Manchester City hoped, and may even have expected that a midfielder called Nico would transform their fortunes during the second half of last season. The man that has become key to Pep Guardiola’s side’s mid-season surge and made them contenders to pull off the quadruple is not, however, the gangly Nico Gonzalez, who was recruited from Porto for £50 million last January, but rather academy graduate Nico O’Reilly, who cost nothing at all.

If you thought the days of the Ballon d'Or generating headlines were over after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's era of dominance came to an end, then think again. After one of the most closely-fought races for a number of years, Rodri came out on top in 2024, beating Vinicius Jr into second place as Real Madrid dramatically boycotted the ceremony in Paris in protest at their star player missing out.

The annual NXGN lists are back for another year, highlighting 50 of the most incredible talents to have been born after January 1, 2005

Anthony Gordon's 2025-26 Champions League campaign is the greatest by any English scorer for an English club in the competition's history. That's a fact. With his four-goal haul for Newcastle in last week's 6-1 hammering of Qarabag, he broke the record for most goals scored by an Englishman for a Premier League side in a single Champions League season, taking his tally to 10 from nine games. Not even Alan Shearer managed such a number in those famous black-and-white stripes.

This is Legacy, GOAL’s podcast and feature series tracking the countdown to the 2026 World Cup. Each week, we explore the stories and the spirit behind the nations that define the world’s game. This week, we revisit a moment when two clubs became one nation. In 2010, Spain ruled the world, and its crown was built in both Barcelona and Madrid. The style of one, the strength of the other, blended into the perfect mix. Sixteen years on, and as a new generation rises in Catalunya, can Barcelona now become the sole heart of La Roja?

Benjamin Sesko came off the bench to fire Manchester United to a narrow and barely deserved 1-0 win at Everton which could be utterly priceless in their quest to finish in the Premier League's top four. The Slovenian started on the bench for the sixth game in a row but for the third time in four appearances he made all the difference, banging in the crucial goal in the 71st minute.

It was the most hotly-anticipated north London derby since their Champions League showdown of 2022. Arsenal, off the back of two hugely disappointing draws at Brentford and Wolves, suddenly had reason to fear entering the den of rivals Tottenham. Spurs, in theory, were about to be buoyed by a 'new manager bounce' brought about by the appointment of Igor Tudor as head coach, who replaced the unpopular Thomas Frank.

The suspicion was that the Premier League title race was about to take a very dramatic turn after Manchester City drew to within two points of an increasingly nervy Arsenal on Saturday. However, the Gunners responded in the best possible fashion by routing north London rivals Tottenham the following day to keep their bid for a first championship success since 2004 very much on track.