📝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.
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.
Bukayo Saka is "starting to feel good again" after continuing his injury comeback on the international stage with an England goal. The Arsenal superstar sent Wembley into raptures with a thunderous strike as the Three Lions swept aside Wales 3-0 in a commanding friendly victory that had redemption written all over it.
William Saliba revealed how he's already "taken revenge" against Enzo Fernandez for the World Cup defeat with Arsenal. The French defender, now a pillar at both Arsenal and for Didier Deschamps’ national side, says France aren’t intimidated by anyone, not even Lionel Messi’s world champions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Manchester United are reportedly set to offer Harry Maguire a new £140k-a-week contract amid a surge in interest from Saudi Pro League clubs. Old Trafford chiefs are in advanced talks to keep the 32-year-old centre-back beyond this season, with his current deal set to expire in just eight months. Despite whispers of an Arabian raid, United’s hierarchy has begun formal discussions with Maguire’s representatives about extending his stay.
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.
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.
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.
Thomas Tuchel has surprisingly called a Manchester United wonderkid into England training despite the 18-year-old still waiting for his senior club debut. Shea Lacey has been making waves for United’s under-21s, and was given the chance to train with England’s first team following a series of standout performances.
Mason Greenwood snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo for another former Manchester United team-mate when naming the best player he's worked with and chose Lionel Messi in the GOAT debate. While Greenwood briefly played alongside Ronaldo during the Portuguese striker's ill-fated second stint at Old Trafford, tensions reportedly ran high between the two as they struggled to build a successful playing relationship.
Harry Kane has reportedly missed training ahead of England's friendly clash with Wales as he struggles with an ankle injury. The Three Lions captain picked up the knock during Bayern Munich’s 3-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend. Now his participation against Wales has been thrown into uncertainty.
Bayern Munich have reportedly decided to take a risk on Harry Kane's contract extension amid intensifying Premier League and MLS transfer links. Kane, who joined Bayern from Tottenham in 2023, has a €65 million (£57m/$75m) release clause embedded in his contract that would allow him to leave the German club next summer. Kane has until the end of the January transfer window to trigger that option if another club comes in with an offer.
Steven Gerrard has labelled himself and his former England team-mates "egotistical losers", with the Liverpool legend making his feelings known on Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher's bubbling friendship post-retirement. The former Liverpool midfielder, now 45, didn’t hold back as he opened up about the toxic culture that plagued England’s dressing room during the 2000s, and why rivalries with Manchester United and Chelsea ruined their chances of glory.
Jordan Henderson's Brentford transfer has reportedly caused behind-the-scenes trouble at Ajax, with the players disrupted by his exit. After his brief and turbulent stint in Saudi Arabia, Henderson had looked to rebuild his career in the Netherlands. Though his early days at Ajax were rocky, the England international eventually found his footing, becoming a consistent figure in the team’s midfield and a respected voice in the dressing room.
A "nervous" Cristiano Ronaldo has confessed to using AI to craft his speech at the Portugal Football Globes gala after receiving a "special" honour. After a record-breaking career taking him from Sporting CP to Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and now Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, the 40-year-old has rarely been caught off guard. But this time, he needed a little extra help.
Cristiano Ronaldo has risked an Al-Nassr backlash by admitting he would only play for Portugal if he could. Ronaldo is showing no signs of slowing down despite being at the tail-end of his career at the age of 40. But in a candid interview, the iconic forward expressed a deep passion for representing his country above all else.
Trent Alexander-Arnold's girlfriend Estelle Behnke shared a loved-up snap with the "amazing" Real Madrid star to mark his 27th birthday. The German model, who commands an Instagram following of over 155,000, took to her stories to share a dreamy photo of herself locking lips with Alexander-Arnold against a tranquil waterside backdrop.