Quotes

Normally, when one's 21-year-old Kosovar striker makes a substitute appearance after fans have been calling for him and ends up scoring the winner, that is cause for celebration. Not for Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy, though. Mick McCarthy does not celebrate.

Ipswich Town were down 1-0 to Burton Albion on Saturday in the second half, and fans were calling for Bersant Celina, a 21-year-old Kosovar on loan from Manchester City, to be introduced. Ipswich Town tied the match up in the 66th minute and Celino came on in the 84th, scoring a late winner.

Monday night’s playoff encounter between the New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC saw the continuation of a narrative that’ll likely follow TFC for years to come: wherever the club goes, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore are not going to be given a warm reception. It began on October 22 with Toronto’s visit to Atlanta, TFC’s first road match since that unspeakable encounter between the United States and Trinidad & Tobago. It continued on Monday night at Red Bull Arena.

Mauro Icardi, the kid you went to high school with who would not shut up about how he was getting out of your little town as soon as he got the chance, has revealed his future career plans.

“I want to win something with this shirt, but I won’t be in football at 40, I’m not like Totti. I’m not going to be a Coach or a director, I don’t think I’d like those roles. I think I’ll just be a dad, at home, with my family."

According to Spanish football federation president Juan Luis Larrea, La Liga will begin using Video Assistant Referee technology next season if all goes according to plan. Given La Liga’s refusal to use goal-line technology on the grounds of cost concerns, the proposed introduction of VAR in the Spanish top flight represents something of a shock.

Diego Maradona is a sensitive man. On Monday he caught some feelings at the FIFA The Best awards ceremony after giving the FIFA Best Men's Player award to Cristiano Ronaldo and not fellow Argentinian Lionel Messi.

"To give the Best [award] to Ronaldo and not be able to give it to Messi hurt my soul," Maradona said to TyC Sports.

Luckily for Maradona, he and Messi did get to share a tender moment at the awards gala.

In the end, Netherlands and FC Barcelona attacker Lieke Martens was the deserved recipient of 2017’s The Best FIFA Women’s Player award (an accolade presumably named by a toddler or Sepp Blatter). But the three-woman shortlist for the prize continues to flip the bird at anyone who wishes to try and make sense of it all.