James Westwood

Before last season, very few casual fans would have been aware of Pafos FC's existence. The Cypriot outfit played in Europe for the first time in their 11-year history, reaching the last 16 of the Conference League, and followed up that impressive run by clinching their maiden league title. The latter achievement earned Pafos a spot in the Champions League qualifying rounds, and helped attract one of the most famous footballers of his generation.

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.

Morocco talisman Brahim Diaz missed a 114th-minute penalty against Senegal in the AFCON final after inexplicably trying a Panenka chip, which was easily saved by opposition goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. The Real Madrid ace blew the chance to win the trophy for his country after the Senegal squad had stormed off in protest against the initial award of the penalty.

Back in the summer of 2023, Victor Osimhen was the most in-demand striker in world football. He'd just spearheaded Napoli's run to their first Scudetto in 33 years, netting 26 goals in 32 games to become the first African player ever to finish as Serie A top scorer, and had pretty much every elite club in Europe knocking on his door. For a 24-year-old with talent and drive, it seemed like the start of something truly special.

Will Manchester United's misery ever end? It's only been 13 years since Sir Alex Ferguson brought the curtain down on his glorious 26-year reign, but it feels so much longer because of the ridiculously long list of false starts and poor decisions the club have made, with Ruben Amorim the latest manager to fail on the brief of bringing back the good times.

A furious Antonio Conte screamed in the face of the fourth official after being sent off in the second half of Napoli's top-of-the-table Serie A clash against Inter at San Siro on Sunday. The Napoli boss kicked a spare ball up the pitch in anger after seeing his side concede a late penalty, and was then shown a red card, but that only exacerbated his foul mood, with club officials eventually intervening to usher him down the tunnel. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, with Scott McTominay grabbing both goals for the visitors.

Vinicius Junior scored an amazing solo goal for Real Madrid in their Supercopa de Espana final clash with Barcelona, snapping a long barren spell in the process. The Brazilian winger had not scored since October 10 heading into the Saudi showpiece, but showed he still has the magic in his boots with a wonderful run and finish against Real's arch-rivals. It wasn't enough to give his team the edge heading in at the break, though, as the Spanish giants shared four goals between them in a crazy first 45 minutes.

"I think he’s going to lift people off their seats," Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada said of Matheus Cunha during a summer interview with United We Stand and The Athletic. "He’s got a bit of a swagger about him that people are going to really like. Dare I say, [Eric] Cantona-esque." Talk about setting sky-high expectations!

In an interview with The Business podcast released on October 9, Manchester United part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe vowed that Ruben Amorim would get "three years to demonstrate he is a great coach", while stressing the need for patience in the club's "long-term plan". Yet here we are, barely three months later, and Amorim has been unceremoniously kicked out of Old Trafford, with United having communicated their belief that "it is the right time to make a change" in order to "give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish".

Hertha Berlin fans haven't had much to cheer about in recent years. Their decade-long stay in the Bundesliga ended after the team slumped to an 18th-placed finish in the 2022-23 season, just four years on from Lars Windhorst's €224 million minority takeover that came with the billionaire's promise to build a "true ‘big-city club’, like those in London or Madrid."

Premier League clubs splashed out £3 billion ($4bn) on transfers in a record-breaking summer window, more than those in the Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A combined, with Liverpool accounting for £415m ($561m) of that eye-watering amount on the back of their 2024-25 title success under Arne Slot. Mega-money was also spent by the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham, with Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Fulham the only three clubs to invest less than £50m ($67m) in strengthening their respective squads.

The January transfer window is fast approaching, and clubs will once again be scrambling to strengthen for the second half of the season. In the 2025 winter market, £1.2 billion ($1.4bn) was spent across Europe's top leagues and the English Championship, the highest mark in seven years, with Manchester City accounting for £191 million ($256m) of that amount alone.

With the halfway stage of the season upon us, the time has come to shine a spotlight on the players who have made the biggest impact across Europe's major leagues. But first, let's run through the lay of the land.

Manchester United are a better footballing side under Ruben Amorim, that is undeniable. They move the ball far quicker and with a purpose that was largely lacking under the Portuguese manager's bumbling predecessor Erik ten Hag, whose poor decision-making set the club back years. Fans are getting proper entertainment in exchange for their money and time again, which means Amorim has hit the minimum requirement 13 months into his reign.

After a 1-1 draw against a 10-man Sunderland side at the Stadium of Light on September 21, Aston Villa were languishing in the relegation zone and questions were being asked over Unai Emery's position as manager. The Villans finished fourth and sixth, respectively, in Emery's first two full seasons at the helm, but were winless after the opening five games of the 2025-26 campaign with only one goal on their record.

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 2019-20 season was one of pure jubilation for Leeds United as Marcelo Bielsa's side ended the club's 16-year exile from the Premier League in style, storming to the Championship title by 10 points ahead of second-placed West Brom. Leeds earned widespread praise for their free-flowing brand of football along the way, with key players such as Patrick Bamford, Ben White, Kalvin Phillips and Stuart Dallas all becoming modern-day icons in the eyes of supporters.

Everything was looking rosy for Xabi Alonso after a thumping 4-0 home win over Valencia on November 1, which was Real Madrid's 13th victory out of 14 games across all competitions in the first few months of the season. Los Blancos were top of La Liga by five points ahead of Clasico rivals Barcelona, who they beat 2-1 at the Bernabeu seven days earlier, and they'd racked up nine points out of a possible nine in the Champions League, with Juventus among their victims.