France's record-breaking captain doesn't deserve to be crowned the best player in the world, despite having the backing of his new manager at Real Madrid
The Norwegian forward's new look might have raised eyebrows, but his surprise trim certainly hasn't had a negative effect on the striker's ever-growing profile
The Dutchman emerged as a promising defender but developed into an all-round attacker as he won the Ballon d'Or, European Championship and European Cup
The German sportswear giant has marked 30 years of partnership with Zizou by dropping a fresh new boot in honour of the silky Frenchman, but why has their collaboration been such a huge success?
Lennart Karl may have scored early and Ismael Saibari impressed from the start, but Bayern struggled for a very long time against the brave promoted side SV Elversberg. Only the equaliser and a quadruple substitution woke the Munich side up. The ratings and individual assessments.
Borussia Dortmund also win their fifth competitive match of the season against Paderborn, but it was the promoted side who produced the more mature display. BVB continue to win in the new season too, but with football that is limited in substance.
A new class of young stars is waiting to burst through in the English top-flight this season, with the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City and Man Utd boasting some incredible talents
Steur has become the latest young star to make the step up from Ajax to the Premier League, completing a shock move to Tyneside having made fewer than 25 appearances for the senior team, and Dutch pundits fear he has made the jump too early - but the player has no doubt he can make an impact in England.
For all his quality as a defender and his overflowing trophy cabinet, John Terry's near-19-year Chelsea career was punctuated by moments of significant controversy - from his early days at Stamford Bridge right through to his peak. His legacy is a complex one as a result, with many recognising him as one of the finest defenders England has ever produced while simultaneously asking serious questions of his character.
In a bombshell seven-and-a-half-minute interview after Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Leeds United last weekend, Mohamed Salah accused the club of throwing him "under the bus" and claimed he no longer has any relationship with head coach Arne Slot. The 'Egyptian King', who has scored 250 goals for Liverpool over the last eight years and was the driving force behind the 2024-25 Premier League title success under Slot, didn't see a single minute of action at Elland Road after being named on the bench for the third game in a row, and decided to go public with his grievances.
Fifteen years ago, Manchester City were so enamoured with the all-conquering Barcelona that they sought to replicate the same structure. They began by hiring chief executive Ferran Soriano and sporting director Txiki Begiristain, before eventually landing Pep Guardiola to manage the team. All that was missing was Lionel Messi - though they nearly signed the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner at the very start of the Abu Dhabi-led project by mistake!