Dinh Bac wins big at the 2025 Victory Cup; Coach Jurgen Klopp returns to Anfield.

Coach Kim Sang Sik and Dinh Bac achieve great success at the 2025 Victory Cup.

At the Victory Cup 2025 Gala on the evening of January 29th, coach Kim Sang Sik, striker Dinh Bac, and the Vietnam U22/23 team were honored in several important categories.

With their achievements of winning the SEA Games gold medal, the Southeast Asian U23 Championship, and qualifying for the 2026 Asian U23 Championship, the Vietnam U22/23 team was awarded Team of the Year. Players Dinh Bac and Van Khang represented the team to receive the award.

Dinh Bac was named the Young Athlete of the Year and was also the center of attention for the Most Memorable Sports Moment of the Year, thanks to his image of putting on a pith helmet for coach Kim Sang Sik. The striker, born in 2004, expressed his pride and said the award is a motivation for him to continue striving to contribute to Vietnamese football.

In the Foreign Expert of the Year category, Coach Kim Sang Sik won convincingly after a year of leading Vietnamese youth football to many successes. The South Korean coach thanked the fans and especially mentioned Coach Park Hang Seo for his valuable encouragement.

Other individual awards included: Female Athlete of the Year – shooter Trinh Thu Vinh; Male Athlete of the Year – shooter Ha Minh Thanh. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former athlete and coach Cung Binh Di; Coach of the Year was coach Duong Hoang Long (karate); Team of the Year went to the mixed 4x400m relay team. Tran Thi Thanh Thuy (volleyball) won the Most Popular Athlete award for the second consecutive year.

Xuan Son scores a brace, Nam Dinh Green Steel advances to the semi-finals of the Southeast Asian Champions League.

Playing at home, Nam Dinh Green Steel secured a convincing 3-0 victory against Lion City in the penultimate match of the Southeast Asian Champions League group stage, officially earning a place in the semi-finals.

Under pressure to win after Johor DT took the lead in the group, the Vietnamese representatives proactively controlled the game. In the 35th minute, Caio Cesar opened the scoring with a dangerous shot.

In the second half, Lion City pushed forward in search of an equalizer, allowing Nam Dinh to exploit the gaps. In the 60th minute, Xuan Son doubled the lead with a neat finish. Before the match ended, the Vietnamese national team striker completed his brace, sealing a 3-0 victory.

With his fifth goal of the tournament, Xuan Son continues to harbor hopes of competing for the top scorer award, while Thep Xanh Nam Dinh confidently advances to the semi-finals of the Southeast Asian Champions League.

Eight teams have been determined to qualify directly for the Europa League Round of 16.

The final round of Europa League qualifying matches concluded this morning with few surprises. Ultimately, the eight best teams have been determined to advance directly to the Round of 16.

At home, Premier League representatives Aston Villa staged an impressive 3-2 comeback victory against RB Salzburg despite constantly being on the defensive.

Meanwhile, Lyon defeated PAOK 4-2 to take the top spot in the standings with a record of 7 wins, 0 draws, and 1 loss. Real Betis also secured an important 2-1 victory against Feyenoord to qualify directly for the Europa League Round of 16.

In other notable matches, Porto beat Rangers 3-1, AS Roma drew with Panathinaikos 1-1, Nottingham won against Ferencvaros 4-0, and Lille defeated Freiburg 1-0.

In the end, eight clubs qualified directly for the Europa League round of 16: Lyon, Aston Villa, Midtjylland, Betis, Porto, Braga, Freiburg, and AS Roma.

The 16 teams that will have to participate in the play-off round to determine who advances are Genk, Bologna, Stuttgart, Ferencvaros, Nottingham, Plzen, Crvena zvezda, Celta Vigo, PAOK, Lille, Fenerbahce, Panathinaikos, Celtic, Ludogorets, Dinamo Zagreb and Brann.

Similar to the Champions League, the draw for the Europa League play-off round will take place at 6:00 PM tonight (January 30th) at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Chelsea are ready to spend 150 million euros to buy Jude Bellingham.

Chelsea are making headlines in the transfer market as they are reportedly willing to spend around €150 million to sign Jude Bellingham from Real Madrid.

According to sources from Spain, the Stamford Bridge club considers the English midfielder a key player in their long-term rebuilding plan. Manager Liam Rosenior wants to build a new midfield with Bellingham, Moises Caicedo, and Enzo Fernandez.

At Real Madrid, Bellingham no longer holds the absolute dominance he had at the beginning of the season. After 26 matches, the 22-year-old midfielder has scored 6 goals and provided 4 assists, but his inconsistent form means he is no longer considered "untouchable".

With Real Madrid willing to sell if they receive a suitable price, Chelsea believes a large offer could make the Spanish giants consider their options. For Bellingham, the prospect of returning to the Premier League is considered a significant attraction.

If successful, this would be one of the most notable deals of the transfer window, clearly demonstrating Chelsea's ambition to return to the top.

Manager Jurgen Klopp returns to Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp will return to Anfield at the end of March 2026, almost two years after leaving Liverpool. According to the British media, the German strategist will be part of the coaching staff of the Liverpool legends team in the friendly match against Borussia Dortmund on March 28th, as an assistant to Kenny Dalglish.

This marks Klopp's return to Anfield since leaving Liverpool, the club he managed for nearly nine years and won numerous major titles such as the Premier League, Champions League, and FIFA Club World Cup. Under Klopp, Liverpool developed a style of play characterized by high energy and a strong fighting spirit.

After leaving Liverpool due to burnout, Klopp took on the role of Head of Global Football at Red Bull. This return is symbolic, given Liverpool's current slump in form and the pressure they are under.

Despite rumors of Klopp's return to managing, experts believe this scenario is unlikely in the near future. For fans, Klopp's return would be enough to revive fond memories of a memorable era at Anfield.