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New Zealand put up 173 on the board thanks to Conway’s fifty, but it wasn’t enough

Alagappan Muthu22-Dec-2020Pakistan really rate Mohammad Rizwan. Their followers might continue to doubt him. But the team itself is firmly behind the wicketkeeper-batsman. And that belief is a powerful thing. It lifts people and makes them do extraordinary things.That was the case in Napier, where Rizwan led his team to one of their best ever wins in T20Is. His 89 off 59 was the centrepiece of Pakistan’s fourth-highest chase in the shortest format.

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New Zealand did well to get a strong total on the board thanks to Devon Conway’s half-century at the back end of the innings and as hard as they tried to defend it, the dew that came down in the evening, along with a hamstring injury to Ish Sodhi, were odds too great to overcome.The change bowlerFaheem Ashraf started his spell with a lot of wobble seam deliveries. Mostly because he was bowling at a time when the pitch offered grip to virtually every kind of change-up delivery. This is what has been missing from Pakistan’s game all series. The ability to read the conditions early and adapting to them quickly.The allrounder’s impact was immediate. He took out captain Kane Williamson with a back of a length ball that kept a touch low and didn’t come onto the bat. Then he produced a flash of genius when he went through the in-form Tim Seifert with a ball that decked in off the pitch and took out the top of off stump.New Zealand had made a strong start – 47 for 2 at the end of the powerplay – but Ashraf dragged them back beautifully.Devon Conway acknowledges the applause on getting to his fifty•AFP/Getty Images

The Con manNew Zealand found themselves having to re-start their innings all over again. But they suffered a serious blow in the 15th over when they lost Glenn Phillips – once again the slower ball doing the trick. The score was 109. There were only 35 balls remaining. Time was running out.Being out there batting in a situation like that can feel suffocating. But Conway, playing only his sixth international game, stepped up in a way that suggests he will be a long-time presence in this team.He is electric through the off side, as Shaheen Afridi found out immediately after taking that Phillips wicket. Two scorching cover drives kickstarted New Zealand’s push in the slog overs. And it also featured an effortless flick for six off the extreme pace of Haris Rauf.Conway does seem vulnerable at the start of his innings – as most batsmen do – but once he’s through that tough period he really knows how to make it count. Because of him, New Zealand hit 64 runs in the last 5.5 overs.The match-winnerIt began in discomfort. Trent Boult’s inswingers buzzed around his pads. Tim Southee very nearly had him bowled. The new ball under lights was doing some tricky things.But Rizwan, having made starts and thrown it away in both previous matches of this series, was determined not to make the same mistake again. He was also helped by a two-paced pitch turning into a batting beauty thanks to the dew.Still, some of his strokeplay was hair-raising good. Any time the New Zealand bowlers strayed even slightly on his pads, he was ready with a range of shots. The scoop over fine leg. The flick over square leg. The pull over midwicket. He got 70 of his 89 runs on the leg side.Rizwan controlled the chase from start to finish and though his wicket in the last over did create a little excitement, Pakistan needed only three further runs to win and those were struck in emphatic fashion as Iftikhar Ahmed calmly sent the ball into orbit above McLean Park.

Manchester United are showing interest in Bayern Munich goalkeeper Mala Grohs as Lionesses No.1 Mary Earps prepares to bid farewell to the club.

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• Earps set to leave Man Utd for PSG
• Red Devils have capable back-up in Tullis-Joyce
• But are considering move for Bayern No.1 Grohs

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  It was revealed earlier this week that Earps will not renew her expiring contract with the Red Devils and is instead set for a move to France, to join Paris Saint-Germain. Man Utd are already eyeing up replacements, it seems, as in Germany understands that the club is interested in Grohs, who kept 14 clean sheets in 21 Bundesliga outings last season to help Bayern win the title.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite Man Utd not being an established title-challenger or Champions League side, the report says that Grohs would be open to the move because she has a 'personal target' to join a 'top club' in England's Women's Super League.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  It's a rumour that has come as a surprise to some, as Man Utd already have a fantastic goalkeeper at the club in Phallon Tullis-Joyce. The American joined last summer from Seattle Reign, where she established herself as one of the best shot-stoppers in the NWSL, but struggled for opportunities behind Earps.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR GROHS AND MAN UTD?

  Despite her obvious quality, it appears that Tullis-Joyce might struggle for minutes even when Earps leaves, if Man Utd are looking at Grohs. Whether a move will materialise, or which other candidates they assess for a summer move, we'll soon see.

Niroshan Dickwella’s return to form secured a thrilling nine-run win for his side

Madushka Balasuriya05-Dec-2020How the game played outThe Dambulla Viiking withstood game-changing innings from Danushka Gunathilaka and Azam Khan, as well as a host of dropped catches, to eventually secure a hard-fought nine run win – their fourth win of the tournament – and with it a place in the semi-finals of the Lanka Premier League.Having been set an imposing target of 208, at 47 for 2 in the sixth over, the Gladiators were in danger of falling behind a required rate that was already quite steep.Enter Azam Khan, whose 24-ball 55 would transform the entire innings, as the Gladiators, who had been second-favourites for much of the game, were all of a sudden looking the side likelier to pull off a win.Khan and Gunathilaka would put on 94 together, though it wasn’t a stand without its moments of peril, with Gunathilaka and Azam dropped twice and once respectively. Had those catches been taken at the first time of asking though, the game would not have been nearly as close an affair.For the Gladiators, the result, which is their fifth consecutive defeat and one which sees them rooted to the bottom of the table, will be particularly worrying in the context of their seeming inability to impact the game with the ball.At no point in the Viiking innings were they put under any sort of pressure by the Gladiators’ bowlers, with the 110-run opening stand between Niroshan Dickwella and Upul Tharanga coming with neither batsman required to undertake any real risk.And by the time Dickwella fell, midway through the 13th over, the platform was set for Dasun Shanaka – who rarely needs an invitation to attack – to have free rein. Shanaka would continue his rich vein of form, smashing a 21-ball 37 to propel the Viiking past 200.Niroshan Dickwella clobbers one away•LPL

Stars of the dayWhile his team remains rooted to the bottom of the table, captain Gunathilaka is peaking the heady heights at the top of the tournament top-scorer charts. The most distinctive feature of Gunathilaka’s batting is his uncanny ability to split the field; while other batsmen focus on clearing the fielders in the deep, Gunathilaka takes pleasure in dissecting them with forensic precision.The big difference for the Gladiators from their previous games was that Gunathilaka was finally provided substantial support at the other end. Azam’s 55 came at a rate comfortably beyond 200, as he utilised a combination of his powerful frame and deft wristwork to grab the momentum – that had until that point been firmly in the Viiking camp – and, more importantly, give Gunathilaka the freedom to play at his own pace.For the Viiking, the big positive would have been the return to form of Dickwella. With several of his national team-mates having already cashed in with big scores, it wouldn’t be surprising if Dickwella’s 50 runs across four games had left him with a minor case of FOMO. A 37-ball 60 later however, he will be feeling much better about himself, though it owed as much to the Gladiators’ lack of penetration as it did to Dickwella hunkering down and playing more percentage cricket – he attempted, uncharacteristically, just one scoop all innings. But seeing how effective this new approach proved, the Viiking will be hoping for more of the same for the rest of the tournament.Turning pointAnwar Ali bowling the penultimate over of the Gladiators chase. With 21 required of 12 balls, and Gunathilaka at the crease, the odds were in the Gladiators’ favour. But Ali would call upon every ounce of experience to give away just four runs, while picking up the crucial wicket of Gunathilaka – despite having dropped him once already in the over.The big missGunathilaka was dropped thrice, once each at the start of the 11th and 13th overs, and then incredibly once more in the penultimate over of the game. While the first was an admittedly tough chance, smacked flat and hard to Ashen Bandara at deep midwicket, the second was not as easy to forgive, as Ramesh Mendis running in from deep square leg spilled a slog-sweep that was miscued high into the air. The final drop though looked to have been the most painful of the lot, Ali missing a skied return catch in the penultimate over of the game, but he would get his man two balls later to ensure the Viiking would ultimately not pay for their lax efforts in the field.Where the teams standWith the Viiking joining the Jaffna Stallions on eight points, and bottom side Gladiators now only able to get a maximum of six points, both the Viiking and Stallions have become the first side to qualify for the semi-finals. For the Gladiators, they need to start winning and also hope results go their way, with their game against the Kandy Tuskers likely to be a play-off of sorts.

The best batting, bowling and all-round performances from the tournament

Anantha Narayanan20-Jul-2019This is an analysis of the leading performers of this year’s World Cup, based on my ODI performance-ratings methodology. The complete details of the methodology can be perused here – click here for the batting methodology, and here for the bowling one.A significant tweak for the World Cup
Readers might remember that I use the par score values, both batting and bowling, extensively in my performance-ratings work. I determine the par scores based on a comprehensive analysis of the decisive matches, by period. For the last period, i.e. 2014-19, the batting par score was 300 and the bowling par score 233. All my initial work was based on these values. However, as we came up to the knockout stages of the World Cup, it was clear that the scores were nowhere near as high as expected; the tournament had many scores below 300.I also did a complete analysis for the World Cup itself. Lo and behold, what did I find out? The batting par score was 268 and the bowling par score 222. I could not just ignore these significant variations, especially considering it was such an important event, so I made a tweak, only for the World Cup. Once I applied these tweaked par scores, the batting points moved higher and the bowling points lower. Now that the World Cup is over, I am going to completely overhaul my ODI ratings system, based on ideas offered by readers and my exchanges with them.One important point: for the purposes of the performance ratings analysis, since the final was a tie, the players get credit for a tied match, which is two-thirds of a that for a result match. What happened afterwards, in the Super Over, is not part of this analysis. More on that later.

The best innings of this World Cup was played early in the tournament. The Indian bowlers kept South Africa to a sub-par 227. It was not going to be an easy chase, considering the quality of South Africa’s bowling. Rohit Sharma played a mature, measured and beautifully paced innings of 122 not out to take India to a comfortable win.For New Zealand against West Indies, Kane Williamson came in at 0 for 1 and saw the score slump to 7 for 2. Few would have realised that the match would hang in balance till the last ball, about seven hours later. Williamson scored a truly magnificent 148 at almost a run a ball and took New Zealand to a match-winning 291. The importance of Williamson’s innings, and of this particular match, cannot be over-emphasised.Bangladesh have a world-class bowling attack. When Australia played them at Trent Bridge, David Warner was in blistering form and scored a quick-fire 166, the highest score in the tournament, and took Australia to 381. All those runs were needed since Bangladesh scored well over 300 in the chase.Ben Stokes played arguably his greatest ODI innings in the final, against New Zealand. Coming in at 71 for 3, he stayed till the last ball, scoring 84 priceless runs to tie the match. What he did in the Super Over is outside the purview of this analysis. His tour de force ultimately proved to be a World-Cup-winning effort, if not a match-winning one. Since the match was a tie, Stokes only gets tie-related points. Else, this would have been the best innings of the World Cup.Aaron Finch‘s 153 against Sri Lanka was almost identical to Warner’s effort and gave Australia an easy win.Readers can see that the top six innings are all within a point’s range. Two innings deserve mention. Ravindra Jadeja‘s 77 in 59 balls, which almost took the semi-final away from New Zealand, and Nathan Coulter-Nile‘s masterly 92 at a strike rate of 153.33, which lifted Australia from 147 for 6 to a match-winning 288 against West Indies. Jadeja’s was in a lost cause, but Coulter-Nile’s innings saw Australia narrowly sneak home.

The league match between Australia and England was a curtain-raiser to the semi-final a couple of weeks later. England needed to win to comfortably qualify for the semis and they looked to be on track when they restricted Australia to a good but not imposing total of 285. Then left-armer Jason Behrendorff took centre stage, dismissing both openers and later taking three wickets when Stokes mounted a counterattack. His 5 for 44 takes pride of place.Four days before the Australia game, England had lost unexpectedly to Sri Lanka, though they kept them to a middling 232 for 9. They had no answers against Lasith Malinga, who took everyone back a decade with a devastating spell of pace bowling, eventually finishing with 4 for 43 in a 20-run win.In third place is Mitchell Starc, for his 5 for 26 against New Zealand. Australia scored only 243 and New Zealand seemed well on their way when Starc produced a masterclass of left-arm seam bowling. His five-for bowled New Zealand out for 157.The theoretical chances Pakistan had of qualifying depended on their defeating Bangladesh by over 300 runs – an impossible task. However, they started well and put up 315. Then Shaheen Afridi ran rings around the Bangladesh batsmen, taking six wickets for 35, which included four top-order wickets.In the final, Lockie Ferguson produced a bowling masterclass of 3 for 50 – two top-order wickets and the timely dismissal of Chris Woakes took this spell into the top five. If New Zealand had won, this might have been the best bowling performance of the World Cup.The other performance worth a mention is Matt Henry‘s match-winning burst at the top of the India innings in the semi-final. This spell of 3 for 37 fetched more points than many four- or five-wicket spells.
Let us also not forget Liam Plunkett’s three top-order wickets in the final.

This table is led by two magnificent performances by Shakib Al Hasan. The first was against West Indies. He took 2 for 54 in the huge West Indian total of 321 and then scored a blinding 124 to take Bangladesh to a comprehensive win, with nearly nine overs to spare. Against Afghanistan he made a half-century in Bangladesh’s 262 and then took 5 for 29 to defend the middling total.Joe Root and Stokes just about did enough bowling to qualify for this table, and their batting-dominant performances take them into the top five. (I recognise either five overs or two wickets as a “valid” spell.)Mohammad Hafeez‘s lovely innings of 84 and a controlled bowling performance against England gets him the fifth place.Jadeja, in addition to his brilliant innings, had an excellent run-restricting spell of 1 for 34 in the semi-final against New Zealand and gets into the top ten.Ben Stokes made five scores of 50-plus in the World Cup and turned up to bat in the Super Over in the final after making an unbeaten 84 earlier in the innings•Getty ImagesMy takeaways from the tournament
My favourite batting performances were Coulter-Nile’s attacking match-winning innings against West Indies and the two equally stirring innings by Carlos Brathwaite and Jadeja, both in losing causes. If Brathwaite’s shot against New Zealand had travelled a metre further, the story of the World Cup might have been different. In Jadeja’s case, India’s chances always looked difficult. Coulter-Nile’s innings tops it for me, then, since it was in a winning cause.On May 27, 1999, Australia looked forlorn and listless at Chester-le-Street, staring at the stark reality that they needed to win every one of their remaining matches to win the World Cup. Starting with Bangladesh, they did just that, also sneaking in a tie in the semi. The two players who contributed the most towards this resurrection were Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.On June 30, 2019, England looked similarly forlorn and listless, needing to win every one of their remaining games to win this World Cup. They had a tougher task than Australia did, having to face the mighty Indians at Edgbaston. They duly beat India and all their other opponents, and the batsmen who contributed the most towards this resurrection were Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow, who added 160, 123, 124 and 28 for the first wicket. It is no wonder that they form the most formidable pair of the 2019 World Cup.My favourite bowling performance was Matt Henry’s burst at the beginning of the India innings in the semi-final. Looking at what transpired later, if New Zealand had not struck a few times during the first ten overs, the match would have slipped out of their fingers. It was great bowling but also nothing short of a miracle. Henry did something similar against Sri Lanka, but this performance came in a semi-final.The match of the tournament was, arguably, this semi-final. The tactical awareness of Williamson and Ross Taylor, the situation-inspired batting in the later stages, the opening burst, the brilliant catching and fielding, the quality of India’s bowling, and the mercurial, never-say-die batting of Jadeja all made me think back to the Edgbaston semi-final 20 years ago, which was one of the greatest World Cup matches ever. The other semi-final was a romp in the park. I have chosen to ignore the final because the excitement of the match does not hide errors of umpiring and shortcomings in the tournament guidelines relating to the second level tie-break.The player who changed the course of the tournament has to be Stokes. Just consider the following:Five scores between 79 and 89. Each of these innings came when the chips were down and the runs were good as gold. The 84 in the final was followed by key strikes in the Super Over. The blistering 79 in the league game against India was the real match-winner. Then there were the magnificent 89 and 82 in losing causes against Australia and Sri Lanka; and his 89 against South Africa, which won the match for England. Add to these the key wickets he took and his superlative fielding efforts, and it is clear no other player had a greater impact on the World Cup.Trent Boult might be a contender. He had several highlights – the hat-trick against Australia, the catch off Brathwaite, the ball that dismissed Virat Kohli – but unfortunately he went wicketless in the final.The final: Two teams fight tooth and nail for eight hours and score the same number of runs in 50 overs. Then they get into another contest for an over each and score the same number of runs. What is the need to decide the winner based on the quirky and unfair number-of-boundaries rule? Why could the ICC not have declared the two teams joint winners? That was the option, after all, if the match day and the reserve day had been rained off.I would have said the same thing if “wickets taken” had been the second-level tie-breaker. How would England and their supporters have taken that loss? This is said while acknowledging that England had the best credentials to be named the winner of the World Cup. They are not responsible for the ICC’s rules, decided a few years back. “Neither team deserved to lose” should not just be a phrase in passing; it should be backed up by the rules. What happened was not anticipated but should have been.The DRS: In the semi-finals and final, there were some tricky DRS situations. Roy’s dismissal did not matter but Ross Taylor’s was crucial, and New Zealand didn’t have a review to appeal the wrong decision. A solution has to be found to avoid umpire howlers. One option is to give a team two DRS referrals per match instead of one per innings. If a team uses both referrals in the first innings, they have no referrals for the second. If they do not use one in the first innings, they have two for the second.A poignant tale to end this article
I was in touch with Martin Crowe between 2013 and 2015, after he contacted me to express his happiness at seeing the recognition received by iconic New Zealand players in my analyses. After New Zealand lost the 2015 World Cup final, I emailed him, and this is a relevant extract from that mail. “Four years from now, New Zealand would enter the World Cup final and I am sure you would be at Lord’s to wish and cheer for them. All my prayers and best wishes to you for this.” His reply was immediate and it read: “Many thanks, Ananth, for your wishes and prayers. I do not know how much time I have and whether I have enough days available to see the 2019 World Cup. I hope your wish comes true.” Sadly, that was his last mail to me. He passed away a year later.For the past year, I have been expressing my wish in various fora that I would really like two teams from either of South Africa, New Zealand or England to contest the 2019 final. No disrespect or lack of patriotism, simply a wish to have a new deserving winner, and a part of this was also influenced by the above-referenced correspondence. Martin would have wanted New Zealand to win the World Cup, and for his sake, I hoped they did, although I have no problems about the outstanding England team having won. This is not a heart v mind situation. I like both teams.My next article will be on my favoured format – Test cricket. My ideas plate is full and the problem I have is to select which idea to cover.

RCB batter says it hasn’t been a conscious decision to bat at a higher tempo this IPL season

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-20241:01

Kohli’s form ‘never in doubt’ – Wasim Jaffer

Virat Kohli is scoring at a strike rate of 146 in this year’s IPL. Only once has he ever scored quicker and that was in 2016 when he was the kind of form where he was threatening the 1000-run mark. Is this a conscious effort? Is he trying to bat differently, more aggressively?”Look I’m not coming with any premeditation,” Kohli said after making the first century of the 2024 season that took Royal Challengers Bangalore to a total of 183 on a Jaipur pitch that was on the slower side. “Whatever the surface allows me to do, I do that. Today I wasn’t 20 off 9. I was 12 off 10.”Kohli has seemed more willing to take risks, particularly looking to hit over the top to find boundaries. He is lofting more balls per innings this year than in any of the last 10. But he is putting that down to his usual process of assessing the game in front of him and knowing that if the need arises he can go big whenever he wants.”So I knew I can’t go over-aggressive. I don’t want to be predictable. I know I can step up at any point because I’m hitting the ball well. But I want to keep the bowler guessing as to what I’m going to do. They probably want me to come hard at them so they can get me out or have an early breakthrough. But I feel like if I’m set and if I bat beyond six overs, then our chance of getting good totals becomes that much better. So I guess it is just experience and maturity over the years and understanding the conditions that you’re playing. I basically play the conditions and I have the game ready to play in two or three different ways.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Kohli’s century on Saturday night was the eighth of his IPL career, two clear of any other batter in the history of the tournament. He needed 67 balls to get there though, which makes it the joint-slowest. Kohli explained that it was not easy to hit the shots that he wanted to hit because of the lack of pace and bounce, which the Rajasthan Royals spinners used to their advantage to finish with combined figures of 8-0-62-2.”Nothing really came onto the bat. Even a few shots that I tried to play against Yuzvendra Chahal, just trying to slog him, they kept going under the bat. Even R Ashwin, it just felt like you couldn’t get under the carrom ball to hit over midwicket. All you could target was straight if they missed their length. So if you’re consistent enough, the batters were finding it difficult out there.”The wicket feels like its flat but as soon as you see the ball holding up in the pitch, that’s when you realise the pace is changing pretty quickly and then the big dimensions of the ground come into play. Our target initially was 190, 195, to be honest. But then assessing the pitch and how it was slowing down, we decided if one of Faf [du Plessis] or me get out, then the other had to bat till the end so that we can get that boost closer to 180-185, which we did, which I feel is a very effective total on this pitch.”Kohli has contributed 38% of all of RCB’s runs this season. He holds the Orange Cap with a tally of 316 from five innings and has now crossed 7500 runs in the IPL,

Eight teams have completed a clean sweep of domestic and European silverware in the last 34 years, but which stands out as the best?

At long last, Paris Saint-Germain have got their hands on the Champions League trophy after demolishing Italian giants Inter 5-0 in the 2025 final at the Allianz Arena. The first European crown in PSG's entire history capped a remarkable season that also saw Luis Enrique's side romp to the Ligue 1 title and Coupe de France as they joined a very exclusive club.

PSG are only the eighth team to have won the treble since the European Cup was rebranded as the Champions League in 1991. Luis Enrique also achieved the feat at Barcelona in 2014-15, which puts him alongside Pep Guardiola, who is the only other manager to deliver the three biggest trophies on offer in a single season for two different clubs (at Barcelona in 2008-09 and Manchester City in 2022-23).

Elsewhere, Sir Alex Ferguson became the first modern-day coach to achieve the feat at Manchester United in 1998-99, Jose Mourinho defied all the odds at Inter in 2009-10, and Jupp Heynckes and Hansi Flick both became immortals at Bayern Munich (in 2012-13 and 2019-20, respectively). There have been plenty of other great Champions League-winning teams, but these eight sit in a class of their own for showing such incredible consistency across all of the major competitions.

GOAL has attempted to rank the holy octet below, and the comments section is now open… let the debate begin!

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  8Inter (2009-10)

  Jose Mourinho's second season at Inter was arguably his last truly great season as a manager, and perhaps the finest one of his entire career. The Portuguese delivered the Scudetto in his first year at San Siro, but the summer additions of Samuel Eto'o, Wesley Sneijder, Diego Milito and Lucio took the Nerazzurri to a whole new level.

  Inter were pushed all the way in the Serie A title race by Roma, but pipped them to the post by two points after Milito's final-day winner against Siena, and finished with the best attacking and defensive records in the division. Mourinho's side also beat Roma 1-0 in the Coppa Italia final, courtesy of more heroics from Milito, who would incredibly also prove to be the hero in the Champions League showpiece.

  Inter saw off Chelsea and CSKA Moscow before pulling off an upset for the ages against Barcelona in the semi-finals, progressing after a 1-0 loss at Camp Nou that Mourinho called "the most beautiful defeat of my life", because it wasn't enough for the Blaugrana to overturn a 3-1 deficit from the first leg. Another counter-attacking masterclass would come in the final as a Milito brace fired Inter to a 2-0 win against Bayern Munich.

  It wasn't always pretty, but each and every member of the dressing room was willing to run through a brick wall for Mourinho, and that team spirit gave Inter the edge in all of the biggest games.

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  7Bayern Munich (2019-20)

  Bayern's 2019-20 season did not start well, with Niko Kovac losing his job at the start of November after a chastening 5-1 Bundesliga defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt. Hansi Flick was the man tasked with lifting a Bayern team that had fallen to fourth in the table, and though he would lose two of his first four league games in charge, he soon transformed the team into an unstoppable winning machine.

  With 18 wins from their final 19 games, Bayern romped to the title, finishing 13 points clear of arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund. They also downed Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 in the DFB-Pokal final to complete a domestic double, but that wasn't much of a surprise considering they had managed the same feat in 2018-19.

  Bayern had pulled so far ahead of the rest in German football that they were being judged mainly on their Champions League exploits. Flick's men had to win the competition to silence those who doubted their overall quality, and they did so in emphatic fashion, winning all of their games (albeit while benefiting from UEFA temporarily scrapping two-legged knockout ties due to Covid-19 pandemic).

  After dispatching Chelsea 7-1 on aggregate before that change, Bayern absolutely battered Barcelona into submission with an 8-2 win in the quarter-finals, and then saw off Lyon and PSG to lift the trophy. Flick's direct, high-intensity style of play made Bayern the footballing equivalent of a bulldozer, and Robert Lewandowski served as the wrecking ball with a staggering 55 goals across all competitions.

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  6Manchester City (2022-23)

  Man City became the most dominant team in England after Pep Guardiola arrived in 2016, but for so long Champions League success remained elusive. Monaco, Liverpool, Tottenham and Lyon all ended City's European dreams before they suffered a heart-breaking defeat to Chelsea in the 2021 final and an agonising semi-final loss to Real Madrid the following year, leaving many fans wondering if they were under some kind of curse.

  That was lifted in 2022-23, though, with Erling Haaland proving to be the final piece of the puzzle after his transfer from Dortmund. The Norwegian terminator plundered 52 goals in his debut campaign at the Etihad, including 12 in the Champions League, with City blitzing past RB Leipzig and Bayern before exacting revenge on Madrid in the last four and edging out Inter 1-0 in the final.

  As a result of their European exertions, City were not always at their best domestically, but they clicked into top gear down the home straight with 11 wins on the bounce to secure a third-successive Premier League title with three games to spare. Guardiola's all-conquering team also conceded just one goal en route to winning the FA Cup, and completely outclassed neighbours Manchester United in the final.

  City's domestic procession was too predictable for them to be any higher on this list, but they were undeniably one of the most complete sides of all time. Haaland wasn't the only one to deliver, as Kevin De Bruyne reached the pinnacle of his playmaking abilities, Rodri ran the show in a deeper role, Ruben Dias was colossal at the back and Rico Lewis and John Stones both shone in hybrid midfield roles, with Guardiola once again leading the way as a tactical innovator.

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  5Paris Saint-Germain (2024-25)

  Let's get this harsh truth out of the way first: PSG are by far and away the best team in the worst of Europe's top five divisions. Ligue 1's status as a 'farmer's league' was cemented this term as Luis Enrique's side finished 19 points clear of second-placed Marseille with a +57 goal difference and only two losses on their record.

  It was practically a certainty that PSG would be crowned champions again, and retain the Coupe de France, which they achieved via a comfortable final win against Reims. There's no doubt that the competitiveness in the French top-flight has suffered since the Qatari takeover at PSG some 14 years ago, but that fact will be put to one side for a while longer after their spectacular run in the Champions League.

  PSG became only the second French club to ever win the trophy, and the manner in which they dismantled Inter was nothing short of breath-taking. Simone Inzaghi's team couldn't lay a glove on PSG, who were also single-handedly responsible for busting the myth that the Premier League has become too powerful after overcoming Man City, Liverpool, Aston Villa Arsenal in the earlier rounds.

  Luis Enrique created a special team after losing Kylian Mbappe, with Desire Doue, Joao Neves, Willian Pacho and Khivicha Kvaratskhelia all proving to be incredible signings while the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, Achraf Hakimi and Gianluigi Donnarumma have taken their respective games to new levels. Ligue 1's failings should not count against this ruthless, swashbuckling version of PSG, who can outplay and outwork any team.

Despite already reaching a verbal agreement to sign Botafogo trio Igor Jesus, Cuiabano and Jair Cunha, Nottingham Forest have reportedly made an approach to sign another Brazilian ace.

Nottingham Forest set to sign Botafogo trio

Evangelos Marinakis has wasted no time before turning towards the South American market yet again at the City Ground. The Greek owner has had previous success when welcoming the likes of Murillo and may have completed another act of genius by reaching an agreement to sign the aforementioned Botafogo trio.

Jesus particularly stands out among the three. The impressive striker could quickly become the air to Chris Wood’s striker throne at the City Ground, having scored eight goals in Brazil throughout the 2024/25 campaign after netting 25 in all competitions in the season prior at both Botafogo and at Shabab Al-Ahli Club.

Meanwhile, if Nottingham Forest fans needed any further introduction to Jesus and Cunha, then one glimpse at the Club World Cup should have given them exactly that. Both players scored in Botafogo’s 2-1 win against Seattle Sounders, whilst Cuiabano also featured from the bench.

All signs point towards excellent business by Nottingham Forest, but the Tricky Trees are not done there. With European football to look forward to next season, those at the City Ground are in their strongest position for a long time to attract some top talents.

It’s not something that Marinakis is keen to waste, either. With three Brazilian talents already on the way, Forest have also been linked with moves for the likes of Yoanne Wissa. The Brentford forward was the subject of interest from the City Ground in January and now that interest has reportedly been reignited.

Meanwhile, Forest aren’t done in South America either amid reports that they’ve made an approach to sign a fourth Brazilian talent this summer.

Nottingham Forest make Romulo Cardoso approach

According to GE Globo, as relayed by Sport Witness, Nottingham Forest have now made an approach to sign Romulo Cardoso from Goztepe this summer. The impressive forward is still just 23 years old and would be arriving off the back of an excellent campaign which saw him score 17 goals and create another 13 in Turkey.

That said, Forest aren’t alone in the race to sign the forward. Joining them, RB Leipzig and Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers are also reportedly interested in signing Romulo this summer. The Bundesliga club will become a particular threat if they are forced to replace Arsenal target Benjamin Sesko in the coming months.

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Whether Forest’s growing Brazilian contingent helps to convince the clinical goalscorer will be interesting to see too. The City Ground is quickly becoming the place to be for South American stars on the rise and Romulo could become the latest to make his way to the Midlands.

With contact already made and a number of clubs chasing his signature, Romulo has arguably the biggest decision of his career to make so far this summer.

Something that can get forgotten about when a team, Leeds United in this case, is promoted to the Premier League is that there will be players who will not be good enough for the step up.

One player who started regularly in the Championship this season who is also in danger of dropping out of the side in the top-flight is Brenden Aaronson, who scored for his country on Sunday.

The USA international produced nine goals and two assists in 43 starts in the second tier for the Whites, but struggled when Leeds were last in the big time, with one goal in 36 Premier League games.

Aaronson did not do enough in the 2022/23 campaign and that is why he should be concerned by the club’s fresh interest in a new number ten.

Leeds are confident of signing Premier League midfielder

According to a report from Spain, Leeds believe that they are close to sealing a deal to sign Brighton & Hove Albion attacking midfielder Facundo Buonanotte during the summer transfer window.

The outlet claims that the Whites have turned their attention to the Argentine playmaker because they want to strengthen their team and are willing to be ambitious in the market.

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It adds that they have identified the Brighton youngster as a priority target and that they are ‘confident’ that they will ‘close’ a deal for his services soon.

The report also mentions that the Seagulls are looking for a fee that could reach £30m with add-ons, which could make this a very expensive purchase for the Championship champions.

Why Buonanotte would be an upgrade on Aaronson

Leeds would be signing a big upgrade on Aaronson in the number ten position in Daniel Farke’s 4-2-3-1 formation by completing a deal to sign the Brighton youngster this summer.

Buonanotte, who was hailed as a “magician” by Rising Star XI on X, spent the 2024/25 season on loan with Leicester in the Premier League, and caught the eye with some impressive displays.

The 20-year-old starlet ended the season with a very respectable return of five goals and seven ‘big chances created’ in just 14 starts in the top-flight for the Foxes, including the impressive goal against Forest in the clip above.

His performances as an attacking threat in the Premier League this season, in comparison to Aaronson’s showings in his top-flight term at Elland Road, suggest that he would improve Farke’s team.

As you can see in the table above, Buonanotte scored more goals and created more ‘big chances’ in his top-flight season than Aaronson did, despite starting half as many matches.

This suggests that the left-footed wizard would offer more quality at the top end of the pitch than the American dud, which could help the Whites to pick up vital points in their bid to avoid an instant relegation from the Premier League next season.

Buonanotte, despite being a diminutive playmaker, could also offer more physicality than Aaronson. He won 33% of his aerial battles and won 1.7 tackles per game in the league, whilst the Leeds flop won just 17% of his aerial duels and made 1.3 tackles per match.

This suggests that the £30m-rated star could be less of a liability than the Leeds number 11 when it comes to his work out of possession in the top-flight.

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Therefore, Leeds could improve their team and provide Farke with a fantastic young talent in the number ten position by getting this move over the line.

The Saudi Pro League is renowned for its wealth and ability to give players huge wages, but who are the most expensive signings in the competition’s history?

European football remains the dominant force in the modern game, with the likes of the Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga generally possessing the best players in the world.

In recent years, the Saudi Pro League has increasingly come to the fore, offering footballers eye-watering weekly wages and tempting them away from European clubs in the process.

To some, it is a sub-standard league where players go to earn big money in the twilight of their careers, but others feel it could only continue to grow in the coming years, especially if it continues to attract some of the biggest names in the sport.

There have been plenty of big-money signings to Saudi clubs since its rise to prominence – here are the 15 most expensive to date.

15

Marcos Leonardo

Benfica to Al-Hilal (£33.7m)

Kicking off the list is Brazilian youngster Marcos Leonardo, who joined Al-Hilal from Benfica earlier this year in a deal worth a reported €40m (£33.7m).

The 21-year-old forward was previously with Santos in his homeland, but he clearly felt that a Saudi move was best for his development at this early stage in his career. Only time will tell if it is the right call, but it has been rare to see such a young footballer head there.

14

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

Lazio to Al-Hilal (£34m)

For a long time, it seemed inevitable that Sergej Milinkovic-Savic would end up at one of the best teams in Europe, having stood out as such a dominant performer for Lazio, combining talent and physicality in midfield.

It came as a huge shock to see him join Al-Hilal last year in a deal reportedly worth £34m, especially as he was still only in his late 20s at that point. Will he return to Europe in the future?

13

Mohamed Simakan

RB Leipzig to Al-Nassr (£37.9m)

Mohamed Simakan made the decision to leave RB Leipzig and join Al-Nassr in September 2024, in a move worth €45m (£37.9m), linking up with Cristiano Ronaldo in the process.

Only in his mid 20s, the centre-back’s decision to move away from Europe arguably surprised some, but it is still early days, and the club’s success on the domestic and continental stages may determine whether he’ll come to regret saying goodbye to the Bundesliga.

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, the Frenchman will certainly be looking to make an impression as he seeks a first senior international cap.

12

Fabinho

Liverpool to Al-Ittihad (£40m)

Liverpool enjoyed a glorious period in their history under Jurgen Klopp, winning plenty of trophies, and Fabinho played a massive role in the Reds’ success.

A world-class No 6 at his peak, the Brazilian’s ability started to wane in the 2022/23 season, with his body no longer allowing him to cover ground like he once did.

A Saudi move felt like the best outcome for all parties, and Fabinho moved to Al-Ittihad for a reported £40m the following summer.

11

Ivan Toney

Brentford to Al-Ahli (£40m)

Much like Milinkovic-Savic, Ivan Toney felt like a player who was only on the up at Brentford, with a move to one of the Premier League’s biggest teams often mooted.

Instead, the England international left the Bees to join Al-Ahli in the summer of 2024 in a move that surprised many, even amid his contract issues in west London.

Reports of his eventual transfer fee were mixed, but most appear to indicate Brentford received a sum of around £40m.

10

Galeno

Porto to Al-Ahli (£41.6m)

Former Porto star Galeno was one of two major signings in the January 2025 market for the Saudi Pro League, with the winger joining Al-Ahli for €50m (£41.6m).

Galeno had scored eight in 18 appearances for Porto before departing for the Middle East, and has already written his name into the history books, scoring in the AFC Champions League final against Kawasaki Frontale.

His arrival marks Al-Ahli’s most expensive signing, replacing Ivan Toney.

9

Aleksandar Mitrovic

Fulham to Al-Hilal (£46m)

Many players who have moved to the Saudi Pro League have been individuals whose peaks have been and gone, but Aleksandar Mitrovic went there while in his prime.

He was just 28 when he opted to trade Fulham for Al-Hilal, but he is no doubt reaping the financial rewards. Mitrovic’s transfer fee was officially undisclosed, with the Cottagers indicating they had received a “club-record” fee. While it was thought to be close to £50m, a sum of £46m appears to be the most widely mentioned.

8

Ruben Neves

Wolves to Al-Hilal (£47m)

Ruben Neves’ move to Saudi Arabia has to stand out as one of the biggest surprises having grown into such a key player at Wolves, while still only being in his mid-20s.

It looked like the Portugal star had the pick of his clubs given the natural talent he possesses in midfield, but the race for his signature was won by Al-Hilal, who paid £47m for Neves’ services.

7

Moussa Diaby

Aston Villa to Al-Ittihad (£50m)

It looked like Aston Villa had signed themselves a gem of a player in Moussa Diaby, with the winger catching the eye with his quality and end product during his one season at Villa Park.

His campaign did fizzle out a bit as it went on, but few would have expected to see him ditch the Midlands side for Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad, with the Villans receiving around £50m in the process.

It’s hard not to feel as though the Frenchman is wasting the best years of his career in a lesser division, although the financial aspects of the move are undeniably appealing.

6

Otavio

Porto to Al-Nassr (£51.1m)

Otavio was always a highly rated figure for Porto, and became a key part of the Portugal setup before opting for a Saudi move instead of a European switch, which cost Al-Nassr €60m (£51.1m) in August 2023.

He’s not set the world alight in the Middle East, scoring just one goal and supplying five assists in 2024/25.

Manchester United are facing the growing possibility of concluding the summer transfer window without securing the striker reinforcement they desperately need. The club’s efforts to bolster their frontline have hit a wall following unsuccessful pursuits of Liam Delap, Hugo Ekitike, and Viktor Gyokeres.

• Man Utd struggling to land a striker
• Amorim desperately needs a No.9
• Several targets are a part of their wishlist

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  United boss Ruben Amorim, who recently welcomed Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo into the squad for combined fees of £135 million ($183m), had hoped to further sharpen his frontline. The duo had an impressive collective return of 35 Premier League goals last season, but with United having scored just 44 league goals in total during the previous campaign, Amorim remains keen to add a more traditional centre-forward.

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• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  According to despite the big-money arrivals, the lack of a reliable No. 9 continues to be a glaring concern. While the scouting team continues evaluating other options, there is no assurance that a striker will be signed before the deadline. Tangible progress appears limited, and the club is now operating with an air of realism that they might need to move forward with their current squad unless a breakthrough materialises soon.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  There has been growing speculation surrounding Højlund’s future, with Italian giants Inter Milan and Juventus reportedly exploring the possibility of bringing him back to Serie A. Despite this, sources close to the club have suggested that the 22-year-old Danish striker is determined to stay and prove himself under Amorim’s leadership as he still has three years remaining on his current contract.

• Getty/GOAL
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  With each passing day, United are under pressure to resolve their striker woes. A possible exchange deal with Chelsea, where Nicolas Jackson could make his way to Old Trafford in return for Alejandro Garnacho, is being mooted, but talks are still in preliminary stages, and it remains to be seen whether the two clubs can agree on terms.