England manager Gareth Southgate believes that his players are now playing without any fear. He said that this fear factor has been a major stumbling block for past generation of England players and he feels that his current side is playing more freely.

He said that his current generation of England players enjoys having the ball and that they are not afraid to provoke the opposition. He said that he has enjoyed the game against the Netherlands and this showed the maturity of the players. He said that the England players played with great composure and showed a good tactical control of the game. Gareth Southgate said that the best thing of all is that the players seem to be enjoying themselves on the pitch and this showed in the manner that they control the game and create opportunities.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has tipped Kevin de Bruyne to compete for the 2018 Ballon d'Or after his exceptional performances in the Citizens shirt this season. The 26-year-old has evolved into a world-class midfielder under the tutelage of Guardiola, and he recently provided a hat-trick of assists during his side's 5-1 win over Leicester City in the Premier League.

Following the game, Guardiola was asked whether the Belgian could win the prestigious Ballon d'Or, and he admitted that it is a possibility, if the midfielder goes on to lift titles with the club this term, he said: "No doubt. He is not (just doing it in) one game. It’s the whole season, every three days playing that way. But he knows and everyone knows, to be there you have to win titles - and titles and titles, especially one. But the way he’s played it’s difficult to find one (better) in Europe."

World football regulatory body FIFA are set to weigh in on transfer deals in a bid to limit the lavish spending especially across Europe. FIFA president Gianni Infantino hinted that the body was working on a set of rules to limit agent fees and transfer market expenditures in a bid to “rescue the values that made football great.”

The transfer market has been in a serious upward trend for years now. In 2017, the market witnessed a new high. French side Paris St-Germain spent almost £200 million to lure Neymar to move from Barcelona to Paris. They also paid almost £160 million for teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe in a loan plus eventual purchase deal, with the money paid dwarfing the amounts that many - including Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are capable of paying.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino feels Dele Alli has the chance to win Ballon d'Or title as he progresses further in his professional career. The England international has made himself as the go-to man in the Spurs attack ever since his debut during the 2015/16 season.

In a report covered by The Telegraph, Pochettino insists that the youngster has the capacity to secure the accolade with Spurs providing him with the best tools to become one of the world's best, he said, "Why not? It is true that he is now in another moment of his career completely different, but Dele has potential. He has that capacity and that energy, that aura that does not leave you indifferent. Hopefully, let's hope. He is still young and still has to improve and learn many things. We are trying to provide him with the best tools."

Former Barcelona teammate Jeremy Mathieu has suggested that Neymar decided to leave Camp Nou in order to improve his chances of winning the FIFA Ballon d'Or.

Messi has won the Ballon d'Or on five occasions in his career, while Neymar had not tasted any success with his best placing being a third-place finish in 2015. To make things worse, he did not even make the podium last year as the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez pushed him into fifth spot as Cristiano Ronaldo lifted the crown.