The month in numbers
The facts and stats that have caught our eye in the world of football this month...
€19m
Sum that Marcelo Bielsa is suing his former club Lille for in damages and severance pay following his departure in 2017.
500
Serie A appearances by Samir Handanovic, with the Inter goalkeeper becoming the 15th player to reach the milestone in the league.
0.23
Crystal Palace’s xG against Brighton – the lowest total for a winning side in the Premier League this season.
€631m
According to the Football
Observatory, Manchester City have the highest net spend of any team in Europe’s top five leagues over the last five years.
€191m
At the other end of that scale are Ligue 1 outfit Lille, who have made almost €200m in profit.
5
Liverpool lost five consecutive home games for the first time in their history, scoring just once in the process.
300
Career goals for striker Romelu Lukaku after he scored twice in Inter’s 3-1 victory over Lazio.
£4.3m
The fee that Liverpool have been ordered to pay Fulham for Harvey Elliott by a tribunal – a new record for a 16-year-old.
3488km
The distance between Oslo and Malaga, where Norway will play their “home” 2022 World Cup qualifiers in March.
10
The number of clubs set to feature in this year’s Copa America following withdrawals by Qatar and Australia.
15
With victory over Swansea, Manchester City recorded their 15th successive domestic win, surpassing the joint-record for a top-flight English club of 14 held by Preston (1891-92) and Arsenal (1987-88).
50
The number of teams that will play in the CONCACAF Champions League from the 2023-24 season, expanding from 16.
2
The Libyan Football League announced its return after a two-year absence.
20
Jadon Sancho became the youngest player ever to score 35 Bundesliga goals – aged 20 years, 10 months and 26 days.
600
Cristiano Ronaldo marked his 600th league appearance with his 20th Serie A goal of the season.
2
Copa del Rey finals for Athletic Bilbao. The Basques reached the final once again this season, but are still waiting to play last season’s final against Real Sociedad.
506
La Liga appearances for Lionel Messi, taking him above Xavi’s record for Barca in the league.
4
Arrests made of Barcelona officials as part of the investigation into “Barcagate”. All four men were later released.