FEATURES

Paris Saint-Germain were by far the best team in Europe last season. Luis Enrique's side stormed to a Ligue 1 and Coupe de France double in France, and swept aside the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal before thrashing Inter in the Champions League final to finally claim the club's first continental crown.

Real Madrid are not, objectively, having that bad of a season. They are within four points of Barcelona atop La Liga - a not insurmountable gap - and are in the Champions League round of 16 despite a tough league-phase slate of fixtures. Yes, they fired a manager in Xabi Alonso and face uncertainty in the dugout, but success is not beyond Los Blancos in 2025-26.

There was less than an hour remaining in the Women’s Super League summer transfer window when the most stunning business of all was completed. Jess Park and Grace Clinton had been stalwarts at Manchester City and Manchester United, respectively, during the previous season. And yet, at the eleventh hour, both were sent to opposite sides of the city, to represent what had been their biggest and bitterest rival.

Lamine Yamal kept his cool to convert a penalty with the last kick of the game to earn Barcelona an undeserved 1-1 draw with Newcastle in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at St. James' Park on Tuesday. The Blaugrana's teenage sensation had, just like the rest of his team-mates, performed poorly on Tyneside and could have had no complaints had another winger, Harvey Barnes, proven the match-winner.

Newcastle were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash with Barcelona on Tuesday. Eddie Howe's side looked on course to record a famous victory when Harvey Barnes gave them the lead in the 86th minute, only for Malick Thiaw to concede a stoppage-time penalty which Lamine Yamal converted with the final kick of the game.

Igor Tudor stated that he is more confident than ever that relegation-threatened Tottenham will remain in the Premier League, but their terrible form in 2026 continued with a 5-2 thrashing by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last-16. It was another night of embarrassing individual errors, combined with a confusing system that handed the Spanish giants all the initiative they needed to put the tie to bed in the first leg.

Liverpool coach Arne Slot claimed that his team were in a much better place as they returned to Istanbul to face Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday - but the Reds looked to have made zero progress at all as they slumped to another 1-0 defeat at RAMS Park that this time puts them at real risk of elimination.

Born in 2008, he is one of the best young players in Europe. The Italian coach is developing his talent, and his playing is enchanting half of Europe.

One month into the MLS season, the early storylines are starting to take shape - from Inter Miami finding form again to growing concerns over James Rodriguez.

GOAL takes a look at which players could feature in March, and which will need to cross their fingers for one more chance at a World Cup spot

Arsenal came out of the 2025 summer transfer window as one of its perceived winners. They didn't go toe-to-toe with reigning Premier League champions Liverpool in terms of bringing in star talent, but they stacked their squad full of enough quality so they wouldn't be hit as hard if they suffered another injury crisis this season. Their 2024-25 campaign was derailed in large part due to a drop in talent beyond their strongest XI.

When Real Madrid were paired with Manchester City in the Champions League last-16, the groans could be heard all the way from Plaza Mayor to Piccadilly Gardens: 'Again?!' The complaints were entirely predictable and, at some level, understandable. By the end of the second leg next Tuesday, the two teams will have faced each other 11 times in the past five seasons, and on 17 occasions since 2012.

This is Legacy, GOAL’s feature and podcast series that counts down to the 2026 World Cup. Each week, we explore the stories and the spirit behind the nations that define the world’s game. This time we look back at one of football’s most emotional journeys: Algeria’s road from Gijon to Porto Alegre. From the heartbreak of 1982 to the pride of 2014, it’s the story of a team that turned injustice into identity, and showed the world that, for Algeria, the dream never dies.

It's been a little over two years since Victor Osimhen revealed that he'd made up his mind on which club to join after Napoli. Just three days later, Partenopei president Aurelio De Laurentiis revealed that the striker would "go to Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain or some Premier League team". Osimhen instead ended up in Istanbul playing for Galatasaray, the biggest team in Turkey but not exactly the destination the Nigeria international had in mind when he announced his intention to leave Naples.

GOAL Exclusive: The American midfielder discusses adversity, gratitude, and why this year’s challenges have prepared him to fight for a World Cup spot.

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.

Some in form teams lost, while one key player regained some much-needed form in another wonderfully unpredictable week of Major League Soccer