College football’s most disappointing players and best surprises as 2024 season nears midway mark

On the pitch, Benzema might prove more successful – not only is the French striker three years younger than Ronaldo, his club Al-Ittihad are the current champions of Saudi Arabia. Indeed Al-Ittihad are widely considered the most successful team in Saudi history. The defensive midfielder has been linked with, of course, Chelsea, while Barcelona view the Brazilian wonderkid as a potential long-term successor to the recently departed Sergio Busquets.

Lionel Messi: £750,000 p/w

Arsenal’s winless league run had extended into its sixth game, a tame 1-1 draw against Southampton. “You deserve more Arsenal fans”, he tweeted, the broken heart emoji reflecting the sheer devastation that the man they called ‘little chilli’ shared with the rest of the fanbase. “We don’t but you do,” was the response of many for a player whose early career was to be forged through setbacks, not just tough early seasons for his boyhood club but that penalty miss in the Euro 2020 final and all that came with it. Beyond our daily fantasy football content, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Football Tools.

Declan Rice — Midfield, Arsenal

To really understand how special he is, just look at what his most recent coach has said. The best goalkeeper in the world, the second best player in this particular writer’s rankings, has been done dirty elsewhere in the voting pool, just because he wears gloves on his hands. Here’s the thing, goalkeepers may not win Ballon d’Ors or sell the most shirts but a pretty key component of winning football matches is stopping the other team kicking the ball in your net.

College Football Week 6 predictions, best bets by Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica

For the first time in over a decade, we were sincerely forced to ponder our No.1 selection. In-line with other players sliding down the rankings due to the standard of their current league, Lionel Messi’s reign at No.1 has drawn to an end, though he still remains a worthy entrant in this esteemed list. RadioTimes.com brings you our definitive list of the best football players in the world in 2024. Lists like these are generally a celebration of the glamorous side of sports, featuring players who most anticipated would be stars and lived up to the billing from a young age.

• This week they get a much easier run defense on Sunday night against the Cowboys.
• Here is the list of the highest paid football players on the planet in 2023.
• The 34-year-old knocked one off the block in 2023 (165 receptions) and is well within reach of the trifecta sitting at 1,903 yards and 19 TDs.
• Quickly enough, those perceptions did not matter — he scored on his Serie A debut, a 2-0 win over Sampdoria and scored 15-plus goals in consecutive seasons across all competitions.
• Stay up to date on player newsKeep track of player injuries, suspensions, and other news that may impact their performance.
• Several players have had disappointing seasons bordering on disastrous (and some indeed have had disastrous seasons).
• All three main positions — right-back, center-back, left-back — are covered in the run-down, and rightly so.

Gibbs-White looks at home with England

The West Indies captain currently enjoys the position of the world’s top all-rounder and is third in the batting rankings. Matthews’ reputation long preceded her international debut at the age of only 16, and at 25 she has already amassed 180 appearances for West Indies and has two centuries and 13 fifties in 96 T20 internationals. Ecclestone is the highest-ranked bowler in both the ICC T20 and ODI rankings.

Erling Haaland (Man City)

The 19-year-old has been subject to interest from Arsenal and Chelsea, the former even having supposedly lodged a bid for his services during the summer, and it seems only a matter of time before Europe’s top clubs start circling the defender more vigorously. Mainoo has shown incredible maturity during his performances in a struggling Man Utd side low on confidence, the England youth international set for an even bigger role with Red Devils in the coming year. The Red Bull Salzburg talent factory has struck gold once more with 19-year-old Gloukh.

Can you name every team Lionel Messi failed to score against for Barcelona?

• With the race hotting up and journalists needing to vote, the nominees for the 2024 award have been established.
• With three goals in 12 games for Israel, Gloukh has claimed that Barcelona tried to sign him while he was still with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
• Check out more of our Sport coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
• Not only the highest paid footballer in the world but the highest paid footballer of all time.
• Euro 2024 may turn out to be the global coming-out party for the player many believe is one of the greatest 16-year-old prospects to ever play the game.
• The Premier League is shaping up nicely, with an exciting title race, a surprise contender in Aston Villa, some big clubs underperforming and new boys Luton Town faring better than many expected.
• He fooled me in Oregon State’s run-first offense that fit him better, but now he’s completing just 54% of his passes with four touchdowns and six interceptions on the 1-4 Seminoles.
• Just pipping Benzema into second place, Al-Hilal’s second entry in this list, Neymar Jr.
• Analyze the potential impact of a trade before making a decision and negotiate with other teams to find a mutually beneficial agreement.

On the season they haven’t allowed a receiver to top 79 yards and they’ve given up one touchdown to the position. The whole group gets knocked down a bit, but Dell is on the bench for me this week as he likely returns from a chest injury. The Browns offense has gotten pass-happy this season and should remain the same this week, especially the way Jayden Daniels has been playing. Cooper has been pretty bad in three of his four games, but I’m willing to look past drops and focus on usage and matchup.

Past winners of FIFA Puskas Award

Neuer spent the better part of a year away from the pitch after fracturing his right knee during a ski trip in December 2022, but played his first game in 350 days when Bayern beat Darmstadt 8-0 in October of last year. He has since collected new individual records in his comeback year, chief among them breaking Iker Casillas’ record for most clean sheets in the Champions League. Neuer now has 58 clean sheets to his name in European competition, the most recent of which came in Bayern’s 1-0 win over Arsenal in the quarterfinals, when the usually attack-minded team delivered a defensive masterclass.

Federico Chiesa — Winger/Forward, Juventus

The race is now hotting up as we head into the second half of 2024, with the eventual winner being crowned in December this year. With the race hotting up and journalists needing to vote, the nominees for the 2024 award have been established. Introduced by Italian outlet Tuttosport in 2003, the award is given to one exciting young male footballing talent annually, as a recognition of both their achievements thus far and the potential they still have to unlock. It is voted on by a number of different groups of people within football and ultimately awarded after the shortening of an original shortlist. The Best FIFA Men’s Player award is exactly that – the award given to the best men’s player of the given year.

FRA v USA – Women’s Gold Medal Game Basketball Olympic Games Paris 2024

Analyze matchupsAnalyze the upcoming matchups for your players and opponents to determine which players to start in your lineup each week. Look for favorable matchups and take into account the strength of the opposing team’s defense. Last year was tough for Liverpool, as the system that had worked so well for them under Jurgen Klopp started malfunctioning. It was reinvented with the help of new signings and a different role for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The Barca forward took little time to adapt to life in La Liga following his move from Bayern Munich as his goals powered his new side to the Spanish title. He backed that up with 19 in his second campaign in Catalonia despite constant speculation over his future. PSG are on a mission this season to prove they’re much, much more than the mere ‘Kylian Mbappe team’. The French superstar has departed for the Spanish capital, but supporters have little reason to fear with Barcola filling the void. A leggy wide player adept off both feet, Barcola boasts great variety down the left flank and is destined to blossom into France’s next great attacking hope.

Lautaro Martinez – Inter Milan

When he started to show all promise at Valencia a decade ago (how is he already 30 years old?), he looked destined for superstardom. Another Portuguese prodigy ripped from Benfica for big money, only to then play for Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona in a six-year span. He’s as fast as they make them, he can dominate you with his technical skill, and even though he’s a fullback, he’s an attack-minded player with all the potential in the world.

• Instead, the winger has stuck around at PSV Eindhoven, sparkling in the Champions League this season with impressive outings against Arsenal in particular.
• The forward has been mightily impressive in South America, consistently producing goals for Palmeiras at youth and senior level.
• They rely on him heavily, perhaps too much sometimes, but his influence and ability more than justify that faith.
• He had an impressive game against future first-rounder Will Campbell of LSU a few weeks ago.
• He ranked fourth in the Premier League for passes played and completed an impressive 91.5% of them, but his comfort with the ball on his feet is just one of his many attributes.
• His presence improved not only his fellow striker Dusan Vlahovic’s form, but also Juve’s wingbacks, allowing them space between the lines.
• They didn’t upgrade their offense by adding an elite quarterback through the portal after the spring, and now their passing game is virtually nonexistent.

College football Week 6 preview: Penn State vs. UCLA — trap game for Nittany Lions?

Seen by many as the key to City’s incredible tactical system, John Stones has revolutionised the word hybrid in football. The Belgium no.1 is not only one of the modern generation of flawless all-round goalkeepers, he’s even better than that as he’s able to stonewall the world’s best with saves that leave the most experienced football fans stunned. Continuing to run the show in the middle of the park even with the world’s best young midfielders trying to take his spot, Kroos is still everything good about Real, and will be key to their success for many years to come.

Thibaut Courtois — Goalkeeper, Real Madrid

And now that we are four weeks in, the data is getting better in helping us make start/sit decisions. Week 4 was the best week so far for this column, which is how it should https://st-bet.net/ work. While the Buffs haven’t signed a lot of high school players (there are 11 true freshmen on scholarship this season), they’ve found some gems from the prep ranks.

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) – £20.8 million / year

Vinicius Junior has just delivered for Real Madrid in the biggest game in football, again. Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe continue to top the continent’s scoring charts. Just like their counterparts on the opposite flank, the best left-backs combine pace and intelligence to be a threat in attack or in defense.

The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024: Best Men’s Player, FIFPro World XI, winner and date

His link-up play with his fellow forwards is arguably the best in the world, and his staggering ability to provide a pass and start an attack shouldn’t really be allowed for a player who’s already one of the best at putting the ball in the net. He appears determined to stop Kane from winning the Champions League with six goals in eight games so far and former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand puts Mbappe above Kane. The stats are stunning, 203 goals and 82 assists in 328 Liverpool games, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. There’s debate over whether City can sustain their treble-winning form from last season, but if they do then De Bruyne will undoubtedly be key.

Dominik Szoboszlai — Midfield, Liverpool

The last of three Aston Villa players to make our top 20, John McGinn is the driving force at the heart of Unai Emery’s side, who have become surprise title challengers. The Scotland international has a winning mentality, unbelievable stamina and no shortage of quality on the ball. He’s unfortunately steeled to dealing with such setbacks, having already recovered from two ACL injuries in his career, but he finished the season on a high, scoring the opener in a title-clinching 5-0 win over Werder Bremen in mid-April. His mark of 21 goals and 10 assists in 33 games contributed to their record-breaking season.

GOAL OF THE MONTH WINNERElsewhere, our Goal of the Month prize has also been declared, with Christian Eriksen winning the accolade for the month of September. Wolvaardt will seek to captain her side to the final step having been runners-up at the last edition. The 25-year-old has a wealth of experience having made her debut as a 16-year-old in an ODI against England in 2016. The right-handed opening batter is fifth in the T20 rankings, her country’s highest in any discipline, and has one century and 11 fifties in 66 T20 innings for her country.