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Champions League round of 16 ties - ranked

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The last ever Champions League round of 16 draw has been made, and it's once again provided something for every type of football fan. For the hipsters we have PSV Eindhoven vs Borussia Dortmund, for the fans of tactical battles we have Inter vs Atletico Madrid, and for the sickos who want to the see Erling Haaland scored 30 goals in a single game we have Manchester City vs Copenhagen. Here's every round of 16 tie - ranked by how excited we are to watch them. 8. Manchester City vs Copenhagen Current holders / BSR Agency/GettyImages Guess what? Manchester City have been given the easiest draw possible, with the current holders of the Champions League being pitted against a team who has never, ever, made it this far in the competition before. Oh, you're not shocked by that? Ok... 7. Lazio vs Bayern Munich Main man / Sebastian Widmann/GettyImages Armed with the best striker in the world Harry Kane - he's scored 24 goals already this season so don't argue with that stat...

Barcelona set for €70m financial boost

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Barcelona's earnings so far from this season’s Champions League group stage rose to in excess of €70 m (£60.5m) on Tuesday night by virtue of a 2-1 victory over Porto. Barca, having catastrophically failed to make it beyond the group stage in each of the previous two seasons, booked safe passage into the last 16 with a game to spare on matchday five. Goals from Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix after Porto had initially taken the lead were enough to claim all three points and ensure Xavi's team cannot be overtaken by both Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk, currently second and third respectively, whatever happens on matchday six next month. That game alone was worth €2.8m in prize money to Barca, the price of a group stage win. Given that it was also responsible for booking the club into the last 16, it brought in €9.6m. Three previous wins against Royal Antwerp, Porto and Shakhtar account for another €8.4m. Being in the group stage in the first place is worth €15.64m, while Barca's te...

The curious case of Wilfried Zaha: Man Utd's former misfit who took the circuitous route to stardom

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Disappointment, anger, shame. There are a number of emotions that can run through a Football er who has been told to find another club. But Wilfried Zaha didn't feel any of those when Louis van Gaal let him know that his time at Manchester United was up. "I was so relieved," Zaha remembered years later. "I was thinking: 'Thank you for telling me straight and letting me restart my career.'" And what a curious career it has been. Despite signing for Manchester United as a 20-year-old, Zaha had to wait until his 30s before appearing in European competition. Arguably the most naturally gifted Premier League winger of his generation never recorded double digits for league assists in a single season and finished above tenth in the table just once. After years of actively seeking a move elsewhere, Zaha finally left Crystal Palace on a free transfer in 2023 as an undisputed icon, hailed as the club's "best and most influential player". Relief may ...