Mason Greenwood has explained why he takes penalties with his weaker foot after scoring from the spot for Getafe on Saturday afternoon.
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Football clubs are some of the biggest brands in the world these days, and GOAL brings you the top 10 most searched football clubs in 2021.
The year 2023 was monumental in football due to several iconic events. Cristiano Ronaldo broke ties with Manchester United to join Al-Nassr and kick off a Saudi Pro League "All-Stars" frenzy, eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi surprised everyone by moving to David Beckham's Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami on the back of lifting the 2022 World Cup and solidifying his GOAT status, Manchester City winning the treble and more.
Needless to say, football teams were googled heavily across the calendar year. People across the globe search for football teams to keep track of their results, position in respective league tables, and the high-profile transfers in the football world.
If you're anything crazy like us, you might have wondered which clubs occupy football fans’ search engines the most. If yes, then you are in the right place to find it out. Here at GOAL, we present you with the list of the top 10 searched football clubs on Google.
Neymar took time out of his rehabilitation to pay a visit to his former team Santos, where he watched the Brazilian side beat rivals Corinthians.
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And what’s the lowest score a batter has a Player-of-the-Match award for?
Steven Lynch14-Jun-2022I spotted that Mustafizur Rahman took 28 wickets in his first ten ODIs. Was this a record? And what’s the most by anyone in any spell of ten ODIs? asked Khaled Hossain from Bangladesh
Mustafizur Rahman’s tally of 28 wickets in his first ten one-day internationals for Bangladesh – starting with 5 for 50 and 6 for 43 against India in June 2015 – has been bettered only by another left-arm seamer, New Zealand’s Mitchell McClenaghan, who managed 29; the West Indian Ottis Gibson also took 28.The purplest ten-match patch at any stage in ODIs belongs to Pakistan’s Waqar Younis, who claimed 35 wickets in ten games between April and November 1990, a run that included five five-fors, three of them in succession, and even one wicketless match. Ajantha Mendis once took 34 wickets in ten ODIs for Sri Lanka, while Rashid Khan of Afghanistan and Oman’s Bilal Khan (earlier this year) have both managed 32.All nine Bengal players who batted reached 50 in their recent match against Jharkhand – is this a record? asked Peter Dayson-Smith from England, among others
This was reasonably fresh in the memory, as a few weeks ago I answered a similar question after seven Surrey players reached 50 in an innings against Kent. And so it’s easy to confirm that Bengal’s nine half-centuries against Jharkhand in Bengaluru last week is a record for any first-class innings, beating eight by the Australian tourists in their match against Oxford and Cambridge University Past and Present in Portsmouth in 1893. There have been 26 instances of seven scores of 50 or more in an innings, including Surrey’s total of 671 in that match in Beckenham in May, which remains the highest in first-class cricket without an individual century.In the same round of Ranji Trophy quarter-finals, in Alur, Mumbai thrashed Uttarakhand by 725 runs, another first-class record: the previous-heaviest defeat by a runs margin was 685, by New South Wales against Queensland in Sydney in 1929-30, in the match in which Don Bradman made 452 not out, the highest score in first-class cricket at the time. There have been heavier innings defeats, the grand-daddy of them all being Pakistan Railways’ victory over Dera Ismail Khan in Lahore in 1964-65, by the little matter of an innings and 851.What’s the lowest all-out Test total that included a 200-run partnership? asked Vipul Shah from India
There have so far been four completed innings in Tests which were less than 300 but nonetheless featured a partnership of 200 or more. Lowest of all is Australia’s 284 against West Indies in Brisbane in 1968-69, which included a stand of 217 between Bill Lawry and Ian Chappell (no one else made more than 17).When Pakistan made 288 against West Indies in Georgetown in 1999-2000, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Abdul Razzaq put on 206, quite a recovery from 39 for 5. India’s 293 against England at Headingley in 1952 included a partnership of 222 by Vijay Hazare and Vijay Manjrekar, while South Africa made 296 vs India in Kolkata in 2009-10, with a stand of 209 between Alviro Petersen (who was making his debut) and Hashim Amla. New Zealand’s 283 against West Indies in Kingston in 1984-85 included a stand of 210 between Geoff Howarth and Jeff Crowe – but only nine wickets fell in that one as Jeremy Coney had broken his arm and was unable to bat.If we look at innings which were not all-out, Pakistan’s 230 for 3 to beat New Zealand in Hyderabad in 1984-85 included a partnership of 212 between Mudassar Nazar and Javed Miandad.Asif Ali faced only seven balls and made 25 runs in his Player-of-the-Match performance against Afghanistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup•ICC via GettyI noticed that Aiden Markram has played 31 Tests, and has not yet taken part in a draw – is this a record? asked Keith McKenzie from South Africa
You’re right that the South African batter Aiden Markram has so far taken part in 19 Test victories and 12 defeats – and no draws yet. This is indeed a record: Jason Gillespie took part in 26 Tests before playing in a draw, while his Australian team-mates Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden had 22 and 21 respectively; the 19th-century England allrounder Johnny Briggs played 20 Tests before his first draw.Markram currently has the most Tests in a complete career without a draw, although he might yet lose that distinction. George Lohmann, another 19th-century Englishman, played 18 Tests without ever featuring in a draw; next comes Alok Kapali, who played 17 Tests for Bangladesh and lost them all. Keaton Jennings has so far appeared in 17 Tests for England, all of which ended in definite results, while Shimron Hetmyer has played 16 for West Indies.In the second match in Sri Lanka, Matthew Wade was Man of the Match for his 26 not out from 26 balls; he didn’t bowl, or make any catches or run-outs. Has anyone won the award after scoring fewer than this as their only formal contribution to a T20 international? asked Rohan Kennedy from Australia
Australia’s Matthew Wade won the match award in the second T20 international against Sri Lanka in Colombo last week for his run-a-ball 26, which came after he entered at a tricky time – 80 for 5 in the ninth over, chasing only 125. You’re right that he didn’t otherwise feature on the scorecard, although that wouldn’t show, for example, any particularly good pieces of fielding; Wade did keep wicket through a Sri Lankan innings that included no extras.However, Wade’s 26 balls is a long way from the smallest involvement by a player who ended up with the match award in a T20 international. Playing for Pakistan against Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup in Dubai in October 2021, Asif Ali was given the award after having an active involvement in only seven deliveries, from which he hammered 25 not out. Brad Hodge (21 not out) faced eight balls for Australia against South Africa in Durban in 2013-14, as did Dinesh Karthik (29 not out) for India vs Bangladesh in the Nidahas Trophy final in Colombo in 2017-18 (he did also complete a run-out while keeping wicket). Against England at The Oval in 2009, Ramnaresh Sarwan won the award for his nine-ball 19 not out as West Indies chased a rain-reduced target.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions
ESPNcricinfo suggests five county players to keep an eye on
Subhankar Bhattacharya12-Apr-2018ESPNcricinfo suggests five county players to keep an eye onJoe Clarke (Worcestershire, 21)
“He could be the new Joe Root,” said Worcestershire’s head coach Kevin Sharp about Joe Clarke and considering England’s lack of Test runs they could do with another one. Clarke has got age on his side and his 920 runs last season helped Worcestershire win promotion. Could Clarke play under Root’s captaincy this summer?
Alex Davies (Lancashire, 23)
Another youngster who made waves in 2017 was Alex Davies. Lancashire’s keeper-batsman was the county’s highest run-scorer in the Championship and became the county’s first keeper to score 1000 first class runs in a season. Competition is rife for the England keeping spot, with Ben Foakes the next in line, but Davies can add himself to the shortlist with another strong season.
Jamie Porter (Essex, 24)
If Essex were to credit one player for their remarkable Division 1 triumph in 2017, it would probably be Jamie Porter. Porter and Simon Harmer shared 147 wickets, Porter a shade ahead of the offie with 75 wickets at 16.83 apiece. Porter does not bowl at express speeds – he remains within the 80mph mark – but he can move the ball both ways with surgical accuracy. England’s James Anderson will inevitably have to call it a day and, with options limited, Porter will not have abandoned hopes of Test honours.
Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire, 20)
Matthew Fisher’s career has encountered more injury speedbumps than he would like, but Yorkshire need a strong showing from this lanky pace bowler to offset absences elsewhere. His Yorkshire teammate Tim Bresnan famously predicted: “I think he is going to be an unbelievable bowler” and if he remains injury free he can begin to prove it.
Hamidullah Qadri (Derbyshire, 17)
When he made his debut for Derbyshire in June last year, Hamidullah Qadri became the first county cricketer to have been born in the 21st Century. Besides this unique accolade, Qadri also made headlines for bowling Derbyshire to victory in his very first game. The Afghanistan-born off spinner claimed 5 for 60 against Glamorgan in the second innings. More chances are bound to come as the season progresses.
La Liga are investigating Vinicius Junior allegedly being called a "monkey" during Real Madrid's 2-2 draw with Valencia.
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Ollie Rayner has a chance to discover some form after losing his Middlesex place to Ravi Patel
George Dobell19-Jun-2018Ollie Rayner has joined Hampshire from Middlesex on a short-term loan deal.Hampshire are currently without leg-spinner Mason Crane (who has suffered a recurrence of back pain as he recovers from a stress
fracture), off-spinner Brad Taylor (who has an ankle injury) and will shortly lose left-arm spinner, Liam Dawson, to England Lions duty.Off-spinner Rayner – good enough to claim 50 Championship wickets when Middlesex won the Championship in 2016 and win a place in the Lions side – will therefore provide spin-bowling cover for the upcoming Championship matches against Yorkshire (starting on Wednesday) and Lancashire (starting on Monday).It shows, however, that Rayner has dropped out of the Middlesex first team for the moment. After a trying start to the season – Rayner has
claimed four wickets in five Championship matches for Middlesex this season at an average of 64.50 – he has lost his place to the left-arm
spinner, Ravi Patel.The loan deal lasts a month but Middlesex can recall him at any time if their needs change.”It’s great that Angus Fraser and Middlesex have allowed him to come to us and he’ll play a part in the next couple of Championship games,”
Giles White, the Hamphiire director of cricket, said. “He’s a good bowler and has done well for Middlesex over the years. He bats and
catches well at second slip too so it’s a good fit for us.”Hampshire are currently in seventh position in Division One in need of a victory or two to lift them away from relegation fears. Middlesex
are seventh in Division Two and struggling to sustain the promotion challenge that most anticipated. Both sides have just the one
Championship victory so far this season.”I’m obviously disappointed to not be featuring in the forthcoming round of Championship matches for Middlesex,” Rayner said. “However
when one door closes, another one opens, and I’ve now got a great opportunity to go and play some first eleven cricket with Hampshire.””As with a lot of loan agreements this is a win-win situation for both Middlesex and Ollie,” the club’s Director of Cricket, Angus Fraser,
said. “Having chosen to pick Ravi Patel ahead of Ollie this week, Ollie was extremely keen to play some first-class cricket, and
Hampshire’s predicament has allowed this to happen.”Should Middlesex’s situation change we have the right to recall Ollie to the club.”
David Munden, photographer and former county batsman, has died at the age of 60 after a battle with Parkinson’s Disease
ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2018David Munden, the renowned cricket photographer and former county batsman, has died at the age of 60 after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.Munden, who was a fixture on England cricket tours in the 1980s and 1990s, had been on Leicestershire’s books from 1975 until 1981 when, as captain of their second XI, he signed off with a century in his final appearance against Worcestershire at Grace Road.He was a contemporary of David Gower’s at the club, with whom he also represented England Under 19s on their tour of the Caribbean in 1976.”His passion for cricket was evident in the way he took to photographing the game once he realised he would not go on to enjoy a senior county career,” said Mark Baldwin, the chairman of the Cricket Writers’ Club.”He was a highly popular and much-respected colleague in and around press boxes at home and abroad. Cruelly, David’s illness eventually forced him to retire from his photographic work and he fought against the debilitations of Parkinson’s for many years.”In 2015, Leicestershire held a fundraising testimonial for Munden at Grace Road, where his father Victor and uncles Donald and Paul had also represented the club.The news of Munden’s death comes in the wake of the loss of Dave Callaghan, the BBC Yorkshire broadcaster, and Neil Bell, the BBC South East sports reporter.”In different ways and across different mediums the three of them contributed much to the promotion and presentation of cricket to a wide audience,” added Baldwin, “and they will be remembered with huge affection. What they shared, meanwhile, was a deep love of cricket and respect for the game.”
South Africa have moved down a spot, to No. 2, after losing the ongoing ODI series against India
ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2018After winning their first bilateral series in South Africa, India have climbed to the top of the ODI rankings for the third time in six months. India overtook South Africa – who will finish the ongoing series ranked second – after beating them by 73 runs in the fourth ODI in Port Elizabeth. India are also the top-ranked Test team.India had become the No. 1 ODI side after taking a 2-0 lead in the series, but had to win four of six matches to retain that ranking after the series. If India win the final ODI, they will finish with 123 rankings points, and South Africa with 117. South Africa had to either tie or win the ODI series against India to stay at the top of the rankings.India’s series win means England could move past South Africa, to No. 2, if they beat New Zealand 5-0 in the upcoming ODI series. Afghanistan, meanwhile, have also climbed past Zimbabwe to No. 10 on the ODI rankings after winning the third ODI in Sharjah on Tuesday, but will have to win the series to retain that position.
Aston Villa’s transfer activity this summer has been a careful balancing act, reflecting both ambition and necessity.
After losing academy graduate Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle and contending with persistent Premier League profit and sustainability regulations (PSR), Unai Emery’s side have sought reinforcement across multiple positions.
The Midlands outfit have already added Evann Guessand from Nice, but there remains a pressing need to bolster creativity and experience in midfield, particularly in the event of Morgan Rogers’ departure.
The club’s early campaign has been patchy, with a draw against Newcastle followed by a 1-0 defeat away at Brentford.
Despite summer interest from Newcastle and Manchester United, Ollie Watkins continues to lead the line.
However, there is a growing recognition that midfield reinforcement is required to support their talismanic striker, which in turn will unlock the team’s full attacking potential.
Previously, Aston Villa have gambled on other technically gifted Brazilian midfielders, exemplified by Philippe Coutinho’s arrival after struggling for form at Barcelona.
Now, another South American talent is emerging on the radar, with the potential to recapture that same blend of flair and influence.
According to journalist Santi Aouna, Aston Villa have opened discussions with West Ham regarding the possibility of signing Lucas Paquetá.
The 27-year-old Brazilian, who has amassed 55 caps and 11 goals for his national side, is considered one of several midfield options should Villa need to replace Morgan Rogers before the close of the transfer window.
West Ham are understood to be holding out for a fee in the region of £60m, with initial inquiries suggesting Villa would need to meet a minimum valuation of £40m before talks could commence.
Paquetá has undoubtedly experienced a turbulent period at the London Stadium, having faced betting allegations in August 2023.
Although he was cleared of all charges in 2025, the episode is reported to have affected him profoundly.
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Nevertheless, he continues to be highly rated.
Former West Ham player Declan Rice praised the attacking midfielder’s abilities, describing him as “mind-boggling” in terms of quality and vision.
Clubs including Crystal Palace, Manchester City, and Tottenham have reportedly monitored the player, though news of Spurs’ recent acquisition of RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons will reduce the likelihood of any continued interest.
For Villa, Paquetá represents a chance to combine proven Premier League experience with the technical finesse necessary to complement both new arrivals and established stars such as Watkins.
Tactically, Paquetá offers Aston Villa a multifaceted solution.
Primarily an attacking midfielder, the Brazilian excels in creating and progressing offensive sequences, with metrics that underline his all-around capability.
According to FBref, last season, he ranked in the 74th percentile for shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (2.89) and the 79th percentile for progressive passes (6.16), demonstrating his ability to influence both goal-scoring opportunities and build-up play.
Additionally, he boasts the 84th percentile for touches in the opposition penalty area and the 75th percentile for tackles per 90, illustrating a willingness to contribute defensively – a balance Emery prizes in transitional play.
His aerial ability is also notable, with the 89th percentile for aerial duels won per 90, making him a threat in both open play and set-piece scenarios.
The comparison with Coutinho is plain to see.
Before arriving at Villa Park, the Brazilian struggled to live up to his colossal pricetag at Barcelona before briefly flourishing on loan at Bayern Munich.
When at his best, Coutinho combined exceptional vision, dribbling, long-range shooting, and set-piece delivery, ultimately making him a dangerous attacking asset.
Paquetá, arriving at a stage in his career where his technical maturity and Premier League familiarity intersect, could offer a more immediate and sustained impact than his predecessor.
From a squad composition perspective, Paquetá could integrate seamlessly with Villa’s existing framework.
He would complement Watkins in attack, add creativity in the final third, and relieve pressure on newly-signed Guessand, allowing Emery greater flexibility in rotation and tactical setups.
The midfielder’s proficiency in linking play and breaking lines would enhance Villa’s transitional play, which has been a key focus under Emery’s management.
If the deal progresses, it would also signify Villa’s commitment to international-level talent capable of impacting the Premier League immediately.
After losing Ramsey, and with ongoing interest in Rogers from external clubs, adding a player of Paquetá’s calibre would send a clear message regarding the club’s ambitions.
Aston Villa are prepared to invest in both technical skill and experience to remain competitive domestically and in this year’s edition of the Europa League.
Ultimately, a successful move for Paquetá could mirror the allure of Coutinho’s signing while avoiding the pitfalls that hindered his predecessor.
Villa would acquire a player with vision, creativity, and finishing ability, tempered by Premier League experience and tactical maturity – qualities capable of elevating both the midfield and the team’s overall attacking profile.
For supporters, it represents an opportunity to witness Brazilian flair integrated into a system designed for consistency and results, potentially bridging the gap between raw talent and polished Premier League performance.
Emery's own Grealish: Aston Villa agree terms for "magical" late signing
Aston Villa are ready to welcome one or two late signings to their squad as the transfer window draws to a close.
By
Angus Sinclair
Aug 29, 2025