From the editor

“Chaos reigns at Olympiacos”, ran the headline of World Soccer’s review of the 2022-23 Greek season, as Nick Bidwell described a campaign of “wall-to-wall chaos” at the Piraeus outfit. Compare and contrast that verdict with the scenes in Athens at the end of May, as Ayoub El Kaabi’s goal helped them become the first Greek team to win a European trophy – a victory made all the sweeter by doing so at the home of their arch-rivals, AEK – and the difference is clear. They say a week is a long time in politics; a year in football must be an eternity.

The last 12 months have certainly delivered on the pitch and, in this issue, we’ve attempted to tell the full story of the 2023-24 European season; from Bayer Leverkusen’s shock Bundesliga triumph to the more predictable dominance of Manchester City, Real Madrid, Internazionale and Paris Saint-Germain. We’ve also dived into the major UEFA club competitions and the continent’s smaller leagues, while also looking further afield to title races in Tanzania, Australia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Alongside all that, this issue is also a celebration of strikers – fittingly so, as Harry Kane is officially confirmed as the 2023-24 ESM Golden Shoe winner – as we applaud the goalscoring exploits of Serhou Guirassy, Ademola Lookman, Viktor Gyokeres, Francesco Camarda and Kevin Phillips.

In next month’s issue we will, of course, tell the full stories of both the European Championship and Copa America. In the meantime, please enjoy this comprehensive review of the 2023-24 season. And remember, if it hasn’t been a particularly good one for you and your team, don’t despair; things could feel very different this time next year – just look at Olympiacos.

Jamie Evans, Managing Editor

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Contents

THE WORLD THIS MONTH

11 Obituaries Kevin Campbell
12 Keir Radnedge Football and the Law
14 Jonathan Wilson Ancelotti: uncomplicated, unruffled, unbeatable
15 On The Radar Euro Under-17 talents
16 Ins & Outs
17 ESM Golden Shoe & Team of the Season

HEADLINERS

20 Serhou Guirassy
21 Greenland

FEATURES

22 Spotlight Ademola Lookman
26 Spotlight Viktor Gyokeres
30 EyeWitness Olympiacos make history
70 Turn Back The Clock Kevin Phillips’ golden year
74 Turn Back The Clock Uruguay’s Paris 1924 Olympic victory
78 Paris 2024 Olympics preview

SEASON REVIEW

39 Stories of the season
48 Champions League
50 Europa League
52 Europa Conference League
54 England
56 Spain
58 Germany
60 Italy
62 France
64 Portugal
66 Netherlands

INTERVIEWS

68 FaceToFace Tom Saintfiet
114 My Biggest Game Dejan Savicevic

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL

82 UEFA Champions League Final review
83 Club World Cup

WORLD SERVICE

86 Asia 2026 World Cup qualifying latest
88 CONCACAF 2026 World Cup qualifying latest
90 Africa 2026 World Cup qualifying latest
92 CONCACAF Champions Cup review
94 Mexico LigaMX Clausura review
96 Australia A-League review
98 Saudi Arabia Saudi Pro League review
99 United Arab Emirates UAE Pro League review
100 South America Copa Libertadores group stage review
101 South America Copa Sudamericana group stage review
102 Palau Football on the isolated Pacific island