FEATURES

  1. Why Barca, Bayern & Chelsea want Twente's towering teen defender

    Be it double World Cup finalist Ruud Krol, the marauding Ronald Koeman, total football icon Ruud Gullit or serial winner Virgil van Dijk, the Dutch have a fine tradition of producing defenders who have made their mark on the game. And there is a new kid on the block that every top club wants to get their hands on: step forward FC Twente's teenage star centre-back Ruud Nijstad.

  2. England hero Hampton proves class is permanent

    As the clock ticked into the 90th minute at Wembley on Tuesday evening, England were under the most pressure they had been all game. Having taken the lead with less than three minutes played, through Lauren Hemp's acrobatic effort, the Lionesses had done well to prevent Spain really putting them under the cosh, creating most of the better opportunities for themselves instead. However, in the dying moments, they would need Hannah Hampton, their world-class goalkeeper, to come up with something big.

  3. Bayern are the only ones at a disadvantage, while Real are simply embarrassing to watch

    Real Madrid’s defeat to Bayern Munich has laid bare the club’s less appealing side. The Merengues have reacted like spoilt children, venting frustration at every turn. Their insistence that they were “robbed” in Munich only confirms their status as football’s most unsympathetic outfit, even though it was the record champions who had genuine cause for complaint for long periods of the contest.

  4. BDO Power Rankings: World Cup or bust for Mbappe after UCL exit

    With the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly presumably disappearing into the rearview mirror, the battle for the Ballon d'Or hasn't felt so open for the best part of 20 years, with countless players now beginning each campaign believing they have a chance of claiming the most prestigious individual prize football has to offer. Ousmane Dembele emerged from a career plagued by injuries and inconsistencies to win the Golden Ball in 2025, and he is among a crowded field of contenders one year on.

  1. Chelsea's new transfer strategy: 14 PL-proven potential targets

    After years of attempting to stockpile some of the best young talent around, it seems Chelsea are finally set for a dramatic shift in their transfer strategy as they struggle to keep pace with their rivals both domestically and abroad. With the Blues out of the Champions League and lagging behind in the gruelling chase for a top-five Premier League finish, the hierarchy is ready to change tack.

  2. Madrid count cost of Camavinga red but Diaz is a Bayern bargain

    What a game! What a tie, in fact! Bayern Munich's Champions League quarter-final clash with Real Madrid had a bit of everything: great goals, goalkeeping gaffes and incredibly controversial calls. The net result was the kind of engrossing encounter that makes a mockery of Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis' claim that we need to change the game to make it more appealing to young people.

  3. How Messi completed football at the 2022 World Cup

    In the winter of 2022, under the lights of Lusail, Lionel Messi finally realised the dream he'd carried with him his entire life. After years of unrelenting pressure, bitter heartbreak and agonising near-misses, Argentina’s captain rose above expectation on football’s grandest stage to deliver his country the perfect ending - and to fulfill his own destiny. Welcome to the latest episode of Icons - a GOAL podcast that revisits the last 10 World Cups through the moments, characters, and controversies that defined them, bringing the spirit of each tournament vividly back to life.

  4. Bayern's Ballon d'Or trio inspire epic comeback win over Real

    Bayern Munich ended a run of four consecutive Champions League knockout stage losses to Real Madrid in the most thrilling fashion on Wednesday night, with the Bavarians scoring two stunning goals in the closing stages of an epic quarter-final clash to beat los Blancos 4-3 on the night and 6-4 on aggregate. Unsurprisingly, Vincent Kompany's fantastic forward-line played a starring role in the victory.

  5. Arsenal Sporting CP 2025-26 Champions League

    Gyokeres disappoints as Arsenal sneak into UCL semis

    Arsenal set up a Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid with a 0-0 home draw against Sporting CP enough to seal a 1-0 aggregate victory over the Portuguese champions. Kai Havertz's late strike in Lisbon last week proved to be the difference in the tie, with both sides struggling to make much of an impact during a scrappy return encounter at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.

  6. Camavinga's ridiculous red sends Madrid crashing out of UCL

    A moment of madness from Eduardo Camavinga saw Real Madrid's remontada hopes dashed in a 6-4 aggregate loss to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The Frenchman picked up a late red card to blow a tight game wide open. Bayern capitalised with a pair of late goals to win 4-3 on the night and Los Blancos were sent home with a whole host of regrets after a chaotic encounter.

  7. Arbeloa needs a miracle in Munich to keep his job

    Is this really the best you can do, Florentino Perez? When Real Madrid sacked Xabi Alonso after less than five months on the job, there figured to be, at least, some sort of succession plan. If Alonso, who was so hyped, so early, was to walk away, then it only made sense that Los Blancos, power that they are, would have someone tailor-made to walk into the role.

  8. Slot's finished but Dembele's back on the Ballon d'Or trail

    Paris Saint-Germain knocked Liverpool out of the Champions League for the second consecutive season at Anfield on Tuesday evening. Unsurprisingly, Ousmane Dembele proved decisive once again. Just over a year after scoring the only goal of the second leg of the two teams' last-16 tie, which eventually led to PSG progressing on penalties, the winger returned to Merseyside to score twice in a 2-0 win that earned the defending champions a comprehensive 4-0 win on aggregate.

  9. Arteta is letting Arsenal fans down with failed gimmicks

    It's that time of year for Arsenal again. When the calendar rolls into April, the world sees what their team is really made of. Unfortunately for the Gunners, a familiar pattern is appearing before our eyes. Saturday's defeat at home to Bournemouth was eerily reminiscent of other losses at this stage of previous seasons.

  10. Arne Slot gets it all wrong again as Liverpool lose to PSG

    Liverpool's hopes of salvaging a shocking season were washed away on a miserable night on Merseyside on Tuesday evening, as an Ousmane Dembele double earned Paris Saint-Germain a 2-0 win at Anfield that saw Luis Enrique's men progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League 4-0 on aggregate. As with the first leg at the Parc des Princes, Arne Slot got his starting line-up all wrong, with the Reds boss sensationally deciding to hand Alexander Isak his first start since recovering from a broken leg earlier this month.

  11. Lionesses get another vital win over Spain as Hemp delivers

    Lauren Hemp's early strike gave England yet another win over Spain on Tuesday night, the Lionesses emerging 1-0 victors in their first meeting with La Roja since last summer's European Championship final. England were winners on that occasion, on penalties, and they came out on top again here as their third victory in their last four encounters with the world champions gave them a notable advantage in a cut-throat World Cup qualifying group.