The Premier League creates noise. It provokes comment, analysis, quotes and opinions from fans, journalists, coaches and sometimes even club owners. It’s strange, then, that the quietest community within English football consists of its decision-makers — the sporting directors and transfer gurus, people whose names are well-known but whose voices are less so. More curious…
In the match between Schalke and Arminia Bielefeld, played this weekend, a dramatic moment occurred that could have had serious consequences. In the 69th minute, Bielefeld striker Joel Grodowski fell to the ground after a hard collision with goalkeeper Loris Karius and remained motionless for several moments. The Schalke goalkeeper, while trying to catch the…
The 2025-26 season is barely two months old, but a record 33 English players have appeared in the top leagues of France, Italy, Germany and Spain. It is the most ever in one campaign and evidence of a growing trend, which can be traced back eight years. In 2017, a decade-long absence of English players…
Bundesliga Matchday 6, and the final one before the international break, began with 1.FC Köln beating Hoffenheim 1-0 in Sinsheim. Saturday afternoon saw the turn of Augsburg vs Wolfsburg, Bayer Leverkusen hosting Union Berlin, St.Pauli travelling to Werder Bremen, and the standout game of the afternoon being Borussia Dortmund vs RB Leipzig. Advertisement Here are…
Timo Werner’s RB Leipzig story is heading towards its final chapter. Even though the striker has fought his way back into the squad and made a late cameo against Wolfsburg, his first Bundesliga appearance in nearly two years, reports in Germany say a January move is on the cards, with the club ready to cash…
A man whose gambling addiction had landed him in prison is taking on the sports-betting industry in Germany. Thomas Melchior goes to German football league matches holding a sign saying “lost a bet” while putting himself at the mercy of the home fans by wearing their hated rivals’ jerseys to get attention. Melchior wore a…
By the end of today, we’re going to know who has been crowned the winner of the 2024-25 men’s Ballon d’Or. Whether you consider that golden trophy to be the true marker of the greatest player in the world or a symbol of an individual popularity contest that has eaten modern football, tongues will be…
BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich is purring in the Bundesliga after a perfect start to the season. Eintracht Frankfurt – arguably the only side that looked capable of challenging the Bavarian powerhouse – lost at Bayer Leverkusen last weekend, leaving a far-from-perfect Borussia Dortmund team and overachieving Cologne and St. Pauli as Bayern’s closest rivals…
This is the tenth in a series by The Athletic looking back at the winners of each men’s World Cup. Previously, we’ve looked at Uruguay in 1930, Italy in 1934 and again in 1938, Uruguay in 1950, West Germany in 1954, before a Brazilian double in 1958 and 1962, an England success in 1966, and another Brazil win in 1970. This time,…
Newly-promoted Hamburg travel to Bayern Munich on Saturday as the Bundesliga sees the return of one of its most storied clashes seven years on from the last ‘North-South Summit’. Hamburg visit Bayern as one of Germany’s biggest rivalries returns The last meeting between the two in March 2018 was a testament to the vastly diverging…