Borussia Dortmund s failed Bundesliga title bid will be remembered for lost opportunities, occasionally glittering football and the emergence of a world-class talent.

That talent is Jadon Sancho.

And while a league title would have been just reward for an outstanding campaign, the pain of losing out to Bayern Munich – who confirmed their triumph on Saturday by thumping Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 – is at least tempered by unearthing one of Europe s rising stars.

The teenage winger gambled on his future when he left Manchester City in 2017, but the fruits of first-team football have paid off.

And these staggering Opta statistics present the picture of a player who, at just 19, could be set to take the world by storm.

Playing pinball in the box

Lionel Messi failed to find the net once again on Wednesday as Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League to Atletico Madrid, with the Argentinian s 452-minute goal drought his worst such run since April 2010.

Messi is searching for his 450th Barcelona goal as he looks to further etch his name into club folklore with another milestone, but he has been stuck on 449 since March 16, when he netted the third in a 3-1 win over Arsenal.

Since then the Argentina star has failed to net in five successive matches, with Villarreal, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid – twice – keeping him at bay.

The last time Messi endured such a run was April 2010, when he failed to score for 474 minutes across all competitions.

Messi s barren run is coinciding …

Week 15 in the NFL season features an AFC East showdown between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. The Jets are one of the worst teams in the league but the Phins are still in playoff contention and will need to keep rolling if they want to see the postseason.

NFL betting lines opened with Miami as an 8.5-point home favorite before shifting to -9.5. Here are our best free NFL betting picks and predictions for Jets vs. Dolphins on Sunday, December 19, with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET.

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There were more than a few NFL games decided by key numbers this past Sunday, proving the importance of placing your bets on and around those most common margins. 

We help you plan out your Week 10 wagers, analyzing the opening NFL odds and monitoring the early moves so that you can find the best of the number — whether that means betting right now or betting them later.

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The New York Giants enter Week 15 riding the coattails of last week’s epic win on Monday night. They take their 5-8 SU record and slim playoff hopes indoors to face Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints, who sit as 5.5-point home favorites despite dropping three of their last four. 

Even with all the hoopla coming from last week, Tommy DeVito is a decent dog on Sunday and has perfect passing conditions, which could lead to an increase in passing volume and efficiency. Is backing the New York quarterback on a short week the move for Week 15?

I break down the NFL odds and offer my free NFL picks for Giants vs. Saints on Sunday, December 17. 

Giants vs Saints odds

Giants vs Saints predi…

The AFC East is among the tightest divisions in football, and right in the middle of that logjam are the Miami Dolphins. 

Miami is behind the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in terms of NFL offseason betting markets. The win totals, division futures, and look-ahead lines forecast a third-place finish for the Fins in 2024. 

We know what we’re getting from Mike McDaniel’s offense and that’s an elite scoring attack that can gash you for big gains through the air and on the ground. The defense, however, is the biggest hang-up with the health of key pieces up in the air and a new coordinator making a seismic shift in scheme for the third straight season.

It will be a fight to the finish in the AFC East, and unfortunately for Miami…

Barcelona offensive midfielder Andres Iniesta on Friday extended his current contract with the Spanish champions by one year to 2015, according to the club.

According to reports Iniesta, one of the most influential forward players in the Spanish league side, will now earn a reported seven million euros per year before taxes.

Barcelona emphasised their attachment to the 25-year-old by increasing the buy-out clause in his new contract to 200 million euros. Iniesta s previous contract was due to expire in 2014, and contained a 150 million euro buy-out clause.

Barcelona have also recently extended the deals of Argentine Lionel Messi, Victor Valdes, Carles Puyol and, earlier this week, Eric Abidal.

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Randal Kolo Muani has backed Kylian Mbappe to take centre stage once again for France ahead of Les Bleus semi-final clash with Spain at Euro 2024.

France needed penalties to edge past Portugal in the quarter-finals as Theo Hernandez capitalised on Joao Felix s missed spot-kick following a goalless draw.

However, the performance underlined France s struggles in front of goal as Didier Deschamps aims to find a solution ahead of their meeting with La Roja in Munich.

Excluding penalties and own-goals, France are yet to score in their five games at Euro 2024, attempting 86 non-penalty shots (7.25 non-pen xG) without scoring from one at this year’s competition.

Mbappe was the player to net that penalty in their final group game against Poland and is yet t…

The fevered speculation around the future of Kylian Mbappe has at last come to an end.

The 18-year-old France sensation has left Ligue 1 champions Monaco to join rivals Paris Saint-Germain.

PSG will take the forward on loan for the season but with an option to buy him next year for a reported fee of €180million, making him the second most expensive player in history behind new team-mate Neymar.

While it is said the deal has been structured to allow PSG to avoid Financial Fair Play complications, it is nonetheless a staggering outlay on a teenager with only one year in senior football, even though he has been linked with practically every top club on the continent.

So just how good was Mbappe last season? Is he really worth this level of investment? Wit…

11 Manchester City

Poor old Sven Goran Eriksson was sacked after leading City to ninth in the Premiership an improvement of five places on the previous season. What more can a manage do to please his chairman?

Mark Hughes is an excellent manager, but with the controversial former Thai Prime Minister and club owner Thaksin Shinawatra increasingly medalling in team affairs, his position could become compromised. Recent media speculation has suggested Hughes already feels unsettled by communication difficulties between him and his board.

Jo is capable of scoring 20 Premiership goals in his first season and in Micah Richards, City have one of the best defenders in England. But with lack of harmony behind the scenes, that will translate on to the pitch.

12 Su…