Winner: Messi
Although he recently brought the curtain down on his international career after the World Cup, Lionel Messi continues to put on a first-class show in virtually every appearance in the United States. The final round of the MLS regular season was no different. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner supplied two assists in Inter Miami's 3-3 draw with Charlotte.
He didn't score, but that didn't change the fact that he became the first player in the history of America's top flight to win the Golden Boot twice in a row.
Messi scored 26 goals in 31 appearances. That was four more than former Slavia Prague striker Petar Musa, who scored 22 for Dallas.
He scored 29 goals in 28 appearances last season. Lionel Messi simply has a knack for setting records! MLS also celebrated another milestone: Nashville collected 77 points, a tally no team has ever matched in a single season.
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Loser: Burnley
Imagine the perfect Saturday. Your team is playing away. You turn on the broadcast and, in the 64th minute, you are delighted to see them leading 4-1. You think: “Three important points, nothing can go wrong now.” But the opposite was true. It could! Burnley suffered an incredible collapse at Cardiff. They would probably like to forget and erase the final 25 minutes from memory...
They led 2-1 at half-time and added two more goals after the break. But in the 65th minute, the hosts pulled one back, then converted a penalty 10 minutes later. They were back within touching distance. The visitors grew nervous and began struggling to withstand the pressure.
They held out until the fourth minute of added time, when Robertson completed an extraordinary comeback to make it 5-4. Almost 20,000 fans were in full voice and savoured a historic moment.
Interestingly, Cardiff had gone through something similar just three days before kick-off. On Matchday 14 of the Championship, they hosted West Ham and went into the break 3-0 up. After half-time, the Hammers fought back to level at 3-3 late on. It seems the Welsh capital likes its adrenaline.
Winner: Arsenal
Mikel Arteta has a machine in front of him on the pitch. Arsenal have found their rhythm. The Gunners are unbeaten, and that has been particularly evident in the league. In the Premier League, the defending champions matched their best-ever start to a season, set in 2022/23, when they collected 27 points from their first nine matches. They achieved that on Saturday by getting the job done against Hull.
The Gunners lead second-placed Brighton by five points - a healthy advantage. The Seagulls are the only side to have beaten them emphatically this campaign when they won 3-0. However, Arsenal have won five in a row since then and have nine victories this season, more than any other club in the Premier League. That is a clear sign that Arteta's players intend to defend their title.
Loser: Chengdu Rongcheng
After this weekend, Chengdu Rongcheng of the Chinese Super League can answer that question with precision. On the final matchday of the season, they lost 2-3 to Shandong Taishan and saw their title celebrations disappear. There would be nothing unusual about that. Defeats and disappointment are part of sport. But Chengdu had held a 14-point lead at the top with five rounds to play. John Aloisi's side collected just one point from their final five matches.
Dalian Yingbo took full advantage of their generosity. On Sunday, they celebrated their first-ever top-flight title after beating Tianjin Jinmen Tiger 3-1. Both teams finished on 52 points. The decisive factor was their head-to-head record, with Dalian winning both meetings with Chengdu, including the match in the penultimate round.
Winner and loser: Boca Juniors / Rosario Central
One of the craziest moments of the season undoubtedly took place in Argentina: a title decider and a match with everything at stake. Rosario Central beat Estudiantes Rio Cuarto 2-0 and, after the final whistle, waited to see how the game being played simultaneously would finish. Boca Juniors were hosting Defensa y Justicia. The home side could not win. Someone in the stands shouted that Boca had scored, but the VAR system had ruled out the goal and the score was 0-0. Euphoria erupted and lasted for around five minutes... The celebrations were immense.
Meanwhile, around 300 kilometres to the southeast, reality was completely different. Boca were celebrating three points and the title after Enner Valencia secured a 1-0 win in the sixth minute of added time. La Bombonera nearly erupted. The club topped the overall standings with 63 points. The title was decided by a single point.