Ryan Baldi
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Articles by Ryan Baldi
The biggest shocks in Ballon d'Or history
(C)Getty Images Watch the Ballon d'Or live and free on DAZN Kane's astonishing 73-goal season has made him the favourite, but Spain's World Cup triumph gives Yamal and Rodri powerful claims, while Mbappe led La Liga, the Champions League and the World Cup scoring charts. thetimes.com Whoever wins, somebody will feel robbed. The award's history is littered with magnificent seasons that voters somehow deemed insufficient.
Football fans want to travel by train; clubs and rail companies need to act
There is something wonderful about travelling to an away game by train. The familiar faces gathering on the platform, the increasingly optimistic predictions about the afternoon's result, the first sight of an unfamiliar city through the carriage window. For many supporters, the journey is part of the occasion. A few hours spent with friends, talking football, revisiting old victories and anticipating another memorable afternoon.
Football fans want to travel by train; clubs and rail companies need to act
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Who will be the Premier League's next £100m player?
Watch the Ballon d'Or live and free on DAZN Nine-figure transfer fees are no longer reserved for established superstars. Premier League clubs increasingly pay for age, potential and contractual leverage, with Bournemouth's reported £100 million valuation of Alex Scott reflecting the market's new reality. Scott is the most obvious candidate to break the barrier next, but he is not the only young player whose price could soon reach that territory.
Would 49ers QB Brock Purdy be the unlikeliest NFL MVP ever?
Steph Chambers / Staff Watch every NFL game only on Game Pass ► Sign up At some point, Brock Purdy's status as Mr. Irrelevant must stop being relevant. Four years after the San Francisco 49ers used the final pick of the 2022 draft on an undersized quarterback from Iowa State, he is no longer an amusing anomaly or a convenient product of Kyle Shanahan's system. He might simply be the best quarterback in the NFL.
Johan Manzambi's hit the ground running for Unai Emery and Aston Villa
There was an obvious cruelty to Johan Manzambi deciding Aston Villa’s meeting with Newcastle United. Newcastle had come close to signing the Swiss attacker in the summer, only for Villa to intervene and take one of Europe’s most exciting young players to Birmingham. Barely three months later, his header separated the sides at Villa Park. Manzambi timed his run between Newcastle’s defenders before meeting Joao Gomes’ cross and directing the ball beyond the goalkeeper.
Can Fabregas' fast-rising Como pour more misery on Carrick and Manchester United?
Champions League live on DAZN (CAN / USA / NZD) On Wednesday evening, it appears more likely to deepen the crisis surrounding Michael Carrick. Como are fifth in Serie A after taking 14 points from seven games, while Sunday's 3-1 victory at Fiorentina extended their strong start. Mattia Liberali and Nico Paz struck within four first-half minutes before Tasos Douvikas completed a win shaped by the visitors' confidence in possession and speed once space appeared.
NFL Week 6 awards tracker: Purdy leads the early MVP race
Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images Watch every NFL game only on Game Pass ► Sign up Six weeks of the NFL season are now complete, and several stars are already building compelling awards cases. Plenty will change before January, but these are the leading contenders across four major categories heading into Week 7. MVP Purdy has thrown for 1,460 yards, 14 touchdowns, and only two interceptions while posting a 118.1 passer rating.
NFL Week 6 hot seat: Harbaugh among five coaches under pressure
Ric Tapia/Getty Images Watch every NFL game only on Game Pass ► Sign up More than a third of the 2026 NFL season is now in the books, which means early struggles can no longer be dismissed as teething problems. Several expected contenders are already drifting toward irrelevance, leaving these five head coaches facing mounting pressure. 1. Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders Washington's 1-4-1 record is damaging enough, but the manner of their recent defeats has placed Quinn firmly under scrutiny.
PSG vs Barcelona: what happens when unstoppable forces collide?
David Ramirez/Soccrates/Getty Images PSG vs. Barcelona live on DAZN (CAN / USA / NZD) Their 15 previous meetings in the competition have produced 57 goals, an average of 3.8 per game. Only Ajax against Bayern Munich has been more prolific among European Cup fixtures played at least 10 times. Tuesday's meeting at the Parc des Princes brings together two attacks operating at even more extreme levels than usual.
What happens to all the Champions League branding after the final whistle?
By the time the Champions League anthem plays, very little inside a stadium has been left to chance. Advertising boards have changed. Sponsor logos have appeared. UEFA signage points supporters towards entrances, hospitality areas and fan zones. Backdrops have been erected for interviews. Banners hang from stands. Even the ordinary business of buying a drink or finding a bin can suddenly look distinctly Champions League. Then everyone goes home.
Bruno Fernandes: Carrick must restore captain's best form
Bruno Fernandes struck the crossbar in Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday. In isolation, it was a near miss. In the context of United’s season, it felt like another reminder of how much Michael Carrick continues to need his captain to produce something from very little. United have gone five matches without a victory and collected six points from their opening six Premier League fixtures, their poorest start since 1986.
Can Antonio Conte fix Manchester United?
Antonio Conte would not need anyone to explain the scale of the task at Manchester United. Six points from six Premier League games represent the club's poorest start since 1986, while last weekend's failure to beat ten-man Tottenham strengthened the impression that Michael Carrick's promising revival has run out of momentum. Conte has consequently been mentioned among the potential replacements should United make another managerial change. The attraction is obvious.
Liverpool's biggest issue: What to do with Wirtz?
Watch Premier League live with Fubo Sports on DAZN Florian Wirtz was meant to become the creative centre of Liverpool 's next great side. Sixteen months after his £116 million move from Bayer Leverkusen, Andoni Iraola is still searching for a role that consistently brings the best out of him. Sunday's 3-0 defeat by Manchester City deepened the concern.
PSG present biggest test yet for Man City's new-look midfield
Watch Champions League on DAZN (CAN & NZD only) Manchester City could hardly have asked for a better start to life after Rodri. Six Premier League games have brought six victories, while Sunday's 3-0 win at Liverpool extended their winning run to eight matches in all competitions. Their rebuilt midfield has been central to that success. Elliot Anderson, signed from Nottingham Forest for £116 million, has quickly become one of Enzo Maresca's most trusted players.
Rams 34-37 Bills takeaways: Allen runs riot in overtime thriller
Watch every NFL game only on Game Pass ► Sign up Matthew Stafford and Josh Allen, the last two NFL MVPs, traded blows all the way into overtime. It was finally settled by two kicks: Greg Rousseau blocked the Rams' attempt before Tyler Bass nailed a 45-yarder to give Buffalo a breathless 37-34 victory. Buffalo's unstoppable offense The Bills are 4-1 despite possessing a defense that seems determined to make every victory as exhausting as possible.
Falcons 23-30 Ravens takeaways: Baltimore's backup shines in overtime win
Watch every NFL game only on Game Pass ► Sign up A game decided by backup quarterbacks ended with two very different contributions from the men drafted in behind the starters. Tyler Huntley excelled in place of the injured Lamar Jackson, leading Baltimore to a 30-23 overtime victory. Tua Tagovailoa, summoned after Michael Penix Jr. hurt his ribs late in regulation, briefly moved Atlanta before throwing the interception that ended the game.
The Scouting Report: Can Scalvini have a Calafiori-like impact in the Premier League?
Riccardo Calafiori has done Giorgio Scalvini a favour. There was once a time when an Italian defender arriving in England could expect questions about whether he fancied heading clearances in horizontal rain. Arsenal’s adventurous left-back has helped move the conversation on. Now the question is whether the next one can defend his penalty area, beat a press and pop up somewhere a centre-forward might reasonably consider his own workplace.
Ravens vs Falcons: Five best performances from 30-23 thriller
Watch every NFL game only on Game Pass ► Sign up Baltimore's stars delivered when the game reached its decisive moments, dragging the Ravens to a 30-23 victory after they had trailed for most of the evening. Atlanta's leading performers deserved more from a contest that slipped away dramatically. Derrick Henry Henry was the driving force behind Baltimore's comeback, finishing with 102 rushing yards on 24 carries and adding an 18-yard touchdown from his only reception.
Manchester United vs Tottenham offers no hiding place for two managers under pressure
Watch the Ballon d'Or live and free on DAZN This weekend, it is more accurately viewed as a meeting between two teams searching for a way out of trouble. United resume their season in 12th place, having taken five points from five league games. Tottenham are bottom with two points, no victories and only two goals scored. Neither manager could have imagined facing this degree of pressure before the middle of October.
Football, Explained: Every major Premier League punishment as Manchester City await fate
Manchester City supporters have spent years being told to wait for the verdict. Now they are waiting for the punishment. The independent commission’s findings of widespread financial rule breaches were published on September 29. City, who deny wrongdoing, lodged an appeal on October 2. As things stand, sanctions remain undecided, while fans of rival clubs have generously volunteered to help choose them.
Manchester United vs Spurs is a game with consequences extending far beyond three points
Five games should not be enough to make or break a Premier League season. For Manchester United and Tottenham, however, Saturday’s meeting at Old Trafford already carries the tension of a match neither can afford to lose. United have collected five points from their opening five fixtures and sit 12th in the Premier League table. Tottenham are bottom with two points, no victories and a goal difference of minus six. Between them, two of England’s wealthiest clubs have won once in 10 league matches.
Is Kenan Yildiz the answer to Arsenal's biggest issue?
Arsenal 's title-winning side had few obvious weaknesses, but the imbalance between the two flanks remained difficult to ignore. Bukayo Saka supplied creativity, incision and reliable end product from the right. The left side rarely carried the same threat. The summer signing of Christos Tzolis has improved Mikel Arteta's options. Arsenal paid £34 million for the Greece international after he produced 43 goals and 45 assists in 108 appearances for Club Brugge.
Saints 24-45 Falcons takeaways: Bijan runs riot in New Orleans
The NFC South is expected to produce another tightly contested race this season, which made Monday night's divisional meeting between Atlanta and New Orleans feel significant even in early October. The game itself was rather less competitive. The Falcons' offense overwhelmed the Saints in a 45-24 victory, with Bijan Robinson setting the tone immediately and ensuring that the result rarely looked in doubt.
Is Cristiano Ronaldo's international career over?
Cristiano Ronaldo has spent more than two decades making himself indispensable to Portugal. His latest dispute with national team manager Jorge Jesus has created the possibility that a record-breaking international career could now end with an acrimonious departure rather than a planned farewell. The trouble began when Ronaldo remained on the bench throughout Portugal's 2-1 Nations League victory over Norway.
Panthers 32-26 Lions top performances: Carolina stars shine in shootout
Sunday night developed into a shootout between two productive offenses, with the Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions combining for 58 points and 897 total yards. Carolina displayed just enough balance to prevail 32-26, while another porous defensive performance left Detroit at 2-2 despite Jared Goff's prolific evening. These were the game's five outstanding performers. Bryce Young Getty Images Young's spectacular start to 2026 continued with another composed, turnover-free performance.
The evolution of Premier League pitch management – with Arsenal at the forefront
Premier League pitches have never looked better. Even in the depths of winter, when English football once resembled a particularly muddy agricultural pursuit, the playing surfaces at the country's biggest clubs remain almost impossibly pristine. Maintaining those standards is becoming an increasingly complicated business, however.
Who is Lamine Camara, the midfielder being chased by Chelsea and Liverpool?
Chelsea believed they had secured Lamine Camara on transfer deadline day. A fee of around £47 million had been agreed with Monaco; the midfielder had undergone a medical, and a six-year contract was waiting to be signed. Then Monaco withdrew from the deal. Folarin Balogun's proposed move to Everton changed Monaco's position. Believing that deal would provide the necessary funds, they withdrew from the agreement to sell Camara to Chelsea.
Phoenix Clubs: How Bury FC Rebuilt From The Ruins Of 2019
For four years, the walk down Manchester Road led nowhere. The route was still there, as was Gigg Lane, a football ground on the same site Bury had occupied since 1885. The stands remained visible above the surrounding streets, but the rituals attached to them had disappeared. There was no Saturday crowd filing through the turnstiles, no team in white and blue and no reason for supporters to make the familiar journey.
Pickford or Trafford: is England's long-time No.1 under threat?
Thomas Tuchel insisted that James Trafford's selection against Spain was part of a planned rotation, rather than confirmation that Jordan Pickford had been demoted. Even so, choosing the 23-year-old for England 's first competitive match since the World Cup was more than a routine experiment. Pickford had started every England tournament match since the beginning of the 2018 World Cup.
Ballon d’Or 2026 odds: Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal battle could be decided by Nations League
The most important performances in the race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or have already taken place. Harry Kane scored at a rate rarely witnessed in the modern game. Lamine Yamal and Rodri helped Spain win the World Cup. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia illuminated Paris Saint-Germain’s run to the Champions League. Yet the final impression left with voters may have been shaped by a Nations League match at Wembley.
The Academy Beat: Are Children Being Signed Too Young?
Paul Barry likes his training sessions to look messy. Not disorganised. Not improvised. There is thought behind the work, a purpose to the games and a development plan for the players. But if an observer can immediately decipher every movement, every rotation and every outcome, Barry begins to wonder whether something has been lost. “The sessions and the programmes need to look chaotic,” he says. “They need to look really messy.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler is demonstrating he sits among the very best
Fabian Hurzeler could hardly have designed a more persuasive week for his next employer. First Brighton recovered from two goals down to beat Manchester United 3-2 at Old Trafford, eliminating Michael Carrick’s side from the Carabao Cup. Three days later they dismantled the reigning Premier League champions, beating Arsenal 3-0 in a match sufficiently one-sided for Mikel Arteta to admit his team had been comprehensively outplayed.
The Serie A club turning one match into a big green experiment
There will be nothing especially remarkable about Udinese hosting Cagliari on Saturday afternoon. Two Serie A teams will turn up at the Bluenergy Stadium, thousands of supporters will make their way through the turnstiles and, at 3pm local time, somebody will kick a football. Everything around the game is where it gets interesting.
Not utilising funds, rather than underspending, will cost Manchester United this season
Manchester United cannot be accused of ignoring their midfield problem. They spent almost £150 million trying to solve it. Andrey Santos arrived from Chelsea for £48 million plus £2 million in add-ons. Youri Tielemans followed from Aston Villa for £35 million, before United committed up to £70 million to sign Carlos Baleba from Brighton. Three players with different qualities, all recruited to rebuild an area that had become too old, too slow and too dependent on Bruno Fernandes. The logic was sound.
Have Tottenham Hotspur fallen into a Manchester United-esque trap?
Tottenham spent the summer behaving like a club determined never again to find itself peering over the edge of relegation. More than £300 million went on new players after consecutive 17th-place finishes, the second of which came under Roberto De Zerbi following Thomas Frank’s mid-season dismissal. Three games into the new Premier League campaign, Spurs have one point and no goals. That does not mean the rebuild has failed.
Matthias Jaissle has Newcastle back on track with positive start to season
Newcastle's summer was the sort that makes supporters wonder whether somebody has accidentally pressed the self-destruct button and then gone on annual leave. Anthony Gordon joined Barcelona. Sandro Tonali moved to Tottenham for £100m. Bruno Guimaraes signed for champions Arsenal in a £75m deal. Kieran Trippier, one of the first and most important signings of the post-takeover era, departed on a free transfer. Then Eddie Howe decided that five years of pouring himself into the job was enough.
Phoenix Clubs: The ice-cream tub, derelict ground & three promotions that brought Hereford FC back
When Jon Hale collected the keys to Edgar Street in March 2015, Herefordshire Council handed them over in an empty ice-cream tub. It was an unceremonious detail at the end of a bruising three-month battle to restore football to the city, but turning the key changed everything. “It felt like all the horrible memories since December 19, 2014, had melted away,” says Hale, Hereford FC’s first chairman.
New Manchester City midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi is not a Rodri replacement
Manchester City have decided that replacing one of the defining midfielders of his generation requires an 18-year-old with no senior club goals and less than three full seasons of professional football. For a fee that could reach £86million, naturally. Ayyoub Bouaddi has been confirmed as Manchester City’s latest signing after completing his medical and agreeing a five-year contract, with the option of another season.
Can Manchester City ever replace Rodri after his departure for Barcelona?
There is a tendency after a great player leaves to search for his reincarnation. The new signing must occupy the same position, inherit the same responsibilities and ideally resemble the departing hero closely enough to make everybody forget that anything has changed. It almost never works. Manchester City must now confront that reality after Rodri completed a move to Barcelona worth an initial €60 million.
What will Newcastle look like under Matthias Jaissle's leadership?
The first thing Newcastle supporters should know about Matthias Jaissle is that he is accustomed to arriving at clubs where the ownership structure does rather more than merely loom in the background. His career as a coach was shaped by Red Bull and his route to St James’ Park has come through Al-Ahli, one of the four Saudi clubs controlled by the Public Investment Fund. Newcastle have paid around £9.5million to move him from one branch of the PIF football operation to another.
The hidden cost of a £75m transfer – who moves Bruno Guimaraes' sofa to London?
When Arsenal spent £75million to sign Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle, the important questions were obvious. How would he fit in alongside Declan Rice? Was it sensible money for a 28-year-old? And why were Newcastle willing to part with a player who had become captain and one of the defining figures of their post-takeover era? There was another question nobody was asking. What happens to all his stuff? Guimaraes had spent four-and-a-half years on Tyneside, building a family life around Newcastle.
Are football's greenest signings the ones grown at home?
Every transfer window tells the same story. Clubs scour the globe for the next breakout teenager, fly executives across Europe to negotiate face to face, and celebrate each signing with a cinematic unveiling that makes the whole process look effortless. The conversation usually revolves around money. How much was the fee? Was it worth it? Who won the window? Rarely do we ask what all that movement actually costs. Football has become increasingly comfortable discussing sustainability.
Bruno Guimaraes signing helps Mikel Arteta's Arsenal to stay on top
One of the quickest ways to lose your place at the top of English football is to convince yourself that standing still is sensible. That is the trap awaiting every champion. After winning the Premier League, it becomes tempting to believe the hardest work has already been done. Why spend another £75million on a midfielder when Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Martin Odegaard already form one of Europe's finest units?
Elite athletes fear ‘dystopian' future for ‘almost unrecognisable' sport by 2050
Football has rarely lacked players admirably willing to speak out on issues such as racism, mental health or discrimination. Climate change has always been different. Aside from a relatively small number of voices, among them Sheffield United striker Patrick Bamford, who has repeatedly discussed football's environmental impact and the need for greater action, the game's dressing rooms have remained noticeably quiet.
Spurs are finally behaving like a club that expects to move forwards
For years, Tottenham's transfer strategy often felt reactive. A promising target would emerge, negotiations would drag, the asking price would rise and, more often than not, the opportunity would disappear. This summer has been the complete opposite. After flirting with relegation for much of last season before Roberto De Zerbi's arrival sparked a dramatic escape, Spurs have wasted little time trying to ensure they never find themselves in that position again.
What was the 2026 World Cup’s legacy? Proving that relentless expansion is unsustainable…
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Morgan Rogers is tailor-made for Xabi Alonso at Chelsea
Some transfers are about collecting talent. Others are about solving a tactical puzzle. Chelsea's £117 million move for Morgan Rogers feels firmly in the latter category. On paper, another attack-minded player might seem an odd priority for a squad already boasting Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and a wealth of wide options. Viewed through the lens of Xabi Alonso's football, though, the signing makes immediate sense. Alonso has rarely been interested in rigid positional labels.
How the 2026 World Cup's greatest triumph lies in its green arenas
For all the justified criticism surrounding the 2026 World Cup's environmental footprint, there is one area in which FIFA can point to tangible progress. The tournament may span three vast countries, involve unprecedented levels of travel and almost certainly become the most carbon-intensive World Cup in history , but the stadiums themselves tell a rather different story.
How the 2026 World Cup’s greatest triumph lies in its green arenas
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