goal (website)
{{Short description|Online association football news portal}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox website
| name = Goal
| logo = File:Goal Website Logo.svg
| logo_size =
| logo_alt =
| caption = Official
| website_type = Sports journalism
| language = {{ubl|English|French|German|Spanish|Italian|Arabic|Thai|Portuguese|Dutch|Turkish|Indonesian|Korean|Japanese|Hungarian|Vietnamese}}
|traded_as =
|founded = {{start date and age|1998}} (as a domain name)
|area_served = Worldwide
|owner = {{ubl|Integrated Media Company (TPG Inc.) (majority)|DAZN Group (minority)}}
|founder = {{ubl|Chicco Merighi|Gian Luigi Longinotti-Buitoni}}
|CEO = Juan Delgado
|key_people =
|industry = Journalism
|services = Association football news
|url = {{URL|https://www.goal.com/|goal.com}}
|current_status = Active
|native_clients =
|footnotes =
|international = yes
|alexa =
|location_city = London
|location_country = England
|launched = 1998 (domain)
2005 (current state)
}}
Goal, stylized in all caps and alternatively known as Goal.com, is a website currently dedicated to the coverage of international association football. Currently owned by the Integrated Media Company (IMC) division of TPG Inc. since 2020, it is published in 18 languages across 38 global regions and edited by over 500 contributors as of 2019.{{cite web|title=Goal|url=http://www.performgroup.com/brands/goal/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312003958/http://www.performgroup.com/brands/goal/|archive-date=12 March 2018|website=Perform Group|access-date=8 December 2017}}
History
Sports statics company Perform Group acquired Goal.com for £18 million from its previous investors, which included Bessemer Venture Partners.{{cite news |last=Farey-Jones |first=Daniel |date=23 February 2011 |title=Perform challenges Sky with Goal.com acquisition |url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/perform-challenges-sky-goalcom-acquisition/1056615 |work=Campaign |access-date=8 December 2017}}{{cite news |last=Wauters |first=Robin |date=23 February 2011 |title=Score! Perform Group Buys Goal.com From Bessemer To Go Direct-To-Consumer |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/02/23/score-perform-group-buys-goal-com-from-bessemer-to-go-direct-to-consumer/ |work=TechCrunch |access-date=8 December 2017}}{{cite news |last=Sweney |first=Mark |date=16 May 2012 |title=Perform buys data company RunningBall for £95m |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/may/16/perform-buys-data-company-runningball |work=The Guardian |access-date=8 December 2017}} In 2012, the website was investigated by HM Revenue and Customs department of the UK government over the use of unpaid interns.{{cite news |last=Malik |first=Shiv |date=23 December 2012 |title=Football site Goal.com investigated over use of 30 unpaid interns a week |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/dec/23/football-website-goals-unpaid-interns |work=The Guardian |access-date=8 December 2017}}
In August 2016, Perform Group launched the online sports video streaming service DAZN. In September 2018 Perform Group was split into two companies: DAZN Group (named after its streaming service) for its consumer content operations, and Perform Content for its business-to-business services. Under this new structure, GOAL sat under DAZN. In March 2019, DAZN re-organized the Perform Media division into DAZN Media, which includes GOAL. In late 2020, GOAL, alongside Spox and Voetbalzone were packaged as a new company called FootballCo. Shortly after, a majority stake in FootballCo. was purchased by Integrated Media Company (IMC) which is a division of TPG Capital.{{Cite web|date=22 September 2020|title=IMC sign agreement to acquire Goal|url=https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/imc-sign-agreement-to-acquire-goal/1a0m14jzkn7ka1nk7bwfhclp37|website=Goal|access-date=10 May 2021}}
As of mid-2023, Goal was the fifth most popular sports news website in the UK, with 1.5 million monthly British readers according to a report by Press Gazette. {{Cite web |last=Majid |first=Aisha |date=2023-07-13 |title=Most popular websites for sports news in UK: updated ranking |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/media-audience-and-business-data/media_metrics/most-popular-websites-for-sports-news-in-uk-updated-ranking/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Press Gazette |language=en-US}}
Awards
In 2017 and 2020, GOAL won the Best Sports News Site award at The Drum Online Media Awards.{{Cite web|url=https://www.onlinemediaawards.net/online-media-awards-2017/best-sports-news-site-new-for-2017/goal|title=The Drum: Best Sports News Site|website=The Drum|access-date=20 January 2020|archive-date=7 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201007110717/https://www.onlinemediaawards.net/online-media-awards-2017/best-sports-news-site-new-for-2017/goal|url-status=dead}}
GOAL50
Since the 2007–08 season, the best 50 players of the respective season are selected by GOAL reporters and ranked as part of Goal's "Goal 50."{{Cite web|url=https://www.socceroos.com.au/news/cahill-named-goal-50-list|title=Cahill named in Goal 50 list|website=Socceroos|date=29 July 2014 |access-date=6 April 2019}} Starting from the 2018–19 season, the 50 players were divided into 25 men and 25 women, with a winner from both genders being crowned. In 2021 voting was changed, with the list of available players chosen by GOAL journalists and the ranking decided by a public vote.
=Men's winners =
=Women's winners=
| class="wikitable" | ||
| width="70" | Season | width="190" | Winner | width="190" | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|
| style="text-align:center"| 2018–19
|| {{flagicon|USA}} Megan Rapinoe || {{fbaicon|USA}} Reign FC | ||
| style="text-align:center"| 2019–20
|| {{flagicon|DEN}} Pernille Harder || {{fbaicon|GER}} VfL Wolfsburg | ||
| 2020–21
|{{flagicon|ESP}} Alexia Putellas |{{fbaicon|ESP}} Barcelona | ||
| 2021–22
|{{flagicon|ESP}} Alexia Putellas |{{fbaicon|ESP}} Barcelona | ||
| 2022–23
|{{flagicon|ZAM}} Racheal Kundananji |{{fbaicon|ESP}} Madrid CFF | ||
| 2023-24
| {{fbaicon|ESP}} Aitana Bonmatí |{{fbaicon|ESP}} Barcelona |
NXGN
Since the 2015–16 season, GOAL has ranked the 50 best players aged under 19 for that respective season, with selections made by GOAL's network of journalists. The resulting list is known as the NXGN list, with the first-ranked players receiving the NXGN winner's award.{{Cite web|url=https://www.goal.com/story/nxgn2019en/index.html|title=NxGn 2019|website=Goal|access-date=20 January 2020}}
Since 2020, a women's list and award has also been published and handed out.{{Cite web|title=NxGn 2020: The 10 best wonderkids in women's football {{!}} Goal.com|url=https://www.goal.com/en/lists/nxgn-2020-the-10-best-wonderkids-in-womens-football/2bg2g2ubjp591vd1lkjmzqvwa|access-date=2021-07-29|website=www.goal.com}}
=Men's winners=
| class="wikitable" | ||
| width="70" | Season | width="190" | Winner | width="190" | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|
| style="text-align:center"| 2015–16
|| {{flagicon|BEL}} Youri Tielemans || {{fbaicon|BEL}} Anderlecht | ||
| style="text-align:center"| 2016–17
|| {{flagicon|ITA}} Gianluigi Donnarumma || {{fbaicon|ITA}} Milan | ||
| style="text-align:center"| 2017–18
|| {{flagicon|NED}} Justin Kluivert || {{fbaicon|NED}} Ajax | ||
| style="text-align:center"| 2018–19
|| {{flagicon|ENG}} Jadon Sancho || {{fbaicon|GER}} Borussia Dortmund | ||
| style="text-align:center"| 2019–20
|| {{flagicon|BRA}} Rodrygo || {{fbaicon|ESP}} Real Madrid | ||
| style="text-align:center"| 2020–21 | ||
| style="text-align:center"| 2021–22
|| {{flagicon|ENG}} Jude Bellingham || {{fbaicon|GER}} Borussia Dortmund | ||
| style="text-align:center"| 2023–24
|| {{flagicon|ESP}} Lamine Yamal || {{fbaicon|ESP}} Barcelona |
=Women's winners=
| class="wikitable" | ||
| width="70" | Season | width="190" | Winner | width="190" | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|
| style="text-align:center"| 2019–20
|| {{flagicon|GER}} Lena Oberdorf || {{fbaicon|GER}} SGS Essen | ||
| style="text-align:center"| 2020–21
|| {{flagicon|SWE}} Hanna Bennison || {{fbaicon|SWE}} FC Rosengård | ||
| style="text-align:center"| 2021–22
|| {{flagicon|HAI}} Melchie Dumornay || {{fbaicon|FRA}} Reims |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.goal.com/en International edition site] {{in lang|en|fr|de|it|pt|es|id|ar|hu|ja}}
Category:Association football websites
Category:Football mass media in Germany
Category:Football mass media in the United Kingdom
Category:Football mass media in Spain
Category:Internet properties established in 2004