football opinion

28 articles tagged with "football opinion"

Oct 9, 2026

Napoli sold Kvaratskhelia and still won the league, and that is the wrong lesson for the McTominay talks

McTominay’s camp want more than €8 million a year and Napoli offered about €5 million. Real Madrid are asking about him, and the clock on his contract...

Sep 6, 2026

Tottenham have not scored a league goal all season, and De Zerbi’s answer is that a squad is not a team

Spurs took their first point of the season at the City Ground without managing a shot on target. No Tottenham side has opened a league campaign goalle...

Aug 24, 2026

Atletico’s own fans booed Alvarez, and then the club decided he should not go near them

Diego Simeone said the club, not the player, chose to keep Julian Alvarez away from the stands after Sunday’s 2-2 draw. Eight days from the deadline,...

Aug 10, 2026

Barcelona are about to sell the man who won Spain the World Cup, and the maths says they are right

Three weeks after his extra-time goal beat Argentina in the World Cup final, Ferran Torres has agreed personal terms with PSG. Look at Barcelona’s for...

Jul 28, 2026

Chelsea chasing Welbeck and Henderson is the clearest sign yet that BlueCo has changed its mind

Positive talks for a 35-year-old striker and interest in a 36-year-old midfielder do not look like anything Chelsea have done in four years. That is e...

Jul 20, 2026

Spain look built to last, and that should worry the rest of the world

Spain backed up Euro 2024 with the World Cup, and with Lamine Yamal only nineteen and Rodri collecting the game’s top prize, the dynasty question is a...

Jul 18, 2026

Whatever happens against Spain, this feels like Messi’s long goodbye

At 39, and openly admitting he is exhausted, Lionel Messi has dragged Argentina to a third World Cup final. Sunday against Spain may well be the last...

Jul 18, 2026

England’s 60-year wait goes on after another semi-final collapse

England led their World Cup semi-final and lost it late to a Messi-inspired Argentina, and sixty years on from 1966 the wait drags on. Thomas Tuchel w...

Jul 15, 2026

France’s run of World Cup finals ends as Deschamps bows out a game short

France’s decade of reaching finals ended in Dallas, and with it the Deschamps era. A 2-0 semi-final defeat to Spain leaves the most successful France...

Jul 12, 2026

Four teams, two ties, and a France-Spain semi-final that feels like the final

The World Cup is down to four, with France v Spain and England v Argentina to come. Two heavyweight semi-finals, one wide-open trophy race, and a pick...

Jul 8, 2026

Ronaldo’s World Cup story ends with the one prize he never got

Spain’s late winner in Dallas sent Cristiano Ronaldo out of his sixth and final World Cup, the one prize that eluded him across two decades at the top...

Jul 2, 2026

Why France already look like the team to beat at World Cup 2026

Germany are already home and Brazil needed a scare to survive. France, meanwhile, have strolled into the last 16 with Mbappe level with Messi’s tourna...

Jun 30, 2026

The 48-team World Cup was supposed to be soft. The last 32 says otherwise

Germany and the Netherlands are gone, both on penalties, and the expanded format that was meant to cushion the big sides has done nothing of the sort...

Jun 26, 2026

France top the betting, but Spain look the team to beat at this World Cup

France may lead the market, but Spain’s demolition of Saudi Arabia and the depth behind Lamine Yamal make them the side nobody should want to meet in...

Jun 25, 2026

The Golden Boot race is wide open, and the World Cup’s format will decide it

Lionel Messi leads the World Cup Golden Boot race on five goals, but with Mbappe, Haaland and Vinicius all on four and a 48-team knockout draw to navi...

Jun 16, 2026

Everyone wants Ayyoub Bouaddi, but the World Cup is inflating his price

Arsenal, PSG and a string of giants are circling the Lille teenager, and Lille reportedly want 75 million euros. Here is why I would think twice befor...

Jun 9, 2026

Can Argentina become the first side to retain the World Cup since 1962?

No team has retained the World Cup since Brazil in 1962, and three of the last four holders went out in the group stage. Lionel Messi’s Argentina arri...

Jun 9, 2026

Can a host nation win the 2026 World Cup?

The United States, Mexico and Canada all have home advantage, but history and the form book suggest a host lifting the trophy would be a major surpris...

Jun 6, 2026

The dark horses who could gatecrash the 2026 World Cup

With 48 teams and an extra knockout round, the 2026 World Cup is built for an outsider to make a run. Here are the dark horses worth backing, from Mor...

Jun 5, 2026

The World Cup warm-ups are sending the favourites a warning

France, Spain and the Netherlands all stumbled within 24 hours of each other against supposedly lesser opponents. In a 48-team tournament built for up...

Jun 2, 2026

At 41, Ronaldo is still the question Portugal cannot bring themselves to answer

Portugal are taking a 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo to a sixth World Cup, and not everyone thinks they should. The real test is whether Roberto Martin...

May 31, 2026

Liverpool’s Iraola call is ruthless, logical and nowhere near safe

Liverpool sacked Arne Slot a year after he won the title and turned to Andoni Iraola. The stylistic logic is sound, but swapping a proven champion for...

May 28, 2026

From 15th to third: Michael Carrick has earned the Manchester United job, but the real test starts now

Michael Carrick has dragged Manchester United from 15th to third and a Champions League return, and won the job permanently. The hard part of the rebu...

May 24, 2026

The release clause died in January and Kane scored 36 more: Barcelona’s pursuit is now flattery, not a transfer

Harry Kane’s €65 million Bayern release clause expired at the end of January 2026, and Bayern want him to 2029. Barcelona can keep dreaming, but they...