Football

Tom Chambers Jan 6, 2024, 05:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LONDON — Mauricio Pochettino famously dismissed the domestic cup competitions during his time in charge of Tottenham as little more than a distraction, but they are providing a soothing balm for what has been a painful Premier League campaign for his Chelsea team. For

Tom Hamilton, Senior WriterJan 6, 2024, 09:15 AM ET Close • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Open Extended Reactions Timo Werner previously played in the Premier League with Chelsea. Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Associated Press Jan 5, 2024, 11:54 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Mario Zagallo, who reached the World Cup final a record five times, winning four, as a player and then a coach with Brazil, has died. He was 92. The first person to win the World Cup both as a player and a manager, Zagallo

Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerJan 5, 2024, 04:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions With 2024 now here, the CIES Football Observatory in Switzerland has published its annual list of the top 100 male players in world football with the highest estimated transfer value. Having scoured the top 100 — the values for whom are based

Adriana Garcia Jan 5, 2024, 06:20 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappé has said he misses playing alongside former teammate Lionel Messi. Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi played two seasons with Mbappe at PSG before joining Inter Miami as a free agent in July 2023. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga,

Open Extended Reactions With young stars like Jobe Bellingham, younger brother of Jude, breaking through at Sunderland this season, the future’s bright and so is the present as they prepare to take on rivals Newcastle in the FA Cup third round. Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images SUNDERLAND, England — Life can come at you pretty

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJan 4, 2024, 04:55 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Manchester United expect Anthony Martial to leave in the summer, a source has told ESPN, despite a suggestion from manager Erik ten Hag that there are ongoing negotiations over a new contract. Ten Hag confirmed at a news conference on Thursday that United have

Open Extended Reactions In the end, Real Madrid chose the comfortable route, the path of least resistance, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Extending Carlo Ancelotti’s deal, which was due to expire on June 30, 2024, by another two seasons means, above all, playing the percentages. You know what you get and what you

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJan 3, 2024, 02:33 PM ET Open Extended Reactions From Cristiano Ronaldo‘s explosive interview to the public row with Jadon Sancho, Erik ten Hag’s 18 months in charge of Manchester United has been filled with challenges. He’s been presented with another in the form of new minority stakeholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman and

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJan 3, 2024, 02:50 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The Colorado Rapids are close to agreeing a deal to sign U.S. men’s national team goalkeeper Zack Steffen from Manchester City, a source has told ESPN. Steffen is set to leave the Premier League champions after three-and-a-half years at the Etihad Stadium. – Stream

Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerJan 3, 2024, 05:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions According to FIFA’s own definition, the Puskas Award is handed out every year by world football’s governing body to the scorer of “the best goal scored … regardless of championship, gender or nationality.” The only stipulation being that it must be captured

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJan 2, 2024, 02:43 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund are in talks over a loan deal for Jadon Sancho, a source has told ESPN. Dortmund are keen to sign Sancho until the end of the season but want United to continue to pay the majority of his wages.

Graham Hunter, Spain writerJan 2, 2024, 06:00 AM ET Close Graham Hunter is a Barcelona-based freelance writer for ESPN.com who specializes in La Liga and the Spanish national team. Open Extended Reactions I make no apologies for starting a column about the state of LaLiga by referencing Sir Alex Ferguson — a man who more

Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerJan 2, 2024, 04:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Manchester United’s move to sign Alexis Sánchez from Arsenal was arguably the worst of the lot in January. Marc Atkins/Offside/Getty Images The January transfer window might feel as if it has always been a fixture in the Premier League calendar, but in fact

Open Extended Reactions It’s that time again when I chuck out 30 wishes for the new year. Wishes that, mostly, don’t come true, though sometimes we do get forward progress. Heck, this is my 11th year doing this, and you’ll see it’s more about hope than about predictions. But hey, we love this sport, right?

Wrexham scored three goals in the space of just four minutes of first half stoppage time as they secured a comeback 4-1 win over Barrow at the SToK Racecourse ground on Monday. Two goals from forward Steven Fletcher, either side of a superb free kick from Paul Mullin, gave Wrexham all three points in League Two.

Open Extended Reactions The January transfer window is now open for the Premier League (check out the official dates across the rest of Europe here) and clubs are attempting to bolster their squads and prevent their best players from being tempted away by rivals. And although the winter window is generally reserved for clubs who

Open Extended Reactions Mikel Arteta has branded Arsenal‘s “painful” 2-1 defeat at Fulham as their “worst performance of the season.” Bukayo Saka opened the scoring on five minutes, but goals from Raúl Jiménez and Bobby De Cordova-Reid condemned the Gunners to a second consecutive Premier League defeat, which leaves them fourth in the table. –