Ballon d´Or 2018: Ronaldo, Courtois nominated but De Gea misses out

England go into the season’s first international break with cause to worry once more about the lack of homegrown players in the Premier League.

Less than 30 per cent of playing time in the early stages of the campaign has gone to players eligible for England, continuing a running concern for national team boss Gareth Southgate.

Here, the PA news agency looks at what the data can tell us.

Struggle for playing time

Of 86,710 minutes played by Premier League players this season, 25,399 have gone to players eligible for England.

That equates to 29.3 per cent of the available playing time, a slight decline on recent seasons as a peak to nearly 40 per cent in the 2020-21 season was not sustained.

Southgate said during March’s international window: …

Gianluca Vialli has been urged to stay strong and keep fighting in his cancer battle after it emerged the Serie A great is being treated in hospital.

The 58-year-old former Italy striker has been visited at a London clinic by his mother and a brother, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

Concern in Italy about Vialli s health is shared in England, where former Chelsea defender John Terry sent a message of support.

Terry was given his Blues debut by player-manager Vialli in 1998 and went on to be a long-standing club captain.

He wrote on Twitter: Stay strong and keep fighting Luca. We are all thinking of you. We are sending our love, strength and prayers.

Vialli began his career at Cremonese, his hometown club, before going on to star in Serie A…

The Seattle Seahawks will put the NFC s last undefeated record on the line when they take on divisional rivals the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Inspired by an MVP-calibre start from quarterback Russell Wilson, the Seahawks have reaped the rewards of shifting their emphasis to a passing attack in the early weeks of the 2020 NFL season.

After some strong moves in the offseason, the Cardinals have impressively moved to 4-2 with second-year QB Kyler Murray producing some must-see plays.

Ahead of what looks likely to be a high-scoring NFC West battle, we have compared the two QBs and their supporting casts.

A new prophecy  

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals)

Can Murray emulate Wilson?

There are similarities between Murray and Wilson…

Dave Challinor has signed a new three-year contract as Stockport manager.

The 47-year-old, who took charge in November 2021, guided the Hatters to promotion back to the English Football League after an 11-year absence in his first season in charge.

He followed up by taking them to the Sky Bet League Two play-off final, in which they were beaten on penalties by Carlisle, last term.

His initial contract was due to expire in summer 2024 but the new deal means he is committed to the club until 2026.

Challinor, who has won 56 of his 97 games as manager, told the club’s official website: “I don’t think it’s any secret that since I came to the football club, I’ve been really happy.

“We’ve had some success. There’s still the overriding dis…

Xavi is expecting Barcelona s LaLiga title battle with Real Madrid to go down to the wire, despite his side opening up a five-point lead at the summit.

Barca, who last lifted the title in the 2018-19 campaign, have won 16 of their opening 19 league matches to reach the 50-point mark already.

It is only the sixth time Barca have hit that half-century milestone at this stage of a campaign, and they went on to lift the title in four of those previous five campaigns.

Reigning Spanish and European champions Madrid have struggled for consistency either side of the World Cup break, winning only half of their past eight league matches.

However, with the sides also paired together in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, Xavi insists Carlo Ancelotti s men can never…

Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe were unleashed together for the first time but Paris Saint-Germain had to settle for a 1-1 Champions League draw at Club Brugge.

Mauricio Pochettino started with his formidable attacking trio at Jan Breydel Stadion on Wednesday, with Mbappe teeing up Ander Herrera for the opener after a mazy run on the left flank.

Many may have expected Brugge to crumble, however, they responded through Hans Vanaken s fifth goal in eight games in the competition.

Mbappe was forced off in the second half with a slight foot problem as PSG, despite their embarrassment of attacking riches, failed to kick-off their Group A campaign with a win.

4 Ander Herrera has scored 4 goals in his last 4 games in all competitions, twice as many as …

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 3/4 @

In what could be an action-packed affair from west London in midweek, QPR will welcome Norwich to the capital on Wednesday night for an EFL Cup showdown.

Starting with the hosts, while QPR might have opened the 2023/24 campaign with a nightmare display as they slumped to a 4-0 drumming at the hands of Watford, the Hoops are seeking some much-needed stability this time around. However, although Gareth Ainsworth’s men might be tipped as a standout contender to find themselves at the heart of another relegation scrap this season, the former Wycombe boss did see his side claim a crucial boost last weekend. Eventually snatching a 2-1 victory away at Cardiff a few days ago, the west London outfit will be desperate to make anot…

According to , Leroy Sane is set to reject any approach for a transfer at the end of the season and sign a new contract with Bayern Munich. Apparently, the interest has been coming from the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, and Barcelona.

Sane is a left-footed winger who predominantly plays on the right, which is something Liverpool need if they aim to sign a ready-made replacement for Mohamed Salah. Chelsea lack such a player altogether, and Barcelona only have 16-year-old Lamine Yamal.

With plenty of pace, dribbling skill and a powerful shot, as well as top-level experience, it s no wonder other clubs are showing interest in the 28-year-old Germany international.

Sane joined Bayern from Manchester City in 2020 for a fee reportedly of around €50 million, even thou…

Jamie Vardy s injury-time penalty against Southampton gave Leicester City a piece of Premier League history by sealing a 9-0 win at St Mary s.

Vardy and Ayoze Perez both scored hat-tricks in a triumph that equalled the previous best in the competition s history, while also representing the biggest top-flight win away from home in 131 years of league football in England.

Here, we look back at the matches that proved to be the stuff of wildest dreams or darkest nightmares for the teams on the respective sides of a yawning gulf in class.

Southampton 0-9 Leicester City – October 25, 2019

Ryan Bertrand was sent off for a challenge in the build-up to Ben Chilwell s 10th-minute opener but that was scant excuse for the manner in which Ralph Hasenhut…

Prediction: Spain win

Best Odds: 

Bookmaker: 

European football is slowly but surely starting to return with a brand new season after an incredibly short absence, but for the next few days, the international game is going to become the core focal point and that means the return of the UEFA Nations League. Spain and Ukraine will be clashing heads later on this week in what many consider to be a hyped up friendly, but with UEFA Euro 2021 coming up next season, this could serve as an important psychological edge for the winner.

Spain

The Group F winners wasted no time in securing their place in next year s European Championship as they attempt to reclaim the title they lost four years ago. They ve been scoring goals for fun in the last few years, and si…