The FIFA rankings are a strange sort of beast, like Dr. Seuss’s Foo-Foo the Snoo. They don’t have any bearing on reality, and usually distort it, but they’re frequently referenced and even used as the framework to seed international competitions.
The latest FIFA World Rankings came out today and saw no changes in the top five.
1. Argentina
2. Brazil
3. Germany
4. Chile
5. Belgium
Oscar made his competitive debut for Shanghai SIPG in the Asian Champions League and did exactly what you’d expect from a man who cost £60 million and was up against Thailand’s seventh best team.
He scored a goal, and SIPG, managed by Andre Villas-Boas and with players like Ricardo Carvalho, Hulk and Elkeson, defeated Sukhothai FC 3-0 to advance to the group stage.
The January transfer deadline window passed without the need for everyone to lose their collective minds over a deal like Karim Benzema to Burnley or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to PSG, Manchester City, Arsenal or any of the other clubs he really likes.
Tim Cahill, Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell have combined for 193 appearances for Australia and 76 goals (Cahill, 37, is still going). All three played a vital role in securing Australia’s 2006 World Cup appearance, their first since 1974, with a dramatic playoff victory over Uruguay.
China has big plans for 2017. The Chinese Football Association gathered in Beijing to go over financial details in hopes of transforming the country into a soccer powerhouse. President Xi Jinping is the country’s number one soccer fan and intends to have China perform in future World Cups, an achievement they've only managed once.
An Australian A-League match between Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory featured five first half goals, with the Victory ultimately winning 3-2. The goal of the match was scored by Roar attacking midfielder Dimitri Petratos, the 24-year-old absolutely lashing a swerving effort into the top corner from over 30 yards out.
Ashton Surber, a footballer who was born and raised on Guam and, according to an article on FIFA.com from 2013, serves in the US Air Force, achieved the remarkable hat-trick of scoring a bicycle kick, proposing to his now fiancee and receiving a caution for removing his shirt.
According to multiple reports, Chelsea have dropped Diego Costa for Saturday’s match against Leicester City amidst an argument between the Spanish forward and the Chelsea training staff and a lucrative offer from the Chinese Super League.
China is not a nation you’d list when thinking about the world’s footballing elite. But President Xi Jinping is hoping to change that. Last year, China unveiled a plan to “become a footballing juggernaut by 2050”. The country is spending more money to attract players, including some of the game’s biggest names, to move to China.