England

There’s a new most valuable Premier League club, and it’s not Manchester United. 

Manchester City was rated the most valuable Premier League club for the 2017-18 season in a recent study conducted by University of Liverpool’s Centre for Sports Business Group, as reported by BBC.

The Citizens were valued at $3.11 billion (£2.364 billion) compared to United, which dropped nearly half a billion dollars to $2.75 billion because of “higher wages and lower profit,” according to the study. 

Liverpool was dominating in the second half. Fullbacks were flying forward, midfielders were ripping shots and forwards were bamboozling defenders.

But only Barcelona had Lionel Messi.

More than ever before, Messi is carrying Barcelona this season. Unlike past Champions League-winning sides Messi has been a part of, he is both the primary goal scorer and primary goal creator. 

Barcelona and Liverpool both started the first leg of their Champions League semifinal with plenty of attacking intent, throwing caution to the wind in search of a go-ahead goal. It didn’t take too long to arrive, with a Luis Suarez goal vs Liverpool giving the home side a lead in the 26th minute. 

And the former Liverpool man had no problem celebrating his goal.

Often, players choose to refrain from celebrating a goal against a former club as a show of respect. It’s a nice gesture. 

It seems as though football fans become more emboldened the better their team does. And while many British supporters like to claim they’re better than their continental counterparts when it comes to racism, violence and general hooliganism, Liverpool fans are proving they’re a despicable lot ahead of the Champions League semifinal first leg in Barcelona on Wednesday.

Longtime Manchester United defender John O’Shea announced his retirement on his 37th birthday Tuesday.

Believe it or not, O’Shea has been playing continuously since his departure from Manchester United in 2011.

O’Shea spent 12 years with United and was part of five Premier League championship teams as well as one Champions League-winning team.

John O’Shea has announced his retirement from football:

Forget all the complaints about which team had more rest or which team has more money — the first leg of the Champions League semifinals between Ajax and Tottenham was everything you want in a big match. 

Full of attacking intent from both sides, neither of which backed away from a single challenge, Ajax turned 30 minutes of first-half dominance into a 1-0 victory, a third-straight away win in the knockout rounds for the Amsterdam side. Spurs, meanwhile, suffered back-to-back defeats at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Battered, bruised and bloodied, Jan Vertonghen was splayed out on the turf.

The Spurs defender smashed his own head into the back of teammate Toby Alderweireld’s head going for a free kick, causing a faucet of blood to spew forth. 

It was gruesome, and it summed up Tottenham’s opening half against Ajax.

DeAndre Yedlin made a big move after the 2014 World Cup, leaving his hometown club Seattle Sounders for Tottenham Hotspur in August of that year. Five years later, his youth club Crossfire Premier has been denied solidarity payments on the transfer (which cost the English Premier League club about $3.71 million), ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle reported.

Tottenham Hotspur is one of England’s most storied clubs. Founded in 1882, Spurs have a great history of cup success dating back to winning the 1901 FA Cup as a non-League club, continuing through 1963 when they became the first British club to win a major European competition and into the 21st century. But it begs the question: Why is Tottenham called Spurs?

Tottenham Hotspur was founded by a group of school boys along Tottenham High Road in London and is now one of the most profitable and successful clubs in Europe. 

After what looked like a promising rebound year for Manchester United plummeted, the club will look into Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak in the offseason, according to rumors.

Oblak’s recent contract extension has the goalkeeper inked with the Spanish club until 2023 with a €120 million buyout.