Friday's latest stories from the world of football in ESPN FC's What's Trending ...
REAL MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer "worried" about winning individual awards -- but he still wants to win seven Ballon d'Or awards to go with seven children.
- Plus, here's the legitimate case for Zinedine Zidane benching both Ronaldo and Karim Benzema for the Madrid derby on Saturday.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will not travel with the squad for the weekend's game against Stuttgart after being left out for ''disciplinary reasons."
WATCH: What Aubameyang's omission means for Dortmund
MAN UNITED: Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he'd be happy to assume the No. 10 role upon his return to Manchester United.
- Manchester United announced record first-quarter revenue of £141 million on Thursday, but player wages have risen as a result of their Champions League return.
- Marouane Fellaini and Marcos Rojo have improbably gone from whipping boys to fan favourites at Manchester United, writes Andy Mitten.
- Man United correspondent Rob Dawson looks into the contentious rivalry between Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez that will be renewed at St James' Park on Saturday.
ARSENAL: Arsene Wenger says his players don't need to be pinned up against a wall to understand the importance of beating Tottenham, insisting they still have the same passion as his legendary teams from two decades ago.
Arsenal's blueprint for bringing through young players is working perfectly at rivals Tottenham, writes Mark Ogden.
WATCH: Will Wenger start Lacazette vs. Tottenham?
TOTTENHAM: Centre-back Toby Alderweireld is likely to be sidelined until after Christmas with a hamstring injury, according to manager Mauricio Pochettino.
LIVERPOOL: Joe Gomez has been praised for his maturity by Liverpool under-23s boss Neil Critchley after impressing on his senior England debut this week. Gomez earned the Man of the Match award for his performance in the 0-0 draw with Brazil at Wembley on Tuesday.
- Saturday's opponent Southampton should be on alert as Liverpool are reportedly set to return for defender Virgil van Dijk after missing out on the Dutch defender this summer. That and more in our latest installment of Transfer Talk.
CRYSTAL PALACE: Roy Hodgson will speak to Ruben Loftus-Cheek about managing the increasing expectations around him following the promising start to his England career.
MAN CITY: Sergio Aguero has been given the go-ahead to play for Manchester City at Leicester on Saturday.
STOKE CITY: Stoke boss Mark Hughes hopes goalkeeper Jack Butland could return less than a month after suffering a broken finger while on England duty.
MLS: The Portland Timbers and manager Caleb Porter have parted ways, according to reports.
- Sporting Kansas City's Tim Melia was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year after running away with the vote.
- The Montreal Impact will renew designated player Blerim Dzemaili's loan for the 2018 season, the MLS club announced on Thursday.
WORLD CUP: The field for Russia 2018 is set and Gab Marcotti looks ahead to what we can expect between now and the start of the tournament next summer.
- Here's a look at some of the best and worst-case scenarios for teams at the World Cup draw on Dec. 1. WATCH.
- Barcelona forward Munir El Haddadi is hopeful that FIFA will grant him clearance to represent Morocco at the 2018 World Cup.
- The seedings for the 2018 World Cup finals draw can now be confirmed after Peru booked the 32nd and last place at next summer's tournament in Russia.
WATCH: The best and worst World Cup scenarios
CONCACAF: CONCACAF is launching a new national team competition to begin play in September of 2018 that will include the United States and Mexico.
ITALY: Gian Piero Ventura has been sacked as coach of Italy after failing to guide them to next summer's World Cup, the Italian Football Federation has announced.
- FIGC president Carlo Tavecchio says he is seeking a "big name" successor to Ventura.
- Daniele De Rossi boarded the Sweden bus following Italy's World Cup playoff defeat in Milan on Monday to apologise for the whistles heard during the Swedish national anthem.
WATCH: Will Italy's qualifying failure impact Napoli, Milan?
Source: espn.co.uk