Chris Burton

Roberto De Zerbi is reportedly ready to quit Marseille, with the fiery Italian coach said to have handed in his resignation following failure to guide the Ligue 1 giants towards the last 16 of the Champions League. His contract at Stade Velodrome is due to run until the summer of 2027, but said agreement could be terminated more than 12 months prematurely.

Brad Friedel has told GOAL why elite clubs in the Premier League should be doing all they can to acquire USMNT star Weston McKennie this summer. The versatile midfielder, who previously endured a troubled loan spell in England at Leeds, is running down his contract at Serie A giants Juventus. Free agency will soon be hit, meaning that new challenges can be sought.

Former Manchester United star Teddy Sheringham sees no reason why his fellow Red Devils legend Cristiano Ronaldo could not join Lionel Messi in MLS at some stage. The 1999 Treble winner has told GOAL when CR7 could go chasing the American dream, how far beyond the age of 42 the Portuguese GOAT will play, and whether his goals numbers will ever be repeated.

Kylian Mbappe has accused his Real Madrid team-mates of lacking “desire”, with the Blancos looking anything but a “team of champions” when suffering a costly European defeat at Benfica. An “embarrassing” goal was conceded there, to the home side’s keeper, and the Liga giants will now have to navigate their way through the Champions League knockout play-offs.

Conor Coady has seen his spell at Wrexham cut short after just six months in North Wales. The former Everton and Wolves defender, who has plenty of Premier League experience to his name, joined the Red Dragons from Leicester for £2 million during the summer of 2025. He will now be spending the remainder of the current campaign with Charlton Athletic.

Steven Gerrard claims Arne Slot’s comments on Liverpool’s 2024-25 Champions League campaign will be a “body blow” to the club’s fans, as they enjoy another European adventure this season. The former Reds skipper is also being billed as a potential successor to Slot in the Anfield hot-seat, despite enduring a tough time in management before taking a break.

Alexandre Pato is, amid shock talk of a takeover bid being lodged at Colchester United, being urged to take inspiration from Hollywood superstars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac at Wrexham. Another famous face may be joining the ranks of EFL co-owners, while more documentary footage could be captured after seeing a serious trend started in North Wales.

Joao Pedro shared a wholesome moment with Liam Rosenior after helping to fire Chelsea into the last 16 of Champions League competition. The Blues secured a top-eight finish in elite European competition after seeing off Serie A champions Napoli in Italy. Rosenior secured another notable scalp there, with the affable Englishman endearing himself quickly to players and fans in west London.

Kylian Mbappe has seen a Premier League move speculated on for some time, and fellow Frenchman Bacary Sagna has told GOAL why Arsenal could be the perfect landing spot if ties are ever severed with Real Madrid. Mbappe is living his professional dream in Spain for now, but a day might come in which he fancies packing his bags for the English top-flight.

Virgil van Dijk has made history by recording an unlikely Champions League first. The Dutch defender etched his name into the record books when lining up for Liverpool in their European encounter with Qarabag. Despite marshalling the Reds’ back line in that game, Van Dijk made a stunning contribution in the final third of the field as he helped Arne Slot’s side to a crushing 6-0 win.

Marcus Rashford joined Manchester United legend Sir David Beckham in an exclusive goal club after scoring a stunning Champions League free-kick for Barcelona. The England international forward is continuing to enjoy a productive loan spell with La Liga giants. His latest strike for them allowed the 28-year-old to match a record held by Three Lions icon Beckham.

Jose Mourinho admits he was initially unaware that Benfica required a fourth goal against Real Madrid in order to reach the Champions League play-offs, before seeing goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin score in the 98th minute. Mourinho has also revealed that he apologised to Blancos boss Alvaro Arbeloa for his wild celebrations that accompanied a dramatic header.

Rio Ferdinand has accused fellow Manchester United legends Roy Keane and Gary Neville of showing “unbelievable disrespect” to the Red Devils’ interim manager, Michael Carrick. The former England international has overseen back-to-back wins over Manchester City and Arsenal, leading to calls for him to be handed the reins on a permanent basis. Not everybody associated with the Premier League heavyweights shares that opinion.

Work has been completed on what could become Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez’s retirement home, with a stunning €25 million (£22m/$30m) mansion - which is considered to be the “biggest” in Portugal - boasting a spa, private cinema and views of the Atlantic Ocean. It is yet to be determined whether CR7 will actually move into the property.

Manchester City are considered to have a "freestyle football player” on their hands in Rayan Cherki, with the talented midfielder being likened to Samir Nasri and Adel Taarabt. Former France international Bacary Sagna has told GOAL why his fellow countryman is an “entertainer” cut from similar cloth as Brazilian legend Ronaldinho.

Angel Di Maria admits that Cristiano Ronaldo’s professionalism is “by far” greater than that of Lionel Messi, but the former Real Madrid star still considers his fellow Argentine to be the GOAT having been given “a gift from God to be the best”. World Cup winner Di Maria has also been discussing who he considers to be the finest player on the planet in 2026.

Manchester United have been advised to brace themselves for intervention from Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis if supposed transfer interest in England international midfielder Elliot Anderson is formalised. He is said to be registering on the Red Devils’ radar, but Teddy Sheringham has told GOAL why a big-money deal will be far from straightforward.

Cristiano Ronaldo has sent a loved-up message to fiancee Georgina Rodriguez on the occasion of her 32nd birthday. The Argentine-Spanish influencer and entrepreneur has been back in the United States paying another visit to the White House. She was not joined by her partner on this occasion, with Portuguese superstar CR7 busy doing his day job in Saudi Arabia.