Alex Carey in this Ashes became the first player in the history of Test cricket to score 300+ runs and take 25+ catches in a series. 🏏

Wolves are on track to get more Premier League points than Derby’s 11 in 2007-08.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be the first Manchester United manager to return for a second spell at the club since Matt Busby.

❌ Fewer wins than Moyes despite taking charge of 12 more games 🧮 Second-lowest win % by a #MUFC manager in last 50 years 0⃣ No back-to-back PL wins in 2024-25 Had a look at the numbers behind Ruben Amorim's time as Man Utd boss with @cweatherspoon.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/athletic/694...

Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United tenure in numbers: Unwanted records and unwelcome firsts w/ @willjeanes.bsky.social for @theathleticfc.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/694...

514 different players scored in the Premier League between Harrison Reed's last two goals in the competition.

Cristian Stellini was a Premier League manager when Harrison Reed last scored a goal before today.

James Milner has now played in the Premier League in 25 calendar years — a quarter of a century's worth. The original Xbox was released in the last year he didn't feature in England's top flight (2001).

Wolves would be top of a Premier League table for 2026.

📈 Haaland's incredible strike rate 🇦🇺 Unwanted history for Postecoglou 📆 Milestones for Milner & Modric @oilysailor.bsky.social & @willjeanes.bsky.social look back at football in 2025 through a statistical lens 🔗 www.nytimes.com/athletic/689...

Here is a look at each month in football in 2025 through numbers... some serious, some less so:

On this day in 1980 the World Champions' Gold Cup started. Held in Montevideo to mark 50 years since the first World Cup, the six previous world champions were invited to play — with the Netherlands replacing England (who decided not to compete). Uruguay beat Brazil in the final.

Sunderland have been enjoying life back in the Premier League. They have 28 points from their 18 matches back in the top-flight so far, the same number of points Wolves have picked up from 37 games in 2025. (Stat: @willjeanes.bsky.social)

Newly-promoted Sunderland have now got the same number of Premier League points as Wolves in 2025… from 19 fewer games: Sunderland in the PL in 2025: 28 points from 18 games Wolves in the PL in 2025: 28 points from 37 games

Enjoyed contributing to @theathleticfc.bsky.social's Christmas quiz! See how you get on:

The Super Ballon d'Or, which has only been awarded once, was given to Alfredo Di Stéfano on this day in 1989. Players who had won the Ballon d'Or more than once were eligible, and Di Stéfano was placed ahead of Johan Cruyff (second) and Michel Platini (third) in the top three.

Erling Haaland’s goals this season would already have been enough to win the Premier League Golden Boot in both 1997-98 and 1998-99. It’s not even Christmas yet and he could still play another 21 games.

This is the first Ashes Test without either Steve Smith or Stuart Broad playing since January 2007 at Sydney. 🏏

Manchester United haven’t lost a game at Old Trafford that they were winning at half-time since Wham! released Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go as a single.

Casemiro has now scored the same number of Premier League goals this season as Mohamed Salah.

Ted Drake scored seven goals for Arsenal vs Aston Villa in the First Division on this day in 1935 — the only time in the 137-year history of the English top flight a player has scored seven in a match. Drake's goals came in the 15th, 28th, 34th, 46th, 50th, 58th & 89th minutes.

Is Erling Haaland the greatest goalscorer in the history of English club football? 🔵 Dixie Dean's 60-goal season 🎯 Jimmy Greaves' top-flight record of 357 📈 Haaland's trajectory I've examined what the data says about some of the best strikers ever: www.nytimes.com/athletic/677...

Tonight is the 11th time Real Madrid and Manchester City have played each other in the 2020s. #ChampionsLeague

It was great to go on @bbc5live.bsky.social Sunday Breakfast this morning to talk about Mohamed Salah and his situation with Liverpool following last night's events. Starts at 18 minutes: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Argentina and Portugal could meet in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup. A final showdown for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on football's grandest stage?

If Argentina and Portugal both win their World Cup groups and progress through the round of 32 and round of 16 they will meet in the quarter-finals in Kansas City on July 11.

Scotland will play Brazil in the World Cup group stage for the fifth time, equalling Argentina vs Nigeria as the most-played World Cup group game (excluding second group-stage matches and Yugoslavia's successor teams).

The draw for the 1974 World Cup was conducted by an 11-year-old West German choirboy called Detlef Lange. He drew the two Germanys together and the match — which the East won 1-0 — was the only time they ever met. Here he is during the draw, alongside FIFA's committee members.

Ahead of today's World Cup draw here is a piece with an eclectic mix of facts and stats about each of the 64 teams in it. From the one-city tournament in 1930 to the drawing of lots in 1990, as well as parrots, elephants and a missed boat — it's all here: www.nytimes.com/athletic/683...

People in Rio de Janeiro watching the draw for the 1998 World Cup on this day in 1997. #OTD #WorldCup Picture: ANTONIO SCORZA/AFP via Getty Images

Ben Stokes is the first England captain to be run out in The Ashes since Tony Greig at Headingley in 1975. 🏏

My article with an eclectic mix of facts, stats and pieces of trivia about each of the 64 teams in Friday's World Cup draw is on The New York Times:

From @theathleticfc.bsky.social: Uzbekistan is the first double-landlocked nation to qualify for the World Cup Here is an eclectic mix of facts, stats and pieces of trivia about each of the 64 teams in the draw. nyti.ms/3KBTgZs

Here is my article with a fact about all 64 sides in Friday’s World Cup draw: 1⃣ One team has never played at a tournament before 🦜 Who has more parrots than footballers on their islands? 🎩 Only team in World Cup history to win the drawing of lots? www.nytimes.com/athletic/683...

Did you know Colombia was due to host the World Cup in 1986 but pulled out for economic reasons? What about Norway being the only country that Brazil has never beaten? @willjeanes.bsky.social has unearthed an eclectic mix of facts & stats about every country in the World Cup draw. bit.ly/4iDj8kw

Phil Foden has now scored more Premier League goals than David Beckham (63 v 62).

Goals scored in nine Champions League games yesterday: 22 Goals scored in nine Champions League games today: 42

Hungary beat England 6-3 in the 'Match of the Century' on this day in 1953 at Wembley. It was the first time since 1881 vs Scotland that England had conceded six+ goals in a game and Nándor Hidegkuti's hat-trick remains the last vs England in England.

England have lost a wicket in the first over of the first Test in three of the last five Ashes series in Australia.

England will play Test cricket away vs Australia in 2025, 2026 and 2027. The last time England played away in Tests vs Australia in three consecutive years was 1986, 1987 and 1988. 🏏

It was a privilege to be involved in the production of this book and to have written one of the entries: www.nytimes.com/athletic/678...

The 2026 World Cup will be the first with both Austria and Switzerland competing since 1954.

Great to speak on the BBC about family connections in football. Starts at 3:47:38: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Harry Kane has now scored more international goals than Pelé (78 v 77).

World Cups Portugal played at in the 73 years before Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut: Three World Cups Portugal will have played at in the 23 years since Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut: Six

On this day in 2008, Manchester United began their run of 14 Premier League games without conceding a goal — the record for the most clean sheets in a row in English top-flight matches. The run ended on February 21, 2009 when Blackburn's Roque Santa Cruz scored against United.

Luka Modrić has played for Croatia alongside someone born in 1971 and 2007: Born in 1971: Niko Kovač Born in 2007: Luka Vušković Modrić had already played for Croatia 13 times when Vušković was born.

Most goals for Argentina: Lionel Messi: 115 Messi aged 30+: 57 Gabriel Batistuta: 56 Sergio Agüero: 41 Lautaro Martínez: 36 Hernán Crespo: 35 Diego Maradona: 34

Lionel Messi has just scored a goal in Africa for the first time.

Lionel Messi has now scored more goals for Argentina after turning 30 years old than anyone else has ever scored at any age for the country.