City of Manchester? Heads down and heads buried in hands, if those were ever the portion of her clubs, it was surely either one or the other at a time and not this, the chaos in the latter days of 2024. Collectively, the two Manchester clubs have lost nine games across all competitions in December with United losing five and four for City, the most losses they’ve combined for in a single month since April 1971. But the city was not known for the silence at both sides because for a very long time, one is always enjoying the other’s…
Author: Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
Super Eagles’ 2024 in Review: The year ought to have ended as regards the Super Eagles of Nigeria after FIFA released an update on its latest ranking, which saw the nation fall again. However, there was more in store for the three-time champions of Africa with latest revelation of unpaid bills. It may news no longer, but given the year the team has had in 2024 and the uncertainties it potentially takes into the next calendar year, there is no assurance that the team or the NFF can weather the approaching storm, casting another doubt on their return to prominence…
Gabriel Jesus has taken only two games to make himself the star of Arsenal attack with five goals and one assist in his last three starts, making him a real contender to fill a huge void in the Arsenal attack amidst Bukayo Saka’s injury. While Arsenal mourn the loss of Bukayo Saka, who is ruled out until at least February due to a hamstring injury picked up in the win at Palace on Saturday, the new found form of Gabriel Jesus in this festive period could ease the pending burden on the North Londoners. The Hale Ender has been central…
Ademola Lookman-Nigeria relationship has so far been productive, but it wasn’t easy getting the pair together for a start. It wasn’t love at first sight between the reigning king of African football and the giants of the continent but time has proven it was all worth the hassle. For years, the Nigerian Football Federation wooed the winger, who was born and bred in Greater London and had developed great affection for England, after all, he was a young Lion having represented the country at youth level. The first contact came as far back as 2017, when he was only 19…
Most CAF Player of the year titles by nationalities: On the 16th of December 2024, Ademola Lookman beat four others to a deserved coronation as CAF Player of the year winner for the year during the Gala in Marrakech, Morocco. The Nigerian forward saw off competitions from South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi, Ivorian winger Simon Adingra and Guinean striker Serhou Guirassy to claim the prize. His success sees Nigeria overtake Ghana and Ivory Coast in the all-time list for most CAF Player of the year titles by nationalities, making the three-time African champions outright second, behind…
Football fans around the world are eagerly anticipating The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024, which will take place on December 17, 2024, at the Aspire Academy in Doha, Qatar. This year’s ceremony marks the ninth edition of this prestigious event, where FIFA will honor the top players, coaches, and moments of the year. The Best FIFA: A Stage for Football’s Finest This year’s awards coincide with several notable milestones, including the 20th anniversary of the Aspire Academy and the eve of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final. The event promises to be a star-studded gala dinner, featuring the FIFA President, FIFA…
CAF Awards 2024: The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the final nominees for the 2024 CAF Awards, which will take place on December 16, 2024, in Marrakech, Morocco. This prestigious event honors the finest talents in African football, recognizing exceptional performances from the past year. CAF Awards 2024: Men’s Player of the Year: A Showcase of Talent Five outstanding players have been shortlisted for the Men’s Player of the Year award: Women’s Player of the Year Trailblazers in African Women’s Football. Three exceptional players have been nominated for the Women’s Player of the Year award: National Team of…
Mohamed Salah Last ranking: First Despite Liverpool’s Merseyside derby against archrivals Everton being postponed due to poor weather conditions, Salah deservedly retains top spot in this list. There simply isn’t a player in a richer vein of form than the Egyptian maestro at the moment. Salah sits atop both the goal-scoring and assist charts at Liverpool, having scored 13 goals and contributed another 8 assists. Marco Silva’s Fulham need to be on top of their game if they plan on getting a result at Anfield this weekend. Erling Haaland Last ranking: Third The dry spell is over! After three games…
Manchester rivals, for the first time in as long as difficult to recall, head into the derby at a time neither has any reason to get hyped before the resumption of hostilities in a Premier League fixture. Caught up in their own traps, as one continues to deepen on a path thought to be just a temporal mishap, the other is left to rue what could have been had they stick with an interim manager, who apparently has exhausted their subscription to a new manager bounce in the wake of Erik Ten Hagʼs departure. Well, the Manchester rivals did clash…
The new FIFA Club World Cup format, set to launch in 2025, was designed to address multiple challenges facing the tournament and meet evolving demands in global club football. FIFA, the organizer of the event, felt the competition was a limited scope, with only seven teams made of continental champions competing therein annually. As a result, the tournament often led to lopsided matchups, particularly between European powerhouses and clubs from smaller footballing continents. Since winning their first with AC Milan in 2007, European teams have won all but one of the editions of the tournament, in 2012 when English side…