⚽ The Weirdest Champions League Ever

Manchester City winning this season’s Champions League is looking more and more likely. But then what happens? [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider: Manchester City starts us on the path toward the weirdest Champions League possible ... the Tom Brady saga takes a very, very interesting turn ... and John Cena gives us an amazing GIF. The likeliest outcome of this season’s Champions League would also, by far, be its weirdest. Manchester City, having completed a mightily impressive 2-1 round of 16 first leg victory over Real Madrid at the Spanish giant’s Estadio Santiago Bernabeu fortress on Wednesday, were installed as the favorite to go on to lift the trophy (at +275, per FOX Bet). It is not hard to see why. Winning at the Bernabeu is a serious proposition, serious enough that it doesn’t happen very often. No English side had won there for 11 years. It was only the second time Madrid had lost a Champions League home game after scoring the opening goal. Since coach Zinedine Zidane took over, Madrid had won its previous 12 elimination round matches. Yet City – backed by billions in Middle Eastern oil wealth from its owner Sheikh Mansour – was built to thrive on the biggest stage of all, stocked with world class players throughout its roster, a fact we saw on full display Wednesday in the comeback victory. [STORY IMAGE 1] Despite winning the English Premier League in both of the past two years, City have never gone all the way in the Champions League — the toughest and most grueling club competition in the world, where the big boys do battle and elite players forge their reputations. But the talent, the coaching, and the early results are all there. And if they do so this time … yeah, it’s going to be a bit strange. Because, barring a last-ditch legal overturn, City will be banned from playing in European competitions for the next two seasons. In a powerful show of force, soccer’s European governing body, UEFA, made a stand against what it claimed were severe breaches of soccer’s Financial Fair Play regulations. Those rules are supposed to prevent the wealthiest clubs from gaining an unfair advantage in the transfer market at the expense of smaller, less prosperous opponents. In truth, it doesn’t really work, but still City overstepped the boundaries by allegedly inflating the value of a sponsorship deal in order to flout the restrictions on what they could spend on players. So, the potential scenario is thus. City could crown the finest achievement in its history in the Champions League final on May 30 by winning the event for the first time and establishing itself and the kings of European soccer. [STORY IMAGE 2] And then … nothing. No defense of the title. No reappearance alongside the likes of Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Paris St. Germain et al. Not for two years. Nothing but domestic EPL action and the English cup competitions. For some teams, this might not be too much of a problem. Indeed, juggling the various requirements of domestic and European action is an issue top clubs have wrestled with for years. Yet most clubs are not Manchester City. When you have the financial firepower to acquire pretty much whatever player you choose, you end up with a squad filled with some of the best talent in the world, at the height of their prime. Loyalty is a fluid concept in soccer to begin with, and the top talent in the City locker room may not be overly enthused at the prospect of missing out on two years in soccer’s ultimate showcase. Head coach Pep Guardiola’s tactical nous was key in Madrid, but it was also a performance that showed how much the big players matter. Kevin De Bruyne adapted neatly to a shift that pushed him into an advanced position as City sought to nullify their rival’s attacking threat. [STORY IMAGE 3] “I'm happy for the victory and the performance as well,” Guardiola said. “It's not over. There's one team in the world who can overcome everything, and it's this club, but for our people, hopefully we can make a good performance and go through.” De Bruyne, the EPL’s best player this season and one of the top 10 players on the planet, belongs in the Champions League. He as much as anyone has been responsible for the club’s surge. Against Madrid he was the best player on the field, never flustered, always thinking, and hugely instrumental. Raheem Sterling was brought off the bench as an impact player and won the foul call that resulted in De Bruyne’s winning penalty kick. De Bruyne, Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Guardiola, too, would be heavily sought after by any major European team. Until now, City has had such an upper hand in money matters that it has rarely had to worried about its top performers being susceptible to the advances of others. But now, with the Champions League ban, the others can offer something they can’t. [STORY IMAGE 4] The conundrum even prompted ESPN’s Mark Ogden to question whether City winning this season was really in the team’s best interests. “Champions League glory in May in Istanbul could prove to be a poisoned chalice rather than the Holy Grail,” Ogden wrote. “If they win the Champions League, there is nothing else for their array of stars to achieve at the club, and such glory could trigger an exodus sparked by ambition and harsh realities.” City have announced their plan to fight the ban, but face an uphill task. Upheaval is coming. Guardiola is no certainty to stay anyway, despite what he has said publicly, and being out of the Champions League could increase his appetite for a fresh challenge. Of course, there is still much that could happen. The second leg is on March 17 and Madrid, even coming with a deficit and away from home, can never be discounted. City would then need to get past three more elite rivals in order to win it all. But they are the favorite for a reason, and while Liverpool is dominating the EPL this season, no one looks stronger than City on the European stage. What lies next is anyone’s guess. Imagine the Lakers winning the NBA title this season and then being prevented from defending it next year? A weird outcome and a weird situation — for an exceptional team. [STORY IMAGE 5] Here’s what others have said ... Rob Dawson, ESPN: “At the final whistle, the City players, wearing their Hacienda-inspired change kit, went over to salute the away supporters, who were already turning their little section of the Bernabeu into a scene reminiscent of the famous Manchester nightclub. They sang in protest at UEFA and in support of their owner, Sheikh Mansour, but the biggest statement was delivered by their team. Real Madrid's crown is slipping.” David Hytner, The Guardian: “But to quibble about profligacy is to overlook the body of City’s work, the way they put the pain of their looming two-year ban from European football for financial irregularities behind them to produce one of their finest nights. Had the punishment bonded them more tightly? Guardiola said not, although it was tempting to argue against him.” Euan McTear, Managing Madrid: “After Sergio Ramos picked up his red card and suspension, I don’t want to know if Real Madrid can cope without Ramos the centre-back. Instead, I want to know how Real Madrid will do without Ramos the captain at the Etihad. I believe that Éder Militão can come in for Ramos and do a great job as a centre-back, as he has done alongside Raphaël Varane against Getafe, Sevilla and Club Brugge. Even away at a team as powerful as Manchester City, I believe in the Brazilian. However, the big problem with Ramos’ red card is that Real Madrid lose their emotional leader.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - Russell Westbrook has changed his game to fit with James Harden, which has the Rockets’ offense operating on a scary new level, [The Ringer’s Rob Mahoney explains](. - As the NFL Scouting Combine rolls on, here’s a look at how the fastest men in the 40-yard dash have fared in the NFL over the past decade, [courtesy of Cleveland.com’s Joshua Gunter](. - The Milwaukee Bucks are having one of the greatest seasons of all time. So why are they flying under the radar? [Elizabeth Swinton dives in at Sports Illustrated](. [THE BRADY HUNCH] [THE BRADY HUNCH]( Well, well, well. This week was supposed to see Tom Brady and the New England Patriots sit down at the Combine and start to negotiate a potential new deal for the future Hall of Famer. Instead, the two sides reportedly haven’t even been in contact — and Brady is in fact operating under the assumption that he will enter free agency and play for a different team next season, according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington. Perhaps that’s Brady doing a little public negotiation, but this saga is undoubtedly heating up. Get your popcorn ready. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( We know not everyone is a wrestling fan — but whether you’ve seen every WrestleMania ever or you’ve never watched a minute of sports entertainment, you have to check out the Tweet above just to see a man put on a shirt in the single coolest way that is humanly possible. It. Is. Spectacular. And if, like us, you do love WWE, this should help get you pumped for the 16-time world champion to make his return to SmackDown tomorrow night. [VIEWER'S GUIDE] NFL Scouting Combine (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET) The on-field workouts in Indy begin this evening, including QBs and WRs going through skills tests and the 40-yard dash and offensive linemen and RBs hitting the bench press. Portland Trail Blazers at Indiana Pacers (TNT, 8 p.m. ET) Damian Lillard isn’t traveling with Portland as he recovers from a groin strain. Can CJ McCollum and Carmelo Anthony help keep the Blazers in the playoff hunt? Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors (TNT, 10:30 p.m. ET) LeBron James is battling a groin injury of his own, meaning the Dubs will “only” have to deal with Anthony Davis & Co. Oh, and speaking of AD ... [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Anthony Davis over 29.5 points & CJ McCollum over 27.5 points: +270 If you’re tuning in for tonight’s NBA doubleheader, we’ve got just the parlay for you! With Lillard out for the Blazers, McCollum will undoubtedly have to pick up the slack against the Pacers, who are 9.5-point favorites over Portland. Davis, meanwhile, faces a bottom-five defense this season in the Warriors. The potential of a Lakers blowout and AD sitting the fourth quarter might be a bigger threat to Davis dropping 30 than the Golden State defense. A new FOX Sports app and website is coming. [Click here]( to be notified when the reimagined app is available. 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