Lionel Messi scored twice in the second half, including with a stunning overhead kick, as Paris Saint-Germain began their defense of the Ligue 1 title with a 5-0 demolition of Clermont on Sunday (AEST).
Neymar was also in outstanding form for a PSG side who did not miss the injured Kylian Mbappe, with the Brazilian opening the scoring in Clermont before setting up Achraf Hakimi and Marquinhos for further goals before halftime.
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Messi then exchanged passes with Neymar before sidefooting in the visitors’ fourth goal with 10 minutes left.
Yet Messi saved the best for last, darting into the box four minutes from the end to control a Leandro Paredes pass on his chest with his back to goal, before converting with an acrobatic overhead kick.
That goal had the crowd at Clermont’s Stade Gabriel-Montpied singing the name of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who endured a difficult first season in Paris.
PSG’s victory in new coach Christophe Galtier’s first league game in charge was achieved despite Mbappe missing the trip due to an adductor injury.
Mbappe also missed last week’s 4-0 defeat of Nantes in the season-opening Champions Trophy due to suspension.
Messi had opened the scoring in that game, while Neymar netted a brace. The duo therefore already have six goals between them this season, with PSG looking in ominous form.
“There is no denying we have lots of talent but what I retain is the collective desire to win the ball back very early, to play with intensity, to never let up,” Galtier, who replaced the sacked Mauricio Pochettino, told broadcaster Canal Plus .
“The squad have been very receptive since I arrived. They like to work hard together, have fun together. But the season is long. This was just the first game.”
The Premier League has just kicked off for a season, but transfers are still coming thick and fast as managers look to finalize their squads after a short off-season.
With the Premier League starting on its earliest-ever date due to the impact of a World Cup scheduled mid-season, many managers still have plenty of work to do – with Leicester having not signed a single player yet.
The Foxes today announced legendary keeper Kasper Schmeichel had departed for France, but it was Chelsea’s signing of Brighton’s Marc Cucurella for a fullback record-equalling
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Gunners get the job done at Palace | 02:07
CHELSEA BEAT CITY! (TO A SIGNING, AT LEAST)
Chelsea have signed Spanish defender Marc Cucurella from Premier League rivals Brighton on a six-year contract, the London club announced Friday.
No fee was disclosed but British media reports have valued the deal at £60 million – the equal-highest fee for a fullback.
The 24-year-old should now be available for Chelsea’s Premier League opener away to Everton on Saturday.
“I’m really happy; it’s a big opportunity for me to join one of the best clubs in the world and I’m going to work hard to be happy here and help the team,” Cucurella told Chelsea’s website.
The Spain wing-back has now become Chelsea’s latest pre-season signing with Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling and Carney Chukwuemeka all having arrived at Stamford Bridge for a total spend of £172m.
Cucurella’s move has paved the way for young Chelsea centre-back Levi Colwill to head in the opposite direction, on loan, to Brighton.
Both Manchester City and Chelsea have been interested in Cucurella, although the Premier League champions are understood to have baulked at Brighton’s asking price.
But Chelsea, under new owner Todd Boehly’s consortium, remained interested.
“He’s young, hungry, mobile and a very intelligent player,” said Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel of Cucurella, with the German explaining the new recruit would take some of the pressure off Ben Chilwell during the England wing-back’s recovery from knee surgery.
“It helps in depth and in quality, and it helps with Ben, to escape the pressure of I have to deliver and we need you absolutely now,” Tuchel said.
“We have of course at the moment in this position Marcos Alonso, Kenedy and Emerson.
“And I think he (Cucurella) can play very well in the back three, so it’s a bit of a profile of Azpi (Azpilicueta) on the left side. He gives us many options.”
Boehly added: “Marc is an elite defender of proven Premier League quality and he further strengthens our squad going into the new season.
“We continue to work on and off the pitch, and we’re delighted Marc will be a part of the present and future at Chelsea.
Kloppo COOKS over World Cup | 01:15
ROONEY BAGS SIXTH SIGNING ALREADY
Belgian international striker Christian Benteke, who has spent the past 10 years in the Premier League, joined Wayne Rooney-coached DC United of Major League Soccer on Friday, the club announced.
United obtained the 31-year-old forward on a permanent transfer from Crystal Palace and signed him to a deal through the 2024 season with a club option for 2025.
“Christian is a top player who has played at the highest level for a long time,” former England and Manchester United star Rooney said.
“His experience and ability to score goals and help the team will be invaluable. It’s exciting for the team and myself to get him in and playing. He will make a huge difference.” United will need all the help it can get with a record of just six wins and three draws for 21 points, the second-worst in the 28-team North American league.
Benteke scored 86 goals in 280 Premier League appearances with Aston Villa, Liverpool, and Palace.
Benteke becomes the sixth player to join United since Rooney was named coach last month.
Pep confident Haaland will bag goals | 00:45
HAMMERS LAND STRIKER … AND THEY’RE NOT DONE
David Moyes has said West Ham will still be involved in the transfer market after signing Maxwel Cornet.
The Ivory Coast forward has joined the Hammers following Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League in a move worth a reported £17.5 million.
His arrival at the London Stadium ahead of the new season comes after Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes and Gianluca Scamacca joined the club, with goalkeeper Alphonse Areola signing a permanent deal following a loan spell.
However, defend Aguerd, who cost £30 million, is expected to be out for three months with a knee injury.
Having also lost the retired Mark Noble, and the released duo of Ryan Fredericks and Andriy Yarmolenko, from what was already a thin squad, West Ham manager Moyes is keen to sign more players.
“We’ve made good signings,” Moyes said Friday. “We’ve had one or two injuries as well, which we have to take into consideration, but we’re far from finished in that regard.
“We lost three outfield players and a goalkeeper this summer. We didn’t bring any players in during January so we need to fill these voids. We want to bring in quality players and we’re working to do that.”
Scamacca will help fill the void in West Ham’s ranks left by last year’s departure of striker Sebastien Haller.
But the £30 million signing from Sassuolo is short of match fitness and so not expected to feature in West Ham’s opener against champions Manchester City on Sunday.
Leicester City’s Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel (R) and Leicester City’s Italian former manager Claudio Ranieri (L) after their iconic triumph.Source: AFP
SCHMEICHEL DOES NICE DEAL
Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel said Friday he has “high ambitions” to replicate his success with Leicester City at new club Nice.
The 35-year-old was the mainstay of the most successful period in the English club’s history winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield in his 11-year spell.
“In football, if you have a feeling, you have to go with it,” said the former Leicester captain, who wants to turn the Riviera outfit back into the “top club” who won four Ligue 1 titles, the last in 1959.
“Leicester is a club that I love. The decision to leave family members is difficult,” Schmeichel told a press conference.
“But I am 35 years old. It was time to challenge myself, with the desire to continue to grow as a player and person — a new language, a new experience for my family.
“But the main reason was the fact that Ineos (owners) have very high ambitions for Nice. They want to make it a top club. I see similarities there with when I joined Leicester.” The son of former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel joined Leicester from Leeds in 2011 and soon became a fans’ favorite with his 479 appearances the third most in the club’s history.
Nice finished fifth in Ligue 1 last season and open their new campaign at Toulouse on Sunday.
I should be so lychee… Kylie Minogue, 54, stuns in a dusty pink tulle dress as she promotes her new VEGAN Darling fragrance
Australian singer, 54, has relaunched perfume range with a new vegan formula
It has top notes of passion fruit, freesia and lychee and is described as floral
Comes after the star’s range of sparkling rose made £7.7million in sales in a year
By Imogen Horton For The Daily Mail
Published: | Updated:
Her range of sparkling rose made £7.7million in sales in a year.
So Kylie Minogue will be hoping her latest bottle proves just as popular – and has an even better nose.
The Australian singer, 54, has relaunched her perfume range with a new vegan formula.
Posing in a dusty pink tulle dress with her hair styled in loose waves, the former Neighbors star looks ethereal as she promotes her Darling fragrance, which she is now selling in the US following a relaunch in the UK, Spain, France and Australia earlier this year.
The scent, which was first launched in 2006, now has a vegan-friendly formula which is said to be longer lasting.
Kylie Minogue, 54, has relaunched her perfume range with a new vegan formula
Posing in a dusty pink tulle dress with her hair styled in loose waves, the former Neighbors star looks ethereal as she promotes her Darling fragrance
Minogue’s Darling perfume has top notes of passion fruit, freesia and lychee and is described – as the bunch of flowers she’s holding suggests – as a floral fragrance
It has top notes of passion fruit, freesia and lychee and is described – as the bunch of flowers she’s holding suggests – as a floral fragrance.
Last week Miss Minogue reunited with former co-star Jason Donovan for the final episode of Neighbours.
Fans were disappointed the pair were given such little dialogue – which a source said was due to their busy schedules.
And with the many projects Miss Minogue has on the go, it is clear to see why.
It’s meant to astonish those who are lucky enough to witness it, yet what’s going on in this picture is creeping some people out.
Bikini-clad women lie sprawled on beach towels as they sun themselves, while men dressed in shorts relax and children build sandcastles.
But there’s a twist; these people are not at the beach. Instead, they’re inside a building, and there are fully dressed spectators watching from above and scrutinizing their every move.
The picture has some social media users puzzled, with comments that it looks like a scene from a bizarre prison movie.
“You’ve got people packed in, and some people watching them like they’re at the beach but they’re not at the beach, they’re in a building with sand in it,” one social media commenter said.
“Without a doubt this has to be the strangest footage I’ve seen in my whole life … It’s pretty crazy, pretty wild, pretty out there.”
Another commented it could be like a “prison for the super rich”, while a third said it looks like a “prison floor”.
It turns out that it’s actually the artwork/opera Sun&Seawhich has traveled to different art galleries around the world, each time looking a little different.
The “beachgoers” are opera singers, and they sing as nature around them crumbles.
Many who have seen the display have raved about it, calling it “extraordinary”.
“There is less a feeling of doom than an elegy of beautiful sadness,” one audience member wrote.
In 2019, the opera won the coveted Golden Lion at the 2019 Venice Biennale, while representing Lithuania.
At the time, Guardian reported that visitors looked down at the display from a minstrel’s gallery inside an old naval warehouse in the Venice Arsenale.
More recently, the piece was featured at Iceland’s Reykjavik Art Museum in June this year for the city’s arts festival, featuring black sand from the volcanic country’s coastline.
Sun&Sea project curator Lucia Pietroiusti has an intriguing description of the display. “Imagine a beach. The burning sun, sunscreen and bright bathing suits and sweaty palms and legs,” she said.
“Tired limbs sprawled lazily across a mosaic of towels. Imagine the occasional squeal of children, laughter, the sound of an ice cream van in the distance.
“The musical rhythm of waves on the surf, a soothing sound. The crinkling of plastic bags whirling in the air, their silent floating, jellyfish-like, below the waterline. The rumble of a volcano, or of an airplane, or a speedboat.
“Then a chorus of songs – everyday songs, songs of worry and of boredom, songs of almost nothing. And below them, the slow creaking of an exhausted Earth, a gasp.”
The performance loops continuously, for four hours each day and the audience can come and go as they please.
Upcoming tour locations include Helsinki, Barcelona and Lisbon.
It’s meant to astonish those who are lucky enough to witness it, yet what’s going on in this picture is creeping some people out.
Bikini-clad women lie sprawled on beach towels as they sun themselves, while men dressed in shorts relax and children build sandcastles.
But there’s a twist; these people are not at the beach. Instead, they’re inside a building, and there are fully dressed spectators watching from above and scrutinizing their every move.
The picture has some social media users puzzled, with comments that it looks like a scene from a bizarre prison movie.
“You’ve got people packed in, and some people watching them like they’re at the beach but they’re not at the beach, they’re in a building with sand in it,” one social media commenter said.
“Without a doubt this has to be the strangest footage I’ve seen in my whole life … It’s pretty crazy, pretty wild, pretty out there.”
Another commented it could be like a “prison for the super rich”, while a third said it looks like a “prison floor”.
It turns out that it’s actually the artwork/opera Sun&Seawhich has traveled to different art galleries around the world, each time looking a little different.
The “beachgoers” are opera singers, and they sing as nature around them crumbles.
Many who have seen the display have raved about it, calling it “extraordinary”.
“There is less a feeling of doom than an elegy of beautiful sadness,” one audience member wrote.
In 2019, the opera won the coveted Golden Lion at the 2019 Venice Biennale, while representing Lithuania.
At the time, Guardian reported that visitors looked down at the display from a minstrel’s gallery inside an old naval warehouse in the Venice Arsenale.
More recently, the piece was featured at Iceland’s Reykjavik Art Museum in June this year for the city’s arts festival, featuring black sand from the volcanic country’s coastline.
Sun&Sea project curator Lucia Pietroiusti has an intriguing description of the display. “Imagine a beach. The burning sun, sunscreen and bright bathing suits and sweaty palms and legs,” she said.
“Tired limbs sprawled lazily across a mosaic of towels. Imagine the occasional squeal of children, laughter, the sound of an ice cream van in the distance.
“The musical rhythm of waves on the surf, a soothing sound. The crinkling of plastic bags whirling in the air, their silent floating, jellyfish-like, below the waterline. The rumble of a volcano, or of an airplane, or a speedboat.
“Then a chorus of songs – everyday songs, songs of worry and of boredom, songs of almost nothing. And below them, the slow creaking of an exhausted Earth, a gasp.”
The performance loops continuously, for four hours each day and the audience can come and go as they please.
Upcoming tour locations include Helsinki, Barcelona and Lisbon.
Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, whose refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19 makes him unable to enter Canada, has officially withdrawn from the ATP hardcourt tournament in Montreal, organizers said on Thursday.
The Serbian star’s unvaccinated status made it unlikely he would play in the prestigious ATP Masters tournament, just as it means he will probably miss the US Open starting later in August as the United States also requires visitors to the country to show proof of vaccination.
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Earlier this month, Montreal Masters tournament director Eugene Lepierre said he did not expect Djokovic to play.
“Either the Canadian government is going to change the rules regarding vaccination or he is going to roll up his sleeves and get the vaccine. But I don’t think any of those scenarios are realistic,” Lepierre said.
Germany’s Oscar Otte has also withdrawn from the tournament which starts on Monday with Benjamin Bonzi of France and Australia’s Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios moving into the main draw, Tennis Canada said.
In addition, three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray was handed a wildcard on Thursday, along with Belgian David Goffin and Canadians Vasek Pospisil and Alexis Galarneau.
Britain’s Murray, a former world number one who won the Canadian title in 2009, 2010 and 2015, has been rising in the rankings this season from 134th to 50th.
He reached finals in Sydney in January and Stuttgart in June, but fell in the first round in Washington earlier this week to Sweden’s Mikael Ymer.
Despite that disappointment, Murray said on Monday he believes he can get his ranking high enough to earn a seeding at the US Open, which he won a decade ago.
“It’s still possible,” he said. “I would just need to have a good run in Canada or Cincinnati really. It’s pretty straightforward if I was to make a quarter-final or a semi-final, which right now – after a loss like that – doesn’t seem realistic.
“I do feel like if I play very well that I could do that. But I’ll certainly need to play better than I did today.”
Meanwhile, Kyrgios has continued his preparation for the last grand slam of the year with a strong win over Tommy Paul at the Washington Open on Thursday (AEST).
The Australian was challenged in just his second singles match since Wimbledon and had to play his best tennis to defeat Paul 6-3 6-4.
Kyrgios was locked in, firing off 15 aces including one rocket at 218km/h.
He was superb in the clutch moments — saving all four break points he faced and converting three out of four of his own break point opportunities.
Kyrgios was up to his usual antics when he got stuck into the umpire after he was given a code violation for ball abuse.
But the Washington crowd was in his corner and he showed his soft side in the first set, when an elderly fan was hit in the face by a ball that took a wayward bounce into the stands.
Kyrgios went over and handed the spectator one of his towels.
He is chasing his second title in Washington and will next face fourth seed Reilly Opelka in the round of 16 on Friday.
Flynn Busson, the son of billionaire Arpad Busson and Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson, appears to be the spitting image of his father in new photos.
Flynn, 24, shared pictures on Instagram of himself the same speedboat that his financial father drove him around in as a toddler.
“22 years apart… 2022, 2012, 2000,” he posted alongside three photos of himself aboard the boat.
The first two images show Flynn driving the boat as an adult, the third from 2000, is a throwback to him as a child, sitting on his fathers lap at sea.
Elle and dated Arpad from 1996 until they spilled in 2005. But they remained friends and appeared together when Flynn graduated after studying finance and real estate at Boston University last year, with his mother sharing family photos to Instagram.
“Where did the time go? You boys are a credit to your selves, and your dad and I are so in awe of the men you have become,” she wrote at the time.
Flynn, who is also a licensed pilot, is the former couple’s oldest son. They also share another son, Cy, 19
According to both Elle and Flynn, the mother and son share a close relationship. In recent years, they’ve appeared at various events together, including the Christian Dior Haute Couture 2022/2023 fashion show in Paris, France.
The 58-year-old and her son wore complimentary Dior designs. Busson’s girlfriend Anna de Ferran was also in attendance.
The star, who is famously known as “The Body,” posted several snapshots of the outing on her Instagram account, Fox News reported.
“My favorite date,” she boasted in one post.
“Loved sharing these special moments with my sons,” she wrote in another, noting that her other son Aurelius Cy Andrea Busson, 19, was greatly missed.
Despite living in the public eye, the model previously revealed she has been determined to give her children a more low-key life. It was not until 2019 that Macpherson appeared alongside her sons de ella on the cover of Vogue Australia.
“We kept the children out of the public eye,” she explained to the outlet at the time. “It was a decision that their dad and I made. We didn’t think it was necessary for them to be recognized in public. Of course, you can’t stop paparazzi.”
Macpherson told the outlet that “for years” many asked her to model with her sons. But up until then, she had always said no.
“We had one experience where a family shot was used on the cover of a magazine without our permission, and at the time it was terrible, but actually I am strangely grateful now because it’s so beautiful,” she said.
“Now, with Instagram, the boys are public, and they make their own choices,” she continued. “[And] they are amazing company. Who wouldn’t love taking them places?”
In an interview with Vogue Australia in 2019, Flynn – who reportedly divides his time between London, New York and Miami – spoke glowingly of his mother: “I know everyone says that about their mum, but it really is true. My mother has always been so incredibly devoted to me and my brother.”
“I always knew we were her number-one priority.
“It has shone through everything from the way she chooses her jobs to the way she cooks dinner.”
Flynn Busson, the son of billionaire Arpad Busson and Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson, appears to be the spitting image of his father in new photos.
Flynn, 24, shared pictures on Instagram of himself the same speedboat that his financial father drove him around in as a toddler.
“22 years apart… 2022, 2012, 2000,” he posted alongside three photos of himself aboard the boat.
The first two images show Flynn driving the boat as an adult, the third from 2000, is a throwback to him as a child, sitting on his fathers lap at sea.
Elle and dated Arpad from 1996 until they spilled in 2005. But they remained friends and appeared together when Flynn graduated after studying finance and real estate at Boston University last year, with his mother sharing family photos to Instagram.
“Where did the time go? You boys are a credit to your selves, and your dad and I are so in awe of the men you have become,” she wrote at the time.
Flynn, who is also a licensed pilot, is the former couple’s oldest son. They also share another son, Cy, 19
According to both Elle and Flynn, the mother and son share a close relationship. In recent years, they’ve appeared at various events together, including the Christian Dior Haute Couture 2022/2023 fashion show in Paris, France.
The 58-year-old and her son wore complimentary Dior designs. Busson’s girlfriend Anna de Ferran was also in attendance.
The star, who is famously known as “The Body,” posted several snapshots of the outing on her Instagram account, Fox News reported.
“My favorite date,” she boasted in one post.
“Loved sharing these special moments with my sons,” she wrote in another, noting that her other son Aurelius Cy Andrea Busson, 19, was greatly missed.
Despite living in the public eye, the model previously revealed she has been determined to give her children a more low-key life. It was not until 2019 that Macpherson appeared alongside her sons de ella on the cover of Vogue Australia.
“We kept the children out of the public eye,” she explained to the outlet at the time. “It was a decision that their dad and I made. We didn’t think it was necessary for them to be recognized in public. Of course, you can’t stop paparazzi.”
Macpherson told the outlet that “for years” many asked her to model with her sons. But up until then, she had always said no.
“We had one experience where a family shot was used on the cover of a magazine without our permission, and at the time it was terrible, but actually I am strangely grateful now because it’s so beautiful,” she said.
“Now, with Instagram, the boys are public, and they make their own choices,” she continued. “[And] they are amazing company. Who wouldn’t love taking them places?”
In an interview with Vogue Australia in 2019, Flynn – who reportedly divides his time between London, New York and Miami – spoke glowingly of his mother: “I know everyone says that about their mum, but it really is true. My mother has always been so incredibly devoted to me and my brother.”
“I always knew we were her number-one priority.
“It has shone through everything from the way she chooses her jobs to the way she cooks dinner.”
Tourists coming to Australia are often baffled by many of our place names and commonly mangle the pronunciation of some of the country’s most popular destinations, new research has found.
Sydney’s Bondi may be Australia’s most famous and busiest beach – with 1.7 million international visitors a year in 2018 according to Destination New South Wales – but a huge proportion of them are saying it wrong.
To Aussies it is of course pronounced “Bon-die” but many tourists, unfamiliar with the area, pronounce it phonetically as “Bon-dee”.
The pronunciation of Bondi is an example of a type of shibboleth, a word that can instantly distinguish whether someone is part of one group or another. In this case, saying “Bon-dee” would show the person wasn’t local or even resided in Australia.
The research was compiled by Preply, an online language learning platform that connects links up tutors with students.
The firm came to its conclusions by picking 68 major destinations where it’s known visitors can sometimes struggle over the correct pronunciation. It then analyzed Google search data to see how many instances there were of people inquiring about how to correctly say the places’ names and ranked them by the volume of searches.
In Australia, Brisbane and Melbourne were two other places where tourists found their tongues in a twist.
Melbourne sees three million international visitors a year. But you won’t make friends in Australia’s second biggest metropolis if you say “Mel-BOURNE” rather than “Mel-buhne”. Equally, it’s “BRIS-buhne” and definitely not “Bris-BAYNE” as some tourists will insist on saying.
“There’s nothing more embarrassing than arriving at a new holiday destination and mispronouncing its name in front of a local — especially if you butcher the regional accent,” said Preply learning success manager Amy Pritchett.
“When you learn to say these place names correctly, you’ll sound like a native — or at least a savvy tourist.”
Top five mangled global destinations
However, Australian place names were far down the global list of mispronounced metropolises, museums and other destinations.
It seems visitors find saying French place names are particularly mouthful with three of the five most butchered names in the land of the Gauls.
Topping the rankings was the beachside city of Cannes. And – just like most other visitors -Australians commonly get the pronunciation of this stylish French resort wrong.
It is definitely not pronounced “Carn” or “Cans” or “Cann-ess”. Rather, you drop the “es” at the end and simply say “Kan”. Short and sweet is a perfectly acceptable way to go. But if you want to sound really French you can do a distinctive semi linger at the end of the word by adding an “uh,” so “Kan-uh”.
One most Australians probably do better on, as so many have been to London, is the name of the river that runs through it.
Americans commonly think the Thames is pronounced as it looks and verbalizes a “Th” sound to produce the very oddly sounding River “Thaymez”. “Temz” is the way to go and will keep you in the good books of Londoners.
Third on the list is California’s Yosemite National Park. It’s not “Yoh-se-might” but “Yoh-seh-muh-tee” or “Yoh-she-muh-dee”.
The Louvre museum in Paris is definitely not the “Loop” or “Loo-ver” but “Loo-vruh” with a bit of a roll of the tongue on the second syllable.
Rounding out the top five of cringeworthy pronunciations is another French hotspot – the Place of Versailles where the French royals lived in pre-Revolution times.
Tourists coming to Australia are often baffled by many of our place names and commonly mangle the pronunciation of some of the country’s most popular destinations, new research has found.
Sydney’s Bondi may be Australia’s most famous and busiest beach – with 1.7 million international visitors a year in 2018 according to Destination New South Wales – but a huge proportion of them are saying it wrong.
To Aussies it is of course pronounced “Bon-die” but many tourists, unfamiliar with the area, pronounce it phonetically as “Bon-dee”.
The pronunciation of Bondi is an example of a type of shibboleth, a word that can instantly distinguish whether someone is part of one group or another. In this case, saying “Bon-dee” would show the person wasn’t local or even resided in Australia.
The research was compiled by Preply, an online language learning platform that connects links up tutors with students.
The firm came to its conclusions by picking 68 major destinations where it’s known visitors can sometimes struggle over the correct pronunciation. It then analyzed Google search data to see how many instances there were of people inquiring about how to correctly say the places’ names and ranked them by the volume of searches.
In Australia, Brisbane and Melbourne were two other places where tourists found their tongues in a twist.
Melbourne sees three million international visitors a year. But you won’t make friends in Australia’s second biggest metropolis if you say “Mel-BOURNE” rather than “Mel-buhne”. Equally, it’s “BRIS-buhne” and definitely not “Bris-BAYNE” as some tourists will insist on saying.
“There’s nothing more embarrassing than arriving at a new holiday destination and mispronouncing its name in front of a local — especially if you butcher the regional accent,” said Preply learning success manager Amy Pritchett.
“When you learn to say these place names correctly, you’ll sound like a native — or at least a savvy tourist.”
Top five mangled global destinations
However, Australian place names were far down the global list of mispronounced metropolises, museums and other destinations.
It seems visitors find saying French place names are particularly mouthful with three of the five most butchered names in the land of the Gauls.
Topping the rankings was the beachside city of Cannes. And – just like most other visitors -Australians commonly get the pronunciation of this stylish French resort wrong.
It is definitely not pronounced “Carn” or “Cans” or “Cann-ess”. Rather, you drop the “es” at the end and simply say “Kan”. Short and sweet is a perfectly acceptable way to go. But if you want to sound really French you can do a distinctive semi linger at the end of the word by adding an “uh,” so “Kan-uh”.
One most Australians probably do better on, as so many have been to London, is the name of the river that runs through it.
Americans commonly think the Thames is pronounced as it looks and verbalizes a “Th” sound to produce the very oddly sounding River “Thaymez”. “Temz” is the way to go and will keep you in the good books of Londoners.
Third on the list is California’s Yosemite National Park. It’s not “Yoh-se-might” but “Yoh-seh-muh-tee” or “Yoh-she-muh-dee”.
The Louvre museum in Paris is definitely not the “Loop” or “Loo-ver” but “Loo-vruh” with a bit of a roll of the tongue on the second syllable.
Rounding out the top five of cringeworthy pronunciations is another French hotspot – the Place of Versailles where the French royals lived in pre-Revolution times.
