Soccer

2:15 PM ET Professional soccer players are in constant search of the perfect situation. It’s one where the player’s talent, role, the team, the manager and the city all come together to allow that performer to show the best version of his or her self. For some, that goal is achieved early in their careers.

2:17 PM ET Pochettino’s not really under pressure as PSG boss, but there is a bubbling frustration about how incoherent this star-driven team looks. FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images The assessment is pretty simple to make now. This is arguably Paris Saint-Germain‘s most talented squad, both individually and collectively. Never since Qatar Sports Investment took over

4:33 PM ET Der Klassiker did not disappoint this weekend, but Barcelona certainly did. Elsewhere, the Simeone family had an up-and-down time of things, while Liverpool left it late and Man City were thankful for a player who almost left the club. Here are Mark Ogden, Andrew Richardson and James Tyler with what you need

8:06 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Ralf Rangnick said one word again and again at Old Trafford on Friday as he was presented as Manchester United‘s new interim coach: control. On the pitch, the team have had very little of it this season, and even when they’ve won it’s often been chaotic, either having to come

Dec 3, 2021 Sid LoweSpain writer “You can say that we have a goalkeeper,” Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said, smiling. You can, yeah. This was after a game against Sevilla, but it could have been Rotterdam, Liverpool, Rome or anywhere, really. Every week, every game, good, bad or indifferent, there’s at least one astonishing

6:15 PM ET Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal for Manchester United. Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images There’s a new boss at Manchester United, but Ralf Rangnick already knows that Cristiano Ronaldo is still the main man. Who knows how Rangnick’s six-month stint as interim manager at Old Trafford will ultimately turn

For the sixth consecutive year, ESPN presents its annual ranking of the best men’s players and coaches in world soccer! Welcome to FC 100. As always, rankings are broken down into Top 10 lists for positions, plus a countdown of managers, in order to present the most meaningful look at talent on the pitch and

10:57 AM ET Messi’s seventh Ballon d’Or shouldn’t get you too riled up. It’s an award given to the glamorous players and isn’t intended to serve as a definitive world’s best player prize. FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images Count the Ballon d’Or as one of those grand old institutions that’s insanely popular. There are several reasons

4:25 PM ET Kathleen McNamee Alexia Putellas won the prize in 2021 as the anchor of a brilliant Barcelona team. But the ceremony again showed how far the sport has to go to give women’s players the respect they deserve. FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images The addition of the Ballon d’Or Feminin in 2018 was a

9:11 PM ET Another packed weekend of action saw Erling Haaland return to action with a goal, more evidence of the Xavi effect at Barcelona and mixed fortunes for some big clubs. Meanwhile, the leaders in Spain and Germany served up spectacular goals and there was a long-awaited debut in Paris. Here are Julien Laurens,

8:09 PM ET Referee Manuel Mota ends the game after Belenenses could not meet the minimum requirement of seven players on the pitch. PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP Benfica‘s Primeira Liga match at Belenenses on Saturday was abandoned amid extraordinary scenes after their COVID-hit opponents were forced to name a team of nine players, including two goalkeepers.

1:30 AM ET A game Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson intended to treat as a World Cup final dress rehearsal instead proved a reality check, with the United States handing Australia a 3-0 defeat in Sydney. A record home Matildas crowd of 36,109 fans packed Accor Stadium but they were silenced after just 24 seconds when

4:00 AM ET Manchester United had planned to give Michael Carrick until mid-December before making a breakthrough with Ralf Rangnick — ESPN’s Insider Notebook has the latest. PLUS: The Old Trafford outcasts who could yet get a second chance under the interim boss. Jump to: Man Utd fringe stars put exit plans on hold |

4:00 AM ET Tor-Kristian Karlsen There is now less than a year until the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Qatar on Nov. 21, with a number of teams having already confirmed their participation in the recent international break. The World Cup often offers young players a chance to shine on the biggest stage

4:41 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent VILLARREAL, Spain — The Manchester United-owning Glazer family, as well as executive vice-president Ed Woodward and director Richard Arnold, will no doubt celebrate the team’s 2-0 win over Villarreal to reach the knockout rounds of the Champions League as Group F winners, but they don’t deserve to. By botching the

4:30 AM ET Manchester United failed to take their first opportunity to hire Mauricio Pochettino as manager, but they can’t afford to miss their second chance following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s departure on Sunday. It will require ambition and a readiness to pay whatever it will take to get him, but sources have told ESPN that

3:54 PM ET Xavi, right, got a win in his official first game as Barcelona manager. It was far from perfect, but there’s something he, and they, can build on. JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images The weekend will be dominated by events at Manchester United, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was finally relieved of his managerial duties,

4:25 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent WATFORD, England — On Friday, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spent his usual pregame news conference talking, via video, about how well his Manchester United players trained during the international break and his belief that the problems they have faced in recent weeks have been ironed out. A game against Watford, newly