GM football fans. It’s Friday, Sept. 19 - Spain overtake Argentina in Fifa’s world rankings, Lionel Messi is set to continue at Inter Miami with a contract extension, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
Premier League MD5: Liverpool vs. Everton, Saturday 20, 12:30 BST / 7:30 ET. Liverpool have lost just one of their last 28 home games against Everton in all competitions, winning each of their last four encounters. Manchester United vs. Chelsea, Saturday 20, 17:30 BST / 12:30 ET. Ruben Amorim will be hoping to draw upon home advantage as United are unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League home games against Chelsea. However, after their 1-0 win in May, Chelsea are looking for their first consecutive win over United since three in a row from November 2009 and March 2011. Arsenal vs. Manchester City. Sunday 21, 16:30 BST / 11:30 ET. Arsenal, unbeaten so far this season, have won two of their last four league meetings with City, with those victories coming in their two most recent encounters. City have also lost five of their last seven league games immediately following a European game in midweek. See every Premier League Matchday 5 fixture here.
Results…
Champions League: Newcastle 1-2 Barcelona | Man City 2-0 Napoli | Club Brugge 4-1 Monaco | Copenhagen 2-2 Leverkusen | Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 Galatasaray | Sporting 4-1 Kairat (League Phase Standings)
Women’s Champions League, 3rd Qualifying Round: Man United 3-0 Brann (Agg 3-1) | Real Madrid 3-0 Eintracht (Agg 5-1) | Sporting 0-2 Roma (Agg 2-3) (All Results)
TOP TALKING POINTS
Barcelona Corruption Probe Continues
The Negreira case, one of the most high-profile sports corruption probes in Spanish football, advanced on Thursday as former Barcelona presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu faced scrutiny over millions in payments to a former refereeing official. The investigation, which has been ongoing for two and a half years, centres on €7.5m in payments made by Barcelona to former referee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira over 17 years. Read more on the Negreira case here.
At issue is whether payments from the club to Negreira were legitimate consulting fees for “external referee advice” or attempts to buy influence between 2001 and 2018. Negreira’s son, Javier Enriquez, testified that his father produced reports for Barcelona but insisted they were strictly analytical and not intended to influence matches. His father was being paid around €6,000-€7,000 per report, with many reportedly lacking detailed documentation.
Despite years of raids and seized documents, investigations have yet to produce proof of bribery or referee manipulation. Courts dismissed direct bribery charges in 2024, but the club remain under scrutiny for potential sports corruption. The case could continue well into 2026.
Messi’s Miami Extension
Lionel Messi is closing in on a multi-year contract extension with Inter Miami, with just a few details left to be agreed upon. Messi, 38, joined Miami in the summer of 2023, and his current deal runs through the end of the 2025 MLS season. Financial terms of the new contract have not been reported, though his current agreement is valued at between $125m and $150m over 2.5 years, including equity in the club.
Before Messi’s arrival, Miami generated an estimated $50m–$60m in revenue in 2022. After he signed in 2023, revenues nearly doubled to $120m–$130m, and the club is projected to reach around $200m in 2024. MLS jersey sales have increased by 41% year-on-year, with Messi’s No. 10 shirt the best-selling since his arrival. Read more on how signing Messi has boosted Miami’s revenues here.
In 46 league games for Miami overall, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has 41 goals and 27 assists, with 20 goals in 21 games this season. Across all competitions, Messi has 54 goals in 62 games.
Spain Overtake Argentina
Spain have risen to the top of Fifa’s men’s world rankings, ending Argentina’s two-year reign at No. 1. La Roja return to the top spot for the first time since 2014, after a strong start to World Cup 2026 qualifying—including a 3-0 win over Bulgaria and a 6-0 rout of Turkey. Dive deeper into how Fifa’s rankings are calculated here.
Argentina have dropped to third, with Fifa citing their defeat to Ecuador in the last round of Conmebol qualifying as the reason, despite having booked their World Cup spot in March. France climbed to second after back-to-back wins over Ukraine and Iceland, while England stayed fourth and Portugal moved up one place to fifth.
World Cup co-hosts Canada rose two places to 26th, their highest-ever ranking, following Jesse Marsch’s side beating both Romania (3-0) and Wales (1-0) in friendlies. Mexico and the United States sit 14th and 16th, respectively, each dropping one place.
The rankings are updated in October and again in November when the standings are more significant, as they’ll decide seeding for the World Cup draw, plus draws for play-offs in Europe and the intercontinental brackets.
POLL
The Ballon d'Or winner is announced on Monday. Who do you think deserves to win the award for the 2024-25 season? (shortlist based on odds)
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Marcus Rashford scored twice for Barcelona as they beat Newcastle 2-1 in their opening Champions League fixture (More); watch his long-range goal (More / U.S. link) | Erling Haaland broke another record by becoming the quickest player to score 50 Champions League goals in Man City’s 2-0 win over Napoli (More)
> Jose Mourinho has agreed a two-year deal as Benfica boss following his departure from Fenerbahce (More)
> West Ham have issued a statement to “reassure all supporters” that they are listening to feedback following a recent letter of no confidence signed by multiple fans’ groups (More)
> Juan Mata and Giogio Chiellini-backed investment vehicle Mercury13 has acquired Women’s Super League 2 club Bristol City Women (More) | See all WSL and WSL2 fixtures this weekend (More)
Americas
> CONMEBOL Libertadores quarter-final between Flamengo and Estudiantes will conclude shortly after publication (Live Results)
> Son Heung-min scored his first MLS hat-trick as Los Angeles FC beat Real Salt Lake 4-1, while the Columbus Crew lost at New York City FC (More); see all upcoming MLS fixtures (More)
> The Portland Thorns will retire the No. 12 jersey of longtime forward Christine Sinclair (More); see full NWSL schedule (More)
> USL Championship Eastern Conference leaders Louisville City can extend their 10-match unbeaten run in the league when they host Las Vegas Lights FC on Saturday (Sept 20); see all USL Championship fixtures (More)
Rest of the World
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you think Jose Mourinho is still an elite manager?
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (34%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (65%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (1%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 A.C: “Of course he is. Putting all his success before taking the Man Utd job aside: he finished second and won a European trophy with the worst Utd team of our lifetimes, won a European trophy with Roma (was a penalty kick away from a second, may I add) and had Tottenham looking like Premier League title challengers for half a season… It’s no surprise he’s back managing a UCL team straight away.”
🙅♂️ R.M: “Still has a powerful brand and personality, but I think his tactics are not the best fit for the modern game or player. Having said that, I wish him well as he is one of the great lasting characters of the game I grew up watching through my adulthood. I enjoy listening to him and hearing his thoughts and insights. He has a beautiful mind for the beautiful game.”
🙅♂️ P.M: “His most recent best spell was at Chelsea, but they spent so much money on players, any manager would have excelled. Tactics and style have changed, yet he's still playing football from a bygone era, and without big-name signings.”
EXTRA TIME
The shortest managerial reign of all time–just 10 minutes.
Fake Pakistani football team arrested and deported in Japan.
Stats behind Liverpool’s last-minute winners.
Here’s what a £1k Premier League ticket gets you. (video)
The best under-the-radar picks for FPL Gameweek 5. (FPL)
Monaco players strip to underwear to deal with plane heat.
Should Aston Villa be worried after their worst league start in 28 years?
Marco Llorente revives his Chemtrail conspiracy.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Which defender has the most appearances for Liverpool that isn’t from Great Britain or Ireland?
Scroll below for the answer.
ON TODAY
Championship
Middlesbrough vs. West Brom (20:00)
Women’s Super League
Everton vs. London City Lionesses (19:30)
Tottenham vs. Manchester City (19:30)
La Liga
Real Betis vs. Real Sociedad (20:00)
Bundesliga
Stuttgart vs. St Pauli (19:30)
Serie A
Lecce vs. Cagliari (19:45)
*All times in UK. ET -5. CDT -6. PDT -8. MDT -7. CET +1.
Answer
Sami Hyypia.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
I made a mistake going to Fenerbahce. It wasn't my cultural level, it wasn't my football level, it wasn't my level.
