SOCCER

Since coming back to England, I always get asked the question: “What’s the standard like in Japan?” I always say the same thing: It’s fantastic, these players are technicians. They can keep the ball against anyone.

The FIFA World Cup is always a special occasion with the tournament only coming around once every four years. In 2022, football fans have had to wait even longer with the decision to host the World Cup in Qatar pushing back the usual start date from June to November.

Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand is set to break attendance records with fans snapping up tickets in unprecedented numbers. FIFA have revealed in the opening month of ticket sales for next year’s event that more tickets have been sold than in the first four months of sales for the 2019 edition in France.

Harvey Elliott has insisted he won’t use his inexperience as an excuse as he bids to become a Liverpool regular, declaring: “I am not a kid anymore.” The 19-year-old has capitalised on an early-season midfield injury crisis to earn starts in seven of the Reds' 11 games in all competitions so far this term.

The youngest player in Premier League history is a record that continues to fall victim to an increasingly youthful talent pool. In fact, all across Europe the records continue to fall, with some that stood for decades dropping to the influx of young talent and skill.