Lists

Hansi Flick admits his Barcelona team are lacking in the confidence required to challenge for all titles this season, but remains convinced “everything will be fine” as key players - Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Joan Garcia, and Raphinha - are nearing returns from various injuries. With nine games coming up in the next four weeks, the revival of his squad could not come at a better time.

Andreas Schjelderup has avoided prison time after sharing an explicit video, meaning that he will come into contention for selection by Norway in their 2026 World Cup squad. Schjelderup was, after appearing in court, handed a 14-day suspended sentence. Prosecutors in the case had been calling for an international colleague of Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard to face at least 20 days behind bars without parole.

Manchester United are tracking the progress of Elliot Anderson, as they weigh up a move for Nottingham Forest's £100m-rated midfielder in the summer. The Red Devils are unlikely to push for a deal in January, as they look to replace Casemiro, who is out of contract at the end of the season. The 23-year-old has also been linked with his former club Newcastle and reigning champions Liverpool.

Napoli have been plunged into turmoil after club president Aurelio De Laurentiis was officially indicted on charges of false accounting tied to the high-profile transfers of Victor Osimhen and Kostas Manolas. With prosecutors alleging inflated valuations, leaked testimonies revealing pressure behind the deals, and a full trial set for 2026, the crisis now raises serious questions about the club’s future on and off the pitch.

Turkey is facing one of the most explosive scandals in its footballing history, with more than 1,000 players, 149 referees and even a top-flight club chairman suspended amid a sweeping illegal betting investigation. What began as an audit has spiralled into a multi-layered crackdown touching coaches, commentators, club executives and foreign betting networks while exposing a deeper crisis in Turkish football and society.

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has revealed how close Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk came to leaving Anfield as free agents in the summer of 2025. Two talismanic figures on Merseyside entered the final year of their respective contracts before eventually agreeing fresh terms. The Reds were prepared to walk away from discussions there if the numbers did not make sense.

Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal has declared his ambition to win "everything," including the World Cup, Champions League, and Ballon d'Or, after receiving the Di Stéfano Award for the best player of the 2024-25 season by Marca. The 18-year-old star, who recently returned to partial training after a pubalgia issue, also expressed his excitement for Barcelona's historic return to Camp Nou against Athletic Club.

Sonia Bompastor has claimed the eight-minute delay caused by a technical fault during Chelsea's 1-1 draw against Barcelona was "not good enough". The French manager fumed during her post-match press conference, claiming the problem caused her side to lose momentum, and that she believed the VAR was not used to rule out Catarina Macario's disallowed winner.

It is not just professional football that Harry Kane is dedicated to, with the Bayern Munich striker "braving the cold" in order to "get 18 holes in" during a winter round of golf. The England captain can often be found on the fairways and is not ready to put his clubs away just yet, despite freezing weather descending on Europe. He is wrapping up against testing conditions.

Barcelona's famed La Masia academy has long been the envy of every other top club in Europe, and for good reason. It has forged dozens of legends over the last 46 years, from Pep Guardiola and Albert Ferrer, to Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and a certain Lionel Messi. Every generation produces multiple superstars, with Lamine Yamal leading the current crop after bursting onto the scene as a 15-year-old.

Birmingham City have been outlining their exciting vision for the future of the club, and that could include bringing home-grown superstar Jude Bellingham back to his roots. England international Bellingham left his boyhood team in 2020 when joining Borussia Dortmund, and is now on the books of Real Madrid. He could retrace steps to the West Midlands at some stage.

Regis Le Bris has responded to mounting speculation linking Sunderland with the signing of Marseille's Matteo Guendouzi. While the Black Cats boss did not commit to an approach for the ex-Arsenal midfielder in the January transfer window, he spoke positively of their relationship. Le Bris was managing Lorient's B team as Guendouzi was coming through the ranks at the French club.

After the October international break, Arne Slot conceded that there could be no more excuses as far as Alexander Isak was concerned. "Fitness-wise, he is close to the level he should be," the Dutch coach acknowledged ahead of Liverpool's meeting with Manchester United at Anfield, "and we can judge him in a fair way from now on." Just three weeks later, though, Slot was back pleading for patience with the most expensive player in British football history.

It would have been easy to miss amid all of the excitement generated during arguably the most dramatic international break of all time - but some very big transfer news broke earlier this week. According to the very reliable David Ornstein, Antoine Semenyo has a £65 million ($85m) release clause in his Bournemouth contract that can be triggered during the first two weeks of the winter window.

Following his mid-season arrival at Manchester City, Nico Gonzalez went through the strange experience of being hailed as an oven-ready replacement for Rodri during his first week at the Etihad Stadium, only to then be ignored by Pep Guardiola during the most important stretch of the campaign. Any fears, however, that he would become an expensive flop have since disappeared, with Gonzalez having stepped back in to anchor City's resurgence as they emerge as Arsenal’s main rivals in the Premier League title race.

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is reportedly in line to make a "superhero" return to action in the north London derby. The Norwegian midfielder has sat out the Gunners' last seven games through injury, having endured a disrupted start to the 2025-26 campaign. He is, however, poised to hand manager Mikel Arteta a timely boost ahead of a home date with Tottenham.

The U.S. Women’s National Team will open 2026 with its annual January training camp in Southern California, holding sessions at Dignity Health Sports Park from Jan. 17–27. The camp will include a friendly against Paraguay on Jan. 24, featuring a special retirement celebration for Los Angeles native Christen Press, before a second match on Jan. 27 that will be announced at a later date.

Trinity Rodman has received a contract offer from DC Power of the Gainbridge Super League that reportedly exceeds what the Washington Spirit or the NWSL can match. The U.S. forward’s contract with the Spirit expires next month, and negotiations over an extension have stalled. NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman has stressed her league will fight to keep the American star.

Sweden boss Graham Potter shared an update on Dejan Kulusevski's injury as the Tottenham star continues a lengthy recovery. The 25-year-old has not played a minute under new Spurs manager Thomas Frank after suffering a right patella injury in May during a Premier League match against Crystal Palace. It was a blow that ruled him out of Tottenham’s Europa League final triumph over Manchester United.

The Western Conference semifinal presents an all too rare opportunity for two world class talents to face off in a single elimination game in MLS.

Callum Wilson insisted that he can force his way into Thomas Tuchel's England squad despite not playing for the Three Lions since 2023. At 33, many would assume his international career has ended. But Wilson has never been one to accept the limitations and has that same self-confidence that took him to the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, despite widespread scepticism at the time.

Thierry Henry has anointed the side most likely to challenge Arsenal for this season's Premier League title. Mikel Arteta's men have finished second for three seasons in a row but this term, they look ready to finish at the top of the pile. But the Gunners legend says there is one rival you "don't want on your shoulder".

Chelsea restored some of the pride they lost in their Champions League thumping at the hands of Barcelona last season with a creditable 1-1 draw with the Spanish giants. After a chastening 8-2 semi-final aggregate loss to Barca, the Blues had a point to prove and were on track to do that with Ellie Carpenter's piledriver. But Ewa Pajor's strike ensured the spoils were shared on Thursday.

Robinson spoke to GOAL about his USMNT comeback, his life in Cincinnati, and the bigger questions shaping the way he sees the world.

With everything on the line, here's how Gotham FC can top the Spirit for the 2025 NWSL Championship.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has declared that the weight of expectation lies firmly on Italy’s shoulders as his young side prepare for a daunting 2026 World Cup play-off semi-final away to the four-time champions. The March showdown in Italy on 26 March will mark the first step on what could be a remarkable path back to football’s grandest stage for both nations. Should Northern Ireland conjure an upset, they will face either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina five days later in a decisive, winner-takes-all play-off final for a coveted ticket to North America.

Sadio Mane says he rejected a move to Manchester United a year before signing for Liverpool. When the forward was impressing at Southampton, the Red Devils were keen on signing the Senegal international. But Mane has revealed he was "not convinced" by then-manager Louis van Gaal's assertion that he would be a first-team regular.

MLS has unveiled its 2026 regular-season schedule, which opens Feb. 21 with St. Louis CITY SC hosting Charlotte FC and later features Inter Miami’s debut at Miami Freedom Park on April 4. The league will pause from late May to mid-July for the FIFA World Cup before returning with marquee rivalry matches. Opening Day will feature a full slate of 15 matches over the MLS is Back Weekend.

Referees' chief Howard Webb has denied that a former staff member lost her role as an international football official because she complained a coach "manhandled" her. Lisa Benn alleges she was threatened and grabbed by an assistant referee coach and unfairly lost her post on FIFA's international officials list because the 34-year-old submitted her grievance.