The United States is seemingly more divided than ever. Attack helicopters fly over LA after the marines were sent in to suppress protestors who march against ICE and their ongoing arrests up and down the country. It feels trivial, but Mauricio Pochettino, an Argentine, will lead the USMNT at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Concentrating on the football, or soccer, whichever you prefer, Pochettino’s side are in abysmal form heading into this tournament. Four consecutive defeats against Panama, Canada, Türkiye, and most recently, Switzerland mean they are struggling going into a tournament in which they should be considered heavy favourites.
At club level, Pochettino was known to be very hands on, pushing his players to reach the fitness levels required to play in his system, essentially, he loves a bleep test. International management, inherently, doesn’t allow Pochettino to have the required amount of time he needs with his players.
His Gold Cup squad reflects a manager who is struggling to implement his philosophy. Several players have either dropped out after the most hectic season in recent memory or will be playing at the new-look FIFA Club World Cup instead – also taking place in the United States at exactly the same time.
As a result, the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss has leant heavily on domestic based players this summer. A massive 15 of his Gold Cup squad play in MLS, with the remaining seven based abroad.
With an average age of 25 years and 119 days, it’s the third youngest ‘roster’ in USMNT Gold Cup history. It also averages just 16 caps, with 21 players making their major tournament debuts, showing just how inexperienced this group of lads are at the top level.
Vancouver Whitecaps striker Brian White (10 goals) and highly regarded Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna (eight goals) are among the top scorers in MLS as the league season reaches its midway point.
Philadelphia Union midfielder Quinn Sullivan, brother of future Man City star Cavan, has the second-most assists (seven) in the league as he heads into his first major international tournament at senior level.
Orlando City right back Alex Freeman, who is enjoying a real breakout season at the club with four goals and two assists in his 19 games across all competitions, made his international debut in the 4-0 defeat to Switzerland, their final warm up game.
Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter did the same. Fresh off the back of his side’s massive 5-0 CONCACAF Champions Cup final defeat to Cruz Azul, his mood wouldn’t have improved after the Switzerland game that’s for certain.
The USMNT is having somewhat of an existential crisis between the sticks at the moment. Shaka Hislop described their current crop of ‘keepers as the worst in their history. While a tad harsh, looking back at the likes of Brad Friedel, Tim Howard, and Kasey Keller, he might have a point.
Matt Turner, who spent last season on loan at Crystal Palace from Nottingham Forest, is their current number one, but New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese was given the nod in the 2-1 defeat to Türkiye on June 7.
Matt Turner player traits, with comparison against other keepers in top five European leagues
Turner returned and then conceded those four goals to Switzerland, which doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. We’ll let him off for the first two goals, although he could have done better for the first, but Switzerland’s third goal was inexcusable for the 30-year-old.
Ricardo Rodriguez’s tame effort was parried by Turner directly into the path of Breel Embolo, who simply couldn’t miss the open goal he was left with. He was visibly annoyed with himself, taking a sip from his bottle and covering his face with a towel.
Poch has options. Chris Brady, the current Chicago Fire goalkeeper, is probably the heir to the throne, if his last five games at club level are anything to go by. He’s just 21 but has 82 first team games for the Fire under his belt. He also has a goatee, which somehow feels right for an American goalkeeper.
The defeat to Switzerland was pretty indicative of where Pochettino’s side are at the moment. Struggling to string more than three passes together at times, they played like strangers, because, essentially, that’s what they are.
The USMNT are currently ranked 16th in the World by FIFA
Their Gold Campaign kicks off against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday (June 15). There are 84 places between these two nations in the FIFA rankings but the islanders got the better of their American overlords the last time they met.
Gregg Berhalter was at the helm back then and his time as the USMNT boss wasn’t exactly lauded by the fans. Still, his side back then was more heavily stacked than the one Poch will be using on Sunday.
Robinson, Balogun, Dest, Reyna, Carter-Vickers, and Ricardo Pepi all featured in the game in 2023 but were powerless to stop Trinidad and Tobago from beating them 2-1 in the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final, although they would go on to win the tie 4-2 on aggregate.
Ultimately, the Gold Cup should be viewed as a massive opportunity by those who want to nail down a place in next year’s World Cup squad. Poch has proven he’s not against giving lesser-known players a chance to impress, they just need to take it and run with it.
The ongoing political climate in the US is considered toxic by many around the world looking in, and thousands of people will be traveling to a country that is becoming more and more unwelcoming by the day. Football is an escape, but it shouldn’t avoid what is happening.
In troubling times, this crop of young players can stand up, provide the fans with something to celebrate, and show the world that the ideal in which many still hold the USA isn’t dead.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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It’s here. The FIFA Club World Cup kicks off this weekend, beginning a month-long tournament that will see 32 of the best teams in world football compete for glory in the USA. But just what makes this competition so unprecedented? Let’s dive a little deeper.
The first-ever iteration of the tournament came in 2000, as eight teams from six different federations vied for silverware in the FIFA Club World Championship; that same year, the Intercontinental Cup was held between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the Copa Libertadores.
After a brief hiatus due to the collapse of FIFA’s marketing partner International Sport and Leisure (ISL), the tournament returned in 2005, whilst it was renamed the FIFA Club World Cup in 2006 following the merger of the Intercontinental Cup and the Club World Championship. On paper, this summer’s tournament will be the 21st edition of the Club World Cup. In reality, however, there’s about as much similarity between this tournament and the previous format as there is between a Tyrannosaurus rex and a chicken.
“This is the first edition of a true Club World Cup,” stated a football executive who wished to remain anonymous. “FIFA wanted to give chances to non-European teams to play against the elite, allowing them to grow in exposure, experience, and revenue, and ultimately hoping that this sparks investment in their nations’ leagues and teams. At the same time, they wanted to allow elite clubs to have more meaningful matches and reach global audiences. UEFA was a bit reluctant because they feared this new competition could “steal” revenue from the Champions League, but eventually, the pressure from European clubs (led by the European Club Association) was very important for the competition to be approved unanimously.”
The previous edition of the Club World Cup took place in the middle of the season, with 6-7 teams participating. However, fans quickly lost interest in the tournament as the sole European team dominated proceedings: between 2013 and 2023, the UEFA representative won on every single occasion. It became apparent that, in order to transform the tournament from a mere afterthought into the talk of the town, and in order to garner the desired advertising and television revenue, drastic changes were necessary.
In 2016, newly appointed FIFA President Gianni Infantino proposed expanding the tournament to 32 teams from 2019 onwards and moving it to June, after the completion of the club season. FIFA mulled over plans in 2017 to increase the pool to 24 teams and schedule it as a quadrennial tournament, replacing the FIFA Confederations Cup. Similarly to the Confederations Cup, it would be held a year before the World Cup, but unlike the Confederations Cup, it would feature clubs, not national teams.
“FIFA didn’t go for a standard ranking system criterion of qualification to ensure that all the European big guns would participate. Instead, apart from the Champions League winners, they limited the participation of European clubs to two per country, which is why they have outsiders from Europe like Porto, Benfica and Salzburg for the first time. That’s why FIFA is pushing so hard on the narrative of making football truly global. FIFA doesn’t want to bring down Europe, but they do want the gap between European clubs and elsewhere to diminish.”
Initially, the plan was to have each of the UEFA Champions League winners, the UEFA Champions League runners-up, the UEFA Europa League winners, and the Copa Libertadores winners from the previous four seasons, as well as the other teams qualifying from Asia, North America, Africa and Oceania. 24 teams looked set to compete for the ultimate prize in China in 2021, only for the COVID-19 pandemic to put the brakes on the proposal. Instead, on December 16, 2022, FIFA announced that the new Club World Cup would take place in June 2025, with 32 teams competing. Six months later, they confirmed the United States as the hosts for the one-of-a-kind tournament. The previous format, meanwhile, has since been rebranded as the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, with Real Madrid beating Pachuca in the inaugural edition in Qatar.
It has been far from a smooth ride for the new Club World Cup. Last October, the worldwide players’ union FIFPRO and a union representing the 37 European leagues jointly filed an antitrust complaint at the European Commission in Brussels, arguing that FIFA is abusing its powers as both a tournament organiser and regulator. Various other footballers and dignitaries have also criticized the newly expanded competition, which will result in the longest club campaign in history. LaLiga president Javier Tebas even demanded FIFA cancel the tournament, stating, “You know that the leagues and the players’ football unions don’t want that Club World Cup. Withdraw that Club World Cup now.”
Despite these bumps in the road, the FIFA Club World Cup will commence on Saturday as MLS side Inter Miami face off against Egyptian giants Al-Ahly in South Florida. From Lionel Messi to Kylian Mbappé to Erling Haaland, some of the world’s greatest footballers will be fighting for the opportunity to lift the trophy on July 13 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The eventual winner will not only claim $125 million in prize money, but they’ll also have the chance to wear a golden badge on their shirts with “FIFA World Champions” emblazoned upon it. Unlike the previous winners, who would wear the badge for only 12 months, this year’s winners will be able to wear this badge until the next tournament rolls around in 2029.
Which of the 32 teams will come out on top? Stay tuned for what promises to be an intriguing month of football in the United States.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow the every game from the Club World Cup on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
The next FIFA World Cup will kick off precisely one year from now on June 11, 2026. After an expansion to the tournament, a record 48 teams will compete on football’s biggest stage in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Over a quarter of the competitors are now known after the latest international break. Here is the state of play across each of the six confederations.
The AFC has the longest World Cup qualification format, now spanning five rounds. The first round kicked off less than a year after the end of the previous World Cup, but things really started to get serious in the third round, where qualification spots started to get decided.
The 18 remaining teams were divided into three groups of six. The top two in each group have earned a direct ticket to North America at the end of the round robin fixtures, while the teams in third and fourth place stay alive and advance to a further stage.
There were some big stories in each of the groups. Group A saw Iran cruise through along with Uzbekistan, who will make their World Cup debut next year. This historic achievement marks the culmination of decades of hard work for the White Wolves, as their investment in domestic youth development has paid off big time. Behind them, the UAE and previous hosts Qatar advanced to the fourth round.
South Korea topped Group B ahead of Jordan, who will also be debutantes at the World Cup next year. They too have been quietly building towards this success, having reached their first major final at the Asian Cup last year. Iraq finished third and Kuwait came last while Oman and Palestine faced off for fourth place on the final day. The Lions of Canaan needed a win to advance and looked on course to get it until the very last minute of the match, when they conceded an equaliser from the penalty spot.
Group C was the relatively most straightforward, as Japan finished comfortably clear at the top and were followed by Australia, who have made it to their sixth consecutive World Cup. Saudi Arabia had to settle for third place and will be joined by Indonesia in the fourth round.
CONMEBOL: Only three teams miss out
With just 10 teams in the confederation, CONMEBOL have the simplest qualification format with just one round. The expanded World Cup now sees over half of the nations earn direct progression, while one inter-confederation play-off spot is on offer as well.
As a result, there are few big surprises in South America. With the last two rounds of fixtures left, defending champions Argentina have already sealed top spot in the group by some margin. Ecuador and Brazil secured direct qualification this week, with the former putting an impressive campaign together while the Seleção have had a more turbulent time.
Marcelo Bielsa-led Uruguay are also as good as qualified along with Paraguay, who will return to the biggest stage for the first time since 2010.
Behind them, Copa América finalists Colombia still have a job to do to be sure of the last direct spot. Venezuela – the only CONMBEOL side to have never reached a World Cup – are currently a point ahead of Bolivia in the play-off position, so they have a lot to play for in the final rounds. Chile will miss out and will almost certainly be joined by Peru.
OFC: New Zealand get direct ticket
The expanded format must have been most widely welcomed by the OFC, which finally has a direct ticket to the World Cup. They decided it by putting the top two teams from the two second-round groups into play-offs, from where regional giants New Zealand unsurprisingly emerged as the victors. New Caledonia put up a spirited fight against them in the final, though, and will get a second bite at the cherry in the inter-confederation play-offs.
CONCACAF: Stage set for final round
CONCACAF qualifying is very different this time around since the three big-hitters have all been granted qualification as host nations (USA, Canada, Mexico). Three other direct spots and two inter-confederation play-off places are on offer in the third round, for which the 12-team stage has just been set.
UEFA were the last to get their World Cup qualification campaign properly underway. In fact, the six four-team groups are yet to play a single match, but some intriguing stories are brewing elsewhere.
Most notably, Italy might well miss out for a third successive time after falling behind in the battle for the direct qualification spot in their group following a 3-0 humbling in Norway. That result is set to cost Luciano Spalletti his job when a successor is found, with the play-offs looking most likely for the Azzurri due to Norway having already recorded four wins from their opening four games.
There were no World Cup qualification fixtures in Africa this month, with the CAF qualifiers already at the halfway stage. As things stand, Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, AFCON champions the Ivory Coast, Algeria, and Tunisia are all on course to win their groups and earn the prized direct tickets.
Senegal, DR Congo, and potential debutantes Sudan are locked in a three-way battle for a direct place and a CAF play-off spot in Group B, while Nigeria are in serious trouble in Group C as they currently sit fourth. Cape Verde are a point ahead of Cameroon in their group in what is shaping up to be an unforgettable campaign for the Blue Sharks.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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The 26-year-old has been the main man for AC Milan for four seasons. He may have signed for the Serie A club in 2019, moving from Lille for an initial €35million, but it took the versatile forward two years to fully acclimatise to life in Italy. After all, he was playing for a third team in three seasons at the age of just 20. Sometimes, patience is needed.
Patience certainly paid off though. When Milan won the 2021/22 Serie A title, Rafael Leão was one of the key players for the Rossoneri. He had the most goal involvements for the club in the league and claimed a FotMob rating of 7.51, an average that only Theo Hernández could better.
Season summary for Leão’s time at Milan
Since then, he’s been fairly consistent for the Italian giants. During the 2022/23 campaign, he was the highest rated Milan player with a FotMob rating of 7.39. He also ranked first for goal involvements. He topped the average rating charts again in 2023/24 with a rating of 7.45 but had to settle for a third-place finish in the goal involvements chart. Last season, his 7.21 FotMob rating was third in the Milan squad, but he did rank second for league goal involvements (16) behind Christian Pulisic.
So, across the past four seasons, he’s been ever present in the top three for FotMob rating and goal involvements. And this is even more impressive when you consider the changes at Milan over that time.
Stefano Pioli, Paulo Fonseca and Sérgio Conceição have managed the club across these four seasons. Franck Kessié, Alessio Romagnoli, Sandro Tonali, Pierre Kalulu, Yacine Adli, Ismaël Bennacer and Oliver Giroud have all departed too.
It hasn’t exactly been a consistent environment for Leão. It hasn’t been a club that has everything in place to allow him to flourish. He hasn’t fulfilled the abundance of potential he possesses.
When he burst onto the scene with Sporting, he was tipped to be the next Cristiano Ronaldo. Many have been likened to the legendary forward in the past but few had the same traits as Leão. The versatile winger was taller than your average winger, he had a very upright, powerful dribbling stance and he was explosive over short and long distances. Not only was he quicker than most defenders but he also had the physique to physically bully them.
Leão’s player traits, with comparison against similar players in top 5 leagues
You could understand the similarities between Leão and Ronaldo, even at a glance. But, unlike his compatriot, Leão has allowed himself to get a little too comfortable.
The Portugal international has regularly been linked with big-money moves but he seems quite content with Milan. Per reports, he’s the club’s top earner now. He wears the No. 10 jersey and he’s a key part of their attacking unit.
He’s coasting at Milan. He’s well compensated and is fairly free from any real pressures the majority of the time. There’s no real reason for him to seek a move.
But, if reports are accurate, the 2021/22 Serie A champions are clearing the decks this summer and starting again. Theo Hernãndez and Mike Maignan are said to be departing along with Tijjani Reijnders, who has already joined Manchester City. There’s also been talk in Italy that a number of clubs, including Bayern Munich and Liverpool, are looking at Leao.
And this could finally be the summer he moves out of his comfort zone. He could go from being the biggest fish in a small pond to being a small fish in a big pond. And you know what? It might be the best thing for his career.
The Nations League final against Spain was a glimpse of how impactful Leão can be when he’s not the main man. When he’s part of the supporting cast, he can be quite unstoppable.
He played just 46 minutes in the final but was the most fouled player (six). The 26-year-old attempted four dribbles and had two touches in the box against the reigning European champions. Whenever he picked up possession, they looked worried. He was aggressive and direct with the ball. They didn’t really know how to deal with him, so they just kept fouling him.
Put that sort of player in a star studded forward line and he’ll create chaos. Imagine him alongside Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala, for example. Or even in an attack made up of Mohamed Salah and Florian Wirtz.
If he buys into it and accepts his role as a supporting attacker, with aspirations of being the best, the potential is outright scary. His numbers have been low-key quite good too over the years.
Across his last four seasons in the Italian top-flight, he has 43 goals and 35 assists. During this period, he has an Expected Goals total of 37.2 and an Expected Assists average of 31.3.
This works out at an average of 9.3 xG per campaign and 7.8 xA.
Last season, across 2,323 minutes in Serie A, Leão averaged 2.56 shots, 0.29 xG and 0.33 xA. That is a 0.62 xG Involvement on a per 90 basis, playing as a left-winger for a team that finished in eighth position.
Leão’s possession numbers, Serie A 2024/25
Leão, per the UEFA website, racked up a top speed of 36.5km/h too. He’s one of the quickest players in the world. The 40-cap Portugal international has a fairly long deal with Milan (2028 contract) but if they’re looking to rip it all up and start again, £50million could go quite far.
Milan might want a fresh start but Leão definitely needs a fresh start if he’s to level up. He has all of the tools needed to be one of the best left wingers in Europe. He just needs the environment.
They know how to look after a Bellingham at Borussia Dortmund. After all, it was at the Westfalenstadion where Jude became one of the best young players in the world, ultimately earning a €103m transfer to Real Madrid two summers ago. Now, Jobe is hoping to follow a similar career path to his brother.
Reports claim Dortmund have agreed a fee of €32m with Sunderland to sign Bellingham after the young midfielder helped the Black Cats achieve promotion back to the Premier League. The 19-year-old played 43 games in the Championship last season and is ready for the next step in his development.
Dortmund will give Bellingham a platform to reach a higher level. Comparisons between the two Bellingham brothers are unavoidable, but there are plenty parallels to draw between them, and not just in terms of their decision to move to the Bundesliga at such a young age. Jobe and Jude are cut from the same cloth.
Jobe Bellingham player traits
Like Jude, Jobe is an attack-minded central midfielder by trade. At Birmingham City, the younger of the two brothers was given the license to get forward, making good use of his long strides and natural instincts for getting into the opposition box. The two Bellinghams are very similar in this regard.
On top of this, both brothers have an excellent first touch which allows them to operate in tight spaces. Jobe and Jude do their best work when surrounded by opponents when they can use their physicality to shield the ball and find space with it. In a three-man midfield, they can lend a hand to all areas of the game.
Last season, though, Jobe was deployed in a deeper role for Sunderland. This is where the younger brother is perhaps more comfortable, holding his own as one half of a double pivot when Jude Bellingham has sometimes struggled to play his best football in this position. It was in the heart of midfield that Jobe was a central pillar of a promotion-winning side.
“He’s still a young player with the ability to play in many different roles,” said Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris when asked about Bellingham’s best position and the impact he made for Sunderland. “But I like him as a No. 8, because I think he’s an offensive midfielder. He can express his power, his ability to run and his ability to press – to link defence and attack.”
In Germany, Bellingham will surely receive a high number of minutes on the pitch for a Borussia Dortmund team that lacked quality in central midfield last season. Indeed, the 19-year-old will offer the sort of dynamism and energy the likes of Emre Can and Pascal Gross failed to as the Black and Yellows suffered a difficult campaign.
Despite making the Champions League final two seasons ago, there is an acute sense that Dortmund are at a critical juncture in their modern history. For a long time, the Westfalenstadion was a finishing school for some of the best young players in Europe – see Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho, Christian Pulisic, Ousmane Dembélé, İlkay Gündoğan, Mario Götze, Robert Lewandowski and, of course, Bellingham.
Dortmund secured Champions League football on the final day in 2024/25
More recently, Dortmund fans demanded that their team build something for the here and now, and in a sense they came close to achieving that objective, coming within one match of winning the Bundesliga title two seasons and the Champions League last season. Dortmund have been football’s nearly men.
Bellingham’s signing signals a shift back to the strategy that made Borussia Dortmund one of the most exciting, vibrant clubs in the world for such a long time. Their project is an enticing one for young players, especially after a late-season run which saw Niko Kovač’s team salvage Champions League qualification. Bellingham will pit himself against some of Europe’s best next season.
Football has produced many pairs of siblings who reached the top level. The Nevilles were important players for Manchester United and England. Kolo and Yaya Touré played together at Manchester City. The De Boers were also brothers who both made their mark at the peak of European football, playing for Barcelona and the Netherlands over a number of years.
In Jobe and Jude Bellingham, English football has two siblings who could be a big part of their next generation. Jude, of course, is already an established member of the national team and widely considered one of the best players in the world. Jobe has a long way to go to reach that level, but his transfer to Dortmund might have moved him a little closer.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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In many ways, Crystal Palace’s historic win over Manchester City at Wembley last month will be remembered as ‘The Dean Henderson Final.’ Eberechi Eze might have scored the winning goal as the Eagles won the FA Cup for the first time, but the 28-year-old goalkeeper was very much the main character of the story.
Henderson could, and perhaps should, have been sent off in the first half for handling the ball outside his box. As it was, he went on to make countless saves to stop City from finding the net, revelling in his moment as the first Palace goalkeeper to lift a major piece of silverware in the club’s 119-year history.
Next summer, Henderson could be part of another team aiming to end its long wait for a trophy. The Palace shot-stopper is part of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the World Cup qualifier against Andorra and the friendly against Senegal with Henderson openly targeting the number one jersey.
Of course, Jordan Pickford has been England’s first-choice goalkeeper for the last seven years. The Everton man has had his critics, but has always found his best form at international level, growing into a role as a leader within the England dressing room. It’s now difficult to envisage the Three Lions without Pickford between the posts.
And yet Henderson has shown enough to suggest he could dislodge Pickford in the future. The 28-year-old has improved greatly over the past two seasons and is a key member of a Crystal Palace team on a steep upward trajectory under Oliver Glasner. If Tuchel is looking to evolve England, Henderson could be part of that process.
“You can only go off my form this season – I am up there with the best in the league goalkeepers wise,” said Henderson when asked about the level he has reached with his performances for Crystal Palace this season. “Of course I know my level. The reality is that the only way you get seen is producing it week in, week out and I have been doing that.”
Henderson has been mentioned as a potential England number one for years. Many expected he would become the first-choice goalkeeper at Manchester United. Ole Gunnar Solskjær once predicted that Henderson would have the number one jersey at Old Trafford for a long time to come.
Ultimately, though, Henderson saw his future away from United, refusing to play for Erik ten Hag to force through a loan move to Nottingham Forest before joining Palace for £15m in the summer of 2023. Henderson still had to earn his place at Selhurst Park, but now finally looks like the player many envisaged he would be when he first broke through as a youngster.
Henderson’s 2024/25 numbers, comparison against other Premier League goalkeepers
In the spirit of experimentation, Tuchel could feasibly give Henderson an opportunity to show his worth as an England player against either Andorra or Senegal. The German coach has a duty to explore all options before the 2026 World Cup and this could be a convenient moment to assess the Palace number one before the stakes get higher closer to the tournament.
Statistically, Pickford still has the upper hand on Henderson in several categories. The Everton goalkeeper had a save percentage of 73.5% this season, ranking him among the Premier League’s top three shot-stoppers, while Henderson’s percentage stood at just 67.1%, making him 13th.
Only Mark Flekken and Aaron Ramsdale made more saves over the course of the 2024/25 campaign than Pickford. This was partly due to Everton struggling at the wrong end of the table for so much of the season, but Pickford played an important role in pushing the Toffees towards mid-table safety.
Top three save percentages, Premier League 2024/25
Henderson isn’t the only goalkeeper with their sights set on Pickford’s place. Burnley’s James Trafford is arguably the brightest young goalkeeper in English football right now and could be on the move this summer amid links with Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur. The 22-year-old is developing quickly and recorded 29 clean sheets in 45 games in the Championship this season.
Then there’s Nick Pope and Ramsdale, both of whom have had a taste of international football, but have yet to truly establish themselves within the England set-up. Pope, however, will have a platform to showcase his quality in the Champions League next season while Ramsdale could move on from Southampton.
In Henderson, though, Tuchel has a goalkeeper with genuine self belief that he can become one of the best in the world, not just in English football. Crystal Palace supporters now sing about their goalkeeper becoming England number one and it’s not impossible Tuchel could heed their advice.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every UEFA World Cup qualifier with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
Over £300,000 a day. That’s what the £10m Real Madrid paid Liverpool to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold 30 days early equates to. This is the true value of Los Blancos’ desperation for a new right back before the Club World Cup, and a symbol of their gamble that may or may not pay off in the United States this summer.
Even this close to the start of the newly expanded tournament, the 2025 Club World Cup remains an unknown quantity. Are players really motivated to win a competition that only exists as a political tool to inflate FIFA’s position in the US? What sort of energy levels will we see from teams who have only just finished a long and gruelling season?
At boardroom level, though, the £97m bounty for winning the Club World Cup is certainly enough motivation. It’s why Real Madrid paid £10m to have Alexander-Arnold for the month of June. It’s why others are rushing through signings in a specially created transfer window before the start of the tournament. The Club World Cup is bringing out the worst impulses in Europe’s biggest clubs.
Real Madrid have done more than any other club to accelerate their summer plans. Xabi Alonso is already in place as Los Blancos’ new boss when it might have been wiser to give the Spaniard a full pre-season to get his ideas across. Instead, Alonso will have to implement a new system and approach at the Club World Cup with matches every few days. Time on the training pitch will be limited.
Madrid’s group stage fixtures at the Club World Cup
Chelsea are another club set to take advantage of the early summer transfer window with Liam Delap joining the Blues as their new No. 9 before they travel to the US. Ordinarily, Delap would have time to integrate himself. This summer, though, the England U21 striker will be dropped immediately into a competitive environment. The pressure will be instant.
It’s not just the European participants that are hearing the countdown clock before the start of the Club World Cup. Al-Hilal have reportedly been pushing Bruno Fernandes to make an early decision on joining the Saudi Pro League club. And they were quick to snap up outgoing Inter boss Simone Inzaghi to take over in time for the tournament.
Then there’s the saga around Cristiano Ronaldo. The 40-year-old has posted cryptic messages about his Al-Nassr future on social media while Infantino has claimed “there are discussions” over Ronaldo playing at the Club World Cup. If Ronaldo is to make a move over the next week or so, it won’t be a transfer motivated by sporting factors.
Some of this will make the Club World Cup interesting to the neutral observer. We will get evidence of Alonso’s Real Madrid and how Los Blancos will change under their new manager earlier than otherwise would have been the case. Other players could make their club debuts with the whole world watching.
It is a Euro-centric perspective to suggest there is no competitive merit to the Club World Cup. For clubs in AFC, CAF, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, this is a rare opportunity to measure oneself against the best teams in the sport. The Club World Cup has always had a ‘Europe Against The World’ dynamic and that won’t change despite the expanded format.
Nonetheless, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what is on offer for clubs this summer besides a pot of $1 billion in prize money. Not only is this disrupting the summer calendar, it could severely warp football around the world and widen the ever-growing gap between the richest and the rest at the top of the sport.
Inter Miami, Los Angeles FC and the Seattle Sounders will collect nearly $10m for merely playing in the Club World Cup. This is more than they will receive for a full season of domestic TV money from Major League Soccer and could twist any sense of parity in a league designed to have equality.
Even for Chelsea or Manchester City, winning the Club World Cup would give them a gigantic financial advantage over their Premier League rivals. FIFA’s £97m bounty makes a mockery of the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) that will restrict everyone else in the English top flight this summer.
While the core purpose of a global competition from all six confederations is credible, the format, scheduling and money attached to the expanded Club World Cup is grotesque, and many of the participating clubs are acting accordingly. At a time when modern football is already so money-driven, this summer’s tournament is setting a new precedent.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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The season is now almost entirely in the record books. For many clubs and their supporters, though, it will be immortalised as the campaign in which they finally broke their long trophy ducks. Teams from all corners of the world feature on that list.
UEFA Champions League: PSG break the curse in style
The most well-known first-time champions of the season are surely Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League. The Parisians have been a dominant force in Ligue 1 for over a decade now, ever since they were taken over by Qatar Sports Investments. However, the European crown proved ever elusive despite the billions invested in the side.
Having failed to get over the line with superstars such as Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Neymar, PSG appeared to head in a new direction this season. After years of losing highly-rated academy graduates due to a lack of chances in the first team, they now decided to build a squad full of such young talents from around France and the world. One might have reasonably expected them to take some time to get up to speed with this approach, so their struggles in the league phase were not too surprising.
However, Luis Enrique’s side exceeded all expectations in the second half of the season. Their Round of 16 success against Liverpool was a statement of intent, one which they backed up with wins over Aston Villa and Arsenal. Still, there were some doubts about how such a young team would fare in a major final, but they were answered emphatically on the night.
CAF Champions League: Pyramids reach the summit
Over in Africa, another club with Middle Eastern owners were crowned continental champions. Pyramids FC have only existed since 2018, when Saudi royal advisor Turki Al-Sheikh took over and rebranded a lower-tier Egyptian club after falling out with the board and fans of the country’s most successful club, Al Ahly.
Within a year, Al-Sheikh sold the club to Emirati businessman Salem Al Shamsi, who continued to provide significant investment. Pyramids have finished as runners-up in the Egyptian Premier League in each of the last four seasons, and they won their first major trophy in the cup last term.
Even so, Pyramids were not considered among the favourites for the CAF Champions League going into the season. They comfortably advanced to the knockouts, where they started off with a win over Moroccan side AS FAR. They then got past South Africa’s Orlando Pirates 3-2 on aggregate in the semi-final, before defeating Mamelodi Sundowns by the same score across the two-legged final.
AFC Champions League Elite: Al Ahli trump giants
Meanwhile in the Middle East, the first season after the AFC’s club competitions restructuring drew to a close with a big surprise. Rather than being split between the west and east until the final, the Champions League Elite now took on a centralised format from the quarter-finals onwards.
The significantly richer top Saudi clubs were expected to benefit the most from these changes, particularly since the tournament was set to conclude in the kingdom. Three of the big four qualified for the quarter-finals, namely record champions Al Hilal, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr and Al Ahli.
Ahli were the least-fancied of the trio having only returned to the domestic top-flight a couple of years ago, though they too did receive massive investment thereafter. They comfortably got past Thailand’s Buriram United in the quarter-final, before tactically outclassing Al Hilal to set up a final with Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale, who they downed 2-0 on the big night.
Liga Profesional: Platense profit from a new format
There is also a new format in Argentina this year, where the top-flight has fully committed to an MLS-like format (though they have maintained the half-yearly Aperura-Clausura split). 30 teams are separated into two zones in the group stage, from which over half progress to the knockouts.
This approach has drawn a fair bit of criticism, especially since the knockouts are one-legged ties without any extra time. Atlético Platense fans won’t be complaining much, though, as their side got the better of River Plate on penalties in the quarter-final and won all their other ties by a solitary goal, thus lifting the first major trophy in their 120-year history.
FA Cup: Crystal Palace break the glass ceiling
Crystal Palace almost had to wait 120 years for their first trophy as well, but they got the job done with a season to spare.
For all the talk of the magic of the cup, the English FA Cup had only one non-big-six winner in its previous 11 editions. Palace were presented with a golden opportunity to change that as they had a relatively straightforward run to the final, which included convincing wins over Fulham and Aston Villa. Manchester City were always likely to be a different ball game, though, and so it proved.
Oliver Glasner’s side were under the cosh for almost the entire game, but an early goal, some resolute defending, great goalkeeping and a dash of fortune led them to their highest high.
Honourable mentions
There were many more first-time champions all around the world. Among them were Wolfsberger AC, who won the cup and only missed out on the league title on the final day of a remarkable season in Austria. In Australia and Mexico respectively, the Central Coast Mariners and Pachuca’s women’s teams won their first league titles. While Dungannon Swifts staged some upsets in Northern Ireland’s primary cup.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Goran Pandev, his country’s most legendary player recently took up a new role within the Football Federation of Macedonia with the sole aim of building for a better future.
Witnessing and closely following Goran Pandev‘s playing career, first as a kid and now as a journalist in Macedonia, is remembering exactly where you were and with whom you have been during the forward’s career highlights, such was the importance of the Macedonian lifting the Champions League‘s trophy with Inter back in 2010 and then leading the national team to EURO 2020.
The Strumica-born forward is our most capped player with 122 appearances. He’s also the top scorer with 38 goals scored and perhaps most importantly, the first-ever captain to take Macedonia to a major tournament. Historic achievements establishing Goran Pandev’s status as the greatest legend in Macedonian football, but sadly, the so-called ‘Bate Pandev’ didn’t really get the farewell that he deserved when retiring from the national team, and it is fair to say that the player and the Federation have endured a rocky relationship over the years, to say the least.
Pandev admits: ‘I never really wanted a testimonial match to honour my career, as the guard of honour that I received from my teammates in my final match for Macedonia at the Johan Cruijff Arena was the best thing that happened to me.” And yet, it still feels odd that the career of the national team’s record-holder was not celebrated in an official manner, as legends like Pandev don’t often emerge from small countries like Macedonia.
Pandav is now finally in a position to make changes and thus, fix some of the issues that irritated him during his playing days – issues such as poor infrastructure, nepotism and mismanagement of the junior age group teams among many others – as the 41-year-old was appointed as the new sports director of the Macedonian national teams back in December last year. Now, six months into the job, the Macedonian legend opens up in an exclusive one-on-one interview for FotMob about the major challenges lying ahead for the federation’s new leadership.
“After many years of proudly wearing the national team’s shirt, I felt honoured to be invited by Masar Omeragić (the newly-elected president) to be part of the new leadership of the Football Federation of Macedonia. I accepted the invitation as I believe that it is necessary to spark changes in order to raise the level of Macedonian football to a much higher level. Honestly, I hope that we will forge the right path in the coming years for the next generation to continue our work, although we know that it will not be an easy task, but we are optimistic. The president, Omeragić is working tirelessly on the challenges that we encounter, but with our knowledge and support, we hope to improve,” begins Pandev.
After leading the Macedonian national team to and at EURO 2020 as captain, Goran Pandev retired from playing international football, while the Football Federation of Macedonia decided against offering a new deal to the then-coach, Igor Angelovski, and instead offered the post to Blagoja Milevski, who had been running the U21s. The record-holding captain did not agree with the federation’s decision at the time and has openly criticized the work of the new coach over recent years. Now, the newly-appointed sports director, Pandev and the coach, Milevski need to work together towards achieving the same goal, but given their past, it was only logical to ask what their relationship is like: “I would describe our relationship as professional. He is the current coach of the national team and the new leadership led by the president, Omeragić gave him their full support. Also, he started the World Cup 2026 Qualifiers well and I hope that he will make us happy and lead us to our maiden World Cup. However, he is the one deciding his own fate, as the results are a mirror of the coach’s work and I wish him good luck.”
Stefan Ristovski succeeded Goran Pandev as the captain following the latter’s retirement in 2021, but the experienced right back decided to stop playing for the Macedonian national team in 2023 due to “a strained relationship between the player and the coach” following the Lynxes’ dreadful 7-0 defeat to England in the EURO 2024 Qualifiers. Since then, the Macedonian public has strongly pushed the case for the 33-year-old to return to the fold, but Pandev does not sound optimistic despite their recent talks: “I got in touch with Stefan back in December last year, immediately after the change of leadership and I spoke with him, and there was also a meeting between the president, Omeragić and him, although I was not present at that meeting. But I told him that I also had similar concerns when I decided to stop playing for the national team back in 2014 (from November 2014 until October 2015), but Stefan has different views as he stopped playing after the appalling loss to England, and it is his decision to not return as long as Milevski is at the helm, and one we should respect by all means. He is an experienced player and a mature person who was both our, and Dinamo Zagreb‘s captain, and I believe that he could still give a lot to the national team as he is continues to play at the highest level. It was our duty to talk to him, but the final decision is his.”
The pool of eligible players to represent the Macedonian national team is modest, to say the least, and over the past couple of decades, a lot of players earned call-ups despite not being regulars at their respective clubs, or even some as free agents at the time, but were still selected to join the national team, which is a rarity in international football. The former forward offers a different perspective and cites the low level of the Macedonian First Football League as one of the reasons: “I was part of the national team for almost two decades and we have had these issues throughout that time. That is nothing new as we always had four or five players who play on a regular basis and the rest of them have been playing sporadically. Any national team’s coach is the happiest when all of his players play regularly and are physically, mentally and tactically ready. Also, it is very tricky, from a player’s perspective, when you are only involved in training and you are not playing matches. But I can assure you that our players who are playing abroad and are only involved in training for their respective clubs are much more ready to play than the ones who are playing regularly in the Macedonian top-tier as the level of our league is sadly, really low.”
However, the strained relationships and the limited pool of players for the senior national team are not Goran Pandev’s biggest concern, as the issues in Macedonian football run much deeper, and the poor management of the youth categories over the past few years is taking its toll, something I have been reporting on for years as well. One of the first decisions taken by the federation’s new leadership was replacing most of the coaches within the youth categories (U21, U19, U17, U16, U15) as Macedonia have failed to qualify for a major youth tournament since the U21 Euros back in 2017, when Blagoja Milevski was at the helm of the U21s.
“The biggest concerns are related to the youth categories because if we are mismanaging the youth, we simply cannot expect to have a quality senior side. Changing the coaches within the youth categories is a good starting point, as we have a different vision, and Georgi Hristov is the one in charge as he has broad experience in the field. Honestly, I am not too familiar with the youth categories as I have been playing abroad in the past 25 years and only now, I am getting to know more about them. The most important thing is that we have appointed professional coaches who will give chances to the talented players who truly deserve to wear the national team’s shirt and that is our main goal. We are a small country, and we do not have 100 talented players to choose from, but nowadays we have youth categories starting from U15 upwards and back in my time that was not the case. They have training camps every month and with hard work, we can develop players who will be ready to play for the seniors in the future. As I said, it will not be easy and it will take time as the mismanagement has been going on for years and that is shown by the poor results, but we need quality coaches as well, because the talent is definitely there and we hope that we can make the future better.”
The Macedonian diaspora (estimates around +700.000) is increasing as more and more people are deciding to move abroad due to various geopolitical and economic reasons among many others, and subsequently, there are a lot of young footballers around the globe who are eligible to represent the Macedonian national team. For example, one of them was Tottenham Hotspur‘s Dejan Kulusevski who opted to play for Sweden instead of Macedonia and when asked whether the federation is doing enough to expand the players’ pool with these type of players, Pandev says: “I disagree that we are not doing enough for them to play for our national team, I would rather say that most of them do not have a desire to play for Macedonia. One of the first things that we did as a new leadership was get in touch with over 50 young and talented players who are eligible to play for Macedonia, and I was the one who personally got in touch with most of them, only to realise that a lot of them are simply not interested in playing for our national team and that is a dealbreaker for me. You should feel proud when you are called upon to play for Macedonia and if you do not have that desire, what is even the point. I had very difficult and long seasons when playing in Serie A and I had to change flights up to four times just to get back to Macedonia to play for the national team. But it was a huge honour of mine to wear the national team’s shirt, nowadays, we have this problem and additionally, we have parents, children, agents who are getting involved in their decision-making process too.”
Macedonia’s sole appearance at a major tournament came, as mentioned, back in 2021 with Pandev leading the national team at EURO 2020, an achievement which Pandev describes as “the most important one in his career and a childhood dream come true”, but how long will the national team wait for the next major tournament? “Let us be honest, we all want Macedonia to be part of every European and World Championship, but let us take Italy as an example. They did not qualify for the last two World Cups and Serie A is one of the best European leagues. If you look at our squad and the issues we are facing, it is not that simple, although you and I will be the happiest men on Earth if we always played in major tournaments. But we have to be honest with ourselves, we simply do not have the quality to play regularly at major finals at this moment.”
Macedonia have made a decent start to World Cup qualifying
The Blagoja Milevski-led squad have a match against Belgium on 6 June at the Toshe Proeski national arena in Skopje and three days later, face a trip to Kazakhstan as part of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. The Lynxes have started the qualifiers with a promising win in Liechtenstein and a home draw with Wales.
“I believe in achieving positive results, but at the same time, I think these next couple of matches will be the most difficult ones given that they come at the end of the season. Although that applies more for Belgium than for us because they obviously have more world-class players in the top leagues around Europe. They are the favourites, no doubt about it, but I believe in our squad, and we showed both against Liechtenstein and Wales that we possess quality. With the help from our supporters, we can compete against Belgium and I hope that the stadium will be full to support the boys.”
Last but definitely not least, history has taught the Macedonian nation that many have spoken and only a few have delivered, and it is difficult to be optimistic about the future given all the unfulfilled promises over the years, but as Goran Pandev brought rays of hope during the national team’s darkest days, now his influential presence within the Football Federation of Macedonia is doing the same, and only time will tell whether things can and will get better.
“For me the role (sports director) is not important, we should act and be like a family and work towards achieving the same goal. And that goal is to raise Macedonian football to a higher level and improve the infrastructure, which is crucial too. But I think that with people like Georgi Hristov, Agim Ibraimi and Ilija Najdoski all led by Masar Omeragić who does not have any sentimentality towards anyone, we can change things for the better. I am excited to be here, because I am optimistic, but we all must work professionally in the same direction and believe in ourselves. It is very hard to do this and it was much easier to play, believe me. Our mentality is a negative one by nature and regardless of what you do, there will always be critics. But we are hoping to bring life to Macedonian football for the new generations and for a better future. Trying to spark change in Macedonia is very hard and we will need time.”
(Images from IMAGO and courtesy of the Football Federation of Macedonia)
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After leaving Real Madrid as the most decorated head coach in the club’s history, Carlo Ancelotti will be kept busy as he has taken up a job in charge of the Brazilian men’s national team. In doing so, he has become the first foreigner to lead the Seleção, who seem in desperate need of a refresh after consistently underwhelming of late.
By all metrics, Brazil are the most successful nation in the history of the FIFA Men’s World Cup. They are the only side to have appeared at every single edition of the tournament and have lifted the trophy a record five times. Naturally, then, their record of 76 wins in 114 matches is also the best.
Should they fail to win the global crown next year, though, they will have to endure their longest World Cup trophy drought. In fact, the Seleção have only progressed past the quarter-finals once in the last five editions – and even that semi-final ended disastrously. Naturally, pressure has been building edition after edition, and it could go further yet after the arrival of one of the most successful active coaches in world football.
Brazil’s disappointing recent record
One of the main reasons why Brazil have had to turn to a foreign head coach for the very first time is that the last few years have been among the worst in the Seleção’s history as far as results go. Although they will almost certainly seal their spot at the next World Cup, they are currently on course for their worst qualification campaign under CONMEBOL’s current format.
CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying state of play – with four rounds to play
The first part of their campaign went particularly badly, as they lost three consecutive games for the first time since 2001 after being defeated by Uruguay, Colombia and Argentina. Although they managed to steady the ship to a decent extent thereafter, they still need a couple of results to get over the line.
Meanwhile, the Seleção suffered further disappointment in the Copa América as they were knocked out of the quarter-finals on penalties against Uruguay. In fact, they only just got to the knockouts after drawing two of their three group games against Costa Rica and Colombia.
Unsurprisingly, there has been quite a bit of turnover in the coaching department through this period of poor results. Carlo Ancelotti will be Brazil’s fifth different head coach since the start of the last World Cup – a stark contrast from the previous five who lasted a total of two decades altogether.
Can Ancelotti get the most out of an unusual squad?
As Ancelotti steps into the world of international football for the first time in his coaching career, he will face a very different challenge from what he is used to. Besides getting significantly less time to work with his players, he will now have to make squad selection decisions from a pool of players which he cannot alter.
As it happens, Brazil’s current crop of players has presented a few selection headaches that have troubled previous coaches. The toughest decisions have had to be made in the attacking department. Brazil obviously have an embarrassment of riches including superstars such as Vinícius Júnior and Raphinha, but lack an elite striker. Some recent coaches have elected to call upon domestically based talents including Flamengo’s Pedro and Botafogo’s Igor Jesus, but Ancelotti has gone striker-less in his first squad.
Forward options in Ancelotti’s first Brazil squad
In this respect, the Italian tactician might just be the best man for the job. He has quite a track record of getting unconventional attacks to click, including most recently at Real Madrid. Los Blancos might have left a good deal to be desired in 2024/25 as their new-look attack led by summer signing Kylian Mbappé jarred a fair bit, but their work in the previous campaign was excellent as Ancelotti pulled off a masterstroke with Jude Bellingham as the chief central attacker in a striker-less system.
It will be quite interesting to see how Brazil set up in attack in their next matches, though it could take some chopping and changing before they find the right formula.
Defensive issues might yet cause problems
While Brazil’s attack has struggled to get going in some of their recent games, their bigger problem has definitely been on the defensive front. They are currently averaging over a goal conceded per game in their World Cup qualification campaign and have kept the joint-fewest clean sheets.
CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying clean sheets
This could well remain a concern for Brazil going forward. As we have previously written, the defensive side of the game consistently was an issue for Ancelotti at Real Madrid. His side’s press was always quite disorganised, and their block was far from being the most solid too. Things got worse for them last term as the addition of Mbappé to a side that already had Vinícius meant that the team was left with two effective passengers when out of possession. Their questionable collective defending cost them dear in all matches against domestic rivals Barcelona, and they ended the season with only the fifth-lowest xG conceded in LaLiga.
Especially in international football, a solid defensive block can prove extremely useful as the ability to close down spaces largely limits most attacks that inevitably are individual-driven. The return of some currently-injured centre-backs such as Éder Militão and Gabriel could well prove helpful in the future, but Ancelotti will need to prioritise working on the team’s collective defending if they are to set themselves up for success in North America next year.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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