Riath Al-Samarrai
@riathalsamarrai.bsky.social
Chief Sports Feature Writer at Daily Mail. Weekly column in the Mail on Sunday
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EXCLUSIVE: Jimmy Anderson on why he's making an IPL comeback
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: Anderson has put himself forward for the Indian Premier League and the possibility of a last hurrah in a format he hasn't played for a decade.
mol.im
As a means of filling out a sparse timeline, here is an exclusive interview from last week with the great Jimmy Anderson:
🇮🇳 Why he's signed up to the IPL
🏏 How he felt about being retired by England
👀 His relationship with Kevin Pietersen
mol.im/a/14058765
🇮🇳 Why he's signed up to the IPL
🏏 How he felt about being retired by England
👀 His relationship with Kevin Pietersen
mol.im/a/14058765
“If you win you’re a genius, if you lose you’re a schmuck”
The secrets of winning away in the Ryder Cup by those who have done it…
🍷Wine and cigars
🛩️Concorde, cashmere, lost knighthoods
✍️Autographs and smiles
📻Dirty tricks
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/a...
The secrets of winning away in the Ryder Cup by those who have done it…
🍷Wine and cigars
🛩️Concorde, cashmere, lost knighthoods
✍️Autographs and smiles
📻Dirty tricks
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/a...
The secrets and dirty tricks behind winning away in the Ryder Cup
To measure how difficult it is to win away in the Ryder Cup, chat to Tony Jacklin. He is among the very few Europeans to do it, but can still work himself into a state of incredulity about a defeat fr...
www.dailymail.co.uk
September 21, 2025 at 8:07 AM
“If you win you’re a genius, if you lose you’re a schmuck”
The secrets of winning away in the Ryder Cup by those who have done it…
🍷Wine and cigars
🛩️Concorde, cashmere, lost knighthoods
✍️Autographs and smiles
📻Dirty tricks
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/a...
The secrets of winning away in the Ryder Cup by those who have done it…
🍷Wine and cigars
🛩️Concorde, cashmere, lost knighthoods
✍️Autographs and smiles
📻Dirty tricks
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/a...
This week’s column on Snoop Dogg, Swansea, cheap gimmicks and expensive carrots.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14920879
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14920879
What Snoop Dogg's weird, offbeat investment really means for Swansea
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: I enjoyed Snoop Dogg 's involvement with the Paris Olympics last summer. The old mutt was everywhere, peaking one afternoon when he rocked up at the equestrian.
mol.im
July 19, 2025 at 3:59 PM
This week’s column on Snoop Dogg, Swansea, cheap gimmicks and expensive carrots.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14920879
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14920879
This week’s column on Thomas Partey and the things that seem to be “really important”.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14877661
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14877661
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: Why did Arsenal keep picking Thomas Partey?
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: Arsenal put out a little note on their website on June 4. It was the usual for that time of year, which meant thanking 20 players who were being released.
mol.im
July 6, 2025 at 11:23 AM
This week’s column on Thomas Partey and the things that seem to be “really important”.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14877661
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14877661
This week’s column on Jannik Sinner and a doping case that stank in a variety of ways and still does as we approach Wimbledon.
As an aside, a dog once did eat my homework.
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mol.im/a/14856085
As an aside, a dog once did eat my homework.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14856085
Jannik Sinner's three-month tennis drugs ban felt all too convenient
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: Wimbledon commences on Monday and the top seed in the men's draw is Jannik Sinner, who blamed a failed drugs test on an extraordinary chain of events.
mol.im
June 29, 2025 at 8:57 AM
This week’s column on Jannik Sinner and a doping case that stank in a variety of ways and still does as we approach Wimbledon.
As an aside, a dog once did eat my homework.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14856085
As an aside, a dog once did eat my homework.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14856085
A long read on Jack Draper, “the kindest guy you’ll meet and also a savage”.
📧 The rage email that changed his life
🎾 “Why you showing me Melzer?”
⚽️ The Chelsea dilemma
🚑The injuries and the time bomb
📈A quicker jump than Federer/Murray/Sinner
⬇️
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis...
📧 The rage email that changed his life
🎾 “Why you showing me Melzer?”
⚽️ The Chelsea dilemma
🚑The injuries and the time bomb
📈A quicker jump than Federer/Murray/Sinner
⬇️
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis...
The making of the 'monster' Jack Draper
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: There's yarn about Jack Draper that tells us a little about his backhand and far more about his mind. It is also why the sharer of this tale uses 'savage' as a term of endearment.
www.dailymail.co.uk
June 28, 2025 at 8:43 AM
A long read on Jack Draper, “the kindest guy you’ll meet and also a savage”.
📧 The rage email that changed his life
🎾 “Why you showing me Melzer?”
⚽️ The Chelsea dilemma
🚑The injuries and the time bomb
📈A quicker jump than Federer/Murray/Sinner
⬇️
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis...
📧 The rage email that changed his life
🎾 “Why you showing me Melzer?”
⚽️ The Chelsea dilemma
🚑The injuries and the time bomb
📈A quicker jump than Federer/Murray/Sinner
⬇️
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis...
This week’s column on Katie Boulter, social media abuse and the futility of wanting it to change.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14835121
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14835121
Athletes face abuse until social media giants act: Riath Al-Samarrai
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: By now, we are well aware of the toxic messaging that regularly finds its way to an athlete's inbox - abusive, threatening, often from a faceless minority of low-lives.
mol.im
June 22, 2025 at 8:16 AM
This week’s column on Katie Boulter, social media abuse and the futility of wanting it to change.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14835121
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14835121
This week’s column on the Club World Cup, forklift drivers and failing to learn from LIV Golf. Infantino thought he was shooting fish in a barrel and appears to have to lost a toe instead.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14812163
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14812163
The Club World Cup is a grubby, contrived vanity project
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: There are some nice angles to FIFA's Club World Cup . Here's one: Auckland City. Here's another: their goalkeeper. That would be a guy named Conor Tracey.
mol.im
June 14, 2025 at 11:49 AM
This week’s column on the Club World Cup, forklift drivers and failing to learn from LIV Golf. Infantino thought he was shooting fish in a barrel and appears to have to lost a toe instead.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14812163
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14812163
Reposted by Riath Al-Samarrai
This week’s column on Son Heung-min and the beauty of going the hard way. Wednesday was told predominantly through the lens of Postecoglou’s second season but it was every bit as much about the 10 of Son. A brilliant vindication.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14742779
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14742779
Why Son is now a bigger Tottenham legend than Kane, Bale and Modric
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: We spoke one morning in 2019. That was in the August, in London, so two months after the evening in Madrid when everything went wrong against Liverpool.
mol.im
May 24, 2025 at 12:47 PM
This week’s column on Son Heung-min and the beauty of going the hard way. Wednesday was told predominantly through the lens of Postecoglou’s second season but it was every bit as much about the 10 of Son. A brilliant vindication.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14742779
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14742779
This week’s column on Son Heung-min and the beauty of going the hard way. Wednesday was told predominantly through the lens of Postecoglou’s second season but it was every bit as much about the 10 of Son. A brilliant vindication.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14742779
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14742779
Why Son is now a bigger Tottenham legend than Kane, Bale and Modric
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: We spoke one morning in 2019. That was in the August, in London, so two months after the evening in Madrid when everything went wrong against Liverpool.
mol.im
May 24, 2025 at 12:47 PM
This week’s column on Son Heung-min and the beauty of going the hard way. Wednesday was told predominantly through the lens of Postecoglou’s second season but it was every bit as much about the 10 of Son. A brilliant vindication.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14742779
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14742779
This week’s column on Ruben Amorim and honesty. Always the best policy? Or has he done a Ratner?
mol.im/a/14722213
mol.im/a/14722213
Why Ruben Amorim may have already said too much to potential signings
Honesty is a fine thing. For Ruben Amorim, it might be all he has. But is it the best policy? Does it help? Has he heard of Gerald Ratner?
mol.im
May 17, 2025 at 1:09 PM
This week’s column on Ruben Amorim and honesty. Always the best policy? Or has he done a Ratner?
mol.im/a/14722213
mol.im/a/14722213
This week’s column on 'Boss Baby' and sport's silent, unwinnable battle with age fraud.
One of the world’s lead investigators told me it’s as hard to prove as doping. It’s probably harder. Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14675701
One of the world’s lead investigators told me it’s as hard to prove as doping. It’s probably harder. Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14675701
India's 14-year-old 'Boss Baby' and sport's battle with age fraud
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: Little can match the thrill of seeing the next big thing but even less ranks above the sight of a 14-year-old smashing a century in the Indian Premier League.
mol.im
May 4, 2025 at 8:03 AM
This week’s column on 'Boss Baby' and sport's silent, unwinnable battle with age fraud.
One of the world’s lead investigators told me it’s as hard to prove as doping. It’s probably harder. Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14675701
One of the world’s lead investigators told me it’s as hard to prove as doping. It’s probably harder. Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14675701
This week’s column on Ange Postecoglou, a manager to be enjoyed but never copied. Sacking him even if Spurs win the Europa League would be sad but not wrong.
mol.im/a/14650305
mol.im/a/14650305
A trophy won't save Ange Postecoglou, but it would be the right call
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: We're a month shy of two years since senior elements of Tottenham Hotspur thought their next manager would be Arne Slot, who is now loving life at Liverpool.
mol.im
April 27, 2025 at 12:35 PM
This week’s column on Ange Postecoglou, a manager to be enjoyed but never copied. Sacking him even if Spurs win the Europa League would be sad but not wrong.
mol.im/a/14650305
mol.im/a/14650305
This week’s column on Trent Alexander-Arnold, the last man standing. He owes Liverpool nothing.
mol.im/a/14628347
mol.im/a/14628347
Trent Alexander-Arnold is taking a risk if he goes to Real Madrid
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: I've always viewed Real as all trophies and no soul, a club that can elevate a player to untold heights just as easily as it can chew them up for no good reason.
mol.im
April 20, 2025 at 7:26 AM
This week’s column on Trent Alexander-Arnold, the last man standing. He owes Liverpool nothing.
mol.im/a/14628347
mol.im/a/14628347
This week’s column on Augusta National and the one rule they got absolutely right. Featuring the Spanish amateur who peed in the holy water.
Read ⬇️
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Read ⬇️
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Augusta's most old fashioned rule is a stroke of genius
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: Let's start with the Spanish lad who did that thing in the wrong place at Augusta National on Thursday.
mol.im
April 13, 2025 at 12:34 PM
This week’s column on Augusta National and the one rule they got absolutely right. Featuring the Spanish amateur who peed in the holy water.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14603037
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14603037
You can bend a tree at Augusta but you’ll never fold a green jacket to your will. A piece on Bobby Jones’s timeless fantasyland, featuring boiler suits, squirrels and unanswered queries about the direction of grass…
mol.im/a/14575497
mol.im/a/14575497
Inside the ultra-secret world of Augusta, the Masters nirvana
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: Before getting into the weeds at Augusta National, there are yarns to share about grass. The mechanisms of control at this sporting nirvana go down to the roots.
mol.im
April 6, 2025 at 6:55 AM
You can bend a tree at Augusta but you’ll never fold a green jacket to your will. A piece on Bobby Jones’s timeless fantasyland, featuring boiler suits, squirrels and unanswered queries about the direction of grass…
mol.im/a/14575497
mol.im/a/14575497
“I regret everything that I have done wrongly in my past. I made mistakes.”
⛳️Exclusive interview with Angel Cabrera, 2009 Masters champion, on his return to Augusta after serving 30 months in prison for domestic violence.
Read ⬇️
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/a...
⛳️Exclusive interview with Angel Cabrera, 2009 Masters champion, on his return to Augusta after serving 30 months in prison for domestic violence.
Read ⬇️
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/a...
Meet Masters champion back at Augusta for the first time since JAIL
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: No subplots to The Masters are as provocative as the presence of an ex-champion making his first return after being in prison for domestic violence.
www.dailymail.co.uk
April 5, 2025 at 9:48 AM
“I regret everything that I have done wrongly in my past. I made mistakes.”
⛳️Exclusive interview with Angel Cabrera, 2009 Masters champion, on his return to Augusta after serving 30 months in prison for domestic violence.
Read ⬇️
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/a...
⛳️Exclusive interview with Angel Cabrera, 2009 Masters champion, on his return to Augusta after serving 30 months in prison for domestic violence.
Read ⬇️
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/a...
An interview with Viktor Hovland on quantum mechanics, evolution, UFOs and ontological truth. Obviously. And also some golf. Fascinating guy.
mol.im/a/14555471
mol.im/a/14555471
EXC: How UFOs and aliens are inspiring Hovland's bid for Masters glory
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: To understand the undulations of Viktor Hovland's golf, it is probably necessary to start with the boundaries of his curiosity.
mol.im
April 5, 2025 at 9:46 AM
An interview with Viktor Hovland on quantum mechanics, evolution, UFOs and ontological truth. Obviously. And also some golf. Fascinating guy.
mol.im/a/14555471
mol.im/a/14555471
“He is the outright favourite.”
⛳️ A piece on Rory McIlroy and the annual question of whether this is the year. With insights from Dr Bob Rotella, Butch Harmon and Paul McGinley.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14571111
⛳️ A piece on Rory McIlroy and the annual question of whether this is the year. With insights from Dr Bob Rotella, Butch Harmon and Paul McGinley.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14571111
How Rory McIlroy is attempting to lift his 'Masters curse'
For all the complications written across Rory McIlroy's scorecards at Augusta, the solutions sound so simple when they come from the man entrusted with his mind.
mol.im
April 5, 2025 at 9:45 AM
“He is the outright favourite.”
⛳️ A piece on Rory McIlroy and the annual question of whether this is the year. With insights from Dr Bob Rotella, Butch Harmon and Paul McGinley.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14571111
⛳️ A piece on Rory McIlroy and the annual question of whether this is the year. With insights from Dr Bob Rotella, Butch Harmon and Paul McGinley.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14571111
This week’s column on Manchester City, the butterfly effect, and the impossibility of finding a punishment to fit the crime if they’re guilty. Stripping of titles should be the minimum.
mol.im/a/14550811
mol.im/a/14550811
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: If Man City ARE guilty, titles must be stripped
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: Manchester City made an announcement on Friday morning. It wasn't the one we're all waiting on, but they do have a new energy drink partner in Vietnam.
mol.im
March 30, 2025 at 7:46 AM
This week’s column on Manchester City, the butterfly effect, and the impossibility of finding a punishment to fit the crime if they’re guilty. Stripping of titles should be the minimum.
mol.im/a/14550811
mol.im/a/14550811
This week’s column on Lucas Paqueta and the trial to establish if he was a good bet for a yellow card or a sure thing.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14527209
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14527209
Why we should not get our violins out for Lucas Paqueta yet
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: A few tales have reached me about how West Ham's Paqueta managed his existence in the early days of an important saga, once the asteroid came into view.
mol.im
March 23, 2025 at 9:01 AM
This week’s column on Lucas Paqueta and the trial to establish if he was a good bet for a yellow card or a sure thing.
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14527209
Read ⬇️
mol.im/a/14527209
‘Tiger was livid and carried on like an absolute pork chop. I gave him a dressing down.'
⛳️An interview with Steve Williams on Tiger Woods, inc swings, seals, scandal and why he can still win majors...
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/a...
⛳️An interview with Steve Williams on Tiger Woods, inc swings, seals, scandal and why he can still win majors...
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/a...
www.dailymail.co.uk
March 22, 2025 at 4:52 PM
‘Tiger was livid and carried on like an absolute pork chop. I gave him a dressing down.'
⛳️An interview with Steve Williams on Tiger Woods, inc swings, seals, scandal and why he can still win majors...
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/a...
⛳️An interview with Steve Williams on Tiger Woods, inc swings, seals, scandal and why he can still win majors...
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/a...
This week’s column on Diego Maradona and the chaos that follows him, even in death.
mol.im/a/14501785 via @MailSport
mol.im/a/14501785 via @MailSport
Was Diego Maradona 'MURDERED'? Inside the graphic trial
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: The tragedy of Diego Maradona was told in many details this week, but none were so arresting as those contained in a single photograph.
mol.im
March 15, 2025 at 12:35 PM
This week’s column on Diego Maradona and the chaos that follows him, even in death.
mol.im/a/14501785 via @MailSport
mol.im/a/14501785 via @MailSport
This week’s column on Emma Raducanu, fixations and the accumulation of scar tissue. She is overdue a good bounce and I’d hope she gets one before deciding this line of work isn’t worth the fuss.
mol.im/a/14423979
mol.im/a/14423979
How long can Emma Raducanu chase glory after 'stalker' hell?
If we are to fully understand the fear that compelled her to hide behind an umpire's chair in Dubai on Tuesday, then we should look back to an incident closer to her home. Far closer.
mol.im
February 22, 2025 at 12:26 PM
This week’s column on Emma Raducanu, fixations and the accumulation of scar tissue. She is overdue a good bounce and I’d hope she gets one before deciding this line of work isn’t worth the fuss.
mol.im/a/14423979
mol.im/a/14423979
This week’s column on Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Thursday marks a year since he bought into Man United. A hatchet man sold as a white knight.
mol.im/a/14400531
mol.im/a/14400531
Ratcliffe's first year at United: High-profile sackings and mistakes
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: A birthday is approaching at United and it will be accompanied by a few questions, one of which might be: does Ratcliffe have enough spare cash to spring for a cake?
mol.im
February 15, 2025 at 12:20 PM
This week’s column on Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Thursday marks a year since he bought into Man United. A hatchet man sold as a white knight.
mol.im/a/14400531
mol.im/a/14400531
A long read on one of the most fascinating projects in British football – Birmingham City
🍺 Hearts, minds and pints
📺 Plans for a documentary
🇺🇸 Is Tom Brady a PR gimmick or a driver of stateside fortunes?
💰 Major sponsor deals and more imminent
mol.im/a/14371923
🍺 Hearts, minds and pints
📺 Plans for a documentary
🇺🇸 Is Tom Brady a PR gimmick or a driver of stateside fortunes?
💰 Major sponsor deals and more imminent
mol.im/a/14371923
EXC: Inside £3BILLION Birmingham revolution and Tom Brady's big role
Hearts and minds don't come cheap in football. For Birmingham City's American ownership group, the bill is being paid one pint at a time.
mol.im
February 7, 2025 at 12:29 PM
A long read on one of the most fascinating projects in British football – Birmingham City
🍺 Hearts, minds and pints
📺 Plans for a documentary
🇺🇸 Is Tom Brady a PR gimmick or a driver of stateside fortunes?
💰 Major sponsor deals and more imminent
mol.im/a/14371923
🍺 Hearts, minds and pints
📺 Plans for a documentary
🇺🇸 Is Tom Brady a PR gimmick or a driver of stateside fortunes?
💰 Major sponsor deals and more imminent
mol.im/a/14371923