Tag: Lautaro Martínez

2024 Ballon d’Or Rankings after Jude Bellingham saves El Clasico again
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...
Ballon d’Or Rankings: Bayern Munich get 3, Jude Bellingham vs. Kane, where’s Bukayo Saka?
Champions League, Features

Ballon d’Or Rankings: Bayern Munich get 3, Jude Bellingham vs. Kane, where’s Bukayo Saka?

With most of Europe's top five leagues at their halfway point of the 2023/24 season, it's time to take a fresh look at the top 10 Ballon d'Or candidates for next year, 2024. 10. Bayern Munich AM Jamal Musiala 9. Manchester City DM Rodri 8. Bayer Leverkusen LB Álex Grimaldo Álex Grimaldo isn't the most well-known name in the Bundesliga or even on his own team, but he should absolutely be considered a Ballon d'Or candidate on the basis of his play this season. A new member of the squad, Grimaldo is one of many brilliant signings made by Die Werkself, and he is setting a different standard as a left back who can dictate play and even score great goals. Florian Wirtz, Jonas Hofmann, and Victor Boniface have all been exceptional, but what Grimaldo is doing as a left back with ...
Best Striker Rankings: Inter Europe’s envy, Erling Haaland or Harry Kane No. 1?
Features, Ligue 1

Best Striker Rankings: Inter Europe’s envy, Erling Haaland or Harry Kane No. 1?

Do Inter Milan have the best strikers in European football right now? Is Bayern Munich's new star Harry Kane the best striker in the world or does that honor belong to Manchester City's free-scoring ex-Dortmund man Erling Haaland? Let's take a look at the top five best strikers in world football right now as 2023 comes to a close. 5. Marcus Thuram, Inter Milan Marcus Thuram was a very good footballer at Borussia Mönchengladbach, even if he didn't receive anywhere near the mainstream attention he deserved. Gladbach's 2022/23 struggles held the Frenchman back, but he still generated plenty of interest on the free-agent market, with Inter Milan winning the sweepstakes. Replacing 2020/21 Serie A MVP Romelu Lukaku is no easy task, yet anyone following Inter closely will tell you ...
5 possible transfer targets for Real Madrid at striker
Features, LaLiga

5 possible transfer targets for Real Madrid at striker

Although Real Madrid lost Karim Benzema in the summer 2023 transfer window - one year earlier than they expected - the Merengue club elected against opening up their pocketbooks to sign an elite striker option to replace the Frenchman. Instead, Los Blancos acquired LaLiga veteran Joselu on loan from Espanyol following their relegation, deciding to use new midfield signing Jude Bellingham in an attacking role behind a two-forward setup of Rodrygo Goes and Vinícius Júnior. So far, it's actually been defensive issues holding back Madrid rather than attacking woes, even if the presence of a true anchor point at the 9 is missing. It would make sense for Real Madrid to show interest in a 9 this coming summer if the right opportunity did pop up, as incoming signing Endrick is still only ...
Latest Real Madrid Transfer Rumors and News for 2024 windows
Features, LaLiga

Latest Real Madrid Transfer Rumors and News for 2024 windows

Bookmark this page and check back for the latest Real Madrid transfer rumors and news for the 2024 windows. We only reference reliable sources covering the club, and each news item has a section with additional analysis to help contextualize the importance or relevance of the rumor. Real Madrid pretending not to want Mbappé? Details Cadena SER's Jesús Gallego recently reported that Real Madrid are no longer interested in Kylian Mbappé, stating three reasons. Firstly, that his wages would be too expensive in conjunction with a bonus fee for a free transfer. Secondly, that at almost 26 years old on arrival, he would no longer be a signing for the future like Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, and Eduardo Camavinga were. And thirdly, many Madridistas turned on Mbappé after the events i...
Ranking the 10 best strikers in 2023/24: Inter Milan duo join Barça’s Lewandowski, Bayern’s Kane
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 ...