Champions League News and Analysis

Ranking the 10 best dribblers in world football right now in 2024

23Apr

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

Ranking the 10 best dribblers in world football right now in 2024

Few player profiles captivating the world football audience's attention more than fleet-footed dribblers. Whether they are explosive progressors who eat up space before putting defenders on skates or playmakers who subtly weave their magic to carve up an entire defense, those superstars who can create something out of nothing but their own genius and athletic ability are more coveted an anyone. That holds true for managers, too. Pep Guardiola has become infatuated with elite dribblers, and a couple of these recent additions will show up on this list of the best dribblers in world football today. Other managers feel the same, as Carlo Ancelotti, for example, has always had a soft spot for flair dribblers like current superstars Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior. (Spoiler: They will sho...

2024 Ballon d’Or Rankings after Jude Bellingham saves El Clasico again

21Apr

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

2024 Ballon d’Or Rankings after Jude Bellingham saves El Clasico again

With the heated Premier League title race coming to its concluding stretch and the Champions League semifinals set to get underway, the 2023/24 season is about to reach its peak conclusion, with plenty of intrigue remaining despite most of Europe's other top five leagues settling results. The 2024 Ballon d'Or rankings are now increasingly on the minds of fans, with supporters from all over the globe debating the merits of their superstar players and how they all stack up against each other. For example, how do the young stars of Xabi Alonso's historic Bayer Leverkusen side stack up against the elite superstars of the Premier League? Will a Real Madrid or Barcelona player take home the Ballon d'Or again? Here are the latest rankings after Jude Bellingham, the man of the hour, fired...

UCL Quarterfinal Predictions: Real Madrid Humbled Again; Arsenal Fairytale Begins; Barça Statement

15Mar

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features, LaLiga, Premier League

UCL Quarterfinal Predictions: Real Madrid Humbled Again; Arsenal Fairytale Begins; Barça Statement

The matches for the 2023/24 Champions League quarterfinal round have been set. Here is an early look at which teams could advance and which teams will be heading home in this year's UCL. Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich Arsenal's Best Player How could it be anyone other than Bukayo Saka. The 22-year-old right winger is a Ballon d'Or-level talent and one of the most consistent footballers on the planet despite his young age. Even in the Champions League, Saka is colossal, recording three goals and four assists so far in the current campaign, showing he can more than step up to meet the challenge of the highest level of European football. Bayern's Best Player A familiar face to the Arsenal faithful, former Tottenham rival Harry Kane is having a special, potentially record-breaking season fo...

Best U23 players in the world for 2024: Man City and Arsenal make it, Jamal Musiala or Jude Bellingham No. 1?

26Dec

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

Best U23 players in the world for 2024: Man City and Arsenal make it, Jamal Musiala or Jude Bellingham No. 1?

Who are the best U23 players in world football as the year 2023 closes? Is most of the young talent concentrated in the Premier League or more spread out amongst different leagues? And is Jude Bellingham or Jamal Musiala the best young player? Let's rank the top 10 U23 players in the world before 2024 begins. 10. Manchester City LW Jérémy Doku It may seem too soon to rank Jérémy Doku in the top ten of the world's best U23 players, given this is his first season with Manchester City and he hasn't even logged 700 minutes for the Citizens. However, Doku was already exceptional for Rennes before Pep Guardiola wisely snapped him up for City, where he has remained one of the world's finest dribblers with four dribbles completed per match in the world's most competitive league. A g...

Ranking the 10 best RWs in world football for 2023

9Nov

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

Ranking the 10 best RWs in world football for 2023

Who are the best right wingers in world football today in 2023 as we head into the calendar year 2024? Here is an updated list of the top 10 players at the position. Since inverted wingers are all the rage and left-footed players are scarcer than right-footed ones, it is especially difficult to find a world-class right winger capable of scoring goals and creating chances. So the players on this list are highly coveted. The ranking is based on a combination of overall pedigree and current performance, with the latter being the deciding factor. Players who are no longer primarily right wingers were discarded, such as Antoine Griezmann, while players who are better in other positions and not as consistent on the right wing, such as Rodrygo Goes, were not ranked as highly when specifical...

The 10 best signings made by UCL clubs: Barcelona and Bayern on twice, Real Madrid and Arsenal join in

25Oct

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

The 10 best signings made by UCL clubs: Barcelona and Bayern on twice, Real Madrid and Arsenal join in

Every team in the 2023/24 Champions League group stages has faced each other at least once, as the third round of fixtures finished on Wednesday night with more intrigue and a few surprising finishes. With Matchday 3 in the books, let's take a look at the new faces in the Champions League who are making a big impact for their current clubs. Here are the 10 best signings made by UCL outfits in the 2023/24 season. Real Madrid CM Jude Bellingham No signing in world football has made more of an impact than Jude Bellingham, as it is fair to say that the England international is the early Ballon d'Or favorite. Bellingham added another exquisite - and decisive - finish to what is become quite the catalogue of goals in a Real Madrid kit. He passed the ball into the net expertly to give Real a...

Ranking the 10 best strikers in 2023/24: Inter Milan duo join Barça’s Lewandowski, Bayern’s Kane

25Oct

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

Ranking the 10 best strikers in 2023/24: Inter Milan duo join Barça’s Lewandowski, Bayern’s Kane

Nobody generates more headlines than the players who score the goals. Most clubs with aspirations of winning trophies require a man up top who can consistently find the back of the net, with very few exceptions existing in the history of world football. But who are the best strikers on the planet right now? Let's rank the top 10, based on a combination of pedigree and performance in the 2023/24 season, more heavily weighing recent performances. Because sport is a "what have you done for me lately?" business. Note that only out-and-out strikers were included, so players like Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé who share time between positions or players like Vinícius Júnior who are wingers playing as left-sided forwards did not count. 10. Marcus Thuram, Inter Milan Marcus Thuram ...

Ranking the 10 best left backs in men’s football right now in 2023

1Jul

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Champions League, Features

Ranking the 10 best left backs in men’s football right now in 2023

Fullbacks are easy to overlook, but they are becoming increasingly vital in the modern game, especially to elite teams who have possession of the ball and need additional width. They need that width to both free space for the attackers in the middle and to offer additional venues for chance creation. Left backs tend to be scarcer than right backs for the simple fact that there are fewer left-footers. So having a game-breaking left back who can defend well while still creating a high volume of quality chances is the dream of every top team. And some clubs, like Juventus and Real Madrid, have found a proper solution to be difficult. So here are the best left backs in the world today, with this list subject to updates and changes as performances fluctuate and breakout stars emerge...

Ranking the 10 best right backs in men’s football right now in 2023

1Jul

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Champions League, Features

Ranking the 10 best right backs in men’s football right now in 2023

The right back position may be one of the most overlooked in world football, but just ask clubs like Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and, most recently, Napoli what having an elite right-sided defender can do for a team. An elite right back can rule an entire flank with composed defending, quality passing in the build-up, supportive runs for the attackers, and game-changing assists via their crossing. So in honor of the right back and many of the unsung heroes who ply their trade at this position, let's take a closer look at the best players in the world who man the right side of the formation. 10. Malo Gusto Malo Gusto joins Christopher Nkunku as another top young talent headed to Chelsea this summer. The 20-year-old will not be the starter in every match, as the Blues alre...

26Jun

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Champions League, Features

The best all-time XI in world football

Not all positions in world football get the same love. Most fans are understandably infatuated with the attackers, whether that be the strikers who score the goals, the playmakers who create them, or the wingers who dazzle with their skill on the ball. But the defenders, the box-to-box midfielders, the defensive midfielders, and, of course, the shot-stoppers in goal are also important to the entire structure. Just ask Lionel Messi at PSG or Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus. Without the right players behind them, even the best attackers of all time cannot flourish to their fullest extent. So let's take a look at the best all-time XI of players at every position, concocting a team of superstars that could conceivably work together to create an unstoppable side. GK Manuel Neuer There ...