The World Cup in Qatar is now just two months away and the first international break of the season is the final opportunity for squads to convene before coming together for the tournament.
In Europe, the Nations League offers competitive action in the build-up to Qatar, while teams elsewhere will face friendlies.
With a mid-season window and just one break before the action commences in November, it presents a challenge for any new faces to establish themselves in their international side before the squad for the World Cup is selected.
Some have been handed glorious opportunities though and Stats Perform has assessed some of the newcomers.
Ivan Toney
England's main striker role is nailed down by skipper Harry Kane but the role of understudy is a competitive one with the likes of Callum Wilson, Tammy Abraham and Ollie Watkins having earned opportunities – and Ivan Toney is the latest to join that list.
Quickly settling into life in the Premier League, Toney netted 12 goals for Brentford in their inaugural campaign last season but has hit new heights in 2022, scoring 13 goals this calendar year.
Toney doesn't just offer goals, though, as he has also contributed seven assists since August 2021, totalling 24 goal involvements (17 goals, 7 assists) in that period, with Kane (31) the only English player to have more in the Premier League.
This season, Toney has five goals and two assists for Brentford, with a tally of seven goal involvements only bettered by Erling Haaland (12) in the Premier League.
Nico Williams
Brother of Inaki Williams, capped once by Spain in a friendly before switching allegiances to Ghana, 20-year-old Nico Williams has been handed a chance by Luis Enrique, who insists the decision is not to ensure he doesn't follow in the footsteps of his sibling.
The right-winger has established himself in Athletic Bilbao's first-team and has made a firm impact this season, scoring twice – including in the recent 3-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano, which marked the first time both he and Inaki had scored in the same match.
Williams' role with Athletic will continue to grow, having only recently become a regular starter for the Basque side towards the end of last season and now starting five of Athletic's six LaLiga matches.
Securing a spot on the plane for Qatar will not be easy considering the vast competition, but Williams may get his opportunity due to his age, with a forward line of the future potentially being created alongside Yeremy Pino and Ferran Torres.
Kenneth Taylor
Only earning his first start for Ajax in the Eredivisie last season, Kenneth Taylor has become a mainstay in the side this term with five starts across six league appearances for the Dutch champions, following Ryan Gravenberch's move to Bayern Munich.
The 20-year-old has grabbed his opportunity with both hands, scoring three goals and contributing two assists in the league. His control on the ball has also been impressive, misplacing 41 of 352 passing attempts in the Eredivisie for an accuracy of 88 per cent.
In the Champions League, Taylor has yet find the net or contribute an assist, but he has caught the eye. In the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool, he won three tackles, the joint-most in the Ajax side, and completed 92 per cent of his passes.
Those performances have earned Taylor a call-up to Louis van Gaal's squad ahead of Gravenberch, who has been capped 10 times by the Netherlands but has found playing time difficult to come by since moving to Bayern.
Enzo Fernandez
Only arriving at Benfica from River Plate ahead of the current season, Enzo Fernandez has quickly made an impression in Portugal, where he was named the Primeira Liga's Midfielder of the Month.
In the third qualifying round of the Champions League, the Argentine struck in both legs against Midtjylland and made a significant impression in the 2-1 group stage win against Juventus – with the most touches (92), pass attempts (71) and accurate passes (68) of his team, as well as the highest pass completion percentage (96%).
He also won 12 duels and won possession on 12 occasions, both tallies that were bettered by none of his team-mates.
His form has already seen him linked with Liverpool, just months after his arrival in European football, and the 21-year-old could be once to watch in Qatar if he secures a seat on the plane.
Borja Iglesias
At the age of 29, Borja Iglesias is finally poised to make his international bow with Spain after a sensational calendar year in which he has scored 18 LaLiga goals – with only Real Madrid's Karim Benzema (28) scoring more.
Six of those goals have come in the opening six matches of the 2022-23 season, from which Real Betis have won 15 points to sit behind only Barcelona and Real Madrid in the early-season standings.
Robert Lewandowski (8) is the sole player to score more LaLiga goals than Iglesias this season and he has averaged a goal every 103 minutes, though he is yet to feature in the club's Europa League campaign thus far.
Spain's lack of central striking options may well play into Iglesias' hands in his bid to make the World Cup squad, with the 28-man party for September's Nations League fixtures having only Alvaro Morata as the other natural option through the middle.
‘The time has come to say goodbye’ – Zlatan Ibrahimovic retires aged 41
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has announced his retirement from football at the age of 41.
The AC Milan striker made the announcement on the San Siro pitch following his club’s final game of the Serie A season.
“I have many memories and many emotions in here,” the Sweden international said.
“The first time I arrived here you gave me happiness. The second time, love. I will be a Milan fan for life.
“The time has come to say goodbye to football, but not to you. See you around, if you’re lucky. Forza Milan and goodbye.”
A clearly emotional Ibrahimovic was serenaded by the Milan fans and then given a guard of honour by his team-mates as he left the pitch.
The former Manchester United striker has spent most of the season on the sidelines due to injury, playing just four times for Milan and scoring once in a 3-1 defeat at Udinese in March, and his departure from the club had already been announced.
In July last year he renewed his contract for another year, despite facing the prospect of a lengthy rehabilitation from knee surgery.
Shortly after helping Milan win the Serie A title he had undergone a planned procedure on his left knee to repair damage and instability caused by a previous anterior cruciate ligament injury.
As expected that meant a lengthy lay-off and Ibrahimovic did not make his first appearance of this season until the end of February.
Ibrahimovic began his career at Malmo and joined Ajax in 2001 after rejecting the overtures of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
“Arsene Wenger asked me to have a trial with Arsenal when I was 17. I turned it down. Zlatan doesn’t do auditions,” was how Ibrahimovic put it in his own inimitable style.
The prolific striker also had spells with Juventus and Inter Milan before an unhappy spell at Barcelona, where he complained about how he was used by manager Pep Guardiola.
“When you buy me, you are buying a Ferrari,” Ibrahimovic said.
“If you drive a Ferrari you put premium fuel in the tank, you drive on to the motorway and you floor the accelerator.
“Guardiola filled up with diesel and went for a spin in the countryside. If that’s what he wanted, he should have bought himself a Fiat from the start.”
Ibrahimovic joined AC Milan for the first time, initially on loan, in 2010 before moving to Paris St Germain, where he scored 113 times in 122 league appearances.
He also enjoyed spells with Manchester United, with whom he won the Europa League and League Cup, and LA Galaxy before returning to the San Siro.
Sweden’s all-time top scorer with 62 goals in 122 matches, Ibrahimovic quit the national team after Euro 2016 but returned in 2021 for their unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign.
Spezia and Hellas Verona face Serie A relegation play-off after final day drama
Spezia and Hellas Verona face a relegation play-off following a dramatic final day of the Serie A season.
The two sides started the day level on points and could not be separated after both suffered defeats away from home.
Dimitris Nikolaou gave Spezia the lead against Europa League runners-up Roma after just six minutes, but Nicola Zalewski equalised just before half-time and Paulo Dybala held his nerve to convert a 90th-minute penalty.
The spot-kick was awarded after Kelvin Amian fouled Stephan El Shaarawy, with Amian sent off for a second bookable offence.
Verona were on course for the point against AC Milan which would have been enough for safety when Davide Faraoni’s 72nd-minute goal cancelled out Olivier Giroud’s penalty, but Rafael Leao scored twice in the closing minutes to give the Rossoneri a 3-1 win.
After the match, Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his retirement from football at the age of 41.
The first relegation play-off since Bologna faced Parma in 2005 will take place at a neutral venue next weekend.
At the other end of the table, Atalanta thrashed 10-man Monza 5-2 to secure a Europa League place along with Roma, with Juventus set for the Europa Conference League despite a 1-0 win at Udinese.
Champions Napoli ended the season with a 2-0 win over bottom side Sampdoria, Victor Osimhen scoring his 26th goal of the season from the penalty spot after being fouled in the area and Giovanni Simeone rifling home from distance five minutes from time.
A potentially dramatic battle in LaLiga failed to produce any real fireworks as Real Valladolid were relegated following a 0-0 home draw with Getafe.
Six teams were in danger of joining the already-relegated Espanyol and Elche in going down, but Valladolid started and ended the day in the bottom three following a disappointing stalemate.
Celta Vigo made certain of survival with a 2-1 win over champions Barcelona thanks to a brace from Gabri Veiga.
Barcelona ended the season 10 points clear of runners-up Real Madrid after Karim Benzema marked his final appearance for the capital club with the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao.
Benzema scored a 72nd-minute penalty to cancel out Oihan Sancet’s opener early in the second half.
In Belgium, Toby Alderweireld fired in a stunning last-gasp goal to help Royal Antwerp win their first league title since 1957.
The former Tottenham defender – who joined his hometown club last summer – equalised in the fourth minute of stoppage time from outside the box as Antwerp rescued a 2-2 draw against title rivals Genk.
The goal meant Antwerp edged out both Genk and Union Saint-Gilloise by just one point to win the Belgian league title for only the fifth time in their history.
Karim Benzema’s Real Madrid exit a ‘surprise for everyone’ – Carlo Ancelotti
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti claimed Karim Benzema’s choice to leave the club after 14 years was a surprise “last-minute” decision made on the final day of the LaLiga season.
Benzema’s departure was announced by the Spanish outfit hours before the striker netted for the final time in Real’s last game of the season on Sunday night, a penalty equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao.
It took Real’s most decorated player to 354 goals in 648 appearances and he leaves as the club’s second all-time top scorer after Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ancelotti told a press conference: “His departure was a surprise for everyone, but you have to understand it. It was a last-minute decision. Yesterday he trained normally and today he made this decision.
“We understand it. I spoke to him this morning and he said that he was leaving and I understood it. He has done very well with me in these four years and also at the club. For that all my thanks.
“He has thought it through and his decision is part of the transition of this club, which continues and will continue next year. We have time to think about what we have to do. We will have a competitive squad next year.
“I am sending him off knowing that I have coached one of the best players in the world and one of the best forwards. He is a very kind, humble and serious person.
“We cannot be happy about his farewell, but we have to respect his decision. He has won the right to choose and we all thank him for what he has been able to do at this club. It has been legendary, something unforgettable, and it will remain forever in the memory of this club.”
Oihan Sancet broke the deadlock for the visitors four minutes after the break following a first half which had seen Real keeper Thibaut Courtois keep out Mikel Vesga’s penalty.
The hosts won a spot-kick of their own after Eder Militao was fouled in the box, which Benzema coolly converted after 72 minutes for his final goal with the club.
Two minutes later the 35-year-old was replaced by Luka Modric and was treated to a standing ovation as he left the pitch.
Benzema, the Ballon d’Or holder and current UEFA player of the year joined Real from Lyon in July 2009 for a reported fee of 35 million euros and has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad.
The former France international won 25 trophies during his time in Madrid.
He is fifth on Real’s all-time appearance list and his trophy haul in Spain includes five Champions Leagues, five Club World Cups, four European Super Cups, four LaLiga titles, three Copa del Rey victories and four Spanish Super Cups.
Courtois paid tribute to his team-mate, telling the club website: “It’s been a pleasure playing with Benzema. He’s an excellent player and a true legend. It’s a shame he’s leaving, but we understand. He has the right to decide his future. I hope it goes well for him and his family.
“Today and yesterday have been days of goodbyes and it’s sad because important players are leaving. We have to thank them greatly, especially Karim, for his career and the trophies he has won with the club. One of the greatest players in Madrid’s history leaves with the Ballon d’Or.”
Earlier in the day Real Madrid released a statement saying the club and Benzema had “agreed to end his brilliant and unforgettable” stay at the Bernabeu.
It added: “Real Madrid would like to show its gratitude and affection to a player who is already one of our greatest legends.
“Karim Benzema’s career at Real Madrid has been a shining example of conduct and professionalism, and he has represented the values of our club.
“Karim Benzema has earned the right to decide his future.
“Madridistas and all the fans around the world have enjoyed his magical and unique football, which has made him one of the great icons of our club and one of the great legends of world football.
“Real Madrid is and will always be his home, and we wish him and all his family the best in this new stage of his life.”
Real have confirmed they will hold “an institutional act of tribute and farewell” to Benzema in the Spanish capital on Tuesday in the presence of club president Florentino Perez.
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