Europe

Investigating The Most Egregious Ballon d'Or Winners Of The Last 20 Years

After a decade-plus of domination by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, fans expected Ballon d'Or voting to bring some different results in 2021.

The obvious choice was Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, who was coming off a record-breaking 41-goal campaign in the Bundesliga. 

Instead it was Messi — seemingly entering the twilight of his career — who won the award for the seventh time. "Surely something must be done," the people exclaimed at this perceived injustice. "He still can't be the best player in the world."

3 Red Cards And 2 Bench-Clearing Brawls — Atlético Advances Using Its Favorite Script

The dust has settled on Champions League Group B, where we started the day with Liverpool guaranteed top, Atlético at the bottom, Porto advancing as runner-up, switched to Milan in second after Zlatan's side took an early lead on Liverpool, went back to Porto in second after Mohamed Salah equalized and finally finished with Atlético advancing to the Round of 16 after Diego Simeone's men beat Porto 3-1 in a match that featured three red cards, three yellows and two bench-clearing brawls between minutes 67 and 75.

Los Goles Con Que Messi Superó A Pelé

Kylian Mbappé realizó esta tarde una enorme exhibición en el Parque de los Príncipes. El delantero lideró con un doblete la cómoda victoria del PSG (4-1) sobre el Club Brugge y cerró el paso del equipo por el Grupo A de la Champions League. Sin embargo, parte del show también recayó en los hombros de Lionel Messi, quien con dos conquistas escribió otra jornada histórica para su larga lista de logros personales.

Desde hoy, Messi tiene oficialmente más goles que Pelé.

Dastardly Benfica Fans Make Website Where You Can Help Send Their Manager To Brazil With One Click

When the fans of a club want their manager to hit the road they often express their displeasure via banners and a #so-and-so-out. The hashtag for a manager to go often hits the social feeds after a tough loss, even Gregg Berhalter has had his name trending in an outward direction.

Supporters of Portuguese giants Benfica have taken their expression of resentment toward their manager to a whole new, genius level.

Messi And Mbappé Combine For 4 Goals To Cement PSG's Status As Most Feared Runner-Up

There was nothing on the line for PSG during Tuesday's Champions League group stage finale against Club Brugge with Manchester City already clinching top spot and the Parisian side locked in second, although the Belgian's harbored faint hopes of achieving a result at the Parc des Princes to qualify for the Europa League above RB Leipzig — that dream was dead inside seven minutes.  

Only two minutes in, Kylian Mbappé punished Simon Mignolet for struggling with an effort at his near post, although the 22-year-old Frenchman's finish was ice cold.

10 Stats That Go A Long Way Towards Explaining The 2021-22 Season So Far

STATS! They can be used in all manner of ways. In the right hands, they can provide you with some excellent insight into the best women's goalkeepers in the world right now. In the wrong hands, you end up with some diabolical shitposting that's effectively ESPN FC's Twitter account. 

From The Court To The Pitch: Re-Envisioning European Soccer In College Basketball Terms

Rumors of a UEFA Super League have become increasingly prevalent in recent times as larger clubs look for ways to earn a buck any way they can. An official announcement of a Super League even came earlier this year before being trounced by fans across the continent.

Big clubs loathe the current Champions League format because it limits matchups against other big clubs and forces them to share the prize money, while smaller clubs believe the format is slanted against them.

Zlatan Admits He’s ‘Scared To Stop’ Playing, Wants To Stay At AC Milan

MILAN — AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said he wants to stay at the Serie A club for the rest of his career, admitting he is "scared to stop" playing due to uncertainty as to what comes next after retirement.

The 40-year-old Swede's current contract expires at the end of the season, but Ibrahimovic has no plans to hang up his boots just yet.

"I want to play as long as possible. As long as I have that adrenaline, I will continue," Ibrahimovic told Italian talk show Che Tempo Che Fa on Sunday.

Ronaldo’s Pressing And Fred’s Scoring Golazos; Ralf Rangnick Must Be A Genius

MANCHESTER, England - Manchester United's new interim manager Ralf Rangnick said he was impressed with how well his team responded to his input during Sunday's 1-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace.

A 77th-minute goal from Fred earned Rangnick a victory in his first game in charge at Old Trafford.

Sam Kerr Inspires Chelsea To FA Cup Glory With Spectacular 15-Yard Chip

After numerous COVID-19 delays, the 2020-21 Women’s FA Cup Final was contested Sunday (the 2021-22 competition is now in the Second Round) in front of a massive crowd of 41,000 at Wembley. Chelsea stormed to a 3-0 victory over Arsenal, completing a domestic treble after also capturing last season’s Women’s Super League and League Cup titles.

It’s Arsenal (first) and Chelsea (second) that look set to battle for this campaign's WSL crown after eight matches, but the early story of the season has been the form of Blues’ attacking duo Sam Kerr and Fran Kirby.

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