Rivalries

How many goals has Messi scored? It’s hard to answer, because right this very instant, he dropped Jérôme Boateng and chipped Manuel Neuer. In the time it took you to read that sentence, he just scored a hat-trick against Levante. Lionel Messi has scored 664 goals in his career for club and country, so yes, I’m slightly exaggerating, but only slightly.

It is settled: Club América is the best team in all Liga MX history. Beating Cruz Azul in a very level final on Sunday, Las Águilas claimed their 13th Liga MX title.

In doing so, Miguel Herrera's side surpassed Chivas Guadalajara, which has won the championship 12 times.

It's going to happen: A Club América vs. Cruz Azul Liga MX final will kiss 2018 goodbye. La Máquina beat Monterrey, and Las Águilas destroyed Pumas in the semifinals last weekend, thus securing the high-voltage final most soccer enthusiasts in Mexico were looking forward to.

It’s taken 39 days and two reschedules (one due to rain, the other due to violence ) — and of course we ultimately needed extra time — but we finally have a champion of the Superclásico Copa Libertadores final: River Plate, a wild 5-3 on aggregate.

The transformation of the 2018 Copa Libertadores Final from one of the most anticipated club matches of the calendar year to an absurd sideshow was complete when the second leg’s staging at the Santiago Bernabéu was confirmed — a decision that turns the Superclásico into nothing more than the “most costly friendly in history,”

Except for a four-minute spell of tilt which resulted in two Tottenham goals, Arsenal thoroughly enjoyed a 4-2 derby victory over Spurs on Sunday after a glorious second half fightback that included strikes from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (his 10th of the season), Alex Lacazette and the inspirational Lucas Torreira. 

The match quickly set about foreshadowing the madness to come in the ninth minute, when Jan Vertonghen inexplicably handled a corner to give Aubameyang his first goal of the match from the spot. 

It’s been almost 180 days since Sergio Ramos put Mohamed Salah into a judo hold, fun-cussed Loris Karius and gave Roberto Firmino the flu by sweating on him, but to Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren, it still smacks of yesterday. 

The Croatian defender has gone full-on Dani Alves of late, telling anyone and everyone under the sun about his every whim and desire, and we’re here for it.

Sunday wasn’t Raheem Sterling’s greatest individual display as an attacker, but the 23-year-old again demonstrated why he’s such a vital part of Pep Guardiola’s side — and completely unmatched in his skill set within the England national team — by retaining possession in difficult areas and constantly pulling Manchester United’s well-organized, pressing defensive unit this way and that with his array of clever flicks, dribbles and one-touch passing.