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A decade into Gianni Infantino’s presidency, FIFA has expanded globally while becoming more polarizing, shaped by growth, controversy and constant change.

EXCLUSIVE: The former NFL star discusses launching GOAL’s The Late Run with Ochocinco and the roots of his love for the beautiful game.

As Alessandro Costacurta effectively admitted at the end of a dramatic final night of the Champions League play-offs, he and his fellow pundits in the Sky Sports studio had come to bury Serie A's representatives in Europe - not to praise them. And yet they were left with no option to do so after two remarkable revivals proved that Italian football isn't dead yet.

Arne Slot wisely turned to Rio Ngumoha to help Liverpool get themselves out of a serious spot of bother at Nottingham Forest on Sunday - but, by doing so, the teenager has rather ironically put his coach in an awkward position. Slot has spent the majority of the season trying to carefully manage Ngumoha's game time - as well as the massive expectations surrounding one of the most exciting prospects in English football.

Pep Guardiola said one should always be careful when criticising strikers like Erling Haaland. All it takes, the Manchester City boss explained, is for them to score again and "shut your mouth". Lately, however, Haaland has been shutting mouths without scoring. Over the last year he has turned into the complete forward, an even more frightening prospect to opponents than he was before, and an even greater asset to City's hopes of winning a quadruple.

For the first time since triumphing at last summer’s European Championship, the Lionesses are back in competitive action, kickstarting their 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign against Ukraine on Tuesday. Four days later, England will then host Iceland, looking for a perfect start as they battle world champions Spain for the group’s only automatic qualifying spot.

Vinicius Jr danced and Real Madrid overcame an early deficit to see off Benfica in the Champions League playoff round, 2-1. Los Blancos fell behind early, before goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Vinicius gave them a comfortable lead, and sealed a 3-1 aggregate win. There were some uncertain moments, but Madrid were otherwise good value for the result.

The Brazilian playmaker insisted to GOAL that his inspiration as a footballer comes from one of the game's greats, and hopes that channeling a bit of his samba flair can bring the MLS Cup to Cincinnati.

After all that followed it, it may have been forgotten just how good Vinicius Jr's goal to beat Benfica was last week. The Brazil winger has a fine catalogue for Real Madrid, but this was surely among the best. Vinicius cut inside before using the outline of a defender to shape his shot into the top corner. It was a truly wonderful moment of individual expression - one that absolutely should be celebrated.

The Women's Asian Cup begins on March 1, kickstarting a month that will see two of the premier major tournaments in the women's game take place, with the Africa Cup of Nations kicking-off on March 17 after reverting back to a springtime slot following back-to-back summer editions. It means two thrilling continental championships will be decided over the course of the next few weeks, but the impact these tournaments will have on the continuing club competitions also promises to be fascinating, as teams across the women's game say goodbye to some of their best players for a few weeks.

Newcastle eased into the last 16 of the Champions League as they ran out 3-2 winners over Qarabag on Tuesday to secure a 9-3 aggregate win in their play-off encounter. Sandro Tonali, Joelinton and Sven Botman got the on the scoresheet for Eddie Howe's men, who will now face Chelsea or Barcelona in the next round.

GOAL breaks down the big move and what it means for all of those involved.

Manchester United's 1-0 win at Everton was the perfect showcase for the recruitment team. The goal was the work of the three summer signings: started by Matheus Cunha, packaged by Bryan Mbeumo and clinically dispatched by Benjamin Sesko. The lead was then protected by the man who is proving to be United's best signing of the last year and looks like their best hire for many years: Senne Lammens.

Anthony Gordon's 2025-26 Champions League campaign is the greatest by any English scorer for an English club in the competition's history. That's a fact. With his four-goal haul for Newcastle in last week's 6-1 hammering of Qarabag, he broke the record for most goals scored by an Englishman for a Premier League side in a single Champions League season, taking his tally to 10 from nine games. Not even Alan Shearer managed such a number in those famous black-and-white stripes.

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. This week, we revisit a moment when two clubs became one nation. In 2010, Spain ruled the world, and its crown was built in both Barcelona and Madrid. The style of one, the strength of the other, blended into the perfect mix. Sixteen years on, and as a new generation rises in Catalunya, can Barcelona now become the sole heart of La Roja?

Manchester City hoped, and may even have expected that a midfielder called Nico would transform their fortunes during the second half of last season. The man that has become key to Pep Guardiola’s side’s mid-season surge and made them contenders to pull off the quadruple is not, however, the gangly Nico Gonzalez, who was recruited from Porto for £50 million last January, but rather academy graduate Nico O’Reilly, who cost nothing at all.

Benjamin Sesko came off the bench to fire Manchester United to a narrow and barely deserved 1-0 win at Everton which could be utterly priceless in their quest to finish in the Premier League's top four. The Slovenian started on the bench for the sixth game in a row but for the third time in four appearances he made all the difference, banging in the crucial goal in the 71st minute.