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Mane, Salah & AFCON's biggest winners and losers

  1. Why Chelsea need to spend £60m to sign Jacquet

    Chelsea are on the hunt for a new central defender to lead their backline. This ought to have been a top priority after Antonio Rudiger left for a free to Real Madrid in 2022, and it was a need only exacerbated when Thiago Silva returned to Fluminense two years later. Yet it is a priority they have continued to neglect until now, as the man who they want to fill that void at the back is Jeremy Jacquet.

  2. Brits Abroad: Fans turn on Jude as Kane takes title step

    GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave their comfort zones in search of a better footballing life elsewhere. The Premier League is still obviously one of the world's most entertaining divisions and the Championship can prove fantastic for development, but there are more options out there.

  3. World Cup Power Rankings: AFCON champs Senegal surge

    There really is nothing like the World Cup. Even just qualifying generates a level of nationwide excitement that the club game simply cannot match, which is why we witnessed truly joyous scenes all across the globe during the November international break, as 14 more countries booked their seat at next summer's festival of football in North America.

  4. Yamal's magic goes to waste as Barca suffer shock defeat

    Lamine Yamal was again the star of the show for Barcelona at the Anoeta on Sunday night but it was all for nothing as the La Liga leaders fell to a 2-1 loss at Real Sociedad. The Barca teen shone down the right but was unable to inspire the Blaugrana to victory, with Hansi Flick's men now just a point clear of arch rivals Real Madrid at the summit.

  5. What was Amorim thinking?! Free Bruno key to United revival

    The words, "It's Carrick, you know, it's hard to believe it's not Scholes" reverberated around Old Trafford during Manchester United's stunning 2-0 win over Manchester City on Saturday, and watching the Red Devils tear into their local rivals with gusto while putting the ball in the net five times, it was hard to believe that Ruben Amorim was in charge of this team for so long but never got them to play like this.

  6. How Burna Boy is spotlighting African culture ahead of AFCON final

    Nigerian singer-songwriter Burna Boy is shouldering the responsibility of championing African culture and heritage by launching a landmark new campaign ahead of Sunday's Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco. The initiative comprises music, fashion, sport, film and storytelling, aiming to assert ownership of African narratives. To mark the occasion, Burna Boy has dropped a new music video featuring a host of influential figures from the football world.

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Transfer news and done deals 🤝

  1. Barcelona star ter Stegen set for Girona loan move

    Out-of-favour Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is reportedly set for a loan move to Girona. The German international was Barca's first-choice stopper for the best part of a decade but an untimely injury has led to him falling down the pecking order. With Joan Garcia now charged with starting between the sticks for the Blaugrana, Ter Stegen is nearing a January exit.

  2. U-turn! Mainoo set to stay at Man Utd after Carrick's arrival

    Kobbie Mainoo is reportedly no longer considering a January exit from Manchester United following Michael Carrick's arrival as interim boss. The England international fell out of favour under former Red Devils head coach Ruben Amorim but started in Carrick's first game in charge at Old Trafford in the Manchester derby. And following that 2-0 win over Manchester City, it appears the midfielder is going nowhere for now.

  3. Grealish to snub Everton? Man City man tipped for MLS move

    Jack Grealish has been told he would be "perfect" in Major League Soccer despite impressing on loan at Everton. The winger's career looked to be on the decline as he struggled for game time at Manchester City but he has looked rejuvenated this season at the Toffees. Amid speculation over whether or not he will join David Moyes' side permanently, the England international has been backed to head to North America.

  4. Klopp rules out management return amid Real Madrid links

    Jurgen Klopp says he "doesn't expect" to change his mind and go back into management amid links with Real Madrid. The German hasn't been in the dugout since leaving Liverpool in 2024, and despite showing no signs of returning to coaching, the managerial links keep coming. Now, Red Bull's global head of football has addressed his future, and whether or not he considers himself "world class".

Video

  1. Watch as Rosenior reveals 'wash your hands' meeting with Chelsea stars

    Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has revealed that he held a meeting with the club's playing staff to instruct them to properly wash their hands. Speaking during a press conference ahead of the Blues' Premier League clash with London rivals Brentford, the ex-Strasbourg boss explained how he's trying to contain a virus that threatens to rip through his first-team squad

This is the Premier League

  1. Spurs star Udogie devastated after car break-in during game

    Tottenham star Destiny Udogie has been hit with another crushing blow after thieves broke into his £150,000 Range Rover. The defender was an unused substitute in Spurs' 2-1 home defeat to West Ham at the weekend, and when he came back to his car, he saw the back window had been smashed, and glass was everywhere. This comes months after he was allegedly threatened with a gun by a football agent.

  2. Jesus begs Arsenal to hand him a new Arsenal contract

    Gabriel Jesus has urged Arsenal to extend his contract, while opening up on his injury struggles at Emirates Stadium. The Brazilian forward is out of contract at the Gunners in 2027, and as his contract ticks down, he has been credited with interest from Palmeiras. But it seems the former Manchester City ace wants to stay with Mikel Arteta's team in a bid to win big trophies.

  3. EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal youngster talks Saka, Arteta & more

    “He’s a joke,” says Arsenal youngster Charles Sagoe Jr when asked to describe what it’s like working with Bukayo Saka. “What you see on the TV is how he's applying himself every day in training. It’s very inspiring.” And when it comes to inspirational figures, there are few better around for Sagoe Jr to learn from and work alongside than Saka.

Queens of football 👑

  1. Como star Lehmann in talks over sensational WSL return

    Alisha Lehmann has been linked with a return to the Women's Super League, just over 18 months after she left for Italy. The Swiss international ended a three-year stint at Aston Villa in mid-2024 before signing for Juventus with then-boyfriend Douglas Luiz. Last summer, she made the switch to Como after struggling for game time, and now Lehmann could be coming back to English football.

  2. FA Cup cruise for holders Chelsea as Kerr bags a brace

    Defending champions Chelsea opened up their Women’s FA Cup campaign with a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday. The free-scoring Blues booked their place in the fifth round thanks to a brace from Sam Kerr and goals from Millie Bright, Guro Reiten and Alyssa Thompson, with Sonia Bompastor's side a class above their WSL 2 opponents at Kingsmeadow.

Superstars of the future

  1. Why Man Utd & more want Hertha's teenage Kroos regen

    Hertha Berlin fans haven't had much to cheer about in recent years. Their decade-long stay in the Bundesliga ended after the team slumped to an 18th-placed finish in the 2022-23 season, just four years on from Lars Windhorst's €224 million minority takeover that came with the billionaire's promise to build a "true ‘big-city club’, like those in London or Madrid."

  2. Red Bull's best post-Haaland star on Liverpool & City's radar

    With all the data and all the video footage you could ever hope for, there really shouldn't be many secrets left in the world of youth football. Sure, progress isn't linear and some players' attributes translate better to the adult game than others, but for most teams, picking and finding the best young talent still feels like a bit of a lottery, at least from the outside looking in.

  3. Why Chelsea & Man Utd are tracking Rennes' towering teen

    Rennes are no strangers to producing some of the best players around, and Mohamed Kader Meite looks primed to become the next elite talent to step off the conveyor belt after the likes of Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Eduardo Camavinga. Still just 18, the towering striker is already said to be turning heads across Europe.

The Chaaaaaampions 🎶

MUNDIAL

Hall of Fame

  1. Hall of fame Roberto Carlos

    Hall of Fame: Roberto Carlos - the greatest full-back in history

    Modernising the role of a full-back 30 years ago, Roberto Carlos undoubtedly set the benchmark. A tactical genius and a physical specimen, the Real Madrid and Brazil legend won countless trophies at club and international level, contributing bucket loads of goals and assists. No one in the past, present or future can ever claim to be his equal - he was that good.

  2. Hall of Fame: Why Beckham is such an underrated player

    One of the best midfielders of his era, perhaps the greatest crosser of a football ever and a free-kick taker to rival the best the game has ever produced, David Beckham was a special player to say the least. And yet due to his off-field impact, one of the sport's great champions of the past 30 years is generally forgotten when it comes to referencing the true legends of the game.

  3. Hall of Fame: Romario - Brazil's penalty-box panther

    Romario moved around the penalty area with the stealthy gait and sly gaze of a panther, ready to suddenly accelerate as soon as the ball came his way, to disorient the opposing defenders with a couple of feints, to pounce on the ball, which inevitably ended up at his feet, as if magnetised, and finish with an unstoppable shot of pure technique or power, or alternatively serve up a perfect assist for one of his team-mates. He was a Hall of Fame striker if ever there was one.

Rebel United

  1. Mario Basler

    Rebel United: Bayern icon who got drunk before the UCL final

    Teddy Sheringham. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. "Football, bloody hell!" The 1999 Champions League final is one of the greatest dramas in the history of Bayern Munich. The German giants led for a long time in Barcelona before Manchester United snatched the trophy they thought was theirs in stoppage time. But according to one member of the Bayern team, he actually won that final. "Actually, I'm a Champions League winner," claims the latest member of GOAL's Rebel United, Mario Basler.

  2. George Best

    Rebel United: George Best - Man Utd's 'fifth Beatle'

    In 1969, at the age of 23, George Best wanted to focus solely on the essentials. Just football, just his job. So he turned his back on his two other great passions, alcohol and women. His sobering conclusion: "It was the worst 20 minutes of my life." A Manchester United legend, that quote sums up Bet's rebellious attitude towards football, and life in general.

  3. Rebel United: Mekhloufi's sacrifice for Algerian independence

    "La France, c'est vous." Translated as 'France, is you', that was what French president Charles de Gaulle told footballer Rachid Mekhloufi in 1968. Mekhloufi had just led his Saint-Etienne side to the double, and the reward was an audience with the most powerful man in the country. For Mekhloufi, this sentence brought things full circle. Now he was both Algerian and French; 10 years earlier, he had - in a sense - been neither.

Hidden Gems FC

  1. Hidden Gems FC: Roefs' rise to Premier League star

    Robin Roefs' story reads like a fairy tale. The 22-year-old goalkeeper is only in his second season as a first-choice shot-stopper, and yet he is already considered one of the better No.1s in the Premier League. A place in the Netherlands' starting line-up at the World Cup is now not out of the question for the latest of GOAL's Hidden Gems.

  2. Hidden Gems FC: The rise of N'Golo Kante

    On September 15, 2018, N'Golo Kante walked off the Stamford Bridge pitch, satisfied. As was often the case, the Frenchman had just covered every blade of grass over the course of the 90 minutes. And, as was so often the case, he was not one of the major speaking points at full-time. Not right away, at least.

  3. Hidden Gems FC: Drogba, Toni & football's top 10 late bloomers

    Anyone that manages to carve out a career for themselves in professional football is ridiculously talented. The standard at the highest level is just so high that it is simply impossible to 'fake it 'til you make it'. However, not everyone is as prodigiously gifted as Lionel Messi or Lamine Yamal. Your average player will require some time to get to grips with the rigours of the elite game.