The nature of Chelsea's Carabao Cup semi-final exit at the hands of London rivals Arsenal on Tuesday has been polarising, to say the least. It was a contest that largely reflected the dour weather at the Emirates Stadium, as a turgid first half passed by almost entirely without incident and the second period followed a similar pattern before Kai Havertz - a former Chelsea player, of course - bagged a late winner on the break.

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

Three years ago, Cristiano Ronaldo stunned the sporting world by joining Al-Nassr. Six months later, the Portuguese trailblazer was joined in the Saudi Pro League by a number of high-profile players, including Karim Benzema, Neymar, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Aymeric Laporte. Some of those superstars were clearly past their prime, but the mere fact that they were willing to move to the Middle East felt significant.

Real Madrid have paid a heavy price for failing to replace Toni Kroos following his retirement in 2024, but then doing so was always going to be a tough task. For starters, the ex-Germany international ranks as one of the finest deep-lying playmakers of the modern era.

As investment in the women’s game continues to grow, each and every transfer window feels bigger and bigger, as both the anticipation and likelihood of new record transfers and big money moves for the game’s greatest stars increases. In that sense, January is never as headline-grabbing as the summer window, but there has still been plenty of eye-catching business over the last few weeks - especially in the Women’s Super League.

Arsenal are into the final of the Carabao Cup after beating Chelsea 1-0 on Tuesday, prevailing 4-2 on aggregate. The Gunners showed little attacking appetite at the Emirates having entered the game with a lead to protect, and ultimately their visitors didn't ask enough meaningful questions to ever put their place at Wembley in serious doubt.

GOAL takes a look at the biggest transfer news and rumours from around the world.