Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2023 i World Soccer

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Barcelona face charges of corruption after allegations that the club paid Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira–a former vice-president of Spain’s referees’ committee–and a company he owns a reported €8.4 million. In February, radio station Ser Catalunya revealed that, following an investigation into Negreira’s tax affairs, Barcelona had made a series of payments to the former referee from 2001 until 2018–the year that he ended his role with the referees’ committee. The public prosecutor’s office stated that: “FC Barcelona obtained and maintained a strictly confidential verbal agreement withJose Maria Enriquez Negreira so that, in his capacity as vice-president of the technical arbitral committee (CTA) and in exchange for money, the latter carries out actions tending to benefit FC Barcelona in decisions by the referees.” Barca presidentJoan Laporta responded by insisting the club…

THE INSIDER Four more years The president of FIFA is upset with us. Not with World Soccer, specifically, nor with this columnist, personally, but with the media, generally. We have Gianni Infantino, if not bewitched, then most certainly bothered and bewildered. The 53-year-old Swiss lawyer is on record as a sensitive soul. On the eve of last year’s World Cup finals in Qatar he portrayed himself as the personification of every downtrodden soul in this world. At least, downtrodden to the extent allowed by his reported £1.16 million annual pay packet. Now Infantino has bared his soul again. This time it was within hours of being re-elected unopposed by acclamation for a second full four-year term in office. Infantino launched into his press conference in anything but triumphal mood. He…

1 THE KINGS LEAGUE Since retiring last year, Gerard Pique has been expanding his business interests, one of which is The Kings League: a seven-a-side football tournament involving YouTube personalities and ex-players, including Iker Casillas, Sergio Aguero and Ronaldinho–as well as one other mystery player. “Enigma”, as he was pseudonymed, was confirmed by Pique to be a “La Liga footballer under the age of 30” and that he would “play wearing a Mexican wrestling mask to hide his face”. Debates raged online as to Enigma’s true identity, until one user spotted a neck tattoo that appeared to reveal ex-Cadiz striker Nano Mesa as the mystery player. A publicity stunt no doubt, but an effective one: the live stream of the game attracted as many as 900,000 viewers. 2 CRAZY CUP…

Domestic Brazilian football is–and for the foreseeable future will continue to be–an export industry, its most promising youngsters syphoned off by European giants. But that does not condemn the Brazilian club game to perennial weakness. It still leaves plenty of talent at home, augmented by the addition of three types of player: veterans with successful European spells who are looking to round off their careers with a move back home, those in their mid-20s who have gone to Europe and, for whatever reason, not lived up to expectations, and those brought in from other South American countries. There has been an increase in all three categories, as Brazil scouts the continent better than ever and as an influx of money makes the Brazilian clubs richer. The last three finals of…

The time is just before11pm. It is a cold night in Sheffield, the sort where clouds of condensation emanate from the breath of waiting travellers at the main train station before rising into the darkness. As a train pulls into platform five and grinds to a halt, the vacant carriages are boarded by waiting Wrexham supporters. They embark ready for a one-hour journey to Manchester having just seen their side lose 3-1 at Bramall Lane in the fourth round of the FA Cup. As the train pulls out the station, four adolescents sat at a table, each clutching a can of Fosters, start up a chant: “Less than a mile from the centre of town, a famous old stadium crumbling down. No-one’s invested so much as a penny, bring on…

What next for Graham Potter? Graham Potter’s start at Chelsea was actually pretty good. He won six and drew three of his first nine games. There was some rumbling about the underlying numbers, but results were results. And then things went wrong very quickly indeed. His next 17 games brought just three wins, against Dinamo Zagreb, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace. The underlying numbers were reasonable but results are results. The question then was whether he was out of his depth. Progress to the Champions League quarter-finals and a couple of decent Premier League wins in March don’t necessarily answer that question of Potter’s level one way or the other, but they did at least ease some of the immediate pressure on him. The club, in fairness to it, has continued…

What were the key factors behind Bayern Munich’s shock decision to sack coach Julian Nagelsmann and replace him with Thomas Tuchel? In the first three months of 2023, disquiet if not outright panic had slowly been building in the Bayern boardroom. Prior to the World Cup in Qatar, Bayern had looked as unassailable as usual, top of the Bundesliga table and no fewer than nine points ahead of arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund. However, since the league restarted, the tables have sensationally turned, Bayern sloppily dropping points left, right and centre, while Dortmund surged to the league summit. In the Allianz Arena corridors of power, confidence in Nagelsmann simply drained away. Following poor league results, a lack of entertaining football, the stunted development of certain players and the outbreak of dressing room…

Maybe it’s the txuleton, Julen lopetegui jokes. Txuleton, the giant T-bone steak, is central not just to the food but also the culture of the Basque country, which is why it may not be such a huge leap to offer it up as an explanation for a footballing phenomenon: how a place so small can have an impact on the game so great, a generation of managers coming from a single corner of northern Spain. If once is chance, twice a coincidence and three times a pattern, this is something else again, something special, and it reaches right to the top. Back in the late1990s, Mikel Arteta played for a local youth club called Antiguoko, whose pitch lies close to the beach in the city of San Sebastian, home of…

How is your recovery going after rupturing your ACL at the end of last year? I am recovering a lot quicker than expected. Being able to get back in the gym and work on my strength has been a comfort for me after being restricted to exercises in bed and on the massage table over the first few weeks after surgery. That was the toughest period. I was bed-bound for around six weeks and unable to do anything really, so I am happy I am through that stage. Running and changing direction will come over the next months, which I am working towards now, but we are being very careful not to rush things. What does your day-to-day at Cobham consist of during rehabilitation? We are doing a lot of…

With barely three months to go to the World Cup, coaches should be fine-tuning tactics, administrators finessing schedules, and players focusing on form and fitness. Instead, the teams ranked fifth, sixth and seventh in the world have been mired in internal conflict. In France, player power led to the removal of the coach, Corinne Diacre, after five-and-a-half divisive and unsuccessful years. In Canada the federation’s president, Nick Bontis, resigned following a bitter dispute over pay and conditions with the Olympic gold-medal winning squad, while Spain’s coachJorge Vilda has so far survived, despite16 senior players refusing to play under him. Vilda took over after Spain went out in the group stage of the 2015 World Cup. While they made the last16 in 2019, and last eight of the Euros in 2017…

For a five-year period only one Brazilian club made it to the final of the Copa Libertadores. That was as recent as 2014 to 2018, but it now seems like ancient history. The competition has entered into an era of almost complete Brazilian domination. An immense financial gulf has opened up between Brazil’s big clubs and the rest of the continent, and the consequences on the pitch are obvious. The Brazilian giants can bring back two types of players from Europe–veterans looking for some late career glory and those in their mid 20s who, for whatever reason, have not lived up to expectations. And with increasingly precise scouting, they are also cherry picking from neighbouring countries. The last three finals have been all-Brazilian affairs, and so there is a…

In the 2022-23 Indian Super League (ISL) season, football on the subcontinent returned to normal after two years of lockdowns and bio-secure bubbles. Goa hosted the final in March as ATK Mohun Bagan defeated Bengaluru 4-3 in a penalty shootout to become champions after two hours of football ended 2-2. The celebrations went on long into the night for those fans who had made the trip to the west coast and for those watching back in Kolkata on the opposite side of the subcontinent. The final of the championship play-off series–the latter stages of which were dominated by penalties–was a meeting between the two teams that finished third and fourth in the regular league season. Of the11 that started out and played each other twice, the top two went straight…

Athletic Bilbao v Real Sociedad, April 15 The Basque derby rarely disappoints, especially in recent years, with the last four meetings packed with goals and late drama and a win apiece for both sides. Athletic would love to derail their neighbours’ hopes of a top-four finish. LA Galaxy v LAFC, April16 In arguably MLS’s biggest derby, “El Trafico” will see five-time champions Galaxy host last season’s MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield winners LAFC. In their three meetings in 2022,13 goals were scored, including three in the last ten minutes in October’s showdown. Juventus v Napoli, April 23 Currently enjoying their best season in more than 30 years, a victory at the home of one of their biggest rivals would be the icing on the cake for runaway Serie A leaders…

2023 COPA LIBERTADORES Third Qualifying Stage–1st Legs Mar 8–Rancagua Magallanes (Chi)1 (Zapata 90+5) Independiente Medellin (ecu)1 (Batalla 70) Mar 8–Bogota Millonarios (Col)1 (Silva 42) Atletico Mineiro (Bra)1 (Paulinho 66) Mar 9–Buenos Aires Huracan (Arg) 0 Sporting Cristal (Per) 0 Mar 9–Fortaleza Fortaleza (Bra) 0 Cerro Porteno (Par)1 (Churin 34) Third Qualifying Stage–2nd Legs Mar 15–Medellin independiente Medellin (ecu) 2 (Pons15, 39) Magallanes (Chi) 0 Independiente Medellin win 3-1 on aggregate Mar 15–Belo Horizonte atletico Mineiro (bra) 3 (Paulinho 49, 81, Hulk 88) Millonarios (Col)1 (Uribe 90+3) Atletico Mineiro win 4-2 on aggregate Mar 16–Lima sporting Cristal (Per)1 (Avila 90+7) Huracan (arg) 0 Sporting Cristal win 1-0 on aggregate Mar 16–Asuncion Cerro Porteno (Par) 2 (Carrizo 38, Aquino 62) fortaleza (bra)1 (Guilherme 90+2) Cerro Porteno win 3-1 on aggregate 2023 COPA…

INDIA *Qualify for the championship semi-finals **Qualify for the championship play-offs Play-Offs Mar 3–Bengaluru Bengaluru1 (Chhetri 97) Kerala blasters 0 After extra-time Mar 4–Kolkata ATK Mohun bagan 2(Boumous 36, Petratos 58) Odisha 0 semi-finals–1st leg Mar 7–Mumbai Mumbai City 0 Bengaluru1 (Chhetri 79) Mar 9–Mumbai Hyderabad 0 ATK Mohun bagan 0 semi-finals–2nd leg Mar 12–Bengaluru Bengaluru1 (Javi 22) Mumbai City 2 (Bipin 31, Mehtab 66) 2-2 on aggregate after extra-time Bengaluru win 9-8 on penalties Mar 13–Kolkata ATK Mohun bagan 0 Hyderabad 0 0-0 on aggregate after extra-time ATK Mohun Bagan win 4-3 on penalties Final Mar 18–Goa ATK Mohun bagan 2(Petratos14 pen, 85 pen) Bengaluru 2 (Chhetri 45+5 pen, Krishna 78) After extra-time ATK Mohun Bagan win 4-3 on penalties ATK Mohun bagan: Kaith–Rai, Damjanovic, Kotal, Bose (Nassiri 83);…

VANUATU Group A Feb1: Sia-Raga 2-3 Rainbow; Wings 3-0 Patvuti Feb 3:Patvuti 3-2 Rainbow; Sia-Raga 3-2 Wings Feb 6:Wings 8-4 Rainbow; Patvuti 0-10 Sia-Raga Final standings Group B Feb 2:Police 0-1 Arato; Eraniau 0-4 Ifira Black Bird Feb 4:Arato 2-0 Eraniau; Police1-7 Ifira Black Bird Feb 7:Ifira Black Bird 6-0 Arato; Police1-3 Eraniau Final standings Semi-Finals Feb 9:Sia-Raga 8-2 Arato; Ifira Black Bird 2-1 Wings Third Place Play-Off Feb11: Arato 0-6 Wings Final Feb11: Ifira Black Bird1-0 Sia-Raga 2023 OFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Preliminary Group Qualifiers Feb 18–Apia Tupapa Maraerenga (Cok)1 (Saghabi 9 pen) Veitongo (Tga) 0 Feb 18–Apia Ilaoa & To'omata (Asa) 0 Lupe ole Soaga (Sam)13 (Taualai14, Toni 25, 37, Tumua Leo 35, 44, 49, 67, 85, Bolton-Roberts 52, Mason 71, Matau 73, Tumua 82, 89) Feb 21–Apia Tupapa…

Manchester United 0 Arsenal 0 2003, Premier League, Old Trafford Of all the games that defined Arsenal’s 2003-04 “Invincibles” campaign–the Gunners’ last Premier League title-winning season–goalkeeperJens Lehmann looks back on the clash that came closest to undoing their incredible unbeaten run… People knew at the time that what we achieved was special, but it seems even more incredible when you look at what has happened since: we have seen some great Premier League teams over the past 20 years yet none of them have gone through a season without losing a game. Manchester United had some great teams with Sir Alex Ferguson. Then you seeJose Mourinho’s Chelsea and now Liverpool withJurgen Klopp and Manchester City with Pep Guardiola. They have all won lots of trophies and played some incredible football,…

It is not normal for a 24-year-old to be approaching a decade spent in the global public eye. Then again, Martin Odegaard is not a normal footballer. True, plenty of players have been hyped and heralded as teenagers, but few have experienced it to the same extent as the Norwegian. Fewer still have done so in the way that Odegaard did, exposed to the glare of social media spotlight like no prodigy before him. Before Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, a Stromsgodset academy player being known across Europe would have been unthinkable. Yet when he made his Norway debut as a 15-year-old in 2014, everyone already knew his name. With such an immense burden of pressure at such a young age, it would have been easy for Odegaard to buckle, to…

IFAB have approved trialling the broadcasting of VAR decisions in-stadium and to live television audiences at FIFA tournaments. The trial began at the 2022 Club World Cup in February, and will also be implemented at the 2023 Under-20 World Cup in May/June. If successful, the trial may be continued at other FIFA tournaments later this year. “This joint bid…will bring together Africa and Europe, the northern and southern Mediterranean, and the African, Arab and Euro-Mediterranean worlds” King Mohammed VI of Morocco announces that his country will join Spain and Portugal’s bid to host the 2030 World Cup…

Forgotten Football Clubs uncovers clubs that have vanished, revealing their histories, their successes and their ultimate failures. Football brings joy to people across the world, evoking memories and nostalgia about past glories and events. When a football club folds, these are often all that is left. This book uncovers these very stories, from clubs founded in the 19th century to others lasting only a few years. Scotland 42 England 1 is an English OAP’s light-hearted and affectionate look at Scottish football. Travelling all the way from Dover each time in an attempt to separate the myths from the facts, the author visits all 42 of Scotland’s league clubs to watch a game, sample the hospitality (a hot pie and a strong drink) and climb the odd mountain. What he expects…

“A lot of people worldwide consider the Premier league as the best and strongest league…I’m working so hard to make sure that I achieve my dream of playing in Premier League some day” In-form Napoli striker Victor Osimhen hints at a future move to England Gabri VEIGA (Celta Vigo) At the time of writing, only club legend Iago Aspas has scored more La Liga goals for Celta Vigo this season than Veiga. The 20-year-old midfielder particularly caught the eye in late February when he scored two goals and assisted another in a 3-0 win over Real Valladolid, which heightened transfer speculation around him. A product of Celta’s academy and a Spain Under-21 international, Veiga’s playing style bears a closer resemblance to Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard than Andres Iniesta or…

AMERICA MINEIRO Coach: Vagner Mancini State: Minas Gerais Traditional but modest Belo Horizonte club who have put together two solid top-flight seasons since their promotion in 2020, and even made their Libertadores debut last year. Only Atletico Mineiro and Cruzeiro have won more Minas Gerais regional state championships. ATHLETICO PARANAENSE Coach: Paulo Turra State: Parana Brazilian champions in 2001, last year’s Copa Libertadores runners-up are an ambitious, well-run outfit who consistently punch well above their weight. The new coach also represents continuity: Turra was assistant to Luiz Felipe Scolari, who has moved upstairs. Cup specialists. ATLETICO MINEIRO Coach: Eduardo Coudet State: Minas Gerais Double winners in 2021 who fell back last year but now hope to fire on all cylinders. They have brought in a top-class Argentine coach and will…

Martin Odegaard, one of the fulcrums of Arsenal’s concerted push for their first Premier League title in almost two decades, has no need to be reminded that football can be a fickle business. The Norwegian attacking midfielder, 24, knows all about the vicissitudes of the top level, the ups and downs, the hype which can swiftly segue into a dead-end of frustration. Once regarded as schoolboy prodigy–so much so that he drew comparisons with a certain Lionel Messi–Odegaard was a mere15 when he made his full debut for Norway in 2014 and signed for the mighty Real Madrid just months later, joining them in a €4 million deal from the Stromsgodset club in January 2015. At the time, no other kid in Europe was as revered. “It’s a dream come…

Are Barcelona as strong as their league results suggest? No real shockwaves were sent across Europe when Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League group stage in November. Despite all the summer investment, there was a palpable sense that they were still a level behind Bayern Munich, Internazionale and the competition’s true elite. Yet domestically, Barca have kept on winning. They hit 50 points by the league’s halfway stage and, perhaps even more impressively, kept19 clean sheets in their opening 25 games. Their defensive resilience and authoritative brilliance of goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen saw them record six successive away victories by a single goal. Barcelona are not blowing teams away like Napoli are in Serie A or as Manchester City have done in the Premier League, but a pragmatic control…

Which player has surprised Ligue 1 the most this season? Ligue1 produces a cohort of exciting young players every year, but few success stories have been as unexpected as Folarin Balogun’s. After just three goals across 18 outings for Championship side Middlesbrough last term, the Arsenal loanee is now battling the likes of PSG star Kylian Mbappe and Lille’s Jonathan David for the Golden Boot in France. Still just 21, Balogun is amodernday penalty-box poacher, with a hint of Thierry Henry-esque swagger about him, most evident in his ability to cut in and shape a shot home. The England Under-21 international’s combination of sharp anticipation plus intelligent movement and supreme composure make him lethal. Although not a Harry Kane-type complete centre-forward, the range of Balogun’s penalty-area finishing is still currently…

When Chelsea tempted Graham Potter away from Brighton in September last year, the Seagulls had one specific candidate in mind to replace him. Forward planning has been vital to the club’s success in recent years, and they believed that the charismatic Roberto De Zerbi was the right man to continue their incredible upward trajectory. His appointment was evidence of Brighton’s faith in the structures they’ve put in place since chairman Tony Bloom took over in 2009, but also hinted at a continued evolution in playing style. Far removed from the old stereotype of the risk-averse, defensively-minded Italian manager, De Zerbi’s teams have always been proactive and fearless in possession. They are exciting to watch and typically involved in high-scoring games. Where Potter was more flexible and reactive, notably tailoring his…

You will turn 78 in July, you are the second-most decorated manager in the history of football after Sir Alex Ferguson. Still, you have chosen to stay on as Dynamo Kyiv’s head coach despite the Russian invasion when almost every foreigner was fleeing the country. What drives you? When I saw everyone leaving I decided to stay. I couldn’t leave the club like this. After the first bombings, I immediately tried to do my best to help. I organised buses for the players’ families to cross the border to Romania, I made efforts to get the players out of the country so they could send a strong message for peace. I tried to persuade the authorities–the football association, the minister of sports–to allow the players to go abroad and play…

South America’s second-string competition is not easy to predict at this stage. Eight potential heavyweights are not even in the field yet–as in the UEFA Champions and Europa Leagues, the teams who finish third in their Copa Libertadores group will join the Copa Sudamericana in the knockout rounds, and in two of the last three seasons teams entering the Sudamericana through this route have ended up winning the competition. This time, though, there has been an important and surely beneficial change. Previously, the last16 were made up of the group winners and those teams coming from the Libertadores, meaning that plenty of the group games were meaningless. Now, the teams that finish second will go into a play-off against the sides from the Libertadores. But the shadow of South America’s…

SO to ho d’Oyo’s A unprecedented run of five titles in a row in Congo comes not from paying more than their rivals but paying regularly. “Otoho give good salaries and pay on time, so if Otoho come for players here they will go because some clubs do not pay,” says the club’s French coach, Julien Mette. “Maybe they will get a signing-on fee but they are not always paid on time.” Unlike many countries, top-tier players are generally paid the same salary of around €800 a month. That is not a legal requirement, but a cultural one. Mette adds: “I try to explain to our owner that if you want a good striker or goalkeeper you need to pay more. If I ask him to give me a big…

2022-23 Caf CHaMPiONs leaGue Group A Mar 3–Casablanca Wydad (Mar)1 (Magema 55 og) AS Vita (Cod) 0 Mar 11–Algiers JS Kabylie (alg) 2 (Benzaid 63, Nait Salem 86) AS Vita (Cod)1 (Tchakei 55) Mar 11–Luanda Atletico Petro (Ang) 0 Wydad (Mar) 2 (Zola 59, Sambou 90) Mar 18–Brazzaville AS Vita (Cod) 0 Wydad (Mar) 0 Mar 18–Algiers JS Kabylie (Alg)1 (Mouaki 90) Atletico Petro (Ang) 0 Group B Mar 4–Cairo AL Ahly (egy) 3(Sherif1, Kendouci 40, Khalil 90+2) Coton sport (Cmr) 0 Mar 7–Omdurman AL Hilal (sdn) 2 (Abagna 41, Lilepo 83 pen) Coton sport (Cmr) 0 Mar 11–Pretoria Mamelodi sundowns (rsa) 5 (Allende 4, Zwane 24, Mokoena 40, Shalulile 72, 88) AL Ahly (egy) 2(Sherif13, Tau 61) Mar 17–Garoua Coton sport (Cmr) 0 al ahly (egy) 4 (Kahraba 23,…

2023 CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Round of16–1st Legs Mar 7–Santiago Violette (Hai) 3 (Chery13, 39, Tarek 47 og) Austin FC (USA) 0 Mar 7–San Nicolas de los Garza Tigres UANL (Mex) 0 Orlando City (USA) 0 Mar 7–San Salvador Alianza (Slv) 0 Philadelphia Union (USA) 0 Mar 8–San Pedro Sula Olimpia (Hon) 4 (Lopez10, Benguche 55, 73, Bengtson 61 pen) Atlas (Mex)1 (Furch15 pen) Mar 8–Panama City Tauro (Pan) 0 Leon (Mex)1 (Moreno 55) Mar 8–Vancouver Vancouver Whitecaps (Can) 5 (Blackmon 21, Raposo 59, Garcia 64 og, Vite 70, White 78) Real Espana (Hon) 0 Mar 9–San Pedro Sula Motagua (Hon) 0 Pachuca (Mex) 0 Mar 9–Alajuela Alajuelense (Crc) 0 LAFC (USA) 3 (Bouanga 47, 69, 89) Round of16–2nd Legs Mar 14–Austin Austin FC (USA) 2 (Driussi 51, 63) Violette (Hai)…

127 Belgium caps won by Antwerp and ex-Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld, who retired from international duty in March. 40 Seconds that Moise Kean spent on the pitch in Juventus’ visit to Roma, with the striker sent off almost immediately after being subbed on. 12 Games that Scott Parker took charge of Club Brugge before being sacked following the side’s humiliating 7-1 aggregate defeat to Benfica in the Champions League. 5 Erling Haaland’s five-goal showing against RB Leipzig in the Champions League saw him become only the third player to achieve the feat alongside Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano. 536 Days that Wales midfielder David Brooks spent away from football following a Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis, after he returned for Bournemouth in the Premier League in March. 2 Championship clubs that…

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING PSG’s cult of celebrity undermines everything else Five times now in seven seasons, Paris Saint-Germain have gone out of the Champions League in the last16. Over the past12 years, they have spent in excess of £1.5 billion on transfer fees and their reward for that, aside from the French league titles that should essentially come as standard when you have that much money, has been to get beyond the quarter-finals of the Champions League twice. And what must be really galling is how the same pattern keeps on repeating. Almost nothing in football is discrete. Everything connects. And much of what has gone wrong for PSG tactically over the past decade is a result of the ethos of the club. PSG are much, much richer than anybody else…

SEASON RANKINGS Cumulative votes through the season GOALKEEPERS Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) 13 Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona) 10 Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa) 7 Wojciech Szczesny (Juventus) 6 David de Gea (Manchester United) 5 Alex Meret (Napoli) 5 Yann Sommer (Bayern Munich) 4 Alisson (Liverpool) 3 Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG) 3 Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund) 3 Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea) 2 Diogo Costa (Porto) 2 Nick Pope (Newcastle United) 2 Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal) 2 Ederson (Manchester City) 1 Rafal Gikiewicz (Augsburg) 1 Bernd Leno (Fulham) 1 Mike Maignan (Milan) 1 Simon Mignolet (Club Brugge) 1 Juan Musso (Atalanta) 1 Rui Patricio (Roma) 1 Frederik Ronnow (Union Berlin) 1 Geronimo Rulli (Ajax) 1 Brice Samba (Lens) 1 Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt) 1 DEFENDERS Kim Min-jae (Napoli) 24 Eder Militao (Real Madrid) 15 Joao Cancelo…

In the1960s Benfica were a match for anyone, reaching six European Cup finals in the decade and winning two of them. Nowadays the Lisbon giants struggle to consistently compete in the Champions League. But in one aspect of modern football, the Portuguese club can still claim to be in the absolute elite. When it comes to working the transfer market, Benfica have an enviable record. Since the turn of the century, an astonishing €1.39bn in transfer fees have flowed into the coffers of the Estadio da Luz, a sum only surpassed by Juventus. While Benfica supporters would much rather they could boast about a team that did justice to their glorious past, it is precisely the modest position the club occupies in today’s football food chain that has created the…

Already the youngest player to represent Norway, Odegaard’s appearance as a substitute for his country against Bulgaria in October’s Euro 2016 qualifier made him–at15 years and 300 days–the youngest person to ever play in the competition. With his Messi-like dribbling and mesmerising stop-start moves, he has the world at his feet. And over the past few months, technical directors at all the top football addresses have taken to decorating their offices with portraits of the left-footed attacking midfield prodigy. According to his father, Hans Erik Odegaard–himself a former longserving Stromsgodset midfielder–no fewer than 30 major European clubs have made approaches for his son. Leading Spanish sports paper Marca claims that Real Madrid have bid €12 million for the youngster, while Oslo tabloid VG has it on good authority that a…

How have Napoli’s title rivals fallen so meekly by the wayside? Even the most superstitious of Neapolitans would find it hard to deny that, with the end of the season drawing close, the question is not so much if but rather when Napoli lift this season’s Serie A title. In front from day one, and19 points clear of closest rivals Lazio by the end of March, Napoli frankly have pulverised the opposition out of sight. While the attacking duo of Nigeria hot-shot Victor Osimhen and Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia deserve tremendous credit–as do Kim Min-jae and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo in defence, plus coach Luciano Spalletti–it must be said that Napoli’s rivals have done themselves no favours. Last year’s winners, Milan, went through an almost inexplicable post-World Cup wobble, picking…

Tell us about your childhood in Ghana and the beginnings of your football career. I had a happy childhood. When I was little, I ran after the ball with my older brothers and with kids from our neighbourhood. Afterwards in school we played a lot of football and there were friendly matches against other schools. I was selected in the school team, scouts spotted me and I joined a football academy. But later when I saw that many players, for example Under-17 internationals, were picked from senior school teams, I decided to return to the school team. It was only when I was 17 that I started playing for Accra Lions, who were in the second division back then. Which football players were your idols at that time? Of course,…

We also have a special report on multi-club ownership, Russia’s invitation to the 2023 Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Championship, dispatches from Switzerland, Brazil, United States and Lebanon, and a preview of the 2023 OFC Champions League. Plus, don’t miss our player biography on Victor Osimhen, and all of our regular features such as World Service, Headliners and incisive comment from columnists Keir Radnedge and Jonathan Wilson. Print £5.99 Digital £3.99 ORDER NOW shop.kelsey.co.uk/WSC23 Or Call: 01959 543 747 You may have missed… SAVE 10% when you spend £25 or more VOUCHERCODE: WSCSHOP23 shop.kelsey.co.uk/WSC23 +44 (0) 1959 543 747 Offers subject to availability. Prices for goods delivered to destinations outside of the UK may be higher Also from the publishers of World Soccer Presents As Messi mania swept football, we…

On February 25, the 2023 K-League season kicked-off with defending South Korean champions Ulsan Hyundai defeating runners-up Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-1. “We want to tackle a fresh set of challenges and chart a new path,” Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo said. “We will do the best we can in every match, just as we’ve done all along. We want to have the same approach this season as last.” That opening game marked the 40th anniversary of Asia’s oldest professional league. Back in1983, five teams fought it out with the winners of the inaugural competition, the church-backed club Hallelujah, finishing above Daewoo Royals, Yukong Elephants, POSCO Dolphins and Kookmin Bank. Much has changed since then, with plenty of ups and downs along the way. There was a massive boost to attendances in…

2022-23 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Round Of16–2nd Legs Mar 7–London Chelsea (eng) 2 (Sterling 43, Havertz 53 pen) borussia Dortmund (Ger) 0 Chelsea win 2-1 on aggregate Mar 7–Lisbon benfica (Por) 5 (Rafa Silva 38, Ramos 45+2, 57, Mario 71 pen, Neres 77) Club brugge (bel)1 (Meijer 87) Benfica win 7-1 on aggregate Mar 8–London Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) 0 Milan (Ita) 0 Milan win1-0 on aggregate Mar 8–Munich Bayern Munich (Ger) 2 (Choupo-Moting 61, Gnabry 89) Paris saint-Germain (Fra) 0 Bayern Munich win 3-0 on aggregate Mar 14–Porto Porto (Por) 0 Internazionale (ita) 0 internazionale win 1-0 on aggregate Mar 14–Manchester Manchester City (eng) 7 (Haaland 22 pen, 24, 45+2, 53, 57, Gundogan 49, De Bruyne 90+2) Rb leipzig (Ger) 0 Manchester City win 8-1 on aggregate Mar 15–Naples Napoli (ita) 3…