For Cristiano Ronaldo, the path to UEFA Nations League glory was exceptionally similar to the one he trod to victory at Euro 2016. After a stunning hat trick in the semis to lift Portugal to the final — much like the towering, match-winning header he planted against Wales at the same stage in 2016 — Ronaldo was subdued at the tournament’s climax.
Manchester United fans have endured a bad season. Big-name players haven’t been turning up for matches, and many fans want to see the United squad completely revamped.
With Manchester United’s massive transfer budget, the club has been tipped to bring in some talented and big-name players in the summer. But there’s no guarantee that paying big bucks on a players will bring the Red Devils back from the depths of the Europa League.
Real Madrid completed its penultimate home match of the season when recording a 3-2 victory over Villarreal on Sunday. With a Champions League spot already secure next year, los Blancos have nothing to play for, and that fact was mirrored in the stands at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Even though the EFL Championship is not easy to find on American television spare ESPN+, soccer fans will have at least heard about Norwich City, Leeds United and Sheffield United’s push for the top two promotion spots. Usually, the teams and players at the top of the Championship get a lot of the rare press and rightly so, but there is one hidden gem not in the top six in England’s second division that could soon light up the Premier League: Jarrod Bowen.
Thorgan Hazard has been a revelation for Borussia Mönchengladbach this season. The Belgian has scored 12 goals and assisted 12 in all competitions in Germany and has attracted suitors from across Europe.
Hazard left Chelsea on loan to Möchengladbach in 2015, where he would earn a permanent stay.
Hop into The18 time machine and travel back to Jan. 23, 2017, to see “Borussia Dortmund Beat Real Madrid To The Signing Of 17-Year-Old Swedish Phenom” Alexander Isak. After breaking through with AIK and scoring 10 goals during his debut Allsvenskan season, “the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic” made further waves by becoming Sweden’s youngest-ever international goalscorer.
Ander Herrera has been a key player for Manchester United, especially under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær. From a fan, many believe Herrera is one of the most underrated players at Manchester United and in the Premier League. No matter what the fans think, Herrera is a proper team player and will be out of contract in the summer.
After eight hugely successful weeks on trial with Australia’s Central Coast Mariners, the secret was out: Usain Bolt is a raw talent, but the greatest sprinter of all time can also do work on the football pitch.
Apparently FC Barcelona saw enough to take a chance on the Jamaican, and the 32-year-old has now touched down at the Camp Nou on a three-year contract as the ideal longterm replacement for Luis Suárez.