Since 2013, the CIES Football Observatory has annually been releasing a list of the top 100 valued footballers from Europe’s “Big-5” leagues. It’s a fascinating concept because rather than just saying “Messi is the best, he’s No. 1. Ronaldo is second-best, he’s No.
It was a bit of a joke that Mo Salah’s chipped effort against Everton was awarded the Puskas for the best goal of the year, only winning because Liverpool supporters took over the fan voting. The Harry Kane goal vs Wolves on Saturday was superior in every way — but probably won’t win any awards for a multitude of reasons.
The holiday period is a crazy time for the Premier League. Many of Europe’s top leagues take a break until the new year, but England continues its fixture list with a plethora of matches. The Christmas period is considered one of the toughest periods of the season, as the calendar for England’s top clubs is packed to the brim.
If I could offer Mauricio Pochettino one piece of advice with regards to the Manchester United and Real Madrid rumors, it would be this:
England and Croatia played out a testament to the UEFA Nations League in front of 78,221 Wembley spectators with the unique winner-takes-all circumstances in Group 4 making it immensely more enjoyable than a typical November friendly two years before a major international tournament.
England’s impressive 3-2 win over Spain in Seville had its fair share of landmarks. The defeat was the first of Luis Enrique’s reign as boss, and it was also Spain’s first home loss since 2003. Raheem Sterling, who had a brace, scored his first international goal in 1,102 days, and England’s first goal in Spain since 1987. Harry Kane, who was signaled out for praise before the match by Sergio Ramos, had his first-ever two-assist match for the Three Lions.
Wednesday's Tottenham vs Barcelona Champions League match is exciting by itself. Two great teams facing each other, that's already really cool.