AROUND GERMANY
SIMPLY THE BEST
Bundesliga stars Jadon Sancho, Axel Witsel, Benjamin Pavard, Thiago Alcantara, David Alaba and Jerome Boateng are among the top 10 most effective players across Europe’s top five leagues, with Borussia Dortmund star Sancho topping the list, according to a report by the CIES Football Observatory research group. Comparing players operating in the Bundesliga, the English Premier League, Spain’s LaLiga, Italy’s Serie A and France’s Ligue 1, the study measured attributes such as goals and assists, shot and passing accuracy, strength in possession and risk-taking.
OIL JUST SCORE MORE
Erling Haaland’s goal scoring exploits since arriving in Germany have not only aided Borussia Dortmund’s bid for a first Bundesliga title since 2012, they have also helped Norway’s state pension fund. As reported in German publication Bild, Norway’s state pension fund is the largest in the world, with its oil revenues reinvested to provide for the future when the country’s oil reserves in the North Sea diminish. As such, and with Dortmund a publicly listed company on the German stock market, the fund has a small percentage of shares in the club. Naturally enough, the better the team performs and the more goals they score, the better the share price.
DROWNING SORROWS
After a dismal 1-1 draw against Fortuna Dusseldorf, Wolfsburg players decided to take a trip to the German capital and wash their frustrations away. The Wolves stars including Wout Weghorst and Xaver Schlager dined out in Grace restaurant and bar, a fancy restaurant where the likes of Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, and Sienna Miller have also visited in the past.
THIS IS FOR MUM
Schalke couldn’t get past newly promoted Paderborn at home, as they went on to draw 1-1 with the visitors, but Schalke did have something positive from the game in the form of Ahmed Kutucu. The Turkish international found the net within seven minutes of his introduction as a substitute and made a ‘Z’ shaped gesture with his fingers to celebrate the goal.
