1:30 PM ET After weeks of qualification and months of gnashing teeth over future format changes, the most important and high-quality continental club competition in the world, the UEFA Champions League, begins group-stage play on Tuesday. Somehow, this behemoth of a tournament almost snuck up on us, coming in on the heels of a particularly

4:00 PM ET Messi, center, is confident about his prospects of a fifth Champions League title now that he’s in Paris. His new club, PSG, are feeling good about winning their first. JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images It’s the moment we never thought would happen. After 149 games, 120 goals, 41 assists and four final wins

4:02 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent BERN, Switzerland — It should have been a night for this new-look Manchester United team to display their Champions League credentials, but in the end it was another evening to suggest there is more to be done than simply signing Cristiano Ronaldo. – Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S.

3:30 AM ET Gabriel Tan Earning a move to the Premier League is undeniably a dream come true for an Asian footballer. Even more so when it is to one of English football’s traditional heavyweights. But as Takehiro Tomiyasu began his new adventure with Arsenal in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Norwich, there is a feeling

5:42 AM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez LaLiga president Javier Tebas has said Real Madrid could afford to sign both Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland next summer. Madrid failed with a series of bids for Mbappe, 22, last month as they tried to prise the France forward — who has a year left on his

6:51 AM ET Adriana Garcia Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said LaLiga chief Javier Tebas has a “sick obsession” with the club and blames him for Lionel Messi‘s departure this summer. Barca were unable to register a new contract for Messi when his previous deal expired under LaLiga’s strict financial salary limits, leading to him

6:41 PM ET Bayern Munich and their counterparts in the Premier League are monitoring Bayer Leverkusen prodigy Florian Wirtz. Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images via Getty Images The summer transfer window is closed for the top leagues in Europe! After a summer full of international football, countless clubs waited until the last minute to pull off their transfers.

7:30 AM ET Barcelona will start their Champions League defence in the first-ever group stage in the women’s tournament against Arsenal, Hoffenheim and HB Koge in Group C while finalists Chelsea will play Wolfsburg, Juventus and Servette FCCF in Group A. Last season’s semifinalists Paris Saint-Germain come up against Breidablik, Real Madrid and Kharkhiv in

6:53 PM ET Barcelona could be plotting a move for Leiecester’s Youri Tielemans in the summer of 2022. Matt Childs – Pool/Getty Images The summer transfer window is closed for the top leagues in Europe! After a summer full of international football, countless clubs waited until the last minute to pull off their transfers. See all

6:00 PM ET Two big players returned to their former clubs and had very different “debuts” in Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United and Antoine Griezmann at Atletico Madrid, while Bayern Munich showed how they’re still the clear front-runner to win the Bundesliga this season and make it a stunning 10 in a row. Here’s the