Before last season, very few casual fans would have been aware of Pafos FC's existence. The Cypriot outfit played in Europe for the first time in their 11-year history, reaching the last 16 of the Conference League, and followed up that impressive run by clinching their maiden league title. The latter achievement earned Pafos a spot in the Champions League qualifying rounds, and helped attract one of the most famous footballers of his generation.
As the Champions League picks back up again, GOAL's writers look at the state of the competition and make some big predictions as the group phase draws to a close.
GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave their comfort zones 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.
Before heading off to represent Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations, Brahim Diaz thanked Real Madrid fans for all of their support in 2025 before adding, "See you all next year, full of excitement." However, the player and his club's supporters could not be experiencing more contrasting starts to 2026. While Brahim was bursting with joy after Morocco beat Nigeria on penalties on Wednesday to move just one win away from ending the nation's 50-year wait for a second AFCON title, Madridistas were exploding with rage after watching their team suffer a second demoralising defeat in five days.
Darren Fletcher played alongside twin brothers Rafael and Fabio da Silva while at Manchester United, but little did he know that many years later, his own twin sons would be vying for a place in the Red Devils' first team. Fletcher opted against playing either of his sons, Jack or Tyler, during his brief spell as interim coach, perhaps out of fear of accusations of nepotism.
Manchester City fans sure have enjoyed watching Manchester United’s demise over the past 13 years, with each new coach that has failed at Old Trafford giving the Blues plenty of fresh material to sing about on the terraces.
Every summer, Brentford seem to dance with death. They almost always sell off at least one of their best players and don't usually replace them, at least in a like-for-like sense. Yet since they were promoted to the Premier League in 2021, the Bees have never really faced the threat of relegation back to the Championship. It was, however, only this past summer that they were widely tipped to battle the drop.
After a frustrating year in Liga MX, Cade Cowell told GOAL why a Red Bulls move could reignite his career and put his USMNT World Cup ambitions back on track.
While effectively ruling himself out of the running to take over at Real Madrid, Jurgen Klopp pointed out that "the coaching market is being reshuffled" right now - because Xabi Alonso isn't the only manager to lose his job at an elite European club since the turn of the year. On January 1, less than six months after lifting the Club World Cup, Enzo Maresca was fired by Chelsea after publicly criticising his employers. Just four days later, Manchester United also got rid of Ruben Amorim for speaking out of turn.
Some 13 months on from a devastating provisional doping suspension and close to 14 months since his last appearance for the club, Mykhailo Mudryk is Chelsea's forgotten man. An upcoming anniversary, however, brings his troubles back into sharp focus; January 15 will mark three years to the day since Chelsea completed the signing of the then-coveted young winger from Shakhtar Donetsk, but he will find little reason for celebration.
The Danish-born Palestinian international made a real impact before suffering a devastating ankle injury last October. Fit and firing again - he's out to prove that his strong run was no fluke.
From knee scooters and crosswords and a World Cup lock screen, USMNT and Houston Dynamo midfielder Jack McGlynn explains how injury recovery sharpened his 2026 push.
While Arne Slot seems to think that Liverpool's starting line-up is stronger without Mohamed Salah, the winger has been conspicuous by his absence in recent weeks, with the Reds struggling to score goals without their talisman. It's clear that they need their Egyptian King back at Anfield as quickly as possible. Salah, though, is desperate to extend his stay at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Indeed, he's not even attempting to hide just how much the tournament means to him.
The final image of Xabi Alonso as Real Madrid manager - and one that tells the story of his time in charge at the Bernabeu - was of someone else telling him what to do. After Sunday's Supercopa de Espana loss to Barcelona, Alonso gestured to his players that they should give a guard of honour to their victorious opponents as they went to collect the trophy. Kylian Mbappe, though, was having none of it, and insisted his team-mates follow his lead. They did just that - and so too did Alonso.
This is Legacy, GOAL’s podcast and feature series tracking the countdown to the 2026 World Cup. Each week, we explore the stories and the spirit behind the nations that define the world’s game. Today we look back at France '98; from the heartbreaks of Seville and Bulgaria to the night Zinedine Zidane lifted the trophy in Paris, this is the story of how France broke its curse and forged a winning identity that still defines Les Bleus today.
GOAL grades MLS coaching hires, from Michael Bradley’s Red Bulls promotion to Raphael Wicky's rebuilding job in Kansas City and Henrik Rydstrom tasked with replacing Wilfried Nancy.
With MLS preseason approaching, GOAL U.S. writers debate the league’s biggest offseason winners - and whether Josh Sargent should make the move to Toronto FC.
GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave their comfort zones 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.