Dengan duopoli Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo yang tampaknya mulai memudar, persaingan untuk Ballon d'Or belum pernah terasa begitu terbuka dalam dua dekade terakhir, dengan banyak pemain kini memulai setiap musim dengan keyakinan bahwa mereka memiliki peluang untuk meraih penghargaan individu paling prestisius dalam sepak bola. Ousmane Dembele muncul dari karier yang diwarnai ketidakstabilan untuk memenangkan Golden Ball pada 2025, dan ia menjadi salah satu dari banyak pesaing saat perlombaan 2026 dimulai.
Bos Paris Saint-Germain Luis Enrique pasang badan bagi Brahim Diaz menyusul kegagalan penalti bintang Real Madrid tersebut di final Piala Afrika. Enrique menegaskan Diaz "bukan pembunuh bayaran atau orang jahat" hanya karena nekat melakukan teknik Panenka di penghujung laga, sementara Sergio Ramos turut memberikan suntikan semangat agar Diaz tidak terpuruk usai Maroko kalah dengan tragis di tangan Senegal.
Herve Renard memuji Sadio Mane atas aksi heroiknya selama final Piala Afrika melawan Maroko. Mantan bintang Liverpool itu dianggap telah menyelamatkan pertandingan dari penghentian setelah menolak meninggalkan lapangan dan meyakinkan rekan-rekan setimnya untuk kembali, dengan Renard menyatakan bahwa tidak ada pemain lain yang "mendekati" statusnya di negara Afrika Barat tersebut.
FIFA merilis pernyataan menyusul klaim mengejutkan bahwa Senegal kini terancam didiskualifikasi dan gelar juara Piala Afrika mereka dicabut akibat dugaan pelanggaran regulasi di final. Sadio Mane cs menang dramatis 1-0 atas Maroko di partai puncak, Senin (19/1) dini hari WIB. Gol indah Pape Gueye di babak perpanjangan waktu memastikan gelar Piala Afrika kedua Senegal dalam empat tahun, namun kemenangan tersebut diwarnai kontroversi.
Bintang Real Madrid Brahim Diaz berkata "jiwa saya sakit" setelah gagal mengeksekusi penalti krusial saat Maroko kalah dari Senegal di final Piala Afrika 2025. Diaz menjadi pusat drama di menit-menit akhir partai puncak tersebut, ketika tendangan Panenka-nya dengan mudah diamankan Edouard Mendy. Di tengah refleksi atas kekalahan 1-0 itu, PSSI-nya Maroko dikabarkan tengah mempertimbangkan langkah hukum menyusul aksi walk-off Senegal sebelum penalti dieksekusi.
Juara Piala Afrika Senegal dan runner-up Maroko termasuk di antara negara yang mengalami peningkatan performa signifikan, termasuk sedikit perubahan di sepuluh besar.
Manchester United and Liverpool both have 20 top-flight league titles to their name, and are the most successful sides in English history for league wins. With Liverpool securing their second Premier League in the 2024-25 season, they've won two in the Premier League era and 18 prior to its creation. By contrast, Manchester United have won 13 Premier League titles and seven before the league's inception, last winning a Premier League title at the end of the 2012-13 campaign.
How many teams are in the Premier League?
The Premier League in its current format has 20 teams. The first-ever season of the Premier League era in 1992-93 featured 22 teams, which was then reduced to 20 teams ahead of the 1995-96 season.
Who has made the most Premier League appearances ever?
Garath Barry leads the way with 653 appearances for four different clubs: Aston Villa, Manchester City, Everton and West Bromwich Albion. James Milner is second with 637, winning PL titles with both Manchester City and Liverpool. He is still playing with Brighton, so could surpass Barry if he carries on. Third is Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs, with 632 appearances.
Who is the all-time Premier League top goal scorer?
Jimmy Greaves, widely regarded as the most prolific English goalscorer ever, but Alan Shearer is the Premier League's top scorer of all time, with 260 goals across a famed career for both Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.
Who has the most assists in the history of the Premier League?
Manchester United icon Ryan Giggs holds the record for the most assists in Premier League history. Giggs spent his entire career at Old Trafford, making 672 appearances and registering 162 assists between 1991 and 2014.
Who is the youngest player ever in the Premier League and how old was he?
Arsenal wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri is the youngest player to ever play in the Premier League. Nwaneri was just 15 days and 181 days old when he made his debut for the Gunners against Brentford in the 2022-23 season.
Which famous players have played in the Premier League?
Stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney, Eric Cantona, Steven Gerrard, Dennis Bergkamp, Didier Drogba and Mohamed Salah (still playing) have all featured in the Premier League era.
Which famous managers have managed in the Premier League?
Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson, Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola, Thomas Tuchel, Jurgen Klopp, and Arsene Wenger are among the most famous managers to have taken charge of a Premier League club.
What is the biggest stadium in the Premier League?
Manchester United's Old Trafford is the biggest stadium in the league with a capacity of 74,310.