Sports
Sunderland’s 17-year-old wonderkid Chris Rigg analyses his brilliant backheel goal
An hour after the final whistle has blown on Sunderland 1-0 Middlesbrough, Chris Rigg re-emerges onto the pitch where he has just settled a local derby with a piece of improvised magic, a backheel from nowhere that has made a stadium gasp and a national audience take note.
The netting has been taken down and Sunderland’s groundsmen are mowing the grass noisily behind Rigg, but the boy who was 17 in June agrees to be taken back through his brilliant moment with The Athletic.
Even he seems slightly surprised when talking us through it, but then a winner of this type is a dream, an instinct, it’s not the plan.
The 24th-minute goal originates with Sunderland’s goalkeeper, Anthony Patterson, and by the time his long pass out is with Romaine Mundle on Sunderland’s left, Rigg is in the centre circle readying himself to move forward.
“Probably just follow in,” he says when asked what is going through his mind at this point. “Because I know when Pat gets the ball he likes to shoot. And sometimes you get lucky. And I got lucky there. Just follow in.”
Pat is Patrick Roberts, Sunderland’s left-footed right-winger, who has been found by Mundle. When Roberts takes possession, he runs at the defence and shoots, as Rigg expects.
The expectation is moderate as the ball is drilled low and into the Boro defence. But Rigg is still running.
George Edmundson sticks out a leg to block the shot and diverts the ball back towards goal. Goalkeeper Seny Dieng is wrong-footed and prostrate on the ground. The ball is loose.
Following in, as he says, Rigg gets to it first. How was his first touch?
He smiles at its imperfection, then demonstrates with a roll of both feet how he tried to regain control. “It takes the ball away from the ’keeper,” Rigg says of the first touch. “It was the only thing I could have done because it dropped right in front of him, so I had to take it away from him. I was like ‘Aw, no, I’ve took it too wide’.”
And then? “Then the only thing I could do was backheel it.”
It was not the only thing. The ball was bound for the goal line, the angle was narrow and at best it looked as if Rigg could keep it in play. But then he produces a backheel on the run. Not many would think of it, never mind perform it, especially someone who turned 17 three months ago playing against men in front of 43,000 fans.
Chris Rigg, take a BOW! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jwCquWElwG
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 21, 2024
17-year-old Chris Rigg with a lovely back-heel goal for Sunderland 😱 pic.twitter.com/O1tI5cdIhP
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 21, 2024
“It went in, I was buzzin’ after that,” he says as watches the footage of his team-mates jumping on him.
“How cool is that? How cool is that?” shouts the commentator on Sky Sports.
We ask if he has done that in training. Rigg laughs: “I’ve not, nah, I’m not even that good in training.”
Another angle of Riggy’s back-heel… why not? 🎬🤩 pic.twitter.com/xYuYhC1iUL
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) September 22, 2024
Self-deprecation will take him far, so will self-confidence. Rigg speaks of how he first joined Sunderland aged five and of first playing on the pitch as half-time “entertainment” with the under-nines: “That was unbelievable. I was probably more nervous then.
“It’s just so good to do. Even though it’s half-time and it’s half empty, that’s what you dream of as a boy, to play in a stadium in front of fans.”
Rigg roars with delight after his moment of magic (Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images)
He made his senior Stadium of Light debut, aged 15, in January last year, before he played here in the FA Youth Cup. He does get nervous, he says, though he does not show it, and of his style he says: “I could say I’m just a traditional midfielder. I love to attack, I love to defend. I can do both. I can add to it. And as you can see I love a tackle as well. Kind of a box-to-box midfielder.”
When asked about midfielders he admires, it suddenly dawns that they may be still playing, so young is Rigg. Sure enough, “Modric” is the first name he mentions; plus “you watch clips of Zidane and Lampard and Gerrard”.
Then a flash of self-determination, as seen on the field: “I don’t want to be Steven Gerrard, I want to be Chris Rigg. But those sorts of players.”
He is measured in his tone. Maintaining the balance between legitimate anticipation about Rigg and knowing the harsh realities of professional football is up to the rest of us. His youthfulness needs to be stressed and re-stressed — he will still be 17 when the season ends.
Rigg’s is the name most mentioned in a youthful side developing at pace. Scouts from across Europe are now requesting seats at the Stadium of Light. The average age of Saturday’s team was 23.1 and this was a fifth win in six Championship games under the summer’s new appointment, Regis Le Bris.
GO DEEPER
How Sunderland have been revived: Quick starts, tenacity and the impact of ‘Arsene Who?’
There is excitement building as autumn takes hold of Wearside and Rigg, who was persuaded to sign his first professional contract in July, is the teenage flagbearer of a team that is second in the table. Watford away is next.
“I don’t think the age is a problem,” Le Bris said. “You can have a high level of maturity at 17 and a low level of maturity at 30. It depends on the personality and the players.
Le Bris’ young team have won five of their first six games (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
“Chris Rigg is a good symbol of what we want to create and build as a team and a club. He still wants to improve, he still wants to understand the game. He has this personality and character to play whatever the circumstance. I like that.”
Le Bris, though, does not offer grand projections of where Rigg’s career is headed. There is a chuckle from the Frenchman when asked if the England Under-18s captain can go on and win senior international caps in the future.
“I hope so,” he said. “It’s the consistency. You can perform one, two, three, four, five games, but the reality of the high level is to perform for a whole season and multiple seasons. He has many things to develop but this attitude is very interesting.”
One step — or backheel — at a time.
(Top photo: Rigg contorts his body to score his backheel; by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
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Napoleon Solo took home the 2026 Preakness Stakes on Saturday, the 151st running of the race.
The favorite in Taj Mahal, the 1 horse, was in the lead from the start until the final turn until Napoleon Solo made his move on the outside and took the lead at the top of the stretch. As Taj Mahal fell off, Iron Honor, the 9 horse, snuck up, but the effort ultimately was not enough.
Napoleon Solo opened at 8-1 and closed at 7-1. Iron Honor, at 8-1, finished second, with Chip Honcho fishing third after closing at 11-1. Ocelli, one of just three horses to run both the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago and Saturday’s Preakness, finished fourth at 8-1.
A Preakness branded starting gate is seen on track prior to the 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16, 2026 in Laurel, Maryland. For the first and only time, Laurel Park is hosting the Preakness Stakes which is the second race of the Triple Crown jewel due to the traditional home of the race of the Pimlico Race Course undergoing complete renovations. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
A $1 exacta paid out $53.60, while a $1 trifecta brought in $597.10. But someone out there is very lucky, as a $1 superhighfive – picking the top-five finishers in order – paid out $12,015.70.
Even moreso, a 20-cent Pick 6 – picking the winners of the six consecutive races, with the final being the Preakness, paid out $33,842.34.
The race was run without the Kentucky Derby winner for the second year in a row. After Sovereignty did not run the Preakness last year – and wound up winning the Belmont Stakes – the training team of Golden Tempo opted to skip the Maryland race.
From 1960 to 2018, only three Derby winners did not run in the Preakness. Three Derby winners have skipped the Preakness in the last five years, and for the sixth time in eight years, for various reasons, the Triple Crown had already been impossible to accomplish by the time the Preakness even rolled around.
“I understand that fans of the sport or fans of the Triple Crown are disappointed, but the horse is not a machine,” Golden Tempo’s trainer, Cherie DeVaux, told Fox News Digital earlier this week.
Paco Lopez, right, atop Napoleon Solo, edges out Iron Honor, ridden by Flavien Prat, to win the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
CHERIE DEVAUX REFLECTS ON MAKING KENTUCKY DERBY HISTORY AS FIRST FEMALE TRAINER TO WIN THE RACE
Only three horses from two weeks ago – Ocelli, Robusta, and Incredibolt, were back at the Preakness. Corona de Oro, the 11 horse on Saturday, was scratched well ahead of the Derby, and Great White, who reared up and fell on his back after becoming startled shortly before entering the Derby gate, took the 13 post on Saturday.
The Preakness went off roughly 24 hours after a horse died following the completion of his very first race.
Hit Zero, trained by Brittany Russell, came into the race as the favorite. However, he finished last in the race, which was won by another one of Russell’s horses, Bold Fact — and upon crossing the finish line, Hit Zero reportedly began coughing, dropped to his knees, then put his head down and died.
The Preakness took place at Laurel Park as Pimlico undergoes renovations. It was the first time ever that Pimlico did not host the race, moving roughly 20 miles south.
Paco Lopez, atop Napoleon Solo, wins the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
The Belmont Stakes, the final Triple Crown race, will take place on June 6. The race will return to Saratoga for a third year in a row as Belmont Park continues to be renovated.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS VOLLEYBALL
CITY SECTION FINALS
FRIDAY
At Birmingham
DIVISION I
#1 Taft d. #3 Cleveland, 25-23, 25-14, 25-21
DIVISION IV
#7 Maywood CES d. #4 Math & Science College Prep, 25-17, 25-17, 25-23
At Venice
DIVISION II
#4 Marquez d. #6 Narbonne, 23-25, 25-19, 29-27, 25-16
DIVISION III
#13 Birmingham d. #2 Legacy, 25-20, 17-25, 31-33, 25-21, 15-10
SATURDAY
At Birmingham
OPEN DIVISION
#3 Chatsworth d. #1 Granada Hills, 24-26, 25-21, 25-14, 25-18
DIVISION V
314 Franklin d. #13 Rancho Dominguez, 25-18, 25-19, 25-16
SOUTHERN SECTION FINALS
THURSDAY
At Home Sites
DIVISION 9
Vasquez d. Tarbut V’ Torah, 25-19, 22-25, 25-21, 19-25, 15-10
FRIDAY
At Cerritos College
DIVISION 1
#1 Mira Costa d. #3 Loyola, 25-21, 25-22, 25-22
DIVISION 4
Sunny Hills d. Royal, 24-26, 25-22, 27-25, 25-23
At Home Sites
DIVISION 5
Bishop Diego d. St. Anthony, 25-19, 25-19, 23-25, 25-23
DIVISION 8
Temescal Canyon d. West Valley, 24-26, 25-16, 25-19, 25-23
SATURDAY
At Cerritos College
DIVISION 2
Orange Lutheran d. Edison, 3-1
DIVISION 3
Windward d. St, John Bosco, 24-26, 25–21, 25-22, 25-20
DIVISION 6
Culver City d. Garden Grove, 27-25, 25-20, 19-25, 21-25, 15-9
Sports
It’s Game 7, and we have a bet locked in as the Cavaliers and legacies are on the line against the Pistons
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The NBA takes a lot of flak for having meaningless games, and I can definitely understand it, watching on a random Wednesday in January. However, the playoffs have delivered over and over to viewers and rewarded us for putting up with garbage regular-season games.
This will be the fourth Game 7 of the playoffs. Three series have been sweeps, and the other three have been six games. That shows competitive hoops. Now, how do we bet this Game 7 in the Eastern Conference?
The Cleveland Cavaliers blew it. After not winning a road game all postseason, they took Game 5 in surprising fashion. It looked like they were going to win in six games. After all, they hadn’t lost a game at home in the postseason.
Instead, Detroit came out and blitzed the Cavs, never giving them a chance to get their footing. They lost in an ugly fashion and now have to figure out a way to win a game on the road.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden drives to the basket against the Detroit Pistons during the second half of Game 5 in the second-round NBA playoffs in Detroit on May 13, 2026. (Duane Burleson/AP)
It isn’t just the Cavs’ fate that rests in this game. It is also the legacy of James Harden and, to a lesser extent, Donovan Mitchell.
We know that Mitchell is a very good player, but he isn’t regarded as one of the best players ever. Harden is. Unfortunately, Harden has struggled in Game 7s. He’s averaged 19.1 points, 7.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds. That’s not terrible, but looking at his shooting percentages, he is at 35.3% and 22.2% in those games. He actually is 4-4 overall in the games, but in his past three, he has scored a combined 34 points over 113 minutes.
The Detroit Pistons seem to like playing with their backs against the wall. They are a gritty team, so I suppose it makes sense.
Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren reacts after allowing a pass to go out of bounds in the second half of Game 4 of the second-round NBA playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland on May 11, 2026. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)
Cade Cunningham continues to deliver for the team, and he finally got some help in Game 6 from Jalen Duren. This was never going to be an easy series for Duren, but it feels like he is taking more time to mature than others. He definitely improved this year, but the consistency they need from him just isn’t there yet.
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Now as the team goes home they will need Duren to be a beast on the glass. If he can keep the Pistons in the rebounding battle, they should win this game with ease. They won Game 6 by just three rebounds, but that takes away a big dimension of what Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley do for the Cavs. It isn’t everything, though, as the Pistons won the rebounding battle in both losses in Cleveland.
I don’t see this being a runaway game for the Pistons. Mitchell and Cunningham likely will cancel each other out with scoring. Harden needs to establish himself as the third-best player on the floor. I haven’t seen him do that in the postseason, yet.
Cleveland Cavaliers All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden talk during Game 2 in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs vs. the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Ohio. (David Dermer/Imagn Images)
This is the second Game 7 of the playoffs for both of the clubs, so it isn’t like either will be caught off guard about what this entails.
If I look at it objectively, I think the Cavs have the better players. However, the Pistons have looked significantly better this season, and definitely in the playoffs overall. Both are prone to issues and slipping. The Cavs shouldn’t be as they are a veteran team.
This game has to be won by Cleveland, though. There is too much riding on the franchise and legacies of guys for them to not prepare properly for it. Maybe that’s weak analysis, but I’m taking the Cavs with the points and I do think they win outright. I expect a monster game from Mitchell, and Harden should get 10+ assists.
Either way, whoever wins will lose to the New York Knicks.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
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