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Michelle Alozie, the team’s defensive coordinator, and fellow teammates Rasheedat Ajibade, Chiamaka Nnadozie, who were all key players in Nigeria’s 2024 World Cup victory, are both ineligible. &nbsp,

The shortlist was announced on Monday by FIFPRO, the Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionales.

The 26 women’s football players who received the most votes among their peers for their performances between August 11 and August 3 through August 2025, according to a statement from FIFPRO on its website.

“Players must have played at least 20 official games that year.”

Read more about Rivers United’s victory over Black Bulls in the Champions League group stage.

The players have a conversation.

The 2025 FIFPRO Women’s World 11 shortlist is as follows.

The team will be revealed on 03.11.2025. pic. Twitter.com/mgV8ltkaq

Alozie, who plays for Houston Dash, was a key player in Nigeria’s earlier 10th WAFCON victory.

The Nigerian team is also training for their second-round Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) matchup against the Amazons of the Benin Republic.

Nnadozie won the Golden Gloves and placed fourth overall in the 2025 Ballon d’Or (goalkeepers’ category), while Ajibade won the Player of the Tournament award at the WAFCON.

Mariona Caldentey, who won the Champions League with Arsenal, is one of the most notable absentees. Additionally, the Spaniard won the PFA Player of the Year and the Women’s Super League Player of the Year awards.

The final list, which will be released on Monday, November 3, 2025, includes the goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders, and three outfielders.

Nominees for FIFPRO Women’s World XI

A list of the nominees is provided below:

Goalkeepers

(Gotham, Germany) Ann-Katrin Berger
Mary Earps (England’s Paris Saint-Germain)
Hannah Hampton (England) (Chelsea)

Defenders

(Houston Dash, Nigeria) Michelle Alozie
Barcelona, Spain’s Ona Batlle
Millie Bright (Chelsea, England)
Lucy Bronze (Chelsea, England)
Olga Carmona (Real Madrid/Paris Saint-Germain, Spain)
Ellie Carpenter (OL Lyonnes/Chelsea, Australia)
Manchester City, England’s Alex Greenwood
Leah Williamson (England) Leah

Midfielders

Barcelona, Spain’s Aitana Bonmati
Ghizlane Chebbak (Madrid, Morocco) Ghizlane Chebbak
Debinha (Brazilian city current)
Spain’s Patricia Guijarro
Spain’s Vicky Lopez
Barcelona, Spain’s Alexia Putellas
Ella Toone (Manchester United, England)
Keira Walsh (Barcelona/Chelsea, England)

Forwards

After losing to Lazio 1-0, the Serie A champions had only five points in their previous five games, so Juventus fired coach Igor Tudor on Monday.

Massimiliano Brambilla, the men’s first team coach, will start on the bench for Wednesday’s game against Udinese, according to the Turin club.

Ivan Javorcic, Tomislav Rogic, and Riccardo Ragnacci were among the players who were relieved of their duties as the head coaches of the men’s first team, according to Juventus FC’s statement.

The club acknowledges Igor Tudor and his entire staff’s professionalism and commitment over the past few months, and wishes them the best of luck in their careers in the future.

In Serie A, Juventus is six points clear of Napoli’s leaders. After drawing one of their first three games and losing two of their subsequent three, they are now 25th out of 36 teams in the standings for Champions League.

Former Croatian international center-back Tudor, 47, joined Juve in March and replaced Thiago Motta as manager.

Juve have won eight games without a win and have not scored in their last four games, which is the lowest since September 10.

Tudor’s overall record as a Juventus player was 10 victories, 8 draws, and 6 blowouts. Following a busy summer transfer window, the club spent 130 million euros (151 million dollars) on one of the worst runs in recent memory.

In addition to center backs Piere Kalu and wingers Francisco Conceicao, Nico Gonzalez, and Edon Zhegrova, there were also recruits. Jonathan David and Lois Openda, both of whom signed for free, and one striker, Jonathan Openda, both signed for free.

Former Napoli and Italy coach Luciano Spalletti is wanted by Juventus, according to a report from Sky Sport Italy.

The Italian Federation fired Spalletti in June.

After the club’s announcement that Kevin De Bruyne had a hamstring injury, Napoli, the Serie A leader, might not be able to play him until early 2026.

In his team’s 3-1 home victory over Inter Milan on Saturday, the former Manchester City midfielder suffered injuries while scoring a penalty.

The 34-year-old Belgian froze and held his right thigh before limping off the field with the aid of the club’s medical staff after scoring from a spot kick.

De Bruyne’s fourth league goal came in his first season in Italy since joining City in the close of the off-season. He had already converted a free kick and twice from the penalty spot.

Read more about Napoli’s success with their comeback win over Inter, but De Bruyne is cut out.

According to a statement from Napoli, “Kevin De Bruyne has a large-scale lesion in the biceps femoris of his right thigh.”

Without providing further information, the club continued, “The player has already begun his rehabilitation.”

De Bruyne’s absence from this year’s Gazzetta dello Sport and Sky Sport is a blow to Napoli’s chances of keeping the Italian league title.

On goal difference, Napoli lead Lecce, but they also have the same number of points as second-placed AS Roma.

After extending their lead to the top of the Premier League, Juren Timber warned Arsenal to “not get too high.”

The Gunners defeated Crystal Palace 1-0 to move four points clear of second-placed team Bournemouth on a weekend when title rivals Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea all lost.

With their seventh straight victory in all competitions, Arsenal is six points clear of City and seven clear of Liverpool, who are currently the reigning English champions.

With a 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid, Mikel Arteta’s men also recorded a successful week.

The Gunners’ supporters are beginning to believe that Arsenal may be on their way to bringing an end to their long search for the Premier League title. The club won the title of England’s champions in 2003/2004.

However, Timber, the defender for Arsenal, said, “It is good to maintain neutrality and not to rise too high.”

We’ve obviously been doing well, but it’s still early in the season, and we just need to keep improving game by game.

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The 24-year-old Dutch international added that the next game will be difficult, and that the next Premier League game will be against Burnley, which will be played in three days.

So let’s keep our feet on the ground and work hard, and then wait and see what happens.

Arsenal’s impressive season-opening run has been fueled by a poor defense, which has only allowed three goals in their first 13 games across all competitions, with the fifth clean sheet coming against Palace in a row.

Everyone plays a part in it, but Timber said it’s a good thing and a good foundation. You just need to keep improving and maintaining consistency in what you do, and then, hopefully, throughout the season, we’ll turn it into something beautiful.

It “gives you confidence, shows that we’re doing really well,” and it also says something about consistency if it’s used for multiple games in a row.

“We just need to keep improving, examine what we can do better, and also remember that feeling and approach the next game with the same mindset,” he said.

Jannik Sinner won the Vienna Open final against Alexander Zverev, earning him his fourth title of the year on Sunday.

Sinner&nbsp, who won the 22nd title of his career, came off Zverev 3 3-6, 3 6-3, 7-5, before making a comeback.

His second success in Vienna, where he won the same prize in 2023, and his 21 victories in indoor hard courts will lead to Paris’ final Masters 1000 championship game next week.

The top seed had to overcome their setbacks as Zverev, who had won four of his previous meetings, only managed one break before the second set, which would have allowed the first to take the lead.

Sinner remarked, “It was such a challenging start to this final.”

I had some chances in the first set but couldn’t use them, so I went broke down. I just tried to stay there mentally and play my best tennis when it came, even though he was serving very well.

Sinner responded, however, by forcing a decider against the 2021 champion by racing 3-0 ahead in the second set.

In the fifth game of the third set, Zverev saved two break points, but Sinner maintained the pressure despite suffering from a thigh cramp in his first competition since Shanghai Masters retired.

Sinner won a protracted rally the following point to snatch the key break, allowing him to grab another opportunity at 5-all with a blistering backhand down the line.

The 24-year-old reached the final of eight of his previous ten matches this year, winning at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and Beijing, with a routine hold.

“The third set was a little rollercoaster,” Sinner continued, “but I was feeling the ball very well at times, so I tried to push.”

It is “very special.”

Real Madrid won a tense Clasico with the goal of Judging Bellingham, moving five points clear of their bitter rivals at the top of La Liga on Sunday.

Champions Barcelona won each of their four matches last year, but Xabi Alonso’s first spell as Real Madrid coach ended that trend.

Madrid were in the lead when Kylian Mbappe later missed a penalty, and Bellingham added a second before halftime for the hosts at the Santiago Bernabeu, which was decisive.

As tensions erupted in the Spanish capital, Barca playmaker Pedri was sent off in the final stages for a second yellow card.

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Following their derby humbling defeat at Atletico Madrid in September, Madrid have won nine of their opening ten league games and proved to themselves that they can win.

As Hansi Flick’s team scrapped a victory over relegation-battling Girona last weekend, his assistant Marcus Sorg led the way on the touchline.

Lamine Yamal, who started with a groin injury, did not appear fully fit, while Barcelona were without several regular starters, including Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, among others.

The teenager swindled Madrid fans during the week by calling Los Blancos “steal” and “complain,” and before kick-off, read out in a chorus of jeers.

In the first half, Barcelona had more possession of the ball, but it was mostly sterile possession and Madrid made the most risky decisions.

When Yamal appeared to down Vinicius Junior, the hosts were given an early penalty. However, due to the Brazilian initiating the contact, it was voided following a VAR review.

When Mbappe fired home from outside the area but the goal was ruled out for a milmetric offside against the French superstar, the Madrid fans’ ire at the officials grew.

After Bellingham’s outstanding work sent Mbappe through on goal, he did not have to wait long before he could celebrate in earnest.

With a deadly low finish past Wojciech Szczesny, the forward, the division’s top goalscorer, scored his eleventh league goal of the year.

As Madrid came to an end, the goalkeeper saved from Dean Huijsen, but Bellingham and Fede Valverde both made good save save saves.

Vinicius and Bellingham made another stoppage, and Barcelona equalized when the play went against the bar.

In the 38th minute, Arda Guler gave up possession in a dangerous area, and Marcus Rashford, who was playing his first Clasico, crossed for Lopez to level the proceedings.

Five minutes later, Bellingham scored Madrid’s second to give them a much-needed lead.

The England international gleefully headed home after Eder Militao nodded Vinicius’ cross back into his path after scoring his first goal at the Bernabeu since midweek against Juventus.

Mbappe penalty saved

After Eric Garcia was given a handball penalty, Madrid should have extended their lead at the start of the second half, but Szczesny made a strong save to force Mbappe’s penalty.

As Madrid closed ranks and kept the Catalans at a safe distance from their goal, Yamal, frustrated and unable to change the game, fired a long-range shot high over the bar.

Despite Barca needing to score, being able to score Rodrygo Goes and Brahim Diaz, Barca had little to offer the way of attacking reinforcements in the final stages.

After Sorg’s substitution for a makeshift striker against Girona, Ronald Araujo, who had scored the winner in stoppage time, was able to keep Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois at bay.