GiveMeSport • 13/03/2025

What happened to the starting XI from Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United debut in 2003?

Everyone recognises Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the greatest footballers of all time; some believe even the best. He joined Manchester United as an 18-year-old from Sporting Lisbon in 2003 with plenty of expectation and promise, and he certainly did not disappoint, going on to produce a phenomenal career filled with success. The Portuguese legend spent his best years at Real Madrid, after an excellent six-year spell at United, where he quickly rose to the top. It all started with his debut ag...

GiveMeSport • 13/03/2025

Arsene Wenger ranked his top four favourite players to watch in world football right now

Former Arsenal manager and Premier League legend Arsène Wenger recently named and ranked his four favourite players to watch in the world right now. For this exercise, Arsenal players were excluded, meaning the likes of Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard could not be mentioned. Instead, he opted for two fellow Premier League stars and a pair of Real Madrid teammates. Despite being out of management for almost seven years now, leaving the Gunners in 2018, Wenger is still very much involved in foo...

GiveMeSport • 12/03/2025

Cole Palmer didn’t hesitate when naming the toughest opponent he’s ever played against

Cole Palmer is only in his second season of being a regular starter in the Premier League, following his move to Chelsea from Manchester City almost two summers ago. However, he has seen a rapid rise to the top, despite his club’s struggles in the league for the past couple of years. The 22-year-old has become a national and even global icon, showcased by the growing popularity of his ‘ice-cold’ celebration. It is tough to envision where Chelsea would be without the young Englishman, who is one...

GiveMeSport • 12/03/2025

Every player to score two or more hat-tricks in the Champions League

The UEFA Champions League is Europe’s premier competition and is regarded by many as the biggest trophy to win in club football. The tournament has seen the world’s greatest-ever players compete against each other, including the most illustrious goalscorers. The 2024/25 season has already seen 11 different players score a hat-trick, adding their names to a long list of individuals who have achieved the feat in the competition.
Those who have recorded multiple hat-tricks are part of a smaller...

GiveMeSport • 09/03/2025

Robin van Persie named his six ‘most talented’ former teammates across his entire career

Robin van Persie is arguably one of the greatest strikers in Premier League history, and certainly among the best of his generation. He has succeeded in Turkey, England and his home country of the Netherlands, making a name for himself at Arsenal. The Dutchman spent eight years in north London, ranking as the club’s eighth-highest goalscorer of all-time with 132 strikes. Trophies were scarce with the Gunners, as he only lifted an FA Cup during his time there. His controversial 2012 move to Ma...

GiveMeSport • 08/03/2025

Theo Walcott named the ‘best finisher’ he ever played with - ahead of Thierry Henry

Theo Walcott, one of the Premier League’s most iconic speedsters, spent over a decade of his professional career in north London with Arsenal, playing 397 times for the club. Joining in 2006 from Southampton as a talented prospect, he soon broke records, becoming the youngest player to represent England at 17 years old and 75 days. While silverware was not prominent for club and country, with just a pair of FA Cups and Community Shields to boast of, he played alongside a star-studded pool of...

GiveMeSport • 05/03/2025

Marcel Desailly named the 'awful' Premier League legend who was the 'toughest' he faced

One of the greatest defenders of his generation, if not ever, Marcel Desailly enjoyed a glittering career at the highest level in Europe. The Frenchman played for 20 years, with stints at huge clubs including Marseille, AC Milan and Chelsea. His trophy cabinet is impressive to say the least, boasting a UEFA Champions League with both Marseille and Milan, two league titles in Italy and an FA Cup victory at Chelsea. Desailly’s great success extends internationally, as he also reached the pinnacle...

GiveMeSport • 04/03/2025

Louis van Gaal named the 5 best players he ever managed - included 2 ex-Man Utd stars

Louis van Gaal has enjoyed a 31-year managerial career which has taken him all over Europe, leading some of the world’s biggest clubs to glory. His journey has involved international management too, taking over his home country of the Netherlands for two separate stints. The Dutchman boasts the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United on his CV, winning major trophies at every spot. It was Ajax where he found himself most successful, lifting three Eredivisie titles and a Champi...

GiveMeSport • 03/03/2025

Steven Gerrard named the two players who 'shocked' him at Liverpool

Many consider Steven Gerrard one of the top players and midfielders in Liverpool and Premier League history. The former England international captained the club to several trophies. This includes the famous comeback in Istanbul, where they defeated AC Milan on penalties to win the 2005 Champions League final. However, his illustrious trophy cabinet did not include a big one: the Premier League title. Regardless, Gerrard goes down as an all-time great, playing with and against some of the bigg...

GiveMeSport • 22/02/2025

The 10 tallest players in the Premier League right now have been ranked

The Premier League has been host to plenty of footballing giants in the past, with the legendary figure Peter Crouch particularly standing out. But who are the tallest in the Premier League right now? While footballers come in all different shapes and sizes, having a tall frame can be crucial in certain positions. Goalkeepers need to be large to fill the sticks, while defenders want to be aerially dominant against strikers and vice versa. Those are the two positions which dominate this list o...

GiveMeSport • 20/02/2025

Gabby Agbonlahor named his 'dream' world football XI in 2015 - and it's aged brilliantly

Gabby Agbonlahor is Aston Villa’s all-time leading goalscorer in the Premier League with 74 goals. He spent his entire career with the club, including 11 consecutive seasons in the top flight. He has played with and against plenty of top players, but who did he regard as the best of the best? In 2015, while still at Villa, he was asked by the club to name his ‘dream’ World XI. During a period when there was supreme talent worldwide, it was a tough task to reduce it to just 11 names. Though th...

GiveMeSport • 15/02/2025

Brendan Rodgers Named his All-Time Celtic XI

Growing up in Northern Ireland, Brendan Rodgers was always a supporter of Celtic. After a long coaching stint in English football, including three years at Liverpool, he took charge of his boyhood club for the first of two spells in 2016. He spent two-and-a-half years in Glasgow before returning to the Premier League mid-season with Leicester City, leaving the club top of the Scottish Premiership. Four-and-a-half years later he began his second spell with Celtic, where he has remained since 2023...

Footy Accumulators • 04/02/2025

Brighton vs Chelsea: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips | Footy Accumulators

Brighton host Chelsea in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, with both sides fancying their chances of a deep cup run and advancing from this all Premier League affair.

Date: 08/02/25

Kick-off time: 20:00

Venue: Amex Stadium

The hosts Brighton have been left reeling following an embarrassing 7-0 defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest last week, and should look at the FA Cup as a welcome distraction. After a strong start to the season, things have started to unravel for the Seagulls, who now fi...

GiveMeSport • 02/02/2025

The 14 Greatest British Defenders in Football History Have Been Named and Ranked - By AI

Britain has been lucky to produce countless great defenders in football history. From Bobby Moore to John Terry and Gary Neville to Ashley Cole, each position in the backline has been occupied by a legend. This has made picking the very best defenders a thankless job, not least because comparing players across different eras can be very problematic. The expectations of full-backs and centre-backs today is significantly different to ten years ago, let alone half a century.
But to make it e...

GiveMeSport • 01/02/2025

Pep Guardiola was certain when naming his 'toughest opponent ever'

When people think of Pep Guardiola, they think dominance. They think one of the greatest managers of all time, if not the greatest. Wherever he has been, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now Manchester City, he has tasted success – and plenty of it. Across these three clubs, he has won 12 league titles and has been a European champion at both Barcelona and City. He has faced some fierce rivalries in his time; Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in Spain, Borussia Dortmund in Germany and Liverpool and Ar...

GiveMeSport • 30/01/2025

Neil 'Razor' Ruddock ranked his 25 hardest players in football histor

A notorious hard man himself, Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock knows a thing or two about the toughest men in football. The defender played for several English clubs during his 18-year career, earning his reputation with famous instances such as bust-ups with both Eric Cantona and Patrick Vieira.
But aside from himself, who does he consider among the hardest players in football history? In a feature for FourFourTwo in 2021, he revealed the names of some feared opponents. Here is how he ranked them. S...

Footy Accumulators • 30/01/2025

Wolves vs Aston Villa: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips | Footy Accumulators

This West Midlands derby sees Wolves host Aston Villa in the Premier League, with both teams looking to bounce back from dropped points last weekend.

Date: 01/02/25

Kick-off time: 17:30

Venue: Molineux

After 23 games played, Wolves are in the thick of a relegation battle. Despite seeing an immediate impact from new manager Vitor Pereira with two wins in his first two games, the side has not won since, losing four and drawing once. This has left them in the relegation zone, a point adrift of...

GiveMeSport • 27/01/2025

Ex-Chelsea star Florent Malouda has had a truly wild life since retiring in 2018

January is the month that delivers many surprises in the footballing world, but there are not many as unexpected as this – the switch from the pitch to army life. Well, that is exactly what former Chelsea and French star Florent Malouda has done, as he now acts as a mentor, sharing his knowledge and values with the next generation of soldiers in the Amazon Rainforest.
It is a long way from his days playing on the hallowed Stamford Bridge turf, where he won many trophies, including the Premie...

GiveMeSport • 26/01/2025

Diogo Jota names his three favourite Liverpool teammates ever - includes retired star

Diogo Jota is a huge fan favourite on the pitch at Liverpool, now midway through his fifth season at the club. He has been a part of very good sides under Jurgen Klopp and now Arne Slot, though he has not achieved the team success his career has perhaps deserved. Throughout his time on Merseyside, the Portuguese winger has won just an FA Cup and a pair of EFL Cups, but more silverware appears to be on the horizon. The Reds are in an excellent position at the top of both the Premier League and...

Footy Accumulators • 24/01/2025

Tottenham vs Leicester: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips | Footy Accumulators

Tottenham Hotspur host Leicester City in the Premier League, with both teams looking for three points to end poor runs of form.

Date: 26/01/25

Kick-off time: 14:00

Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Ange Postecoglou is under huge pressure as Tottenham manager with no wins in six league games, though he received some respite with victory in the Europa League in midweek. However, anything but three points this weekend will possibly heighten it to a point of no return. Spurs have endured a dreadf...

Footy Accumulators • 24/01/2025

Fulham vs Manchester United: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips | Footy Accumulators

Fulham host Manchester United in the Premier League looking to make it two wins in a row and close the gap on the European places.

Date: 26/01/25

Kick-off time: 19:00

Venue: Craven Cottage

It has been a solid season for Fulham, which continued last time out with victory over Leicester City. The win keeps them 10th in the table, with eyes on the teams ahead of them rather than behind. With 33 points, they are five clear of Brentford who sit once place below them, but are just four off Bournem...

GiveMeSport • 21/01/2025

Wayne Rooney named controversial Man United player as favourite teammate of his career

Wayne Rooney is among the greatest players to have ever graced the Premier League and has played in some of the best teams in the modern era. Under Sir Alex Ferguson, he shared the pitch alongside plenty of iconic figures, including David Beckham, Roy Keane, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Robin van Persie, before Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined him at Manchester United later in his career. He was also a standout in the ‘Golden Generation’ of the England National Team, playing next to the likes of Steven Ge...

Footy Accumulators • 20/01/2025

PSG vs Manchester City | Free Betting Tips & Predictions | Footy Accumulators

PSG host Manchester City in Europe, with both sides desperate for a win with their Champions League prospects in the balance.

Date: 22/01/25

Kick-off time: 20:00

Venue: Parc des Princes

A terrible period for Manchester City had seen them fall in both the Premier League and Champions League, but they are now unbeaten in six games and come into this one with momentum. It is a crucial fixture with City sitting just inside the playoff places only one point clear of dropping out completely. They...

Footy Accumulators • 20/01/2025

Manchester United vs Rangers | Free Betting Tips & Predictions | Footy Accumulators

Manchester United host Rangers in the Europa League, with both teams looking for three points to strengthen their place in the top eight.

Date: 23/01/25

Kick-off time: 20:00

Venue: Old Trafford

Another defeat in the Premier League against Brighton continues Manchester United’s dreadful season, but they will welcome a much needed distraction in Europe. The Red Devils are in a strong position to advance to the knockout round automatically, given they record victory here. They currently occupy...