Now that the Champions League is back, some of the top young players in the world are eager to make an impression on the competition. Real Madrid's new Brazilian forward Endrick scored a goal against Stuttgart, Germany, not long after turning eighteen, raising questions among supporters about whether or not he was the youngest player to score in the competition. Regretfully, Ansu Fati, the forward for Barcelona, still holds the record for Los Blancos supporters. He became the youngest player to score in the competition history when he defeated Inter Milan goalkeeper Handanovic from a distance at the age of 17 years and 40 days.

When Peter Ofori-Quaye scored for Olympiacos at the age of 17 years and 195 days, he set the record for the youngest goal scorer in the Champions League. Ofori-Quaye was surpassed in second position by George Ilenikhena, who coincidentally scored for Antwerp against Barcelona at the age of 17 years, 119 days.

Jude Bellingham, a midfielder for Real Madrid, has disclosed that Carlo Ancelotti threatened to bench him in favor of his brother, Jobe Bellingham, in the tea 

Bellingham, who relocated to Spain from Borussia Dortmund two seasons ago, has made a name for himself with Ancelotti's Los Blancos.

The midfielder is also a candidate for this year's Ballon d'Or after his incredible performance that saw him win the Champions League, La Liga, and other championships with Real Madrid. "I remember watching the game and Ancelotti said: f*ck… we brought the wrong one! I'm going to bring him here," I said, and Carlo responded, "In your position!"

SThe 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup is now taking place in Colombia, and the final sixteen have been announced.

This comes after the group stage fixtures are over. Japan triumphed 2-0 over Austria, while Ghana upset New Zealand 3-1. By doing this, Japan has advanced to the final-16 stage together with the other 15 nations. The Round of 16 matches are scheduled for this Wednesday, this Thursday, and this Friday. A complete round of 16 fixtures:

Canada versus Spain Cameroon versus Brazil South Korea versus Colombia Mexico vs the USA Austria versus North Korea Argentina versus Germany France versus the Netherlands Nigeria versus Japan

The 30-person shortlist for the 2024 Ballon d'Or includes six players who assisted England in making it to the Euro 2024 championship. The following players are vying for the coveted honor, which will be given to the finest male football player in 2024: forwards Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer, midfielders Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Declan Rice, and captain Harry Kane. The winger for Barcelona and Spain, Lamine Yamal, who just turned 17 in July, is also a contender. England advanced to the Euro 2024 final, but on July 14 in Berlin, they lost to Spain 2-1. Eight players from Manchester City and Arsenal—who placed first and second in the Premier League, respectively—have combined to be nominated.

Lionel Messi, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner who won the award in 2023 and plays forward for Inter Miami and Argentina, is not included on this list. Neither Messi, 37, nor Cristiano Ronaldo, 39, who has won five times, have been on the list of nominees since 2003.

A first-time winner is assured because Karim Benzema and Luka Modric, the two other past recipients who are currently active, were not included on the shortlist. A jury of journalists from each of the top 100 nations in the Fifa men's global ranking casts their votes for the award. Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United are the nominees for the Kopa Trophy, which is given to the finest men's young player of the year. Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa, who took home the Yashin Trophy as the finest goalkeeper the previous year, was once again considered for the honor.

Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, was nominated for men's coach of the year following Manchester City's second Premier League title. On October 28, there will be an event in Paris to announce the winners.

Jude Bellingham, a Real Madrid and England player Ruben Dias, a Manchester City and Portugal native Phil Foden, Manchester City, and England Federico Valverde of Real Madrid and Uruguay Emiliano Martinez, both with Aston Villa and Argentina Erling Haaland of Manchester City and Norway Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao and Spain) Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen and Switzerland) Artem Dovbyk (Roma and Ukraine) Real Madrid and former Germany player Toni Kroos Vinicius Jr. of Real Madrid and Brazil Dani Olmo (Barcelona and Spain) Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany) Arsenal's and Norway's Martin Odegaard Mats Hummels, a free agent from Germany Rodri (Manchester City and Spain)

Harry Kane (England and Bayern Munich) Declan Rice (England and Arsenal) Vitinha (Portugal and Paris St-Germain) Cole Palmer (England and Chelsea) Dani Carvajal (Spain and Real Madrid) Lamine Yamal (Spain and Barcelona) Bukayo Saka (England and Arsenal) Hakan Calhanoglu (Turkey and Inter Milan) William Saliba (France and Arsenal) Kylian Mbappe (France and Real Madrid) Lautaro Martinez (Argentina and Inter Milan) Ademola Lookman (Nigeria and Atalanta) Antonio Rudiger (Germany and Real Madrid) Alejandro Grimaldo (Spain and Bayer Leverkusen)

Financially speaking, it looks like a brilliant move on the part of the North Londoners, because rumor has it that they will only be covering £100k of the Englishman's £325k weekly salary, with the Blues covering the remaining sum. The reason the Gunners seem to have gotten such a good deal in this regard seems to be that the Pensioners have been looking for a way to get him out of the club for the remainder of the campaign after the player's statement ahead of the West Londoners' opening game of the season a few weeks ago and the fallout that followed. This has presented Edu Gaspar and Co. with a fantastic market opportunity.

But more than just the money might make this a great deal for the Premier League runners-up from the previous season since the former Manchester City star is a wonderful player when he plays at his best.

For instance, he made 339 appearances for City scored 131 goals, and contributed 73 assists, which works out to a goal participation rate of once per 1.66 games. This is an impressive feat given that he accomplished this during a seven-season span.

Furthermore, despite not playing at the highest level at Stamford Bridge, he has still managed to score 19 goals and dish out 12 assists in 81 games, which translates to an average of one goal per 2.61 games, which isn't too awful.

The official Arsenal team for the next Champions League campaign has been unveiled by UEFA. This season, the competition will feature 36 teams instead of 32 thanks to the adoption of the so-called "Swiss model." To ensure that every team plays at least eight games, a league phase has been established in place of the former group stage system. Every team in the competition will play one another; instead, matchups are decided by a draw that is seeded by UEFA.

Arsenal found out who they'll be playing last month. The Gunners will play Internazionale at the San Siro and Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates Stadium to begin their European campaign.

Before the traditional knockout phases start, Arteta's team has to play Shakhtar Donetsk (H), Atalanta (A), Dinamo Zagreb (H), Sporting CP (A), AS Monaco (H), and, ultimately, Girona (A). Arsenal will be aiming to persevere and emerge as the inaugural Champions League champions.

The manager of the Gunners, who is desperate to win some hardware, has included some unexpected players in his team. Tommy Setford, who joined Arsenal from Ajax in the summer, David Raya, and Neto are the three goalkeepers that Arteta has chosen, as disclosed by UEFA. William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and, in a rather surprising selection, Kieran Tierney—who played on loan at Real Sociedad last season—are the nine defenders that the Spaniard has selected.

The Premier League record of the Englishman speaks for itself, even though some are skeptical of his coming. He was a surprise addition on deadline day.

The day after the transfer window closed, Arsenal's pursuit of an attacking addition this summer was officially announced, ending months of speculation. Sterling would join the team on a season-long loan from Chelsea.

Aliko Dangote, the president of Dangote Group, has explained why the first Premium Motor Spirit—also referred to as gasoline—sample from his refinery was clearer than the gasoline that is already in use. Speaking at a live stream from his refinery in Lagos State's Ibeju-Lekki neighborhood, Dangote emphasized that cleaner gasoline is better for the environment and may help lessen health risks related to contaminated petroleum products.

He mentioned that the new gasoline will shield engines from harm caused by conventional gasoline's lack of clarity. "This is the gasoline sample," he declared. It may appear to be a different color, but that is the case. You will now possess a genuine and high-quality product.

"I'm sure Nigerians haven't seen this color of diesel before," Dangote added about the diesel's color. "We refer to this as Euro-5 diesel. Less than 10 parts per million (PPM) of sulfur are present in it. This will extend the lifespan of engines, generators, and automobiles. "The environment and public health will not be jeopardized," he emphasized again.

The German strategist Bruno Labbadia has been named the new Super Eagles coach, effective immediately, according to a statement released by the Nigeria Football Federation. Tuesday morning, Labbadia's appointment was announced by the NFF's X handle, which tweeted under the hashtag #thenff.

The release said, "The German tactician Bruno Labbadia has agreed to become the Head Coach of Nigeria's senior men's national team, the Super Eagles," according to the Nigeria Football Federation. Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, the general secretary of the federation, stated that "the NFF Executive Committee has approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development sub-committee to appoint Mr. Bruno Labbadia as the Head Coach of the Super Eagles."

Following the resignation of Finidi George, who was named the Eagles' coach in May 2024, Labbadia takes over as the 37th head coach of the Super Eagles. However, the squad finished fifth in Group C of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with three points due to his inability to score convincing victories in two important games while in charge.

Before suffering a shocking 2-1 loss to Benin Republic in Abidjan, the Eagles were held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa.

Nigerians are facing further economic hardship and calls for a statewide demonstration against President Bola Tinubu's administration are growing. In response, the Federal Government has asked for more time and assured the people that the problem is being handled urgently.

This message was delivered on Wednesday in Abuja by Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, following a Federal Executive Council meeting called by Senator George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Idris stated that the government is dedicated to addressing all concerns in a way that preserves peace and stability throughout the nation and referred to the planned protests as a "family matter."

The Minister emphasized that the administration is concentrated on putting solutions in place to lessen the burdens while also acknowledging the justifiable concerns of the populace.

He underlined that during this time of economic transition, communication, and tolerance are crucial.

Following the private meeting, Idris addressed reporters and stated, "We came together to discuss." As you can see, several of the ministers are present, and this is taking place at the SGF's office rather than the Council Chambers. We've talked about matters of national importance, and since we're all working for Nigeria, we think and hope that the country will once again be great.

"There won't be any sleepers. The people who are inciting unrest and calling for protests are Nigerians; we are all Nigerians, as are our brothers, sisters, and other individuals in positions of power, including ministers, the president, and all of us. This is therefore a family issue. This is a family problem in Nigeria, and we are all carefully considering it hoping that peace will ultimately win. 

When asked if there had been any communication between the government and the protest organizers and stakeholders, Idris replied that there has always been constant communication.

"This is not an odd circumstance. There has been constant engagement. Every major stakeholder has had multiple meetings with the president. Along with other government employees, I have been interacting with stakeholders and other important parties.

"We will keep engaging because it is in Nigeria's best interests to do so. We understand that this is the only nation we have, and ultimately, Nigeria would benefit from this for all of us, he said.

In response to claims made by a few prominent Nigerians, such as Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, that the protests must continue, Idris stated that the senior attorney had a democratic right to voice his opinions.

"Falana is a unique individual. Since we live in a democracy, everyone is free to express their opinions. This is a democratic scenario, and the demonstrators are also Nigerians. I keep emphasizing that we are all Nigerians and that we are all working for Nigeria, but let me just point out that yesterday, Mr. President stated that there was no need for protests and that everyone should calm down.

"A lot is occurring, Nigeria will continue to advance, and we think that the government that emerges will be beneficial to the country. We don't believe that any kind of protest is necessary; instead, we are calling for serenity and a peaceful solution to any problem.

You are allowed to post anything you want online, but the government is adamant that since we are all Nigerians, we must maintain our composure and be patient. Suffice it to say, let's give peace a chance. Everybody is working around the clock, including the president and his ministers.

As I mentioned yesterday, the President is listening to all of us, and he has a message for all Nigerians: please calm down and allow him some more time. All of their requests and entreaties will be granted," he continued.

Among the ministers present were Abubakar Bagudu (Budget and Planning), Zephaniah Jisalo (Special Duties), Tahir Mamman (Education), Yusuf Tuggar (Foreign Affairs), and Nyesom Wike (FCT).

Other notables included Bello Matawalle (Defense), David Umahi (Works), Wale Edun (Finance), Mohammed Idris (Information), and Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser (NSA).

Obiageli Ezekwesili, the former minister of education, has urged President Bola Tinubu to start an impartial audit of the NNPC and Dangote Refinery transactions right away.

"I kept quiet about the Dangote refinery-NNPC saga because I believe that evidence should always guide our opinion," the speaker stated. But as more and more details began to emerge from both sides, it is reasonable to assume that something mysterious has occurred and that it must be thoroughly investigated to hold the public accountable. Additionally, urgently. In the full view of the local and global investment community, how can a project that by definition became a "national interest project" be tarnished by such a serious and embarrassing controversy?