Author: Joe Soriano

Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.

Ranking the 10 biggest stars in the Premier League in 2026
19Feb By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

Ranking the 10 biggest stars in the Premier League in 2026

The Premier League is the biggest league in world football, and the gap between the English top flight and all the other top five European leagues is only increasing in terms of both fan support and financial power. Nowadays, the biggest names are no longer in the Italian league, and while the biggest attacking superstars are still in La Liga, the Premier League is closing the gap on them, too, especially when looking outside Real Madrid and Barcelona. While talent is becoming more concentrated in the Big Six - which is quietly becoming more of a Big Five - of the Premier League these days, too, the overall star power in England still feels like it is growing overall. Instead of ranking the 10 best players in the Premier League solely based on numbers or on who is the best actual ...
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Ranking the 10 best NFL wide receivers of the last 10 years (2016-2026)
18Feb By Joe SorianoNo Comments
NFL

Ranking the 10 best NFL wide receivers of the last 10 years (2016-2026)

The NFL 10 years ago already looks a whole lot different than the NFL today. Back then, Tom Brady was still playing for the New England Patriots, Cam Newton was still one of the league's biggest stars, the seasons lasted 16 games, and Thursday Night Football was the worst game of the week. So ranking the best players of the last 10 years is inherently difficult, since eras are rapidly transitioning and the best players in the league 10 years ago were different from the best players in the league five years ago - and certainly a whole lot different than the best players in the league in 2026. But here's the best shot I got at ranking the absolute 10 best wide receivers of the last 10 years of the NFL, from the future Hall of Famers in the great state of Florida to the league's newest ...
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The 5 best CB transfer targets for Bayern Munich to replace Kim Min-jae in summer 2026
17Feb By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Transfer News

The 5 best CB transfer targets for Bayern Munich to replace Kim Min-jae in summer 2026

Bayern Munich are the undisputed powerhouses of German football, and after Bayer Leverkusen's miracle 2023/24 season, Bayern, as usual, have responded to being dethroned by dominating like never before. Although the center back position is not a weakness in this side and Die Roten were able to extend the world-class Dayot Upamecano, the way this team prioritizes the position, it is likely they will want another experienced player - and potentially someone with superstar potential - to join the current experienced Bundesliga tandem of Jonathan Tah and Upa in 2026. Kim Min-jae is one of the best No. 3 center backs you will find and has been unfairly maligned in Bayern. Despite his frequent benchings, Kim has remained loyal to the cause and actually wants to stay in Munchen, but it is t...
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The 10 best players Real Madrid could sign in the summer 2026 transfer window
16Feb By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Transfer News

The 10 best players Real Madrid could sign in the summer 2026 transfer window

Although Real Madrid are still in La Liga title contention and among the clubs in the Champions League knockout stages, it has been another tumultuous season for the Royal Whites, who already gave up on Xabi Alonso after being embarrassed by Barcelona in yet another cup final. Meanwhile, in the other cup, the Copa del Rey, the Merengues were embarrassed by second division side Albacete (who have Jesus Vallejo, of all players). There is dysfunction rife in the heart of Madrid, but there are also genuine problems with the squad that have not been addressed. The defense remains shambolic in big games, while the midfield has been gutted by the losses of legends Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, who were never replaced. With the summer 2026 transfer window on the horizon in just four short mont...
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Ranking the 10 best pass rushers in Las Vegas Raiders history
14Feb By Joe SorianoNo Comments
NFL

Ranking the 10 best pass rushers in Las Vegas Raiders history

The Las Vegas Raiders franchise has one of the greatest legacies of defensive stars in NFL history, and while the cornerback position is their hallmark, there have also been a ton of players up front who have had incredible careers in Oakland, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas over the last several decades. So let's celebrate the greatest pass rushers in Raiders history. From the nasty defensive tackles to the explosive edge rushers and the jack-of-all-trades linebackers, here are the top 10 best Raiders pass rushers of all time. 10. Darrell Russell The No. 2 overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, Darrell Russell is one of several Raiders pass rushers whose star burned briefly but brightly, as he only spent six seasons in Oakland before failing repeated drug tests. In a sense, he was the J...
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Ranking the 10 best cornerbacks in Las Vegas Raiders history
14Feb By Joe SorianoNo Comments
NFL

Ranking the 10 best cornerbacks in Las Vegas Raiders history

Cornerbacks are among the most important players in the NFL and have the unenviable task of facing a minuscule margin for error on every snap, having to stop some of the best athletes in the league at wide receiver while also needing to outsmart the quarterbacks throwing the ball in their vicinity. In their storied history, the Las Vegas Raiders have had a handful of true shutdown cornerbacks and many more underrated standouts across from them who were capable of either making big plays on the ball, bumping off the run, or playing at a high level against the No. 2 guys. Narrowing down the list to 10 was not easy, but here are the 10 best Las Vegas Raiders cornerbacks in NFL and AFL history - a list that includes a handful of the greatest corners to ever play this game. 10. Lionel ...
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Ranking the 25 best Serie A players of the 2025/26 season so far
14Feb By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

Ranking the 25 best Serie A players of the 2025/26 season so far

Briefly, Serie A was bucking the trend of being a league known for its top-notch defensive quality by having high-scoring games and open play, but that period has ended almost as quickly as it began. Although there are a few attacking standouts in Serie A these days like Lautaro Martinez and Nico Paz, the best players in the league right now are defenders. The Italian top flight, pound for pound, has the best central defenders and goalkeepers, and these players make up the majority of the list of the best footballers in the league in the 2025/26 season. Here are the top 25 players of the current campaign thus far, and while Inter Milan predictably dominate the rankings, the rest of the spread is pretty even among the other European contenders in Calcio. 25. Cremonese GK Emil Auder...
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Ranking the 15 best tight ends in the NFL in 2026
13Feb By Joe SorianoNo Comments
NFL

Ranking the 15 best tight ends in the NFL in 2026

The tight ends in the NFL today are potentially discussed by national analysts less often than they were a decade ago, and there are several quality tight end who receive a fraction of their team's target shares. But when you run through their numbers under a per usage basis, it's clear that tight ends are as talented and as valuable as ever, even if they are either underutilized or even more underrated in 2025 and 2026. Here is a ranking of the 15 best tight ends in the NFL right now, merging the playmakers with the safety valves, the staples of the offense with the secret superstars to create this list. 15. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers Pat Freiermuth only started half of the Pittsburgh Steelers games last season despite appearing in all of them, which was quite the disse...
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The 5 most disappointing quarterbacks of the 2025 NFL season
13Feb By Joe SorianoNo Comments
NFL

The 5 most disappointing quarterbacks of the 2025 NFL season

There isn't a single position in professional sports that carries as much pressure with it than the quarterback position, and, unfortunately, because of the sky-high expectations associated with playing quarterback, most players will, naturally, fall short of those expectations. Last season, there were five quarterbacks, in particular, who fell well short of any reasonable expectations of them under center. So from players still trying to prove themselves in the NFL to a future Hall of Famer, here are the five most disappointing NFL quarterbacks of the 2025 season. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders Jayden Daniels had the NFL in his fingertips as a rookie, leading a fairly mediocre Washington Commanders offense to victory after victory with perfect game management and near flawle...
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Ranking the 25 best Bundesliga players of the 2025/26 season so far
12Feb By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Ranking the 25 best Bundesliga players of the 2025/26 season so far

The German Bundesliga doesn't quite have the same firepower across the top flight as it used to, but between Luka Vuskovic's incredible maiden season in a top flight league of any kind, the ludicrously elite Bayern Munich front three, and the underrated stars of Stuttgart and RB Leipzig (and now Hoffenheim, too), there is a lot of talent in the league worth getting excited about. With more than half of the 2025/26 season now in the bag, it is time to rank the 25 very best players in the Bundesliga this season in order from worst to first. Obviously, Bayern Munich dominate the list, but even the likes of Hamburg and Mainz have representatives in what has been an unpredictable season beyond the top spot. 25. Hamburg LB Miro Muheim Miro Muheim was Hamburg's best player in the 2. Bundes...
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