There’s an immediate hot take available here that I just can’t commit myself to: the departure of Neymar from Barcelona has had an uplifting effect on 33-year-old midfielder Andres Iniesta, and El Ilusionista is about to enjoy the consummate season because of a mixture of peak footballing intelligence and a proverbial unchaining on the left-hand side of Barca’s midfield.
For internet warriors that love calling people they don’t know fanboys and have a strange fixation with accusing others of different acts of oral sex, this is going to be nothing short of heresy, but I firmly believe it: Isco is the most mesmerizing footballer on the planet alongside Lionel Messi.
“Holy shit! You can’t draw a line between a Real Madrid player and a Barcelona player! You know nothing, Connor Fleming!”
Demetrio Albertini enjoys a legendary status amongst those who watched AC Milan and the Italian national team in the 90s, but the midfielder’s remarkable talent isn’t widely recognized outside of that sphere. As a ball-winning midfielder that orchestrated play from deep, Albertini doesn’t have a massive highlight reel with regards to goals, although he did score a number of long-range screamers and some gorgeous free kicks.
Eighteen-year-old American midfielder Weston McKennie continued his meteoric rise through the ranks at Schalke 04 by making his first competitive start in the 2017-18 DFB-Pokal on Monday. The USMNT U-20 prospect joined the German club in August of 2016, and he made a substitute appearance last May in the Bundesliga as a reward for his performances with the academy team.
McKennie has since gone on to impress over the course of the preseason, and injuries to first team regulars resulted in his first-ever competitive start for the club against BFC Dynamo in the DFB-Pokal.
30-year-old Mexico international Andres Guardado has transferred from PSV Eindhoven to Real Betis and signed a contract that’ll reportedly run until 2020, ending Los Angeles FC’s pursuit of the midfielder for their debut season in Major League Soccer.
21-year-old Pachuca and Mexican international Hirving “Chucky” Lozano has long been a subject of interest for European clubs. The winger has already appeared in over 100 Liga MX matches for his club, and he’s become a regular for El Tri.
Lozano’s form in the 2016 Apertura season, during which he scored seven goals and helped Pachuca finish in second during the regular season, saw him linked with Benfica, Ajax and PSV during the January transfer window.
The 2015-16 Premier League season was dominated by two stories: the remarkable rise of Leicester City and the shambolic title defense of Chelsea. This season, the roles have been reversed. As a barometer of the contrasting performances, one needs to look no further than the play of wingers Eden Hazard and Riyad Mahrez.
Among the big-name signings of Frank Lampard, David Villa and Andrea Pirlo, New York City FC owners, the Abu Dhabi United subsidiary City Football Group, were also keen to add one of America’s own. They got that in the form of USMNT midfielder Mix Diskerud, but he didn't come cheaply.
Ryan Mason’s club, Hull City, have confirmed that the midfielder is in stable condition and has been speaking at the hospital after fracturing his skull against Chelsea on Sunday.
Mason underwent surgery after a gruesome clash of heads with Chelsea’s Gary Cahill. Cahill was deemed fit to continue for Chelsea, but Mason was stretchered off while receiving oxygen to a standing ovation from Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge supporters.
Criminally underrated throughout his career, due in large part to having to play behind two of the greatest ever in Xavi and Andres Iniesta for Spain, Santi Cazorla's recognition has only grown in the last two seasons, primarily because of his devastating absence. While many fans were not aware of him when he moved to Arsenal from Malaga in 2012, he has always been a favorite among players and coaches in his native country.