SOCCER

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There was a meltdown of insane proportions online on Monday afternoon after it emerged that Vinicius Junior, after months of speculation, would not win the 2024 Ballon d'Or award.

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Manchester City's star striker Erling Haaland amazed fans and teammates alike with a spectacular backheel volley in a 5-0 Champions League victory over Sparta Praha on Wednesday. Although City's win was somewhat expected, Haaland's goal brought a rare level of surprise and awe.

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At age 28, Rodri was awarded football's prestigious Ballon d'Or in Paris after a remarkable season, in which he helped Spain secure the Euro 2024 title in July. With Manchester City, Rodri added a Premier League title, UEFA Super Cup, and Club World Cup to his accolades. His win marks the first Ballon d'Or in Manchester City's history, topping Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. in the standings, with England's Jude Bellingham taking third—the highest an English player has placed since Frank Lampard's runner-up finish in 2005.

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Reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan returned to second place in the table after a 1-0 win at mid-table AS Roma, who missed the chance to score in 25 straight league matches at the Stadio Olimpico. 

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Manchester United has confirmed that manager Erik Ten Hag has departed the club following a disappointing season start.

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With the appointment of Thomas Tuchel, England have themselves a head coach with a knack for winning at the top level. This week, the 51-year-old was elected as the man to kick start the post-Gareth Southgate era, signing an 18-month deal starting in January. In doing so, the German will become just the third non-Englishman to take charge of the Three Lions after the late Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello.

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The football community is mourning the sudden loss of Abdelaziz Barrada, the former Olympique de Marseille midfielder, who has passed away at the age of 35. A skilled and versatile player, Barrada represented Morocco internationally and played for various prominent clubs across Europe and the Middle East during his career. The Moroccan football federation expressed its condolences, calling his passing "a great tragedy."

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David Beckham is hopeful that minority owner Jim Ratcliffe will turn Manchester United's fortunes around but says it will take time to return to the "good old days". British billionaire Ratcliffe's INEOS took charge of the club's football operations earlier this year but United have had an underwhelming start to the new campaign as they look to build on last year's FA Cup success.