Lionel Messi's eighth Ballon d'Or award of his career meant that Manchester City striker Erling Haaland missed out on a first.
11.10.2023 - 20:43 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Manchester City have plenty to ponder over the international break after losing 1-0 at Arsenal on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola's side suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats for the first time since December 2018 following their loss at Arsenal. Having looked set to come away from the Emirates with a hard-fought point, they saw Gabriel Martinelli's effort deflect off Nathan Ake and past the wrong-footed Ederson.
Defeat leaves them in third, with plenty of players jetting off to represent their countries this week. Guardiola, meanwhile, will be hard at work preparing to host Brighton a week on Saturday as he hopes to get back to winning ways.
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Here are your Wednesday evening City headlines.
Bellingham transfer snub
A Real Madrid board member has claimed that Jude Bellingham rebuffed an approach from City before choosing to move to Spain this summer.
The Blues were one of many clubs chasing the 20-year-old, who has blossomed in his first few months at Los Blancos. The England star has scored 10 times in as many matches for his new team and is being touted by many as the world’s best player on current form.
His additional two assists mean he has surpassed the 11 goal contributions Cristiano Ronaldo tallied in his first 10 games. City, meanwhile, have been bedding in two new midfielders who were recruited this summer.
Read the full story here.
Ederson tactic
Ederson has admitted he adds cognitive work to his City regime to help stay focused during games.
It is a compliment to Guardiola’s team that the goalkeeper is rarely called into action. Last
Lionel Messi's eighth Ballon d'Or award of his career meant that Manchester City striker Erling Haaland missed out on a first.
Manchester City are at Old Trafford for the 191st Manchester Derby this afternoon and Pep Guardiola has picked a tried-and-trusted side.
Rio Ferdinand says off-field matters have hampered Erik ten Hag’s ability to fully concentrate on football matters at Manchester United, suggesting no other manager in English football has experienced such a chaotic start to their tenure.
Pep Guardiola says he made wholesale changes to his Manchester City side to keep his full squad involved during this busy period of the season.
Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice sent congratulatory messages to Harry Maguire after his standout performance in Manchester United's victory over Copenhagen.
Supporters want to see Pep Guardiola make six changes for the Champions League contest against Young Boys while seemingly keeping one eye on the Manchester derby this weekend.
Manchester City are looking to bounce back from back to back Premier League losses when they take on Brighton this afternoon.
Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney were two integral cogs in one of Manchester United's most successful sides.
Phil Foden might have finally found his best position in the England set-up - and it's remarkably similar to his favourite position with Manchester City.
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has said Jude Bellingham is currently the best midfielder in football after he played a starring role in England's 3-1 win over Italy at Wembley on Tuesday night.
Rodri has ruled out a future transfer to Saudi Arabia like other big names from Europe, as he discussed his future after leaving Manchester City.
Manchester United forwards Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund scored superb goals for their countries on Tuesday night.
When Kalvin Phillips joined Manchester City from Leeds United last summer, most would be forgiven for thinking that the Blues hierarchy had once again struck gold in signing one of England's most impressive young midfielders.
Kalvin Phillips has not yet decided on his Manchester City future but a January transfer is increasingly likely the longer he is starved of game time, reports claim.
David de Gea has congratulated former Manchester United teammate Bruno Fernandes after he helped his native Portugal qualify for next year's European Championship.
Manchester United's game against Everton at Goodison Park has been selected to be shown on TV next month.
You would be hard-pressed to pick three more modern-day Manchester United attacking greats than Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs. So to be compared to all three must mean you are doing something right.
David de Gea has been back in Manchester this week - but it appears certain he will not be returning to Man United.
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes thinks Jude Bellingham is better than anything football has seen from a player his age. Although Bellingham only celebrated his 20th birthday in June, he speaks with maturity beyond his years in interviews and it hasn't taken him long to become the star man at Real Madrid since his £88million summer transfer.
Manchester City have entered the international break in unfamiliar territory after Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Arsenal left them third in the Premier League.