Kamaru Usman, Romelu Lukaku and the European Super League protests: 25 of the best sports images of the week

We pick out the most spectacular pictures from the last seven days

Manchester United fans protest against the club's owners at Old Trafford on Saturday, April 24, after the failed launch of a European Super League. Reuters

South African golfer Daniel van Tonder finds some unusual hazards on the fairway during Day 4 of the Limpopo Championship at Euphoria Golf Club, Modimolle in Johannesburg on Sunday, April 25. Getty

Spectators watch the cycling leg of the Triathlon Challenge race held in Mogan, Gran Canaria on the Canary Island on Saturday, April 24. EPA

Kamaru Usman celebrates his victory over Jorge Masvidal during their welterweight title bout at UFC 261 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sunday, April 25. AFP

Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb competes in the semi-final of the Rip Curl Narrabeen Classic against Carissa Moore of the United States at Narrabeen Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Tuesday, April 20. Getty

Spain's Rafael Nadal during his quarter-final win over Cameron Norrie of Britain at the Barcelona Open on Friday, April 23. AFP

Beau Mertens after guiding Mr Exclusive to victory in the Dexion Victoria Handicap at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia on Saturday, April 24. Getty

Ukraine's Igor Radivilov competes on rings during the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships at the St Jakobshalle Arena in Basel, Switzerland, on Saturday, April 24. Getty

The women's eight team train during the New Zealand Rowing Team Media Day at Lake Karapiro on Wednesday, April 21. Getty

Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller shows his frustration during his team's Bundelsliga defeat against Mainz at the Opel Arena on Saturday, April 24. Reuters

Cyclists take part in the Olympic Test Event at the Izu Velodrome in Izu, Shizuoka, Japan on Sunday, April 25. Getty

Japan's Mone Inami hits her tee-shot on the 16th hole during the final round of the Fuji Sankei Ladies Classic at the Kawana Hotel Golf Course in Ito, Shizuoka, Japan, on Sunday, April 25. Getty

Randy Brown forces Alex Oliveira to tap out during UFC 261 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on Saturday, April 24. AFP

Brazil's Gabriel Medin during the Rip Curl Narrabeen Classic at Narrabeen Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Monday, April 19. Getty

Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe scores their first goal against Metz at the Stade Saint-Symphorien on Saturday, April 24. PSG won the game 3-1. Reuters

Jamaica's Kimberly Williams competes in the triple jump finial during the USATF Grand Prix at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday, April 24. AFP

A man swims across the Sky Pool, a transparent swimming pool bridge that spans between two residential blocks in the Nine Elms area of London, on Friday, April 23. AP

Swimmers on the Sky Pool, a transparent swimming pool bridge that spans between two residential blocks in the Nine Elms area of London, on Friday, April 23. AP

Chelsea technical adviser Petr Cech talks to Chelsea fans protesting over the European Super League ahead of their Premier League game against Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, April 20.

France's Marine Boyer competes in the women's beam apparatus final of the 2021 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships at the St Jakobshalle Arena in Basel, Switzerland, on Sunday, April 25. AFP

Yorkshire batsman Tom Kohler-Cadmore is bowled by George Garton of Sussex during Day 1 of the County Championship match at the County Ground in Hove, England, on Thursday, April 22. Getty

Manager Xisco Munoz is thrown into the air by Watford players after the club secured promotion to the Premier League next season after beating MiIllwall at Vicarage Road on Saturday, April 24. Getty

Jeb Burton, driver of the LS Tractors Chevrolet, leads the field during the Nascar Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, on Saturday, April 24. AFP

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in action during her Stuttgart Open quarter-final victory over Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic on Friday, April 23. Reuters

Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku during his team's 1-1 Serie A draw with Spezia at the Stadio Dino Manuzzi on Wednesday, April 21. Reuters

It has been a week of turmoil in football with the launch and spectacular collapse of the European Super League (ESL).

The announcement last Sunday of a 12-team breakaway competition made up of a closed shop of Europe's elite clubs was met with an immediate backlash from across the sport.

By Tuesday, all six of the English clubs had withdrawn from the Super League and the owners of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United were quick to issue public apologies.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez – one of the ESL's main driving forces – is maintaining that the 12 clubs had all signed binding contracts and that the project is far from over. Judging by the protests still ongoing at clubs in England, Perez and those that still believe in the ESL should be ready for a long and bitter battle.

In mixed martial arts, there was a capacity crowd at UFC 261 for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic brought a halt to the sporting world in March 2020.

The event in Florida saw UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman demolish Jorge Masvidal with a second-round knockout. It extended his unbeaten record in UFC to 14, with only Anderson Silva having more consecutive victories, at 16.

After the fight, Usman said: "With my fundamentals, I am the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet right now."

We have picked out 25 stunning images in the photo gallery above. To move on to the next picture click on the arrows, or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.