As we await the potential return of Champions League football, we’re looking back on the 20 greatest goals scored over the past 20 years in Europe’s premier club competition. Given our 21st century cut-off line, some spectacular strikes, unfortunately, miss out; Lars Ricken’s classy chip, Jean-Pierre Papin’s sweet volley, and arguably the best goal in tournament history, Mauro Bressan’s audacious overhead kick, are out of contention. But the turn of the century has delivered a series of memorable goals to carry the torch.

Honorable mentions: Alessandro Florenzi vs. Barcelona (2015); Marc Overmars vs. Liverpool (2001)

20. Mesut Ozil vs. Ludogorets (2016)

With the caveat that, yes, it was Ludogorets, Mesut Ozil showcased his trademark tranquility on the ball when he left a goalkeeper and two defenders reeling in Bulgaria. The calm demeanor makes it all the more disrespectful.

19. Ramires vs. Barcelona (2012)

Ramires? Ramires! There’s something special about spectacular goals coming from unlikely sources, especially in crucial moments. The Brazilian’s triumphant chip against Barcelona in 2012 is an all-timer for Chelsea fans.

18. Thierry Henry vs. Real Madrid (2006)

Grace. Pace. Poise. Power. This memorable Thierry Henry tally against Real Madrid had it all. The Arsenal icon bounced off of two defenders, dribbled past another, and outran all of them before sliding the ball into the bottom corner.

17. Amantino Mancini vs. Lyon (2007)

This dizzying array of stepovers will leave you seeing stars. Poor Anthony Reveillere is still spinning after Roma’s Amantino Mancini put him in a blender before lashing home one of the tournament’s most satisfying goals.

16. Hugo Almeida vs. Inter Milan (2005)

Hugo Almeida couldn’t have hit this any sweeter. It’s a perfect free-kick, and one of the most audacious in tournament history, too. The sound when the ball smacks the mesh is so damn pleasing.

15. Hernan Crespo vs. Liverpool (2005)

Liverpool’s surreal comeback in the 2005 final has largely made this goal a forgotten artifact, but it’s worth celebrating, both for Hernan Crespo’s clever little dink and, more impressively, Kaka’s obscene pass.

14. Michael Essien vs. Barcelona (2009)

It was rendered moot by Andres Iniesta’s last-gasp strike, but Michael Essien etched his name on lists like this forever by uncorking a seething volley with his weaker foot. Going bar down is just the cherry on top.

13. Juninho vs. Bayern Munich (2003)

A true free-kick master. Any number of efforts from dead-ball wizard Juninho Pernambucano could be singled out for praise, but doing this to Oliver Kahn – while making him crash into the post – is quite the feat.

12. Cristiano Ronaldo vs. FC Porto (2009)

If this ball didn’t hit the back of the net, it would still be traveling. Cristiano Ronaldo, the Champions League’s all-time top scorer, had no business beating the ‘keeper from another area code like that. What a rocket.

11. Lionel Messi vs. Bayern Munich (2015)

This will forever be remembered as the day Jerome Boateng ceased to exist as a professional footballer. Lionel Messi, who will appear again on this list, snatched another man’s soul at the Camp Nou. The finish wasn’t bad, either.

Several FIFA executives received bribes for voting in favor of Russia and Qatar as respective hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, federal prosecutors alleged in an indictment unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn.

According to documents obtained by Ronald Blum of The Associated Press, the former vice president of FIFA and president of CONCACAF, Jack Warner, received approximately $5 million to vote for Russia’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

Warner received more than two dozen separate money transfers from 10 shell companies, several of which were based in the U.S. and “performed work on behalf of the 2018 Russia World Cup bid,” according to the documents.

Warner hasn’t held office with FIFA since May 2011 after the organization’s ethics committee provisionally suspended him and Mohammed bin Hammam for corruption allegations. FIFA announced Warner’s resignation from all football-related posts in June 2011.

Additionally, prosecutors on Monday charged two former 21st Century Fox Inc. executives, Hernan Lopez and Carlos Martinez, for allegedly paying CONMEBOL officials to obtain information on the bidding for broadcasting rights from an unnamed co-conspirator.

ESPN held the United States’ English-language broadcasting rights for the World Cup from 1994-2014, but FOX won a bid in 2011 to broadcast the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

The indictment unsealed Monday also alleges that Rafael Salguero, a Guatemalan former member of the FIFA executive committee, was promised $1 million in exchange for a vote in support of Russia.

It is also alleged that Ricardo Teixeira, the former president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), Nicolas Leoz, the late former South American football federation (CONMEBOL) president, and one unnamed individual all received bribes to vote in favor of Qatar as host of the 2022 World Cup.

In 2017, Alejandro Burzaco, the former head of Argentine marketing company Torneos y Competencias, testified that all three South American individuals on FIFA’s 22-person executive committee took million-dollar bribes to support Qatar.

Qatari officials “strongly” denied allegations of wrongdoing on Tuesday.

“Despite years of false claims, evidence has never been produced to demonstrate that Qatar won the rights to host the (World Cup) unethically or by means that contravened FIFA’s strict bidding rules,” read a statement from Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.

There have been 26 known guilty pleas since the initial indictments stemming from a massive corruption investigation were first announced in 2015. Late ex-CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer was among those who pled guilty, while former CONMEBOL chief Juan Angel Napout and CBF president Jose Maria Marin were both convicted.

We all miss soccer, but let’s cherish what we saw before the 2019-20 season was suspended. Here, theScore celebrates the sport’s standout personalities by handing out alternative awards for Europe’s top five leagues.

Best player

Premier League

Sadio Mane: Mane’s energy off the ball is a constant headache for defenses and his range of finishing is underrated. The forward’s goals are often important – they’ve earned his side 18 points, which is a higher total than any other Premier League player – and only Trent Alexander-Arnold has assisted more for Liverpool in the 2019-20 term. A crucial player.

Bundesliga

Robert Lewandowski: Timo Werner’s 21-goal haul has belatedly earned him worldwide attention, but Lewandowski’s record of 25 goals in 23 Bundesliga outings is, quite frankly, outrageous. Bayern Munich have struggled to find a suitable backup striker for the Pole in recent years, but how could anyone hope to supplant the game’s most lethal marksman?

La Liga

Lionel Messi: The most underwhelming Barcelona team for a generation is top of La Liga, and a lot of that is down to the artful Argentine. Messi leads Spain’s top tier in goals, assists, and successful dribbles despite beginning his campaign over a month late due to a troublesome calf injury. Messi can even make Martin Braithwaite look decent.

Serie A

Josip Ilicic: Ilicic’s age and incessant moaning earned him the nickname “grandmother” among his Atalanta teammates, but he’s a long way from the retirement home. The 32-year-old has overcome inconsistency and a career-threatening bacterial infection to become one of the most feared frontmen in Europe. Ilicic narrowly beat Ciro Immobile to this award.

Ligue 1

Angel Di Maria: Di Maria has logged more minutes than anyone else at Paris Saint-Germain this season and is their most consistent player. He’s posted twice the number of key passes mustered by Neymar, counts a league-best 14 assists, and is fourth for take-ons across the whole division at the age of 32. Di Maria could’ve been crowded out at PSG, but he’s made himself invaluable.

Best young player

Premier League

Trent Alexander-Arnold: Who else? Aaron Ramsdale has impressed in goal for Bournemouth, Norwich City’s Max Aarons has a bright future, and Bukayo Saka is breaking through at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, but Alexander-Arnold has established himself as one of the most creative players in Europe. The Liverpool youngster promises to be the world’s best right-back for the next decade.

Bundesliga

Alphonso Davies: Davies’ first-team opportunities were limited before injuries to Niklas Sule and Lucas Hernandez necessitated David Alaba’s shift into central defense. Today, Davies is one of the most exciting left-backs on the planet. The former Vancouver Whitecaps winger’s pace is a potent attacking weapon and he’s completed more tackles than all of his Bayern colleagues.

La Liga

Marc Cucurella: Cucurella made his name as a left-back at Barcelona’s La Masia academy, but has thrived higher up the pitch for Getafe. His defensive schooling has clearly helped his pressing game – he leads his left-wing rivals for interceptions and tackles – and his adventurous style of play makes a mockery of Getafe’s unfair reputation of being an ugly, dirty team.

Serie A

Sandro Tonali: Tonali doesn’t appear cowed by the lazy Andrea Pirlo comparisons and has shone for cellar-dwellers Brescia. The teenager’s vision and expertise in dead-ball situations are reminiscent of fellow Brescia graduate Pirlo, but that’s pretty much it. He’s more tenacious out of possession and often leans on his physicality to surge out of trouble and instigate attacks.

Ligue 1

Kylian Mbappe: Each Ligue 1 season pushes more fledglings under the spotlight. Rennes’ Eduardo Camavinga, Lille’s Victor Osimhen and, shortly before French football halted play, Lyon’s Rayan Cherki garnered interest from Europe’s elite after some exciting performances, but it’s impossible to overlook Mbappe. The 21-year-old has 18 goals in 20 appearances for PSG.

Most improved player

Premier League

Adama Traore: Traore was always exciting to watch, but that didn’t mean you wanted him on your team. His end product was often wayward and his tactical sense was lacking. However, after a year of coaching from Wolverhampton Wanderers handler Nuno Espirito Santo, he’s a different player. Defenders should write their wills before attempting to thwart a Traore run.

Bundesliga

Suat Serdar: Serdar was hampered by injuries and questionable stamina, but Schalke boss David Wagner worked to improve his squad’s fitness and has quickly reaped the benefits. The fluidity of Serdar’s positioning makes him hard to detect, which explains the midfielder’s rate of a goal every 210 minutes. Schalke have taken just four points from the seven games Serdar has missed.

La Liga

Mikel Merino: It seemed to take Merino a long time to recover from a back injury he suffered during his Newcastle United stint, but this season his exploits have been vital to Real Sociedad’s rise up the standings. He tops La Real’s tallies for tackles and interceptions, and pulls the strings in the middle of the park with his graceful movement and intelligence. He’s still only 23.

Serie A

Chris Smalling: Phil Jones’ unusual interpretation of defending deflected some of the attention away from Smalling at Manchester United, but there was no hiding that the former Fulham center-back’s career had stalled. Smalling, 30, has since flourished with regular minutes out on loan, ensuring Kostas Manolas isn’t missed with some authoritative showings in Roma’s rearguard.

Ligue 1

Aleksandr Golovin: Golovin was inspirational as host nation Russia reached an unexpected quarterfinal berth at the 2018 World Cup, so AS Monaco parted with €30 million for his services. But his first season in France was an unmitigated disaster. This term, although his statistics aren’t phenomenal – three goals and four assists – he is influencing games with greater regularity.

Comeback player of the year

Premier League

Danny Ings: Ings suffered a goal drought of 1,113 days when he was at Liverpool. The injury-plagued Southampton striker was ruthless before this season was postponed, though, notching 15 goals for a club that was creating significantly fewer chances than Brighton & Hove Albion. Ings was surely set for Gareth Southgate’s England squad before Euro 2020 was moved.

Bundesliga

Manuel Neuer: Neuer has been written off a few times during his career, and it seemed Bayern Munich were preparing for life without him in January when they brokered Alexander Nubel’s arrival for the 2020-21 term. But by then, Neuer was turning his form around. The 34-year-old has kept six clean sheets in his last nine Bundesliga matches.

La Liga

Martin Odegaard: The Norwegian turned 21 in December and is still on Real Madrid’s books, but he was largely written off. Now, over five years on from his famous and perhaps ill-judged move to Real Madrid, Odegaard might be La Liga’s best midfielder. The passing from Real Sociedad’s on-loan playmaker can be beautifully intricate yet absolutely devastating.

Serie A

Paulo Dybala: The Argentinian was dispensable last summer, but transfers to Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur reportedly fell through due to his wage demands and complicated image rights. It was a blessing in disguise for Juventus. Dybala’s bewitching footwork and stunning finish against Inter Milan in March was typical of his performances this season. He’s a sublime talent.

Ligue 1

Renato Sanches: Lille broke their transfer record when they dished out around €20 million for Sanches. The gamble has paid off so far, with the 22-year-old midfielder reviving the combative and confident displays that turned heads when he won Euro 2016 with Portugal. His smooth movement, strength, and acceleration are among his finest attributes.

Best manager

Premier League

Jurgen Klopp: Chris Wilder has almost delivered Champions League football to Sheffield United and Roy Hodgson has somehow lifted a poor Crystal Palace side into midtable, but Klopp tops the lot. Liverpool might not be allowed to complete their record-obliterating Premier League season, but their return to the summit of English football is assured.

Bundesliga

Julian Nagelsmann: Nagelsmann is younger than Messi, Dries Mertens, Leonardo Bonucci, and Jan Vertonghen, but he’s one of the most respected tacticians on the globe. Werner and Dayot Upamecano highlight a long list of RB Leipzig players who have already improved greatly under Nagelsmann’s watch, and the manager has been a shrewd operator in the loan market.

La Liga

Jose Bordalas: When Bordalas took over in 2016, Getafe were hurtling toward the third division of Spanish football. Next season, they could gate-crash the Champions League. The upstarts’ annual revenue is 16 times smaller than those at Barcelona and Real Madrid. The Getafe squad is an aging band of misfits. In short, Bordalas is a miracle worker.

Serie A

Simone Inzaghi: The younger Inzaghi brother didn’t revolutionize Lazio. There’s been the odd tactical tweak – such as Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Luis Alberto being thrust further upfield – but the 43-year-old has relied on continuity for his team to become a legitimate challenger for the Scudetto. Under Inzaghi, the previously maligned Immobile has amassed 94 Serie A goals.

Ligue 1

Andre Villas-Boas: Yeah, him – the once-great managerial prospect who worked in China before crashing out of the Dakar Rally following a collision with a sand dune. Villas-Boas has proven he’s still at the races in football, bringing some much-needed stability to Marseille and even plumping up a cushion in second place before Ligue 1 pushed pause.

Oh … he’s actually quite good award

Alexander Sorloth: Hardly anybody knew who Sorloth was when he signed for Crystal Palace from FC Midtjylland in January 2018. And no one really knew who Sorloth was when he was loaned out to Gent under a year later. One League Cup goal in 20 appearances didn’t leave much of an impression.

But the 24-year-old is drawing interest from some of the continent’s biggest clubs after his excellent outings for Trabzonspor in Turkey. He’s netted 19 times and set up seven goals for his teammates in the Super Lig; his personal goal contribution of 26 is the same amount Crystal Palace has managed throughout the 2019-20 Premier League campaign.

Sorloth and Erling Haaland up front for Norway? Not bad at all.

Crimes against football

Andrea Agnelli: Ugh. Where to start?

“I have a lot of respect for Atalanta, but they got into the Champions League on the back of one good season and without any history of international competition. Is that fair?” the chairman of Juventus and the European Club Association queried in early March, as quoted by Mirko Calemme of AS.

Agnelli’s efforts to protect football’s historic – and therefore richest – clubs is based purely on fiscal rather than sporting terms. In Agnelli’s world, the Champions League would be made up of the same European elite every year, and the door would be firmly shut on the likes of Atalanta and 2018-19 semifinalists Ajax.

While sports fans are generally gripped by underdog stories, Agnelli – sadly one of the most powerful people in the game – is consumed by balance sheets and protecting his own interests. He was an overwhelming winner of the “crimes against football” category.

Best hair transplant

Danny Drinkwater: When Wayne Rooney first crushed Weetabix onto his noggin and called it hair nearly 10 years ago, transplants weren’t as socially accepted as they are today.

Every follically challenged footballer is picking out toupees nowadays. Xherdan Shaqiri, Andros Townsend, and David Silva are among many players who’ve weaved wigs onto their crowns, but the thickest thatched adornment must belong to Drinkwater.

The midfielder, who’s on loan at Aston Villa from Chelsea, previously had a hairline which threatened to retreat and leave a hair island – perhaps something like that distracting ginger tuft sported by Steve McClaren. But then, all of a sudden, Drinkwater had a dollop on his head.

Now, the only thing receding for Drinkwater is his reputation in football.

The Charlie Adam award

(Courtesy: York City)

Steve McNulty: That man on the left is a footballer. Yes, that chunky old fella who looks like he should be accidentally downloading viruses onto his computer and collecting coupons, not marshaling the defense of a professional club.

McNulty, 36, collects the award for a player who looks much older than he is amid a stellar campaign for York City. The sixth-tier outfit sits atop the league following a midtable finish in the previous term and has conceded just 28 goals in 34 matches, which is the best defensive record in the league.

There’s plenty of life in ol’ McNulty yet.

While major professional sports are on hiatus, theScore’s writers are exploring what they’d do if this pause allowed for changes to the rules and structures of various leagues. In Part 6, soccer takes center stage. Previous entries in the series examined MLB, the NHL, the NCAA world, the NFL, and the NBA.

We need to talk about VAR

For many, the last weekend of December was the breaking point.

Wolverhampton Wanderers, Norwich City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Sheffield United, and Crystal Palace all had goals ruled offside by negligible margins in the Premier League, and frustrations with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system peaked. It was a cumulative effort. Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane’s armpits and Heung-min Son’s shoulder blade were contributors, as was Jan Vertonghen’s “non-penalty” challenge on Gerard Deulofeu. Whether it’s changing results due to minuscule margins or unintelligible subjectivity, VAR’s current form isn’t good enough.

Reluctantly accepting that VAR is here to stay – FIFA president Gianni Infantino said as much in February – two immediate fixes are compulsory. One focuses on the Premier League, where the technology runs amok, and one amounts to a radical change sport-wide.

England has a transparency issue. Spectators can’t see a replay of the call in question, and the referee’s on-pitch consultation with the VAR war room is too hush-hush. Pitchside monitors should be more frequently consulted, with the same video broadcasted in-stadium for all reviews. The problem is that even when a referee sees an incident – like Vertonghen’s foul on Deulofeu – but does not deem there to be enough contact, the league’s review protocols say the decision cannot be overturned by VAR because the match official can offer a description of the incident. A cursory glance at a pitchside monitor would offer a much-needed second look in many of these cases and, in part, ease fans’ concerns over any potential skullduggery.

Secondly, it’s time to scrap VAR reviews for offside calls on goals. Back to the middle ages where linesmen had jurisdiction because microscopic margins are ruining the sport.

“So, either we accept that offside is a matter of fact – which it is – and learn to live with the small margins, or we make it the call of the officials on the pitch and accept that mistakes will happen,” former referee Mark Clattenburg said in December. Accepting those kinds of mistakes is necessary to help retain whatever semblance of the oft-cited “spirit of the game” remains. – Michael Chandler

Let’s get serious about concussions

FIFA and the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the sport’s rule-making body, continue to tweak the laws governing the game. Some changes, like granting managers an additional substitution in extra time, seem so obvious and, frankly, mundane. Others, like the recent move allowing goal kicks to remain in the penalty area, are more exciting.

At the end of the day, though, those changes are cosmetic, especially in relation to a growing problem that’s largely being fumbled: concussions.

Various sports worldwide have had their own issues bringing forth meaningful concussion protocols, but even by those low standards, soccer lags woefully behind. The game’s authorities continue to drag their feet. Current protocols stipulate that referees must stop the match in the event of a head injury, allowing for the player in question to be examined by a team doctor. Only after that (brief) examination – in which short-term memory and cognitive functions are tested – is said player potentially allowed to return to the field.

It’s not enough, and FIFPro, the world players’ union, knows it.

For starters, an independent doctor should administer the examination. This one isn’t hard. Team doctors aren’t impartial. They can’t be. If, in a tightly-contested Champions League final, Lionel Messi goes down with a suspected concussion and tells the team doctor that he’s fine – they almost always say that, of course – will Barcelona’s medical team force him to come off? Maybe. But as we’ve seen so many times before, players often return to the pitch before asking to be substituted minutes later after realizing the severity of the situation. And that happens in run-of-the-mill league matches, never mind when the stakes are at their highest.

The sport’s made some progress since the infamous Christoph Kramer incident in the 2014 World Cup final, but not nearly enough.

Whenever the sport returns, it’s time to start experimenting with temporary substitutions – which don’t count against a team’s allotted total – to allow for the injured player to receive a proper, thorough examination.

Leagues always maintain that their primary concern is the players’ safety and well-being. It’s time we see evidence of that. – Gianluca Nesci

The players need a damn break

If we want to see players at their best, we need to lay off a little.

Liverpool are among the clubs hardest hit by the 2019-20 campaign’s ridiculous scheduling. In mid-December, the runaway Premier League leaders played matches in back-to-back days and on two separate continents. It forced Jurgen Klopp to split his squad in two: the youngest side ever fielded by the club (with an average age of just over 19) was comprehensively beaten 5-0 at Aston Villa in the League Cup, while the first-team regulars eked out a 2-1 win over Mexican outfit Monterrey in the Qatari-hosted Club World Cup.

“There was not one day where FIFA, UEFA, the Premier League, (and) the Football League sit at a table and think about the players and not about their wallet,” Klopp complained 46 days before that fixture logjam, as quoted by The Telegraph’s Chris Bascombe.

He’s right. The overloaded fixture lists are designed to line executives’ pockets; entertaining fans and player welfare aren’t priorities.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino will expand the Club World Cup even though few people are bothered about its current format; UEFA is constantly devising ways to make its club competitions bigger but not necessarily better; the European Championships were enlarged for 2016 and the World Cup welcomes 16 more teams in 2026; the Copa America seems to be on every few months.

FIFPro recommends players are given at least five days to recover between matches, and sports scientists believe three weeks are required for players to mentally and physically rest after a late run at an international tournament. Those regulations are not being followed – Tottenham’s Son crammed 116 matches into 18 months before his 2019-20 term was curtailed by injury.

So, what’s the result of these demanding schedules? FIFA and its sister organizations are threatening the longevity of playing careers, and supporters are paying big money for a product that could be much better. Sometimes, less is more. – Daniel Rouse

Low-hanging fruit

Away goals: Eliminate the away goals rule when a two-legged tie goes into extra time. As Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone admitted after beating Liverpool last month, it seemed “unfair” that his team got an additional 30 minutes to search for valuable away goals at Anfield. If a tie requires extra time, the scoreboard should simply reset. Start from scratch and make it a truly even head-to-head battle.

Sin bins: Introduce sin bins for dissent. This pilot project has already delivered tangible results in grassroots English soccer, and it’s time for a rollout across semi-professional and professional leagues. Referees deal with constant vitriol; no match is complete without a hoard of players circling the official and berating them over a perceived bad call. Unless a law is implemented that allows only the captain to speak to the referee – which will never happen – they need another tool to combat one of the game’s most aggravating blights.

Penalties: Ensure that a penalty-taker can’t score off of their own rebound. As is the case with other set-piece situations, whoever touches the ball first shouldn’t be able to do so again until another player – not the opposing goalkeeper, in this case – plays the ball. If you can’t convert what is basically a freebie from 12 yards out, you shouldn’t get a mulligan from even closer, with a scrambling ‘keeper, no less. We all want to see goals, but surely these specific opportunities can be axed.

Added time: We need more robust tracking of time wasted during a given match. In a typical 90-minute contest, the ball is in play for roughly an hour, with various player shenanigans responsible for a hefty portion of the lost time. And yet, barring a significant injury or VAR stoppage, there’s seemingly never more than five minutes added at the end of a match. Why? Time wasting is a scourge that needs to be addressed.

Handball rule: Actually … let’s not go there.