A few weeks ago, Wolfsburg played Chelsea in the round of 16 of the UEFA Women’s Champions League - which, yes, is a glorious thing that exists albeit in relative obscurity - and Swiss midfielder Vanessa Bernauer went all Paul Pogba and unleashed this scowling, dipping boomer:
What's better than long range goals? Long range goals by 18-year-olds, that's what. And boy did Benfica youngster, Renato Sanches score a beauty this past weekend. The lad from Lisbon's first goal was a memorable one, when he unloaded from 35 yards out, to secure Benfica's 3-0 victory over Academica De Coimbra.
Messi, you can't always get what you want.
What he wasnted was to be on the Ballon d'Or podium with fellow Barcelona forwards Neymar Jr. and Luis Suarez.
What he got was Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo.
"I am happy to be once more among the three best, and to go to another gala," Messi said.
Hector Herrera had a pretty darn good 2014-2015 season for Portuguese club Porto.
His season was so good, in fact, that Herrera was named Porto's Player of the Year.
Herrera joined Porto in 2015 from Liga MX side Pachuca for a reported $8.5 million, and has quickly become one of the club's key players. Just Wednesday he scored and wore the captain's armband for Porto.
Chicharito is getting some recognition for just how good he has been so far this season.
The Mexico and Bayer Leverkusen striker has been named the Bundesliga's player of the month for the month of November.
Photo: @Bundesliga_EN | Twitter
Valencia has a new manager, not that there’s much surprise in that. Since Rafa Benitez left the club as La Liga champions in 2004, 12 coaches have come and gone in the intervening 11 years, delivering a solitary piece of silverware (the 2008 Copa del Rey) between them.
They’re rivals on and off the pitch, but the latest edition of El Clasico has provoked controversy that pushed the tension between Barcelona and Real Madrid to a boiling point.
Barcelona are currently pursuing a case against Manolo Sanchís and Poli Rincon through the Anti-Violence Commission over comments the ex-Real players made about Isco’s horror tackle on Neymar in El Clasico. The Spain starlet was given a straight red card, Real Madrid lost El Clasico, and that should have been the end of it.
It’s been a season of stunning upheaval in the EPL. Leicester City have sat proudly astride the Premier League in November and boast the most lethal striker in the division in Jamie "chat s*** get banged" Vardy. The Chelsea team that won the league at a canter last season have become so accustomed to the bottom half of the Premier League table that they’re thinking of releasing a Drake-inspired charity single called "Started At The Top, Now We’re Here (In 14th)." But at least in this swirling maelstrom of change, we can rely on one anchor of stability: Arsenal are fourth.
It's hard to pick the greatest goal of Cristiano Ronaldo's career. I mean, the guy has scored over 500 goals over his 13 year career, so picking just one of them as the best is a tall task. But this long range rip against Porto back in 2009 has to be right atop the list. The younger CR7 has the onions to even attempt this shot, let alone pull it off. It almost makes you sad, because now as the quantity of his goals goes up, it feels like the quality has gone down. Yeah, i know the game is about putting the ball in the back of the net, but I can still be bummed about it.
Xavi Hernandez is a Barcelona legend. While in the Blaugrana, he won damn near everything there is to win. He retired on top, having been an integral part of Barca's treble win. This begs the question, though, now that Xavi is comfortably living out the early stages of his retirement in the Qatari league, where is the next Xavi? How will Barcelona replace one of the best players in its history?