Ligue 1 news

While the draw for the 2026 World Cup took centre-stage on Friday, all eyes were back on club football over the weekend as title races across Europe took yet more twists. The gap at the top of the Premier League has been reduced, which is in contrast to La Liga, where Barcelona stretched their lead over Real Madrid.

Cardiff City have released a passionate and powerful statement in relation to the passing of Emiliano Sala. The 28-year-old lost his life when travelling to Wales to complete a transfer in January 2019. A seven-year legal battle is now drawing to a close, with the Bluebirds taking aim at Nantes and Sala’s representatives for the role that they played in “a tragedy that could and should have been avoided”.

Atletico Madrid are planning to rival Chelsea for Strasbourg's Valentin Barco but the Spanish side will face a huge hurdle to beat the Blues to the Argentine's signature. Barco came to England for a brief period after plying his trade at Boca Juniors at the start of his career. However, the youngster was soon sent out on multiple loan spells before finally joining the Ligue 1 club in the last window permanently.

Angry Roberto De Zerbi raged at Mason Greenwood and his Marseille team-mates after the French giants' defeat against Lille on Friday in a Ligue 1 clash. Marseille suffered their fourth league defeat of the 2025-26 campaign as their four-game unbeaten run across all formats finally ended. Former Manchester United star Greenwood had a rare off day on the pitch which did not go unnoticed by his manager.

From Ibrahima Konate winning the title with Liverpool, to William Saliba anchoring Arsenal's charge to the top of the table or Leny Yoro's big-money signing for Manchester United, French centre-backs have had a massive influence in the Premier League's recent history. Now, the race to sign Les Bleus' next great defender is on as the top clubs from England and beyond circle Tylel Tati.

Mauricio Pochettino faces plenty of selection posers ahead of the 2026 World Cup, with the USMNT looking to piece together a squad that can be competitive on the grandest of stages. They will need plenty of firepower in order to make that possible, with Brad Friedel discussing a striker pool that includes Folarin Balogun, Haji Wright, Ricardo Pepi and Josh Sargent during an exclusive interview with GOAL.

Strasbourg captain Emanuel Emegha, who is set to join Chelsea in the summer, has been handed a one-match ban by his current club and will miss their next game against Toulouse in Ligue 1. Strasbourg have issued a statement explaining their decision is due to the player's recent failure to "respect the club's values, expectations and rules".

GOAL takes a look at which American players are playing the best heading into the final weeks of 2025.

Former Chelsea star Jeremie Boga and Nice team-mate Terem Moffi have reportedly been placed on leave after allegedly being assaulted by the club’s own supporters in an “unbelievable and scary” incident. Disgruntled fans took their anger out on senior players after a frustrating 3-1 defeat at Lorient, with many descending on the team’s training base.

Desire Doue, who bagged a brace for Paris Saint-Germain in their historic Champions League final victory over Inter, has collected his Golden Boy award for 2025. Tuttosport announced the winners of their prestigious prizes in November. England’s teenage striker Michelle Agyemang, who helped the Lionesses to European Championship glory, has landed the Golden Girl gong.

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.

The latest weekend of matches around Europe brought with it top-of-the-table clashes, dramatic late goals and even fan rebellions as clubs around the continent look to get themselves into form ahead of the long winter to come. La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 all have new leaders following the most recent round of matches, with some title races looking likely to be nail-biters all the way through to May.

Mason Greenwood has credited Roberto De Zerbi for his and Marseille's strong performances in Ligue 1 this season. The former Brighton head coach has been in charge at the club from southern France since the start of last season and is once again showing why he is considered one of the brightest tactical minds in Europe, with Greenwood delighted to be learning from the Italian.

Monaco midfielder Paul Pogba gave a passionate speech to the home fans after his side earned a narrow 1-0 win over reigning Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain. The former Manchester United and Juventus star finally made his return to competitive football this month, having joined Monaco on a free transfer in the summer. Now back in the action, Pogba is already displaying what he can bring to his new club.

Luis Enrique shared his reaction to a horror challenge on Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier by Lamine Camara. The night ended in frustration and anger in equal measure as the reigning champions fell 1-0 to Monaco on Saturday evening. But the result was overshadowed by a rash early challenge on Chevalier that astonishingly went unpunished by VAR.

Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique lavished praise on "world class" Vitinha as the Portuguese midfielder delivered one of the standout Champions League performances of the season in their 5-3 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. The Parisians twice fell behind at the Parc des Princes, but Vitinha’s exceptional hat-trick dragged the reigning European champions over the line in a match that exploded in the second half.

RC Strasbourg are reportedly preparing a January move for Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier, who has been frozen out under Daniel Farke and is heading towards the final months of his contract. With the 25-year-old enduring what French reports call a 'nightmare' season, the Ligue 1 club see a rare opportunity to secure a long-term No.1 before rivals across Europe make their move.