Arsenal couldn't really afford to lose or draw Sunday's north London derby with Tottenham. Their collapse at Wolves four days prior meant that the Premier League title race was now split evenly between themselves and Manchester City - if either side won all of their remaining fixtures, including their crunch meeting at the Etihad Stadium in April, they would be crowned champions.

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.

The annual NXGN lists are back for another year, highlighting 50 of the most incredible talents to have been born after January 1, 2005

If Xavier Vilajoana is elected Barcelona president in mid-March, he will go all out for a major signing in the summer transfer window. "We've already made some contact, and I think he's a player who would be a great fit, pending his contractual situation: it's Harry Kane," Vilajoana said in an interview with ESPN this week.

After a painfully protracted league phase, the knockout stage of the Champions League finally got under way this month and predictably produced the kind of drama for which the tournament is renowned. Bodo/Glimt were obviously the stars of the play-offs, with the unseeded Norwegians eliminating last season's runners-up, Inter. Galatasaray also upset another Italian team, Juventus, but only just, after almost completely capitulating against 10 men in Turin. It wasn't all doom and gloom for Serie A, though, as Atalanta came from behind to beat Borussia Dortmund.

They say you should never meet your heroes, but Brazilian teenage prodigy Dell probably wouldn't agree. The Bahia and Brazil Under-17s striker has idolised Erling Haaland since he was a child, so imagine the excitement he got when, one day in training, he received a video message from the Manchester City hitman.

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.

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.