Soccer Card Watch: New Signings Become Heroes

When Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne took his final, heartfelt bow at the Etihad last spring, few knew what would be next for the aging superstar midfielder. After a decade in Sky Blue, King Kevin was gone. Then, a few months later, KDB scored just five minutes into his Napoli debut, reminding the footballing world that continuing your career doesn’t mean leaving the passion for the game behind. 

One week into (most) European soccer leagues, and there’s plenty of change in the air. From Manchester United’s shocking 0-2 defeat to Hull City, to Real Madrid’s stunning comeback fueled by Carlos Espí (and Jose Mourinho), the beautiful game is back—but things look decidedly different. 

Last week, we focused on the English Premier League. This week, we’ve got plenty of action across Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, and France’s Ligue 1, along with the ongoing MLS season here in the States. Are you ready for a vacation to Naples, Barcelona, and Miami? Let’s go!

Matchweek Summary:

The Premier League came roaring back, delivering chaos as usual: Brighton put four past Aston Villa, with Jack Hinshelwood scoring twice in a performance NBC Sports called “ruthless”; Enzo Maresca picked up his first win as the boss of Man City, coming from behind to edge Bournemouth 2-1; and Newcastle looked set to beat Liverpool…until Dominik Szoboszlai buried a penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage time to bring the two teams level in a draw that felt like both a win and a loss at the same time.

Over in Spain, Barcelona put on a clinic in a 5-0 thrashing of Elche, while Sevilla opened 2-0. Serie A’s opening slate was equally loaded: Napoli beat Genoa 2-0 in Massimiliano Allegri’s first game in charge, Inter hung four on Monza, and both Roma and Milan opened the season with wins of their own. Nearby in France, PSG needed a second-half brace from Ferran Torres to salvage a 2-2 draw with Rennes at home—not exactly the statement opener the Ligue 1 and Champions League winners were hoping to make. Don’t sleep on that Rennes side, folks. Estéban Lepaul is a problem. 

While Bundesliga fans will have to wait until Friday for the German league’s kickoff, Lionel Messi continues to do Messi things down in Miami, notching career goal #923 in an Inter Miami loss—their fourth defeat in five matches. 

Players To Watch:

• Kevin De Bruyne: The Belgian midfielder came on as a (super)sub in the 67th minute, patrolling the pitch for 15 minutes before finding the back of the net. Five minutes later, De Bruyne assisted the game-sealing goal from Antonio Vergara, the youngster’s second-ever goal for the club. Napoli manager Allegri said afterwards that KDB is “completely different to the usual players…there are few like him around.” The ageless wonder has a tough match coming up this weekend when Cesc Fàbregas’ Como visits Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. 
• Karim Adeyemi: Another year, another Borussia Dortmund wonderkid on the move. Barca’s newest arrival scored in his first game for Barca, providing as solid of a first impression as a new signing can make. While he’ll undoubtedly miss the support of the Yellow Wall, he now finds himself playing alongside Raphinha, Yamal, and Gavi, just to name a few. Looks like joining the star-studded lineup won’t be an issue.
• Fermín López: Adeyemi grabbed the headlines with his debut, but López’s brace was hardly second fiddle. The homegrown kid is just 22, and he continues to score in bunches for a club with sky high expectations. Left out of Spain’s World Cup title run because of an injury, López now has his sights set on the Champions League trophy.
• Francesco Pio Esposito: The Italian national team has had a rough stretch, but its domestic clubs are nothing to scoff at. Esposito is a Milan-born, academy-raised forward getting real minutes at Inter, where he made the most of his minutes with a goal against Monza. With a new contract set to keep him in northern Italy through 2031—a year after the current ETA for the new San Siro Stadium—this is certainly a name to keep an eye on.
• Lionel Messi: Sure, he’s no longer playing with the best of the best in Europe, but Messi continues to light up the pitch night after night in MLS. Even if Inter Miami’s season is going sideways, Messi’s recent World Cup performance for Argentina shows that age can’t stop the GOAT.

From Players to Packs:

There are plenty of soccer card packs on Courtyard for soccer, football, and fútbol fans to choose from, filled with big-time hits from superstars like Messi and Lamine Yamal to Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr., David Beckham, Erling Haaland, and many more.

New season, new clubs—but the same chase for the next big pull. See you all next matchweek!