THE SPANISH city of Pamplona is famous for its Running of the Bulls festival.

Every summer, daredevil locals volunteer to lead the bulls – often 10 or more – down narrow streets at high speed in an event that attracts hundreds of tourists from around the world.

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AFP

Arsenal ace Merino is a fan of the notorious Pamplona bull run[/caption]

A regular face in the crowds is Arsenal’s Mikel Merino, 28 – a local Pamplona lad from the province of Navarre and an admirer of the power and unpredictability on show.

There was a time during his upbringing at the famed Osasuna academy where Merino was viewed in a similar light: a midfield talent with an impressive physique – now standing at 6 foot 2 inches – but one who lacked control.

Former Osasuna coach Jose Manuel Mateo told SunSport: “There was a period in which he was physically a very powerful player but was still not developed enough to move his body.

“It was a bit difficult for him. He was very strong, really advanced for his age, something special that was above the others, but missing something muscularly.

“But by the end of his time with us, he was technically and physically a complete player. People could see he would reach the top immediately.

“A great left foot, he had potential aerially, covered a lot of the pitch, stepped into both attacking and defensive areas with great ease and a lot of potential to score goals.”

Merino arrived at the Osasuna academy at the age of 16 in the summer of 2012, already a minor celebrity thanks to his father Angel Miguel – a club legend of nearly 200 appearances turned youth coach.

His towering stature for one so young however came from his mother Maite – a professional basketball player in her prime – while his brothers were also ready-born athletes.

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Osasuna’s most successful products include ex-Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta and former Gunners full-back Nacho Monreal, yet would often have their great youth talents snatched by neighbouring rivals Athletic Bilbao, such as Javi Martinez – a nine-time Bundesliga champion and two-time Champions League winner with Bayern Munich.

But there was never a chance of Merino deserting, such was his love for family-club Osasuna, a decision that turned out to be pivotal in the long run.

In a tumultuous 2014/15 campaign that saw Osasuna narrowly avoid relegation from the Spanish second tier, Mateo was made interim coach in February 2015 and immediately promoted an 18-year-old Merino to the first team.

Mateo explained: “What Osasuna gives young players is a charm, with demanding conditions that give them the necessary attributes to succeed.

“The fact that players from here go on to play at big clubs, you can see they have been motivated by being in the lower leagues, showing their potential.

“[Merino] Is proud to have become the type of player he is with us. It was special to see him arrive in the first team, like when you go to the salt and see the players from the quarry.

“His debut came about in a very compromised situation, and from there he rose. It was an indisputable pillar of his famous rise to where we see him now.

“To be thrown in and to do what he did, there was no doubt that he was no longer just a footballer, but one who was going to end up where he is now at Arsenal.”

Becoming an ‘influential player’

Merino played a starring role the following season, driving Osasuna to La Liga promotion via the play-offs with four goals in 34 league appearances.

Mateo added: “Ever since, in every club he has been at, he has been an influential player.”

From the outside, this perhaps did not look to be the case during underwhelming spells with Borussia Dortmund in 2016/17 and Newcastle in 2017/18.

But Merino soon found a home at Real Sociedad before being highlighted by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta this summer as a vital cog in the club’s Premier League title charge.

No doubt Spaniard Arteta was impressed enough by compatriot Merino’s influence on Spain’s Euros triumph in July – including a quarter-final extra-time headed winner to knock out Germany – to bring him to the Emirates for £32million.

Merino is in contention to make his Prem debut on Saturday against Southampton after finally making his first appearance in the mid-week Champions League 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain following a freak shoulder injury in his first training session back in August.

But there are those at Osasuna who are already counting down the days until Merino ends his career back in Pamplona in a fairy tale return.

Mateo said: “Having had a father who has been a player and then to see the son, for those of us who are ‘Osasunistas’ it fills us with pride. That root continues to be maintained.

“When a player touches the roof of football, at world or European level, to have them return would bring that pride back. It would be beautiful.”

WRESTLING legend Kendo Nagasaki was the ring ­villain fans loved to hate.

The hulking silent samurai unnerved opponents from behind his sinister striped mask, with chilling tales of losing half an index ­finger during a brutal martial arts ceremony.

Paul Tonge

Wrestling legend Kendo Nagasaki was the ring ­villain fans loved to hate in the 1970s – and now he’s returning to battle at the age of 83.[/caption]

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Paul Tonge

The man behind Kendo’s mask is Peter Thornley, who turns 83 later this month[/caption]

And the 6ft 2in monster triggered such anger that Nagasaki was once stabbed in the back with a fountain pen by a spectator, while another packed a house brick in her handbag before walloping him over the head with it.

Now, Nagasaki — real name Peter Thornley, who turns 83 later this month — is planning a return to the ring.

He hopes to break two ­Guinness World Records — for the oldest ­professional wrestler and longest wrestling career.

The occasion will also mark the 60th anniversary of his first ­appearance in British professional wrestling.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun from his sprawling, 50-room ­mansion in Stoke-on-Trent, Peter says he has never felt better.

“I’m as fit as a butcher’s dog. I still train every day, eat well and look after myself,” he said.

“I’m not worried. Nobody can hurt me. I’m a dinosaur with teeth.”

Peter cuts an imposing figure, even in his eighties.

He’s tall with big, broad shoulders and a full head of thick, black hair.

When he offers to show me some ­wrestling holds, I politely decline.

I feared he might launch into his special move, the “kamikaze crash”, which saw him give rivals a fireman’s lift, before running and using the momentum to smash and roll the opponent to the ground.

Terrified audiences

Born Brian Stevens in 1941, Peter was adopted soon after his birth by the Thornley family, who gave him his new name.

As a teenager he excelled in sport, becoming a junior boxing champ who also took up judo, ­studying under prominent sensei Kenshiro Abbe.

He grew up in Crewe, Cheshire, and after leaving school became an apprentice coach maker but got into wrestling in 1964 after a ­gruesome injury meant he missed the chance to compete in judo at that year’s Olympic Games.

He had lost the end of his left index finger after contracting septicemia when someone bit him during a street fight.

It was a transformative moment in Peter’s life.

Not long after, Kendo Nagasaki was born and his missing digit only added to his mysterious back story.

So when Kendo walked into a wrestling ring, people said, ‘Wow, what’s that?’

Peter says the idea for the mask came from his mentor, masked ­wrestler Count Bartelli, aka Geoff Condliffe.

He recalls: “I wanted to arrive in a sensational way. I thought, ‘I want to be something different’.

“I didn’t just want to be a masked man, it had to be more.

“I’d learned how to do judo and kendo to quite a high level, so it made sense.

“I’d got the outfit, the samurai sword and all the things. I thought, I can put all that together.

“So when Kendo walked into a wrestling ring, people said, ‘Wow, what’s that?’.

“The show starts when I get in the ring. It starts the moment they see me. Sensational.”

Nagasaki became an overnight hit, a nasty villain who terrified ­audiences on ITV’s World Of Sport.

Along with the image, Peter carved a daunting backstory of a samurai warrior who wields mystical healing powers and hypnosis skills.

The fearsome wrestler used his size and strength, coupled with a black belt in judo, to batter opponents into submission.

And during an incredible 60-year career he fought other wrestling greats such as Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks and Andre the Giant, beating them all.

 The audience became entranced by Nagasaki’s samurai history, with many guessing why he wore the mask.

“Rumours sort of built up that I’d been burnt in a fire or had a serious road accident,” recalls Peter. “People said I had one ear or was badly scarred.

“Some even thought I was royalty or some celebrity who wanted to lead a double life. Of course, we didn’t deny any of it!”

Peter’s big break came in a mass wrestling match with Count Bartelli in 1966.

He said: “Up to then, I’d been sort of scratching around at the bottom, wrestling non-entities.

“Suddenly, I’m sprung into the limelight and I beat this masked man who’s been masked for 20 years. Ba-boom! I’ve arrived.”

Peter also recalls how he was the first wrestler to ever beat legend Andre the Giant.

“I beat him three times and that was before Hulk Hogan beat him in America,” he said. “He was a bit green. He came here to learn the business.

“And he was a genuine monster, you know, 6ft 11 or bigger.”

Life as a wrestling villain had its pitfalls, however. Peter was attacked by fans several times and once even had to run for his life.

“Back in those days the punters believed wrestling was real. It’s not like today where everyone knows it’s a show,” he says.

 “When you kicked someone, you kicked them. And so that annoyed the fans. And I remember during a match in Glasgow the crowd got really wound up and rioted.

“I found myself surrounded. I had to do a runner for my life. If I’d gone down, fallen, they’d have trampled me to death.”

Peter was also stabbed with a ­fountain pen while coming out of Liverpool Stadium in the early ­Seventies. “The tip broke off in my back,” he recalls. “I had to go to hospital to have it removed.

“Another time a lady with a brick in her handbag smacked me in the side of the face.

“On another occasion a guy on crutches cracked me in the side of the face and put five or six stitches in my cheek.”

Peter added: “I quickly realised that even old ladies with handbags can be dangerous.”

But not all his encounters with wrestling fans were bad.

 One mother was so convinced of Nagasaki’s mystical healing powers she asked his manager if the ­wrestler would heal her 12-year-old son’s stomach cramps through the “laying on of hands” after a match.

 He duly obliged.

After a long and storied career, Peter’s most famous moment came at Wolverhampton Civic Hall in 1977.

The villain finally had his mask removed at a special ­ceremony watched on TV by 14million ­people.

Fire-red eyes

“I had come to an apex in my career,” he recalls. “I’d had quite a bad injury. I’d been kicked in the head and fractured my skull and got meningitis.

“I was having dizzy spells, so I decided I was going to go out on a big high and unmask for my fans.”

When Peter’s then-manager, “Gorgeous” George Gillette, removed his mask during a bizarre ritualistic ceremony, it revealed a westerner with fire-red eyes, with an occult star tattoo on the top of his shaved head, and a jet-black ponytail ­protruding from the back.

He said: “The real me terrified children even more than the mask.”

Peter wrestled on and off throughout the Eighties and early Nineties, with sporadic ­wrestling matches as recently as 2008.

But he revealed the years after the height of his wrestling fame were tough.

The star became involved in the drugs scene and hung out with gangsters.

 He also opened a car dealership and ran a music studio.

At one point, Peter’s home in London was raided by drugs cops and the flamboyant showman was the subject of a sensational headline in 2017 accusing him of supplying cocaine to Princess ­Margaret in the Eighties — claims he strongly denies.

These days, Peter is a businessman and property owner living at Moor Court Hall, a grand, 17-acre country estate in Stoke-on-Trent.

The £1.5million mansion has immaculate zen Buddhism-themed grounds and is maintained by a staff of six.

 Peter used the estate to run a care business, offering programmes for children with learning disabilities.

The real me terrified children even more than the mask.

The devout Buddhist also ran zen retreats at the property.

Now he spends his time maintaining a large vegetable patch and greenhouse and tinkering with his impressive collection of classic cars, including an Aston Martin Virage and a Jaguar XK150.

The colourful wrestler, who was married to wife Yvette until she died in 1990, revealed he was ­bisexual in his 2018 autobiography, Kendo Nagasaki And The Man Behind the Mask.

Pacemaker

The hulking silent samurai unnerved opponents from behind his sinister striped mask, with chilling tales of losing half an index ­finger during a brutal martial arts ceremony[/caption]

 He said he knew about his ­sexuality as early as 17 and revealed he has been with a male partner since his wife died aged 80.

Peter now wants to relocate from his huge estate, where he has lived for the past 35 years, to Blackpool, where he owns the exclusive ­men-only Trades Hotel.

He has put his house up for sale and now plans to teach zen ­Buddhism to the LGBTQ+ community in the Lancs seaside town.

Peter is also back in training for his record-breaking big return match on November 24 at Fairfield Halls in Croydon.

He will join ­Belfast wrestling brothers “Dead Gorgeous” Jordan, 22, and Ben ­Nelson, 18, for a tag team bout against the best of LDN Wrestling.

Pumping iron in his home gym, he said: “I’ve kept the training up over the years. Of course, some people are special. It’s genetics.

“There’s not many 82-year-olds taking on a fight like me, so I am special.”

Pacemaker

A WIMBLEDON chef who served up gourmet meals to celebrity tennis fans was caught stealing merchandise from the Championships.

Scott Judson, 36, was arrested after bosses put up hidden cameras to find out why stock was missing.

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He had spent the tournament cooking for high-end clients at one of the most exclusive Centre Court restaurants, providing fine dining to wealthy tennis fans.

Pictures posted on Judson’s Instagram from his three years working at SW19 show him with Stormzy, Gregg Wallace and chef Michel Roux Jr.

Cops also found cocaine on Mr Judson when he was arrested on July 14 — the day Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic to win the men’s singles final.

All £849-worth of stolen merchandise was recovered and handed back to the All England Club.

Judson, of Rainworth, Notts, appeared at Westminster magistrates’ court yesterday and pleaded guilty to theft and possession of a Class A drug.

Prosecutor Malachy Pakenham said: “The defendant was employed by Wimbledon, the All England Lawn Tennis Club, as a chef when the tournament was taking place in July.

“Staff became suspicious that stock was disappearing from the stock room in the basement and spoke to security.”

Two covert cameras were placed in the room and footage taken on July 12 showed Judson rifling through boxes of gear.

Items had been marked so bosses could identify them later as stolen from that room.

The chef was found to have stolen a “whole array” of branded merchandise including two towels, purple hoodies, caps, shopping bags, Range Rover cooler bags, polo shirts and water bottles.

He is believed to have been one of a number of employees who stole from the stockroom.

Mr Pakenham added: “He said he was sorry. He said the Class A drugs were for his own personal use to get him through long shifts.”

Judson’s lawyer said: “He had been working very long and stressful hours in a kitchen.

“There was a belief, or an environment, where other kitchen staff and other employees at the venue were going into that room and going into those boxes.”

Judd was given a 12-month community order, with 40 hours of unpaid work, and a fine and fees totalling £399.

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UP your jacket potato game with the help of Spud Man’s Spudtacular Baked Potato Cookbook.

The brainchild of TikTok sensation Ben Newman, known as Spud Man, this recipe book promises to transform the baked potato into a culinary classic with minimal effort and cost.

Georgie Glass / HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

Here’s how you can up your jacket potato game with the help of Spud Man’s Spudtacular Baked Potato Cookbook[/caption]

Ben, 39, runs his own jacket potato business from Tamworth, Staffs, with wife, Sarah – naturally, he calls her Spud Wife – and their nine kids.

Today Ben, who has 3.7million followers on TikTok, shares some of the secrets of his recipes with Kirsty Spence, for you and the family to try at home.

THE STEAK SPUD

THIS beats steak and chips hands down! And it’s much less fiddly and a bit healthier.

You can cook the steaks to your own preference, from rare to well done. Anything goes.

Add some chopped herbs, such as chives, parsley or tarragon, or sprinkle with some rocket or watercress. Grilled tomatoes are nice with this, too.

Serves 2

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

YOU NEED:

For the fried onions and mushrooms filling:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Knob of butter
• 2 large onions, sliced into thin rounds
• 200g button or chestnut
• Mushrooms, sliced
• 2 baked potatoes
• 2 x 150g lean rump or sirloin steaks
• Olive oil, for brushing
• 2 large knobs of butter
• Mustard, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce or bearnaise sauce
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD: First make the fried onions and mushrooms. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan set over a medium heat and add the onions.

Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until they are soft and golden brown.

Remove from the pan and keep warm. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook, turning occasionally, for five minutes or until tender and golden brown. Remove and keep warm.

Meanwhile, lightly brush the steaks with oil and season with plenty of salt and pepper.

 Set a heavy frying pan or ridged griddle pan over a high heat and when it’s smoking hot, add the steaks. Sear for two to three minutes each side for rare to medium-rare – longer if you like them well done.

 Remove from the pan and leave to rest on a chopping board.

Cut a big cross in the top of each spud and press gently on the sides to open it up.

 Add a big knob of butter and season with plenty of salt and pepper. Pile the fried onions and mushrooms on top.

Cut the warm steaks into thin slices and arrange on top of the onions and mushrooms. Serve immediately with lashings of mustard, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce or bearnaise sauce, or treat yourself to a combo of all four!

THE COTTAGE PIE BAKED POTATO

THIS is a sensational two-in-one recipe – and these spuds taste as good as they look.

You can make the minced beef filling in advance and keep it in a sealed container in the fridge until you are ready to go.

Serves 2

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

YOU NEED:

• 2 baked potatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 200g minced beef
• 200ml hot beef stock
• Handful of frozen peas
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup (or tomato paste)
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 15g butter
• ½ tsp wholegrain or Dijon mustard
• 60g grated cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD: Make the cottage pie filling. Heat the oil in a saucepan set over a medium heat.

Cook the onion, celery and carrot, stirring occasionally, for five minutes, or until softened. Stir in the mince and cook for five minutes until browned all over.

Stir in the stock, frozen peas, ketchup (or tomato paste) and Worcestershire sauce, then season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes, or until the sauce reduces.

In a small bowl, mix the cornflour with a little water to a smooth paste. Stir into the minced beef mixture and cook gently for one to two minutes until thickened.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C (fan 180C).

 Cut the cooked spuds in half and scoop out the flesh, leaving a 5mm (¼ in) thick shell. Transfer the flesh to a bowl and mash with the butter.

Beat in the mustard and grated cheese, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide the minced beef mixture between the potato shells and cover with the mashed potato, roughing it up with a fork. Place on a baking tray.

 Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes until the potato is crispy and golden brown.

TUNA MELT SPUDS

MY take on tuna melt toasties. Swap the bread for spuds and you’ll never look back.

 This will soon be a firm family favourite and you can knock it up for your tea with a little (all right, a lot of) cheese and some store cupboard staples.

 Serve this with a crisp green salad – cos or little gem lettuce, cucumber, avocado and chopped parsley.

Serves 2

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

YOU NEED:

• Two jacket potatoes
• 15g butter
• 60g grated cheese
•  145g tin of tuna in spring water, drained and flaked
• A few sprigs of parsley, chopped
• 4 tbsp tinned sweetcorn, drained
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 200C (fan 180C). Cut the cooked spuds in half and scoop out the flesh, leaving a 5mm (¼in) thick shell.

 Transfer the flesh to a bowl and mash with the butter. Season with salt and pepper and beat in most of the cheese, reserving a spoonful for the top, then stir in the tuna, parsley and sweetcorn. Spoon the mixture into the potato shells and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle with the reserved grated Cheddar.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes until the shells are golden brown and the cheese has melted.

 Serve piping hot and with the onion sprinkled on top.

THE THAI CURRY IN A HURRY

DOES what it says on the tin, this, for when you’re craving something spicy.

 I’ve used frozen prawns but you can substitute cooked chicken or extra vegetables, whatever rocks your boat.

Serves 2

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

YOU NEED:

• 2 baked potatoes
• 1 tbsp groundnut or olive oil
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 200g (7oz) mushrooms, quartered
• 1-2 tbsp green curry paste
• 200ml tinned coconut milk
• 1 tsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
• grated zest and juice of ½ lime
• Large handful of basil or coriander, chopped
• 200g frozen raw King prawns, defrosted
• 1 red bird’s eye chilli, chopped

METHOD: First make the Thai green curry topping. Heat the oil in a saucepan set over a low to medium heat. Add the spring onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and golden brown.

Stir in the green curry paste and cook for 20-30 seconds, then add the coconut milk, fish sauce, lime zest and juice and half of the herbs.

 Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for eight to ten minutes. Add the prawns and cook for two minutes until they turn pink.

Cut a large cross in the top of each spud and gently squeeze the bottom to open the top.

Place each one in a shallow bowl and spoon the curry over the top.

Sprinkle with the chilli and remaining herbs and serve immediately.

THE LEBANESE CHICKEN SHAWARMA SPUD

THIS is for all the garlic fans out there. A kebab on a spud – that’s the stuff dreams are made of.

 Dead easy to make and absolutely mint. These spuds taste great served with a Lebanese salad, made with diced tomatoes, green pepper, cucumber, spring onions and parsley tossed in an olive oil and lemon dressing.

Serves 2

Prep: 10 minutes

Chill: 15 minutes

Cook: 10-13 minutes

YOU NEED:

• 2 baked potatoes
• 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 250g (9oz) chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1 small red pepper, seeds removed, thinly sliced
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 tbsp fat-free Greek yoghurt
• A few sprigs of parsley, chopped
• A good pinch of paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD: In a bowl, mix together the garlic, ground spices, one tablespoon olive oil and the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and add the chicken, turning it in the marinade. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

Heat the remaining oil in a griddle pan set over a medium to high heat and cook the red pepper and onion, turning occasionally, for four to five minutes, until tender and slightly charred. Remove from the pan and set aside.

 Add the chicken to the pan and cook, turning occasionally, for six to eight minutes, until cooked through and golden brown.

cut a large cross in the top of each spud and gently squeeze the bottom to open the top. Place each one in a bowl.

Gently mix the chicken and griddled vegetables with the yoghurt and spoon into and over the top of the potatoes.

Sprinkle with parsley, dust with paprika and enjoy.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Authorities in the north-central Mexican state of Guanajuato say that 12 people are dead following coordinated and near-simultaneous attacks in the city of Salamanca on Thursday. The victims were found at multiple points across the refinery city of over 200,000. The massacre is the latest episode in a wave of violence

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By Charlie Spiering, senior political reporter, Washington, DC Published: 3:43 PM EDT, October 4, 2024 | Updated: 3:44 PM EDT, October 4, 2024 President Joe Biden insisted that Vice President Kamala Harris remained a “key player” in his administration — even as he faces criticism over multiple crises facing his administration. The president surprised reporters […]

By Christine Rendon for Ny Breaking.com Published: 3:11 PM EDT, October 4, 2024 | Updated: 3:41 PM EDT, October 4, 2024 Jason Duggar and Maddie Grace are now married. The couple tied the knot just over a month after getting engaged People. The Counting On alumnus and Grace said “I do” during a “breathtaking” ceremony […]

Dragon fruit, also known as pitaya or pitahaya, is an exotic fruit that has gained significant popularity in recent years. Its vibrant color, unusual shape, and the striking appearance of ... Read Full Article

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