Napoli’s Victor Osimhen has been recognized in the Serie A Team of the Year, for his outstanding performances in the 2022/23 Serie A season. The selection, published by football statistics website Who Scored, also includes Osimhen’s teammate Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, making them the only Napoli players on the list. Other notable names in the Team of the Year include Paulo Dybala, Federico Dimarco, Lautaro Martinez, Danilo, and Hakan Calhanoglu. Osimhen had quite a remarkable season, contributing to Napoli’s success as they secured the Scudetto for the first time in over 30 years.
Victor Osimhen – Getty image His impressive goal-scoring form saw him net 26 goals in Serie A, earning him the Golden Boot award, a historic achievement for an African player in Italian football. Recall Osimhen was also awarded the 2023 CAF Player of the Year, for his domestic efforts with Super Eagles. He is the first Nigerian to win the awarded since Nwankwo Kanu last won it in 1999. He has now joined the Super Eagles of Nigeria for the 2024 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) holding in Côte d’Ivoire.
Mauricio Pochettino at a match. Source: Getty Pochettino verbally agreed to take charge at Chelsea in April, but the appointment was put on hold until the end of the season. Pochettino will take up the role on July 1, after agreeing to a two-year contract, with the club having the option of keeping him on for another year. Chelsea’s sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said in a statement; “Mauricio’s experience, standards of excellence, leadership qualities and character will serve Chelsea well as we move forward. He is a winning coach, who has worked at the highest levels, in multiple leagues and languages. His ethos, tactical approach and commitment to development all made him the exceptional candidate.” 
Chelsea players at a match in Stamford Bridge. Source: Getty Chelsea described Mauricio Pochettino as a coach who is “renowned for his sides’ high-energy and eye-catching style.” This is Pochettino’s first coaching role since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in July last year and this marks his return to the Premier League where he had an impressive 5 1/2-year spell with Tottenham that included a run to the Champions League final. The Argentine is the permanent successor to Graham Potter, who was fired in March after nearly seven months in charge. Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has led the team on an interim basis since then and they finished the Premier League in 12th place, the bottom of the Premier League for the first time since the 1995-96 season. 
Mauricio Pochettino speaking at a press conference. Source: Getty Pochettino will arrive at Stamford Bridge to find a club in crisis. They also lost to Manchester City in the FA Cup and League Cup and made a limp Champions League quarter-final exit against Real Madrid. Believed to be keen to sign a new goalkeeper, central midfielder, and striker, Pochettino has a big job on his hands. This is despite a haphazard £550 million ($679 million) spending spree on new signings which the club’s co-owner, Todd Boehly embarked on earlier this year. 
Mbappe giving a speech after winning the Ligue 1 best player award. Source: Getty Mbappe is now the only player to have won the Best Ligue 1 Player award four times, beating the record he shared with Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Accepting the award, he said; “I want to thank the players, the staff, all the people working in the shadows. It’s a pleasure, I always wanted to win, to write my name into the league’s history. But even with all the ambition I have, I didn’t expect to win so quickly.” Franck Haise of Lens was named coach of the season after leading the club to second place and giving them a place in Champions League football for the first time in two decades. 
Following Eden Hazard’s retirement from international football following Belgium’s premature exit from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which also marked the end of former coach Roberto Martinez’s reign, the country’s new national team coach, Domenico Tedesco has faced the hurdle of getting a new captain. De Bruyne who already has 97 caps for his country and 25 goals at the international level, has been named as Belgium’s new captain ahead of their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. Speaking to RTL-TVI television after the announcement, the Manchester City star said; 
“It’s an honour for me to be named and represent the country in this way. “I’m almost 32. I’ve never considered international retirement. I think I can still bring something to the table and help the youngsters.” Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Inter forward Romelu Lukaku have also been chosen as the two vice-captains. 
