Epic Football Facts

Daily epic statistics & mind-blowing facts.
Football trivia that hits like a 90th-min winner 🏆

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

@ChampionsLeague Before tonight the recent H2H already tilted to Aston Villa:

two wins to one vs Club Brugge, including a 6–1 aggregate in the 2024/25 UCL round of 16.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

@brfootball Kylian Mbappé finished 2025/26 on 15 UCL goals in 11 games

— one clear of Harry Kane (14)

— and it’s his second time as the competition’s top scorer.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

@premierleague The all-time Premier League peak since tracking began still sits with Micky van de Ven:

37.38 km/h for Tottenham vs Brentford on 31 Jan 2024.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

@goal Birthday context:

Last season Bruno set the Premier League single-season assists record — 21, clear of Henry and De Bruyne on 20.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

@TheAthleticFC Not his first midfield brief:

At Euro 2024, Southgate started Trent in central midfield vs Serbia and Denmark

— then hooked him both times for Gallagher.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

@ChampionsLeague AEK’s last Champions League group-stage win before tonight was 1–0 vs Milan on 21 Nov 2006

— Julio César from a free-kick in Athens.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

@ChampionsLeague 99 UCL games before tonight:

117 goals conceded
34 clean sheets.

His sides won 58 of those.

Two titles — 2022 and 2024.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

🔢 Three Points Era

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Football League (all divisions) switched to 3 points for a win / 1 for a draw from 1981–82

— first major league to adopt it.

Good decision?

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

@OptaJoe In March, McGinn only drew level with 1982 European Cup hero Peter Withe on 9.

Since then he’s also captained Villa to the Europa League title — 3-0 vs Freiburg in Istanbul.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

@premierleague Both Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta are on the 2026 Ballon d'Or Coach of the Year shortlist.

Emery holds the Europa League managerial record alone:

5 titles (Sevilla ×3, Villarreal, Aston Villa).

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

@ESPNFC Shortlist context

Sadio Mané is on the 2026 Ballon d'Or shortlist after finishing 2nd in 2022.

The only African winner remains George Weah in 1995.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

@brfootball First for Villa

Nicolas Jackson's first Aston Villa goal arrives in the Champions League against Club Brugge.

He had already scored against Brugge last season — for Bayern Munich in a 4-0 win.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

@ChampionsLeague Captain's opener

John McGinn scored the first goal of the 2026/27 Champions League season.

As Villa captain he also lifted their first Europa League title in May — a 3-0 final win over Freiburg in Istanbul.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

@premierleague Martínez and Raya made the 10-man Goalkeeper shortlist.

Same window also includes Courtois, Kobel, Bounou and Joan García — so the PL pair aren’t a two-horse race.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

@premierleague @Arsenal Arsenal aren’t alone:

the men’s Club of the Year five are Arsenal, PSG, Bayern, Bodø/Glimt and Flamengo — title winners across Europe and beyond.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

@TheAthleticFC No pick — just the gap:

last English Ballon d’Or was Michael Owen in 2001.

Kane is on the 2026 shortlist; an English win would end a 25-year wait.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

🔵 Ainsley Maitland-Niles — Everton debut vs Man Utd: 2-2.

• 96' equaliser from distance (sub on 77')
• First PL goal since Dec 2018 (for Arsenal vs Liverpool)
• talkSPORT: first Everton player to score from outside the box on a PL debut

Flashback 2021: Arsenal turned down Everton’s loan+option bid; he stayed after Arteta talks.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

@ESPNFC 🇲🇽 Julián Quiñones — first Ballon d’Or nomination (age 29, Al-Qadsiah).

L’Équipe 30-man card, 2025-26: 46 matches, 41 goals, 5 assists.

World Cup 2026 scoring table: 4 goals in 5 matches for Mexico.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Harry Kane is on the 2026 Ballon d’Or 30.

England’s Ballon d’Or winners (all-time):
• 1956 Stanley Matthews
• 1966 Bobby Charlton
• 1978 + 1979 Kevin Keegan
• 2001 Michael Owen

Kane’s 2025-26 nominee card (France Football / L’Équipe): 65 matches, 73 goals, 8 assists (Bayern). 8th career nomination.

[Epic Football Facts @EpicFootyFacts]

🛡️ Tightest Defences

Big-5 2026/27 · goals conceded per game

1 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Hull City 0.00
2 🇩🇪 Mainz 0.00
3 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Arsenal 0.33
4 🇮🇹 Cagliari 0.33
5 🇮🇹 Juventus 0.33
6 🇮🇹 Lazio 0.33
7 🇫🇷 Monaco 0.33
8 🇮🇹 Roma 0.33
9 🇪🇸 Barcelona 0.50
10 🇩🇪 Augsburg 0.50
11 🇩🇪 Bayern 0.50
12 🇩🇪 Freiburg 0.50
13 🇩🇪 Paderborn 0.50
14 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Brentford 0.67
15 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Leeds 0.67