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Two Mexican strikers are dominating the global scoring race ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Leer

The 61-year-old German coach has had great success helping lead Barcelona's young players since his May 2024 appointment

Motivated by his experiences, Mitchell wants to help new generations of academy players navigate the challenges of finding another career

Guadalajara expects safe 2026 tournament after violent unrest this year

After arriving in Heidenheim via Arminia Bielefeld, Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund’s reserves in 2018, it is an understatement to say Patrick Mainka has developed into a mainstay of the side as he approaches a rare feat in the modern game.

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone hailed departing forward Antoine Griezmann ahead of the club’s Champions League quarter-final first leg clash at Barcelona on Wednesday. The 35-year-old French striker, Atletico’s all time top goalscorer, is leaving at the end of the season to join MLS side Orlando City. Simeone addressed Griezmann directly before a press conference […] The post Atletico’s Simeone hails ‘exemplary’ departing Griezmann appeared first on Soccer America.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said he would defend teenage star Lamine Yamal against criticism for his occasional “emotional” outbursts, ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Atletico Madrid. The 18-year-old winger did not celebrate Barca’s late winner in the 2-1 victory at Atletico in La Liga on Saturday that took the Catalans seven […] The post Barca’s Flick to defend ’emotional’ teen Yamal against criticism appeared first on Soccer America.

With his hat-trick against Orlando City, LAFC star Denis Bouanga claimed the fifth MLS Player of the Matchday award in his career, but remains far from legends Lionel Messi and Hani Mukhtar. Denis Bouanga was one of the standout performers of Matchday 6 in the 2026 MLS season, scoring a hat trick in LAFC‘s dominant 6-0 win over Orlando City. The Gabonese striker claimed his fifth career MLS Player of the Matchday award in the process, though he still has plenty of ground to make up on Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi and Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar. In Saturday’s rout of Orlando, Son Heung-min turned heads by registering four assists in the first half alone, matching one of Messi’s records in the process, though three of those passes set up Bouanga, who made no mistake in front of goal. MLS opted to award the goalscorer over the South Korean as the match’s standout player. It marked Bouanga’s first Player of the Matchday honor of the 2026 season and the fifth of his MLS career since joining LAFC in 2022. That total places him among the top three active players in the category, trailing only Mukhtar and Messi. Keeping pace with that duo, however, will be no easy feat. Mukhtar sits second on the all-time active list with eight Player of the Matchday awards since arriving at Nashville SC in 2020. Denis Bouanga #99 of Los Angeles Football Club shoots and scores against LD Alajuelense. Topping that list is an even steeper climb. Messi leads all active players with 13 MLS Matchday awards, eight more than Bouanga, having become the first player to claim six across back-to-back seasons in 2024 and 2025. He has already added another in 2026, taking home the Matchday 2 honor, also against Orlando City, a strong sign that his form shows no signs of fading. Bouanga chasing hat-trick record Unlike Messi and Mukhtar, who operate more as playmakers, Bouanga has built his MLS reputation on his goal-scoring ability. Saturday’s hat trick pushed his regular-season contributions to 99, with 69 goals and 30 assists in 107 games. Netting all three goals within the first 28 minutes also made it the fourth-fastest hat trick from the opening whistle in MLS history. One milestone he is firmly chasing is the all-time MLS regular-season hat-trick record. His tally now stands at five, leaving him within striking distance of Josef Martinez’s mark of seven. By contrast, Messi has scored just two MLS hat tricks, both with Inter Miami, with the most recent coming in October 2025 against Nashville.

Italy legend Dino Baggio shared his opinion on why Diego Maradona is considered even better than Lionel Messi. Approaching the end of his professional career, Lionel Messi is regarded by many as the greatest player of all time. However, in that debate, other heavyweights come into play, such as Diego Maradona, whom Italy icon Dino Baggio considered the number one. During an interview with Diario AS, the former Juventus and Parma midfielder was asked about his view of modern soccer, particularly Serie A, comparing it with the 1980s and 1990s. Baggio acknowledged that it was more difficult to play in Italy back then: “Perhaps Messi could have had problems here in his day.” That led the conversation toward the differences in soccer over the years. Dino based his opinion on the fact that a few decades ago referees were more lenient when it came to physical contact, resulting in a harsher sport for talented players. “Today, fouls are called before contact, practically,” Baggio noted, before highlighting who he considered the best player in the world during those years. “Maradona, in modern times, would score a thousand goals per season. You can’t imagine what they would hit him with when he was at Napoli,” said the 1994 FIFA World Cup finalist. Dino Baggio playing for Italy vs England in a World Cup qualifier in 1997. Immediately, Dino Baggio compared the two Argentine superstars and pointed out the difference between them: “Messi, back then, would have been equally brilliant, but completely, absolutely crushed. That’s why I say Diego was the greatest. The God of world soccer.” Comparisons between Messi and Maradona Dino Baggio is not the first to highlight the contrast between the leniency of the past and the extreme caution of modern soccer. This is usually one of the arguments used to place stars from previous decades, like Diego Maradona, Pele, or Alfredo Di Stefano, above modern geniuses like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Some statistics support this view. FIFA shared an analysis on its official website a few years ago regarding the number of fouls committed in each edition of the World Cup (with records starting in Chile 1962) and the players who were most frequently fouled. There is an indisputable leader in the rankings. Diego Maradona is the player who received the most fouls in World Cup history, totaling 152 across his four tournaments (1982, 1986, 1990, and 1994). He doubles the second player on the list, Lionel Messi, who was fouled 75 times across his five tournaments from 2006 onwards. Further down are Brazil’s Jairzinho (64), Neymar (60), and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (58). The most astonishing fact is that Maradona ranks first, second, and third for the most fouls received in a single World Cup. In Mexico 1986, he was fouled 53 times; in Italy 1990, 50 times; and in Spain 1982, 36 times. Only in fourth place does another player appear—curiously also Argentine—Ariel Ortega, with 33 fouls in France 1998.

The French player has just one match left to achieve it if Real Madrid aren't eliminated. Leer

Alvaro Arbeloa has urged anyone who does not believe Real Madrid can turn around their Champions League tie against Bayern Munich to “stay in Madrid” for the second leg. Los Blancos lost the quarter-final first leg 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Kylian Mbappe keeping Madrid’s hopes alive after earlier goals from Luis Diaz and […] The post Arbeloa: Anyone who doesn´t believe in Champions League comeback should stay in Madrid appeared first on Soccer News.

Kai Havertz declared David Raya the best goalkeeper in the world after his saves helped Arsenal secure a 1-0 win over Sporting in their Champions League quarter-final first leg in Lisbon.

Kai Havertz declared David Raya the best goalkeeper in the world after his saves helped Arsenal secure a 1-0 win over Sporting in their Champions League quarter-final first leg in Lisbon.

Raya was back in goal for Arsenal after sitting out cup defeats to Man City and Southampton

Kylian Mbappé delivered when it mattered most, scoring a crucial goal and reaching a historic milestone. Leer

Kai Havertz came off the bench to score Arsenal's late winner at Sporting Lisbon and Theo Walcott insists the Gunners are far better when the German is starting

Steven Gerrard says he’d love to see Luis Diaz make a sensational return to Liverpool. The winger proved decisive for Bayern Munich by scoring his side’s opener in Tuesday’s 2-1 Champio…

Highlighting the talent, effectiveness, and mindset of his former teammates, the Brazilian legend put together his dream player. Leer

Florian Wirtz has shut down any rumours of Liverpool players turning against manager Arne Slot ahead of their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain. The pressure has been increasing on Slot at Anfield, especially after their 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday. The Reds’ last hope of […] The post Wirtz insists Liverpool players still believe in Slot appeared first on Soccer News.

Parent and club have to align. "Youth soccer conflict often starts with expectation gaps. Parents want one thing. Clubs assume another. Players get stuck in the middle. Andrew says if those expectations are too far apart, disaster follows. Watch the full conversation on the channel." #YouthSoccer #SoccerParents #ClubSoccerAdvice

For the eighth straight year, ESPN brings you our list of the game's next young stars aged 21 or under. Who is good enough to make it?

United States Men's National Team legends Landon Donovan and Tim Howard mention Matt Freese and Folarin Balogun as the most important players to the USMNT's success this summer. @Coca-Cola x @Carnival

Jonathan Rowe believes the Premier League is the “best league in the world” as he targets a return to the English top-flight in the future. The 22-year-old previously represented Norwich City in the Premier League, making 13 appearances off the bench for the Canaries. Rowe then left Carrow Road for Marseille ahead of the 2024-25 […] The post Rowe targeting Premier League return and England World Cup spot appeared first on Soccer News.

ARSENAL take on Sporting in a HUGE Champions League quarter-final - with their season in need of a boost. But, they will have to make the trip without Bukayo Saka. The 24-year-old missed games against Uruguay and Japan for Thomas Tuchel's England, and has not featured since the Carabao Cup final. He was also a...

Santos boss Cuca revealed Neymar is “raring to go” after undergoing a knee procedure during the international break. Neymar was left out of Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad for the March break, dampening his chances of featuring at this summer’s World Cup. Neymar is Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals and has represented the Selecao […] The post Neymar ´raring to go´ after knee procedure, says Santos boss Cuca appeared first on Soccer News.

Antonio Conte has been told by the Napoli president that his club commitments won’t be an issue if he wants to become the new Italy manager. Gattuso’s departure was made official on Fri…

The London Card Show is back and bigger than ever before as it prepares for its first event at Excel London. Once hosted in a sports hall, it’s now set to welcome thousands of trading card co…

Alexander Isak has been named in the Liverpool squad for Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final at Paris Saint-Germain after 15 weeks on the sidelines.

Roy Hodgson is enjoying a successful return to Bristol City, but reiterated in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT that it’s only temporary. The Robins announced the shock appointment of th…

Hansi Flick will always protect “unbelievable” Lamine Yamal after he came under scrutiny for an angry reaction during Barcelona’s win over Atletico Madrid at the weekend. Barca secured a 2-1 victory over Atletico on Saturday to move seven points clear at the top of LaLiga with eight games to play, with Robert Lewandowski scoring an […] The post Flick will protect ´unbelievable´ Yamal from outside noise appeared first on Soccer News.

Manchester United star Bryan Mbeumo hailed the warm reception the team received from Irish football fans as they arrived in Co Kildare for a training getaway.

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Arne Slot tries his best not to choke up when he talks of last year’s meeting between Liverpool and PSG. “I hope every fan around the world was hoping this game wouldn’t stop because it was incredible,” he blubbed in March 2025. His team had just lost on penalties to the soon-to-be Bigger Cup winners. “It was the best game of football that I was ever involved in.” If the Slot regime comes to its end this summer, with a significant groundswell of opinion among Kopites nodding in that direction, then it is curious he keeps returning to an infamous European night at Anfield which may well prove the beginning of the end. A few days later, Liverpool deservedly lost a Fizzy Cup final to a much more inspired Newcastle. Things have never quite been the same since, despite a 20th league title being claimed in April. With Aaron Ramsey having been without a club since the end of last year and now retiring, it looks like we’ve moved from players announcing their retirement who we weren’t even aware were still playing to players announcing their retirement who were already retired but weren’t aware of it themselves”​ – Noble Francis. Dear Arsenal, how do you sustain this insane consistency in blowing your chances? Every. Single. Time. Players come and go. Managers stay and leave. The only constant is the fans’ anguish. What wizardry will you wield now to hand over the title to Manchester City?”​ – Krishna Moorthy. Re Thursday’s letters. John Groom is correct that not many Aussies use flamin’, but you don’t have to be Stefan Kuntz, Danny Sh1ttu or Christian Fuchs to know our modern alternatives aren’t always printable” – Rowan Sweeney. No-one says flamin’ anymore John, but most of us still have a flamin’ sense of humour” – Greg Wyatt.

Paul Scholes has picked out eight players that he believes Manchester United would need to sell to be able to compete for a title. The Red Devils legend took a look at the current Man United squad …

Antony reignited his career at Real Betis after his Manchester United nightmare but the Brazilian is now struggling in Spain with the World Cup just around the corner

Amad Diallo believes Michael Carrick is “the right man” for the Manchester United head coach role. After previously taking up the position in 2021, Carrick was appointed interim head coach in January following the sacking of Ruben Amorim. The Red Devils have impressed under Carrick’s leadership, winning seven of their 10 Premier League (D2 L1), […] The post Amad backs ´right man´ Carrick for permanent role appeared first on Soccer News.

The Daily Star says that while the World Cup remains one of the best sporting events going, the ticket pricing strategy is a scandal that prices real footie fans out of the experience

Harry Maguire explains why he is so enthusiastic about what lies ahead at United.

Bryan believes that the camp in Dublin is the perfect way to prepare for our Leeds clash.

The pair have struck up a noticeable bond since the beginning of the season.

Premier League legend Gareth Barry has backed Arsenal to reach the Champions League final but believes they will miss out on the trophy.

Wayne Rooney has revealed he once told Mike Tyson to stop punching him after feeling the power from the boxing legend. The Manchester United legend is an avid boxing fan and managed to find himself…

Antonio Conte has not closed the door on a potential return to coaching the Italian national team. Italy failed to qualify for this summer’s World Cup after losing to Bosnia-Herzegovina on penalties last week. On Friday, Gennaro Gattuso stepped down as head coach, leaving the position vacant. Conte coached Italy between 2014 and 2016, leading […] The post Conte: Only right that I´m included on Italy list appeared first on Soccer News.

Michael Carrick has enjoyed a largely successful interim head coaching stint with Manchester United, and one player in particular has voiced his opinion

Sporting Lisbon fans are unhappy about the way he forced his move to the Premier League

Former Arsenal academy player Marcelo Flores made his debut for Canada this weekend, switching from Mexico and explaining that he feels more at home with his new national team.

Amad Diallo has said the Manchester United squad believe Michael Carrick is the 'right man' to take over the club next season.

The former Fulham and Leicester City star joins the global debate: Will Messi and Ronaldo be able to end their careers with another World Cup title, or will it be the turn of a new generation? Leer

The 2028 UEFA European Championship will be spread across four different nations for the first time as Spain aim to defend their title. With the World Cup not far away, it should be an automatic re…

Midfielder suspended by club for remarks on future Argentinian remains part of leadership group at club Chelsea are open to Enzo Fernández captaining the side again this season and hope to reintegrate the midfielder after his comments over his future. Fernández, who is on Real Madrid’s shortlist as they look to revamp their midfield, was dropped after whipping up a storm during last month’s international break. The Argentina international was not particularly subtle when he mentioned Madrid as the European city in which he would most like to live and praised the former Real Madrid midfielders Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. He also angered Chelsea by questioning the departure of Enzo Maresca, who was replaced by Liam Rosenior as head coach in January.

Will he be given the nod?