After losing out on the league title, CAF Champions League and Nedbank Cup in his final weeks in charge, the Spanish coach lost his intensity which led to immediate problems when he took on the Red Devils hotseat.
The Ballon d'Or. Love it or loathe it, it's the award every footballer in the world dreams of one day winning. And now, after a memorable 2024-25 campaign, the winner of the 2025 Golden Ball has been announced: Ousmane Dembele.
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.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher tore into Chelsea and claimed the Blues "can't pretend" that the Todd Boehly era has been a success after they spent £2bn to win only the Conference League and the Club World Cup. Since Boehly’s consortium took control at Stamford Bridge, the Blues have been trying to rebuild a squad that was once one of Europe's finest. However, after an eye-watering spend, Chelsea find themselves on the outside looking in at the Premier League’s top dogs.
Luis Enrique will face no punishment for slapping Joao Pedro in Paris Saint-Germain's Club World Cup final defeat to Chelsea, with FIFA closing the case.
Swiss federal prosecutors confirmed on Thursday that they would not challenge the acquittals of Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, effectively closing the long-running case against the two former giants of world football. With that, after a decade of legal battles, accusations, and high-profile trials, the curtain has finally come down on one of football’s most infamous sagas.
Real Madrid are among a host of top European clubs that are pushing for more changes to the Club World Cup format. The revised 32-team competition was held for the first time in the US this summer and Chelsea won the title, beating Paris Saint-Germain in the final. The next edition of the tournament is scheduled to be held in 2029 and after which FIFA might consider hosting it even more frequently.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
