Ben White experienced all manner of emotions as he unexpectedly played the lead role in England's uninspiring 1-1 draw with Uruguay. The full-back was booed by his own fans when he was brought on and again after he gave the Three Lions the lead from a corner. He was then subjected to yet further criticism when his rash tackle led to a penalty from which Federico Valverde equalised in injury time.

The World Cup is now just two-and-a-half months away, with teams currently making their final preparations for the finals, while others look to book the final few spots in North America during the March international break. Once the tournament does eventually get under way, the stage will be set for a whole host of players to make themselves national heroes, including some of the most exciting youngsters in the game today.

When Bukayo Saka scored his 13th goal for England against Wales in October and became the highest scoring Arsenal player to play for the Three Lions, one reporter thought it would be a good opportunity to ask Thomas Tuchel to reflect on the winger’s international career. He most likely expected the German to wax lyrical about one of the best players for club and country over the past five years.

The former France captain and Atletico Madrid legend has always been obsessed with American sports. Moving to Orlando City is a bad fit, but the transfer isn't about soccer.

Just two friendlies stand between the U.S. and a World Cup roster, which means that the pressure is on in those friendlies

Italy moved within one match of ending their long World Cup absence with a composed 2-0 win over Northern Ireland in their playoff semifinal, as Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean proved decisive. For a side still carrying the weight of missing the last two tournaments, this was less about flair and more about control. And, for long stretches, Italy had both.

"[There’s] a young player who plays for [Borussia] Dortmund called Youssoufa Moukoko," Samuel Eto’o told GOAL when asked who he’d love to see as Barcelona’s next big signing back in October 2020. "[He’s] 15 years of age, and he’s the next top player, for me, after [Lionel] Messi. As Messi gets older, we could prepare the future of Barcelona very well."

Brazil's main men fell flat as the Selecao turned in an underwhelming performance against France in a forgettable 2-1 loss. The Selecao were poor at both ends of the pitch, and languid in between, and only really showed attacking intent when it was too late. A late goal from Bremer was rather flattering as Carlo Ancelotti's men were easily dealt with by Les Bleus, who played most of the second half with ten men.