So there you have it: the 2019 edition of the ESPN FC 100 — our annual ranking of the best players in the world — was dominated by Liverpool off the back of one of their best seasons in the modern era. Winning the Champions League and finishing just a point behind Manchester City for
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ESPN FC 100 is back, and our annual ranking of the best men’s players and managers in the world right now made something abundantly clear: Liverpool rule. The Merseyside club took home more than a few top honors, followed by Premier League defending champions Manchester City and, oh yeah, this Average Joe who plies his
The FC crew examine the title race with Liverpool’s lead now at eight points over Leicester and Chelsea. There is no change at the top ahead of the international break, but two Spanish giants are back in the mix further down. And is that Leicester we see? Dropping out: Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, River Plate Agree?
Steve Nicol explains why all signs are pointing to more late drama between Liverpool and Man City. Ale Moreno says Liverpool’s close results might indicate a dip in form ahead of a clash with Manchester City. A pair of narrow wins have moved the European champions back to the top of Shaka’s list. Meanwhile, there
Every title race has at least one sliding-doors moment. We all remember Sergio Aguero scoring in injury time against Queens Park Rangers to win Manchester City their first Premier League title, but don’t forget City’s 6-1 over Manchester United early in the season, the “Why Always Me?” match involving Mario Balotelli. It added five goals
Paul Mariner sifts through Jurgen Klopp’s comments that Liverpool may forfeit the Carabao Cup. There is a new No. 1 in Shaka Hislop’s Power Rankings and they might have a familiar ring to them. That club is Barcelona, as after a slow start, Lionel Messi and Co. have jumped ahead of rival Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus
Messi’s prodigious skill is well-documented, but, believe it or not, there are some areas of the beautiful game where he falls a bit short. When someone who’s unfamiliar or only slightly familiar with the sport of soccer asks me who is the best player in the world, I tell them “well, it’s Lionel Messi.” Then,
Keepers make saves. Defenders prevent shots. Midfielders pass the ball, and attackers score it. BORING. Sure, soccer is slowly moving toward the positional flexibility we’re seeing in other professional sports — or perhaps back toward the fluidity that was required to play Total Football. However, there’s still a general expectation that comes with every position
Gab Marcotti reacts to Juventus’ 2-1 win vs. Lokomotiv Moscow thanks to two late Paulo Dybala goals. Cristiano Ronaldo and Miralem Pjanic score in Juventus’ 2-1 win vs. Bolgona. Watch more Serie A on ESPN+. The European champions have lost first place to the Italian giants. Further down, the Copa Libertadores holders are among four
Craig Burley and Mark Donaldson give you five overreactions from the weekend in European football. The European Cup holders return to first place, ahead of three defending league champions. Meanwhile, Germany’s surprise leaders are a new entry. Dropping out: Manchester City, Inter, Granada Agree? Disagree? Let us know, and watch Shaka defend his picks on
The Exploding Heads are back to broker a deal for Jadon Sancho and revive Christian Pulisic’s grim start. Craig Burley feels the UCL favourites all have one thing in common; their lack of defensive structure. There’s a new No. 1 thanks to Bayern Munich’s Champions League demolition of Tottenham, while two wins from Barcelona sees
Antonio Conte’s Inter remain perfect in Serie A with a 2-0 win over Marco Giampaolo’s lackluster Milan. To watch Serie A subscribe to ESPN+. Danilo D’Ambrosio’s header proved decisive as Inter Milan made it five wins from five. To watch Serie A subscribe to ESPN+. With both Marcelo Brozovic and Romelu Lukaku scoring against AC
Shaka Hislop presents his weekly Power Rankings and you’ll be quite surprised with a few glaring omissions. All change! Previous members of this exclusive club have fallen after poor results, which means we have a new leader and five new entries. Dropping out: Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Manchester City, Leicester, Athletic Bilbao Agree? Disagree? Let us know,
ESPN FC’s Alejandro Moreno speaks of Virgil Van Dijk’s importance to Liverpool, after the Dutch star-man was awarded UEFA player of the year. ESPN FC’s Steve Nicol thinks Sadio Mane’s temper tantrum is “the reason Liverpool are so good.” There is no change at the top of Shaka’s top 10, but a pair of Italian
While Steve Nicol always felt Liverpool would defeat Arsenal, he feels one of the Gunners’ biggest downfalls was David Luiz. Steve Nicol feels Liverpool’s bench could still do with another young, hungry attacker to help out the world class front three. The European champions are No. 1 and have started the season in fine style.
Shaka Hislop and Stewart Robson disagree on whether a Romelu Lukaku-Paulo Dybala swap would be good business for Manchester United and Juventus. Arsenal are closing in on Lille winger Nicolas Pepe, but Shaka Hislop wonders if the Gunners could make better use of €80 million elsewhere. As Europe’s most prestigious clubs fly back to the
With Chelsea’s transfer ban limiting new manager Frank Lampard’s options to refresh his Chelsea team, he might have to dip into the pool of young loan talent that has been stashed around the football world in recent years. Here are a few players returning to Stamford Bridge after loan stints who could help Chelsea and
There are several weeks left in the 2019 summer transfer window, but all of Europe’s top clubs have a lot of shopping and selling left to do before they can consider themselves ready for the new campaign. With that in mind, we asked ESPN FC’s experts to canvass the big teams and get a sense
After Liverpool’s first UCL title since 2005, the FC crew discuss their silverware prospects going forward with a number of players in their prime. Shaka Hislop explains how Alisson’s presence in goal and saves in key moments have been an invaluable asset for Liverpool this season. In a reversal of the Premier League standings, European
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi was awarded the Creu du Sant Jordi, an award given to an individual who has served Catalonia in defense of its identity, either civically or culturally. We kicked off the 2018-19 Player Power Rankings campaign nine long months ago, with some famous faces coming in and out of our top 10 all