Cancelo told Portuguese outlet O Jogo (via @iMiaSanMia) that winning the UCL is one of the goals of the season and that the club’s standing among the big boys is cause for their lofty standards. “Bayern is always a candidate to win everything and to win the Champions League. It’s part of the history of the club. They have 6 Champions Leagues, second only to Real Madrid and AC Milan, same as Liverpool”, the 28-year-old Manchester City loanee said.

An almost 9,500 km flight and an eight-hour time difference separate Kawasaki, home of Mutsuki Fukahori, from Sinsheim. But the enormous distance does not prevent the 24-year-old from passionately supporting TSG Hoffenheim. In mid-March, the big day finally arrived, and Fukahori travelled to Germany to watch a TSG match live in the stadium for the first time. It was not necessarily the best conditions to attend a game in the PreZero Arena: it was cold and the game he had chosen for his first time in the stadium came in the midst of a worrying series of poor results. TSG had been waiting five months for a win before the game against Hertha Berlin, losing seven games in a row. But Fukahori proved to be a lucky charm for Pellegrino Matarazzo’s team – he cheered on Hoffenheim to a 3-1 win.

On Tuesday afternoon, 1. FSV Mainz 05 signed Ludovic Ajorque from Racing Club de Strasbourg. The...

Dear members and VfB fans: we did it! VfB Stuttgart are staying in the top flight. It would not have been possible without your loyalty, your passion, your dedication – home and away.

Before Saturday’s kick-off in Munich, the Union players warmed up with red t-shirts that read “Eisern for Humanity”. These adidas training shirts will be auctioned off on our own club platform with the proceeds going to the club’s foundation who are supporting people currently inside and outside of Ukraine.

Their winless run looked set to be extended to four Premier League games before Martinez inadvertently helped out his old side and substitute Gabriel Martinelli tapped into an empty net after the Villa stopper went up for a late corner.

Sebastian Kehl on…

Derby over, Westphalian duel ahead – or even ‘El Westfalico’. Less said about that namage the better…The last week of official matches in 2021 is coming up fast, with VfL travelling to East Westphalia for their away match against Armina Bielefeld. Here’s our LOOK AHEAD:

Per SportBild’s Christian Falk (via @iMiaSanMia), who spoke with Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, the reigning Bundesliga champions could’ve signed Morocco international Achraf Hakimi before he ultimately wound up going to Inter Milan. At the time, he had made quite a name for himself in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund on loan from Real Madrid and was one of the most in-demand defenders on the transfer market, but the coronavirus pandemic seriously complicated financial matters for Bayern, as well as most clubs across Europe.

The private person John Anthony Brooks is very different to John Anthony Brooks the football player. On the pitch the American doesn’t go unnoticed, as he sets the tone at the heart of defence through his towering performances and vocal leadership. Away from the pitch, however, the defender prefers to go about life in a quieter fashion. The 30-year-old shies away from the spotlight. He isn’t on any social media platforms and prefers to avoid giving interviews: ”Everything I have to say I say in the dressing room. I don’t have to voice my opinions externally and then read about it in the newspapers afterwards.”