European Championship U19 Qualification Overview

Real Madrid’s defeat to Bayern Munich has laid bare the club’s less appealing side. The Merengues have reacted like spoilt children, venting frustration at every turn. Their insistence that they were “robbed” in Munich only confirms their status as football’s most unsympathetic outfit, even though it was the record champions who had genuine gripes for long periods of the contest.

Should FC Bayern Munich lift the Champions League trophy, their earnings from the competition could comfortably surpass those of last year’s winners, Paris Saint-Germain.

With the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly presumably disappearing into the rearview mirror, the battle for the Ballon d'Or hasn't felt so open for the best part of 20 years, with countless players now beginning each campaign believing they have a chance of claiming the most prestigious individual prize football has to offer. Ousmane Dembele emerged from a career plagued by injuries and inconsistencies to win the Golden Ball in 2025, and he is among a crowded field of contenders one year on.

Liverpool have confirmed the devastating news that Hugo Ekitike faces nine months on the sidelines after rupturing his Achilles tendon against Paris Saint-Germain. The injury not only ends his club season prematurely but also cruelly rules the forward out of France’s upcoming World Cup campaign.