Primera División

The Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 campaigns were ended on Tuesday when French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced that professional football will not be able to resume before September.

The Eredivisie has also been cancelled along with the domestic season in Argentina, but they are planning to get under way again in countries such as England, Spain, Germany and Italy.

D'Hooghe is concerned that finances are being put ahead of health.

He told the Daily Telegraph said: "We are all subject to decisions at national level from the public authorities. It is very simple. Football suddenly becomes not the most important thing in life.

"I will be happy if we can start, in a convenient way, the next championship and have nothing before the start of next season.

'If they could start the season 2020-21 at the end of August or beginning of September I would be happy. Then they could eventually avoid a second attack from the virus, which is not impossible.

"Everyone has to be very careful for the moment. I have heard in many countries they are thinking about playing football again, with or without the public.

"In my long career I have seen many situations where there has been a balance between economics and health. Mostly the economics won, whether that was about jetlag or football at altitude or in extreme conditions such as pollution situations.

"If there is one circumstance where medical arguments should win against economical arguments, it is now. It is not a matter of money, it is a matter of life and death. It is very simple."

La Liga and Segunda Division players have been undergoing tests ahead of a potential resumption to the 2019-20 season, which was halted in March due to the health pandemic.

It was announced by LaLiga on Sunday that five players from unspecified clubs have tested positive for the virus and are in isolation.

A La Liga statement said: "Specifically, between the LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank clubs, five positive cases have been detected in players, all of them asymptomatic and in the final phase of the disease, whose specific identity LaLiga does not know in compliance with the organic law on data protection. 

The players in question will be tested again in the next few days and can only return to training after two negative results.

Barcelona were among the clubs to resume individual training this week in Spain, with talk that the campaign could restart in June.

Atletico Madrid returned to training on Saturday amid media reports Renan Lodi has tested positive for the virus.

The Brazilian left-back is asymptomatic, Marca reported, but there was no official word on his health from Atletico. However, the club did tweet: "Renan Lodi salutes you from home. See you soon on the pitch!".

Real Madrid, meanwhile, will welcome their players back to work at the club's facilities on Monday.

La Liga and Segunda Division players have been undergoing tests ahead of a potential resumption to the 2019-20 season, which was halted in March due to the health pandemic.

It was announced by LaLiga on Sunday that five players from unspecified clubs have tested positive for the virus and are in isolation.

A La Liga statement said: "Specifically, between the LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank clubs, five positive cases have been detected in players, all of them asymptomatic and in the final phase of the disease, whose specific identity LaLiga does not know in compliance with the organic law on data protection. 

The players in question will be tested again in the next few days and can only return to training after two negative results.

Barcelona were among the clubs to resume individual training this week in Spain, with talk that the campaign could restart in June.

Atletico Madrid returned to training on Saturday amid media reports Renan Lodi has tested positive for the virus.

The Brazilian left-back is asymptomatic, Marca reported, but there was no official word on his health from Atletico. However, the club did tweet: "Renan Lodi salutes you from home. See you soon on the pitch!".

Real Madrid, meanwhile, will welcome their players back to work at the club's facilities on Monday.

La Liga and Segunda Division players have been undergoing tests ahead of a potential resumption to the 2019-20 season, which was halted in March due to the health pandemic.

It was announced by LaLiga on Sunday that five players from unspecified clubs have tested positive for the virus and are in isolation.

A La Liga statement said: "Specifically, between the LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank clubs, five positive cases have been detected in players, all of them asymptomatic and in the final phase of the disease, whose specific identity LaLiga does not know in compliance with the organic law on data protection. 

The players in question will be tested again in the next few days and can only return to training after two negative results.

Barcelona were among the clubs to resume individual training this week in Spain, with talk that the campaign could restart in June.

Atletico Madrid returned to training on Saturday amid media reports Renan Lodi has tested positive for the virus.

The Brazilian left-back is asymptomatic, Marca reported, but there was no official word on his health from Atletico. However, the club did tweet: "Renan Lodi salutes you from home. See you soon on the pitch!".

Real Madrid, meanwhile, will welcome their players back to work at the club's facilities on Monday.

The Ligue 1 outfit, who are owned by Qatar Sports Investments, are one of the highest-spending sides in European football, under the watch of chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

PSG's transactions have come under intense scrutiny from critics, with the club previously handed a €65million fine - with €55m suspended - for Financial Fair Play breaches.

Tebas, however, feels such repercussions are too soft on the French outfit, who he claims are dismantling the sport's rulebook.

"€10m for PSG and Nasser is a cup of coffee!" he told L'Equipe. "Sanctions have to be dissuasive and also affect the sporting side of things.

"That has not been the case with those that were taken. These penalties don’t work, they have to be sanctioned now.

"Over the last six or seven seasons, PSG have lost a billion euros. They are breaking the European football ecosystem.

"How can other clubs compete with someone who has losses of one billion euros? It’s difficult."

Haaland joined Manchester City from Dortmund in July after being linked with the majority of the biggest clubs in Europe.

Bayern played down reports they wanted the striker as a successor to Poland captain Lewandowski, who got his wish to join Barcelona.

Speaking in the documentary Haaland: The Big Decision, City's prolific frontman stated that he felt uncomfortable over talk that he could join Bayern while Lewandowski was still with the Bundesliga champions.

"If I try to imagine how Lewandowski thinks... I don't know how many goals and titles he has for the club," he stated.

"Then I do actually feel a little sorry for him. At the same time it's a chance for him to take the next step in his career.

"It feels disrespectful, but at the same time it is an opportunity for him."

Haaland has made a blistering start to life at City, with 10 goals in his first six Premier League appearances, while Lewandowski has scored five in four LaLiga games for Barca.

Maradona, who turned 60 last week, had what his personal doctor Leopoldo Luque described as a "routine" operation for a subdural haematoma on Tuesday.

Luque said the former Argentina captain, one of the all-time greats, is "under control" and had made a "great" start to his recovery.

Argentina and Barcelona skipper Messi offered his best wishes to Maradona in a social media post on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old forward posted on Instagram: "Diego, all the strength in the world. My family and I want to see you well as soon as possible. A hug from the heart!"

Maradona also played for Barcelona in his distinguished career, having a two-year spell at Camp Nou from 1982 to 1984.

He went to the Ipensa clinic in La Plata on Monday before being transferred to the Olivos clinic in Buenos Aires province.

The former Napoli talisman's lawyer revealed he only had tests that led to surgery after being admitted to hospital with depression.

"The last medical checks were excellent," lawyer Matias Morla said after visiting Maradona in hospital, according to Ole.

"Diego was very anxious [before the surgery] about what was going to happen and very satisfied with the work of Dr Luque, which was an impeccable operation.

"I want to highlight something very important: the same test that was carried out on Diego yesterday, which detected this bleeding, was also carried out in September, which shows the tireless work of Dr Luque on Diego.

"If it had not been detected by him, Maradona's fate would have been different. I want to make it very clear, mainly because of the criticism. Luque tested him in September.

"Diego had presented a picture of depression. That's why I'm with Carlos Diaz, who was the one who treated Diego before and who noticed a mental issue.

"In principle, [Diaz] linked it to the issue of his birthday, to a depression caused by the pandemic and the different circumstances around it. Later, upon seeing that this picture had developed, at the request of Luque and Diaz, he was hospitalised and that's where the test was made that resulted in the operation.

"I don't know the causes of the haematoma and I'm not a doctor. What I do know is he had strange behaviour, he was very depressed, he made comments referring to relatives who died, that he missed them. He always, on every birthday, suffers from a kind of nostalgia.

"He really misses his mother – this is always the same on the subject of birthdays – but this year it increased, so I'm here with the psychologist who intervened."

Even for Real Madrid fan Nadal, there was a joy in seeing former Barcelona talisman Messi achieve his greatest feat at an age when some doubted he would ever lift the trophy.

Now 35, Messi was the driving force behind Argentina's success in Qatar. He scored two goals as Sunday's final against France ended in a pulsating 3-3 draw, plus a penalty in the shoot-out that followed, clinching the Golden Ball as the tournament's outstanding player.

For Nadal, who won his 22nd grand slam two days after turning 36 in June, seeing another person achieving late-career success is something to which he can relate.

"Messi lifting the World Cup made me happy. That someone so great culminates with a title that was missing, of this calibre, with all that it means for Argentina, it seemed fair to me," Nadal said.

"I enjoyed it and I was moved. Without siding with Argentina, when Messi scored the third goal tears came to my eyes.

"It was because of the emotion of seeing someone so great achieve what was missing, having suffered so much to achieve it."

Nadal would also have taken a close interest in Kylian Mbappe hitting a hat-trick for France in the Lusail Stadium final, given the Paris Saint-Germain striker is a long-time Madrid target.

Mbappe snubbed Madrid to sign a new PSG contract in May, but it would be no surprise if eventually he ends up at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The matter of Mbappe came up in an interview with AS, who made Nadal their athlete of the year.

Nadal was asked if he would forgive Mbappe if he signed for Madrid.

"I don't have to forgive Mbappe for anything and as a Madrid fan, if he could, come tomorrow," Nadal said.

"In the end, things happen in sports and I suppose that such a young boy was overwhelmed by such tremendous pressure from all angles that in the end... I think he wanted to come to Madrid, but due to many factors, everything was very complicated for him. Hopefully we can see him in Madrid in the future."

Nadal said he would be leaving for Australia on December 26 and cautioned against expecting too much immediately at the start of the new tennis season, pointing to "very difficult" singles matches at the United Cup against Cameron Norrie and Nick Kyrgios.

The Australian Open, where Nadal is the defending men's singles champion, begins on January 16 in Melbourne, with all the focus on getting into prime shape by then.

"Let's see now how the year begins. I'm aware that I'm a little tight here, but I'm confident that I can get to the level I need to be competitive in Australia," Nadal said.

"We'll see what happens. Things change very quickly in sports. But I have the illusion of having a good year again and giving myself options to compete again at the highest level. I am aware that I am the age that I am, and that things happen. I will have to manage it in the best possible way and try to do my best to give myself real options."

But the Paris Saint-Germain attacker criticised the eighth-place finish for Benzema's Madrid team-mate Vinicius Junior, with the Brazil international declaring his fellow Selecao star should have finished in the top three at a "minimum".

Benzema was crowned the world's greatest player for the 2021-22 season at a ceremony earlier this week, succeeding Neymar's PSG club-mate Lionel Messi while beating out Bayern Munich's Sadio Mane to top spot.

It came after a campaign that saw him lead Carlo Ancelotti's side to success in LaLiga and the Champions League, scoring 44 goals and adding 15 assists.

Neymar, who was not nominated this year, took to social media a day after the presentation to hail Benzema's victory, but added that Vinicius, another key Madrid star last term, deserved greater recognition.

"Benzema deserved [it - he's the] crack!" the attacker wrote on Twitter. "Now, for Vini Jr to be eighth - it's not possible! Minimum top three!"

After arguably the toughest domestic season of his career to date last term, Neymar looks to be back to his best this season, with nine goals and seven assists in Ligue 1 so far.

Benzema meanwhile has struggled with fitness issues, restricting the 34-year-old to just four goals and one assist in LaLiga.

Former Paris Saint-Germain coach Pochettino was dismissed from the French capital in July 2022 after failing to deliver Champions League glory with a squad assembled purely for that goal.

Lionel Messi moved to Paris ahead of the 2021-22 season, along with Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Achraf Hakimi, though an abundance of world-class talent crashed out in the last 16 to Madrid.

Pochettino has subsequently been linked to a move to Los Blancos, once Carlo Ancelotti departs, or to United, who preferred Erik ten Hag when the pair were both linked to the Old Trafford role.

When asked by Marca about joining either of those sides in future, the Argentine said: "Soccer is 'timing'. These are the moments for it to coincide and for that marriage to happen. 

"Sometimes it's just a question of time. I don't believe in trains passing only once. I think that sometimes you have to have the necessary patience and you have to know how to wait."

The former Southampton and Tottenham boss has previously expressed a subtle interest in managing England should Gareth Southgate leave after the World Cup in Qatar, which starts on Sunday.

Pochettino has a wealth of experience, despite only winning two major trophies – Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France with PSG – though he believes "timing" is everything in football.

"The 'timing' is handled by football, it is true that my name has always been associated with big clubs," he added.

"I have a lot of respect for professionals and it's hard for me to sell myself, that's work for you."

Time away from managing has afforded room for reflection from Pochettino, though he insists he would never re-think his previous decision-making with the likes of PSG and Tottenham.

"It is a good stage to capitalise on all those experiences and have a vision from another place," he continued.

"We always try to have external visions, from the analysis, above all so as not to take things personally and that this external vision has a context. 

"This analysis means that now time does not make us rethink decision-making, it helps us to be better."

The 23-year-old midfielder made something of a surprise switch to Major League Soccer this month after being deemed surplus to requirements at Camp Nou.

Puig made his Galaxy debut as a substitute on Friday in a 3-3 draw with Seattle Sounders following his arrival on a three-and-a-half year deal.

While Barca spent their pre-season in the United States, the former Spain youth international was left back at home with other players they were looking to move on.

Puig felt he deserved to be treated with more respect.

"It was a tough month because I had never seen that before, leaving players behind in Barcelona and going on a tour without them," he stated.

"Perhaps I understand the club's position, they want to put pressure on players to leave, but there are other ways to do it.

"It was really difficult being in Barcelona, training alone, with four other team-mates who were also there with me.

"After seven years at the club, being in Barcelona when all my team-mates are in Los Angeles playing matches, well, the truth is that it hurt me a lot.

"It's a difficult situation and sometimes you have to make decisions and they have made this decision but I don't agree with it."

The Professional Women's Football League (LPFF), which oversees the Primera Division, has been in dispute with the Spanish Football Association (RFEF) over several issues, including the registration of non-EU players and the league calendar, in the build-up to the new season.

On Thursday, the RFEF issued a statement on behalf of female officials, announcing their "unanimous decision not to direct any match of the First Division National Championship", due to concerns over their "employment and economic situation".

Although the LPFF claimed to be locked in negotiations regarding officials' conditions on Friday, the strike action went ahead the following day.

Atletico Madrid, who won three consecutive titles between 2016-17 and 2018-19, announced their meeting with Real Sociedad had been postponed "due to the non-appearance of the refereeing team".

Champions League runners-up Barcelona dominated the division last term, winning all 30 of their games and scoring 159 goals. 

They are scheduled to go to Levante Las Planas for their first outing of the campaign on Sunday, though the officials' strike has thrown that fixture into doubt.

Title battles in England, Spain and Italy could be too close to call, while France and Germany will see rivals trying to knock Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich off their respective perches – while there is even more set to occur in the fight for European qualification and to avoid the drop.

Central to these battles will be the players, both new signings and established members of the old guard, and here are 10 to watch in the year ahead.

Ousmane Dembele – Barcelona

Previously considered to be one of the biggest pieces of evidence on Barcelona's transfer failings in recent years, Dembele turned a corner in the second half of last season to finish the campaign as one of Xavi's most important players.

Dembele finished with 13 assists in LaLiga last term, the most in the competition, 11 of which came in the final 15 games of the season – with the tally being more in that run from February than he accumulated across all competitions combined in the previous two seasons.

Handed a fresh new contract, all eyes will be on Dembele to see whether he is back to his best or whether the former Borussia Dortmund winger, who now has Raphinha for competition, merely had a purple patch.

Matthijs de Ligt – Bayern Munich

It has now been three years since De Ligt shone with the Ajax side that reached the Champions League semi-finals, where his performances made him one of the most coveted players in world football.

Stability was never quite found at Juventus, however, with shoulder injuries hampering his progress and the defender himself admitting the style was a "bit different" in Turin to what he experienced with Ajax.

Now at Bayern, De Ligt will look to return to the heights he was once at and is expected to form an exciting partnership with Dayot Upamecano.

Rafael Leao – Milan

In Milan's title-winning campaign last term, Leao was the team's joint-leading scorer in Serie A with 11 goals, alongside Olivier Giroud, but that was way off the pace in the overall charts as 15 players found the net more times.

Milan's total tally for goals in 2021-22 was 69, less than three of their rivals in the top five, and pressure is on Stefano Pioli's side to improve that return – with the signing of Divock Origi showing the desire to improve their return in the final third, with rivals Inter having strengthened by bringing Romelu Lukaku back to San Siro on loan.

It may all fall upon Leao, however, with the 23-year-old needing to show consistency in order to prove a significant venture into the market next year to replace veterans Giroud and Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not required.

Djed Spence – Tottenham

Middlesbrough will likely wonder what might had been if they retained Spence's services, having loaned him to Championship rivals Nottingham Forest and seeing him play a key part in their promotion back to the big time.

From September, the only two games Spence missed during Forest's league campaign were the two clashes with his parent club and his displays, including those in the FA Cup against the likes of Arsenal, made him hot property.

Spurs ultimately signed the England U21 international, who could be a contender to break into Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad if he quickly finds his feet in north London. He is a right-back, after all...

Darwin Nunez – Liverpool

Liverpool's prowess in the transfer market is facing its biggest test under Jurgen Klopp, who is looking to rejuvenate what has been a brilliant attacking trio with Sadio Mane moving on and Roberto Firmino's future uncertain.

Having signed Luis Diaz in January, the Reds raided a Portuguese giant again – this time Benfica – for Nunez.

Nunez scored six Champions League goals in the 2021-22 season and plundered a further 26 in the league, averaging a goal every 76 minutes. Nunez certainly has the capability to fill Klopp's Mane-shaped void, even if his style is slightly different to the Senegal attacker.

Matteo Guendouzi – Marseille

Swiftly breaking onto the scene at Arsenal but just as quickly earning himself a bad-boy reputation, Guendouzi flourished in his loan spell with Marseille last season and has now made the switch permanent.

The France international featured in every game for Marseille in the 2021-22 season, starting in 35 of his 38 Ligue 1 appearances, and forced his way back into contention to make Didier Deschamps' squad on a regular basis ahead of Les Bleus' World Cup defence in Qatar.

Guendouzi's growing maturity saw him captain Marseille in a 2-0 defeat against Lille last season and the forthcoming campaign may continue his redemption arc.

Adam Hlozek – Bayer Leverkusen

A name that will be familiar to Football Manager enthusiasts, Hlozek has earned his big move to one of Europe's top leagues after leaving Sparta Prague in his homeland for Bayer Leverkusen and the challenges of the Bundesliga.

Capable of playing across the front line, Hlozek heads to Germany with a stellar record of 29 goals and 30 assists in 91 league appearances in the top-tier in the Czech Republic.

Add in the 24 goals that compatriot Patrik Schick netted for Leverkusen last season along with the creativity of Florian Wirtz from midfield and the result is one that could be extremely exciting.

Vinicius Junior – Real Madrid

A formidable season for Vinicius saw the Brazilian net 17 goals and contribute 10 assists during Real Madrid's La Liga title-winning campaign, only being outscored by team-mate Karim Benzema in the league.

Benzema, who was one of only two players to get more assists than Vinicius last season, is now in the twilight years of his career and will soon surely hand the mantle to the next star forward at the Santiago Bernabeu – with Vinicius near-certain to be that man now Kylian Mbappe has decided to remain in Paris for the time being.

In a World Cup year, Vinicius could enjoy a campaign that sees him take the leading man tag for both club and country come the end of the season.

Hugo Ekitike – Paris Saint-Germain

Arriving into an attacking that already boasts Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi, it remains to be seen just how much football 20-year-old Hugo Ekitike will manage to play for Christophe Galtier's side.

Moving initially on loan, Ekitike, who was also a target for Newcastle United, is certainly one for the future.

With 10 goals and four assists for Reims last term, Ekitike has shown his prowess in the final third and could be a valuable asset in the hunt to end the elusive wait for a Champions League crown.

Samuele Ricci – Torino

Long touted as the next star in Italy's midfield, Samuele Ricci has moved on from Empoli but, to the surprise of some, did not take the leap to one of Serie A's big guns and instead continued his development by joining Torino in January.

Ricci featured 13 times for Torino, including nine starts in what was a stellar breakout year in Italy's top tier, with the 20-year-old having previously been crowned Serie B's best player in the 2020-21 season.

Breaking into Italy's squad in 2022, Ricci's meteoric rise should continue, and he may find himself coveted by some of the biggest clubs across Europe.

Busquets announced his retirement from Spain duty on Friday having captained La Roja in each of their four games at the World Cup in Qatar.

Busquets' miss in a penalty shoot-out defeat to Morocco in the last 16 provided a less-than-fitting end to his stellar career with Spain, for whom he made 143 senior appearances.

The 34-year-old starred alongside his Barcelona team-mate-turned-coach Xavi as Spain won the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, and the Blaugrana boss believes few can match his impact.

"In the end, it's a personal decision that you make when you feel the time is right," Xavi told Barcelona's website. "I wish him the best, now he will be able to rest more and focus on Barca.

"He is a player who has made history. He is one of the best midfielders that football has produced worldwide and, for sure, the best defensive midfielder in the history of Spain."

Fellow Barcelona star Jordi Alba said Busquets will be "sorely missed" by Spain, who will be led by Luis de la Fuente in Euro 2024 qualifying after Luis Enrique left his role as head coach. 

"You have always been a great leader for all of us who are part of the team, both in good times and in bad," Alba wrote on Twitter.

"After so many training sessions and games together in the national team, today you say goodbye and you will be sorely missed, friend. 

"Thank you for what you have contributed to us and for everything you have given."