Serie A

Lukaku has been linked with an Inter exit following the departure of head coach Antonio Conte as the Nerazzurri struggle financially due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite leading Inter to their first Scudetto in a decade, Lukaku has reportedly caught the attention of former club Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Lukaku, however, has no plans to leave San Siro as he eyes more silverware in Milan after he was named "the best overall" Serie A MVP.

"I am staying at Inter," Lukaku – who arrived from Manchester United in 2019 – told VTM as Inter reportedly prepare to appoint former Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi.

"I've already spoken to the man who will become our new coach. Maybe I shouldn't say that yet… but it was a very positive conversation.

"The challenge is to win again. I feel good at Inter, I finally won some silverware.

"I really enjoyed it, but I want to do that again, this time with a packed San Siro."

Lukaku scored 24 goals from 36 league outings in 2020-21, while the Belgium international forward also provided 11 assists.

Lukaku scored 30 goals in all competitions this past season – only in 2016-17 for Everton did the Belgian score more (25) in a single campaign in one of Europe's top five leagues. 

Empoli favourite Maccarone played at the Tuscan club when Sarri made his reputation there in a three-year stint that began in 2012, before the coach went on to Napoli, Chelsea and now Juventus.

Veteran boss Sarri only came to prominence in his early fifties, when Maccarone was a key figure in his Empoli side, just as Ronaldo now is at Juve.

And while 61-year-old Sarri has forged a plan to fit superstar Ronaldo alongside Gonzalo Higuain and Paolo Dybala in a three-man Juve attack, it was once the case that he had a quandary involving Maccarone.

Once he solved that puzzle, Empoli and Sarri went from strength to strength.

"At Empoli, the strikers were me and [Ciccio] Tavano, but he started with only one forward," Maccarone told Stats Perform.

"So, to let us both play – we were still young at 33 since we are still playing at 40 now, but still we were not so young – he adapted himself to the talent he had.

"This is when a manager proves to be smart. Ever since he changed the formation, we started getting points.

"Now he says, 'I have got Cristiano Ronaldo who will score at least one goal per game, so I have to adapt my style to his'."

Maccarone is a cult hero to many followers of Italian football, having returned from a spell in England with Middlesbrough to score regularly, largely for Siena and Empoli.

Still playing at the age of 40 for Serie C side Carrarese, he has fond memories of Sarri.

Maccarone and Tavano, who turned 41 last month, have taken their Empoli partnership to Carrara, where the veteran pair are again team-mates.

Sarri knew they were a potent partnership, which is why he ripped up his lone-striker policy at Empoli.

That flexibility was rewarded in the 2013-14 campaign when Empoli were promoted to Serie A, and a year later Sarri was on his way to Napoli, his home city club.

Looking back on Sarri's Empoli reign, Maccarone said: "At the beginning things didn't work out well, but there his style was born. I think he is one of the best managers I had.

"He gives you a lot of motivation and is a good talker. On the pitch you already know where, how and when you will receive the ball, then of course you have to add your spin.

"I like Sarri's way of playing football. When needed, he makes himself understood, he gets often angry because he wants everything perfect."

The France international began the campaign in fine form, starting every game as Milan collected 19 points to match their best start to a league campaign after seven games.

But Maignan, signed from Lille for €15million to replace Gianluigi Donnarumma, underwent surgery on his left wrist in mid-October and was expected to miss around 10 weeks. 

However, having recently returned to training, the 26-year-old is now considered fit enough to make his comeback against Sassuolo in place of Ciprian Tatarusanu, who made a calamitous error in Milan's 4-3 defeat to Fiorentina last time out in Serie A.

"Maignan is fine. He has been working with the team for a week and is ready," Pioli said at Saturday's pre-match news conference. 

"He is back sooner because he has a great mentality. He is fine and will play tomorrow. Tatarusanu has done his duties well, but [Maignan] will return."

Maignan kept a league-high 21 clean sheets in 38 games for Ligue 1 champions Lille last season – seven more than next-best Keylor Navas and Benoit Costil.

The Frenchman's save percentage of 78.26 in seven Serie A games this season, meanwhile, is behind only Sergio Romero (80.56) and David Ospina (80.65) among those to have played more than twice.

Tatarusanu, for comparison, has saved 60 per cent of the shots he has faced in the six league games he has filled in for Maignan this term, keeping only one clean sheet.

Pioli also confirmed that centre-back Fikayo Tomori is closing in on a return from injury and is likely to be available for Wednesday's trip to Genoa.

Before that, Milan welcome Sassuolo to San Siro with the aim of keeping their hopes of a first Scudetto success in 11 years on track.

Milan last lost successive games in Serie A in April, which includes a 2-1 home loss at the hands of Sassuolo, but Pioli is fully focused on bouncing back.

"We have a chance tomorrow to get back on track in the league," said Pioli, who signed a new contract with the club on Friday.

"Winning games makes a difference and we all know we need to raise our game. We showed in Madrid that we have good quality in the squad, both technically and mentally."

Portugal international forward Rafael Leao has been linked with a host of top clubs, including Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester City.

The 23-year-old is contracted until 2024 and Maldini revealed prior to Milan's 1-0 Coppa Italia home loss to Torino that they were closing in on agreement on an extension, with the player keen to stay.

"We are talking, there are videocalls too and not just in-person meetings," Maldini told Mediaset. "We will try to reach an agreement. It seems like both parties want to continue together and we will try to close a deal.

"We've been trying to do that for the last year and a half, but a lot happened in that time. The important thing is we want to extend and it seems as if the player wants to as well.

"This team was largely built on the transfer campaign of 2019 and practically all of those who arrived have extended their contracts. I have to say, all those who wanted to renew their deals have done so."

Algerian defensive midfielder Bennacer, 25, is contracted with the Rossoneri until 2024 as well, but Maldini said they are within days of finalising an extension.

"Absolutely, I think we will in the next 24-36 hours," he said.

The reigning Italian champions are currently third in Serie A, seven points behind leaders Napoli after 17 games.

Reigning English champions City last year became just the fourth club ever to top the list, which examines the top-performing football clubs in terms of revenue every year.

City remained the world's highest revenue-generating club in the 2021-22 campaign – the first season in which fans returned to stadiums as coronavirus restrictions were eased.

They made £619.1million (€731m) over that period to finish ahead of LaLiga giants Real Madrid (€713.8m), while Liverpool climbed from seventh to their highest position of third after making £594.3m (€701.7m).

Fellow English clubs Manchester United (fourth), Chelsea (eighth), Tottenham (ninth) and Arsenal (10th) also make the top 10, with West Ham (15th), Leicester City (17th), Leeds United (18th), Everton (19th) and Newcastle United (20th) in the top 20.

It marks the first time in the report's 26 years that a single country has provided more than half of the rich list.

"The Premier League was the only one of the big five European leagues to experience an increase in its media rights value during its most recent rights sale process," said Tim Bridge, the lead partner in Deloitte's Sports Business Group.

"It continues to appeal to millions of global followers and its member clubs have a greater revenue advantage over international rivals."

Paris Saint-Germain (fifth), Bayern Munich (sixth), Barcelona (seventh), Juventus (11th), Atletico Madrid (12th), Borussia Dortmund (13th), Inter (14th) and Milan (16th) make up the rest of the top 20.

In the women's game, Barcelona generated the highest revenue (€7.7m) after winning the Champions League in 2021 and reaching the final last year.

The Manchester United midfielder's long-term future appears uncertain, with his former club Juve one of the teams heavily linked with the World Cup winner should he depart Old Trafford.

Pogba spent four seasons with the Serie A champions between 2012 and 2016 before returning to United for what was a world-record fee at the time.

In a video uploaded to his Instagram account on Wednesday, Pogba was seen training at home wearing a Juve shirt with Blaise Matuidi's name and number on the back.

However, the Frenchman explained that he and United team-mate Victor Lindelof - who was spotted in Albin Ekdal's Sampdoria jersey - were simply supporting their international team-mates after both Serie A players tested positive for coronavirus.

"New training camp is called... Quarantine PP Arena, open 24/7!" Pogba wrote on Instagram.

"Having fun working at home with my brother @victorlindelof.

"Supporting our friends @blaisematuidiofficiel and @albinekdal and all athletes and people around the world! 

"Be strong, #StayAtHome and be safe!

"(I know the cheeky ones will talk about the Juventus jersey [but] I'm just supporting my friends... that's all, nothing more)."

Matuidi replied to Pogba's post by saying: "Thank you my brother this touched me love u.

"And glad to see you touch the ball."

Pogba has not played for United since December 26 having undergone surgery on a right ankle injury in January.

He was due to return to team training on Tuesday but United cancelled their session after the United Kingdom government urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and social contact.

The Azzurri lifted Euro 2020 after a penalty shoot-out victory over England last July but failed to qualify for a second straight World Cup following play-off disappointment against North Macedonia in March.

That led to questions towards Mancini and Italian football over the lack of trust placed in younger players, with the more experienced campaigners such as Ciro Immobile and Giorgio Chiellini preferred.

Mancini subsequently suggested that Italy are suffering as Serie A coaches refuse to provide youthful members of their clubs the opportunities to develop.

Italy face Argentina at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday in a meeting between the European Championship winners and Copa America champions, though Mancini appears reluctant to trust his younger players yet.

"Tomorrow will be the match that will end a cycle," the Azzurri boss told reporters on Tuesday.

"It does not mean that 15-20 players will leave, but from Wednesday we will include young players to understand how much they are worth and if we can count on them for the future.

"In the meantime, I must continue to choose the players always with a logical criterion, then courage will be needed because it will be a younger group that will need to be supported in a different way.

"We will not change the whole team, but in the four games one, two, three or four young people will play.

"This will also be a great thing to do. We are trying to work for the future, to improve. If the clubs do or do not let the young players play, I cannot decide.

"We will try to have more knowledge of the young people and we want to do things well, but we certainly cannot pray to anyone if they don't want to do it.

"We managed to win a European championship anyway, despite many difficulties."

Despite not having the likes of Immobile, Federico Chiesa, Domenico Berardi and Marco Verratti to call upon, Mancini expects his side to compete well against Argentina.

Asked if his side will still be able to put on a show, Mancini responded: "I think so, even if we are missing several players. I would have liked to have all the boys here, they deserved it.

"We have a good match ahead of us. It is nice to play this match, Italy-Argentina is a classic of world football and it will also be a tribute to many players.

"It is a great pleasure to be here, not even 12 months ago we were here to celebrate [winning Euro 2020 at Wembley] and for this reason, there is also a bit of emotion."

The 34-year-old only moved to Qatar in December after falling out of favour at Juventus, where he won four Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia on three occasions.

However, Mandzukic announced on Twitter that he had cut short his deal by mutual consent, adding: "I appreciate the trust and hospitality that I have received in Qatar and I wish the best to the club and the team in the future."

A return to Serie A could be a possibility - both ambitious Benevento and Milan have been rumoured as potential destinations - while he has also been linked to Turkish duo Galatasaray and Fenerbahce.

Prior to his successful stint with Juventus, Mandzukic played in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich - where he won the Champions League in 2013 - and Wolfsburg, as well as spending a season at Atletico Madrid in LaLiga.

According to Diego Sinagra, Maradona's return to Naples would mean the club could sell out their San Paolo stadium 10 times over for every home game.

The prospect of fans in stadiums as well as Maradona holding down a job in Serie A seem remote for now; at present, he is coaching at the highest level in Argentina with Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata.

But Sinagra says having Maradona back at Napoli, the club he led to two Serie A titles and the UEFA Cup during an illustrious spell as a player from 1984 to 1991, would be a scenario he would welcome.

Asked if he could foresee Maradona coaching in Spain, Sinagra told Marca: "No, I imagine him in Naples. What a thing that would be! He would fill 10 San Paolos.

"I still have the dream of seeing my old man on the Napoli bench, but it would still be wonderful to see him somewhere else in Europe."

Sinagra, Maradona's Italian son from an extra-marital affair in the mid-1980s, was estranged from his father until he was into his 20s.

Now 34, Sinagra says many of Maradona's off-field problems can be linked to his eagerness to please.

"All the problems my old man had in his life were caused by being too good," Sinagra said.

"Sometimes, like all good people, it is difficult for him to be tough and perhaps also he doesn't know how to say no sometimes. We, the people who really love him, love him for the good things and the bad things."

Sinagra, who played lower-league football and beach football after a spell in the Napoli academy, said it had been difficult at times to be the son of Maradona.

But since being accepted by his father, he says their relationship has been positive.

"Obviously, the past cannot be erased. But we choose, by mutual agreement, not to think anymore about the things that happened and to focus on the future," he said.

"I think my dad loves me like a son. He has a great love for all his children and, of course, for me too."

Maradona, one of football's all-time greats, died of natural causes at the age of 60 on Wednesday.

Although coach of Argentinian side Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata at the time of his death, Maradona was more renowned for his remarkable playing career, during which he inspired his country to 1986 World Cup success and also played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli and Sevilla.

But it was his time in Naples that is remembered as his prime, as he helped them to two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia and a UEFA Cup crown.

Napoli's current team all took to the pitch in jerseys emblazoned with Maradona's name and iconic number 10 on the back before Thursday's 2-0 Europa League win over Rijeka at Stadio San Paolo, which is set to be renamed Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

The club's tributes to their greatest ever player do not stop there, as they confirmed on Sunday that a new strip inspired by Maradona and Argentina – which was conceived last year – is set to be revealed and worn against Roma later in the day.

A statement read: "A year ago, together with Kappa, we thought of designing a special jersey that echoes Diego Maradona, his beloved Argentina and the close-knit bond with the people of Naples.

"Our hope was that Diego would be able to see it, perhaps even wear it and share in our excitement about it.

"It was agreed that the new kit would be unveiled on matchday nine of the Serie A campaign, during the match between SSC Napoli and Roma.

"The jersey that the players will don tonight will have an even greater significance than initially intended."

Napoli have not provided any further detail regarding the kit's aesthetics, however graphics accompanying their statement showed prominent blue-and-white stripes, as famously worn by Argentina.

A mainstay of the Croatia national team, Mandzukic hit an extra-time winner in the 2018 World Cup semi-final against Gareth Southgate's team, before scoring at both ends in the 4-2 final defeat to France.

He became the first player to score an own goal in a World Cup final to give France an early lead, before capitalising on a Hugo Lloris mistake to give Croatia late hope.

His retirement announcement, issued on Instagram, was in the form of a letter to his younger self, with Mandzukic saying he should "just be ready around [the] 109th minute" should he ever face England at the World Cup.

That was the minute in which he fired past Jordan Pickford to send Croatia into their first World Cup final as 2-1 winners over England.

Mandzukic's career took off in his early twenties at Dinamo Zagreb, and he was signed by German outfit Wolfsburg in 2010 before moving on two years later to Bayern Munich, for whom he scored in the 2013 Champions League final win over Borussia Dortmund, also winning the Bundesliga twice.

Only Robert Lewandowski (44 goals) and Stefan Kiessling (40) scored more than the 33 Bundesliga goals that Mandzukic managed across his two campaigns at Bayern.

A year followed at Atletico Madrid before Mandzukic enjoyed four seasons at Juventus, winning the Serie A title each time and scoring a memorable goal in the Bianconeri's Champions League final loss to Real Madrid in 2017.

He had a spell at Qatari side Al-Duhail and played the last football of his career for Milan in the second half of last season.

Mandzukic, who scored 33 goals in 89 matches for Croatia, addressed his farewell letter to 'little Mario' and wrote: "While you put on these boots for the first time, you can't even imagine what you will get to experience in football.

"You'll score goals at the biggest stages and you'll win the biggest trophies with the biggest clubs. Proudly representing your nation, you will help write the history of Croatian sports.

"You'll succeed because you'll have good people around you – teammates, coaches, fans, and family, agent and friends who will always be there for you. You'll be forever grateful to all of them!

"Above all, you'll succeed because you'll always give your best. At the end, that's what you'll be most proud of. You'll sacrifice a lot, but you'll know it was worth it because of all the amazing moments.

"You'll recognise the moment to retire, to put these boots in a cabinet and you'll have no regrets. Football will always be a part of your life, but you'll look forward to a new chapter.

"P.S. If you happen to play vs England in the World Cup, just be ready around [the] 109th minute."

Mandzukic's winner in that clash with England came from his third goal attempt in the game, all of which he got on target. That was a lesson to an England side who collectively only put two of their 11 efforts on target.

"What a career Big Mario," said former Juve team-mate Blaise Matuidi. "Congratulations you are a legend."

Juventus' Coppa second leg against Milan, which was due to take place on Wednesday, has already been called off and Inter's fixture at Napoli's Stadio San Paolo on Thursday has also reportedly been postponed. 

Inter CEO Marotta, speaking prior to a Serie A assembly on Wednesday, said he was unaware of any official decision.

"We don't know anything yet," he said in quotes reported by TuttoMercatoWeb. "We will adapt to what they decide."

Italian news agency ANSA has reported government measures may include a ban on sporting events for 30 days, though football matches could potentially be played behind closed doors.

ANSA said there are now 2,263 positive cases in Italy, with 80 people in the country having died from coronavirus.

Serie A has already seen its schedule hugely affected, with several fixtures having been postponed over the past two weekends – including Juve's Derby d'Italia against Inter, which had been set to take place on Sunday.

An emergency assembly of the league began early on Wednesday with a view to determining fresh measures.

Martinez, who missed a penalty in Inter's 2-1 Serie A defeat to Bologna on Sunday, has been strongly tipped to make a move to Camp Nou at the end of the 2019-20 season.

Marotta was again asked about the forward prior to the defeat at San Siro and he reiterated Inter's desire to hold on to the 22-year-old.  

"Lautaro has not shown the slightest desire to leave," Marotta told DAZN.

"Aside from dates and deadlines, the clearest situation is that Inter do not want to sell their champions or interesting young talents. If the player were to ask to leave, we would evaluate that together, but so far, that request has not arrived.

"I believe that, being a young player, it can boost his career to continue playing for a while longer at Inter.

"Being an Inter player means being part of a big club and that ought to be reason enough for him to feel proud."

Marotta also dismissed rumours Inter have lodged a bid for Chelsea left-back Emerson Palmieri.

"I understand the many questions about transfer speculation, but I can say we have not had any contact or opened any negotiation for Emerson Palmieri.

"We are making evaluations for next season, but the most important issue remains this current campaign."

Argentina striker Martinez scored his 15th goal of the campaign during Inter's 1-1 draw against Atalanta at the weekend.

The 22-year-old's partnership in attack with Romelu Lukaku has established the Nerazzurri as serious title challengers to Juventus in Serie A.

His performances have also apparently caught the attention of Barcelona, who are facing up to four months without Luis Suarez, while it has also been claimed Manchester City view Martinez as a suitable long-term heir to their all-time record goalscorer Sergio Aguero.

"I'm very happy here at Inter, people love me and I love them," Martinez told TyC Sports.

"If you talk about me [as a transfer target] it is because I do my job well. I must continue on this path.

"I am very calm, I live day to day and I am happy and comfortable here."

Conte took charge of Inter before the start of this season and Martinez credits the former Juve and Chelsea boss as a driving force behind his rapid progress.

“Many things have changed since he came in," Martinez said. "He has a special way of doing things and has taught us so much from his first day in charge.

"He has convinced us to all give our best and the results are there for all to see.

“I have had to adapt to a new culture in another country and learn another language. I played little under the previous manager, but under Conte I have grown a lot and I am enjoying how things are going."

Conte secured the capture of Lukaku from Manchester United, a player he tried to sign at Chelsea, and Martinez has been a huge beneficiary of the head coach getting his man.

"Lukaku helps me a lot, he is a player who – on and off the field – is very important to me," Martinez said of the Belgium international, who has 18 goals in all competitions this term.

"He is a very good person who helps me out. I am very happy to have met him.”

The Belgium forward's nine-year stay at the Serie A club came to an end following the 2021-22 season after he rejected the offer of a new contract.

Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis previously said Mertens turned down the offer of a new deal because he wanted more money, telling Radio Kiss Kiss: "I presented him with €4million per season gross and he refused.

"So I said thank you very much... I need to have money to buy young players who can represent Napoli in future seasons."

In a message posted to his social media on Wednesday, Mertens said: "Dear Neapolitans, I knew this day would eventually come, but I didn't know how difficult it would be to say goodbye."

He also went on to praise the city of Naples for "adopting" him, pointing out that his son Ciro, who features in the video with him, was born in the city.

The former PSV man added: "I did not leave as I would have liked" before finishing with: "this is not farewell, only goodbye." 

The Partenopei have seen Lorenzo Insigne, David Ospina, Kalidou Koulibaly and Arkadiusz Milik also depart during this transfer window, with Mertens leaving as the club's record goalscorer with 148 goals.

He scored 11 times in 30 Serie A games last season, with his 126 minutes per goal the fourth-best return of any player in the Italian top flight to have netted at least 10 times.

Mertens, who has been linked with Inter, Juventus and Marseille, made 397 appearances for Napoli in all, placing him behind Insigne (434), Antonio Juliano (505), Giuseppe Bruscolotti (511) and Marek Hamsik (520).

La Roja travel to Lisbon this week to face Portugal on Wednesday in the first meeting between the sides since the 2018 World Cup group stages.

Ronaldo scored a hat-trick, which included a stunning late free-kick, on that occasion to earn a 3-3 draw with Spain in Sochi.

Former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has previously sided with Messi in the debate over who is the greatest modern player, describing the Blaugrana number 10 as the best in the world "in every position" and "the best in the history of football".

However, he has huge admiration for the way Juventus forward Ronaldo continues to strive for success at the age of 35 and after spending 18 years in senior football.

"Our goal doesn't change aside from the fact confronting a player of his profile can be motivational," he told reporters on Tuesday as he looked ahead to the friendly at Estadio Jose Alvalade.

"As a team, we will try to do things better than Portugal and try to cause them problems – that's the goal. Whether Ronaldo plays or not, the situation, the general approach to the game doesn't change.

"With regards to your other question, if you check through your newspaper archives, you already knew what my opinion is and I don't think it will be ideal for me again to comment on who is the best player in the world for me.

"What is worthy of praise is the fact that players like Cristiano and Leo Messi keep getting older but maintaining such a high level thanks to their professionalism, their ambition and their capacity to be motivated and keep achieving goals. Both Cristiano and Messi are examples of that."

Ronaldo has scored three goals and set up another in his first two Serie A appearances of 2020-21, with Juve beating Sampdoria 3-0 and then drawing 2-2 with Roma.

Messi has one goal in three LaLiga matches, with Barca beating Villarreal 4-0, Celta Vigo 3-0 and drawing 1-1 with Sevilla in Ronald Koeman's first three league games in charge.

Ligue 1 was curtailed and a streamlined version of the Champions League knockout rounds took place in Lisbon in August, before a new season got under way.

There have still been plenty of performances to savour, though, and Stats Perform News has used Opta data to calculate a Team of the Year from the top five European leagues.

Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi made the grade in 2020 but the same could not be said of Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, while Kylian Mbappe earned a spot that his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Neymar could not.

Supporters of Premier League clubs may not be rejoicing about the selections, which were made based solely on data.

Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid)

Atletico lead the way in LaLiga on goal difference and have two games in hand on nearest rivals Real Madrid. Diego Simeone's side owe much of their success to Oblak, who has kept 17 clean sheets in 33 LaLiga appearances this year – the most of any keeper in the division during the same period.

Right-back: Juan Cuadrado (Juventus)

Juve won a ninth straight Scudetto this year and Cuadrado has played an important role throughout 2020, creating 45 chances (including seven assists) for the Bianconeri in Serie A – only Paulo Dybala (56) supplied more key passes for the club.

Centre-back: Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)

Bayern Munich may be the dominant force in the Bundesliga, but Hummels has continued to show his worth since returning to Dortmund. He made the most interceptions (57) and completed the most passes (2,056) of any Bundesliga defender in 2020.

Centre-back: Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig)

France international Upamecano is one of the hottest properties in European football and has been linked with a host of elite clubs. He shows great coolness in possession – as evidenced by him completing 24 of the 33 dribbles he attempted for a success rate of 73 per cent, the best of any Bundesliga defender to try at least 30.

Left-back: Theo Hernandez (Milan)

While Upamecano has established himself with Les Bleus, Hernandez's continued absence from the France set-up despite stellar showings for a resurgent Milan remains a source of much debate. The Rossoneri will end the year top of Serie A and Hernandez has been directly involved in 102 shots (46 chances created, 56 attempts on goal) in the league in 2020. That is more than any other defender in the same period.

Centre midfield: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)

Kimmich's looping goal against Dortmund at the back end of last season was pivotal to Bayern retaining their German league title, which came as part of a treble. It has been the Germany international's distribution that has stood out this year, though. He completed an average of 75 passes per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga in 2020, the most of any midfielder in the competition to feature for at least 1,000 minutes.

Centre midfield: Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)

Madrid regained the title in LaLiga in 2020, with Kroos a central figure in Zinedine Zidane's midfield. Of all players who attempted at least 1,000 passes in the opposition half in the Spanish top flight this year, Kroos was the only one who had a completion rate higher than 90 per cent.

Right wing: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

This year may have proved to be terminal to Messi's tight relationship with Barcelona, and while he was not quite up to his previous goalscoring exploits he still proved massively influential in the final third. He was the only player in LaLiga in 2020 to both score at least 15 goals and register as many assists.

Attacking midfield: Alejandro 'Papu' Gomez (Atalanta)

His time with Atalanta may seemingly be coming to an end after a falling-out with Gian Piero Gasperini, but Gomez has been one of the club's most important players. He had more assists (12) and created more chances (81) in Serie A this year than any of his team-mates.

Left wing: Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)

PSG were crowned Ligue 1 champions despite the season being cut short in April, meaning they have played just 26 games this year. Mbappe only featured in 21 of those, but he was still directly involved in 24 goals (19 scored, five assisted) which was more than any other player in the competition in 2020.

Striker: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

It was no surprise to see Lewandowski named The Best FIFA Men's Player after an incredible campaign with Bayern. He scored 32 Bundesliga goals in 26 appearances this year and only five of them were spot-kicks. His tally of 27 non-penalty goals was the most of any player in the top five European leagues.

Maradona – arguably football's greatest ever player – died at the age of 60 after suffering heart failure last month.

Napoli renamed their stadium to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in honour of the 1986 World Cup winner, who guided the Serie A side to their only Scudetto triumphs in 1987 and 1990 after arriving from Barca in 1984.

Messi removed his Barca shirt to reveal a Newell's Old Boys jersey emblazoned with Maradona's famous number 10 after scoring in last month's 4-0 LaLiga rout of Osasuna.

But former Barca team-mate Boateng wants six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi – who has been heavily linked to Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain – to do more to pay tribute to his countryman.

"I often hear of the comparison between Messi and Maradona and therefore I'll make a proposal to Leo," Boateng, who now plays for Serie B outfit Monza alongside Mario Balotelli, told ESPN.

"He should go to Napoli after his contract with Barcelona expires. It would be great if he himself called [president Aurelio] De Laurentiis and said: 'I'm coming'.

"Even if they have retired the No 10 shirt, 'I would like to honour Maradona's No 10 and come and play for a year or two at Napoli', without thinking about money, just the heart.

"Maybe then he manages to win a championship and then it would be the apotheosis, a movie story.

"If I were him, I would think about it. By now, he has won everything at club level, closing in a legendary way would be incredible."

The Rossoneri got their Serie A title defence off to a victorious start at San Siro as they beat Udinese 4-2, but had to come from behind after conceding just 90 seconds into the new season when Rodrigo Becao headed in a corner.

A penalty from Theo Hernandez and an Ante Rebic strike quickly turned things around, only for Adam Masina to head in an equaliser just before half-time.

Brahim Diaz restored Milan's lead less than a minute into the second half, before Rebic wrapped things up with just over 20 minutes to go.

While Pioli was clearly unhappy with conceding twice, he did acknowledge that his side recovered and played some of the football that saw them win their first Scudetto in 11 years last season.

"I didn't like conceding so early; we have to start better," he told DAZN. "Then we played half an hour of great football, against a very dangerous and physical opponent.

"We conceded two goals from crosses, we had to work much better. We will review everything and deal with these situations better.

"Sometimes we are more determined when we defend high instead of in front of our penalty area. This is a serious mistake, and we must not repeat it next Sunday against an opponent like Atalanta."

Rebic scored twice, his first Serie A goals at San Siro in 482 days, having not registered a league goal on home soil since playing Genoa in April 2021.

"Ante is a very strong player," Pioli added. "He knows how to move, he knows how to tie the game, he has all the characteristics to be important. He worked for the team, he really gave us a lot, so congratulations [to him]."

New signings Charles de Ketelaere and Divock Origi made their debuts from the bench, with the former putting the ball in the back of the net only to see it disallowed for a foul by the latter.

Pioli was asked about De Ketelaere, a big-money arrival from Club Brugge, and suggested the Belgium international will need more time before starting.

"The [first] impressions are very positive, he is an intelligent guy," he said.

"He can read situations in advance... He still doesn't have the best possible condition [fitness-wise]. He was probably used to working between the lines more, we aim to fill those spaces with more players.

"There is no doubt about his talent, but he comes from a different league and will need the time to understand this football. "

Milan, playing their 3,000th Serie A game, had lost their last four matches in all competitions heading into Friday's tussle at San Siro, but they came away with the points thanks to Giroud's moment of quality.

Theo Hernandez teed up that goal but then missed a golden chance to double Milan's lead.

However, the champions held firm to get back on the winning trail, ensuring the only disappointment for the home fans was that veteran forward Ibrahimovic – back from injury – did not come on from the bench for his first appearance since May last year.

With Ibrahimovic poised on the bench, the first half in Milan unfurled more like a warm-up support show before the headline act.

Giroud and Antonio Sanbria lodged the only on-target shots of a low-wattage opening half, with the Milan strikers' header snuffed out by visiting goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in the 29th minute.

Having resisted the urge to call on Ibrahimovic, Stefano Pioli was rewarded by an improved display after the break, with Milinkovic-Savic almost spilling Giroud's low effort over the line.

Milan's breakthrough came just after the hour, however, with Giroud rocketing a header home from Hernandez's cross.

Hernandez should have settled the nerves for Milan after latching onto Pierre Kalulu's excellent pass in the 76th minute, only to drill wide of a gaping goal.

Fortunately for Hernandez, Torino could not make Milan pay as the Rossoneri extended their unbeaten home run against them to 27 Serie A matches.