Italy

It’s that man again. AC Milan new boy Krzysztof Piątek scored in his first-ever Serie A start for the club during today’s 1-1 draw with Roma, this coming just days after he scored a brace during Milan’s Coppa Italia victory over Napoli. 

And with those goals has come the customary celebration — the reason they call the 23-year-old Polish forward “El Pistolero.” 

Krzysztof Piątek isn’t a household name just yet.

He should be.

Six months ago, Genoa bought Krzysztof Piątek from Cracovia in Poland for $5 million. 

Last week AC Milan shelled out $40 million for Piątek. 

At this rate, Piątek might soon be sold for $100 million.

When Milan made Piątek the most expensive Polish footballer of time with his $40 million move from Genoa, those who haven’t been following Serie A this season might have raised some eyebrows. So just who is this 23-year-old striker, the replacement for Gonzalo Higuaín?

According to the Deloitte Football Money League 2019 study, Real Madrid is now the richest club in the world after generating a record revenue of $867.7 million over the course of the 2017-18 season. Last year’s number one, Manchester United, has fallen to number three in the rankings and been overtaken by Barcelona as well.

Quick, who’s the most expensive transfer of the January window so far? You should know this — it’s the $75 million Chelsea paid Borussia Dortmund for Christian Pulisic. Now what about the second-most expensive? Any ideas? It’s the $41 million AC Milan paid Flamengo for 21-year-old Brazilian Lucas Paquetá.

I hope you can kick these balls with some of the world's best players. Here's a brief guide to the balls used in some of the world's most popular leagues and how much they cost.

What Soccer Ball Should I Get? Here's What The World's Biggest Leagues Use

English Premier League: The Nike Merlin, at a cool $160. Looks and feels like a classic professional ball.

According to the latest reports, Mario Balotelli is on the verge of joining Marseille from Nice in Ligue 1. Despite the timing being pretty perfect to join Major League Soccer, it’s not happening. We’re just as disappointed as you are. 

With Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Balotelli all in MLS, we could’ve replayed our own version of Euro 2012.  

Say what you will about hosting the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia — we certainly did, here — but Juventus won its first trophy of the Cristiano Ronaldo era on Wednesday. 

It came thanks to the head of none other than Cristiano Ronaldo in a 1-0 victory over AC Milan.