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Could this be the England XI that will make "football is coming home" a reality at the 2026 World Cup?

A fan has his say! One sharp football mind delivers a masterclass in selection: A balanced, ruthless lineup built for 2026 dominance. You may not agree with every name, but you can’t ignore the logic.

O’Reilly backed to nail down England role for ‘next decade’

Nico O’Reilly has been tipped to nail down England’s left-back berth for “the next decade”, with Michael Gray explaining to GOAL why the Manchester City star is an “incredible talent”. With the versatile 21-year-old expected to become a mainstay in the Three Lions’ defence over the course of a 10-year period, what does that mean for United full-back Luke Shaw?

'Are you watching, Arsenal?!' - City set up epic title decider

Manchester City's trip to Chelsea on Sunday afternoon came into a more intense spotlight than anticipated after Saturday's set of Premier League results. Table-topping Arsenal surprisingly lost at home to Bournemouth to open the door to Pep Guardiola's side in the title race, while fifth-placed Liverpool avoided another slip-up against Fulham to put pressure on the Blues, who are chasing Champions League qualification.

O'Reilly and Cherki shine as Man City reignite title race

Manchester City are breathing down Arsenal's necks after a dominant second-half display propelled them to a 3-0 win at Chelsea to close the gap on the Gunners and leave the title race in their own hands. Nico O'Reilly broke the deadlock with another crucial header in London just three weeks after his match-winning double in the Carabao Cup final before Marc Guehi and Jeremy Doku struck to clinch the win.

Six England questions Tuchel STILL needs to answer

England's final two games on home soil before the 2026 World Cup were supposed to give Thomas Tuchel's men the perfect send-off for North America. However, instead of being waved off with flowers, the Three Lions left the Wembley pitch to the sound of boos following their 1-0 defeat to Japan on Tuesday, which followed their uninspiring draw against Uruguay four days earlier.

England World Cup squad: Tuchel's most likely 26 players

The 12 games of the Thomas Tuchel era have yielded mixed results and performances from England. They remain one of the best sides in international football, even if they haven't played particularly well for extended stretches since the Sir Gareth Southgate era. That said, they are among the favourites to win the 2026 World Cup for several reasons.

Jude must start for England - but Kane is the key to WC26 glory

It's never easy with the England men's national team. On paper, they should have enough quality, experience and firepower to blow most sides on this planet to smithereens. Then you sit down, watch them and wonder whether they are actually a team of total strangers assembled purely out of spite to mildly annoy the fans who had hoped so much of them. On the basis of their March friendlies, it would be a fair assumption to make.

Wake up, Arsenal! Carabao crash been on the cards for weeks

Manchester City beat Arsenal in the first final of the English football season, with Pep Guardiola schooling former apprentice Mikel Arteta to secure the Carabao Cup at Wembley on Sunday. The contest was decided by two second-half goals from Nico O’Reilly, who twice crept into the Gunners’ box effectively unmarked to score from a pair of almost identical crosses.

'Signing of the season' - Pep hails Man City star after Arsenal win

Pep Guardiola has heaped praise on his Manchester City players after they secured the first silverware of the season with a 2-0 win over Arsenal at Wembley Stadium. The City boss was particularly complimentary of his opponents, describing Mikel Arteta’s side as one of the best teams in world football following a tightly contested Carabao Cup final, and he also praised Nico O'Reilly, who scored both goals in City’s victory over Arsenal.

'Unbelievable feeling' - O'Reilly in dreamland winning Carabao Cup

Manchester City midfielder Nico O'Reilly experienced the ultimate birthday weekend after scoring a brilliant second-half double to secure a 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the 2026 Carabao Cup final. The 21-year-old was in dreamland at Wembley Stadium, heading home two crucial goals to end his team's brief trophy drought and shatter the quadruple hopes of their London rivals.

The O'Reilly final! Local lad delivers Carabao glory to City

Nico O'Reilly etched his name into Manchester City folklore with a stunning double in the space of four minutes to inspire his side to a 2-0 win over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final. Born in Manchester and raised in City's academy, O'Reilly pounced on a sloppy piece of goalkeeping from Kepa Arrizabalaga to give Pep Guardiola's side the edge in a cagey encounter at Wembley on the hour-mark.

Fresh blow for City as key player joins Haaland in suffering injury

Manchester City were dealt a fresh injury blow after their 1-0 at Leeds United in addition to losing Erling Haaland, who missed the trip to Elland Road with a minor knee problem. City's top scorer sustained the injury in Thursday's training session although Pep Guardiola insisted it was "not a big issue". City's injury problems deepened during the match as another key player was forced off.

Unsung O'Reilly becoming a key figure for City & England

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.

Nico O'Reilly Erling Haaland Manchester City 2025-26

‘So complete' - Guardiola in awe of Man City star

Pep Guardiola has showered Manchester City starlet Nico O’Reilly with praise, claiming that the versatile 20-year-old is so complete. The youngster, who had just nine senior career goals to his name prior to facing Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium, bagged a brace in his latest Premier League experience to fire City to within two points of table-topping Arsenal.

O'Reilly brace piles pressure on Arsenal as Haaland sparkles

Nico O'Reilly continued his incredible season by powering Manchester City to a 2-1 win over Newcastle which cut the gap with Arsenal in the Premier League title race to just two points. O'Reilly scored a brilliant opener which was soon cancelled out by Lewis Hall. But City's homegrown midfielder restored his side's advantage with a well-taken header set up by a fine cross from Erling Haaland.

Heartwarming scenes as Stones presents O'Reilly his first England cap

A touching post-match moment inside the Wembley dressing room showed Manchester City star John Stones presenting team-mate Nico O’Reilly with his first England cap, delivering a heartfelt speech in the aftermath of the 20-year-old's dream debut. The exchange came after England’s 2-0 win over Serbia, with cameras capturing O’Reilly’s pride as team-mates applauded the milestone.

Frequently asked questions

: Er kam am 25. November 1981 zur Welt – in Tolosa, im Baskenland. Seine Wurzeln und seine Art, Fußball zu denken, sind eng mit dieser Region verbunden.
: Xabi Alonso hat als Profifußballer eine Weltkarriere hingelegt. Insgesamt 18 nationale und internationale Titel konnte er in seiner Laufbahn als Fußballer gewinnen. Neben zahlreichen Titeln auf Klub-Ebene, wurde Alonso 2010 Weltmeister. 2008 und 2012 gewann er mit dem spanischen Nationalteam zudem die Europameisterschaft. Auch individuell wurde der frühere Mittelfeldmann in seiner Karriere ausgezeichnet, so wurde er 2003 zum Fußballer des Jahres in Spanien gewählt.
: Xabi Alonso startete 1999 bei Real Sociedad, spielte später für Liverpool, Real Madrid und Bayern München – und gewann dabei zahlreiche Titel, darunter zweimal die Champions League. 2017 beendete er seine Karriere.
: Xabi Alonso hat in seiner Karriere bislang insgesamt drei Titel feiern können. In der Saison 2023/24 führte er Bayer Leverkusen zum Double und damit zum Gewinn der deutschen Meisterschaft und des DFB-Pokals. Im Jahr 2024 sicherte sich der Spanier mit den Leverkusenern zudem den Supercup.
: Als Spieler konnte Xabi Alonso in seiner Karriere zweimal die Champions League gewinnen: 2005 mit dem FC Liverpool und 2014 mit Real Madrid. Als Trainer konnte sich Alonso bislang jedoch noch nicht den Henkelpott sichern.
: Xabi Alonso startete seine Trainertätigkeit bei den Junioren von Real Madrid und im Anschluss bei Real Sociedad B in der dritten spanischen Liga. 2022 heuerte Alonso dann bei Bayer Leverkusen an und traf dort unter anderem auf Florian Wirtz, der unter Alonso zu einem Starspieler reifte. Aber auch mit Jeremie Frimpong oder den Routiniers Jonathan Tah und Granit Xhaka haben in Leverkusen unter Alonso namhafte Spieler gespielt. 2025 wechselte Alonso schließlich zu Real Madrid. Der Spanier ist nun für die starbesetzten Madrilenen zuständig. Derzeit trainiert er unter anderem Spieler wie Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham oder Vinicius Junior.
: Man schätzt sein Vermögen auf etwa 20 Millionen Dollar, also gut 18,5 Millionen Euro. Ein Großteil stammt noch aus seiner aktiven Zeit – bei Vereinen wie Liverpool, Real Madrid oder den Bayern. Als Trainer bei Real verdient er inzwischen 6 bis 8 Millionen Euro pro Jahr, heißt es. Prämien kommen wohl noch obendrauf.
: Drei: Jontxu, Ane und Emma. Seine Frau Nagore und die Familie sind ihm wichtig – das merkt man in Interviews und öffentlichen Auftritten immer wieder.
: Seit 2009 ist er mit Nagore Aranburu verheiratet – eine Jugendliebe, die ihn durch alle Stationen begleitet hat.
: Die Auszeichnung Welttrainer des Jahres konnte Xabi Alonso während seiner Trainerlaufbahn bislang noch nicht gewinnen. Im Jahr 2024, nachdem er mit Bayer Leverkusen das Double und den Supercup holte, landete der Spanier allerdings in den Top drei bei der Wahl zum Welttrainer des Jahres. Mit 22 zu 26 Punkten musste er sich bei der Verleihung einzig Carlo Ancelotti geschlagen geben.
: Ja – "La Barba Roja", also der rote Bart. In Spanien wurde dieser Spitzname zum Symbol für seine Aura, seine Ruhe und seinen unverwechselbaren Look auf dem Platz.

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