📝Bio: Soham has been living and breathing football stories for almost a decade, carving his path as a news and SEO writer with an instinct for the big moments. Armed with an MA (Honours) in Sports Journalism from Symbiosis International University, he knew early on that his future wouldn’t be on the pitch but behind the pen, shaping narratives about the game he adores. He joined GOAL in 2017 and has since made his mark covering the Indian Super League, I-League, and the Indian national team. Based in Kolkata, where football is a religion, he grew up watching Bhaichung Bhutia scoring goals for fun in India, before falling head over heels for Real Madrid, a club that now dictates the rhythm of his everyday life.⚽My Football Story: It all began back in 2002. A cricket bat in hand, ready to step out, but then the skies opened up. The rain kept me indoors, and that twist of fate led me to the sofa, beside my father, who had a football match on TV. Little did I know at the time but it was the World Cup final: Brazil vs Germany. Forget the goals – what grabbed my imagination was Ronaldo’s haircut and his iconic celebration. From there, cricket slowly faded and football fever took over. By my teenage years, I was sneaking out of bed at 1am to watch the Champions League - fair to say I was hooked for life.
🎯Areas of Expertise:
Social media-specific content
Premier League, Champions League, European & Indian football coverage
Tactical analysis on the Indian national team
World Cup & European Championship tournaments
🌟Favourite Footballing Memory: The day Mohun Bagan demolished East Bengal 5-3 in the Kolkata Derby, with Chidi Edeh scoring four - a moment when the city turned maroon and green. But nothing beats the spine-tingling sight of Sergio Ramos’ 93rd-minute header in Lisbon, the goal that crowned Real Madrid’s La Decima and etched itself into footballing history.📝My All-Time XI: Iker Casillas; Phillip Lahm, Sergio Ramos, Fabio Cannavaro, Roberto Carlos; Claude Makélélé, Ronaldinho, Zinedine Zidane; Cristiano Ronaldo, Raúl, Lionel Messi.
Former Tottenham and Manchester United defender Sergio Reguilon is in line to reportedly link-up with Lionel Messi as the Spanish star is in shock talks to join Inter Miami as a free agent. The 28-year-old Spaniard, who was released by Tottenham when his contract expired in July, is now exploring a move that would see him become the latest European star to land in Major League Soccer alongside some of the game’s biggest names.
Nottingham Forest have officially lodged a complaint with UEFA following their dramatic 3-2 Europa League home defeat to FC Midtjylland, as the pressure mounts on manager Ange Postecoglou just six games into his reign at the City Ground. Forest chiefs were left incensed by the controversial officiating during Thursday’s European clash, which saw the visitors escape with three points amid a series of questionable decisions from French referee Willy Delajod.
UEFA have been presented with a final proposal for the Super League project that would include dramatic evolution of the current Champions League format. According to Mundo Deportivo, the project has been under tight wraps for the past eight months, with UEFA, Super League backers A22 Sports Management, and key powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid conducting secret negotiations to hammer out a deal that could end football’s civil war.
Jack Wilshere has named a surprise candidate who he thinks will be key to the Premier League title push as the Gunners seek to end a 21-year drought. Not since the fabled ‘Invincibles’ season of 2003/04 has the red half of north London lifted the Premier League trophy. Now, under Mikel Arteta, the Emirates faithful dare to believe again.
Chelsea’s newest teenage sensation, Estevao, has won over club icon John Terry after delivering a dramatic 96th-minute winner to sink Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. The 18-year-old Brazilian, who arrived this summer in a blockbuster £56 million ($71m) deal, came off the bench to score his first-ever Premier League goal in breathtaking fashion, sealing a 2-1 victory and sending the home crowd into absolute delirium.
Jack Grealish couldn’t resist giving himself a cheeky pat on the back after firing home a comical late winner that sealed Everton’s 2-1 triumph over Crystal Palace. After a turbulent final year at Manchester City, Grealish has rediscovered his spark, and his trademark grin, under David Moyes’ revitalised Everton side.
Harry Kane was spotted enjoying the traditional Bavarian Oktoberfest celebrations with wife Kate. Fresh off scoring yet again in Bayern Munich’s 3-0 triumph over Eintracht Frankfurt, the England captain let loose with a stein of beer. The 32-year-old, now in his third season in Germany, fully embraced the tradition, trading his football boots for lederhosen and raising a frothy beer as he joined thousands of revellers in Munich.
Leny Yoro made a surprise flying return to Lille after starring for Manchester United during their win over Sunderland. The 19-year-old defender, who joined United in the summer for a whopping £52 million, jetted across the Channel on Sunday to watch his boyhood club take on Paris Saint-Germain in a blockbuster Ligue 1 clash.
Wayne Rooney has jumped to the defence of under-fire Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou, branding the mounting calls for his sacking "absolutely crazy". The former Manchester United star has urged patience amid growing unrest at the City Ground after a disastrous start to the season. Rooney is no stranger to short-lived managerial spells himself, having been sacked by both Birmingham and Plymouth.
Florian Wirtz's Liverpool team-mates have been blamed for the £116 million ($156m) man's slow start to life at Anfield by Germany legend Rudi Voller. After joining the Reds in June on a long-term contract until at least 2030, Wirtz made a bright debut in the Community Shield, providing an assist against Crystal Palace, though Liverpool eventually lost on penalties. However, things have gone south since then.
Legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon's son Louis, a winger, has made his Serie A debut for Pisa - 30 years after his father made his bow in the league. The 17-year-old, part of Pisa’s squad since 2023, made his first Serie A appearance on Sunday, albeit in a difficult 4-0 defeat against Bologna at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.
Moises Caicedo made his feelings known on comparisons to legendary Chelsea defensive midfielders N'Golo Kante and Claude Makelele after scoring an outrageous goal against Liverpool. His tenacious tackling and ability to dictate the game have drawn inevitable comparisons to two of Chelsea's greatest-ever. But Caicedo is having none of it.
Jamie Gittens has been offered advice by Florent Malouda on how to win over Chelsea fans after making a slow start to life in the Premier League. The £55 million ($75m) winger, brought in from Borussia Dortmund in the summer to electrify Enzo Maresca’s frontline, has found himself under intense scrutiny as he struggles to find his feet in the English top flight. However, Malouda put his weight behind the forward and believes that it is just a matter of time before Gittens gets rolling.
William Saliba explained his decision to sign a new Arsenal contract and snub Real Madrid despite "lacking trophies" with the Gunners. The French defender could have chased the bright lights of Madrid. He could have swapped north London for the glamour of the Santiago Bernabeu. But when Los Blancos came knocking, Arsenal’s defensive powerhouse slammed the door shut; and he has no regrets.
Marcus Rashford is reportedly set for a key new role at Barcelona as Hansi Flick is determined to make a tactical change after defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Sevilla. Once written off and loaned out of Manchester United, the English forward has gone from Premier League exile to Barcelona’s next big hope. After being ditched by Ruben Amorim and sent packing to Aston Villa in January, his career looked in freefall. But fast forward a few months, a new boss and a new sense of purpose have changed everything.
Manchester United legend Roy Keane has named a manager with a "big personality" who would "create havoc" as an ideal replacement for Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese tactician has won a paltry 29 per cent of his Premier League games since taking charge nearly a year ago, and though Sir Jim Ratcliffe insists he’ll be given time, fans aren’t buying it.
Tottenham Hotspur have received a £100 million cash injection from their billionaire owners, the Lewis family, in what the club is calling a “statement of intent”, a clear message that Spurs are going nowhere but up. After months of whispers about potential takeovers, the North London giants have slammed the door shut, promising investment, ambition, and control firmly in the hands of the family that built their empire.
Michael Antonio is reportedly training at a Premier League club after his release from West Ham as the striker bids to battle back from a horror car crash. The 35-year-old Jamaican forward, who just months ago was battling to walk again after a devastating car crash in Epping Forest, has stunned fans by returning to training.
The Glazer family have finally hinted they’d consider selling Manchester United but only for a reported mind-blowing £5.2 billion. That’s more than double the club’s current £2 billion market value, and the clearest signal yet that the Florida-based owners will only budge if a global powerhouse comes knocking on their door with a record-breaking cheque.
Chelsea forward Sam Kerr has received her first Matildas call-up in two years. The talismanic striker has finally earned her long-awaited return to the Australian national squad after overcoming injury heartbreak and surgery. The Blues forward, who tore her ACL during a mid-season training camp in Morocco back in January 2024, has endured a gruelling 20-month road to recovery. But now, the 32-year-old icon has been named in Joe Montemurro’s Australia squad for their October friendlies against Wales and England, her first international call-up since late 2023.