The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is Back!

The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is back, and it promises to be better than ever. This year, 36 teams are fighting for the title of the best team in Europe. Here is the format: the top 8 teams in the league phase go to the Round of 16. Teams finishing in places 9 to 24 play in playoff rounds to qualify for the Round of 16. Teams in places 25 to 36 are out.

We have already seen some upsets, like Qarabag FK from Azerbaijan, who were losing by 2 goals but managed to score 3 and win the game in the end. Barcelona played Newcastle United, and Marcus Rashford—a player from Manchester United who had lost his form—turned into a goal-scoring machine and scored 2 goals to win the game.

The current table-toppers after Matchday 1 are Eintracht Frankfurt from Germany, who beat the Turkish team Galatasaray 5-1.

Congratulations to Ousmane Dembele for winning the real Ballon D’or 2025! Other awards include:

• Feminine Ballon D’or: Aitana Bonmati

• Kopa Trophy (Best Young Player): Lamine Yamal

• Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper): Gianluigi Donnaruma

• Gerd Müller Trophy (Best Striker): Viktor Gyokeres

  
  

We will be hosting football awards where I will highlight the current best players and best clubs across most of the main leagues and the Champions League. At the end, we will have our own Ballon D’or ceremony (Ballon D’or, French for “Golden Ball,” is an award ceremony hosted by the French football magazine France Football).

Awards include:

• Most Surprising Player (player no one expected much from but who surprised the world): Marcus Rashford – FC Barcelona

• Most Disappointing Player (player everyone expected a lot from but who disappointed): Alexander Isak – Liverpool FC

• Emerging Player (player hardly anyone knew but who rose to the occasion): Antoine Semenyo – AFC Bournemouth

• Most Impressive Club (team that impressed everyone the most): Qarabag FK – Azerbaijan

• Best Current Club (club performing the best): Bayern Munich – Germany

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