Opinion

'The Chaaaaampions'. That's right - the most famous anthem in world football is set to ring out around Europe yet again as the 2025-26 Champions League season gets under way this week. Thirty-six teams are vying it out to lift the European Cup in Budapest on May 30, but can any of them take Paris Saint-Germain's crown away from them?

GOAL runs through the best and worst of British players plying their trade on foreign soil. Now more than ever, British players are finding that the grass can be greener elsewhere. The lure of the Premier League remains grand, but it's not the be-all and end-all. In fact, some of the home nations' biggest stars have decided to take their talents abroad to the mainland continent and beyond.

The Croatian is still producing midfield masterclasses at 40 years of age, while the egalitarian environment at Barcelona is reaping rewards

The Portuguese faces two massive games after the international break and thus must make the right selection calls to get his team clicking

The goalkeeper is leaving the Red Devils on loan for Trabzonspor after two error-strewn years, and he will not be remembered fondly

The Three Lions bored fans into leaving early against Andorra last time out while La Roja look like world-beaters once more after destroying Turkey

The midfielder claims to have ambitions of playing at the 2026 World Cup, but those seem wildly unrealistic at this point

The calamitous Cameroonian is set to depart for Turkey this week, and there won't be a single United fan who is sad to see the back of him

All summer long, GOAL handed out grades for the biggest transfers from around the women's game...

GOAL picks the most magical and meaningful goals, assists and performances of the GOAT's international career

Premier League sides spent big strengthening their respective squads, but neither PSG nor Barca made many moves in the market

The Red Devils have done some poor business in the transfer market under their American owners - but which players stand out as the worst?

All summer long, GOAL will be handing out grades for the biggest transfers from around the world...

Mikel Arteta is yet to mastermind a victory away at a team directly competing with his side for top spot

The shock Carabao Cup elimination at Blundell Park was the latest of many painful defeats the Red Devils have had to endure in the last 25 years

The ex-Chelsea manager is spoilt for choice as he mulls over who to select for upcoming qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia

The England midfielder has been left with little choice but to depart the club he loves after falling down the pecking order under Ruben Amorim

The France international played his part in last season's success but his start to the current campaign is too poor to ignore

The England international was set to join Thomas Frank's rebuild, but will instead link up with Mikel Arteta at the Emirates Stadium

The German champions have been strangely quiet in the summer window, which could greatly hamper their chances of European progress

The return of top-flight football lived up to the billing, and there are plenty of arguments ready to be made after one weekend of action

The Red Devils have taken a huge step forward under the Portuguese despite losing their Premier League opener against Arsenal

The Cityzens' summer signing needed no time to get to grips with his new surroundings with his majestic performance at Molineux

The Reds swept everyone aside last season but still went out and spent a colossal amount of cash on new players this summer

Can the newly-promoted clubs stave off the threat of an immediate return to the Championship? And if they do, who will slip into the bottom three?

GOAL ranks all 20 teams ahead of the start of the new season, with Mikel Arteta's men tipped to fall short for the fourth year in a row

The transfer window has seen plenty of comings and goings across the English top-flight, but which new arrival will have the biggest impact?

Ruben Amorim is putting together a squad capable of competing towards the top of the table, and adding the Cameroonian would be a game-changer

The summer has not gone well for certain managers, while certain high-profile signings are under intense pressure to justify their fees