Why Herrera is playing for free in Spanish third division
By Nathan Edwards for the BBC
After a career spanning Manchester United, PSG and Boca Juniors, Ander Herrera is back at his boyhood club. Real Zaragoza have fallen a to the third tier since Ander Herrera left them 15 years ago, but he has returned at 37, donating his salary in the hope that he can aid the rebuild.
Bundesliga season 2026-27: All you need to know
By Jonathan Harding for DW
There might not be much doubt about who the ultimate winner is going to be but, beyond that, the Bundesliga - which kicks off this weekend - is bound to be highly entertaining.
Inside Right to Dream: The Academy Shaping Football’s Next Generation
Via Absolute Goals
Right to Dream has grown from an academy in Ghana into one of football’s most successful development networks, creating a route from education and youth football into the professional game. A growing list of graduates proves that it is a model that works.
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First John Stones, then Djed Spence and now Curtis Jones! The English invasion at Inter proves Italy is still an attractive destination for Premier League players
By Mark Doyle for Goal
The moves to Inter by John Stones, Djed Spence and Curtis Jones is a growing reflection of a generation of players that are less afraid of trying new experiences abroad than those that came before them. And whilst the Serie A may no longer be the destination it once was, for English players its appeal is seemingly undiminished.
The whispered rise of Polish football
By Stephen Ganavas for Scouted Football
Polish football spent decades struggling to recover from the fall of communism but the Ekstraklasa is now beginning to reflect the country’s wider transformation. With rising attendances, stronger clubs an increasingly impressive generation of young players and European results improving, Polish football is finally beginning to matter.
Each week on Cultured Football we pick the five great football stories from the previous seven days.
In Case You Missed It Here’s Last Week’s Most Read: Is Turkey home to savvy signings or a new retirement league? We’ll soon find out
By Leander Schaerlaeckens for The Guardian
Turkey has always been famed for having the passion, rivalries and football culture of a major league. Yet it has never had as many widely recognisable stars as the latest transfer window has delivered. Whether it is enough to push the league up a tier, or simply prove to be a temporary spending cycle that leads to nothing and other leagues have experienced, is another matter.
