FIFA Golden

Michael Ballack didn’t pick sides with his compatriot as the battle between Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho and Bastian Schweinsteiger continues. The former Bayern Munich and Chelsea star said that the former German captain deserved better but added that he also understood Mourinho’s stance as well.

“Jose Mourinho always spoke really high of Bastian, he really respected him as a person and a player, but as a coach you have to make decision. He made his decision and of course it’s hard for Bastian to accept because he’s a great player with a fantastic history for himself and a nice person,” Ballack told talkSPORT.

Last season, Manchester City goalkeeper Willy Caballero was the hero as Manuel Pellegrini’s men defeated Liverpool on penalties to win the Capital One Cup, now known as the EFL Cup.

And to be fair, both clubs look like they could be destined for another Wembley trip this season, especially if they can maintain their excellent league form throughout the duration of the domestic campaign.

City are unbeaten under Pep Guardiola and the Blues have already developed an imposing lead at the top of the Premier League table. Sergio Aguero is in fine form, with nine goals in just five matches in all competitions and the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho are profiting from the Spaniard’s unique methods.

Jose Mourinho reckons Paul Pogba may never be able to clinch Ballon d’Or because he doesn’t match the goal scoring tally of some of the other players in the world.

As per Mourinho, Pogba’s primary job is not to shake the net, but, to set the play and in doing that, he is an absolute expert. Probably nobody can match him in that department at this point, but, if his goals’ tally is four times lesser than someone else, he can’t win himself the Golden ball because the general philosophy is that whoever has the maximum no. of goals is better than the rest.

Barcelona superstars Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez would be squaring up against each other when Argentina take on Uruguay during the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers at the international break, with the winner possibly taking the advantage in the Fifa Ballon D'Or stakes. Uruguay are on top of the standings, while Argentina place third.

The game is going to be crucial to their qualifying hopes, but the emotional feel makes it special after the last meeting between both sides. At the Copa America Centenario this year in the United States, Uruguay were knocked out by Argentina in the group stage. The game left Suarez angry as he couldn’t play in the game.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic created yet another record by scoring on his debut for Manchester United.

The Swedish striker has now scored on his debut for four other clubs in four different leagues. Ibrahimovic started the game against Bournemouth and led the line ahead of Wayne Rooney. The 34-year-old is trusted immensely by manager José Mourinho, whose presence was a major factor in convincing the player to arrive on a free transfer from Paris St Germain. Ibrahimovic has won league titles in Holland, Spain, Italy, and France. Winning the title in England would complete a big list, but strangely, he has never won the FIFA Ballon d’Or award.

The minnows of Europe may only just be dealing with the preliminary rounds of the Champions League but as the major nations’ league campaigns get underway, fans of Real Madrid will be wondering whether they can be the first team since Milan in the late 1980s to retain the trophy.

There will be a host of familiar faces coming up against the Spanish champions, but with a Super Cup victory already recorded against Sevilla – and a jubilant Ronaldo on a high after this summer’s European Championship – can anyone stop Real Madrid this season?

The Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has been striving for victory at Euro 2016.

He indeed succeeded to help his team achieve a third draw which made them stand in the 3rd position in Group F. Both Portugal and Hungary reached the knockout stage of Euro 2016 after a win-win situation of 3-3 draw. Ronaldo netted two times which made him the 1st player to have scored in European championships four times.

Following weeks of negotiations between Italian Champions Juventus and English giants Manchester United over the transfer of midfielder Paul Pogba, and with an agreement seemingly not forthcoming, Real Madrid could yet have a say in what would undoubtedly be the most expensive transfer fee in football history.

Champions League winning manager Zinedine Zidane has made no secret of his admiration for his compatriot, however it is still unclear whether the Spanish side will formally make a bid to sign the 23-year-old.

Since Leicester City stunned football and the wider sporting world by taking the Premier League title in 2015-16, other clubs have been considering what it might take to get them to the fabled ‘next level’. Ok, so few, if any will ever emulate what the Foxes have just achieved but for sides such as West Brom, there is definite scope for improvement.

Lucrative deals
The Baggies have been involved with sportsbook and casino sponsorship for some time and at the start of the summer, the West Midlands club were looking for another operator to come on board. Step forward, UK-K8.com – an Asian focussed casino who were looking to increase their exposure in the UK with a deal of this kind.

After a glittering career spanning over 15 years at many of the top clubs in European Football, Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has opted to swap Paris for Manchester in a free transfer move to Old Trafford this summer.

At 34 years of age, Ibrahimovic’s best years are almost certainly behind him, but his recent efforts in the French capital bode well for United and their new boss, Jose Mourinho.