On January 20th, Beijing time, in the 20th round of La Liga, Real Madrid staged a comeback victory over Las Palmas at home. In this match, Mbappe was in great form, scoring twice and contributing to the goals of Diaz and Rodrigo, dominating the game. For Las Palmas, Fabio Silva scored early in the game, while Ramirez was sent off, leading to a big win for Real Madrid. Real Madrid tops La Liga, and in addition, they have found a gem with a 4-1 victory! The 21-year-old iron defender excelled in both attack and defense, making an impressive slide tackle that earned him praise as the new Ramos. Mbappe is gradually finding his rhythm at Real Madrid. In the match against Las Palmas, he equalized for Real Madrid with a penalty kick, followed by a long-range shot that was saved. Vazquez then got the ball and assisted Diaz to score into an empty net. Mbappe received an assist from Rodrigo to score Real Madrid's third goal. He also made the second-to-last pass to Garcia, who then assisted Rodrigo for Real Madrid's fourth goal. Mbappe, who repeatedly created threats, received a perfect score of 10 in this match. Mbappe's all-around performance has won the recognition of Real Madrid fans. Young central defender Raul Asensio also had an outstanding performance in this game. Looking at Asensio's on-field statistics, his passing accuracy reached 93%, with 4 long passes and 3 successful transfers. He completed 1 dribble, was fouled once, and successfully contested 3 times, achieving a 100% success rate in both aerial and…

On the morning of January 20th, Beijing time, a match in the 20th round of La Liga saw Real Madrid host Las Palmas. Kylian Mbappe scored twice, Rodrigo provided an assist and scored, and Diaz found the net as well. Real Madrid fought back from behind to take the lead, with the Bernabeu stadium erupting in celebration. They ultimately overcame Las Palmas 4-1, surpassing Atletico Madrid by two points to reclaim the top spot. This was Real Madrid's first La Liga appearance in half a month, having played two Supercopa de Espana and two Copa del Rey matches in their last four games. The 2-5 defeat to Barcelona in the Supercopa final dealt a significant blow to the team. The first half of the La Liga season has concluded, with Atletico Madrid securing the mid-season championship. Real Madrid trailed by one point but led third-placed Barcelona by five points, making Atletico their main opponent for the title defense. Before this match, Atletico suffered a surprising 0-1 loss to Leganes, while Barcelona drew 1-1 with Getafe. This presented a golden opportunity for Ancelotti's team, as they only needed to avoid defeat against Las Palmas to climb to the top. Less than a minute into the game, Real Madrid's defense was breached: Just 27 seconds into the game, Sandro Ramirez crossed to the goalmouth, where Fabio Silva poked it in to give Las Palmas a 1-0 lead. According to statistics, this is the earliest goal conceded by Real Madrid in La Liga since September 24, 2011, when they were scored against 14…

In the 18th round of the Bundesliga, a match took place with Bayer Leverkusen hosting Borussia Mönchengladbach at home. As the reigning champions, Leverkusen has maintained an impressive record this season, securing 11 wins, 5 draws, and only 1 loss in their first 17 league matches. This outstanding performance has placed them second in the standings, with a very small gap from the top team, Bayern Munich. At the beginning of the season, Leverkusen was significantly behind Bayern, but they have been steadily closing the gap with their recent excellent form, putting immense pressure on Bayern. Leverkusen has won all of their last 10 matches, showing great momentum. In this match against Mönchengladbach, Leverkusen once again emerged victorious, extending their winning streak to 11 games! Alonso is truly remarkable! For this game, Leverkusen lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Hložek led the attack upfront. The attacking trio of Nathan Ake, Wirtz, and Teryho joined forces. Andrich and Xhaka formed the double pivot in midfield. Arthur, Jonathan Tah, Tapsoba, and Grimaldo made up the four-man defense. Hradecky started as the goalkeeper. Palacios, Hofmann, and Frimpong were on standby on the bench. Leverkusen opened the scoring in the 32nd minute. Wirtz, relying on his superb individual skills, forced his way through the defenders, dribbled into the penalty area, and scored with a low shot. In the second half, Wirtz capitalized on a penalty opportunity to extend the lead. In the 75th minute, Wirtz provided a precise assist, setting up Hložek for a one-on-one chance, which he calmly converted to put the game…

As the third-generation king of world football, Messi has also earned the adoration and respect of fans. However, it is undeniable that Messi has indeed entered the twilight of his career, and everyone understands that Messi's final peak should be coming to an end. Therefore, whether Messi can return to Barcelona before retiring is something many fans are looking forward to. Now it seems that Messi does indeed have a good chance to return to Barcelona, as he has always been fond of Barcelona and hopes to complete his retirement there in the final moments of his career. Especially if Messi renews his contract with Inter Miami, he will indeed have the opportunity to join Barcelona. After the start of the offseason in the MLS, Messi can completely return to Barcelona on loan. Knowing that Barcelona's financial situation is not good, Messi is willing to lower his salary. This allows Barcelona to sign him back more easily, and then Messi can fully compete with Barcelona for the Champions League and La Liga titles. This return will also benefit Messi in maintaining his competitive form. Then Messi can prepare for the upcoming 2026 World Cup, and there is another key reason for Messi's return to Barcelona. That is, Laporta previously promised that Barcelona would hold a grand retirement ceremony for Messi, allowing him to bid a perfect farewell to the Barcelona fans at that time. However, the loyalty of the king is also commendable by the fans, as he also hopes to welcome a perfect ending in Barcelona. If he can…

Neymar really "wasted"? It's not an exaggeration to say this. When a talented player with a value of up to 220 million euros only appeared 7 times in the Saudi league and then bid farewell to his "high-paying journey," people can't help but ask: what happened to him? From peak to trough, Neymar's career has been filled with high hopes, but now it seems to have become a "replacement" of the times. After officially terminating his contract with Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia, he is re-planning his future, and the most surprising choice is: returning to Santos. Is all this just to take a breath for the end of stardom, or to pay for memories? Rewind to the summer of 2023, when Neymar joined Al-Nassr of the Saudi league with a sky-high annual salary of 100 million euros, a message that almost overnight dominated the global sports headlines. At that time, the Saudi league was attracting top world players with its "big-money poaching," with Cristiano Ronaldo already on board, followed by the arrivals of Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, and others. The ambition of becoming the "sixth largest league in the world" was grand. And Neymar was undoubtedly one of the highlights of this football feast, as the core of "Paris Saint-Germain," he was expected to become the world's calling card for Saudi football. But what happened? In just over two years, Neymar only played a meager seven times for Al-Nassr. This performance is not surprising, it's not even up to par. People criticize him for being highly paid but underperforming, even…

In the winter of the 2025 season, Beijing Guoan immediately won two consecutive matches in the warm-up games, defeating Changchun Yatai 2-0 in the first game and Chongqing team from the China League One 4-2 in the second game. The team scored a total of six goals in these two matches, leading many fans to say that Quique Setién is more advanced than Gerardo Pelusso. The main point is that Setién's interpretation of possession football is considered more sophisticated than Pelusso's. For instance, his approach to pressing after mistakes involves one-on-one challenges and group efforts, which is the theoretical foundation for him to coach a top club like Barcelona. He emphasizes high pressing and ball control. With the return of national team players to Beijing Guoan, his philosophy of controlling the game will become even more profound. There was a report stating that Setién is a master at chess, with an official chess ranking, indicating that this coach has a very high IQ. Currently, Beijing Guoan aims to maintain a high win rate against weaker teams and avoid being outplayed by strong opponents in high-scoring matches. Last year, Beijing Guoan lost too many points against weaker teams; the author remembers losing twice to Shenzhen Xinpengcheng and once away to Changchun Yatai. At that time, Pelusso was called "Song Jiang," the "timely rain" of the Chinese Super League by fans. Pelusso's regional defense was not ideal, and he used valuable foreign players in central defensive positions. Numbers don't lie; last season, Shanghai Shenhua conceded 20 goals, Shanghai Port 30, Chengdu Rongcheng…

As the third-generation king of world football, Messi chose to join the Miami International team in the MLS after winning the 2022 Qatar World Cup. However, it now appears that Messi's decision was quite correct. In the MLS, Messi can avoid excessive fatigue and continue to preserve his physical strength and recover his body. Therefore, in the summer's Copa America, Messi also led the Argentine national team to victory again. Currently, Messi has also received another piece of good news: he has been elected as the best player of the 2024 MLS season by Transfermarkt. In the 2024 season, Messi scored an impressive 21 goals and provided 11 assists in just 22 games, demonstrating that whenever he takes the field, he contributes top-level statistics and performances. Notably, Messi also led Miami International to finish first in their regular-season division. Unfortunately, in the subsequent playoffs, Messi's Miami International suffered a surprising elimination. However, this does not diminish Messi's outstanding performance in the 2024 MLS season. Therefore, Messi's latest award is well-deserved. In the MLS, Messi's performance is akin to a dimension-reducing strike, which has made Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays in the Saudi league, quite envious. Ronaldo has been playing in the Saudi league for three years but has yet to win any championships. He has also never been named the best player in the Saudi league, which has left the typically competitive Ronaldo feeling quite frustrated. Therefore, whether Ronaldo will choose to join the MLS and continue his rivalry with Messi after this season ends is something everyone is looking forward…

Imagine a player nearing 40 years old, yet still earning one of the highest salaries in football history - 220 million euros! Is this not a "miracle"? Even more astonishingly, this player's competitive form seems to have not declined due to age. Some people mock, saying "earning sky-high wages while playing 'retirement football'", while die-hard fans firmly declare, "This is the greatest respect for a legend!" Whether it is right or wrong is aside, but this phenomenon is indeed worth pondering: Is Ronaldo's renewal about continuing his legacy, or is it part of a grand plan for the Saudi league? There is a "truth" in the football world: Players generally decline after 30, and those who can maintain top-level performance at 35 are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. However, Ronaldo is clearly different. This Portuguese star born in 1985 is not only treated exceptionally "gently" by time, but his level of self-discipline is also astonishing. Many jokingly refer to Ronaldo as the "Iron Man of football." You might not imagine that he lives strictly according to a schedule every day, never indulges in his diet, and trains with unyielding determination. There were teammates who revealed that whether Ronaldo won a cup or was at home on weekends, his schedule was always a cycle of "gym, swimming pool, and training ground." It is precisely this super-strong self-discipline that has allowed Ronaldo's competitive form to "last" several more years than ordinary players. It is worth mentioning that studies have shown that athletes' muscle activity and endurance do indeed decline…

As the unrivaled dual stars of the football world, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have not only monopolized trophies, glory, and limelight over the years but also dominated discussions and attention. Even after their departure from European football, they remain the most influential figures in the global football scene. Ronaldo has increased the visibility of the Saudi League, while Messi has made people fall in love with Major League Soccer (MLS). Indeed, before Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo ventured into the desert, few would have paid attention to the Saudi League. People were unaware of clubs like Al Ittihad Jeddah or the rivalries between Al Nassr and Al Hilal. However, Ronaldo's arrival at Al Nassr changed everything. Since the moment he stepped onto the club, the Saudi League has been frequently mentioned, drawing more and more eyes towards the desert. People are curious about how Ronaldo will perform on a stage built from oil and money. Similarly, MLS was largely ignored until Messi made his choice. Despite hosting football greats like Henry, Kaka, Ibrahimovic, Gerrard, and Pirlo, MLS remained distant and unfamiliar to many. Beyond the lack of promotion and relegation, our knowledge of MLS was minimal. We only knew that David Beckham, known as the heartthrob, owned a team there called Inter Miami. But when the ball king Messi brought his talent, skill, and aura to the turf of Inter Miami, MLS instantly became the center of attention, standing out from the rest. Clearly, gazing upon the ball king often seems more important than following the top five leagues, and it…

Brazil, known as the football kingdom, has indeed not seen many talented players emerge in recent years. They have been eliminated in the quarter-finals for three consecutive World Cups, leaving fans utterly disappointed with the national team. However, it seems that Brazil has now welcomed its next leading player: the 17-year-old Estevão. This prodigy, playing in the Brazilian league, has delivered an impressive performance this season with 13 goals and 9 assists, showcasing a level far beyond his peers. He is even considered stronger than the Estevão of the same period, which led him to smoothly secure the Brazilian league MVP title. Winning the league MVP without reaching adulthood is a truly astonishing feat. Estevão undoubtedly lives up to the expectations of his fans, who have been hailing him as the "new Messi" in recent years. In the Brazilian league, he has consistently demonstrated top-tier performances with his delicate footwork, captivating the interest of European top clubs. Ultimately, the wealthy Chelsea secured Estevão's signing with a hefty price tag of 50 million euros. Estevão will soon display his talent and strength in the Premier League. Currently, his performance surpasses that of Neymar during the same period when he played in the Brazilian league. The player himself is highly ambitious, aiming to become a top football superstar in the future. Esteemed veterans from Brazil also hold high hopes for him, and it is indeed a gem that Chelsea has found in this signing.