Lists

James Trafford found himself in the bizarre situation where he was both bought and replaced by Manchester City during the same transfer window this past summer, starting the 2025-26 season as the main man between the sticks but promptly dropped. Pep Guardiola is still an admirer, though, ultimately tipping the goalkeeper for a big role with England in the future.

Karim Benzema starred with a goal as reigning champions Al-Ittihad reached the quarter-final of the Saudi King's Cup of Champions after edging out Pro League leaders Al-Nassr 2-1 on Tuesday. Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Joao Felix had a night to forget as they failed to deliver in front of the goal despite dominating proceedings for the majority of the game with an extra player on the pitch.

Former Manchester United and Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov has relived a frightening ordeal from the very early days of his career back home in Bulgaria, when he believed he was being kidnapped by a rival club and might be threatened with violence if he refused to join them. The situation was eventually resolved without that happening, but it made him realise he needed to grow up fast.

GOAL looks inside the numbers, tactics and trends for key U.S. internationals in Europe early in the season

Former Manchester City star Kyle Walker's wife Annie Kilner is set for a court trial after she was caught speeding in a luxury car worth £100,000, only months after being penalised for holding her phone while behind the wheel. Kilner's trial is scheduled to take place in March 2026, and if found guilty of the charges, she could be banned from driving.

Saudi Arabia's efforts to make waves in the sporting world look set to continue when the wealthy Gulf nation hosts the 2034 World Cup. But a football stadium 350 metres off the ground seems ambitious even for them following the viral emergence of concept designs for a brand new venue dubbed the NEOM Stadium. A list of 15 host stadia complete with concept art was first revealed in the summer of 2024.

Moultie's brace in a 3-1 victory over Portugal showed just how potent the still just 20-year-old can be for the USWNT

Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Manchester City outcast Kalvin Phillips won't feature in his starting lineup for their upcoming Carabao Cup clash against Swansea City, despite the midfielder returning to action in the same competition against Huddersfield Town in September. Phillips is hoping to get more game time after featuring for just seven minutes for the Cityzens in the 2025-26 campaign.

Bayern Munich have joined Barcelona in the race to sign Hoffenheim striker Fisnik Asllani, one of the Bundesliga’s breakout stars this season. The 23-year-old’s rise has attracted widespread interest across Europe, with both Bayern and Barca viewing him as a long-term successor to their current No.9s, Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski.

Brenden Aaronson’s strong run of form reached new heights with a goal in Leeds United’s 2-1 victory over West Ham, earning plaudits from USMNT legend Alexi Lalas. The FOX Sports analyst praised Aaronson’s steady improvement and work ethic, saying the midfielder has played his way back into U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino’s plans.

Neymar and Eduardo Camavinga both teased Vinicius Junior in the comments of his Instagram post featuring his girlfriend Virginia Fonseca. The Real Madrid winger posed with his partner while hugging her from behind in a decorated room with teddy bears, balloons and rose petals. His team-mates left cheeky remarks on the social media upload, which was also liked by Brazilian Ronaldo and Erling Haaland.

NWSL sides San Diego Wave and Kansas City Current will join the World Sevens Football tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in December, the organization announced. The two clubs join an Americas-focused iteration of the tournament, which now has seven teams committed to play. The debut edition of the tournament featured entirely European clubs.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's return to fitness could not have come at a more important time for Real Madrid, following the loss of Dani Carvajal to injury. It comes just a week before Los Blancos are due to face Liverpool in the Champions League at Anfield, only five months after Alexander-Arnold decided to end a 20-year association with his boyhood team.

It's been a drama-filled week for MLS, with playoff madness, coaching changes and debate over MVP and other league awards

The USWNT reversed fortunes with a win over Portugal, and now look to close out the October window with momentum

Luciano Spalletti has addressed speculation linking him to the vacant Juventus managerial position following the sacking of Igor Tudor. Speaking at a public event in Milan, the former Italy and Napoli boss offered a cheeky but respectful response, praising Tudor’s work and admitting that “whoever replaces him will be lucky” to inherit a team ready to compete.

Marcus Rashford has been accused of lacking accountability for the problems he and Manchester United faced last season. The forward fell out of favour under Ruben Amorim as results fell off a cliff, failing to apply himself in training according to the head coach, but has since joined Barcelona on loan and is enjoying his best run of form in more than 18 months.

Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Liam Delap has recovered from his injury and could be in Chelsea's matchday squad for their Carabao Cup fixture against Wolves on Wednesday. The Blues boss also jokingly expressed doubt over whether the English striker could take long throw-ins like his father and former Premier League star, Rory.

Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany heaped praise on Lennart Karl on Tuesday, explaining his diminutive stature makes it difficult for defenders to get close to him. Kompany also acknowledged Karl's "relaxed attitude" as one of the keys to his dramatic rise. The 17-year-old has made 10 appearances for the Bavarian giants this season and has scored in back-to-back games, setting up a few records.

Zenit St. Petersburg star Andrei Mostovoy narrowly escaped an attempted kidnapping after a group of men tried to drag him into a van as he left a grocery store. The 27-year-old managed to fight off his attackers with the help of a friend before authorities later discovered the same group had successfully abducted another man for ransom.

The reasons behind Gary Lineker leaving Baller League UK have been revealed, with the ex-England international and Match of the Day host absent in the dugout as the new season got underway on Monday night. Lineker's team, Deportrio, finished first in the league standings in the inaugural campaign before being eliminated in the last four stage of the final tournament.

Rio Ferdinand has launched a scathing attack on Manchester United for allowing homegrown striker Danny Welbeck to leave Old Trafford for Arsenal back in 2014, branding the decision “an absolute balls-up”. The former United captain, who shared the dressing room with Welbeck for several seasons, believes the club made a huge mistake by sanctioning the £16 million ($21m) transfer, a move he insists never should have been allowed to happen.

Juventus legends Gianluigi Buffon and Fabio Capello have been vocal in their endorsements of Luciano Spalletti to take over as head coach following the sacking of Igor Tudor. The ex-Italy and Napoli coach is reportedly in talks to with the Serie A side, who are in a desperate scramble to salvage their season amid the eight-game winless run that resulted in the Croatian's dismissal.

Former Barcelona and Brazil star Dani Alves has surprised fans by appearing as a preacher at a church in Girona, Spain, declaring that he has “made a pact with God.” The 42-year-old, who was acquitted of sexual assault this year, spoke emotionally about finding faith after “the worst moment” of his life, marking a remarkable turn in his post-football journey.

Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez was involved in a tragic accident on Tuesday morning, resulting in the death of an 81-year-old man in a wheelchair near the club’s training base. The incident occurred in Fenegro, in the province of Como, as the Spaniard was driving to training. Despite immediate emergency response, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Nicklas Bendtner has backed Rasmus Hojlund to thrive under Antonio Conte at Napoli, praising the Italian’s "killer mentality and relentless desire to win". The former Juventus forward believes Conte can unlock his compatriot’s full potential as the young striker rebuilds confidence following a mixed spell at Manchester United.

Manchester United flop Andre Onana has responded to words of praise from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola as he continues to revive his career on loan at Trabzonspor. The Cameroonian goalkeeper, whose time in England was defined by blunders and plummeting confidence, is now experiencing an upturn in form in Turkey. He is quietly piecing his career back together, thousands of miles away from the glitz of the Premier League, and his performances are beginning to remind fans why he was once one of Europe’s most sought-after stoppers.

Vinicius Junior has been told his behaviour during El Clasico will "negatively impact" his prestige at Real Madrid after his "disrespectful" reaction to being subbed off in the 72nd minute of the 2-1 victory over arch-rivals Barcelona. Vinicius appeared to ignore Real boss Xabi Alonso and headed straight down the tunnel instead of joining his team-mates on the bench.

FIFA began the second phase of World Cup ticket sales on Monday, putting one million tickets into a randomized draw that runs through Friday and includes a domestic priority window for residents of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Fans worldwide can enter the draw but those in the three host countries who are selected will receive an exclusive time slot.