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Pelé led a Brazil team that made the game a global obsession, and will remain the father of modern football Shortly after his 30th birthday, on the verge of his extended disco-retirement phase, the crimplene jumpsuit years, Pelé was voted the Most Famous Person in the World. By that stage his career as a serious footballer was all but done. A world champion for the third time that summer, Pelé had already become the thing he would remain for the rest of his life: the Pelé identity, the Pelé industrial complex, Big Pelé. What did he choose to do in 1970 with this superpower, this gift, the status of most famous human? He wore a white suit and waved a lot. He played the guitar. He shouted “love” into a microphone. Continue reading...

The coach has an exquisite eye for a purchase this time of year and is looking for a winger, left-back and centre-back in the sales It is 10 years since a challenging first six months in charge of Liverpool came to a head at Christmas for Brendan Rodgers. A couple of weeks on from a home loss to Aston Villa, a bruising Boxing Day defeat at Stoke, which saw them leapfrogged by Tony Pulis’s side and slide towards mid-table, only crystallised the desire for reinforcements. The next month Rodgers recruited Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea and Philippe Coutinho from Internazionale, two crucial pieces in the jigsaw as Liverpool went agonisingly close to winning the Premier League the following season. Before Rodgers takes his Leicester team to Anfield on Friday, he finds himself in a similar pickle, reeling from another Boxing Day defeat but at the same time confident he has pinpointed the areas in his team that urgently need improvement. Rodgers is in no doubt about the additions his Leicest

Latest deals and club-by-club guides for the WSL and leagues in Italy, France, Germany and Spain * Men’s transfer window – all the latest deals * Subscribe to our free women’s football newsletter The January 2023 women’s transfer window promises to be an exciting one with clubs in the WSL, Liga F, Division 1 Féminine, Frauen-Bundesliga and Serie A Femminile all looking to strengthen their squads before the second part of the season. In England, much of the talk has been about Beth England possibly joining Tottenham from Chelsea in what could be a record fee for a transfer involving two Women’s Super League clubs. Continue reading...

Our resident cartoon bring you images that dominated the year, from Chloe Kelly’s England’s shirt to Barcelona’s economic levers Continue reading...

Not even the World Cup break looks like slowing Newcastle’s pursuit of Champions League football and, as Eddie Howe’s team climbed into second place in the Premier League, Brendan Rodgers even suggested they should “absolutely” be considered title contenders. Early goals from Chris Wood, from the penalty spot, Miguel Almirón and Joelinton brought Newcastle a sixth successive league win against one of the division’s previous in-form teams, for whom the six-week international break in Qatar clearly came at a bad time. Continue reading...

ITV’s World Cup presenter on how finding confidence through hard work changed her career and her biggest broadcasting inspirations Laura Woods is just back from Qatar but has somehow managed to fit in a visit to Manchester to interview Kevin De Bruyne, her Christmas shopping and a trip to collect her dog from the dog sitters (although, she says, it was more of a training camp because Lulu can be a little bit badly behaved at times). It has been a whirlwind month for the 35-year-old presenter, who covered the World Cup on ITV with pundits such as Gary Neville and Roy Keane, an experience she says was a coming of age. Continue reading...

Premier League clubs are gearing up for the new year sales but the winter World Cup could hike individual price tags PSV’s plan was to let the Netherlands international move in the summer but after his exceptional World Cup he has a chance to leave in January. Erik ten Hag is a big fan and Manchester United remain interested, making contact with the 23-year-old’s agents. Negotiations between the clubs have not started, though, and it depends on how much United are willing to invest in a forward. PSV wanted €50m last summer but are now demanding more than €60m. Continue reading...

Barcelona midfielder defends her title despite missing half the year with an ACL injury with lots of new players making the list It is fair to say that 2022 was the most competitive and difficult year to choose the best 100 female footballers, with 358 players receiving votes from our 119 judges. Given we ask our judges to vote only for their own individual top 40, that is an incredible spread and shows how extensive the talent and quality in the women’s game is. Continue reading...

* Kane will move on from World Cup penalty miss, says manager * Hugo Lloris will be rested against Brentford on Boxing Day Antonio Conte says Harry Kane is ready to return to the fray for Tottenham at Brentford on Boxing Day, just a fortnight after missing a decisive quarter-final penalty for England at the World Cup. The Spurs coach says he has “no worries” over the mental state of his striker after working with him over the past two days at Hotspur Way. Conte did, however, describe the return of the Premier League as “weird” and said he was yet to make up his mind how best to use his players returning from the World Cup. Continue reading...

* UK for UNHCR logo will appear on the team’s kits from 1 January * Forest say gesture in ‘solidarity with those forced to flee homes’ Nottingham Forest players will wear the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) logo on the front of their shirts from 1 January until the end of the 2022-23 football season, the club has announced. “Nottingham Forest Football Club is proud to announce a new international charity partnership with UK for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to support relief efforts for people fleeing conflict and persecution around the world,” a club statement said. Continue reading...

Which of the players who impressed in Qatar will be landing big-money moves next month? By Ciaran McLoughlin for WhoScored Brighton are in a good position, having extended Alexis Mac Allister’s contract until 2025 before the World Cup started, but clubs in the Champions League will come knocking. Mac Allister was essential to Argentina’s success at the World Cup, playing in all six of the games they won, scoring the opening goal against Poland and setting up Ángel Di María to score a sensational breakaway goal in the final. But it was his hard work in midfield that really stood out. He made nine tackles, three interceptions and blocked more passes than any other player (12). In addition, he completed 89% of his passes, showing the all-round nature of his performances. Brighton signed Mac Allister for £7m in 2019. If they choose to sell him, they will get a lot more than that. Continue reading...

Argentina have dethroned France as world champions, but were you paying attention to the little details? Continue reading...

Argentina fans celebrated their World Cup victory during a flight from Istanbul to Buenos Aires. Supporters jumped from their seats in joy as Argentina beat France in a penalty shootout after a dramatic 3-3 draw. Passengers were able to watch the match live via the aeroplane's entertainment system and were treated to one of the most memorable finals in recent history as Lionel Messi finally won the World Cup despite a hat-trick from Kylian Mbappé. * Qatar World Cup ends with greatest final and a coronation for Lionel Messi * Argentina 3-3 France (aet, 4-2 on pens): World Cup final player ratings Continue reading...

Striker exploded into life to drag his side back into the contest – but the madcap game was proof that France’s plan had failed It was never part of the plan for Didier Deschamps to unveil a gambler’s instinct. France’s manager reads from a pragmatic playbook. When he was putting the finishing touches to his tactical preparations for this contest, Deschamps never could have imagined that Kylian Mbappé would have been standing over a penalty with two minutes of extra-time remaining, readying himself to rescue France for a second time and become the first player to score a hat-trick in a men’s World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in 1966. Everything had spiralled out of control, Argentina’s emotion trumping French cool. Caution? Organisation? Waiting for moments to strike on the break? Forget it. Lionel Messi had given Argentina a 3-2 lead and France needed something extraordinary. Continue reading...

Messi’s sublime brilliance elevated divisive World Cup into one of the great sports stories as France lost on penalties After 12 years, shredded schedules and a whirl of geopolitics; after death and ghosts and suffering; after armbands, hard power, the Davos in the desert vibe; after 64 games of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the Lusail Stadium dished up a purely sporting surprise. This was the greatest Fifa World Cup final. It was also a third World Cup victory for Argentina, who beat France on penalties at the end of a wildly oscillating 3-3 draw. Continue reading...

The best images from an utterly incredible match in Qatar as Lionel Messi finally won the biggest prize in football Continue reading...

* Benson strikes twice in 3-1 win over Middlesbrough * Watford go third after 2-0 victory at Huddersfield Manuel Benson scored twice, making up for an earlier costly error, as Vincent Kompany’s Burnley moved six points clear at the top of the Championship with a 3-1 win over Middlesbrough. The 25-year-old winger was on the mark twice in seven second-half minutes, having gifted Michael Carrick’s visitors the opening goal of the game just after half-time at Turf Moor. That Boro goal, scored by the substitute Duncan Watmore, came as Benson attempted to keep a loose ball in play on the halfway line. He succeeded only in hooking the ball blindly back towards his own goal, allowing Watmore to race through and convert. Continue reading...

* National team captain Rachel Corsie the lead claimant * ‘We have a historic opportunity to advance equal pay’ Scotland’s female international footballers have launched legal action against the Scottish Football Association over equal pay and treatment claims, with the captain, Rachel Corsie, the lead claimant in the employment tribunal case. The players will demand a contract stipulating equal pay and treatment compared to their male counterparts on issues such as training facilities, hotels, travel, kit plus medical and nutritional resources. “This is about all professional footballers being treated equally,” the Aston Villa defender Corsie said in a statement. Continue reading...

Manager explains exit from Leicester, finding joy at Burnley and the lack of support for managers from ethnic minorities Things are going well for Jonathan Morgan. His team, Burnley Women, are the only unbeaten side in the third and fourth tiers of women’s football in the UK, having gone 16 games without losing since the start of the season. It is also a strange time for Morgan, who spent seven years at Leicester, taking the women’s team from the fourth tier to the Super League before being dismissed in November 2021. The sacking forced him to pause and consider his options, but also reflect on what had happened. It is fair to say he feels happy and appreciated at Burnley whereas that wasn’t always the case at Leicester. Continue reading...

* George Brinkley told Nottingham court he feared for his life * McBurnie denies assault charge after alleged incident at playoff A Nottingham Forest fan alleged to have been stamped on by Sheffield United’s Oli McBurnie has claimed he was singled out and attacked after telling the striker: “You’re shit at football, I’m better than you.” George Brinkley told Nottingham magistrates court he feared for his life after being put in a headlock by McBurnie’s teammate Rhian Brewster during a pitch invasion that followed last season’s Championship playoff semi-final at the City Ground. Continue reading...

The Guardian's Nick Ames explains why Morocco have done so brilliantly at Qatar 2022 and why their place in the semi-final is so significant. As the first African country to get to the last four of a World Cup, Morocco have 'broken the glass ceiling' and changed the conversation.  Ames describes the team's 'flair and spontaneity' in high-pressure situations, which allows them to score despite being a relatively defensive team. Morocco have missed players through injury but have still only conceded one goal in the tournament. * Morocco’s meteoric rise at World Cup is helping to smash stereotypes * Morocco’s World Cup odyssey has changed what it means to be the underdog Continue reading...

* Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch criticise Fifa * Fifa failed to create a fund for injured or killed migrant workers Fifa has been accused of failing to adhere to its own human rights commitments after it chose not to create a remedy fund for migrant workers injured or killed in Qatar. An umbrella group comprising, among others, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch has spoken out as the World Cup enters its final stages in Doha. It says plans announced by Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, to create a legacy fund that “helps people most in need all across the world” falls short of Fifa’s obligations, and undercuts assurances made before the tournament. Continue reading...

The third in a special series by the celebrated visual satirist for the Guardian, following England’s desperate World Cup exit at the hands of France Continue reading...

The tributes that have poured out after the journalist’s death are no surprise. He used his privilege, power and position in football for good Everyone has a Grant Wahl story. This was never more true than on Friday night, when messages of love, support, shock, and grief poured out across social media with the news of his sudden death while covering the World Cup in Qatar. Continue reading...

Alongside the various animal attempts to people-please before the quarter-final against France are an increasingly deranged series of stunts from the tabloids England face France in the World Cup quarter-final on Saturday and the dwindling band of psychic animals has spoken. In the early stages of any World Cup, of course, you cannot move for obliging creatures predicting match results. However, as the tournament progresses, several of this global menagerie will have a shocker, effectively knocking them out of further opportunities to have their random movements anthropomorphised by pushy human keepers/people who reckon there might be two hundred quid in it from a tabloid. As we near the business end of Qatar 2022, though, a psychic alpaca from Chipping Norton is still in it, along with a lion in Thailand. Inauspiciously, both have wandered vaguely in one direction in their enclosure/predicted a France win on Saturday night, which I assume has led to accusations of talking England dow

With the Albiceleste set to take on the Oranje in Qatar, we relive the best (and worst) from their previous showdowns The first World Cup meeting between the sides is not one Argentina will remember with fondness. They are ruthlessly torn apart in Gelsenkirchen by the brilliant Johan Cruyff-inspired Oranje, whose collective vision, movement and passing patterns are complemented by steely tackling and defensive discipline. Cruyff dances around the goalkeeper, Daniel Carnevali, to roll in the first after latching on to Johan Neeskens’s chipped pass; it is the defender Wim Rijsbergen’s crunching challenge that sets the platform for the attack. Ruud Krol soon rockets in the second from the edge of the area after a corner. In the second half, Cruyff whips an immaculate cross to the far post where Johnny Rep’s bullet header makes it 3-0. On the sidelines, the Netherlands manager, Rinus Michels, laughs, claps and rubs his hands with glee. In the last minute, after yet another fluent passing

Luis Enrique’s side misfired again from the penalty spot, failing to disguise that they have won just twice in 90 minutes in the past two tournaments Luis Enrique asked for a thousand penalties; he got a thousand passes. Spain exited the World Cup early, and in style. There is always something sudden about how it ends, even if it’s been coming, even as you know it could happen. “All that’s left now is nothing,” Unai Simon said when it was all over. “Just [the need] to assimilate the fact that we’re out, that none of this has brought any reward.” It was late, and it was done. The following morning at 9.28 Spain’s bus pulled out of Qatar University, heading to the airport. Continue reading...

The 21-year-old Benfica forward’s life will change after his hat-trick against Swiss that put the rest of tournament on notice We should probably start by discussing the notable absentee from Tuesday’s World Cup last-16 game. Specifically, Switzerland. Granted, the Swiss would make their belated entrance in the second half, a cameo appearance to console the thousands of fans who had come to support them. But the result was no longer in doubt, and ultimately their presence was largely inconsequential. A reminder, if any were needed, that in this rarefied air those who are not prepared to put in a defensive shift quickly dissolve into irrelevance. But of course there was a genuine star here too, and he was playing up front for Portugal. Gonçalo Ramos is 21 years old, comes from the Algarve and had not played international football until last month. He left Lusail with his life changed forever: a hat-trick and an assist, accomplished with the irrepressible confidence of a young man conv

You drop Cristiano Ronaldo and the man you pick instead of him best not miss. Gonçalo Ramos is 21. He made his international debut last month. Before Tuesday he had played only 36 minutes of international football. And yet within 17 minutes he had already scored more World Cup knockout goals than Ronaldo; by midway through the second half he had completed the first hat-trick of Qatar 2022. Fernando Santos could hardly have been more obviously vindicated. Ramos, emphatically, did not miss, setting up a quarter-final against Morocco. Santos has the rumpled air of a man who has slept in his car. He could be Peter Falk playing Columbo. He is not a man who has ever willingly done anything interesting, so when the day before the game he criticised Ronaldo for his shushing gesture after being substituted against South Korea, it felt significant. Ronaldo himself claimed it was directed at the South Korean forward Cho Gue-sung, who was trying to chivvy him off the pitch but, given similar situ

A partisan crowd were thrilled while Cameroonian, Ghanaian, Senegalese and Tunisians united in the Souq for Morocco A few minutes after Yassine Bounou’s penalty shootout heroics, Morocco’s players knelt in unison to pray before a baying bank of supporters drumming furiously to the sweet sound of victory against Spain. It was a powerful sight that will touch more than the tens of thousands of Moroccans here. After more than 130 minutes of gripping drama and relentless noise, Morocco are the lone Arab nation and last African team standing. The Argentinian referee, Fernando Rapallini, needed a megaphone to make himself heard. Continue reading...

Despite a lack of pace, Zlatko Dalic’s side have a habit of wearing the opposition down, as Japan found out in a shootout defeat As Croatia’s players tore across from all directions to mob Mario Pasalic it was tempting to wonder how many of them had recorded their highest speed of the night. Their victory on penalties had been on the cards as soon as the clock ticked into extra time: as Japan’s fire fizzled out, the muscles tightening and knocks mounting, the triumph of deliberate knowhow over slick, joyful but sometimes loose entertainment came to feel as inevitable as the rising sun. Croatia showed once again that they are the masters of walking football. It is an observation, not a slight: no other top international side lacks pace to such a marked degree but they invariably contrive to make sure it does not matter. That takes a preternatural collective knowhow, an assuredness that the first yard or two are in the head, a confidence that nobody should be putting in more miles than

Giroud scored his 52nd goal for his country and deserved the ovation but Mbappé scored twice to ensure win against Poland A couple of days ago the France squad posed for a photo in which each player returned to their roots by donning the shirt of their first amateur team. For Olivier Giroud, now France’s all-time male record goalscorer, it was the red of Froges Olympique Club, whose clubhouse 20km from Grenoble in south-east France is appropriately decorated for the World Cup. For Kylian Mbappé, the man who will surely overtake him, it was the green of AS Bondy, a team in a northern suburb of Paris. Even on Giroud’s big night, the masterful and electric Mbappé was able to muscle in on the headlines as France advanced to the quarter-finals. For Mbappé, a superstar aged 23 and already a world champion, only another 20 goals to go. A poster of Giroud accompanied with the words Au Coeur Les Bleus – the Blues in the heart – is pinned beneath bunting and a tricolour scarf in the poky Froge

The manager plans to take team on a ‘third incredible journey’ at the World Cup as he prepares his side to face Senegal As a nation shivers amid the December gloom and a mounting cost of living crisis, Gareth Southgate believes that his England team can lift the mood in their World Cup last 16 match against Senegal on Sunday night. So far England have seesawed between the sublime and the stodgy in Qatar, but they have avoided defeat – something that the other big favourites, including Brazil, France, Spain and Argentina, have all failed to do. Continue reading...

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nedum Onuoha, Ed Aarons and Nick Ames on a dramatic final day of group games in Qatar Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. Today: Group H picked up where Group E left us yesterday and provided another 90 minutes of drama that saw South Korea progress to the knockouts at Uruguay’s expense. The panel discuss Ghana’s revenge, Luis Suárez’s tears and whether group winners Portugal are actually any good or not. Continue reading...

The great German teams could raise their games to suit the occasion, but this new side seem to do the polar opposite Everything is connected. A whistle blows in Doha and within fractions of seconds, via a lattice of mobile phone networks and whispers and nudges, its sound has somehow travelled the 30 miles to Al Khor. And the cheer around the stadium gives the game away, and on the Germany bench Hansi Flick senses a change in the air, and he takes a look around, and he glances at his bench, and he knows, he just knows. He turns back to face the pitch. But his hands are in his pockets, and his thoughts are elsewhere. Everything is connected. A World Cup group stage consists not simply of three discrete games but one cogent narrative, and if you don’t pay attention at the start you may well miss something that you need later. Here Germany loaded all their usual programmes, moved the ball with pace, did their jobs, scored four goals. But although they didn’t know it yet, none of it was

At a fiercely depoliticised tournament, the French official reminds host nation that women have a place in football It is perhaps the biggest testament to the quality of the performance of the French referee Stéphanie Frappart and her assistants, Neuza Back of Brazil and Mexico’s Karen Díaz, that the coverage of such a historic men’s World Cup moment was muted to brief mentions. In taking charge for Germany’s showdown with Costa Rica in the final round of games in Group E, Frappart became the first woman to officiate in a men’s World Cup and it felt decidedly normal. Continue reading...

Mathew Leckie’s goal sank Denmark in a 1-0 win as Australia finished second in their group – now Lionel Messi’s side await in this Qatar odyssey The Melbourne sky was red with the flares of Federation Square, a heaving party of thousands in the dead of night on a Thursday that exploded in euphoria with the swing of Mathew Leckie’s left boot. In Sydney’s CBD, patrons in a handful of packed pubs spilled out on to George Street as the forward raced off in celebration and then “got slapped in the head about 100 times” by teammates. For Australia, that goal is immediate sporting folklore. It is the goal that sank Denmark. It is the one that captured those three precious points, the one to seal back-to-back World Cup wins for the first time in the nation’s history, and the one to confirm a place in the round of 16 not achieved in 16 years. Continue reading...