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The Ukrainian risks a four-year ban after testing positive for a banned substance, and his future at Stamford Bridge now hangs in the balance

After a mightily underwhelming two years, Mykhailo Mudryk's Chelsea career may well be over before it has ever really begun in earnest. The Ukraine international has been suspended with immediate effect having tested positive for a banned substance, and it could be some time before he plays again.

It is difficult to overstate the significance of this seismic setback for a player who has toiled since he arrived on English shores in January 2023, but there is no doubt that this is the nadir of his time at Stamford Bridge and a low from which he may struggle to recover.

A provisional suspension which could turn into – at worse – a four-year ban, this is almost certainly the beginning of the end of Mudryk's time at Chelsea.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Damning result

  Reports emerged in Ukrainian media overnight on Monday alleging Mudryk had failed a recent drugs test, and it was confirmed by on Tuesday morning that the winger had been provisionally suspended by the FA as they await an explanation.

  The 23-year-old provided a clear urine test in August, but a subsequent check – apparently after international duty with Ukraine in November – came back positive, and he now faces an anxious wait for the result of a 'B' sample. report claims he is citing contamination, and it's worth noting that his lawyers have insisted that he has not yet been charged with any doping offence.

  Nevertheless, the failed test and subsequent suspension are crushing blows for a player who, in truth, was already fighting an uphill battle at Stamford Bridge.

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• 'I have not done anything wrong'

  Mudryk is adamant he hasn't changed his routine since the initial test in August and is said to believe the contamination must have happened abroad, because the substance in question – believed to be meldonium – is supposedly not available in the UK.

  In a statement, he maintained his innocence, claiming he had "never knowingly" consumed anything illicit. "This has come as a complete shock," he wrote. "I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened.

  "I know that I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful that I will be back on the pitch soon. I cannot say any more now due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will as soon as I can."

• AFP
  

  'Adverse finding'

  It has been claimed Chelsea are supportive of their player's case, although that wasn't made abundantly obvious in the club's own statement, other than acknowledging Mudryk's insistence that he had never knowingly consumed any prohibited substance.

  "Both the club and Mykhailo fully support the FA’s testing programme and all our players, including Mykhailo, are regularly tested," a statement read. "Mykhailo has confirmed categorically that he has never knowingly used any banned substances.

  "Both Mykhailo and the club will now work with the relevant authorities to establish what has caused the adverse finding. The club will not be commenting any further."

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  Smoke and mirrors

  This news comes amid public claims that Mudryk has been "ill" in recent weeks, with head coach Enzo Maresca forced to field questions over his absence.

  The attacker has not played a single minute since the Conference League victory over Heidenheim on November 28, sitting out Chelsea's last five Premier League games.

  He was on the bench in two of those, but was left out of the squad entirely for the most recent three against Southampton, Tottenham and Brentford, and was not seen in training, either.

  However, discussing the state of his squad following the victory over the Bees on Sunday, Maresca interestingly didn't actually give a reason for Mudryk's non-involvement. "Unfortunately during the session yesterday, Benoit [Badiashile] felt something, and Misha (Mudryk) is out too," he said.

Mikel Arteta provided an update on Bukayo Saka's condition as the injured Arsenal star left Selhurst Park on crutches.

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• Arteta provides an update on Saka
• Left Selhurst Park on crutches
• Arsenal thrashed Crystal Palace 5-1

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The English winger was forced to leave the pitch in the 23rd minute of Arsenal's Premier League clash against Crystal Palace after he picked up a muscle injury. While the Gunners completed a 5-1 rout of the Eagles riding on Gabriel Jesus' brace, Saka's injury came as a major blow to the team. The star was also spotted leaving Selhurst Park on crutches after the match.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  While interacting with the media, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta provided a concerning update on the player's condition while admitting that the entire team was worried. The club have a hectic schedule in front of them as they take on Ipswich Town, Brentford and Brighton between December 27 and January 4 in the Premier League.

• WHAT MIKEL ARTETA SAID

  Speaking to reporters, the Spanish coach said: "He felt something in his hamstring. He couldn’t continue. He will have to be assessed. Pretty worried about that one."

  It's Saka's third hamstring injury of the season. Arteta added: "I’m not sure if it’s exactly the same one [that he did earlier this season]. It’s in the same leg. He had the third minor injury – I don’t know how big this is going to be. But he already had two.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BUKAYO SAKA?

  The north London outfit will hope that the 23-year-old star's injury isn't too serious and that he can return to action soon. The Gunners face the Tractor Boys on December 27.

The Champions League anthem is arguably one of football's finest musical works. It is a theme befitting of the competition's stature, so much so that some players treat it as the de facto national anthem of the European game.

But what are the lyrics, and how did the song come into being? The tune recently underwent a remix (some may say a downgrade) ahead of this year's main competition, which is being marked by the biggest changes to the tournament in over two decades.

This retuned version will be heard on television broadcasts and accompanied by shots from the previous campaign, which ended with Real Madrid securing a record 15th European crown.

Luckily for all the purists out there, the tune has been largely unchanged and will be sure to continue inspiring players with its ethereal tone. There is also a separate version played in stadiums when the teams are lining up for the game, though it is unclear whether this will also be amended. Either way, there will still be plenty of goosebumps pre-kick-off.

Champions League 2024/25: How the new format works & current standings

UEFA has changed the Champions League format for the 2024/25 season. Here’s an overview of how things work and the current standings after Matchday 2.

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By
Alex Caple

Oct 2, 2024

What is the Champions League song and lyrics?

Created in 1992 prior to the competition's major revamp, the Champions League anthem has been one of the mainstays over the last 32 years. The song is comprised of three languages – English, French and German – giving the song an authentic European feel, while its orchestral features evoke a sense of grandeur.

Below are the lyrics for the more common version, which is used for broadcasts and when the teams are lining up.

Champions League anthem lyrics (English translations in brackets):

Ils sont les meilleurs (They are the best)

The champions

There is also a full-length version of the Champions League theme, which also incorporates the three languages, but this rarely gets an outing on TV outside of the final. UEFA tends to push the boat out for the finale, with a live orchestra often used.

Full-length version (English translations in brackets):

Ce sont les meillures équipes (These are the best teams)

The champions

The top Champions League goalscorers of all time

Who has been the best in front of goal in the famous club competition?

By
Charlie Smith

May 14, 2025

How the Champions League song was made

The Champions League theme was composed by Tony Britten, who was tasked by UEFA to help revamp the European Cup with a new anthem. The British composer adapted elements of Handel's Zadok the Priest, which is most commonly known for being performed at British coronation services.

Over the years, it has become a cultural phenomenon, and amid all of football's changes throughout the last three decades or so, the anthem is the one thing that has endured.

It recently caused plenty to bemoan modern football when the song was given a small revamp of its own. There have been several subtle changes since its creation, and we all know too well how people react to change, so expect the furore to die down once the football returns.

Arsenal's fanbase are in uproar. Why? Well, the lack of an addition to the Gunners' forward line this summer has been perplexing considering their activity.

Bukayo Saka played far too many minutes last season but Emile Smith Rowe has left for Fulham, Fabio Vieira has danced off on his merry way back to Porto and Eddie Nketiah is all set to join Crystal Palace before the 11pm deadline.

Factor in Gabriel Jesus' recent injury (yes, another one) and Mikel Arteta's side looks rather light on attacking numbers.

Nico Williams is reportedly a player Arsenal "love" but he has been intent on staying at Athletic Bilbao. Benjamin Sesko has also decided to stay put after early summer links to Arsenal.

Raheem Sterling has also been on the agenda for the north Londoners in the last hours of the window…

Arsenal's late transfer activity

Sterling has been alienated from the Chelsea squad by new boss Enzo Maresca and as a result, has been linked with a late move to across London for a reunion with Arteta.

However, with the hours ticking by, it looks increasingly likely he'll be staying put at Stamford Bridge.

So, are there any moves Arsenal could complete? Well, it's once again unlikely but Everton forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin has reportedly attracted their interest on Deadline Day.

Football Transfers reported on Friday that Chelsea and Arsenal have both been monitoring his situation at Goodison Park and "pursue a late move" for a player valued at around £40m per reports earlier this summer.

Imagine him and Sterling

It's unlikely Arsenal sign both of these players, if either of them, but they would certainly provide the squad with added depth that's rather crucial following the departure of Smith Rowe and the pending exit of Nketiah.

Sterling, of course, would be the more exciting addition. His previous spell working under Arteta at Manchester City appeals to the club and he's been one of the most consistent forward players in the Premier League over the years, racking up a serious set of numbers at the Etihad.

As for Calvert-Lewin, it's safe to say his addition would be met with scepticism. He has worked himself back to full fitness in 2024 but his record in front of goal leaves plenty to be desired.

Besides the 2020/21 campaign, where he scored 21 goals for the Toffees, he has struggled. The £100k-per-week striker only found the net on seven occasions in 32 league outings.

Still, with Arsenal only requiring backup to the likes of Havertz and Jesus, perhaps he'd do the job.

You only have to imagine how he'd fare with a player like Sterling too, a renowned dribbler and creator of mayhem down the flanks.

Ranking within the top 14% of positionally similar players in Europe's top five leagues for progressive carries and the best 12% for through balls, this is a striker's dream, one that Calvert-Lewin or any Arsenal striker would thrive next to.

The Everton man may not score many goals but he'd serve as a wonderful focal point for the likes of Sterling, Saka and Co. Said to possess a "leap like Cristiano Ronaldo" by Richarlison, he sits inside the top 7% of strikers in Europe for aerials won per 90 minutes. To put that into context, Kai Havertz – a player of a similar profile – ranks in the best 19% for this metric.

While this would have been an underwhelming signing earlier in the window, adding depth at this stage of the window is important and seemingly, anyone will do.

Arsenal now favourites to sign £35m star who's like Nico Williams

Arsenal are looking at signing a winger on deadline day.

By
Matt Dawson

Aug 30, 2024

Jack Butland has been rushed to hospital with "internal bleeding" as Rangers prepare for their Old Firm derby clash with Celtic.

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• Butland received medical attention due to "internal bleeding"
• Released from the hospital on Wednesday morning
• Will miss Old Firm derby with leaders Celtic

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to the , Butland received medical attention on Tuesday evening following concerns over a "significant" internal bleed. He remained under supervision throughout the night before being discharged on Wednesday morning. Despite his release, the medical team has ruled him out of participating in the derby as he continues to recover.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  This health scare comes during Butland’s second season with Rangers, a club he joined as a free agent in July 2023 following the conclusion of his contract with Crystal Palace. Prior to joining Rangers, Butland had a brief stint on loan at Manchester United during the second half of the 2022/23 season. However, he did not make any first-team appearances during his time at Old Trafford.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Butland recently welcomed his fourth child, just two weeks ago. His dedication to family was evident when he withdrew from Rangers’ squad ahead of their match against Dundee on December 21, opting to prioritise time with his wife and newborn.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BUTLAND?

  With Butland sidelined, manager Philippe Clement will have to reshuffle his options in goal, turning to backup goalkeeper Liam Kelly to fill the void. They are already 14 points behind leaders Celtic and are in desperate need of three points to cut the gap at the top.

Liverpool are reportedly eyeing up a move for another midfield talent next summer as they look to solve their problem area once and for all under Arne Slot.

Liverpool seeking midfield additions

Liverpool made just one summer addition to their senior side in the transfer window, adding Federico Chiesa to their ranks in a £12m deal from Juventus late in the day. He joins an already brimming attacking corps at Anfield, which already boasts the evergreen Mohamed Salah as well as Darwin Núñez, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, as well as talented youngster Harvey Elliot.

But despite a strong start to the Premier League season – albeit one which stalled against Nottingham Forest – question marks remain over other areas of the pitch, namely in midfield.

Bayern Munich desperately want new Musiala contract amid Liverpool interest

Big clubs are circling for the former Chelsea academy man.

By
Ben Browning

Sep 14, 2024

After a very public pursuit of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, the Reds were burned on the transfer front once more as the EURO 2024 winner opted to remain in San Sebastian rather than make the move to Merseyside. It left Liverpool without an alternative option, and though Ryan Gravenberch has begun in fine form this season there are question marks over his long-term suitability for the role at the very highest level.

Further forward there are also questions, with Dominik Szoboszlai having failed to wow under Jurgen Klopp in his first season at Anfield, while Curtis Jones seems unable to put together a regular string of appearances without injury.

Now, they have been linked with a new option who could help take some of the creative pressures away from those already at Anfield.

Liverpool eyeing Dutch star

That is according to Christian Falk [Via Liverpool World], who claims that Liverpool are among the sides chasing a move for Netherlands ace Xavi Simons in the summer of 2025. Currently on loan at RB Leipzig from Paris Saint Germain, the Dutchman played in midfield for his nation at EURO 2024, and has already had the seal of approval from skipper Virgil van Dijk.

“He is a very talented player who has so much to give,” van Dijk said (via BBC Sport). “He can still be so much better than he is already but he has a good mentality, so I am not worried that won’t happen. I am confident in him.”

During his first stint at RB Leipzig, he was singled out for praise by teammate Dani Olmo, who dubbed him a “complete” player.

“He’s a really complete player and for us, for our system, for how we play, our ideas, the coaches’ ideas, it is perfect for us. Now he’s in a really good mood, in a really good shape so this is very helpful.”

Having starred for Leipzig and the national team, Simon’s ranks in the top 1% of stats across a massive 7 different categories when compared to other midfielders in Europe, including assists and progressive carries.

It had previously been reported that the talented youngster has already decided that his future will lie away from PSG next summer, a decision set to spark an almighty tussle for his signature when his current temporary £162k-p/w deal in Leipzig comes to an end.

And it is one that Liverpool are set to be a part of, if the report is to be believed, with another Dutchman potentially on his way to Anfield to join their growing core.

Tyrell Malacia set to end his nightmare spell at Old Trafford as he has reached agreement to leave in January.

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• Malacia set to leave Man Utd
• Will move out on a loan deal
• Left-back will finally end nightmare journey

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Malacia has had a disappointing outing with Manchester United ever since he moved to the club from Feyenoord in 2022. He has been plagued with severe injuries and appeared for the club in November last year for the first time since March 2023. The left-back was expected to finally stake claim with new manager Ruben Amorim in charge, however, according to , the player has reached an agreement with the club over a January move.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The report adds that Malacia will leave the club temporarily on a loan deal in the January transfer. While the name of the club remains undisclosed, the 25-year-old will certainly move out of United for better opportunities. In the current season, the defender has appeared in only six matches across all competitions and has clocked just 272 minutes on the pitch.

• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  On Malacia's move, journalist Joost Blaauwhof said: "Tyrell Malacia is leaving Manchester United. Sources close to the player have confirmed this. The left-back is close to an agreement with a new club and will be loaned to a top European competition. Ruben Amorim has given approval for the loan."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  The Red Devils are back in action in the Premier League on Sunday as they take on Brighton at home in a crucial fixture.

Mikel Arteta, what have you done to this Arsenal team? 20 odd years ago fans of the club the world over were in agony over the style of football Jose Mourinho brought to Chelsea.

How dare he park the bus? How dare he not attack? How dare his Chelsea side bring the dark arts into English football.

You may well argue that Arsenal have more pizzazz to them than Mourinho’s Blues but their performance against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon was full of plenty of dark arts.

Not long ago this Gunners team had a soft underbelly. They were too easy to rough up and push aside. They are anything but that now.

Arsenal came to the Etihad wanting to put their stamp on the game and they duly did that through Riccardo Calafiori’s screamer and Gabriel’s aggressive header.

However, their plans unravelled in an instant when Leandro Trossard received a second yellow card and was sent off for ‘delaying the restart’ having belted the ball away after showing Bernardo Silva to the ground. Not again Arsenal fans were thinking.

Just weeks on from Declan Rice’s controversial red for something similar, they were on the end of more dubious officiating.

Yes, this was more of a red than Rice’s incident against Brighton but Jeremy Doku just moments earlier had gone unpunished for kicking the ball away. Anyway, let’s not get bogged down by the officiating.

As City and Arsenal battled it out to a 2-2 draw, it was a Herculean effort from a team containing just ten players in the second half.

Arteta’s side stood firm, they stood resolute but unfortunately could not hold on in the dying embers as John Stones bundled the ball home. And breathe. What a contest that was.

Still, those in red and white must be praised for their efforts, notably Gabriel.

Gabriel's performance in numbers

Only a few years ago the Brazilian was noted as a defender who had a mistake in him. True enough. He was rash and capable of a moment of chaos but he has eradicated that from his game and now looks like one of the foremost defenders on the continent. In short, he is among the very elite this game has to offer.

Alongside William Saliba, they are on their way to going down in the history books as one of the best defensive partnerships we’ve seen in Premier League history. They must, of course, win the title first to go down as such.

Gabriel, however, deserves praise right at this very moment. So often the bridesmaid to that man Saliba, he has entered his season with almost something to prove. He has a bruising header of the ball and has shown as such in back-to-back away games.

He scored the winner against Spurs and very nearly scored the winner against City, brushing Kyle Walker aside and powering a header into the net from Bukayo Saka’s corner.

Yes, he may have conceded twice and his positioning could have been better for Erling Haaland’s inevitable goal but he was a titan in the second half, making five clearances and winning four duels.

Calafiori, the scorer of the equaliser wasn’t bad either. Making his first start for the Londoners, he scored a brilliant first-half goal and left the game having completed 94% of his passes, the best figure of any Arsenal starter.

That said, another of the backline deserves equal praise, Jurrien Timber.

Timber's performance in numbers

The Dutchman cruelly missed most of last season having sustained a horrific ACL injury on the opening match of the 2023/24 campaign.

So, to coin an old cliche, he was like a new signing when returning to full fitness in pre-season. How good has he been too? Fielded at left-back in the opening few weeks of 2024/25, he deputised at right-back on Sunday in place of Ben White who did eventually come on in the second half.

It would appear as though White now has a battle on his hands to win back that place as Timber was sublime.

Remarkably, he failed to complete a single pass during the whole match but he stood firm in defence and proved to be a useful asset down the right-hand side too.

As Football.London’s Kaya Kaynak put it, handing the defender an 8/10 rating, he ‘kept Doku quiet for the vast majority of the first half and when Savinho switched to his side in the second period, the Brazilian got no joy’.

Jeremy Doku and Savinho are particularly tricky wingers to deal with but Timber made it look easy, only being dribbled past once, making three tackles and winning four of his seven ground duels according to Sofascore.

He has been brilliant in an inverted left-back role in recent weeks but he may well have just found a home for himself on the right side of defence. He simply has to keep his place for the next league game.

100% dribbles: Arsenal's 7/10 star is now becoming as undroppable as Raya

The sensational talent has been on fire this season.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Sep 20, 2024

GOAL sat down with the MLS Young Player of the Year to talk tattoos, pain with a purpose, and how he keeps the game fun

ORLANDO – Diego Luna has a tattoo on his leg and, of the seemingly infinite pieces of art on his body, it might just be the one he looks at most. It's of the Joker, and it features the iconic quote from the Dark Knight: "Why so serious?" That quote has transcended that movie. For Luna, it's a little bit more personal. In a world where things are often so filled with pressure, sometimes he finds it nice to remind himself that life – and, perhaps more importantly, soccer – are supposed to be fun.

On the field, that's probably the most accurate way to describe Luna's game: fun. He attempts things modern players don't seem to try anymore. In a world in which players are coached to do things the right way, Luna often does things his way, the fun way. It's a wonder that it was never coached out of him, and he himself has thought about why it wasn't.

Luna is allowed to be Luna, good and bad, for one reason and one reason only: it tends to deliver magic in the end.

"No coach that has said anything to me or taken that away from me, and I think it's because it works," Luna tells GOAL during a break in the USMNT's January camp. "If I can get 10 chances and eight of them mess up, that means those other two led to a goal or to an assist, right? Your coach definitely isn't going to say anything about them!

"It's me as a player, having the mentality to, in a sense, to just not care. I don't care if it doesn't always work. I'll always do the defensive work and I'll always do what you need me to do tactically, but when it comes to me and the attacking third, you're not going to tell me what to do. I'm going to be myself. I'm going to express myself. I've got to where I'm at by doing what I know what to do, and I'm going to continue to do that and continue to grow that aspect of my game, because that's what makes me me."

Luna has gotten pretty damn far being himself. He won MLS Young Player of the Year in 2024 at Real Salt Lake, although he admits that he thought he wasn't even that good. His "breakout" continued this January. Even with his nose bloodied and broken, Luna was able to provide that moment of magic.

Moments after taking an elbow to the face, cracking his nose and forcing him to switch out of a bloody shirt on the sidelines, Luna was teeing up Brian White for the U.S. men's national team's opening goal against Costa Rica in an eventual 3-0 victory Wednesday night. His nose was plugged up, but Luna was still smiling through it all. This is supposed to be fun, remember?

You can count USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino among his admirers. "Big balls," Pochettino said with a laugh after Luna's gutsy USMNT performance. It was the type of game that demonstrated that Luna isn't just flash, but substance and toughness, too. That flash, though, is what sets him apart, even as he runs through defenses beaten and broken as he did on Wednesday night. It's what, in his words, makes him him.

"All you need is one," Luna says. "All you need is a one pass to happen, one shot to go in. And, even if you take 10 of them, all you need is one. That's all you need."

Luna has a big chance in front of him now, and it's different than those he creates on the field. You don't get 10 cracks at being a star, you get one – and Luna is ready for his opportunity

• Getty Images
  

  The foundation

  Each of Luna's tattoos tell a story, and they're all deeply personal. There's one on his forearm of a little boy kicking a ball wearing the No. 15, his family's favorite number. There's one on the opposite side of a soccer ball with a crown, which he got to commemorate his status as a professional player. On his neck, there's a large depiction of Jesus. Luna wanted to express his faith, so why not put it front and center where everyone can see it?

  There's that Joker one, too. Countless pieces of artwork and, for Luna, countless hours under the needle.

  "When they say tattoos don't hurt, they're lying," Luna says. "It hurts, no matter where, no matter how small, no matter what place on your body, they all hurt."

  Painful, yes, with a purpose. He decided when he was younger that he had two goals: to get a lot of tattoos and to be a professional soccer player. The first goal would lean into the second. The second would help inspire the first. In some ways, they worked in tandem. By committing to the tattoos, Luna knew he was putting himself under a microscope, fairly or unfairly. You won't find many executives at Fortune 500 companies with neck tattoos, but, then again, Luna never dreamed of working for a Fortune 500 company.

  "I knew early on that I was not good at school," he says. "I was never good at being in the books and all that stuff. I knew that I needed to go play soccer. I needed to do that because there was nothing else that I ever wanted to do. Playing soccer, they don't care about your appearance. You can look and be whoever you are as long as you play well."

  A big gamble but, in some ways, a calculated one. Luna grew up around the game. His father coached, as did his older brothers and, from an early age, Luna found himself running in their circles. He'd just practice all day, and in doing so, Luna realized he could do things that those around him couldn't. As a youth player, onlookers would ask about the pass he made or the dribble he just pulled off. They'd ask him to explain how he did it. He couldn't. It was something natural, something that only he understood.

  "I realized this when I was younger, playing in the academy and stuff, I'd have no idea what I did," he says. "My body was just doing it. My mind was telling my body what to do, and it was just working. I guess it's just a mixture of being around the soccer ball for so many years, but also maybe something that I'm born with, or something that was in my blood or something. I think for me, it was always just that I'm out there and I don't know what I'm doing, but I do know I'm having fun."

  Somehow, that ability to have fun has continued on. At a certain point, it's often coached out of players. They're taught to make the right play, not the fun one. Somehow, though, Luna often finds ways to do both.

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  A breakout season?

  Luna's breakout has been coming, and the road has been as wild as Luna's game. He came up through the San Jose Earthquake system, moved to Barcelona's Arizona academy, signed with El Paso Locomotive in the USL Championship and, finally, was bought by RSL in 2022 for a USL-record fee of $250,000. He'd showed signs during his first two seasons in MLS. This past season, those signs became too prolific to ignore.

  He was named an MLS All-Star in the summer and as named MLS Young Player of the Year in November. By the end of the season, he'd amassed 20 goal contributions in MLS, making him the second player in league history to hit that total before turning 21. Luna wasn't just enjoying himself on the field; he was making things happen in a tangible way.

  Funnily enough, the only person with anything bad to say about Luna's 2024 is the man himself. He went from young player to All-Star throughout the season. Yet he's not satisfied.

  "A lot of people outside or in the media, they made this year seem like an amazing year for me, and that I was unreal," he says. "There's so much more than I can do. I believe that this was average for myself. This is the baseline. I think that I should be scoring 10 goals a season easily. That's the type of standard that I have for myself.

  "I need to be better this year, and there were a lot of moments where I could have been better, and that's what I'm striving for. That's the type of mentality that I have, because it's not good enough. I always want more. I always want more goals, more assists."

  That mentality, Luna says, is the most important part of his rise. Yes, the skill with his feet has been helpful, but more important is the confidence in his feet to do those things. That starts in real life, not on the field. Luna works hard on getting the real life part right, perhaps even harder than he does at finding those highlight-reel goals and assists.

  It's why, upon moving to RSL, he got a job at a Dutch Bros coffeeshop to work on his people skills. Luna wanted to get better at talking to people. It's made him more comfortable expressing himself in interviews. A little while back, Luna also started going to therapy, where he is so often reminded that he's a grown man playing a kids game. Yes, there's pressure, much of it internal pressure, but you feel it a bit less when you straddle that line between extreme humility and supreme confidence.

  "As a man, in a stereotypical way, to admit that you need help mentally, I think that's hard for some people to admit as a man, because for many years it's implemented in your brains that you just put your head down," he says. "There are famous people or people you look up to getting help and having mental coaches or therapists. What's the difference between them and you? If there's something I can do to make me feel better on the daily, I'm going to do it. For me, the big thing is being able to let go and just be yourself with what you know about yourself."

  It's all translated. Luna feels like he's getting closer to the best version of himself and finding joy with the ball at his feet.

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  Inside the mind of a modern No. 10

  The No. 10 position has changed immeasurably over the years. Luna knows there is precisely one man on this planet allowed to play it the way he grew up understanding it. Yes, he's in MLS and, no, it's not Diego Luna. His respect for Lionel Messi is tangible.

  "The game's changing," he says. "It's not not where you can just be a 10 and sit around… unless you're Messi. He can definitely do that, but, unless you're him, in this age of the game, you have to do both sides of the ball."

  Luna credits RSL boss Pablo Mastroeni for getting that point across. Mastroeni is no-nonsense. If you aren't working for the team, whether you're 18 or 45, Mastroeni has the perfect place for you: seated right next to him on the bench. That applies to Luna, despite all he can do creatively.

  "The reason why Diego has been able to, at a young age, deliver the way he has has been because he's been able to lead himself," Mastroeni says of the midfielder. "It's very difficult for young players to understand that, while we create the environment and we have great coaches, the onus is on the individual to take the extra steps every day.

  "Diego is one guy dialed in every video session and stays after and does his work every session. From a leadership stand point, that's the next bit. Having gone to January camp last year, he was a bit shocked. This year, it seems he felt deserving of it after winning MLS Young Player of the Year. My expectation is that he brings that leadership of the last couple years and that national team camp and becomes a leader in his own right. He's a fantastic leader himself, so how does he bring other players to that same type of level??

  The midfielder doesn't mind that pressure or that role, to be fair. He knows that it sets a tone. If he's running and working and sliding all over the place, why the hell wouldn't everyone else do that too?

  "If they're going to trust me with the ball, they're gonna work for me and run for me," he says. "It makes the team stronger mentally because it just allows everybody to trust each other, and it gives trust in me and gets me the ball, more people are enjoying playing with me more. It's a bunch of things."

  Luna isn't known for work rate or pressing, though; he's known for the creativity. He's known for the moments where he plays a pass nobody else sees or the moments in which he beats a defender with a move that he makes looks so simple. Ironically, it's not those one-on-one moments Luna loves most. His idol growing up was Ronaldinho or some wizard of dribbling. Instead, it was Marco Reus, who established himself as one of game's premier modern attacking midfielders at Borussia Dortmund. Luna is excited to ask for his jersey this season when RSL play the LA Galaxy.

  "I love his kind of vibe," Luna says. "I feel like I like to go with that. I like to create passes. I like to do dribble. My dribbling, sometimes it can be crazy, but sometimes it's simple. It's just dribbling, right? It's all about whatever works."

  Luna doesn't have that stereotypical efficiency; he tries things. He'll hit a pass that, on the outside, doesn't always make sense. Sometimes it goes flying out of play, sometimes it's intercepted, but sometimes it falls right where he hopes it would. In 2024, that happened more often than ever before.

  "As players, we want everything to work out, right? You want to be the guy that's balling non stop," he says. "You don't want to cause the team to work defensively because of your mistakes or stuff like that, but this is soccer. This is 90 minutes of non-stop, just go, go, go. One second you have the ball, the next second you don't, and this isn't going to be a game where you win 10-0. You just need that one…. everybody's gonna be like, 'He did it!', they're happy. I think that's just a mindset that a lot of creative players have: we have fun with the game have, and we're just gonna keep trying until it works."

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  'Pochettino doesn't want me to hide'

  The lasting image of this January camp might just be a selfie Luna took from his hospital bed Wednesday night. Nose broken, Luna sitting there with a little smirk anyway. No reason to be too serious, as his tattoo likely reminded him. He immediately made it his Instagram profile picture. That's the image of himself he wants the world to see first.

  It's a poignant one. Luna, for all of his flash, isn't afraid of the nasty stuff. Pochettino surely learned a whole lot about Luna over these two weeks.

  "I was very surprised he broke his nose, but I didn't want to say anything because he was bleeding," Pochettino told TNT after the match. "Not have too much drama, you know? I don't want to scare them. I said 'How do you feel?' and he said 'Please coach, let me keep playing, at least until halftime, and then I'll go out. Doctor gave me the OK.' Then an assist and we scored."

  Added Pochettino with a laugh, "I said 'big balls.’ He showed great character."

  There are few better ways to impress a coach. Every leader is looking for those that bring both quality and mentality. Luna showed both in his 45 minute runout on Wednesday night. Even as blood poured down his face, Luna raced around the field, pressing Costa Rica's backline. The assist, in some ways, was the cherry on top of a night that will definitely live in Pochettino's memory.

  "He's a player that, for sure, that we are going to have a consideration for the future," he said.

  In private conversations, Pochettino has already made it clear: he knows who Luna is, and he doesn't want to change him for anything. Luna's point was proven against Costa Rica – all it takes is one. There are few young players in the USMNT pool better at providing that one than Luna. Pochettino now believes that and, more importantly, Luna does, too.

  "He just kind of told me that he knows who I am and knows how I play," Luna says of Pochettino. "He wants me to express myself. He doesn't want me to hide. He wants me to put me in the best position for me to showcase myself, to be that guy, to create chances for the team, to have fun and be a playmaker. He wants me to make stuff happen, and he's allowing me to have the freedom to be able to do that."

The homegrown striker looked set to succeed Wayne Rooney as the club's all-time top scorer but instead parts with his career and reputation in tatters

February always has been a defining month for Marcus Rashford. It was in the second month of 2016 that he came out of nowhere and scored his first senior goals to fire Manchester United to victory against Midtjylland in the Europa League, before then bagging his first Premier League goals to down Arsenal three days later.

In February 2023, Rashford was in the form of his life, scoring six goals in a memorable month which included netting twice against rivals Leeds, running rings around Barcelona at Camp Nou and lifting the Carabao Cup at Wembley. A lot had changed 12 months later, though, when he was in the spotlight for his debauched night out in Belfast and subsequent missed training session. And yet on February 1, he started for United against Wolves and scored within the opening minutes. At the end of the month, he penned a defensive piece in in which he tried to explain his love and commitment to the club, but only succeeded in further winding up supporters.

So it is fitting then that February should be the month that Rashford finally leaves United, nine years after bursting on to the scene from the club's academy while he was still at school. He departs a shadow of the world-beating striker he was just 24 months previously and with his reputation among many fans severely damaged.

Rashford's departure for Aston Villa on loan represents a fresh start for him and a chance for United to rid themselves of a problem that has been festering for a while. Yet the overwhelming feeling is one of great sadness, the confirmation that a glorious romance between a homegrown player and the club he loved has come to a painful and bitter end…

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  Change in mentality

  Days before the Carabao Cup final in February 2023, when Rashford was scoring for fun and leading United's exciting, if brief, renaissance under Erik ten Hag, he explained what was behind his resurgence in form. The striker had made a huge transformation compared to the previous year, when he had struggled under Ralf Rangnick and was dealing with a number of issues, including a long recovery from back surgery and the emotional pain of missing his penalty in England's Euro 2020 final shootout defeat by Italy.

  "Football is probably 95 percent your mentality. That gives you the baseline to perform," he said. "There are a lot of players that have ability – that’s why they play at the top level. But what sets them apart is the mentality. I’ve been on both sides of it. I understand the strength of it and the value. I’m concentrating a lot more on keeping myself in that headspace and it’s needed in order to win games and trophies."

  Rashford's mentality back then was one of his greatest strengths, and he marked the majority of the 30 goals he scored in that stunning 2022-23 campaign by pointing to his head. He had done a lot of the hard work that previous summer, when he headed to Nike's headquarters in Oregon for a crash course in condition and strength training to work on his explosivity. Other examples of him using his brain were seen in him taking on the British government over school meals, advocating for child literacy and writing children's books with titles such as 'You are a champion' and 'You can do it'.

  But in the last two years, he has been back – as he would put it – on the other side of the mentality divide. His mental state was seen as being so bad that Ruben Amorim left him out of his matchday squad for the best part of six weeks, repeatedly citing his attitude to training. In the eyes of the coach, Rashford's mentality was so poor that he would rather pick his 63-year-old, overweight goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital than the 27-year-old.

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  'Must be ashamed'

  The shift in perception around Rashford has been a shock to everyone in football, and in last week's episode of Gary Neville's podcast, Wayne Rooney, Roy Keane, Jill Scott and Ian Wright all expressed their dismay at the situation. "Not training, not putting in the right attitude doesn't cross your mind," said Wright, while ex-England women's international Scott said she could not imagine the embarrassment of team-mates thinking she were lazy.

  Rooney revealed that he has urged Rashford to leave United on a couple of occasions. He said: "I've spoken to Marcus a couple of times and I've given him my thoughts and my opinion. I said you need to leave the football club because whatever is going on in his life and whatever is going on at Manchester United, he's not the same. It's not him. So I said for him, to have a fresh start, he needs to leave the club. The fact that your manager is coming out and saying that you are not training right is crazy."

  As ever, Keane took the toughest line. "Whatever’s going on with players leaving, months left on contracts, a player who doesn’t train properly… I don’t understand it," he said. "You might as well leave me out of this conversation. Especially if you think he wants to move, which is more of a reason to train properly so when you go to a new club you’re up to speed and when you leave the club at least you showed a decent attitude. All these things getting thrown at him. He must be ashamed."

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  Beginning of the end

  Questions about Rashford's attitude to training beggar belief given his status as one of United's top earners after signing a contract less than two years ago that is worth £325,000 ($401k) per week until 2028. At the time, coming off the back of his best-ever season, there were no complaints among United supporters. Rashford's previous deal was due to expire in 2024 and there was a serious danger of him leaving for free and strengthening a major rival, in Europe or in England, while at the peak of his powers.

  Rashford declared his love for United after signing the contract, aged 25, and looked forward to a long and prosperous future with the club. "I joined Manchester United as a seven-year-old boy with a dream. That same passion, pride and determination to succeed still drives me every time I have the honour of wearing the shirt. I've already had some amazing experiences at this incredible club, but there is still a lot more to achieve and I remain relentlessly determined to win more trophies in the years ahead," he said.

  "As a United fan all my life, I know the responsibility that comes with representing this badge and feel the highs and lows as much as anyone. I can assure you that I will give everything to help the team reach the level we are capable of, and I can feel the same determination around the dressing room. I couldn't be more excited for the future under this manager."

  United fans were equally excited after winning a first trophy in six years and returning to the Champions League, and Rashford looked set to be the flagbearer of this exciting new era, his future locked down. However, that contract appears to have been his undoing, and rather than the deal bringing him more responsibility, he began to behave less seriously and with more recklessness upon signing it.

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  'Party' lifestyle

  For his summer holidays in 2023, Rashford returned to the United States, but not to work on conditioning, and rather to go partying. There's nothing wrong with footballers letting their hair down in their rare and short periods off, but when the new season began, Rashford did not look as motivated as before or as mentally switched on.

  He went to a nightclub hours after United's painful 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in the derby, a very bad look from the point of view of supporters and indeed for his then-manager Ten Hag, who called his actions "unacceptable". The Dutchman insisted at the time that Rashford had apologised and vowed not to make the same mistake again.

  "He's very motivated to put things right. He's totally with us," he said in November 2023. "So he makes a mistake, but that doesn't say he's not fitting in. I see him every day in training, what he's doing. I know. Also off the pitch, how he lives."

  Ten Hag's words implied Rashford's behaviour was a one-off, but the player's decision to go out two nights in a row in Belfast two months later while missing training suggested otherwise. So did a report in which detailed his fondness for going to casinos in Manchester's Chinatown district and playing poker while "knocking back beers". One source said: "Marcus loves the nightlife, but the concern is that he’s been doing just too much of it. His house has been a party house."