Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery are all in the running to win the 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or. Ronaldo however appears to have the edge, despite a 2013 in which a number of players can make compelling cases for the accolade.
While Monaco grab the headlines, all three of the sides promoted to France’s Ligue 1 this season are punching comfortably at the higher weight. Monaco shine, to no surprise, but Nantes and Guingamp are also making waves.
The rise of Aaron Ramsey is fast becoming one of the stories of Arsenal’s season. Having taken time to blossom, Arsene Wenger is now reaping the rewards of persuading the midfielder to snub Man Utd. And he could just have a “new Frank Lampard”.
David Moyes has had a shaky start to life in charge of Man Utd. He faces mission impossible replacing Sir Alex Ferguson and the champions may have to write off his first campaign.
Borussia Dortmund have planned ahead with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – and there is already every indication he will be able to fill Robert Lewandowski’s boots. But Aubameyang has even more to offer, with blistering pace to worry defenders.
Real Madrid are pushing hard to sign Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur, feeling the Welsh forward can reinvigorate their forward line. He has been seen as the eventual successor to Cristiano Ronaldo, but may end up being Real Madrid’s answer to Lionel Messi.
Paris Saint-Germain’s big money purchase of Edinson Cavani means that coach Laurent Blanc will have to get the best out of the Uruguayan while playing him with Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The PSG boss has a tactical puzzle to solve.
France’s Ligue 1 is rapidly developing into one of the most exciting leagues in Europe, helped in no small part by PSG’s spending antics. Now Monaco have joined them in splashing the cash. We preview Ligue 1’s 2013/14 campaign.
Bayern Munich ran away with the Bundesliga last season, the title forming the cornerstone of their treble. Regardless of the title scrap, there are many other sides battling for some small slice of glory. We preview the 2013/14 campaign.
Arsenal look to have done their homework before moving to try and sign Liverpool’s Luis Suarez. Losing him would be a blow to the Reds, but not one from which they cannot recover if spending wisely.
