Headington, and a local doctor named Robert Hitchings.[5] A football team was a way for the cricketers of Headington Cricket Club to maintain their fitness during the winter break.[5] The club's first football match played was against Cowley Barracks. Headington had no regular home until 1913, when they were able to purchase Wootten's Field on London Road, but this was redeveloped in 1920, forcing the club to move.[5] A permanent home was found in 1925, when they purchased the Manor Ground site on London Road.[5] The facility was used as a cricket pitch in the summer, and a football pitch in the winter. In 1899, six years after their formation, Headington United joined the Oxfordshire District League Second Division, where they competed until the outbreak of the First World War; the Second Division was renamed the Oxfordshire Junior League after the resumption of football in 1919. In 1921, the club was admitted into the Oxon Senior League.[6] The first season included a 9–0 victory, with eight of those goals coming from P. Drewitt. This remains a record for the highest number of goals scored by an Oxford player in a first-team match.[7] At this time a small rivalry existed with Cowley F.C., who were based a few miles south of Headington. During a league game on May Day, the referee gave two penalties to Cowley; supporters broke past security and players, resulting in the referee being "freely baited".[8] The first FA Cup tie played was in 1931, against Hounslow F.C. in the Preliminary Round, ending in an 8–2 defeat for Headington.[9] United spent two seasons in the Spartan League in 1947 and 1948, finishing fifth and fourth respectively. It was around this time that the cricket team left the Manor and moved to new premises near Cowley Barracks.

A move into professional football was first considered during the 1948–49 season. Vic Couling, the president at the time, had applied for Headington to become a member of a new Second Division in the Southern League.[10] Other teams that applied included Weymouth, Kettering Town and future league side Cambridge United. Although the plans were postponed, the First Division was going to be expanded by two clubs; Weymouth and Headington were elected. It was later discovered that Llanelli had just one vote fewer than Headington.[10] Oxford played its first season in the Southern League in 1949, the same year they turned professional.[1] Former First Division forward Harry Thompson was hired as manager. In 1950, Headington United became the first professional club in Britain to install floodlights,[11] and used them on 18 December against Banbury Spencer.[12] They initially played in orange and blue shirts, but changed to yellow home shirts for the 1957–58 season.[13] The reason for the change is unknown. In 1960, Headington United was renamed Oxford United, to give the club a higher profile.[1]

Football League rise
Two years later, in 1962, the club won the Southern League title for the second successive season and was elected to the Football League Fourth Division,[14] occupying the vacant place left by bankrupt Accrington Stanley. Two successive eighteenth-place finishes followed,[15][16] before promotion to the Third Division was achieved in 1965.[17] A year before the promotion, Oxford became the first Fourth Division club to reach the sixth round of the FA Cup,[18][19] but have not progressed that far in the competition since. Oxford won the Third Division title in 1967–68,[20] their sixth season as a league club, but after eight years of relative stability the club was relegated from the Second Division in 1975–76.[21]

In 1982, as a Third Division side, Oxford United faced closure because of the club's inability to service the debts owed to Barclays Bank,[22] but were rescued when businessman Robert Maxwell took over the club.[1] In April 1983, Maxwell proposed merging United with neighbours Reading, to form a new club called the Thames Valley Royals,[23] to play at Didcot. Jim Smith would have managed the club and been assisted by Reading boss Maurice Evans. The merger was called off as a result of fans of both clubs protesting against the decision. Furthermore, the Reading chairman stepped down and was replaced by an opponent of the merger.[24] Maxwell also threatened to fold the club if the merger did not go through.[25] Oxford won the Third Division title after the 1983–84 season under the management of Jim Smith,[26] who also guided them to the Second Division title the following year.[27] This meant that Oxford United would be playing First Division football in the 1985–86 season, 23 years after joining the Football League. Smith moved to Queens Park Rangers shortly after the promotion success,[28] and made way for chief scout Maurice Evans, who, several seasons earlier, had won the Fourth Division title with Reading.[26]

First Division and cup success
Oxford United finished eighteenth in the 1985–86 First Division,[29] avoiding relegation on the last day of the season after defeating Arsenal 3–0. They also won the Football League Cup, known at the time as the Milk Cup under a sponsorship deal. As winners, Oxford would have qualified for the following season's UEFA Cup, had it not been for the ban on English teams that had resulted from the previous year's Heysel Stadium disaster.[30] After beating fellow First Division side Aston Villa in the semi-final 4–3 on aggregate,[31] Oxford faced Queens Park Rangers in the final, which was held at Wembley Stadium on 20 April 1986. The game finished 3–0 with goals from Trevor Hebberd, Ray Houghton and Jeremy Charles. After the match long-serving physiotherapist, 72-year-old Ken Fish, collected one of the winner's medals, instead of manager Maurice Evans. Evans felt that Fish deserved the medal for his service to the club, and so gave him his, in what was seen as an "unprecedented gesture".[32] It was the last time the League Cup was played under the name "Milk Cup", sponsors Littlewoods taking over the following season.[33] The 1986–87 season saw Oxford United narrowly avoid relegation and stay in the First Division. Robert Maxwell resigned as chairman in May 1987, to take over at Derby County, handing the club to his son Kevin.[34] Maurice Evans was sacked in March 1988 with Oxford bottom of the First Division.

Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson was named as Oxford's new manager, but was unable to prevent relegation to the Second Division. He was sacked three months into the 1988–89 Second Division campaign after a dispute with the chairman over the £1 million sale of striker Dean Saunders to Derby County;[35] Derby were owned by Robert Maxwell, father of the then Oxford United chairman, Kevin Maxwell. Following Robert Maxwell's death in 1991, his personal estate, including the club, became insolvent.[36] After a long search for a new owner, during which BioMass Recycling Ltd took over the club, Brian Horton was named as Oxford's new manager. He remained in charge until September 1993, when he moved to Manchester City in the recently formed FA Premier League. Horton led United to mid-table finishes during his management spell, apart from a 21st-place finish at the end of the 1991–92 season. A 2–1 win over Tranmere Rovers, and a win for Blackburn Rovers over Plymouth Argyle, meant United survived relegation by two points. Oxford, now in the renamed Football League Division One, briefly restored Maurice Evans as manager, before turning to Bristol City manager Denis Smith. Despite Smith's efforts, Oxford was relegated to Division Two at the end of the 1993–94 season, with just four wins in the last eleven games.[37]

Financial problems
Denis Smith brought in two strikers who were experienced in the top division: Southampton's Paul Moody and Nottingham Forest's Nigel Jemson. Oxford finished seventh in 1994–95 season,[38] and in the following season gained promotion by finishing runners-up to rivals Swindon Town, despite not winning an away game till the end of January. Robin Herd, co-owner of the March Racing Team, took control of the club in 1995. In June of that year, the board of directors unveiled plans for a new 16,000-seat stadium at Minchery Farm, to replace the dilapidated Manor Ground.[38] The club had hoped to move into the new stadium near the Blackbird Leys housing estate by the start of the 1998–99 season, but construction was suspended during the preceding season, because construction company Taylor Woodrow had not been paid for the work already undertaken.[39]

Dropping through the divisions
The 1996–97 season saw Oxford finish seventeenth, and included the sale of Scottish international defender Matt Elliott to Leicester City. Despite Smith's departure to West Bromwich Albion in December 1997, United finished twelfth the following season under his successor, and former captain, Malcolm Shotton. Shotton was previously the assistant manager of the Barnsley side that gained promotion to the Premier League. During October 1998, the backroom staff at the club went unpaid, due to United's financial situation with the new stadium, and the threat of administration caused a group of fans to set up a pressure group called Fighting for Oxford United's Life (FOUL).[40] The group began to publicise the club's plight through a series of meetings and events, including a 'Scarf of Unity', which was a collection of scarves from various clubs which was long enough to stretch around the perimeter of the pitch.[40] Chairman Robin Herd stepped down to concentrate on his engineering projects, and in April 1999 Firoz Kassam bought Herd's 89.9% controlling interest in Oxford United for £1, with which he also inherited the club's estimated £15 million debt.[41] Kassam reduced £9 million of the debt to just £900,000, by virtue of a Company Voluntary Arrangement, by which unsecured creditors who were owed over £1,000 were reimbursed with 10p for every pound they were owed.[42] Secured creditors were paid off when Kassam sold the Manor to another of his companies, for £6 million. Kassam set about completing the unfinished stadium, gaining planning permission for a bowling alley, multiplex cinema and hotel next to the stadium, following a series of legal battles which were eventually all settled.[43] The season ended with relegation back to the Second Division.

Oxford's poor form continued into the 1999–2000 season and, with the team in the relegation zone, Shotton resigned in late October. After a few months with Mickey Lewis as player-manager, former manager Denis Smith returned to the club, managing a twentieth-place finish, one place clear of relegation.[44] Smith's second spell didn't last long, and he was replaced by David Kemp a few weeks into the following campaign. At the end of the 2000–01 season, Oxford were relegated back to the Third Division after a 35-year absence, with 100 goals conceded.[45] They suffered 33 league defeats, the second-highest number of league defeats ever endured by a league club in a single season.[46]

Division Three years
Oxford began the next season with a new manager and a new stadium, with the relocation to the Kassam Stadium completed after six years of speculation. Former Liverpool and England defender Mark Wright was given the manager's job, but resigned in late November, after being accused of making racist remarks to referee Joe Ross.[47] Wright's successor, Ian Atkins, was unable to make an immediate impact and Oxford finished in 21st position in the league, at the time their lowest-ever league position.[48] United missed out on the play-off places the following season, by one place and one point.[49] Fifteen wins at the start of the 2003–04 season saw Oxford top of the table at the end of January.[50] However, Ian Atkins was sacked in March after agreeing to take charge at rivals Bristol Rovers. His replacement, Graham Rix, could only manage a ninth-place finish at the end of the season, and was sacked the following November. Oxford replaced him with Argentine Ramón Díaz, who managed the team to a mid-table finish. Diaz and his team of assistants left the club at the beginning of May 2005, after being banned from the ground by the chairman following failed negotiations.[51] During his time at the club, Diaz brought in a number of South American players including his own sons, and Juan Pablo Raponi.[52] Ex-England midfielder and former West Bromwich Albion manager Brian Talbot signed a two-year contract to replace Rix. Talbot found little success and was sacked in March 2006, with the club in 22nd place.[53] He was replaced by youth team coach Darren Patterson.

On 21 March 2006, Firoz Kassam sold the club, including its debts, for approximately £2 million to Florida-based businessman Nick Merry, who had played for United's youth team in the mid-1970s.[54][55] Merry immediately made changes to the club, including the hiring of former manager Jim Smith in his second spell. Despite signing five new players on his first day in charge, Smith was unable to prevent relegation at the end of the 2005–06 season. After 44 years in English league football, Oxford were relegated to the Conference National after finishing in 23rd place,[56] becoming the first former winners of a major trophy to be relegated from the league. Coincidentally, Accrington Stanley, the club whose bankruptcy in 1962 allowed United to be elected into the League, was one of the two clubs promoted to replace them.[57]

Non-league football
Jim Smith was retained as manager for the following season, and it started positively for Oxford, with 14 wins and 8 draws from the opening 25 games.[58] A run of eleven league games without a win followed, and saw United drop to second, where they remained until the end of the season. On Boxing Day 2006, a crowd of 11,065 watched United draw 0–0 with Woking at the Kassam Stadium, the largest-ever attendance for a Conference match (excluding play-offs).[59] Oxford qualified for the play-offs by finishing second,[60] but lost on penalties in the semi-final to Exeter City.

On 9 November 2007, Jim Smith resigned as manager and first-team coach Darren Patterson returned as manager.[61] In a lacklustre season which included defeats to Droylsden and Tonbridge Angels, camouflaged by a belated run of eight wins in the last eleven games,[62] Oxford finished 9th in the Conference National in 2007–08, 10 points off the last play-off place.[63]

On 2 October 2008, Nick Merry stepped down as chairman to be replaced by Kelvin Thomas,[64] who had been part of the management team at the time of Merry's takeover. Just under two months later, Patterson was sacked after a poor run of form, and was replaced by former Halifax Town manager Chris Wilder.[65] Following Wilder's arrival, the team won 15 of the remaining 21 league matches that season.[66] A 5-point deduction for fielding an unregistered player resulted in a seventh-place finish, four points and two places short of the play-offs
Oxford led the table for most of the first half of the 2009–10 season, but dropped into the play-off places after a poor run of form, finishing third. They beat Rushden & Diamonds over two legs to advance to the play-off final against York City on 16 May 2010.[68] Oxford won the final 3–1, to return to the Football League for the 2010–11 season.[69] The attendance was 42,669,[70] a new record for the final, with around 33,000 being United fans.

Return to the Football League
Oxford's first game back in the Football League was away to Burton, which finished in a 0–0 draw;[71] their first League win was on 4 September against Morecambe at the Kassam Stadium, with James Constable scoring a hat-trick in a 4–0 victory.[72] They finished the season in 12th place.[73]

The team spent much of the 2011–12 season in or around the playoff places, and achieved the double over rivals (and eventual champions) Swindon Town for the first time since the 1973–74 season.[74][75][76] However, they failed to win any of their last seven matches and finished the season in 9th place, two places and four points outside the play-offs.[77]

Chairman Kelvin Thomas stepped down during the 2012 close season, to be replaced by owner Ian Lenagan.[78] The 2012–13 season was blighted by injuries and patchy form: after opening the season with three wins and briefly heading the table, United lost their next six games, a pattern of inconsistency that was to continue throughout the season. United finished outside the play-offs for the third consecutive season, but manager Chris Wilder was given a further one-year contract in April 2013. Some Oxford fans were unhappy about the decision to renew Wilder's contract, having pressed for his sacking during the second half of the 2012–13 season.[79]

After another bright start, Oxford led the table several times in the first half of the 2013–14 season. On 25 January 2014, with the club faltering though still in the play-off places, Wilder resigned as manager to take up the reins at relegation-threatened Northampton. Mickey Lewis subsequently became the caretaker manager for a second time for the club. On 22 March 2014, Gary Waddock was appointed the head coach of the club after a lengthy interview process, leaving his job as Head of Coaching at MK Dons.[80] Under Lewis and Waddock, Oxford slipped out of the play-off places in the final few weeks of the season, finishing a disappointing eighth in the table, nine points off the last playoff place.

In July 2014, Waddock's contract was terminated after a change of ownership and he was replaced by Michael Appleton.[81] Waddock's surprise sacking ensured he had the worst record of any Oxford manager, winning only once and losing seven times in his eight games in charge of the club. After an indifferent first season under Appleton, Oxford achieved promotion to League One in his second year in charge, finishing the 2015–16 season in 2nd place with 86 points.[82] They also reached the final of the League Trophy at Wembley Stadium, only the club's third appearance at the national stadium, but were defeated 3–2 by their League One opponents Barnsley.[83] In 2016–17, having sold Kemar Roofe during the close season for a record £3m[84] and signed Marvin Johnson for an undisclosed fee also thought to be a club record,[85] Oxford finished 8th in League One, four points short of the playoff places,[86] and again lost in the final of the League Trophy at Wembley, this time to relegation-bound Coventry City.[87] Appleton left the club to become assistant manager at Leicester City of the Premier League in June 2017,[88] and was replaced by Pep Clotet, formerly assistant manager at Leeds United.[89] On 22 January 2018, Clotet was sacked,[90] with the club in 10th place in League One after a home defeat to bottom club Bury.[91] After a lengthy period under caretaker-manager Derek Fazackerley during which the team slipped to within 4 points of the relegation zone,[92] Karl Robinson, former manager of Milton Keynes Dons and Charlton Athletic, was appointed on 22 March 2018.

Stadium

Oxford United had no regular home until 1913, switching between the Quarry Recreation Ground, Wootten's Field (now Stephen Road), Sandy Lane (now Osler Road) and the Britannia Field (now the top end of Lime Walk), all in Headington.[93] In 1913 they were able to purchase Wootten's Field on London Road, however, this was redeveloped in 1920 before a stadium could be built. Having purchased the Sandy Lane site, the club developed and played at the Manor Ground between 1925 and 2001. The ground was originally shared with Headington Cricket Club until 1949, when they moved to Cowley Barracks.[94] The capacity at closure was 9,500, but hosted United's record crowd of 22,750 against Preston North End in an FA Cup sixth-round match on 29 February 1964.[1] The four stands were named after the roads they were positioned on: The North, East, South and West stands were called Cuckoo Lane, Osler Road, London Road and Beech Road respectively.

In the 1990s, the Taylor Report was published calling for the improvement of football stadiums. The Manor Ground's terracing was becoming redundant and redeveloping the ground was too costly, so the club decided to move to a purpose-built all-seater stadium on the outskirts of the city, costing in the region of £15 million.[95] Construction work began in the early part of 1997, but was suspended later that year due to the club's financial problems.[39] Construction of the new stadium resumed in 1999 following a takeover deal and the last league match at the Manor on 1 May 2001 saw a 1–1 draw with Port Vale. The site was sold for £12 million and the stadium was later demolished. The land is now occupied by a private hospital.[96]

Since 2001, Oxford United have played at the Kassam Stadium.[97] The all-seater stadium has a capacity of 12,500 and has only three stands instead of the usual four; when first planned in 1995 it was originally going to have a 16,000-seat capacity, but by the time the stadium opened Oxford was playing in a lower division, so the smaller capacity was deemed adequate. Construction of the fourth stand is not expected to take place for several years, although foundations have already been put in place.[98] The record attendance is 12,243, which was achieved in the final game of the 2005–06 season, when a defeat against Leyton Orient condemned them to relegation from the Football League. The average attendance in the previous season was 7,415, which was the second highest in League Two and the thirty-fourth highest in the whole Football League.[99] The average attendance was highest in the Conference in two out of the four years the team spent in the division, with the average in the other two years placing second, behind Exeter City and Cambridge United respectively.[100] The stadium has also hosted rugby union matches, a woman's international football match (England v Sweden), an Under-17 international football tournament and music concerts.[101]

Crest and colours

The club crest depicts an ox above a representation of a ford to symbolise the location.[102] It reflects the name and history of the city, as Oxford was originally a market town situated near to a ford on the River Isis, which was used by cattle. In 2008, a bronze statue of an ox was unveiled outside of what would have been the west stand.[103] It was subsequently vandalised in January 2011, being covered in pink paint[104] and the club used the opportunity to raise money for a breast cancer charity.[105] The shape and design of the crest has changed numerous times since it was first produced. When playing as Headington and during the early years of Oxford United, the crest included a full ox crossing the ford, as well as the initials H.U.F.C. (pre-1962) or the name Oxford United (post name-change). Between 1972 and 1980, the crest became circular, showing just the ox's head on a yellow and black background.[13] The words 'Oxford United Football Club' were placed around the ox. For the next 17 years, the crest was simply the ox's head coloured blue, with various combinations of wording surrounding it. For example, in the 1987–88 season, the wording 25th Anniversary was placed under the crest.[106] In 1996, the crest had a shield shape and contained the ox's head over the ford, on a yellow background. This version was retained until the move to the Kassam Stadium in 2001, when club steward Rob Alderman designed the current version.[102] It has a similar design to the preceding crest, but the ox and ford are contained in a circle with a yellow background, with the remainder of the crest being coloured blue.

While playing as Headington United, orange and blue striped shirts were worn with navy shorts and socks. The design of the shirt changed regularly, with the stripes being changed every few seasons. After joining the Southern League, the blue stripes were lost for good and a lighter shade of orange was used for the shirt.[107] The yellow kit was first worn during the 1957–58 season, with black shorts and yellow socks. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the black shorts were first replaced with yellow ones, and then with royal blue shorts. Since the early 1990s, the strip has been composed of the yellow shirt and navy coloured shorts and socks.[13] A large variety of away kits has been used over the years, ranging from red and black stripes on the shirts, to a fully white kit. The first sponsor to appear on the shirt was Sunday Journal, a local newspaper, in 1982.[13] Between 1983 and 1985, there were three sponsors: BPCC, Pergamon and the Sunday People. Following those were Wang Laboratories (1985 to 1989), Pergamon (1989 to 1991), Unipart (1991 to 2000), Domino (2000 to 2001) and Buildbase (from the move to the Kassam Stadium in 2001 to 2010).[13][108] Following the return to the Football League, Bridle Insurance were announced as new shirt sponsors.[109] The Bridle deal ended after the conclusion of the 2012–13 season. The home sponsor for the 2013–14 season was announced as Animalates, with the away kit being sponsored by Isinglass Consulting for that same season after winning an innovative prize draw. That one-year deal with Isinglass was extended for the 2014–15 season, again featuring on the away kits only.[110]

Supporters and rivals

Oxford have a number of independent supporters' clubs and groups such as OxVox (the Oxford United Supporters' Trust) with a current membership of over 400, and the Oxford United Exiles.[111][112] OxVox was formed in 2002, to replace the disbanded FOUL group, which broke up after the immediate future of the club was secured.[113] It was the fiftieth supporters trust created under the Supporters' trust banner. The club itself also runs a Juniors club, aimed at younger fans and offering a number of bonuses to the club's members such as birthday cards and a free T-shirt.[114] The official matchday programme for home games costs £3 and was voted best Conference Premier Programme of the Year for the 2007–08 season.[115] A number of songs are sung during home games, such as "Yellow Submarine" (with adapted lyrics) and songs relating to the old Manor Ground.

The club have a number of celebrity supporters, including Richard Branson,[116] Timmy Mallett,[117] Tim Henman[118] and Jim Rosenthal.[119] The club's mascot is Ollie the Ox.[120] United were the best-supported club in the Conference National before Luton Town joined the division,[121][122] and the home match between Oxford and Luton, which drew a crowd of 10,600, was used to highlight the passion for English football during the 2018 World Cup bid.[123] In 2009, a "12th man fund" was set up by a group of supporters in order to provide additional transfer funds to the club. As a result, the number 12 shirt was retired at the start of the 2009–10 season (though it was reintroduced in 2018–19). The fund raised over £40,000 and resulted in the signings of Mehdi Kerrouche (on loan) and Jamie Cook, amongst others

Oxford's fiercest rivalry is with Swindon Town, with Reading seen as the other significant rival team (both are about 30 miles from Oxford). To a lesser extent, Wycombe Wanderers, Luton Town and Northampton Town are also seen as rivals. The rivalry with Swindon stems from the clubs' close proximity, as well as the fact they have played each other 55 times since 1962. Oxford (Headington) and Swindon met a few times in non-competitive fixtures before 1962. The earliest match on record was a friendly in the 1950–51 season at Headington. They also played each other in 1954–55 both home and away, and at Headington during 1958–59.[126][better source needed] All programmes are fairly scarce, with the single sheet issued at Swindon being very rare. The 1962–63 game was a testimonial, with the first league meetings coming in 1965–66. During the height of football hooliganism, trouble flared up between the sets of fans. In 1998, 19 Swindon supporters were arrested during a match at the County Ground,[127] while in 2002 there was an incident between supporters after Oxford fans returned from an away fixture.[128] In 2011, vandals burned the initials STFC into the Kassam Stadium's pitch.[129] Oxford fans use nicknames when talking about Swindon such as moonraker, in reference to the myth that they tried to rake the reflection of the moon out of a pond.[130] The rivalry with Reading was heightened during the chairmanship of Robert Maxwell, because of his desire to merge the two clubs. This was met with strong opposition from both sets of fans, with United supporters staging a "sit-in" on the pitch before a game against Wigan in protest.[131] Despite being the second team in the city, there is less rivalry with Oxford City because of their lower position in the pyramid system (there have been no competitive league matches between the two since 1959)