Alexis Sanchez figures to be one of the world's most targeted players in this summer's transfer window. The 28-year-old forward scored 29 goals in 50 appearances with Arsenal this campaign, and it was often clear that he was shouldering the load when the Gunners were struggling.
Alexis Sanchez for Arsenal in the Premier League 2016/17:
Most take-ons (109)
Most goals (24)
Most assists (10)
Most through balls (9)
The premeditated pomp and choreographed farewell that John Terry bid Chelsea supporters at Stamford Bridge on Sunday stood in stark contrast to Luis Enrique’s final match at the Camp Nou. While the feel-good factor in the southwest of London as compared to the tension-riddled atmosphere at the Camp Nou could go someway towards explaining these divergent going away parties, the real variation was really only in the respective men of honor.
Plenty of new kits for the 2017-18 season have been released and leaked over the past few months, but now it's time to take a seat and truly take a look at which ones stand out from the crowd. Many of these are from well known clubs around the world, but some may come as a surprise to you!
Barcelona’s 4-2 victory over Eibar was rendered meaningless by Real Madrid’s 2-0 win against Eibar, but the event-riddled match still provided plenty of highlights.
Luis Enrique’s final match in charge at the Camp Nou began disastrously. As news filtered through the stadium regarding Real Madrid’s early opener, Eibar scored a sensational goal of their own with Takashi Inui lifting a left footed half-volley into the roof of the net in the 7th minute.
With Real Madrid simply needing to avoid defeat to capture their first La Liga crown in five years, Barcelona held out slim hope that 11th place Malaga could use the friendly confines of Estadio La Rosaleda to play the perfect match and shock the side from the Spanish capital. That hope lasted for all of two minutes before Cristiano Ronaldo delivered Real Madrid their opener.
With a victory against Genoa next Sunday, second place AS Roma will eclipse their highest-ever point total in Serie A with 87. However, Juventus’ 3-0 victory over Crotone today gave them 88 points on the season heading into the final match day, confirming them as Serie A champions for the sixth straight season. They’re simply untouchable in Italy.
A pair of United States youth internationals are being given the opportunity to make their Bundesliga debuts for Schalke 04 this weekend. Haji Wright, 19, and Weston McKennie, 18, have received promotions to Schalke's first team squad for their final match of the Bundesliga season on Saturday against Ingolstadt.
48' > WESTON MCKINNIE!! FCD takes a 3-0 lead as the midfielder's volley dribbles over the line! pic.twitter.com/OASVUlv9Hg
Cristiano Ronaldo had a bad miss on Wednesday.
Of course, he also became the all-time leading scorer in Europe's top five leagues. His brace in Real Madrid's crucial victory against Celta Vigo gave him 368 goals in 460 apperances at both Manchester United and Real Madrid.
His missed opportunity at a hat trick also reminded us that even the greatest player's can still be humbled by the game.
The massively experienced Bibiana Steinhaus, who will officiate this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League final, has been promoted to refereeing the Bundesliga after six seasons in the second division. Steinhaus will become the first female referee in the history of the Bundesliga when she officiates a match next season.