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It's never a good idea to pay much attention to football's annual awards ceremonies. These glorified popularity contests drag on for far too long and trying to wrap your head around the lack of logic involved in the voting process is an exercise in futility. However, it was impossible to ignore The Best FIFA Men's 11 for 2025 - because the omission of Raphinha made so little sense.

Mic'd Up: The former West Ham and Newcastle shot-stopper talked pressure of management ahead of an FA Cup slate, and why it was fair to let Wilfried Nancy go at Celtic

Liam Rosenior was always guaranteed a baptism of fire when he was named as Enzo Maresca's replacement at Chelsea given his complete lack of experience in the Premier League, let alone at one of the division's elite clubs. But even so, the task at hand is unenviable has he arrives to a brimming in-tray in his Cobham office. The Blues' season feels as though it is on a knife edge as the new head coach takes the reins.

GOAL looks at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad, including some marquee matchups in England's top cup competition

When Antoine Semenyo was asked to describe his style just after signing for Manchester City from Bournemouth, he used four adjectives. "Quick", "powerful" and "strong" are words you would use to describe most Premier League forwards but the last one summed up why City have paid £65 million ($87m) to bring him to the club in the middle of the season: "Clinical".

USWNT head coach Emma Hayes rolls with 'available' players for January camp, which includes Trinity Rodman, Ally Sentnor, and four uncapped rookies.

January is a notoriously bad time for buyers because nobody ever wants to sell top talent midway through the season. There are, however, exceptions to the rule. Some clubs need to raise funds to balance the books, while others can be left with not option but to unload an unhappy player who has made it clear that he wants to join a stronger side.

Arsenal have had their fair share of success stories over the years when it comes to the women's side of the academy. Leah Williamson, England's two-time European Championship-winning captain, and Lotte Wubben-Moy, also part of those triumphs with the Lionesses, are two of the most high-profiles examples of players who have progressed through the youth set-up and become key members of the first team - and they will not be the last.

The world watched on as Arsenal hosted Liverpool in a potential changing of the guard in English football on Thursday night. The Premier League leaders had the chance to stretch their lead atop the table to eight points, with the reigning champions down on their luck and jockeying for a Champions League position. But the game didn't live up to the hype.

Arsenal missed the chance to move eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Liverpool on Thursday. Manchester City dropped points at home to Brighton 24 hours earlier and allowed the Gunners the opportunity to extend their advantage. Though the north Londoners are now six points ahead of their closest challengers, they were denied the win many had expected them to register against the defending champions.

Liverpool did a number on Arsenal but missed the injured Hugo Ekitike in attack in a 0-0 draw on Thursday. Arne Slot's side comfortably contained the Premier League leaders with an organised and disciplined performance but never looked like breaking the deadlock themselves, and while the Reds have long been out of the title race, this display will have encouraged many on Merseyside.

Real Madrid booked their place in the Supercopa de Espana final with a 2-1 victory over inter-city rivals Atletico Madrid in Jeddah on Thursday. Los Blancos opened their account through a vicious Federico Valverde free-kick after just 77 seconds, and Rodrygo doubled the lead with a well-taken finish in the 55th minute, before Alexander Sorloth pegged one back with a back-post header just moments later.

The USMNT Transfer Notebook tracks American player movements, with the latest developments for those in the U.S. national team pool.

Antoine Semenyo bid farewell to Bournemouth in the best possible fashion, netting a 95th-minute winner against Tottenham at the Vitality Stadium to end his side's 11-match run without a Premier League victory. As his team-mate Marcus Tavernier told Sky Sports, "There was no better way for [his last game] to go. That was the type of stuff you write in movies and no man deserves it more than him."

What looks like a joke is actually the plan. One USL owner is using bold branding to build community - and rethink what a soccer club can be.

Perhaps Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should have listened to Kieran McKenna when he learned of the possibility of Cristiano Ronaldo returning to Manchester United in 2021. Many Red Devils’ fans had dreamed about Ronaldo coming back to Old Trafford for more than a decade, and the prospect of him playing under another iconic player from United’s past was the ultimate hit for nostalgia junkies.

Manchester United's season so far has been dominated by criticisms of the preparation, or lack thereof, done before it. After making just three summer signings, while bidding farewell to two first-team players, the Red Devils' squad looked completely ill-equipped for the challenge of competing in the Women's Champions League proper for the first time, if they were to also remain a contender on a domestic front. But having rather admirably kept themselves afloat despite those issues, United are already attacking the January window with the necessary, and overdue, vigour needed.