Bayer 04 Leverkusen

The winter transfer window is now open in Europe, and there are plenty of moves in...

Frimpong’s foundation — called “Pathways” — was launched on Wednesday and will initially operate in Ghana, the UK, Netherlands, and Germany. The 23-year-old says personal experience of seeing old teammates failing to make the grade and witnessing how lost they are afterwards prompted him to take action.

But hey, we love this sport, right? And hope is a big part of love.

Sometimes we can get carried away in the moment and a more sober analysis requires time. But as 2023 dwindles away, my verdict is as boisterously upbeat as it was before. The Bundesliga is enjoying one of its boom seasons on the pitch on all fronts and I’m using this space mostly to celebrate the highs.

ESPN reporters have everything you need to know about the top teams’ hopes and delve into deals that might be in the cards. Who will come in? Who will depart?

That was … underwhelming, huh? With the potential for a bunch of blockbuster matchups ahead of the Champions League draw, we got almost nothing of note. According to ESPN BET’s odds, Monday’s draw didn’t shift any team’s championship probability by even a full percentage point in either direction.

The weekend started in the Premier League with Arsenal getting a win that was a bit of a mixed bag, while Manchester United were leapfrogged by a superior Newcastle United. In LaLiga, Toni Kroos put on a splendid turn-back-the-clock performance for Real Madrid while Girona — the surprise No. 2 on the league table — staged a thrilling comeback win. The Bundesliga got partially snowed in and, in Serie A, Christian Pulisic scored as AC Milan tallied a comfortable win.

Alonso’s transition from player to coach sparked intrigue, with Bundesliga clubs such as Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen tracking his progress while he took his first managerial steps, overseeing Real Sociedad’s reserve team for three seasons.

The winter transfer window hasn’t re-opened in Europe yet, but there are moves in the works...

Eight years ago today, we didn’t yet know that the biggest underdog story of 21st-century soccer was unfolding in front of us. Or at least, we didn’t believe it.