Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 107 i Soccer 360 Magazine

RICCARDO CALAFIORI - ITALY It was a fairly underwhelming defence of the crown as far as Italy were concerned, but they have a new star defender in Riccardo Calafiori. With a good positional sense and a useful turn of pace, he is also good on the ball and represents a new generation of centre-backs for the Azzurri. His performances in Germany helped earn him a summer move to Arsenal. MARC GUEHI - ENGLAND Many fans of the Premier League will have already been aware of Marc Guehi’s talents through his mature displays for Crystal Palace, but amid the pressure cooker of a major tournament he took the place of Harry Maguire at the centre England’s defence and was totally seamless. He is now likely to be first choice for the…

“MANCHESTER CITY CONTINUE TO REWRITE THE RECORD BOOKS” FINAL TABLE PREDICTIONS GOAL SCORING PREDICTIONS Haaland Palmer Foden Salah Saka Isak Watkins Heung-min Wood ARSENAL LAST SEASON FINISH: 2nd place RECORD: 28-5-5 MOST GOALS: Saka (16) All the signs suggest that Arsenal won’t be kept waiting much longer to end their Premier League title drought. After collapsing on the home stretch in 2022-23 having led for most of the way, they couldn’t have come much closer last term as only the finest of margins saw them come second again to Manchester City. Manager Mikel Arteta has instilled an unshakeable mentality at the Emirates Stadium and is desperate to make the tiny gains that are needed for his side to make it third time lucky. To that end, he’s recruited Italy star…

Well, are Tottenham Hotspur fans ready and buckled in for Ange Postecoglou’s ’s second season? Will his second season mark a second coming and bring glory to the lane? The electrified foretaste of anticipation abounds among the hinterlands of the mind. Last season the faithful bore witness to a collection of promising signs. The defensive high line, the clever interplay, the speed of movement, and the fact that losing Harry Kane had less effect on the team than a Neil Ruddock diet. The team couldn’t stop scoring. Indeed, half-way through last season only the goalkeeper had failed to get on the scoresheet. Everyone loved them. They loved Ange. They loved Son and even smiled benignly on Romero. Everyone raved over the footballing buckle being swashed. And the pundits loved the…

ALESSANDRO BUONGIORNO - NAPOLI The Partenopei splashed out $38m for the much sought after centre-back as part of a major defensive rebuild under new coach Antonio Conte. Known for his speed, timing in the tackle and aerial ability, the 25-year-old has the task of shoring up a porous Napoli backline which shipped 48 goals as they struggled last term. RAFAEL LEAO - AC MILAN The fluctuating form of the dazzling Portuguese winger was a cause of disagreement among Rossoneri fans last season, as the 2021-22 Serie A MostValuable Player was irresistible in some games and invisible in others. New coach Paulo Fonseca must bring out the absolute best in the 25-year-old for Milan to become legitimate title contenders. DOUGLAS LUIZ - JUVENTUS Much is expected of the expensive marquee signing…

JULIAN ALVAREZ - ATLETICO MADRID The £81.5m deal that took Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid from Manchester City caused a few shockwaves in European football. The Argentine World Cup winner has already lifted nearly every major trophy going, but wanted a new challenge and has the quality to help Diego Simeone’s side threaten arch rivals Real Madrid’s dominance both domestically and in Europe. ENDRICK - REAL MADRID So much of the talk is about Kylian Mbappe’s arrival, but another prodigy has pitched up at the Bernabeu with 18-year-old Brazilian Endrick expected to follow in his teammate’s footsteps and become a global superstar. Endrick is a natural goalscorer and will add an extra weapon to an already formidable attack. KYLIAN MBAPPE - REAL MADRID The deal to take Kylian Mbappe to…

SERHOU GUIRASSY - BORUSSIA DORTMUND At one point last season, Guirassy was a firm contender with Harry Kane for the Torjägerkanone, only for injuries to take its toll. Still, 28 goals in 28 appearances is nothing to scoff at, and the French-Guinean striker not surprisingly was the subject of interest for a number of clubs. Now on the books of Borussia Dortmund after signing a four-year contract, expectations will be high of the player to help Die Schwarzgelben’s title ambitions this term. ARIJON IBRAHIMOVIC - BAYERN MUNICH Although the Bayern Munich starlet interestingly shares a surname with none other than Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimović, the two are not related whatsoever. Still, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t big things expected of the 18-year-old, who not only received a contract extension…

There are few things left in sports that can truly shock fans, but Cavan Sullivan making his Philadelphia Union debut at 14 years and 293 days old did just that. Sullivan’s debut made him the youngest player to debut in the NBA, MLS, NHL, NFL, MLB, or WNBA since at least 1970. Freddy Adu had held the record for the youngest debut in MLS history at 14 years and 306 days old, a record that had been set back in 2004. Despite his age, Sullivan knows he is exactly where is supposed to be. “I’d say I realized I could be a pro at 10 or 11,” Sullivan said in a recent interview. “I think that’s when I posted my first highlight reel. People said stuff that I didn’t imagine,…

‘TEAM USA GOLD MEDALISTS POSE WITH THEIR GOLD MEDALS’ When Emma Hayes took over the United States Women’s National Team coaching job back in November of last year the hope within American supporter circles was that she could eventually bring them back to the top of the mountain. As it turns out, eventually meant her first major tournament with the team: the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris Buoyed by Hayes and an array of young talent the USWNT earned their fifth Gold Medal knocking off a spirited veteran-heavy Brazil side 1-0 in the finals. w The final, much like the entire tournament, was dominated by the USWNT’s young corps of players given the keys to the starting eleven by Hayes. It was a daring proposition by the former Chelsea boss…

The 2024–25 Nations League marks the fourth season of this international competition organized by UEFA. It involves all men’s national teams from UEFA member associations, except Russia. The competition will take place over several phases: the league phase from September to November 2024, followed by the League A quarter-finals and various playoffs in March 2025, culminating in the Nations League Finals in June 2025, and concluding with further playoffs in March 2026. FORMAT: The structure of the tournament is designed to promote competitive balance and provide teams with opportunities for promotion and relegation. The national teams are categorized into four leagues based on their overall ranking from the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League season. Leagues A, B, and C each feature 16 teams, divided into four groups of four. Meanwhile, League…

“I have always enjoyed having such a strong relationship with fans on social media and my YouTube channel will give me an even bigger platform to do so and they will learn more about me, my family, and my views on many different subjects.” – Cristiano Ronaldo has promised that his new YouTube channel will reveal a side of him that most fans have not seen, exploring subjects beyond his legendary football career. “I voted for Salah. He deserves it. If it’s no-one from our team, I think he deserves it. I don’t look at what happened before, I wouldn’t know how to choose anybody else, outside of Salah, if it’s not our team.” – Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne revealed that he voted for Liverpool star Mohamed Salah…

‘SPAIN WERE THE BEST TEAM AT EURO 2024, AND BY AN EMPHATICALLY WIDE MARGIN’ International football has always been the greatest showcase for the saying that individual talent only gets you so far, and the outcome of Euro 2024 did little to dispel that notion. Right from the outset when they kicked off against Croatia in their opening match, Spain ticked all the boxes. Yes, they had the flair of the outstanding Nico Williams and prodigious teenager Lamine Yamal, plus the indomitable midfield presence of Rodri, but from back to front La Roja were a fully functioning team in which every player slotted in seamlessly and fired on all possible cylinders. They caught the eye immediately, putting three past the Croats and then putting in a dominant display to overcome…

LAMINE YAMAL Lamine Yamal rewrote the history books with his record-breaking exploits - so much so that there are too many to mention here. He became the youngest player at a men’s European Championships when he started Spain’s opening game against Croatia, then the youngest goalscorer at any major tournament when he scored that special goal against France in the semi-finals. He was also the youngest player to appear in a final on the day after his 17th birthday, taking the record set by the one and only Pele in 1958. MOST FINALS APPEARANCES Cristiano Ronaldo may not have managed to score this time, ut he did set a record by appearing in an incredible sixth European Championship finals. Having made his first tournament outing at the age of 19…

JEREMY DOKU - MANCHESTER CITY To see a winger with genuine pace frightening defenders is an exhilarating sight, and Jeremy Doku provided many moments like that in his first season in a Manchester City shirt. The best thing for manager Pep Guardiola is that the Belgian still has the potential to improve considerably and become a fully-fledged world class talent, with 2024-25 the next step on that particular journey. MOHAMMED KUDUS - WEST HAM UNITED An explosive player with the quality toproduce moments out of the ordinary, Mohammed Kudus had some standout moments in his first season in the Premier League, but one assumes that much more is to come from the Ghanaian. It’ll be interesting to see how much licence he is given by new manager Julen Lopetegui, yet…

It was only three weeks ago when my wife demanded to know when I was finally going to get around to decorating the spare room, that I ambled into the nearest DIY store and enquired if they had any FA Cup wallpaper. The eyebrows of the young shop assistant drew together like a drawbridge as she searched the aisles of her mind for the product. Of course there’s no such item. This is because Erik Ten Hag bought up every available role after his team’s unlikely win in the FA Cup final against a Manchester City team who obviously hadn’t finished their league winning cocktails. Anyway, not only does this product paper over every crack in the football club. It’s also guaranteed to blind the owners, and every member of…

Only six Serie A clubs retained their coaches as club presidents across Italy decided change was the only way forward. The coaching merry-go-round almost whirled out of control as a familiar gallery of old faces and surprise appointments started new positions across the league. Milan made the most unanticipated move when they announced ex-Roma tactician Paulo Fonseca as their new coach. Napoli chose a serial winner in former Juventus and Inter coach Antonio Conte to lead them back to the top four after a disastrous 10th place finish last term. Meanwhile, it was an open secret that Thiago Motta would take the reins at Juve after he led Bologna to fifth place in a memorable campaign and Maximiliano Allegri’s second stint with the Old Lady ended with his dramatic dismissal…

Barcelona’s decision to opt for Hansi Flick as the figure to lead them into the new campaign was the culmination of president Joan Laporta’s long-term plan to bring the German coach to Catalonia. Despite the ugliness of Xavi’s eventual departure, after he initially agreed to stay on, Laporta’s ruthless approach yielded the result he wanted. The focus now centres on whether or not it was the correct call to dispense with a club legend. Flick’s resumé of having guided Bayern Munich to the treble in 2019-20 hints at him being able to get Barcelona ‘over the line’ in certain situations where Xavi occasionally came up short but there is still work to do to convince the La Blaugrana fan base over the debacle. Laporta’s desire to flex will need to…

The award for the most protracted search for a new manager this summer went to Bayern Munich, who were turned down by numerous candidates before finally settling on Vincent Kompany, whose links to the job and subsequent unveiling was a great surprise to many, having just overseen relegation from the Premier League with Burnley. The Belgian, for many years the inspirational captain of Manchester City, had led Burnley back to the English top-flight in exhilarating style in 2022-23, but the Clarets never really threatened to stay up as Kompany was often criticised for refusing to show any tactical flexibility. Bayern Munich will present the biggest appointment of Vincent Kompany’s nascent managerial career. The former defender is no stranger to the Bundesliga as he spent a couple of seasons on the…

Julian Alvarez (Man. City to Atletico Madrid) – €75m Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth to Tottenham) – €64m Leny Yoro (Lille to Manchester United) – €62m Pedro Neto (Wolves to Chelsea) – €60m Moussa Diaby (Aston Villa to Al-Ittihad) – €60m Joao Neves (Benfica to PSG) – €57.8m Amadou Onana (Everton to Aston Villa) – €58m Dani Olmo (Leipzig to Barcelona) – €54.5m Michael Olise (Crystal Palace to Bayern Munich) – €52m Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid to Chelsea) - €52m Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa to Juventus) – €51.5m Joao Palhinha (Fulham to Bayern Munich) – €51m Désiré Doué (Stade Rennais to PSG)- €50m Endrick (Palmeiras to Real Madrid) – €47.5m Max Kilman (Wolves to West Ham) – €47.5m Georginio Rutter (Leeds to Brighton) – €46.7m Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich to Man.…

Although the Champions League is going to be slightly different this season, there will still be a lot of familiar names and faces on show. Manchester City will be hoping to emulate Real Madrid’s domination of the competition and the likes of Kylian Mbappé will be hoping to score the goals that bring success to Europe’s elite. But there will be something very different too. After 14 years and 151 appearances, the most successful player in Champions League history will be missing, as Toni Kroos chose to retire at the end of Euro 2024, just weeks after collecting his latest winners’ medal. The former Germany international had already played in the Champions League when he left Bayern Munich in 2014, feeling underappreciated and under-used. He missed the Bundesliga powerhouse’s triumph…

Having MLS clubs meet Liga MX teams in a mid-season tournament isn’t necessarily a terrible idea. In fact, it is a great way to market both leagues to fans across North America and build further exposure for both brands. Also, it provides Mexican fans living in the United States or Canada with many more opportunities to see their favourite clubs or players live. However, playing a mid-season tournament during a summer that saw both the Copa America and European Championship take place just nevermade much sense. MLS teams were forced to play important games while both international tournaments were taking place, ensuring top stars would be absent for their clubs. The MLS schedule did not have any room for teams to stop playing through the high-profile tournaments, because they had…

Brazilian soccer is facing one of its darkest periods following another early big tournament exit. The Seleção’s loss to Uruguay on penalties in the Copa América quarter-finals marked their seventh early departure from an international tournament outside Brazil since 2009. While not as infamous as the 1950 or 7-1 World Cup losses, this defeat still paints a grim picture moving forward. Expectations for Brazil heading into this Copa América were low, with little hope of securing their 10th title. Yet, there was potential for building momentum amid ongoing turmoil at the federation. Coach Dorival Júnior, brought in to stabilize the team, seemed to have made progress with strong performances against Spain and England in March. However, the Copa América highlighted his shortcomings, particularly his inability to make timely in-game adjustments…

IMPORTANT DATES MATCHDAY 1: 5-7 September 2024 MATCHDAY 2: 8-10 September 2024 MATCHDAY 3: 10-12 October 2024 MATCHDAY 4: 13-15 October 2024  MATCHDAY 5: 14-16 November 2024  MATCHDAY 6: 1 7-19 November 2024 KNOCKOUT ROUND PLAY-OFF DRAW: November 2024 KNOCKOUT ROUND PLAY-OFFS: 20-25 March 2025 LEAGUE A QUARTER-FINALS: 20-25 March 2025 FINAL TOURNAMENT: 4-8 June 2025 NATIONS LEAGUE GROUPS 2024/25 LEAGUE A GROUP A1: Croatia, Portugal, Poland, Scotland  GROUP A2: Italy, Belgium, France, Israel GROUP A3: Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina  GROUP A4: Spain, Denmark, Switzerland, Serbia LEAGUE B GROUP B1: Czechia, Ukraine, Albania, Georgia  GROUP B2: England, Finland, Ireland, Greece GROUP B3: Austria, Norway, Slovenia, Kazakhstan GROUP B4: Wales, Iceland, Montenegro, Türkiye LEAGUE C  GROUP C1: Sweden, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, Estonia GROUP C2: Romania, Kosovo, Cyprus, Lithuania* GROUP C3:…

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT - RODRI As his record for Manchester City will testify, the influence Rodri has on a team is immeasurable. The 28-year-old’s powerhouse performances saw Spain dominate the midfield in all their games as he repelled opposition attacks and continually kept his team on the front foot by starting attacks. Even despite going off at half-time in the final through injury, his startling efficiency earned him the Player of the Tournament award. YOUNG PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT - LAMINE YAMAL Who else? The record shattering teenager broke new ground every time he took to the field and after his exploits for Barcelona in 2023-24, became an instant superstar over the course of this tournament. He was a livewire, tying for the most assists in a single European…

“I’LL CONTINUE TO START MODRIC EVEN AFTER HE’S 40. HE WON’T RETIRE UNTIL HE HAS MY PERMISSION TO RETIRE.” I don’t think I will ever entirely erase the image from my mind. It’s the 98th minute against Italy and Croatia are poised to join the Euros 2024 last sixteen party only for Mattia Zaccagni to equalise. The camera pans to Luka Modric, the Croatian midfield genius sitting in the dugout after being substituted. It was Modric’s goal which had given his team the lead after he had earlier missed a penalty. His face appears stunned and ashen, cut with the disbelief of a man who was flicking through his mobile phone checking his home security cameras after going on holiday only to find that he has left his front door…

The final day of 2023-24 marked the end of an era as Jurgen Klopp was given the big send-off, saying goodbye to Liverpool after nine magnificent years in charge. The charismatic German became so synonymous with the club that it’ll be hard at first to get used to seeing someone else prowl the Anfield touchline, but all eyes will be on his replacement Arne Slot to see how the transition plays out. With an excellent record at Feyenoord including the Eredivisie title in 2022-23, the 45-year-old arrives as one of Europe’s top emerging coaches and has become known for implementing elegant passing football. He clearly has huge boots to fill and could do with a good start just to settle things down, but his positive mindset and forward-thinking approach should…

“INTER ARE CLEAR FAVOURITES TO DEFEND THEIR TITLE” FINAL TABLE PREDICTIONS GOAL SCORING PREDICTIONS Martinez Osimhen Vlahovic Çalhanoğlu Dybala Thuram Guðmundsson Zapata ATALANTA LAST SEASON FINISH: 4th place  RECORD: 21-6-11 MOST GOALS: Scamacca (12) The Europa League winners have kept most of the squad which achieved a historic victory over Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin last term. Tactical mastermind Gian Piero Gasperini also led La Dea to fourth place and the Champions League in a phenomenally successful season, which will be a tough act to follow, but the 66-year-old coach is used to performing heroics. The Bergamo based outsiders take on the big boys again with the additions of mercurial Italy international Nicolo Zaniolo, English centre-back Ben Godfrey, and Genoa striker Mateo Retegui. Europa League hat-trick hero Ademola Lookman remains, while…

“IT WOULD BE QUITE THE SURPRISE IF REAL MADRID DON’T MANAGE TO RETAIN THE TITLE THAT THEY WON SO POWERFULLY IN 2023-24” FINAL TABLE PREDICTIONS GOAL SCORING PREDICTIONS Mbappe Alvarez Griezmann Lewandowski Sorloth Vini Jr. Budimir ALAVES LAST SEASON  FINISH: 10th place RECORD: 12-10-16 MOST GOALS: Omorodion (8) Alaves’ end of season form sealed a top 10 spot at finale of 2023-24 and will look to carry that momentum into the new season, with coach Luis Garcia a solid operator for the Basque side. The brilliantly named Stoichkov is one of a number of summer arrivals, with particularly high hopes for right-back Hugo Novoa from RB Leipzig and former Mallorca forward Luka Romero, who arrived on loan from Milan. They will be confident of avoiding any real relegation danger, and…

‘BAYER LEVERKUSEN WROTE THEIR NAME IN THE HISTORY BOOKS BY BECOMING THE FIRST BUNDESLIGA TEAM TO COMPLETE A CAMPAIGN SANS DEFEAT LAST TERM’ FINAL TABLE PREDICTIONS GOAL SCORING PREDICTIONS Kane Undav Boniface Openda Guirassy Beier Sesko Malen Kramaric AUGSBURG LAST SEASON FINISH: 11th place RECORD: 10-9-15 MOST GOALS: Demirovic (14) Last season saw Augsburg post their best result since 2015 as they earned a 11th placed finish. It’s a far cry from when they finished fifth during the 2014-15 season and made their bow in the Europa League, but given the fact that they have had some major relegation scares, fans will surely be relieved that Jess Thorup was able to steer the team out of trouble for them to maintain their top-flight status for yet another season. Still, with…

‘MANCHESTER CITY AND HOLDERS REAL MADRID ARE AGAIN THE FAVOURITES FOR THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE’ CHAMPIONS LEAGUE By the end of the 2024-25 season, we may well be greeted with the very familiar sight of one of the European elites, such as Real Madrid or Manchester City, lifting the most prestigious trophy in club football in front of their delirious fans in the Allianz Arena in Munich. But the way we arrive at that point will be markedly different from before, with a new extended league phase for fans to get their heads around. There have been similar alterations to the Europa League and Conference League competitions, for what promises to be another exhilarating campaign. In the biggest shake-up in European football of the last 30 years, the top club competitions…

“THE GALAXY WOULD ONLY MAKE THE PLAY-OFFS ONCE IN VANNEY’S FIRST THREE SEASONS IN LA” When Greg Vanney decided to leave Toronto FC and head back to the club where he spent seven seasons as a player, Los Angeles Galaxy fans were immediately optimistic. After all, Vanney had worked miracles in Toronto taking the laughingstock of the league and turning them into MLS Cup champions, leading them to the MLS Cup Final in three of four years between 2016 and 2019. The Galaxy organization was confident that Vanney would be able to lead the team back to the glory days after some disappointing campaigns. He had taken over in January 2021, after they had missed out on the Major League Soccer play-offs in three of the previous four years. “We…

It is often said that the pathway to repeating a championship is perilous. With the eyes of the world watching and every team gunning for them, winning multiple championships in a row is a daunting task. For Argentina, their road to a second consecutive Copa America title featured multiple tough matches, a battle with an old foe in the form of Colombia, and multiple stadium problems. But as they have shown throughout this recent run they were up for the task knocking off Colombia 1-0 in front of a mostly paid crowd at Hard Rock Stadium. As was the case in the 2022 edition of the tournament, Argentina’s rise to the top wasn’t all smooth sailing. Although they did finish atop Group A having not allowed a single goal (3-0-0,…

FOOTBALL FASHION COPA X MARADONA  With a selection of T-Shirts, Socks, Bucket Hats and all new sneakers The Maradona x COPA Graphic Collection is the perfect wardrobe addition for these summer months. The collection features an iconic display of Diego Maradona in different defining moments such as becoming Argentine champion, his Scudetto victory and the World cup ‘86 Final.  Shop Maradona x COPA online at copafootball.com https://copafootball.com/collections/maradona HEY, I DON’T DO AI A video has appeared online of a Chelsea coach using his phone during the match with Servette, and fans can’t believe what he was looking at. Chelsea got their 2024/25 European campaign underway on Thursday, beating Swiss club Servette 2-0 in the first leg of their Europa Conference league qualifier. The video, posted on the Chelsea subreddit, appears…

Mohamed Salah (June 15 - 32, Liverpool, Egypt) Mohamed Salah is regarded as one of the best players of his generation and among the greatest African players of all time. Salah is predominantly known for his speed, movement, clinical finishing, agility, dribbling skills, first touch, and ball control, as well as his ability to use both his pace and flair on the ball to beat opponents, and create scoring opportunities for himself or his teammates. Salah is nicknamed “The Pharaoh” by the press and his fans. He has also been given the nickname “Egyptian King” by Liverpool supporters, arising from a chant set to the tune of “Sit Down” by English indie rock band James. Lionel Messi (June 24 - 37, Inter Miami, Argentina) Lionel Messi has won a record…