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• Club has deadline of Saturday from EFL to agree sale
• ‘I want to see a legally binding document,’ says Couhig

Reading have had a potentially significant setback in their attempt to save the club by agreeing a sale this week, with Rob Couhig rejecting a proposal from the owner, Dai Yongge, to lift his security over the Select Car Leasing Stadium and training ground.

The Guardian has learned that Reading have sent a legal letter to Couhig offering to place some of the proceeds from the proposed sale to Robert Platek in a frozen escrow account pending the result of his high-court claim for £12m, which is scheduled for July.

Liverpool could lose three of their best players this summer. Who should they target in the transfer window?

By WhoScored

Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to leave for Real Madrid this summer, with Liverpool likely to dip into the market to secure a new right-back. They will need to sign a full-back capable of replicating Alexander-Arnold’s attacking threat, which will prove easier said than done. The 26-year-old has set up six goals and 51 shooting chances for teammates this season, making him one of the most creative defenders in the league.

• ‘I will not have the time. We have to get it right, fast’
• Manager put Harry Maguire up front as late substitute

Ruben Amorim bemoaned Manchester United’s toothless attack as Nottingham Forest completed a Premier League double over his side and reiterated he is under pressure to ensure his team “get it right fast”.

Forest enhanced their chances of qualifying for the Champions League with a third successive league win, courtesy of an extraordinary counterattack goal by the former United forward Anthony Elanga, while United are 13th and yet to record back-to-back wins in the division this season.

• Gabriel and Timber add to White and Calafiori blows
• Saka’s goal against Fulham was ‘a beautiful moment’

Mikel Arteta enjoyed the goalscoring comeback from Bukayo Saka in Arsenal’s 2-1 victory against ­Fulham in the Premier League but felt the gloss come off the evening as Gabriel Magalhães and Jurriën ­Timber sustained injuries.

Saka scored Arsenal’s second on 73 minutes, having come off the bench in the 66th minute for his first action since he ruptured his hamstring on 21 December. He ran over to the bench to celebrate with one of the club’s performance coaches, Sam Wilson.

“Three points means three beers,” according to Vítor Pereira. The Wolves head coach and fans can enjoy a few righteous pints after his side moved 12 points clear of the relegation zone with a hard-fought victory over West Ham.

Jørgen Strand Larsen scored the only goal to open up a greater gap on the drop zone. It was easy to see what the result meant to Pereira and his staff. They spent the final minutes of injury time demanding more noise from the home supporters to see Wolves over the line. At the final whistle the head coach leapt in the air and on to the pitch to celebrate, while the stands erupted, embracing each one of his players to thank them for their endeavours.

• Real Madrid 4-4 Real Sociedad (agg 5-4)
• Defender heads dramatic extra-time winner

At one minute past midnight a self-declared madman sent the Santiago Bernabéu into a state of delirium and Real Madrid into the final of the Copa del Rey. El Loco leapt above the Real Sociedad defence and into the stands at the north end of this stadium, where supporters had seen their team go and do it again, their way. It had been long, it had been wild, and at the end of the night, somehow they were the ones celebrating, which it seems they always are. Madrid did not win and were not always very good until they were irresistible, but it was enough.

Three times they had trailed but ultimately a draw, secured by the thumping forehead of Antonio Rüdiger in the 115th minute, was enough. A game that went from 0-1 to 1-1, 1-3 to 3-3, and then 3-4 finally finished 4-4 deep into extra time.

• Third-tier Arminia Bielefeld send holders tumbling out
• Paris Saint-Germain avoid scare against Dunkerque

Third-tier Arminia Bielefeld stunned the DFB-Pokal holders, Bayer Leverkusen, 2-1 on Tuesday, coming from a goal down to reach the final. Bielefeld, who have eliminated four Bundesliga teams in consecutive rounds in the competition, became the fourth third-tier side to reach the final.

“I am so proud of the team,” said the Bielefeld coach, Michél Kniat. “The whole region is feeling this. No one will be sleeping tonight. We defended with a lot of passion and that was the key. We worked extremely hard.”

• Everton manager chasing first win in 22nd Anfield derby
• Club consider keeping Goodison Park for women’s side

David Moyes has said the enter­tainment provided by the most recent Merseyside derby is a prime ­example of why authorities must be careful not to “sanitise” Premier League football.

Everton and Liverpool meet again on Wednesday, 49 days after their tumul­tuous 2-2 draw in the final derby staged at Goodison Park. Four red cards were shown after the final whistle – to Curtis Jones, ­Abdoulaye Doucouré, Arne Slot and Slot’s assistant Sipke Hulshoff – after James Tarkowski’s 98th-minute equaliser sparked wild scenes at the end of a competitive and controversial game. The match itself, Moyes insists, is what many football fans want to see.

• Wycombe held to draw; Charlton win to keep pace
• Walsall draw maintains their lead on top of League Two

Jay Stansfield’s late penalty was the difference as Birmingham extended their lead at the top of League One to 11 points with a 2-1 win against Bristol Rovers. Keshi Anderson gave Blues the lead afterthree minutes and although Gatlin O’Donkor equalised Stansfield’s spot-kick made it back-to-back league wins, sending them a step closer to a Championship return.

Second-placed Wrexham were held to a 2-2 by struggling Cambridge. Liam Bennett cancelled out George Dobson’s opener and Josh Stokes gave Cambridge the lead from the penalty spot before Sam Smith snatched a point for Wrexham. Wycombe in third were also left frustrated after a goalless draw with the bottom side, Shrewsbury, meaning they sit three points above Charlton after Tyreece Campbell scored the winner to beat Mansfield 2-1.

• Governing body hopes law will be in place for Euro 2028
• FA: ‘Enforcing entry points is a huge drain on resources’

The Football Association has stepped up its lobbying of the government to make forced entry into football stadiums, so-called “tailgating”, a criminal offence before the UK and Ireland host the 2028 men’s European Championship.

The policing minister Dame Diana Johnson was a guest of the FA at Wembley for last month’s Carabao Cup final, where 68 of the 91 arrests made were for attempting to enter the ground without a ticket.

Plus: a 972 score in Scrabble, the same stadium name across multiple grounds, and 48 league appearances in one season

• Mail us with your questions and answers

“The other day in their Women’s Champions League match against Manchester City, Chelsea fielded a back four of Bronze, Bright, Björn and Baltimore,” emails Asad Butt. “Are there other examples of this in defence, midfield or attack?”

Back in 2017, we answered a question regarding men’s teams fielding three or more players with the same first name, with five Johns starting in an England XI against Switzerland in 1948: John Aston, John Haines, John Hancocks, John (‘Jack’) Rowley and John (‘Jackie’) Milburn all featuring. As mentioned by Asad, Chelsea fielded a back four beginning with the same surname letter against Manchester City earlier this month (plus Aggie Beever-Jones in the first leg). But we can do better than that.

As the 2026 World Cup approaches, the USMNT lack the charisma, underdog charm and striking victories of their predecessors

Imagine the 1980 Miracle on Ice, but with the USA on the other side.

In this scenario, the US men’s hockey team aren’t a scrappy band of outmatched amateurs playing for the country perceived as the good guys in the cold war. The opponents aren’t an aloof, brutally effective Soviet Union team expected to steamroll their way to a gold medal just as their military were attempting to steamroll their way through Afghanistan.

Forward discusses life since her dramatic move from Manchester City to Arsenal and looks forward to the Euros

As Chloe Kelly arrives to speak to the nation’s media, her joy at being back with England is unmistakable. Sitting down with a relaxed grin, it would be easy to forget this was a player whose place with the Lionesses was under question a few weeks ago.

The forward has many reasons to smile these days. Back in the England squad directly – she initially missed the last camp due to lack of playing time before receiving a late call due to an injury to Beth Mead – she made three starts for Arsenal across eight days at the end of last month. She played an integral role as they retained second place in the Women’s Super League and made a remarkable comeback against Real Madrid to reach the Champions League semi-finals. It is the kind of form that has reignited her chances of making the European Championships this summer.

The Arsenal fans had come to see Bukayo Saka and when he took off his tracksuit, primed to enter as a 66th‑minute substitute, red shirt vividly lighting the scene, it is fair to say there was a reaction. It was mainly release. The three months without Saka have been hard, ­Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge slipping away as he recovered from a ruptured hamstring.

There was certainly a script to be written and, Saka being Saka, he set about it. Arsenal have an incredible home record in the league against Fulham – 24 wins, seven draws and no defeats before this. They were on their way to another victory thanks to Mikel Merino’s heavily deflected goal on 37 minutes, the latest return from the club’s makeshift No 9.

At the weekend the lasting shot was Ryan Yates haring towards the Nottingham Forest supporters in celebration and here another episode at breakneck speed earned victory. This time the subject was Anthony Elanga, who tore up the City Ground turf, eating up 85 metres in nine exhilarating seconds, to score the only goal of the game against his former club and maintain Forest’s unlikely push to qualify for the Champions League.

The other moment that Forest may look back on as pivotal if they go on to earn a place in the game’s grandest club competition arrived six minutes and 18 seconds into stoppage time. Harry Maguire, thrown up front as an unconventional striker, a needs-must move by Ruben Amorim, prodded the ball goalwards but Murillo hacked it off the line with almost the last kick of the game. A few seconds later, with Forest’s first league double over United since 1991-92, when Brian Clough was in charge, secured, Rockin’ All Over the World blared over the speakers and the locals set off a round of fireworks that soared into the sky above Trent Bridge.

• Manager wants reaction at home in Wednesday’s derby
• Slot says PSG defeat cut deeper than cup final loss

Arne Slot told Liverpool players their work rate in the Carabao Cup final was not acceptable during talks aimed at reinforcing the standards that have underpinned their Premier League title pursuit.

Liverpool resume their title challenge with a Merseyside derby against Everton on Wednesday when Slot and his squad will be seeking to put a ­bruising spell behind them and edge closer to a 20th league champion­ship.

• Seven weeks would mean return for final league game
• Manager says season has been ‘so weird, so difficult’

Pep Guardiola has stated that Erling Haaland will be out for up to seven weeks with his ankle injury but will be ready for Manchester City’s Club World Cup campaign.

In a considerable blow to City’s bid to qualify for the Champions League and claim the FA Cup, Haaland was forced off during Sunday’s Cup quarter-final at Bournemouth. Guardiola was asked how long City will be without their top scorer.

• Yassine Cheuko had helped protect Inter Miami star
• MLS now using its own security on matchdays

Lionel Messi’s bodyguard, Yassine Cheuko, has been banned from from the touchline during Inter Miami matches.

The former Navy Seal has gained a cult following from social media videos showing him closely watching the crowd to stop rogue fans from harming the Argentinian star. He has also chased down fans intent on getting close to Messi on several occasions.

• Celtic Plc settles around 70% of cases in class action
• Law firm expects further settlements in coming weeks

A seven-figure payout has been agreed for a lawsuit over claims of historical sexual abuse at Celtic Boys Club, a law firm has said.

Thompsons Solicitors is acting for about 30 former Celtic Boys Club players and said about 70% of the cases had been settled by Celtic Plc. The firm expects further settlements in the coming weeks.

We look at the 37-year-old’s acrimonious exit from Milan and why being happy is key to allowing players to play well

Nadia Nadim was not holding back. Having left Milan for the Swedish side Hammarby she hit out at the Italian club’s Dutch manager, Suzanne Bakker, in a forthright interview with Aftonbladet’s Amanda Zaza.

“It was a shock to be introduced to her,” said the Afghanistan-born Denmark international, with the two clearly disagreeing on how things should be done. “I can honestly say that the training sessions at the refugee camps were better.”

The club that gave the world Zinedine Zidane and Patrick Vieira are on the rise after dropping to the seventh division

By Get French Football News

“The spotlight is on us,” says Cannes CEO Félicien Laborde on a radiant day on the Côte d’Azur as he reflects on the club’s latest giant-killing win in the Coupe de France. And “giant-killing” is the word for a 3-1 win against Guingamp in the quarter-finals; Guingamp are flying high in the second tier and, despite their once-great past, Cannes are down in the fourth tier. Their spectacular run to the semi-finals, where they will face Reims, has put the historic club back on the footballing map.

The quarter-final was a reminder of past glories. It was also a night that bore unmistakable scars of the club’s tumultuous recent history. There were 9,000 fans packed into the Stade Pierre de Coubertin, but that’s 8,000 short of the stadium’s record attendance, which was set back in 1993 before the north and south stands were dismantled – a decline that coincided with the club’s fall from grace and out of the professional game altogether.

Leeds’s history of dark weirdness lends credence to the idea that ‘club DNA’ is real, even if reality may be more mundane

• Sign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson here

A month ago, Leeds were merrily on top of the Championship. They had just beaten Sunderland with two late goals and Sheffield United with three. They had gone 16 games unbeaten and were playing with authority and conviction. More than that, they seemed to have the deepest squad in the Championship. The Sunderland game had turned when they brought on Willy Gnonto and Largie Ramazani; nobody else in the division could bring that sort of quality off the bench.

Since then they have won one of five games and slipped to second. It’s happening again.

Sonia Bompastor not looking for excuses after Chelsea draw as Villa earn first win under Natalia Arroyo

Sonia Bompastor refused to use fatigue as an excuse after Chelsea dropped points to West Ham on Sunday. Goals from Maika Hamano and Aggie Beever-Jones fired the Blues to a 2-0 lead within 21 minutes, but Shekiera Martinez’s second-half double meant the Hammers stole a point. It was the first time in more than seven years that Chelsea had squandered a two-goal lead in the WSL. The reigning champions went into the match having played Manchester City four times in 12 days, but Bompastor did not want to make any excuses. “It’s always difficult with this quick turnaround to have all the energy but that’s not an excuse,” the manager said. “We are Chelsea, we have the depth in the squad and the quality in the squad enough to finish this block with a better result. But sometimes it happens.” Emillia Hawkins

Winger has 32 Serie A goals over the past three years as side keep up push for another Champions League campaign

Venice has no shortage of eye-catching door-knockers, heavy bronze casts of 16th-century lions and sea monsters adorning entrances of palaces throughout the lagoon city. Still, there is always room for another. Riccardo Orsolini could not hang around quite so long, but his goal for Bologna away to Venezia on Saturday will linger in the memories of supporters.

The second half had barely started when Nicolò Cambiaghi cut back from the left flank and crossed right-footed to the far post. Orsolini met his delivery with an exquisite side-footed volley across the goalkeeper and into the corner of the net.

Manchester City’s fire still burns bright, Marcus Rashford reminds critics of his ability and Eberechi Eze’s great week

A seventh semi-final in succession showed that Manchester City, at least, see magic in the FA Cup. The quarter-finals saw them cast as unwelcome outsiders, lacking the romance of their fellow hopefuls. None of the other seven had won a major trophy this century, four never in their history. Pep Guardiola’s frenzied reaction after Omar Marmoush scored his team’s second at Bournemouth showed his fire still burns brightly. Surely nearing the end at City, Kevin De Bruyne played the 90 minutes, remaining influential and mobile throughout. He and his teammates have played better this season but this display at the Vitality saw real gutsiness, a key part of the makeup during the glory years. If the hosts, shorn of Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez, were incapable of holding City’s hand to the fire as they had in November, a new City is emerging. Nico O’Reilly added impetus from the bench. So did Marmoush, both offering the pace, strength and vigour their manager now desires. John Brewin

Match report: Bournemouth 1-2 Manchester City

Match report: Preston 0-3 Aston Villa

Match report: Brighton 0-0 Nottm Forest (3-4 on pens)

Match report: Fulham 0-3 Crystal Palace

Manuel Pellegrini’s team of misfits beat Sevilla in the league for the first time in seven years and celebrated in style

This weekend, 46,731 people came to see Betis and Sevilla but the derby wasn’t until the following night – so 33 hours later they came and did it all over again, even better. Saturday’s second-biggest attendance in Spain had watched the country’s most passionate rivals train. Sunday’s biggest crowd saw them play, a record 58,538 fans still inside and still singing late into a night they’ll never forget. The Benito Villamarín was bouncing, smoke rising round the home fans as they belted out the club’s anthem – here we are, squashed together like cannon balls – as the players started a lap of honour. Somewhere in all the madness and the noise, Antony, stripped to the waist and sitting on the goalkeeper Adrián’s shoulders, heaved a giant flag through the air. “This is incredible,” he said, and it was.

This was Antony’s first Seville derby and he’d not seen anything like it for years: never mind Ajax or Old Trafford, this took him back to Brazil. But it wasn’t just him, a debutant in a fixture that hits hard; nor had anyone else, the place going wild, something extra in the celebrations this time, Betis players still there half an hour after the end, parading round the pitch before bounding down corridors, singing and hammering at doors, cracking open the beers. You’d think they had won the Champions League. The one man there who has – five times – said that when it came to “feeling, vibrations, this is without doubt the most special game there is,” so Isco and his teammates celebrated something that, right there in the moment, felt even better: they had beaten rivals Sevilla 2-1.

• ‘Additional context’ not in public sphere helps inform FA’s decision
• Striker included in training squad for South Korea friendlies

Matildas striker Sam Kerr will be free to return as national team captain once she recovers from her serious knee injury after the Football Australia board decided on no further sanctions for her drunken night during which she verbally abused a London police constable.

The 31-year-old will continue her recovery in camp with the Matildas for the April matches against South Korea, but has not been cleared for a return to competitive football.

Against a backdrop of Taliban rule and corruption claims against FA president, Zohib Islam Amiri sees demoralisation setting in

When Zohib Islam Amiri came back to play in Afghanistan in January for the first time since 2010, he was hoping to make a difference. “I wanted to try to give some of the young Afghan kids some inspiration,” he says. “But as soon as I got there it was clear that things were even worse.”

Amiri, who made his international debut as a 15-year-old in 2005 before serving as captain for more than a decade, became the first Afghanistan player to move overseas when he joined Mumbai in 2011. The defender’s return to play for Abu Muslim in the Afghanistan Champions League – a competition set up in 2021 when the Taliban regained power – was never intended to be the end of his career. But having seen his side crowned champions after a controversial 8-0 victory amid allegations of match-fixing, Amiri decided enough was enough.

• 4-1 World Cup qualifying defeat was last straw for CBF
• Brazil have lost fives times so far in Conmebol group

Brazil have sacked their head coach, Dorival Júnior, the country’s football confederation (CBF) said on Friday, after the five-times world champions were thrashed 4-1 by fierce rivals Argentina in a humiliating World Cup qualifying loss in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.

The 62-year-old was appointed in January 2024 after the team spent a year under two caretaker coaches as the Brazilian FA were unable to tempt the Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.

• Ligue 1 leaders trounce Saint-Étienne 6-1
• Harry Kane scores as Bayern battle past St Pauli

Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique wants the club to keep their focus on domestic and European titles despite all but securing a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 crown.

PSG thrashed relegation-threatened Saint-Étienne 6-1 to virtually assure themselves of a second straight title under the Spaniard. Only Monaco have a mathematical chance to overhaul them after their 2-1 win over Nice left them 21 points behind PSG with seven games to play.

Barcelona remained on course for a third straight Women’s Champions League title after routing Wolfsburg 6-1 in the second leg of their quarter-final.

Salma Paralluelo and Clàudia Pina each scored twice as Barcelona reached the semi-finals 10-2 on aggregate. Barça have scored a total of 35 goals in eight games in the competition this season.

The Denmark striker – who played for the Chelsea, Fulham and Arsenal youth teams – is thriving at Monaco

By Get French Football News

“We understood that if we didn’t take the decision in the winter, in the summer, it would potentially be too late,” says Monaco CEO Thiago Scuro. There was a sense of “now or never” about the signing of Mika Biereth from Sturm Graz in January and, with the Danish international scoring 11 goals in his first nine Ligue 1 games, it is certainly an opportunity the club are happy they seized.

That “now or never” feeling characterises Biereth’s whole career. “He had the bravery to go to Scotland, then Austria and now France and that is what shows he wants to be the best. He has to be playing to prove that,” says his mentor, Ian Wright. Biereth has grasped every chance he has been given along a path that has led him away from Arsenal and into Monaco’s grateful arms.

• Ex-player was initially sentenced in February 2024
• Court rules unanimously that conviction was unsafe

The former Brazil international Dani Alves has had his conviction for rape overturned on appeal.

In February 2024, a court sentenced Alves to a minimum sentence of four years and six months for the rape of a 23-year-old woman in a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022. As he had already spent more than a year on remand, Alves was released under legal supervision shortly afterwards.

• Davies tore ACL during Nations League third-place game
• Club executives demand ‘full investigation into events’

Bayern Munich are considering legal action against the Canadian soccer federation after Alphonso Davies sustained a serious knee injury in the Concacaf Nations League third-place playoff on Sunday.

“We’re demanding a full investigation into the events from Canada Soccer and expressly reserve the right to take legal action,” the Bayern chief executive, Jan-Christian Dreesen, told the German newspaper Bild on Friday.

Davies tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and sustained other damage to his right knee during Canada’s 2-1 win over the United States. The full-back returned to Munich where the full extent of the injury was determined and “will be out for several months”, according to his club.

Bayern Munich are alleging that Canadian officials did not provide appropriate care for the player by starting him in “a match of no sporting significance”. Both teams had lost in the tournament semi-finals, Canada beaten by eventual winners Mexico and the US losing to Panama.

“Sending a clearly injured player with a damaged knee on a 12-hour flight without a thorough medical assessment is, in our view, grossly negligent and a clear breach of medical duty of care,” Dreesen said. “The participation of Davies, who already had muscular problems before the game, in a match of no sporting significance is incomprehensible from our point of view.”

Weston-super-Mare’s Luke Coulson scored from his own penalty area against Hornchurch in the National League South. With the hosts 3-2 down in stoppage time, goalkeeper Mason Terry went up for a late corner - but the ball instead dropped to Coulson, who kicked it from the penalty spot all the way upfield, where it bounced and rolled into an empty net.

Sir Gareth Southgate has expressed his concern that 'callous, manipulative and toxic influencers' are taking the place of traditional father figures in society and contributing to mental health issues among young men. He believes the decline in communities and a lack of mentors – or 'father figures' – are causing more young men to become reluctant to talk or express their emotions. Southgate voiced concern that 'this void is filled by a new kind of role model who do not have their best interest at heart'.

• Gareth Southgate rails against ‘callous toxic influencers’ in Dimbleby Lecture

Newcastle United beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley Stadium to win the Carabao Cup final. Goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak gave Newcastle a two-goal lead before Federico Chiesa scored a late consolation for Liverpool. The Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said: "With such a long wait for a trophy, this will be a day that I'm sure everyone will never forget." More than 32,000 Newcastle fans made the journey to Wembley and they celebrated the victory into the night.

• Eddie Howe ‘will never forget’ day Newcastle broke trophy drought

Sam Merson, son of the former footballer Paul Merson, scored an 'outrageous' goal for Hanworth Villa against Farnham Town. Merson's goal opened the scoring in the game which ultimately ended 1-1

Fifa president’s talk of the Club World Cup promoting access and equity is simply double-think to disguise another land grab

It takes a while for the voice to emerge from the background haze, a mist of generically noodling electronic music, the kind of music that comes filled with a comforting sense of death, hold music from the executive euthanasia clinic.

Finally the voice emerges, whispering through your headphones in that familiar rich, reverent Euro-tone, like being spoken to by the sun. This is a voice that says: I am here to command. But I am also just a conduit for a divinity that flows through me and into you. Although mainly, and let’s be absolutely clear, through me.

Lauren James and Mayra Ramírez shine in a convincing Chelsea display but bigger tests lie ahead

Do Chelsea get it done? You might as well ask in what direction the apple falls from the tree. There is an inevitability to them here, an infallible logic to their challenges and their combinations and their fighting and their running, a sense that the natural order of the universe is simply reasserting itself.

As it turned out the last half-hour at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday was a kind of omen, a trailer for the feature presentation. Here the intensity so lacking in the first leg in Manchester was there from the start. By half-time City are red-faced, not out of embarrassment  but exhaustion, as if not just the energy but the simple resolve has been drained from them. It’s three-nil, and to be quite honest Chelsea left a few more out there.

I thought: new football boots, new me, but it didn’t work out … and then a special edition of my favourites came on the market

There is something indescribably beautiful about finding a pair of football boots that fit you perfectly. It is like Cinderella’s glass slippers – your foot just slides in, the instep and arches ensconced in the cushioning – or putting Excalibur back in the stone. Until you go out on the pitch, anything is possible.

That boot for me is the Puma King. To be clear, this isn’t an advertorial – Herr Puma hasn’t given me a brown envelope, or a free pair. They are just the boots that fit. If I had slightly narrower feet and there’s no doubt I would be in the pocket of big Copa Mundial.

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There is a story about a wise old man who lived, many years ago, high in the Indian mountains. Every day the man ate the same food, not just the same breakfast or the same lunch but the exact same thing for every single meal, every single day, like Mariah Carey. He ate only this one thing, and though the precise details have been lost in the mists of time that thing was mainly rice so it was already quite boring – not just for him, but also for the person whose job it was to prepare his meals. Eventually the cook confronted him. “Why do you always eat the same thing?” the cook asked. “Are you not as bored of eating it as I am of cooking it?” The old man shook his head. “It is not the same food,” he said. “How can I eat exactly the same thing twice? Every day is different.”

I don’t really look at social media [abominations] or the media too much. Once I’m away from the pitch, I focus on enjoying myself and my family and friends, and I think that allows me to be at my best. It’s about having people around you that allow you to do that. Mine is also my dog [Brody]. When I come away from the pitch, I take the boys for a walk. They’re my little sons. That’s the way I look after myself and switch off” – Chloe Kelly tells Sophie Downey about how her family – and furry friend – help her cope with being in the spotlight now she’s back in the England fold.

Re: Memory Lane (yesterday’s Football Daily, full email edition). I reckon it must be Chelsea v Blackburn at Stamford Bridge on 31 January 2007. Chelsea won 3-0. They used to attack in those days, before José became a cantankerous old git” – Mike Grant (and a few other amateur sleuths).

May I suggest that could be Artur Jorge on the bench. I can’t find any evidence of Créteil, of whom he was then manager, having such a Blackburn-esque shirt although they do play in blue. FC Grenchen anyone? Do we care?” – Simon McMenamin.

Through some detective work with my colleague Adam Thoroughgood, we think we have identified what match the still on the Nokia N73 is from. We initially thought the wording on the bench said Chelseafc.com and was a still from a potential game against Blackburn, however as this would be a kit colour clash we couldn’t find a game where both Chelsea and Blackburn wore their home shirts. From Googling on kit websites I found that Porto wore a Blackburn-style half-white/half-blue shirt in the 2001-02 season. This led us to think the wording on the bench was Uefa.com so would be from a European game. Wiki told us José Mourinho became Porto manager in January 2002, which then limited it to four potential Big Cup games. We didn’t think it looked like the Bernabéu or Sparta Prague benches, and through watching the Panathinaikos game on YouTube, José’s coat looked too rain sodden in that game for it to be that one. So it leads us to believe the image of the handsome, resplendent-coat-wearing José on the Nokia is from Porto 1-2 Real Madrid on 27 February 2002” – Michael Pilcher.

You want us to identify a match from a blurry image on a near-20-year old phone? OK, go on then. The kit looks like Porto’s 2002 strip and I think it says Uefa.com at the back of the dugout so maybe a Big Cup match? I’m going to stick my neck out and say it’s Real Madrid v Porto on 19 February 2002. And the headless chap in the foreground is Carlos Secretário. Probably. The next mystery is why pick a four-year old photo to advertise a new phone” – Jon Gregory.

Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzy Wrack, Emma Sanders and Tom Garry to discuss a dramatic week for the women’s game

On this week’s Guardian Women’s Football Weekly: the panel discuss both Arsenal and Chelsea’s progression into the semi-finals of the Champions League.

With the international break looming, the relegation battle is on. Liverpool lost at home against Aston Villa, who moved out of the drop zone and four points clear of Crystal Palace.

Max Rushden is joined by Lars Sivertsen, Seb Hutchinson and Sanny Rudravajhala to look back on the FA Cup quarter-finals

Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.

On the podcast today; Crystal Palace stun Fulham thanks to an amazing Eberechi Eze performance. They’ll play Aston Villa in the semi-finals who comfortably beat Preston North End with Marcus Rashford finding his goalscoring boots after a four month drought.

Secret device was designed to improve players’ technique in the late 1920s and was later used by other top-flight clubs

“The men are not deviating by one hair’s breadth from the ordinary system of training. To alter that system even for a Cup final would be folly,” the Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman said, four days before the 1927 FA Cup final.

A description of that system was provided by the London Daily News. “Just before 10 each morning the players assemble and take ball practice,” it wrote. “This is varied by sprints on the track, as well as a light programme of physical jerks in the dressing room. Lunch is a modest item. An underdone steak varied with a small fillet of fried plaice or sole, plus a light vegetable ration, is the diet chiefly fancied, and fruit, raw and stewed, is popular with nearly all the men. The liquids at lunch are mainly non-intoxicants.”

The late, great striker entered Goodison folklore with the winning goal in an Anfield Merseyside derby

I didn’t have a great time at university. Academically it was fine – got in, got a 2:1 in history and got out – but socially I struggled. There were various reasons for that, a fair few of which were definitely my fault. Like joining zero societies. Like joining the uni magazine but writing zero articles for it. And like what happened on my first night there.

It was about 6pm on Monday 27 September 1999 and I was back in my dorm after registering for my courses, checking out the library and buying my first pint of milk and loaf of bread from the campus shop. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. It was Daniel, the lad from the next room, and he was standing alongside two girls I’d never seen but who were really attractive.

Do you know your Moonchester from your Gunnersaurus? If so, this quiz on football’s furry friends is for you

Plus: managers sacked just before cup finals, and teams with goal differences higher than their league position

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“Uzbekistan are playing Kyrgyzstan in a World Cup qualifier this Thursday,” notes Ben Jones. “Is this fixture the highest combined Scrabble score for a pair of Fifa nations? Bosnia and Herzegovina might have something to say, but I’m looking for a combined score from two teams who have actually played each other.”

Uzbekistan (25 Scrabble points) beat Kyrgyzstan (30) 1-0 to close in on a first-ever World Cup qualification – and Ben’s question inspired a flurry of tile-totting emails. Before we dive in, some ground rules. To try and keep things relatively simple, we’ll stick with the country names in English that are used by Fifa. So no long official names eg ‘Kingdom of …’ – and we’re using the English language Scrabble scoring system.

Iran v Laos (last played in 2004) is the lowest Scrabble score for an international fixture, notes Andrew Hastie.

Pete Tomlin suggests Venezuela v Brazil (38pts) as South America’s highest-scoring fixture, and New Zealand v Papua New Guinea (45pts) for Oceania.

Chris Roe adds that in English football, Sheffield Wednesday v Wolverhampton Wanderers is worth 75 points, opening a whole new can of worms.

Name the players who initially took part in – or tried to stop – the below iconic moments. We’ve provided as much help as possible …

Brazil striker may be on the move this summer but after a troubled journey he has found happiness at Molineux

Matheus Cunha’s time at Wolverhampton Wanderers may be coming to an end but the Brazilian forward will never forget his time with the club. He says he was reborn and “recovered his joy” there after two difficult years and the frustration of not being selected for the 2022 World Cup.

With 13 goals this season, Cunha is three away from scoring the most by a Brazilian in a single Premier League campaign. The record of 15 is jointly held by Roberto Firmino (for Liverpool in 2017-18) and Gabriel Martinelli (for Arsenal in 2022-23). Clearly Cunha has left behind the sadness of his time at Atlético Madrid and the 25-year-old speaks warmly about the new life he has found in a new country and the gratitude that has comes with that.

New head coach must find a way to focus Jude Bellingham and bring Premier League style to international stage

Thomas Tuchel does not have time on his side after opting not to oversee England’s Nations League games in November. He has looked to hit the ground running, just as he did when he won the Champions League four months after joining Chelsea, but building rhythm in international football is not easy. The players are not around for long and some games drift into irrelevance. Tuchel has started with two straightforward wins but neither set the pulse racing. The awkward reality is that qualification lacks jeopardy these days.

Jordan Henderson is a great leader for England. But he has been encouraged and applauded for the very same acts for which minority ethnic players are castigated and stigmatised

How shall I lead thee? Let me count the ways. I lead thee by stepping up and being vocal, around the dressing room, setting standards in training. I lead thee quietly by example, you know, the not-much-of-a-shouter‑and-a-screamer-but-when-he-speaks-people-listen kind. I lead thee by having been there, done that, won everything in the game. I lead thee by never backing down from a challenge. I lead thee by sheer gravitas.

By any of these measures, Jordan Henderson is a leader. He was a leader for Liverpool, raising standards and setting the tone for 12 golden years. He was a leader for the NHS and the LGBTQ+ community off the field. He was still a leader when he left Liverpool and moved to Saudi Arabia in an attempt to create – in his words – “positive change” in the country for his beloved LGBTQ+ constituents.

On 19 November 1969, the Brazil legend sparked wild celebrations with the 1,000th goal of his career – but it may have been scored five days earlier

It was 14 November 1969. For the world’s greatest player, it wasn’t the best penalty. More an untidy scuff into the bottom corner. But it was enough for Pelé and his Santos team to open the scoring in a 3-0 friendly win over lowly Botafogo da Paraiba. More importantly, it marked the great man’s 999th senior goal. Or did it?

Five days later, Santos travelled to Rio de Janeiro to face Vasco da Gama in a cup game and it seemed as if the entire nation was jammed into the cavernous Maracanã to witness a piece of football history. Despite a tropical rainstorm, every TV station, radio network and newspaper elbowed their way along the touchline waiting for the magic moment to happen.

Rodri has beaten Vinícius Júnior and Erling Haaland to top our ranking of the most talented players in the world this calendar year

• How all the judges voted | Rodri heads 2024 list | Our methodology | The top 100 female players in the world
• 2023 edition | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012

The Manchester City midfielder becomes the sixth player to top our ranking of the world’s best 100 male footballers

• The 100 best male footballers in the world 2024

One of the worst things about seeing Rodri in agony on the pitch against Arsenal in September – and the subsequent news that he had ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament – was that in the buildup to the injury he had criticised the workload being put on players. It was as if he knew something bad was about to happen.

In April, after an epic 3-3 draw at Real Madrid the Manchester City and Spain midfielder said: “I do need a rest.” He added: “Let’s see how we speak, how we live the situation. Sometimes it is what it is. I need to adjust. It [rest] is something we are planning, yes.”

Aitana Bonmatí finishes top of our rankings for a second consecutive year, with Caroline Graham Hansen second and Sophia Smith third

• Bonmatí on top of world again | How every judge voted | Video top ten | 2023 list | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018
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The Spanish midfielder wins for a second consecutive year on a fast-moving list that sees 15 players appearing for the first time

• The top 100: check out the full list for 2024

Aitana Bonmatí emulates her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas and takes back-to-back wins in the Guardian’s 100 best female footballers in the world list.

The double Ballon d’Or winner received votes from all 99 of this year’s judges, finishing 667 points clear of her club teammate Caroline Graham Hansen, the Norwegian climbing to her highest ranking after a superb individual year for both club and country.

From Franco Mastantuono to Estêvão, we select some of the most talented players born in 2007. Check the progress of our classes of 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 … and look at the editions from further back

We pick the best youngsters at each club born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008, an age band known as first-year scholars. Check the progress of our classes of 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 … and look at the editions from further back

From Warren Zaïre-Emery to Endrick, we select some of the best players born in 2006. Check the progress of our classes of 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018

• Next Generation 2023: 20 of the best Premier League talents