Jude Bellingham has been left out of the latest England squad despite recovering from injury, with the Real Madrid midfielder failing to make Thomas Tuchel’s plans for a friendly date with Wales and a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Latvia. Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka is absorbed back into the fold after overcoming fitness issues of his own, while Everton forward Jack Grealish remains in the international wilderness.

Jude Bellingham has been named England's Men's Player of the Year for the 2024/25 season. The 22-year-old Real Madrid star wins the award for the first time, beating out Harry Kane and Declan Rice in the process. Bellingham scored once and registered three assists for the Three Lions in eight appearances over the season to secure the award, while Kane scored eight goals in 11 matches, including five in six in 2025 under new manager Thomas Tuchel.

In the end, Xabi Alonso had just one word for Real Madrid's 5-2 loss to Atletico Madrid on Saturday: "bad". Well, duh!

Real Madrid’s humiliating 5-2 defeat to city rivals Atletico Madrid has sent shockwaves through the Spanish capital, forcing key players to own up to their mistakes. Dean Huijsen publicly apologised to fans, Dani Carvajal urged the team to learn from failure, and Jude Bellingham admitted it was a “bad day” while vowing to refocus ahead of the Champions League outing against Kairat Almaty.

GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave the comforts of Great Britain in search of a better footballing life elsewhere. The Premier League is still obviously one of the world's most entertaining divisions and the Championship can prove fantastic for development, but there are more options out there.