FEATURES

The competitive fixture set for December is immensely controversial in Europe, but the view in the U.S. is one of inevitability

Romario moved around the penalty area with the stealthy gait and sly gaze of a panther, ready to suddenly accelerate as soon as the ball came his way, to disorient the opposing defenders with a couple of feints, to pounce on the ball, which inevitably ended up at his feet, as if magnetised, and finish with an unstoppable shot of pure technique or power, or alternatively serve up a perfect assist for one of his team-mates. He was a Hall of Fame striker if ever there was one.

Eintracht Frankfurt have earned a sterling reputation for developing players from the promising bracket to top-class and selling them on for significant profit in recent years, particularly in attacking positions. The German club made around €208 million (£181m/$242m) by transferring Luka Jovic, Sebastien Haller and Randal Kolo Muani to AC Milan, West Ham and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively, and boosted that total by another €170m (£148/$198) last season when two more talismanic performers caught the eye of Europe's elite.

Arsenal will host Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, with Mikel Arteta's side facing an early test of their European credentials. The Gunners have already seen off Athletic Club and Olympiacos this season, but the visit of Diego Simeone and his troops will be their sternest challenge yet, particularly with the Spanish giants clicking into gear after a slow beginning to the season.

Manchester City's Champions League visit to Villarreal should have been a triumphant homecoming for Rodri, a return to the club that made him. But the midfielder will get no warm welcome back from his former fans at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Tuesday as he instead recovers from a hamstring injury that has raised further doubts over his ability to get back to his best a year after undergoing knee surgery.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in MLS, including Robinson helping Cincinnati secure a strong playoff seed

Mic'd Up: The outspoken analyst lauded Pochettino's approach, but says international game has been a 'rude awakening' for U.S. coach

GOAL looks at the tiers of teams in the 2025 MLS playoffs, asking who might win it all and who is just happy to be here?

With the World Cup less than a year away, GOAL ranks the strikers competing to make Mauricio Pochettino's squad

GOAL US unpacks the main storylines from the international break and World Cup qualifying in The Euro XI

To paraphrase the great Homer Simpson, it is not only easy to criticise, but fun, too. It is quite simple to sit and judge from this ivory tower, but hey, that's football after all, merely a game of opinions. Being a Premier League manager must be one of the loneliest gigs in the world, particularly when results are wayward and your job security is the subject of international speculation.

GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave the comforts of the United Kingdom 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.

With the October international break now in the rearview mirror, club football returned in style over the weekend, with some huge clashes headlining Europe's biggest leagues. Manchester United plunged great rivals Liverpool into even deeper crisis in the Premier League, Bayern Munich got the better of Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker while there were changes of leader in both Serie A and Ligue 1.

The last time Manchester United won at Anfield, Great Britain was still in the European Union, Donald Trump was best known as the presenter of The Apprentice and Leicester City were top of the Premier League. Marcus Rashford had not yet played a first-team game, Arne Slot had not yet entered management and Ruben Amorim was seeing out his playing career in Qatar.

Kylian Mbappe found the back of the net again and super-sub Vinicius Junior baited two red cards as Real Madrid beat Getafe 1-0 on Sunday night. Los Blancos were dragged into a rather ugly contest, but the Frenchman's second-half goal saw them get the job done and go two points clear of arch-rivals Barcelona at the La Liga summit ahead of next week's Clasico.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including yet another goal from the Monaco striker

Manchester United secured a stunning victory an Anfield to condemn Liverpool to an unbelievable fourth consecutive defeat as the visitors won a pulsating derby 2-1. There was controversy just seconds into the match after Bryan Mbeumo fired the visitors in front, despite a head injury to Alexis Mac Allister in the build-up. Cody Gakpo equalised for Arne Slot’s side, but Harry Maguire’s header in the 84th minute sealed a memorable win for United.

Harry Maguire ended Manchester United's long, long wait to win away at Liverpool as he snatched a 2-1 victory which could kickstart the Ruben Amorim era at last. Maguire headed home Bruno Fernandes' swerving cross in the 85th minute to restore United's advantage shortly after Cody Gakpo had cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo's quick-fire opener.

MLS Decision Day lived up to expectations as teams learned their playoff fates and Messi sent a warning with a hat-trick

Lionel Messi closed the regular season in style, solidifying his grip on the Golden Boot with 29 goals - not that there was ever much doubt. Still, the Inter Miami star wasn’t content to coast. In what might have been his best performance of 2025, Messi put Nashville to the sword in a 5-2 win, sending a clear message to the rest of MLS ahead of the playoffs: look out.

Arsenal kept up the pressure on their Premier League title rivals with a hard fought 1-0 win at Fulham courtesy of Leandro Trossard's second-half goal. The Gunners never looked like dropping points and relied on their prowess from set-pieces to get the job done, with Bukayo Saka, who caused the hosts all sorts of problems during the 90 minutes, creating the winning goal with a delicious corner.

Lamine Yamal marked his return with an assist as substitute Ronald Araujo rescued a late winner for Barcelona against Girona, sparing a wasteful Marcus Rashford's blushes in the process. In a frantic end to the game, that Barca won at the death 2-1, head coach Hansi Flick was sent off - a costly red card that means he'll be forced to watch next week's Clasico from the stands.

Erling Haaland continued his incredible goalscoring form as Manchester City claimed a 2-0 victory over Everton on Saturday afternoon. The in-form striker netted a second-half brace as Pep Guardiola’s side closed the gap on title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool and stretched their unbeaten run to eight games in all competitions at the Etihad Stadium.

Nottingham Forest's surge towards the Premier League's top four was the most inspiring story of the 2024-25 campaign, and though a late collapse ultimately led to Nuno Espirito Santo's side finishing seventh, it was still the club's best top-flight performance in 30 years. The party mood at the City Ground was reignited three months later too, as Forest were promoted from the Conference League to the Europa League after Crystal Palace were controversially punished for breaching UEFA's multi-club ownership rules.

Chelsea made it back-to-back Premier League victories with a 3-0 win over troubled Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon. Second-half goals from Josh Acheampong, Pedro Neto and captain Reece James saw the Blues build on their last-gasp triumph over Liverpool and heap more misery on under-fire Forest manager Ange Postecoglou at the City Ground.

A £60 million-plus Manchester United signing from Brazil would normally be guaranteed a place in the starting line-up in the biggest game of the season at Liverpool. And yet Matheus Cunha is most likely to spend the first part of Sunday’s visit to Anfield in the Premier League warming the bench due to the renaissance of another £60m man in Mason Mount.

Mic'd Up: The ESPN analyst says La Liga match in Miami will benefit a U.S. soccer fan base that is more passionate than some believe

MLS Decision Day rarely lacks drama, and this year two young USMNT players will fight to keep their seasons alive

GOAL looks at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad, including a Premier League matchup of USMNT stars