1. How Arteta turned sizzling Arsenal-City rivalry on its head

    The last time Manchester City and Arsenal faced each other in the League Cup final, Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta sat side by side in the Wembley dugout as head coach and assistant before celebrating as their City team destroyed the Gunners 3-0 and claimed the first of piece of silverware of the former's time in England. The rampant win only crystalized the widening gap between the two clubs.

  2. Why Nike x Jordan's Brazil collab is a seismic moment

    We already knew Nike had built something special through their Jordan Brand and Paris Saint-Germain collaboration, with the 'Jumpman' logo replacing the 'Swoosh' on the French giants’ shirts for the past eight years - but they've entered another stratosphere after linking up with the Brazilian federation.

  3. Ballon d'Or Power Rankings: Who will claim the Golden Ball?

    If you thought the days of the Ballon d'Or generating headlines were over after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's era of dominance came to an end, then think again. After one of the most closely-fought races for a number of years, Rodri came out on top in 2024, beating Vinicius Jr into second place as Real Madrid dramatically boycotted the ceremony in Paris in protest at their star player missing out.

  4. Meet Lexi Potter: Chelsea's Stanway-esque teen star

    When Emma Hayes' time at Chelsea was coming to a well-publicised end in the final few months of the 2023-24 season, ahead of her move to the United States to take over its iconic national team, the revered manager took a moment in one of her final press conferences to ponder what the Blues' team might look like in the future, given the progress being made in the women's youth set-up and the work being done to try bridge the gap between the academy and the first team.

  5. Man Utd MUST upgrade full-backs to go to next level

    Michael Carrick instantly solved one of Manchester United's biggest problems from the Ruben Amorim era by simply playing Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot in their natural positions. The full-backs have started all nine games under the former Red Devils midfielder, playing their part in the coach's astonishing run of seven victories, one draw and one defeat thus far.

  6. Salah goes from zero to hero while Szoboszlai stars again

    Liverpool cruised into the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday with a 4-0 win over Galatasaray at Anfield. Arne Slot's side made up for last week's 1-0 defeat in Turkey with a dominant showing in front of their own supporters. Dominik Szoboszlai was once again in inspirational form for the Reds, while Mohamed Salah also played a starring role despite missing a penalty in the first half.

  7. ICONS: Why Germany wore red in 7-1 Brazil thrashing

    In the summer of 2014, Germany didn’t just win the World Cup on Brazilian soil - they left behind one of the most powerful and unexpected symbols of unity football has ever seen. Beyond the unforgettable 7–1 semi-final victory over the hosts, a match that shocked the world, a red and black jersey came to represent something deeper than victory or defeat: respect, empathy, and an unlikely bond between two footballing nations. This is Icons, a GOAL feature and podcast series that revisits the last 10 World Cups through the moments, characters, and controversies that defined them, bringing the spirit of each tournament back to life.

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Icons in the making

  1. Why Bayern & more are tracking Anderlecht's towering teen

    Nathan De Cat is the next big thing to come out of Belgium - both figuratively and literally. At just 17 years old, the midfielder already stands at a towering six feet and three inches tall - and he still has plenty of growing to do. The latest gem to emerge from Anderlecht's famed youth system, his height isn't the only reason he's caught the attention of some of Europe's elite.

  2. Spurs' future captain who could help their current crisis

    For a club the size of Tottenham, their academy hasn't produced too many successful graduates since the turn of the century. Of course, Harry Kane is the standout name and would be the shining example of any youth system, but beyond him, the pickings are slim. The full list of active alumni from the Spurs academy who went on to play for the first team is as follows: Kane, Harry Winks, Oliver Skipp, Kyle Walker-Peters, Andros Townsend, Troy Parrott, Nabil Bentaleb, Massimo Luongo, Maksim Paskotsi, Milos Veljkovic, Anthony Georgiou and Cameron Carter-Vickers.

  3. Ex-Madrid forward's son earning interest from Europe's elite

    Robinho Jr only turned 18 in December, but he has already broken into the senior team at Santos, where he is now rubbing shoulders with Brazil's all-time record goal-scorer, Neymar. The teenager is already attracting transfer interest from a host of top European clubs, partly because of his ability, but also due to the footballing legacy of his father.

Heroes of the past

  1. Captain, leader... legend? Terry's biggest Chelsea controversies

    For all his quality as a defender and his overflowing trophy cabinet, John Terry's near-19-year Chelsea career was punctuated by moments of significant controversy - from his early days at Stamford Bridge right through to his peak. His legacy is a complex one as a result, with many recognising him as one of the finest defenders England has ever produced while simultaneously asking serious questions of his character.

  2. Salah vs Slot & the biggest player-coach bust-ups

    In a bombshell seven-and-a-half-minute interview after Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Leeds United last weekend, Mohamed Salah accused the club of throwing him "under the bus" and claimed he no longer has any relationship with head coach Arne Slot. The 'Egyptian King', who has scored 250 goals for Liverpool over the last eight years and was the driving force behind the 2024-25 Premier League title success under Slot, didn't see a single minute of action at Elland Road after being named on the bench for the third game in a row, and decided to go public with his grievances.

  3. Inside Man City's 'accidental' £70m bid for Messi

    Fifteen years ago, Manchester City were so enamoured with the all-conquering Barcelona that they sought to replicate the same structure. They began by hiring chief executive Ferran Soriano and sporting director Txiki Begiristain, before eventually landing Pep Guardiola to manage the team. All that was missing was Lionel Messi - though they nearly signed the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner at the very start of the Abu Dhabi-led project by mistake!

  4. 'Shoot him in the legs' - Gerrard's gangster terror

    Steven Heighway knew when Steven Gerrard was still only 14 years of age that the midfielder was going to "make it" as a footballer. The man himself, though, was less convinced of his quality - at least when he took his first tentative steps in the professional ranks. When Gerrard warmed up in front of the Kop for the first time ahead of his Liverpool debut on November 29, 1998, the nerve-racked teenager "could almost hear them saying, 'Who's this skinny tw*t?!'"