Analysis

Wherever Marcelo Bielsa has gone in his managerial career, he has left a trail of wonder. It's not always wonder in a positive sense, but it's whimsical and mystifying all the same. From revolutionising Newell's Old Boys to the Argentine national team, from Athletic Club and the Basque Country to Leeds United in West Yorkshire, you will find people deeply touched by the impact of 'El Loco' to differing, extreme degrees.

"[There’s] a young player who plays for [Borussia] Dortmund called Youssoufa Moukoko," Samuel Eto’o told GOAL when asked who he’d love to see as Barcelona’s next big signing back in October 2020. "[He’s] 15 years of age, and he’s the next top player, for me, after [Lionel] Messi. As Messi gets older, we could prepare the future of Barcelona very well."

When Bukayo Saka scored his 13th goal for England against Wales in October and became the highest scoring Arsenal player to play for the Three Lions, one reporter thought it would be a good opportunity to ask Thomas Tuchel to reflect on the winger’s international career. He most likely expected the German to wax lyrical about one of the best players for club and country over the past five years.

Just two friendlies stand between the U.S. and a World Cup roster, which means that the pressure is on in those friendlies

The World Cup jerseys are now all officially on the market, and our GOAL writers debate who did the best job ahead of the summer

The final international window before the end of the 2025-26 club season is here. For most of the globe's traditional powerhouses, this month is about finetuning ahead of the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. But not every team has the luxury of such forward planning, with several big-hitters still yet to punch their ticket to the tournament.

Two England prospects have made the Women's NXGN 2026 list, but that is just scratching the surface when it comes to the talent coming through in one of the best and most successful nations in women's football. Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses have won back-to-back European Championship trophies and reached the final of the most recent World Cup, and it looks like they are set up for future success with the quality coming through the pipeline.

England will head to the World Cup this summer as one of the favourites to lift the trophy after a run of strong tournament showings by a still relatively young core group of players. Football, though, moves fast, and soon there will be new stars who come along and usurp those established names. Fortunately for the Three Lions, the production line is showing few signs of slowing down.

With World Cup spots up for grabs, GOAL predicts Pochettino’s XI against Belgium.

Progress is clear under Mauricio Pochettino, but against top teams, the USMNT have struggled. Can March’s camp change that?

Mohamed Salah has called time on his Liverpool career. On Tuesday evening, the Egyptian King posted an emotional video on social media confirming he will depart Anfield at the end of the 2025-26 season, bringing an end to a legendary nine-year stay on Merseyside. Now, the Premier League champions must look to the future.

And then there were 35. Thomas Tuchel's decision to name an expanded squad of players that will be split into two for England's final two games on home soil before the World Cup was the latest sign that the German is taking a very different approach to his predecessors as he bids to become the first coach since Alf Ramsey to win a trophy with the Three Lions.

When Sydney Schertenleib sat in front of the national media last summer, before playing in her first European Championship for hosts Switzerland at the age of 18, and declared that her "biggest goal" was to win the Ballon d'Or one day, some may have rolled their eyes.

Manchester United's season is likely to be defined by events in the next eight days. The Red Devils have enjoyed some real highs this year, reaching a Women's Champions League quarter-final on their main draw debut and a first League Cup final, but if Marc Skinner's side don't get some big results over the course of this next week, they could have very little to show for their efforts.

He's only gone and done it again! A year after becoming the first player to win NXGN twice, Lamine Yamal has finished top of GOAL's annual list of the top teenagers in world football for the third time in a row. It's not as if the outcome of the 2026 vote was ever in any doubt either. Yamal is no longer just the most talented young player in the game today. He's also its most talented player, full stop.

From Folarin Balogun’s push to lead the line to Tyler Adams’ potential midfield partner, GOAL breaks down the USMNT battles that could shape this summer.

The Apple TV analyst caught up with GOAL to talk about why Lionel Messi's Inter Miami have been inconsistent, and speculated how a potential Robert Lewandowski arrival could change MLS.

GOAL breaks down which players need strong performances during the March camp for the U.S.

The last time Manchester City beat Arsenal in a League Cup final signalled the start of Pep Guardiola's dynasty. And so Sunday's victory over the Gunners at Wembley to lift the trophy for a fifth time, more than any other coach in the competition's history, would certainly be a fitting way to bookend the Catalan coach's dominant decade in English football.

Arsenal went into Sunday's League Cup final with Manchester City hoping it would be the first stop of their quadruple tour. The Gunners had entered the last third of the 2025-26 season as favourites to win all four competitions they were competing in. At the first Wembley hurdle, however, they fell apart.

With little over a year to go until the 2027 Women's World Cup kicks-off, some of the front-runners for the trophy are obvious. Spain, the reigning champions, and England, the 2023 runners-up, who beat La Roja in the European Championship final last summer, are right up there. The United States' Olympic triumph in 2024 saw them reinstate themselves at the top of the international game while Brazil, as hosts and South American champions, will fancy their chances, too. This month's Asian Cup, though, has served as a reminder that Japan should also be considered as being right in that mix.

Beth Mead's clever reverse pass and Stina Blackstenius' clinical finish will forever be etched in the minds of Arsenal fans as the move that delivered the Gunners an incredible Champions League title in 2025. The north London side were huge underdogs against three-time winners Barcelona, but they fought hard and found a way to get the better of the Catalans in Lisbon last May, capping a European run for the ages.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including big moments from two key USMNT creators

When Alvaro Arbeloa took over at Real Madrid following the sacking of Xabi Alonso, he made it clear that youth would have a part to play in his reign. Sure, he has plenty of world class expensive talent to pick from, but Arbeloa, who had coached in the academy, vouched for the droves of teenagers who could make at impact in the first team.

Arsenal will look to end their six-year trophy drought on Sunday when they take on rivals Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley. Going back even further, the Gunners haven't won silverware in front of live fans since their 2017 FA Cup triumph, a time when Arsene Wenger was still manager and Mikel Arteta had just completed his first season as Pep Guardiola's assistant.

"It sharpens your mind, and there are clear similarities to football," said Erling Haaland when he announced his investment in the Total Chess World Championship this week. "You have to think quickly, trust your instincts, and think several moves ahead. Strategy and planning are everything." The Manchester City striker’s strategy cannot be faulted except at one stadium in particular: Wembley.

The World Cup has brought all sorts of political and logistical problems, but those involved in planning remain committed to putting on a show.

The center back is the latest dual national player thrust into an impossible choice, but it's one he must make, and likely make soon

Roma's acquisition of Robinio Vaz from Marseille on January 14 was considered quite the coup for the Serie A side. The Frenchman was still only at 18 at the time of the €25 million (£21.5m/$29m) transfer from Stade Velodrome to Stadio Olimpico, with Lamine Yamal the only player younger than Vaz to have scored at least four goals in Europe's 'Big Five' leagues this season to that point.