19 h. ago Chelsea manager latest, transfer updates and more: football news – live

⚽ Read Jacob Steinberg on Maresca’s Chelsea departure⚽ Fixtures | Tables | Follow us on Bluesky | Email TahaSo Enzo Maresca has left the building. It was a very decent stint on paper, one with two trophies, including a Club World Cup victory which may grow in significance if the tournament becomes a properly serious thing in the future. But it was pretty turbulent, too; Jacob Steinberg has the inside story on what went wrong.Hello, hello, hello and welcome to the first Friday blog of 2026. We’ve already had some drama at Stamford Bridge with the departure of Enzo Maresca, and there’s plenty of Premier League action to review/preview. But let’s just ease up before going full throttle and take in this excellent interview with Jess Carter, the Guardian Footballer of the Year.A lot of people don’t like the way I play football and that’s absolutely fine, but then attacking someone because of what they look like? I can’t do anything about that one, and I wouldn’t want to. I could never ...

Sport

20 h. ago The Guardian Footballer of the Year Jess Carter: ‘I remember not wanting to go out’

England defender publicly confronted racist abuse at the Euros and ended 2025 a title winner with club and countryThe Guardian Footballer of the Year is an award given to a player who has done something remarkable, whether by overcoming adversity, helping others or setting a sporting example by acting with exceptional honesty.Jess Carter has spent her life grappling with when to hold back and when to speak up; wrestling with being naturally herself, embodying the characteristics her parents instilled in her of being open, honest, vocal and confident, and subduing herself because, while society values those traits, in a black woman they can be viewed negatively. Continue reading...

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6 d. ago I was there: England’s Euro 2025 glory was a surreal, almost psychedelic blur

Sarina Wiegman’s champions took supporters on the most thrilling and nail-biting ride in Switzerland that was in many ways even more enjoyable to cover than their 2022 triumphSurreal. Utterly surreal. A home Euros in 2022 had provided wave after wave of emotion, England’s win at Wembley the culmination of decades of growth, setbacks, fight and deep longing. Everyone sang from the same hymn sheet for that maiden Euros win: the written press, broadcasters, fans, sponsors, Football Association, players and Sarina Wiegman and her staff. There were tears – lots. Having begun covering women’s football for the Guardian via a weekly column before the 2017 Euros, then gone full-time before the 2019 World Cup, I felt as if I had lived that progression, journeyed with them, contributed, in some small way, to that growth.The 2025 edition was different, surreal, an almost psychedelic experience. In many ways better than 2022. This was England’s first major tournament win – male or female – away ...

Politics

1 week ago Ousmane Dembélé quietly becomes the main man after long journey to the top

The Frenchman, who has been named the best male footballer in the world by the Guardian, has benefitted from PSG’s focus on the team rather than individualsWhat makes a good player great, and a great player the best? This question has been occupying me since 2014, when the Guardian first asked me to contribute to its inaugural Next Generation feature. My job was to look for a France-based talent born in 1997 who could go on to have a stellar career.After a great deal of research, I narrowed it down from my shortlist of five by asking questions not about the players’ football ability, but about other attributes: resilience, adaptability, decision-making, creativity, work ethic, response to feedback and willingness to learn. Qualities we cannot see, and are harder to measure. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago How the Guardian ranked the 100 best male footballers in the world 2025

Didi Hamann, Romário and Dunga were part of our 219-strong voting panel to decide who should make our list this yearIf someone, back in 1994, had said that at one point in my life I would work on a project selecting the world’s best footballers together with Romário, I would not have believed them.That summer I was living in Rosersberg, seeing Sweden make their way to a World Cup semi-final, watching the late games at the local Blå Laguna pizza restaurant. Tommy Svensson’s team finally came unstuck against a Brazil side not only containing the wonderful Romário, but also Bebeto, Dunga, Jorginho and Raí. Brazil went on to win the World Cup, beating Italy on penalties in the final. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Brighton accused of ‘dangerous precedent’ after ban on Guardian over Tony Bloom coverage

MPs, media and supporter groups accuse club of attacking press freedom with bar after reporting on ownerBrighton & Hove Albion has been accused of setting a “dangerous precedent”, as it faced criticism for banning Guardian reporters and photographers from home matches after reports on allegations concerning the club’s owner.MPs, media and football supporter groups accused the Premier League club of attacking press freedom after its decision to bar the Guardian from the Amex Stadium, after coverage of allegations relating to Tony Bloom. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Brighton bans Guardian from stadium over reporting on Tony Bloom

Reporters and photographers barred from Amex StadiumGuardian says reporting is in public interestThe Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion has banned the Guardian’s reporters and photographers from attending matches at its home ground after it reported on allegations relating to the club’s owner, Tony Bloom.The club notified the Guardian on Sunday to say it felt it “would be inappropriate for journalists and photographers from the Guardian to be accredited to matches at the Amex, starting from Sunday’s game against West Ham”. The move follows reports in the Guardian that have raised questions from MPs about the activities of Bloom, a billionaire who has made his money from gambling. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Brighton ban Guardian from stadium over reporting on Tony Bloom

Reporters and photographers barred from Amex StadiumGuardian says reporting is in the public interestBrighton & Hove Albion have banned the Guardian’s reporters and photographers from attending matches at the Amex Stadium after it reported on allegations relating to the Premier League club’s owner, Tony Bloom.The club notified the Guardian on Sunday to say it felt it “would be inappropriate for journalists and photographers from the Guardian to be accredited to matches at the Amex, starting from Sunday’s game against West Ham”. The move follows reports in the Guardian that have raised questions from MPs about the activities of Bloom, a billionaire who has made his money from gambling. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Premier League buildup, FA Cup second round updates, and more – live

Brighton v West Ham, Fulham v Palace to comeShare your thoughts with Matchday live hereHave you tried the Guardian’s new football game, Off The Ball?You can find it on the ‘Puzzles’ section of the app. Test your knowledge now! Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Aitana Bonmatí makes Guardian top 100 history with third straight title

The margin may have got smaller but the brilliant Spanish midfielder makes it a hat-trick of No 1 finishesThey say the best things come in threes, and Aitana Bonmatí has written herself into the Guardian’s top 100 history as the first player to finish at the top of the tree for a third consecutive year.Last year the majestic midfielder emulated her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas by winning for a second year running, but the 27-year-old has now gone one better, establishing herself once again at the top of the women’s game. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Aitana Bonmatí makes Guardian top 100 history with third title in a row

The margin may have got smaller but the brilliant Spanish midfielder makes it a hat-trick of No 1 finishesThey say the best things come in threes, and Aitana Bonmatí has written herself into the Guardian’s top 100 history as the first player to finish at the top of the tree for a third consecutive year.Last year the majestic midfielder emulated her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas by winning for a second year running, but the 27-year-old has now gone one better, establishing herself once again at the top of the women’s game. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago See how every judge voted in the 100 best female footballers for 2025

We publish the full breakdown of the 104,140 votes cast this year plus a chance to search for any player who has ever received a pointAitana Bonmatí has been voted the best female footballer in the world 2025 by the Guardian’s panel of experts. We asked 127 people in total, including players, coaches and journalists from all over the globe to create our definitive list for the year.We asked the judges to choose 40 names each and rank their selection in order from 1-40, No 1 being their choice of the best player. The No 1 choice of each judge was awarded 40 points, No 2 given 39pts, down to 1pt for their No 40 choice. All the votes were added together to give a raw score. To minimise the influence of outliers in the list, the highest score awarded to a player was then deducted to give a final score. Continue reading...

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