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The west London outfit are in freefall at the moment, and it remains to be seen whether a club legend can inspire a rapid turnaround in fortunes

Frank Lampard's Stamford Bridge homecoming on Saturday ended up being a nightmare, as Brighton picked up a 2-1 victory over Chelsea that they were great value for after a dominant display.

During and after the Blues' 12th Premier League defeat of the season, fans were seen aiming their frustrations at much-maligned co-owner Todd Boehly, who appointed Lampard as interim manager after sacking Graham Potter at the start of the month.

The American remonstrated back at the supporters in question from the directors' box – which never saw anywhere near the same level of chaos during Roman Abramovich's trophy-laden 19-year-reign – in scenes that epitomised the sorry state of affairs at the club both on and off the pitch.

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The final result leaves Chelsea sitting down in 11th in the table, 17 points behind fourth-placed Newcastle having played a game more and a whopping 35 adrift of league leaders Arsenal.

Despite spending over £300 million on new players in January, the Blues are still on course for their worst-ever season in the top-flight, with star names such as Joao Felix, Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk all struggling to adapt to life in English football.

If Lampard cannot address their slide quickly, Chelsea could be in serious trouble, with a few unwanted records now in real danger of being broken…

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  Lowest points tally

  It seems like an eternity ago now, but Potter's Chelsea tenure actually got off to a promising start, as he oversaw a nine-game unbeaten run after replacing Thomas Tuchel at the helm in September.

  That streak included an impressive 2-0 win at Aston Villa on October 16, with a Mason Mount brace taking the Blues up to fourth in the Premier League standings.

  Of course, that turned out to be a false dawn. Chelsea have only won four more games since then, the worst record of any side in the division.

  Lampard's team have just 39 points to their name with seven matches left to play. Their minimum target must now be to get past the 50-point mark, or else they will enter the history books for all the wrong reasons.

  Chelsea have never finished with less than a half-century haul, but have hit that bang average total twice before – in 2015-16 after a Jose Mourinho implosion led to Guus Hiddink's return, and way back in 1995-96.

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  Least amount of goals

  Chelsea have been shaky at the back this season, but their main problem has been a lack of cutting-edge up front.

  Conor Gallagher's deflected strike to open the scoring against Brighton was the Blues' first goal in five games across all competitions, and it only came after a huge slice of good fortune.

  The hosts finished the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.75 from eight shots at goal, while the Seagulls managed 2.73 from 23 efforts.

  To paint an even clearer picture, Kai Havertz is currently Chelsea's top Premier League scorer for 2022-23 with seven goals – three more than his nearest team-mate, Raheem Sterling (4).

  Overall, Chelsea have managed just 30 goals in 31 games, two fewer than Erling Haaland has managed on his own for reigning champions Manchester City, and they are still well behind the previous worst final haul in the club's history.

  The Blues racked up 46 goals in 1995-96, and it seems unlikely that their latest crop of flops will avoid setting a new record, particularly without a natural No.9 in their ranks.

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  Lowest finish

  The 1995-96 season was certainly a low point for Chelsea, but their worst Premier League showing of all time came two years earlier.

  Optimism was initially high after the appointment of Glen Hoddle as player-manager ahead of 1993-94, but the Blues finished down in 14th and extended their long trophy drought to 24 years.

  The league was still comprised of 22 teams at this stage, and Chelsea finished with just 51 points from 42 games – which equates to their lowest-ever points per game (PPG) total at 1.214.

  At the moment, it is very possible that Lampard's squad will plunge to greater depths. They are only six points ahead of 14th-placed Bournemouth, who have won three of their last four games. London rivals West Ham are just two points further back and have a game in hand on Chelsea.

  Lampard is still looking for the first win of his second spell in charge, but it's difficult to see where it's going to come from, and they need to reach at least the 47-point mark to avoid falling to a new PPG low.

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  RELEGATION

  So that brings us to the big question – is it possible that Chelsea will be relegated from the Premier League for the first time ever? The answer is yes, mathematically anyway.

  Nottingham Forest are currently 12 points behind the Blues in 18th, two ahead of Leicester City and four ahead of rock-bottom Southampton – who now appear to be doomed.

  The Blues are statistically the fourth-worst team in the league over the last 20 games, having only picked up 18 points, with only Everton (17), Leicester (17) and Southampton (12) posting lower totals.

  That's relegation form from Lampard's men, but realistically, they should end up avoiding an unthinkable drop into the Championship.

  Even if Chelsea lose all of their remaining games, it would be a huge surprise if they finished in 18th or lower, given the fact that the last side to be relegated after reaching 39 points was Birmingham City back in 2010-11.

  You'd have to go almost a decade further back to find the next team to go down with a higher points total – with West Ham the victims of rotten luck under Glenn Roeder in 2002-03.

How to watch Everton vs Fulham in the Premier League on TV and online in the United States.

Everton take on Fulham in a Premier Leaguegame on Saturday at Goodison Park.

Everton are winless in their last three matches and will be desperate to get three points in the bag. They are one point above the relegation zone with eight rounds of fixtures left.

Fulham too have lost their last five matches and will hope to get back to winning ways. They are currently 10th in the league with 39 points from 29 matches.

GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch the Premier League fixture between Everton and Fulham, as well as team news, recent form and more.

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  Kick-off time

  Date:	April 15, 2023
  Kick-off time:	10am EDT
  Venue:	Goodison Park

  The game is scheduled for Saturday, April 15, 2023, at Goodison Park. It will kick off at 10am EDT in the US.

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  How to watch Everton vs Fulham Palace online – TV channels & live streams

  TV channels & streaming options

  Country	TV channel	Live stream
  U.S	N/A	Peacock Premium

  In the U.S., the match can be streamed on Peacock Premium.

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  Team news & squads

  Everton team news

  Everton will miss the services of Andros Townsend, who is out with an injury, and Abdoulaye Doucoure who is suspended for the clash.

  But the good news for the Toffees is star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is slowly regaining his fitness and could be included in the matchday squad against Fulham

  Everton predicted XI: Pickford; Coleman, Keane, Tarkowski, Godfrey; Iwobi, Onana, Gueye, Garner, McNeil; Gray

  Position	Players
  Goalkeepers:	Pickford, Begovic, Lonergan
  Defenders:	Tarkowski, Mina, Godfrey, Coady, Holgate, Keane, Mykolenko, Vinagre, Patterson, Coleman
  Midfielders:	Onana, Garner, Davies, Gueye, Iwobi
  Forwards:	Maupay, Simms, Gray, McNeil, Dominic Calvert-Lewin

  Fulham team news

  Layvin Kurzawa and Neeskens Kebano are for Fulham due to injuries while Aleksandar Mitrovic continues to serve an eight-match ban.

  In Mitrovic's absence, Carlos Vinicius is likely to start upfront.

  Fulham predicted XI: Leno; Tete, Ream, Diop, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha, Decordova-Reid, Andreas Pereira, Willian; Carlos Vinicius

  Position	Players
  Goalkeepers:	Leno, Rodak
  Defenders:	Adarabioyo, Diop, Duffy, Ream, Robinson, Tete, Mbabu, Soares
  Midfielders:	Palhinha, Reed, Lukic, Cairney, Francois, Pereira, Solomon, Willian, Wilson, James
  Forwards:	Reid, Vinicius

  Head-to-head record

  Date	Result	Competition
  October 29, 2022	Fulham 0-0 Everton	Premier League
  February 15, 2021	Everton 0-2 Fulham	Premier League
  November 22, 2020	Fulham 2-3 Everton	Premier League
  April 13, 2019	Fulham 2-0 Everton	Premier League
  September 29, 2018	Everton 3-0 Fulham	Premier League

  Fulham and Everton have won two matches each in their last five meetings while one match ended in a draw.

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  Useful links

  • Everton team page

  • Fulham team page

  • Live soccer on TV in the U.S.

Writing on Twitter, Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol has dropped a major behind-the-scenes claim on the European Super League aftermath involving Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy.

Spurs were one of the big six Premier League clubs who signed up to be part of a closed breakaway division alongside Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool.

Sky journalist drops major Levy claim

The plans attracted plenty of backlash and criticism from numerous supporters, as well as popular members of the media, and the protests eventually resulted in all English clubs backing out of the controversial plans.

Solhekol has been covering the aftermath extensively, and he has now dropped a major behind-the-scenes claim involving Levy.

The journalist said that there is a ‘growing feeling’ among the other 14 Premier League clubs that ‘heads must roll’, and they are ‘particularly unhappy’ with the behaviour of Levy as well as Bruce Buck, Ferran Soriano and Ed Woodward.

“Growing feeling among 14 clubs that heads must roll at 6 breakaway clubs,” explained Solhekol on social media.

“14 are particularly unhappy with behaviour of Buck, Soriano, Levy & Woodward. One exec says: ‘Stories saying Ed Woodward resigned because he was against the ESL are laughable. He was involved from day one’.”

Transfer Tavern take

Levy is already under mounting pressure from many Lilywhites fans, with the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust recently calling for him and the board to resign.

Facing a fight on two fronts, another worry for the chairman in the aftermath of Spurs’ involvement in the ESL could be the pressure of disgruntled executives from the other 14 Premier League clubs.

Indeed, this claim that they are ‘particularly unhappy’ with the Spurs chief among others potentially indicates an even more worrying backlash for Levy. Amid the fan protests as well, you could argue his future as Tottenham chief looks more shaky than ever.

In other news: Tottenham manager target would bring superstar to Spurs, find out more here.

The Croatian dominated the midfield while Vinicius Junior contributed in attack once again as Carlo Ancelotti's side triumphed 1-0 at the Bernabeu

Real Madrid cruised into the quarter-finals of the Champions League by beating Liverpool 1-0 to complete a 6-2 aggregate win over the Reds.

Los Blancos were relatively comfortable in the first half, with Luka Modric's cool head settling things in central midfield.

They had their chances, too, forcing Alisson into a series of dramatic saves, including one point-blank block from Vinicius Junior.

The Madrid goal, when it came, was well deserved, though it was a tad fortuitous. Vinicius and Benzema combined inside the box after a couple of lucky bounces, and the Frenchman finished into an open net to put the last-16 tie to bed.

And so it ultimately proved relatively simple. Madrid ate early pressure, grabbed a goal of their own, and by the end could give some of their big names a breather with Barcelona to come in El Clasico on Sunday.

GOAL rates Madrid's players from the Santiago Bernabeu…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Thibaut Courtois (8/10):

  Denied Darwin Nunez at full stretch in the first half. Came up with a few other saves to ensure it was goalless at the break.

  Dani Carvajal (7/10):

  Had an interesting battle with Nunez down the right. Did well for spells, but was occasionally overmatched physically. Was perhaps relieved to see him substituted.

  Eder Militao (7/10):

  Dominant in the air, and made some terrific tackles. Job done.

  Antonio Rudiger (7/10):

  Exposed in behind early, but rebounded with a series of impressive blocks and interventions.

  Nacho (7/10):

  Dealt with Mo Salah well. Burned some clock when needed, and showed some attacking thrust, too.

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  Midfield

  Luka Modric (9/10):

  Composed as ever from the first minute. Entirely unfazed by Liverpool pressure. Standing ovation when he came off. Magnificent.

  Eduardo Camavinga (7/10):

  Denied by Alisson from 25 yards out early, kept first Cody Gakpo then Roberto Firmino quiet in front of the back four. Will be encouraged to have started over Aurelien Tchouameni.

  Toni Kroos (7/10):

  As reliable as ever in his passing, put a nice shot on target. Eventually handed a breather before El Clasico.

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  Attack

  Federico Valverde (7/10):

  Made lots of unselfish runs, covering plenty of ground. Should have scored (twice).

  Karim Benzema (7/10):

  Seemed certain to score after running through on goal early on. Missed a couple of other chances before grabbing the game's only goal. Appeared to pick up a knock in doing so but says he'll be fine for El Clasico…

  Vinicius Jr (8/10):

  Had a go at Trent Alexander-Arnold early. Dribbling for fun within 20 minutes. Assisted Benzema, continuing his vendetta against the Reds.

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  Subs & Manager

  Dani Ceballos (6/10):

  A nice cameo for 10 minutes.

  Rodrygo (6/10):

  Thought he won a penalty. Probably has a point.

  Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):

  Will be disappointed to have started on the bench.

  Marco Asensio (N/A):

  On the pitch for six minutes.

  Lucas Vasquez (N/A):
  Barely touched the ball.

  Carlo Ancelotti (9/10):

  Promised that his team would play to win, and Madrid certainly went for it. Got the best out of his midfield three, and kept Salah quiet enough. If anything, Ancelotti will be disappointed that his side didn't score more. Through to the next round with relative ease. Barcelona next. This was a promising warm-up.

With his exit from Old Trafford confirmed, GOAL takes a look at which clubs may be interested in signing the five-time Ballon d'Or winner

"There was no other choice," as Wayne Rooney elegantly put it recently. As soon as Cristiano Ronaldo took the decision to reveal all in an 'interview' with professional wind-up merchant Piers Morgan, it was evident that his second spell at Old Trafford was destined to come to a messy end.

Football stops for no one though, and within minutes of his exit being confirmed the rumour mill had already begun churning out possible landing spots for the only free agent playing at the World Cup.

But where will he land? Will he stay in the Premier League? Is there a Champions League club willing to give him a chance? Or will he leave Europe for the first time in his career?

If you're struggling to keep track of all of Ronaldo's options, GOAL has you covered…

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  PSG

  Lionel Messi and Ronaldo, together at last?! If this one comes off, there's a good chance it good break the internet. However, you shouldn't get your hopes up just yet.

  Not only are PSG ridiculously stacked up front already, it's hard to imagine de-facto sporting director Kylian Mbappe signing off on Ronaldo's arrival. He'd likely butt heads with Messi and Neymar too.

  We know PSG love star power, but this might just be overkill.

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  Roma

  Few managers have got more out of Ronaldo than Jose Mourinho, and the Roma boss would likely jump at the chance of a reunion – especially considering Tammy Abraham's recent struggles in front of goal.

  Unfortunately for the Special One, club director Tiago Pinto seemed to quash these rumours before they even had time to pick up traction in November.

  "One of the things that irritates me about Italy is that they are constantly talking about the transfer market," he told the Thinking Football Summit.

  "The truth is that Cristiano Ronaldo was never a possibility. These rumours had no foundation. But in Italy they talk every day about three different players linked with your club. I understand it was natural to link us because Mourinho and I are both Portuguese, and so is Cristiano. But as I said, there was never any substance in it."

  Perhaps he'll change his mind now there's no transfer fee to pay…

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  Arsenal

  Arsenal finally resemble a functioning football club this season, but that has not stopped onlookers touting Ronaldo for a move to the Emirates Stadium.

  It is very, very, very difficult to envisage this happening, though. Mikel Arteta has very publically iced out well-paid veterans like Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang recently, and Ronaldo simply does not fit Edu's recruitment profile.

  It's a bit of a ridiculous notion to be honest.

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  Napoli

  Napoli have been the surprise package in Europe this season, romping to an eight-point lead in Serie A without losing a game.

  Gli Azzurri aren't the best of friends with Juventus – one of the forward's former clubs – so his arrival would likely rub some supporters up the wrong way. Additionally, Luciano Spalletti's success this season has been a result of a collective effort.

  Would bringing in a 37-year-old Ronaldo upset the balance? Most probably, yes. There's also a question of whether Napoli could even afford him in the first place.

Writing on Twitter, club insider ExWHUemployee dropped his verdict when asked about the situation surrounding 2019 West Ham United summer signing Goncalo Cardoso.

Cardoso is currently loaned out to Swiss giants FC Basel on an 18-month loan deal, with the Portugal youth international arguably failing to live up to his promise so far.

ExWHUemployee drops Cardoso claim

West Ham United secured the signing of Cardoso under former boss Manuel Pellegrini as a talent with plenty of promise, with the defender describing himself as an ‘aggressive’ player upon signing for the east Londoners.

However, having not made a senior appearance, it appears his future is up in the air as he continues his temporary spell at St. Jakob-Park.

ExWHUemployee, when asked for the latest, dropped a pretty bleak verdict in regards to the centre-back – with the insider saying ‘I don’t think he has a career at West Ham’.

Transfer Tavern take

The 20-year-old joined on a five-year contract in the summer of 2019 after bursting on to the scene with Boavista, but his career at the London Stadium looks likely to fizzle out with a whimper rather than a bang.

Former Hammers Director of Football, Mario Husillos, believed Cardoso was ready to be with the first team squad upon the player’s arrival, but nearly two years later, his eventual exit appears inevitable.

In other news: Declan Rice claim dropped after West Ham images emerge, find out more here.

The 1996 African Cup of Nations winners now face their biggest test of 2022 when they clash against the reigning world champions

Bafana Bafana will be hoping to secure a confidence-boosting win over France in Tuesday's international friendly match at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

The game comes four days after coach Hugo Broos' men drew 0-0 against Guinea in another friendly game

Broos said he would make major changes to the team that started against Guinea, mentioning the names of Nyiko Mobbie and Fagrie Lakay.

GOAL predicts how the Belgian could select his starting line-up against France.

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  GOALKEEPER – Ronwen Williams

  The Bafana captain was not even on the bench against Guinea as Broos gave Veli Monthwa a chance.

  Williams is now expected to be back as the coach could field his strongest team possible.

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  RIGHT-BACK – Nyiko Mobbie

  Mobbie has been one of the most preferred players under Broos and the coach said he would start the Sekhukhune United defender.

  That would see Khuliso Mudau sitting on the bench after the Mamelodi Sundowns star impressed against Guinea.

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  LEFT-BACK – Lyle Lakay

  Lakay tasted just five minutes of action after coming on as a late substitute to replace Terrence Mashego who had started against Guinea.

  But Lakay could be in the line-up to be fully assessed as this camp marks his first time with the national team under the current technical team.

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  CENTRE-BACK – Rushine de Reuck

  The Mamelodi Sundowns central defender played the second 45 minutes against the Syli National.

  But having always been a starter under Broos, De Reuck is likely to be in the line-up.

Tuttosport have trimmed their list of the best young players in the world to 20, with the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Vinicius Junior nominated

The final 20 nominations for the 2019 Golden Boy have been announced, as some of Europe's top young players battle it out for the award.

The prize, which is distributed by Italian newspaper , rewards the most impressive player aged under the age of 21 to be playing in a European top tier in each calendar year.

Previous winners include Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe, with the 2018 award picked up by Matthijs de Ligt.

The Juventus defender is back in the running 12 months on, but has some tough competition if he is to retain the title.

Check out all the nominees below…

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  Matthijs de Ligt

  Age: 20

  Position: Centre-back

  Club: Juventus

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  Alphonso Davies

  Age: 18

  Position: Winger

  Club: Bayern Munich

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  Gianluigi Donnarumma

  Age: 20

  Position: Goalkeeper

  Club: AC Milan

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  Ansu Fati

  Age: 16

  Position: Forward

  Club: Barcelona

According to The Telegraph, Tottenham are interested in making a £25m move for on-loan Fulham defender Joachim Andersen this summer.

Spurs eye Andersen

Andersen has spent the season on loan at Craven Cottage from Lyon, and has made 25 appearances in the Premier League (Transfermarkt).

Now, it seems Spurs are eager to take him to north London. Lyon are said to be looking for a fee of £25m to part ways with him on a permanent basis.

Interesting move

On the surface, there would be little to suggest Andersen would be a good signing for Jose Mourinho. After all, Fulham are 18th in the table and are looking at relegation back to the Championship if they are unable to turn things around in the coming weeks.

However, it must also be pointed that Fulham’s backline has performed considerably better than those around them. They have conceded 41 times in 30 matches so far – better than six other sides in the top flight (Sky Sports). In the six games Andersen hasn’t played in the top flight, Fulham have shipped 14 times, showing a clear improvement with the Denmark international in the side. Former Cottagers man Tony Gale even called him “absolutely sensational” last month (fulhamfc.com).

A fee of £25m may well be a bargain for Daniel Levy and co, especially given he is just 24 years of age and now has Premier League experience to boot. This would not just be an investment for the here and now, but also for the future.

In other news, Rangers fans are livid at this broadcaster’s comments.

The sight of a keeper going forward in the last moments is one increasingly common in the modern-day game but only a few live the dream of scoring

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  Alisson Becker

  Alisson Becker became the first Liverpool goalkeeper to score for the club when he scored the incredible last-minute winner in a 2-1 victory over West Brom to keep the Reds' top four hopes alive.

  The game was heading into the final minute of stoppage time with the score 1-1 with Liverpool having a corner. Alisson ran up the field and headed Trent Alexander-Arnold's shot into the goal beautifully – a glorious strike for any player, let alone a goalkeeper!

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  Peter Schmeichel

  Arguably the greatest goalkeeper of the Premier League era, the Great Dane was a shot-stopper who characterised his bold Manchester United side with a love of going forward. He had cultivated this before he moved to Old Trafford, scoring six league goals for Hvidovre and twice for Brondby. 

  His only goal for United came against Rotor Volgograd in the UEFA Cup and he became the first keeper to score a goal in the Premier League, albeit he was playing for Aston Villa by this stage of his career.

  In total, he netted 10 times, including once for his national team, while son Kasper, who plays for Leicester, has shown himself to be a chip off the old block, having scored a brilliant diving header against Yeovil Town in 2014.

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  Jose Luis Chilavert

  Paraguay international goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert is one of the most renowned goalkeepers in the history of the game for finding the net.

  Over the course of his career, he scored 59 club goals, finding the target in Paraguay, Argentina, Spain, France and Uruguay. Additionally, he scored eight times in 74 outings of his national team.

  He managed to find the target so regularly thanks to his acumen over set pieces, and he was a notable free-kick target especially for Velez Sarsfield, with whom he scored 48 goals over a 10-year career.

  Perhaps the most remarkable match he played saw him net a first-half penalty against River Plate, only to concede one against Roberto Bonano – the opposing goalkeeper – in the second half.

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  Rogerio Ceni

  Rogerio Ceni is undoubtedly the greatest goalkeeper of all time when it comes to finding the net. Over a career that tallied 22 years, he scored an astonishing total of 131 goals, having established himself as a centrepiece of Sao Paulo, with whom he spent the duration of his professional life.

  When he first arrived in the team on a regular basis in 1997, his ability from a dead ball was already well know, but it could not have been predicted that he would go on to become quite so prolific.

  Indeed, his figures stack up well against most midfield players, with the 2005 season a particular standout as he managed an astonishing 21 goals over the course of the year.