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The esteemed Golden Ball has been elusive to so many great footballers down the years, but who deserved it the most?

"Off the pitch I'm a calm guy that just wants to have fun and enjoy my life," Erling Haaland told Time Magazine in July. "On the pitch I want to attack like a Viking." The Manchester City striker's love for the Scandinavian seafaring conquerors is well known. He dressed up as a Viking at a Halloween party just a few months after joining City. And while speaking to the prestigious American current affairs magazine, he zeroed in on his fascination with them.

At 38, Lionel Messi can still learn new tricks. In a rare flash of direct play, the Argentine’s two goals and clever assist set the tone in a 3-1 win over a stubborn D.C. United on Saturday night, giving Inter Miami their first winning streak in MLS since July. Still, it wasn’t straightforward, with Christian Benteke making things interesting in the second half.

Manchester United finally beat a top-level opponent under Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford as they secured a 2-1 win over Chelsea, courtesy of goals from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro. And yet the Portuguese coach should still face hard questions after his side made life hard for themselves despite taking a 2-0 lead against 10 men, following Robert Sanchez's early red card.

Chelsea couldn't recover from their goalkeeper's costly early red card as they suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season. The Blues shipped two goals after the Spaniard was dismissed, courtesy of Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, who was also sent off, and despite Trevoh Chalobah scoring late on, they succumbed to a 2-1 loss, with Cole Palmer having gone off injured.

Real Madrid made light work of Espanyol as they claimed a 2-0 win to maintain their perfect start to the Liga season. Eder Militao and in-form Kylian Mbappe delivered the goals for the hosts, and the result, if only temporarily, moves Xabi Alonso's men five points clear of title rivals Barcelona at the top of the table.

Liverpool's £125 million recruit was outshone by his fellow forward as the Reds claimed a 2-1 win over Everton in the Merseyside derby. Alexander Isak had to make do with a spot on the bench and, for the time being, he may have to play second fiddle to the on-fire Hugo Ekitike, who found the back of the net once again.

On Monday, the winner of the 2025 Ballon d'Or Feminin will be crowned in Paris. The last four editions of the prestigious accolade have gone to players representing Spain, with both Alexia Putellas and then Aitana Bonmati claiming back-to-back triumphs. It's possible that a member of La Roja comes out on top this time around as well, with Mariona Caldentey a front-runner alongside those two. But muscling in among them is someone who has helped break all of their hearts this year: Alessia Russo.

The mercurial midfielder has no obvious role in the manager's system, and the Spaniard faces a challenge working him into his XI

Manchester City made it back-to-back WSL wins with an impressive 5-1 victory over in-form Tottenham at Brisbane Road on Friday evening. Goals from Aoba Fujino, Vivianne Miedema, Kerstin Casparij and Laura Coombs saw Andree Jeglertz’s side build on their win over Brighton on a night which was capped off by midfielder Grace Clinton also scoring on her debut for the club.

Sunday's matchup between the two USMNT players paints a portrait of Tillman's rise, Reyna's fall under Mauricio Pochettino

GOAL looks at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad, including Weah in Le Classique after historic UCL goal

GOAL US writers discuss the Champions League, which featured high-profile matches and last-second heroics

Palmeiras appear to have produced another prodigiously talented teenager. In the past three years alone, the Brazilians have sold four gifted academy graduates to European sides: Endrick, Luis Guilherme, Vitor Reis and Willian Estevao. Luiz Benedetti is almost certain to become the fifth.

Before Sir Jim Ratcliffe invested in Manchester United, he tried to buy Chelsea. Although he grew up on a council estate in Failsworth in north Manchester and attended games at Old Trafford with his father as a child, Ratcliife took a liking to Chelsea as an adult while living and working in affluent west London.

There are obviously two ways of looking at Liverpool's 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid at Anfield on Wednesday evening. On the plus side, they scored another late winner. On the negative side, they needed another late winner.

Newcastle United promised so much on their return to the Champions League but Marcus Rashford's moments of magic secured Barcelona a hard-fought 2-1 win. Eddie Howe's team got their tactics spot on for the majority of the contest but the Catalan outfit had that extra bit of quality, despite Anthony Gordon's late consolation strike.

The South Korea captain has brought attacking quality to LAFC, as well as a willingness to be a face for the league

Marcus Rashford has belatedly arrived at Barcelona - and all it took was a return to England to spark the Manchester United misfit into life, with the forward netting a breathtaking brace in the Blaugrana's 2-1 win over Newcastle at St. James' Park.

Manchester City opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win over 10-man Napoli on Thursday. Despite dominating the ball in the early stages, the visitors quickly became content to sit in a low block, soaking up City pressure before looking to hit on the counter. After a long range effort from Tijani Reijnders stung the gloves of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Gianluigi Donnarumma was called into action to stop a Sam Beukema header from a Napoli corner.

Elisabeth Terland was at her clinical best on Thursday night to fire Manchester United into the Women's Champions League proper for the first time, her hat-trick haunting former side Brann and giving the Red Devils a 3-0 win which rendered last week's 1-0 loss in Bergen meaningless.

When it was revealed that Leah Williamson would miss the start of the new Women's Super League season, most assumed Lotte Wubben-Moy or Laia Codina would take her place in the heart of Arsenal's defence. Wubben-Moy came into the campaign fresh off the back of a new contract and a role in England's Euro 2025 triumph, while Codina's status as a key starter in Spain's World Cup win in 2023 tells you the level she can reach. And yet, both have been usurped by 18-year-old Katie Reid.

Barcelona's first stop on the long road to European glory takes them to Newcastle, where they will come up against a formidable opponent and equally formidable atmosphere at St James' Park without the talismanic Lamine Yamal. The injured 18-year-old has been ruled out, having found himself at the centre of a feud between club and country, but loanee Marcus Rashford will be determined to make an impact in his absence.

Mic'd Up: Holden discussed Reyna's move to Gladbach, Pochettino's evolving tactics and nation set to be 'consumed by the World Cup'

Chelsea endured a disappointing return to the Champions League as they succumbed to a Harry Kane double in a 3-1 loss at Bayern Munich on Wednesday evening. The Blues - competing in Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since 2022-23 - played well for large spells but they could not build on Cole Palmer’s brilliant first-half strike as the German champions emerged victorious at the Allianz Arena.

Liverpool have only gone and done it again! For the fifth game in a row, the relentless Reds managed to win a game that appeared destined to end in a draw by netting a late winner. This time, captain Virgil van Dijk was Liverpool's hero, heading home a 92nd-minute corner from Dominik Szoboszlai to earn his side a 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid at Anfield.

Bayern Munich beat Chelsea 3-1 in a breathless, end-to-end Champions League thriller on Wednesday evening. The Bavarians, against the run of play, had the lead after 20 minutes. Michael Olise fronted up Joao Pedro in his own box and beat him with his rapid feet before crossing into the six-yard box, where Trevoh Chalobah inadvertently turned the ball into his own goal.

GOAL Convo: Robles on MLS NEXT rule changes, including three-period games, meant to American soccer forward

Weah has been inconsistent under Mauricio Pochettino, but the move to Marseille meant to create opportunities