Analysis

GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave their comfort zones 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.

GOAL reviews the weekend’s top Americans Abroad performances as Pepi keeps scoring and McKennie, Malik Tillman, and Brenden Aaronson impress.

Jadon Sancho might be more of a basketball man than baseball but ever since he joined Aston Villa he has been on his third strike. He flopped terribly at Manchester United even before blowing his career up over a petty dispute with Erik ten Hag. He then failed to convince on loan at Chelsea, who backed out of an agreed deal to sign him. Now he is a periphery squad member for Villa.

In Europe, much of the build-up to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has unfortunately - but inevitably - focused on which clubs will be most affected by the tournament's scheduling slap-bang in the middle of the season. As an incredibly prestigious tournament that rarely fails to deliver a barely-believable amount of drama, the AFCON deserves so much better.

With the 2026 World Cup just months away, GOAL looks at the state of the attacking players vying for spots next summer.

With all the data and all the video footage you could ever hope for, there really shouldn't be many secrets left in the world of youth football. Sure, progress isn't linear and some players' attributes translate better to the adult game than others, but for most teams, picking and finding the best young talent still feels like a bit of a lottery, at least from the outside looking in.

The life of a professional footballer is a dream for most people. You get paid handsomely to play the most popular sport in the world. The fame and notoriety are to die for. Yet even this high of highs isn't enough to completely satisfy the one percent who actually make it to the top of the game, and Nicklas Bendtner is walking, talking proof of that.

Selected first overall by D.C. United in Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft, the imposing center back joined GOAL Convo to explain why a rebuild doesn’t intimidate him.

There are plenty of top talents, from the United States and abroad, who are expected to make their mark for the first time at the 2026 World Cup

With the 2026 World Cup just months away, GOAL looks at the state of the midfielders vying for spots next summer

The Uruguayan legend can still offer value, but only if he accepts a reduced role to justify his contract extension.

The Africa Cup of Nations is the biggest event for the continent's football outside of the World Cup, but for clubs, especially ones in the Premier League, it can create a major headache. This time around, the next month could be a particularly painful period for Manchester United, as the tournament will deprive them of three of their usual starting XI in Noussair Mazraoui, Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo.

GOAL takes a look at five of the top prospects in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft, with plenty of highly-rated players hoping to make an impact from Day 1 in the pros.

GOAL looks inside the numbers, tactics and trends for key U.S. internationals in Europe this season.

With the 2026 World Cup just months away, GOAL looks at the state of the central defenders vying for spots next summer

The Africa Cup of Nations is back this December and January, with the continent's very best set to battle it out in Morocco as they aim to take Cote d'Ivoire's crown after their unlikely victory at the start of 2024. AFCON's prestige, drama and quality remains up there with the Euros and Copa America, but the downside for European clubs is it's another tournament which falls slap bang in the middle of their seasonal calendar, meaning most teams will be losing players for up to a month.

A full season of Son Heung-Min, a potential breakout for Cavan Sullivan, and five key storylines shaping MLS as the league turns toward 2026.