The first week of the new year has been full of exciting and surprising football news from around the world. Here are some of the highlights:

• Lionel Messi scored his 800th career goal in Barcelona’s 4-1 win over Real Sociedad, becoming the first player in history to reach this milestone. The Argentine legend also broke Pele’s record of 643 goals for a single club, which he had equaled in December.
• Manchester United topped the Premier League table after a dramatic 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield, thanks to a late winner from Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese midfielder scored his 15th goal of the season from a free-kick, after Mohamed Salah had canceled out Marcus Rashford’s opener. The result ended Liverpool’s 68-game unbeaten run at home in the league, and gave United a three-point lead over their rivals.
• Bayern Munich extended their lead in the Bundesliga to four points after a 5-2 thrashing of Mainz, with Robert Lewandowski netting a hat-trick. The Polish striker increased his tally to 22 goals in 16 games, and is on course to break Gerd Muller’s record of 40 goals in a single season. Bayern also welcomed back Thomas Muller, who recovered from Covid-19 and scored on his return.
• Juventus won the Italian Super Cup for the ninth time after beating Napoli 2-0 in Reggio Emilia. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with his 760th career goal, surpassing Josef Bican as the top scorer of all time. Lorenzo Insigne missed a penalty for Napoli, before Alvaro Morata sealed the win for Juventus in injury time.
• Paris Saint-Germain appointed Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager, replacing Thomas Tuchel who was sacked in December. The former Tottenham boss signed a contract until June 2022, with an option for an extra year. Pochettino won his first trophy with PSG on Wednesday, as they beat Marseille 2-1 in the French Super Cup, with goals from Mauro Icardi and Neymar.