Not long ago, Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer appeared to be entering the twilight of his career.
After missing nearly all of the 2017-18 season due to a fractured foot, Neuer returned the next season and played the worst football of his career. The German allowed 5.5 more goals than expected, ranking 32nd out of 37 qualified Bundesliga keepers.
Somewhere in an alternate universe, Lionel Messi is the best player MLS has ever seen, Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani are both pushing for their third MLS Cup and the United States is the premier destination for global footballing talent.
In the meantime, we'll have to settle for a new signing who, while not quite as well-known, is arguably more intriguing than any player to ever put on an MLS kit.
Raise your hand if you predicted that West Bromwich Albion would defeat Chelsea 5-2 at Stamford Bridge and then a week later overpower Southampton 3-0. Anybody? I would have been surprised just to hear that West Brom scored multiple goals in a match.
After recording just three wins and scoring only 20 goals in its first 29 EPL matches, West Brom has found the back of the net eight times over its last two matches, picking up two victories — each by three goals — in the process.
MADRID - Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann has been spared having to remember three different dates to mark the birthdays of each of his three children — as they were all born on April 8.
When the French World Cup winner confirmed on social media that his wife Erika Choperena had given birth to a baby daughter on Thursday, remarkably it was on the same date as their elder children, Mia (born in 2016) and Amaro (born in 2019).
France’s Ligue 1 has given by far the most opportunities to Under-21 players this season, while German side Borussia Dortmund are the club to have handed out most minutes to youngsters.
A review of the top-five leagues by soccer statisticians Opta showed that Under-21 players have enjoyed a collective 62,046 minutes of game time in the French top flight in 2020/21.
The German Bundesliga is second with 34,993 minutes, while England’s Premier League (29,172), Italy's Serie A (23,225) and Spain’s LaLiga (22,893) round off the list.
BUCHAREST - Romanian assistant referee Octavian Sovre's decision to ask Borussia Dormund striker Erling Haaland to autograph his yellow and red cards raised some eyebrows but the charity that is set to benefit from a cash boost is not complaining.
"The red and yellow-signed cards which my kindergarten classmate Octavian donated to our SOS Autism Bihor center will be used for a noble cause," Simona Zlibut, who oversees a therapy center set up by parents, told Reuters.
Zlibut's own 21-year-old daughter is autistic and she says the center depends on donations.
For all the wacky, zany, unexpected occurrences that have happened over the years in Scottish football (and there have been plenty), most of them have at least had a logical explanation.
The automated match camera that confused the referee's bald head for the ball? Completely improbable — but the deductive reasoning makes sense.
Quizás la carrera como técnico de Tomás Boy carezca de títulos, sin embargo, nadie puede dudar del espectáculo que entrega al borde de la cancha. OK, la mayoría son rabietas, pero de vez en cuando deja un recuerdito que la tribuna agradece.
Obra en exposición: el elástico a lo Ronaldinho en el duelo entre Puebla y su equipo, el Mazatlán FC.
¡¡¡¡QUÉ CLASE LA DEL JEFE!!!!