Tottenham sack Europa League winner Postecoglou
Ange Postecoglou's rollercoaster two-year reign at Tottenham Hotspur is over after the North London club sacked their Australian head coach.
The axe came despite Postecoglou guiding Spurs to a 1-0 victory in the Europa League final over fellow EPL side Manchester United in Bilbao last month.
It meant he had delivered on his promise of "always" winning a trophy in his second season.
But it also came at the end of a dismal EPL campaign in which the club finished in 17th place, just above the relegated trio.
Tottenham confirmed the sacking in a statement on Friday which read: "Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties."
Postecoglou also issued a statement, saying: "When I reflect on my time as manager of Tottenham Hotspur, my overriding emotion is one of pride.
"The opportunity to lead one of England's historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime.
Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 6, 2025
"Sharing that experience with all those who truly love this club and seeing the impact it had on them is something I will never forget."
Europa League success - Tottenham's first trophy in 17 years - brought an outpouring of emotion from Spurs fans and initially seemed sufficient to save his job.
Postecoglou even delivered a mic-drop moment during a euphoric open-top bus parade in front of an estimated 220,000 people when he declared "season three is better than season two", but chairman Daniel Levy had other ideas and appears to have dismissed the man to deliver him a much-craved trophy.
He had divided opinion among supporters during his two-year tenure and his job prospects had seemed bleak before winning the Europa League, European football's second-tier competition behind the Champions League.
Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been installed as the bookmakers' favourite to replace Postecoglou.
It all started so brightly for Postecoglou, who arrived from Celtic inthe summer of 2023, with a run of eight wins from his first 10 league fixtures - despite the high-profile departure of Harry Kane.
That propelled Spurs to the summit but a sign of things to come was a thrilling loss to Chelsea in November, 2023 where several injuries occurred.
Fifth place in Postecoglou's debut campaign still represented an impressive finish but cracks started to emerge during an end-of-season 2-0 loss at home to Manchester City where some Tottenham fans were conflicted given a positive result would have put rivals Arsenal in the driving seat for the title.
We are extremely grateful to Ange for his commitment and contribution during his two years at the Club.Ange will always be remembered as only the third manager in our history to deliver a European trophy.Thank you Ange 🤍 pic.twitter.com/gT6deIaa5e
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 6, 2025
Postecoglou later acknowledged that he misjudged the mood, but further run-ins would follow.
A slow start to the 2024-25 campaign was followed by Postecoglou's second-season trophy claim and a strong run of form as Spurs emphatically defeated Manchester United, Aston Villa and Manchester City.
But further injuries hampered progress and Spurs lost eight of their 11 EPL matches through a busy December and January programme.
The Carabao Cup provided some relief with a run to the semi-finals, but that ended in a 4-0 drubbing at Liverpool, while the slump in league form continued.
That left the Europa League, which Postecoglou delivered to the enraptured supporters.
But it was not enough to save him.
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Barcelona's rebirth and one last job for Szczesny: La Liga season review
The day La Liga 2024-25 began, Wojciech Szczesny was sitting on the beach in Marbella lighting up a cigarette, enjoying his retirement. The night it ended, he sat in the dressing room in Cornellà, 1,000km round the coast, and lit up a cigar instead. He had walked away in August, at 35 years old, unwanted and his heart no longer in it, or so he thought. Nine months on, here he was surrounded by kids half his age, a footballer again and winner of every trophy his new home country had to offer. He had not lost a single league match en route to becoming a champion. 'I've arrived where even my imagination wouldn't even dare to take me,' Szczesny had said when he retired. And if he hadn't dared imagine that, there was no way he could imagine this: a Copa del Rey, a Super Cup and a Champions League semi-final to go with the title. Advertisement Summer had started with Kylian Mbappé finally arriving at the Santiago Bernabéu. Madrid had just won La Liga and the Champions League; now they had the world's best player too, beginning what Marca were already declaring 'a dominance never seen before'. They were going to walk it, which was perhaps part of the problem. As for Barcelona, their new face on the first day at a stadium which still did not feel like home was the star of Four Weddings and a Funeral, and that was probably just because someone misheard Joan Laporta say they desperately needed a huge grant. The team wore last year's kit, no deal reached on a new one; Dani Olmo was not out there because they could not register him; and Nico Williams was, but on the other team. So supporters whistled him, because it was his fault that Barcelona did not have the money to sign him and had to settle for the best player in La Liga instead. There were three 17-year-olds in the starting XI; three days later one of them, Marc Bernal, tore his ACL and did not play again. But Barcelona won then and every week for seven weeks. When they defeated Real Madrid 4-0 in the first clásico, it came as proof that maybe Barcelona really were going to be good after all. And that maybe Madrid really were not. Barcelona left the Santiago Bernabéu six points clear, having won 10 of 11 league games. But then came what the head coach Hansi Flick called 'shit November', and December was not much better, the advantage lost again. The league table from weeks 13 to 18 had Barcelona bottom, no wins in seven, and they were beaten three times in a row at home: by Las Palmas and Léganes – both would end up relegated – and then Atlético Madrid. Alex Sørloth striding, ice cool through the bodies left on the floor, the hitman finishing the job in the 95th minute. This too felt like a confirmation. Atlético had spent more than anyone, Julián Alvarez, Robin Le Normand and early-season revelation Conor Gallagher all arriving with Sørloth. It had taken a while to take shape, a few frank conversations too, but they were Spain's winter champions and genuine contenders. Maybe even favourites: a team with talent, strength and variety in depth, and an ability to score late goals that made it feel like maybe, just maybe, things would fall for them this time. Advertisement Instead it all unravelled for Atlético, which it tends to do. Defeat to Leganés in January ended a run of 15 consecutive wins and began one of just two victories in 10. In a single week, they had that defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League and lost 4-2 to Barcelona in La Liga despite going two up, conceding in the 92nd and 98th minutes. It was the first time they had lost a two-goal lead in 14 years, 725 games, under Diego Simeone. 'Football is brutal,' Szczesny said afterwards. So brutal that Atlético's coach had to escape to Argentina to clear his head. When he got back, they lost the Copa del Rey semi-final to Barcelona too, their season over in early April. Real Madrid, meanwhile, were back in it. 'I'm a bit confused because I keep hearing that we're playing badly, but we're top,' Carlo Ancelotti said with just a smidgen of sarcasm in early January. The truth was their play was even less convincing than the weekly videos they dedicated to the referees, and Barcelona were back on top within a month. By the time it all ended, it was hard to think of a genuinely good Real Madrid performance against a genuinely good team, unless Manchester City counted. 'Our season starts for real,' Ancelotti said that night, but it did not and the subsequent loss to Arsenal was just the way they were. At the end of the season, when Mbappé's former club had won the competition no sooner than he had left, an old Marca cover from another of PSG's European eliminations inevitably reappeared, showing the France forward with the headline: 'if you want to win the Champions League, you know what you have to do'. No one in Spain scored more goals than Mbappé, the best debut campaign a Madrid goalscorer has ever had, but his acceleration was late and unaccompanied. He admitted he had hit 'rock bottom' first, and his revival did not bring the trophies or the moments he came for. It was not all about him, of course, but his arrival had been part of the shift, a symbol. The season that was always going to be his had been a failure. 'When a player like me comes to a team, many things change,' Mbappé said, and not all of them were for the better. Madrid lost 12 times, their flaws never more clearly laid bare than in the clásico, which kept coming round and with the same result. When Barcelona put five past Madrid in January it did not just win them the Super Cup, it was the start of them taking back control in the title race too. On the way into the stadium that night, news came through the sports ministry would let them register Dani Olmo despite Barcelona missing the deadline, Laporta heading up to the directors' box where he told the president of the federation exactly what he thought, shouting, swearing and a few days later shrugging: 'I am the way I am'. Saudi Arabia was also where Iñaki Peña arrived a couple of minutes late to a team meeting, the excuse for Szczesny to make his first start. They also went on to win 16 and draw one of their next 17 league games, all the way to the title, won the Copa del Rey next, and got within 42 seconds (and the width of a post) of a first Champions League final in 10 years. Advertisement Madrid did at least compete in the first clásico cup final for 11 years – once they had decided to actually turn up – but they were beaten again, the way they completely lost it at full-time saying something about their mental state which went beyond just the players. As ice flew the referee's way, Antonio Rüdiger's self-proclaimed madness no longer seemed so funny. When the fourth and final clásico of the season came two weeks later, it was a last chance for Madrid to salvage something. They went two up inside 15 minutes and Mbappé eventually scored a hat-trick but Barcelona scored four before half-time, the perfect storm. For 24 minutes Madrid did not get out of their half – yes, literally – and the league was as good as gone. Four days later, when Barcelona won at Espanyol, it really was. Barcelona won the double and a treble. The treble slipped through their fingers in the semi-final at San Siro, lessons to learn and promises made: Lamine Yamal vowed they would be back, which felt believable now in a way that 12 months earlier it could not have. Domestically, Barcelona had been too good and so much fun. In the cup meetings with primera teams there was a 3-2, a 4-4, a 5-0 and a 5-1. In the league, they went away to the teams that finished in the Champions League places and scored five at Villarreal, four at Madrid, four at Atlético, three at Athletic. Oh, and four more at Girona, who played in it this season. Barça beat Madrid in all four meetings, scoring four, five, three and four again. They reached 102 league goals and the last of them, the last of all 995 scored in this La Liga season, came from Dani Olmo on the final Sunday in May, which felt symbolic: he had been sitting in the stands when it all began, wondering if he was ever going to get on, and then went through it all again in January. The league said he should not, the federation did too, so did a couple of judges. The sports ministry, though, disagreed. Ultimately the system had been played. Barcelona had won it all, open-topped bus heading out across the city. On the top deck, in a straw hat and sunglasses, every bit the senior citizen, Szczesny lit up another cigar. Below them, Madrid, Atlético, Athletic and Villarreal took the other Champions League places. Athletic had missed what might have been the biggest moment in their history, playing a European final in their own stadium, and had to host thousands of Manchester United and Spurs fans instead – but qualifying for their first Champions League campaign in a decade was a monumental achievement. Villarreal's return was significant too, literally breaking the ceiling as they celebrated. Advertisement The other European places went to three teams who made football fun, and to whom it meant the world. 'We're pissed off to lose but we enjoy playing and if you enjoy playing you're going to be closer to winning; this will help us in the long run,' the Celta de Vigo winger Alfon had said when they were beaten by Madrid in October, and by May he had been proved right. This was football the way it is supposed to be, all about belonging too. A young, fearless local team, full of Galician academy products and led by the youngest coach in the league had been expected to fight for survival but Iago Aspas, the greatest player in their history, scored the goal at Getafe that secured seventh on the final day, his tearful promise to return the team to Europe finally fulfilled eight years later. Thirteen kilometres away, Rayo Vallecano were made to wait a little longer for a fiesta of their own, players gathered round a phone at full-time, anxiously watching the end of Osasuna's game, but they returned to Europe 25 years later. They had been led there by Iñigo Pérez, the coach who only ever wears a T-shirt no matter how cold it is and who the British Home Office said could not make a significant contribution to English football so was forced to make history in Spain instead. From the moment a proper pitch invasion began and the goalkeeper Augusto Batalla lost his shorts, only 15 seconds passed. 'Vallecas entera, se va de borrachera,' the chant ran: the whole of Vallecas is going on the piss. 'My grandad used to say to me 'effort equals reward'. That's not always true, but I'm happy that tonight it is,' Pérez said. At the other end of the table, Sevilla an absolute car crash of a club, but somehow finished a point above relegation. Valencia had looked lost, relegation increasingly a reality, until Carlos Corberán arrived. Girona turned to the 38-year-old Cristhian Stuani in times of trouble and he scored five in the last seven to save them. Alavés gave away 11 penalties, let all of them in and managed only five home goals in 2025, three of those penalties. They missed a fourth with just about the worst spot-kick you will ever see, yet finally secured safety with a week to go. Real Valladolid had been down for ages by then: they lost 18 of their last 19 games, collecting a solitary point from 57, the most pitiful run in history. Fans at the José Zorrilla Stadium saw them score just 11 times all year, while the midfielder Mario Martín was sent off as many times as he won matches. They were joined in relegation by Las Palmas, seemingly rescued by Diego Martínez only to collapse again. The manager went from 19 points in nine matches to 10 in 20 and the second division. He was right: he did not have a magic wand after all. Advertisement All of which left Leganés and Espanyol fighting to avoid the third relegation place on the final day. Three-nil up against Valladolid after an hour, Leganés were staying up, but then news filtered through of a very generous penalty in Cornellà. Javi Puado scored with Espanyol's first shot on target against Las Palmas; with their second, Pere Milla made them safe and his manager cry. 'You have no idea how much we have suffered,' Manolo González said. Back at Butarque, Leganés had an idea, the final 20 minutes played out to a surreal silence. 'It was like someone had died,' the Leganés coach Borja Jiménez said. His team had beaten Barcelona and Atlético but still gone down. Forty points had been enough to survive in nine of the last 10 seasons, but not this time. If you had never seen a grown cucumber cry, you have now. The season was virtually over, just one thing left to do. Four days later, Betis, who had come from what Manuel Pellegrini described as the worst days of his six-years in charge to being the best team in La Liga for much of 2025, had a historic European final to play in Poland. It was not to be: they became the first Spanish team to lose a final to a foreign side since Valencia and Alavés in 2001. But do not think that the only winners this season were the team with the retiree in goal, because there is always more. So pick out your tux, climb aboard your private jet and welcome to the 25th Spanish football awards. Or, if you did not win, you could just stay at home in a huff instead. Most harmonious club Valladolid, where Juanmi Latasa and Luis Pérez sat on the bench watching the final minutes of another humiliating defeat, the former pointing out that this was 'shit' and the latter telling him to shut up. To which Latasa replied: 'You shut up, you're a fine one to talk, superstar,' at which point Pérez reached across and punched him. 'And they're friends,' the coach Álvaro Rubio said. Best security Thieves broke into the trophy room at Rayo Vallecano. Police are looking for a man with a carpet. Ba-dum tish. Actually, they really did break into the training ground at Rayo Vallecano, and police really were looking for a man with 60 pairs of boots. It was the fourth time it had happened. Best mode of transport Borja Iglesias, turning up to his presentation at Celta in a sky blue Seat Panda. The entire Villarreal team turning up in taxis for a Copa del Rey game at Pontevedra after their flight could not land nearby. They played 106 minutes in the pouring rain, took 21 shots, and lost 1-0. Most optimistic president Ronaldo, running to lead the Brazilian FA. Because he did such a good job at Valladolid. Best protest When Valladolid played Getafe, Ronaldo was back in Brazil instead, not just playing tennis but broadcasting it all on Twitch. So the following week their fans decided they would do the same, setting up a 'court' in the north stand and hitting a great big yellow ball back and forth with two giant, cartoonish rackets. Funniest debate Rude Bellingham. F off? Or f you? And yes that really is the set of the nearest thing Spain has to Match of the Day emblazoning both across their set IN GREAT BIG CAPITAL LETTERS. Best peace offering The Alavés manager, Chacho Coudet, who pulled out a chocolate bar and offered it to a radio journalist. 'I'm still going to ask you the hard questions,' he was told. After all, it was only a Snickers. Best apology Madrid's Fede Valverde saying sorry for not having a go at referees. Best fans 46,731 people came to see Betis and Sevilla – and that was just for training the day before the derby. Most on-brand front page ABC went with a photo of Begona Navia-Osorio, 84, and 80-year-old Isabel Maria Rus-Velaquez, a pair of nuns from either side of Seville's great divide. It was, after all, 'a derby as God wills it.' Cutest fans It was kids day at Atlético, so they invited the children to have a go leading the chants over the megaphone at the south stand. And so one of them did, predictably offering a charming rendition of ¡Madridistas, hijos de puta! Best dressed fans The Alavés supporters who came in hard hats, hi-vis vests, and safety specs, carrying measuring tapes in honour of lovable lump Kike Garcia, the striker they call el obrero del gol: the labourer of goals. Best dressed dog Oscar. Best mascots Just hope Espanyol's players brought their poo bags. Most popular player Even the dogs want Nico Williams' autograph these days. Or perhaps not. Best shot Lamine Yamal's baby brother, 2-year-old Keyne, who hit Nico right where it hurts. That'll teach him for not joining Barcelona. Most humble player On the day Jesús Navas retired, the greatest player in Sevilla's history unable to carry on through the pain any more, he lifted his shirt up for the fans to see. With his name folded over so that only the No 16 he wore in homage to the late Antonio Puerta was visible. Most tactically disciplined player The clock showed 91.08 in their game with Barcelona when the Getafe coach, José Bordalas sent on Ismael Bekhoucha for the most brilliantly on-brand debut ever. Bekhoucha ran on, immediately pushed Pedri, crashed into Alejandro Balde, pushed him, blocked a cross, celebrated in Balde's face, got a slap, went to ground, and used up a minute, sparking a confrontation on the touchline. So he got up again, bumped into Raphinha twice, went down and used up another 40 seconds. Which left just enough time to get the ball, lose it and give it large to Balde again before the whistle went. Seven minutes, three touches, no passes, a yellow card, and a great result. The perfect performance. Most patient player Osasuna's Aimar Oroz, who waited as two fans did rock, paper, scissors to see which one of them got his shirt. Most multitalented player Vedat Muriqi, Mallorca's target man extraordinaire and Gladiator II extra. Biggest hero Augusto Batalla, the goalkeeper to whom Carlo Ancelotti recommended a high potassium diet so severe was his recurring, excruciating battle with cramp, and with whom concerned colleague Iñaki Williams pleaded with to depart for treatment, what with that dislocated shoulder. Despite being forever at death's door, he didn't once give in, playing every minute of every game and even finding the strength to lead Rayo Vallecano to a derby victory over Leganés by saving a last-minute penalty. Twice. Best player Ante Budimir. It was a cold, wet January morning in Pamplona, and the car that was supposed to take 78-year-old Mari Carmen to hospital hadn't turned up, leaving her stranded on the street. So Osasuna's all-time top scorer, who just happened to be passing, took her instead. Worst injury Conor Gallagher had just got the equaliser at Rayo Vallecano when he stopped and sat on the pitch, something not right. Teammates came to his side, the referee did too, a hush falling, everyone fearing that he had broken something. Which, as it happened, he had: his hair band. Best cameo With about 20 minutes to go and Real Madrid beating Alavés 3-0, the Bernabéu started chanting for Carlo Ancelotti to bring defender Jesús Vallejo on for the first time in two years, so he did. Six minutes later, Alavés had scored twice and were pushing for an equaliser. Vallejo did not play another minute until the title race was over. Most loquacious manager 'If I say what I think they'll stick me in a cage,' the Espanyol manager Manolo González claimed, but luckily that never stopped him. The man who claimed 'the nearest thing some people have seen to a football is a shoebox', insisting 'I don't go to the surgeon and tell him how to operate on me because I haven't got a fucking clue, but saying ridiculous things comes free,' described his refusal to go all-out attack as 'not just driving straight off a cliff without braking', said he goes 'from heart bypass to heart bypass every week', reckoned he would apply hair gel to his bald head 'in case it brings good luck', and responded to one particularly wild evening by claiming: 'All that was missing was me falling pregnant.' 'One day,' he said, 'you're John Travolta, the next you're Manolo González.' Most loyal manager The 38-year-old club legend Cristhian Stuani had not started a match for 10 months when coach Míchel made him captain for Girona's first ever Champions League game, and he did not start another for two months after it either, but a promise is a promise. It got amply repaid too. Most emotional manager Diego Simeone literally running away when he realised he was about to cry live on TV the night he completed 700 games in charge of Atletico Madrid. Best signing Sebastian Haller or James Rodríguez. Or Barcelona not getting Nico. OK, OK, it's Ayoze Pérez. Best gamble The Valencia keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili betting Vinícius Júnior €50 that he would save his penalty at the Bernabéu was a nice little bonus. Or it would have been if the Brazilian had paid up. Best touch Antonin Panenka was invited to take the honorary kick-off at Real Oviedo, so of course he … performed a back-heel. Coral Gutiérrez, Gran Canaria's Wueen of the Carnaval went one better, not just taking the honorary kick-off before Las Palmas' game against Alavés but doing it with a rabona. Oh, and Pedri. Best tackle The Barcelona midfielder Gavi and the Real Betis defender Diego Llorente teaming up to stick it to the man, taking out the referee Jesus Gil Manzano. Accidentally of course. Best hat-trick Paulo Gazzaniga's three penalty saves against Athletic Club. Second best hat-trick Athletic's Oihan Sancet against Girona keeper Gazzaniga, the next time they met. Best assists When Lamine Yamal bent the ball perfectly into Raphinha's path with the outside of his foot from 40 yards against Villarreal, the Brazilian neatly lifting it over the keeper. AS called it 'the assist of the century,' but he did it a bit more often than that. There were two in Mallorca in five minutes, spinning and sliding across the turf like a bowling ball, and the one he played for Dani Olmo against Espanyol might have been even better. Advertisement Villarreal's Álex Baena created more chances than anyone, another ball released with the outside of the boot for Nicolas Pépé against Leganés the neatest of an endless flow of perfect deliveries. Antony and Isco became best mates at Betis because of moments like this. Adnan Januzaj and Fábio Silva only connected to score once for Las Palmas, but what a once. Fede Valverde's flick for Kylian Mbappé was nice. Antonio Blanco's cross for Kike García couldn't have been better placed, although Iago Aspas to Óscar Mingueza probably was. The best of the lot though came from a goalkeeper. Andriy Lunin, we salute you. Best goal All of those are candidates but there's only one winner, or there would have been had this moment of magic from Samuel L Jackson's golf partner, Oli McBurnie, not come back off the bar. So let's head to Cornellà, where César Azpilicueta finally ended his 18-year wait to score in La Liga, and like this: Also at Espanyol, Ivan Cardona ran from one area to the other, and then thought: why not? ; where Gio Lo Celso and Antony handed in their entries, just five minutes apart; and of course where Lamine Yamal did the Lamine Yamal again, this time to win the league. Advertisement Everyone loves a goalkeeper scoring, so how about two of them scoring two games in a row? Always watch Eibar. On 5 April, Jonmi Magunagoitia headed home in the 95th minute for them against Real Oviedo; seven days later, Gaëtan Poussin scored against them for Real Zaragoza in the 92nd minute. There's something wonderfully soft about Fran Beltran's shot, gently guided in on the bounce against Valencia. Luka Sucic's first-time finish for Real Sociedad against Atlético was just as smooth. Hit quite a bit harder, every Fede Valverde goal is a belter: there were nine of them this season, scored from a combined distance of about 2,000km away. Seen live and from right behind, the one against Celta was the most ludicrous. Leaning back like that, the flash of the boot so fast, the ball bouncing up a touch too high, it should have flown out the ground rather than into the net. Then there's Simeone. No, not that Simeone. Not that one, either, nor even that one. Here's Gianluca Simeone. From inside his own half, to take third-tier Rayo Majadahonda to the playoffs. This turn and finish from Antoine Griezmann was so glorious, so graceful it earned him an ovation – from the opposition's fans. But the winner is this from Raúl Garcia against Rayo. Just look at that first touch. And the second's not bad, either. Best goal celebration There was just one problem when Manuel Pellegrini celebrated a goal at Alavés: the shot didn't actually go in, so the Betis coach sheepishly folded his arms back up again and pretended it had never happened. Diego Simeone went running towards Alex Sørloth after his late winner at Montjuïc, only to turn round and run back again, like a man who suddenly remembered he had left the oven on. Ayoze Pérez does love a nice cup of tea. There's something in Lamine Yamal's signalling the postcode of Rocafonda, an act of belonging however big he gets. And Antoine Griezmann's shirt raising moment gave itself to something cinematic. In the end though, there was nothing like the collective embrace of an entire community when César Tárrega, from the town of Aldaia, scored the first goal at Mestalla after the floods that killed over 200 people in the Valencia region, a moment that meant so many different things to so many different people and a reminder that you are allowed to enjoy, to live. In fact, you're supposed to. Best title celebration Betis after the derby, except that wasn't actually a title, it just felt like one. Nor was the whole of Vallecas going on the piss in a battered blue bus; it was something better. Barcelona's Pedri, Dani Olmo, Iñigo Martínez and Eric García cycling up Avinguda Diagonal in the dark it is, then. Best game Rayo-Leganes was a free-flowing festival of football in which from 93.37 to 104.41, the ball was in play for four whole seconds. The winner though is Villarreal-Celta, just about the silliest match you could imagine. Seven goals from seven different men, the score going from 0-1, to 1-1, 1-2 to 3-2, and then to 3-3. Celta had two one-on-ones to win it on 94 and 95 only for Villarreal to actually do so on 100, the game eventually concluded in a way that was appropriately absurd. Hugo Álvarez grabbed hold of Thierno Barry's shorts outside the box but forgot to let go and was dragged far enough to end up inside it and give away a penalty. With what should have been the last kick, Dani Parejo's effort was saved by Ivan Villar; with what actually was, he put away the rebound. 'It's hard to explain,' Celta's Borja Iglesias admitted but this was to be enjoyed, not explained. 'If we're going to lose, let it be like this,' he said. Manager of the year 'I dreamed of one day seeing Vigo like this and of a group of mates taking Celta into Europe,' Claudio Giráldez said, and he had made it so. Manuel Pellegrini might just be the best coach Villarreal, Málaga and Betis have ever had. Valencia announced the arrival of Carlos Corberan on 25 December and it turned out he really was their Messiah. There was no gabarra this time, but Ernesto Valverde took Athletic to the Champions League. And Iñigo Pérez is bringing Europe to the barrio, whether Europe's ready or not. But really, how can it not be Hansi Flick? Player of the year Come back in five minutes and the answer will have changed again. The candidates are clear, but choosing a winner messes with your mind. In the end, it comes down to three Barcelona players, although had Isco and Antony been at Betis all year that list might just be a little longer. No one played like Pedri, no one can play like Pedri. Raphinha was a revelation. And Lamine Yamal is ridiculous. Where did those fans go with their rock, paper and scissors? Come on, hurry up. Oh, OK. Raphinha. Team of the season 4-3-3: Joan García (Espanyol); Andrei Ratiu (Rayo), Dani Vivian (Athletic), Iñigo Martínez (Barcelona), Óscar Mingueza (Celta); Pedri (Barcelona), Isco (Betis), Álex Baena (Villarreal); Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Raphinha (Barcelona). Advertisement Subs: Sergi Cardona (Villarreal), Fede Valverde (Madrid), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Ayoze Pérez (Villarreal), Mauro Arambarri, Luis Milla (Getafe), Mikel Jauregizar, Iñaki Williams, Oihan Sancet (Athletic), Julián Alvarez (Atletico), Antony (Betis), Carlos Vicente, Kike Garcia (Alavés), Jules Koundé (Barcelona). Oh, and Alex Sorløth, of course. And finally, some words of wisdom Asked how many lives he has as he seems to get killed every week but somehow he's still there, Carlo Ancelotti replies: 'One, and I try to enjoy it.' Which is a nice place to leave it.
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Lionel Messi names one Barcelona goal as favourite of his entire career
Lionel Messi names one Barcelona goal as favourite of his entire career Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has this week provided an insight his personal favourite goal of his career. And the Argentine's pick may come as something of a surprise… Veteran attacker Messi has of course been responsible for some of the most spectacular goals in modern history. Advertisement From solo specials to thunderous left-footed drives and sumptuous free-kicks, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's efforts in front of goal will go down in football folklore. Immediately springing to mind when thinking back to Messi's very best goals are those against the likes of Bayern Munich, Athletic Club, and Getafe. It is another, though, which the 37-year-old himself considers to be his personal favourite. Speaking during an interview with Inter Miami, as part of the club's 'A Goal in Life' campaign, this week, Messi was drawn on the topic of his best goals ever. And the Barcelona icon went on to highlight his crucial Blaugrana header against Manchester United in the Champions League finale in 2009: Advertisement 'I've scored many goals that might have been even more beautiful and valuable, also because of their importance, but the header in the Champions League final against Manchester United has always been my favourite.' Conor Laird – GSFN
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Goal drought: Tigers stumble, Swans finally fire at MCG
Sydney have strangled Richmond for a badly needed 44-point win, keeping the Tigers goal-less for more than a half at the MCG. The Swans' slogging 11.14 (80) to 4.12 (36) win in cold conditions on Saturday was only their third in 11 visits to the MCG, punctuated by two heavy grand final losses over the past three years. Sydney's record improves to 5-8, giving their season a glimmer of hope. After last weekend's last-quarter fadeout against GWS, Richmond started brightly and led by 12 points at quarter time. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sydney Swans (@sydneyswans) But the rebuilding Tigers did not kick a goal from 19 minutes in the first quarter until 22 minutes into the last - unofficially a club record. All-Australian defender Nick Blakey, derided this week by some in the media as one of the season's biggest disappointments, was outstanding with 34 disposals and eight inside 50s. Isaac Heeney starred in the midfield and James Jordon played his role to perfection as a defensive forward on in-form Richmond defender Nick Vlastuin, kicking three goals. Tigers onballer Dion Prestia was on fire in the first quarter with 13 possessions, but James Rowbottom then paid him more attention and he only had 21 for the game. Sydney ruckman Brodie Grundy also had a day out, beating Richmond captain Toby Nankervis in another crucial match-up for the Swans. Brodie Grundy keeps it alive and kicks a ripper 🔥#AFLTigersSwans — AFL (@AFL) June 7, 2025 The longer the game went, the more apparent was Nankervis's frustration. Coming off big losses to Melbourne - at the MCG - and Adelaide at home, the Swans were in big trouble early. Richmond had 10 of the first 12 inside 50s and it was 10-4 at quarter time, with the tackle count also a lopsided 11-6 in the Tigers' favour. But Sydney made the game a scrap at the start of the second term and Heeney kicked a goal at 13 minutes to give them the lead. The Swans led by 14 points at the main break and they kicked 10 unanswered goals until Seth Campbell put through his second late in the final term.
