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GOAL US unpacks the main weekend storylines from the Premier League, La Liga and other top competitions in The Euro XI

With an expanding set up, including World Cups and U.S. championships, amputee soccer provides competitive opportunities

GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave the comforts of Great Britain in search of a better footballing life elsewhere. The Premier League is still obviously one of the world's most entertaining divisions and the Championship can prove fantastic for development, but there are more options out there.

With two Big Six clashes and a Merseyside derby, there was a lot to get excited about in the Premier League this weekend. And with last-minute goals, red cards aplenty and a couple of narrative shifts, it sure did not disappoint. Pep Guardiola did his best Jose Mourinho impression and took his Manchester City side to Arsenal to defend deep and play on the counterattack.

The latest round of action across Europe's elite leagues saw Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Porto maintain their winning starts to the 2025-26 season. However, while everyone expects Bayern to run away with the Bundesliga, Barca are hot on the heels of Madrid in La Liga, while Porto are presently processing the news that the most famous manager in the club's history has just taken charge of their hated rivals Benfica.

Arsenal and Manchester City played out a dramatic 1-1 draw on Sunday, with the two Premier League rivals unable to be separated through 98 or so minutes. Erling Haaland had given the visitors an early lead, before Pep Guardiola remarkably decided to park the bus to try and sneak the win. Those efforts went up in smoke in added time as Gabriel Martinelli scored to clinch a point for the Gunners.

Say what you will about the merits of the Ballon d'Or, but last year's ceremony was undeniably dramatic. The event organisers, France Football, have always insisted that "no player or club knows who has won the Ballon d'Or" before the victor is announced on stage - but Real Madrid refused to even turn up after learning hours in advance that Rodri had beaten Vinicius Jr to the men's prize.

If the voting process for the Ballon d'Or were truly fair, Lionel Messi would have 14 Golden Balls to his name instead of eight. The Barcelona legend was by far the best footballer in the world between 2008 and 2021, but had to concede defeat to Cristiano Ronaldo five times, and Luka Modric once, as the Real Madrid duo were rewarded for spearheading their team's unprecedented success in the Champions League.

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.

In the last few years, it's seemed relatively easy to predict the winner of the Ballon d'Or Feminin. In 2025, though, it feels incredibly tricky, especially after England's win over Spain in the European Championship final.

Ferran Torres showed he can deliver when Robert Lewandowski doesn't and Barcelona's midweek Champions League hero Marcus Rashford continued his good form as Getafe were put to the sword. Torres' brace and Dani Olmo's strike, from Rashford's assist, ensured that the Blaugrana kept the pressure on bitter rivals Real Madrid at the top of La Liga with a 3-0 win.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including Pulisic's third goal in four Milan matches

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola seemed to take a leaf out of his great managerial rival Jose Mourinho's book with a park the bus-like approach, but it came back to haunt them in a 1-1 draw at Arsenal. Erling Haaland was at his ruthless best but was taken off surprisingly early on Sunday as Gabriel Martinelli cancelled out his opener in dramatic fashion at the death.

Arsenal left it late to secure a 1-1 draw against Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, with Gabriel Martinelli coming off the bench to equalise in added time. The result leaves the Gunners five points adrift of early table-toppers and reigning champions Liverpool having won three, drawn one and lost one of their opening five matches this season.

Arsenal's perfect start to the new Women's Super League season came to an end on Sunday at Manchester United as the Gunners were held to a 0-0 draw in a game they had the better of. Olivia Smith hit the crossbar, Caitlin Foord whistled an effort just wide and Alessia Russo had a decent opportunity through on goal saved as Renee Slegers' side turned the screw in a hard-fought encounter, but the visitors had to settle for a point on the road in the end.

Manchester United dropped their first WSL points of the season when being held to a goalless draw by Arsenal, who had also opened the 2025-26 campaign with back-to-back wins. An emotional afternoon saw tears shed before kick-off as tributes were paid to former Liverpool manager Matt Beard, who passed away on September 20 at 47 years of age.

In-form striker Aggie Beever-Jones scored again as Chelsea made it three wins from three with a tight 1-0 victory over Leicester City in the Women’s Super League on Sunday. The Blues forward maintained her perfect record of scoring in every WSL game so far this season with a well-taken finish against Rick Passmoor’s Foxes, who played well for large periods but lacked killer instinct in the final third.

Last week, Ruben Amorim suffered the ignominy of Manchester City fans chanting his name ironically. But last night, his Manchester United players proved that they believe in his project and are ready to fight for him. Facing Chelsea was probably not what the coach wanted in his next outing after the chastening derby defeat but his side made a flying start and eventually earned a 2-1 win.

The esteemed Golden Ball has been elusive to so many great footballers down the years, but who deserved it the most?

"Off the pitch I'm a calm guy that just wants to have fun and enjoy my life," Erling Haaland told Time Magazine in July. "On the pitch I want to attack like a Viking." The Manchester City striker's love for the Scandinavian seafaring conquerors is well known. He dressed up as a Viking at a Halloween party just a few months after joining City. And while speaking to the prestigious American current affairs magazine, he zeroed in on his fascination with them.

At 38, Lionel Messi can still learn new tricks. In a rare flash of direct play, the Argentine’s two goals and clever assist set the tone in a 3-1 win over a stubborn D.C. United on Saturday night, giving Inter Miami their first winning streak in MLS since July. Still, it wasn’t straightforward, with Christian Benteke making things interesting in the second half.

Manchester United finally beat a top-level opponent under Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford as they secured a 2-1 win over Chelsea, courtesy of goals from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro. And yet the Portuguese coach should still face hard questions after his side made life hard for themselves despite taking a 2-0 lead against 10 men, following Robert Sanchez's early red card.

Chelsea couldn't recover from their goalkeeper's costly early red card as they suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season. The Blues shipped two goals after the Spaniard was dismissed, courtesy of Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, who was also sent off, and despite Trevoh Chalobah scoring late on, they succumbed to a 2-1 loss, with Cole Palmer having gone off injured.

Real Madrid made light work of Espanyol as they claimed a 2-0 win to maintain their perfect start to the Liga season. Eder Militao and in-form Kylian Mbappe delivered the goals for the hosts, and the result, if only temporarily, moves Xabi Alonso's men five points clear of title rivals Barcelona at the top of the table.

Liverpool's £125 million recruit was outshone by his fellow forward as the Reds claimed a 2-1 win over Everton in the Merseyside derby. Alexander Isak had to make do with a spot on the bench and, for the time being, he may have to play second fiddle to the on-fire Hugo Ekitike, who found the back of the net once again.

On Monday, the winner of the 2025 Ballon d'Or Feminin will be crowned in Paris. The last four editions of the prestigious accolade have gone to players representing Spain, with both Alexia Putellas and then Aitana Bonmati claiming back-to-back triumphs. It's possible that a member of La Roja comes out on top this time around as well, with Mariona Caldentey a front-runner alongside those two. But muscling in among them is someone who has helped break all of their hearts this year: Alessia Russo.

The mercurial midfielder has no obvious role in the manager's system, and the Spaniard faces a challenge working him into his XI

Manchester City made it back-to-back WSL wins with an impressive 5-1 victory over in-form Tottenham at Brisbane Road on Friday evening. Goals from Aoba Fujino, Vivianne Miedema, Kerstin Casparij and Laura Coombs saw Andree Jeglertz’s side build on their win over Brighton on a night which was capped off by midfielder Grace Clinton also scoring on her debut for the club.

Sunday's matchup between the two USMNT players paints a portrait of Tillman's rise, Reyna's fall under Mauricio Pochettino