It's that time of year where leagues around Europe begin to wind down for their winter breaks. Some countries allow their top-flight teams an extended period off around Christmas, while others will only be missing from the schedules for a week or so. All the while, the Premier League will continue throughout the festive period as the title race continues to hot up.
And so while teams in England, Italy and more have plenty to occupy themselves with through to the end of the year, the majority of the continent's biggest teams now won't be back in action again until 2026, and thus needed to make impactful statements in their final outings of the calendar year.
But who succeeded in doing so, and who left a sour taste in the mouth following the weekend's action? GOAL breaks down the biggest winners and losers from around Europe…
- Getty Images Sport
WINNER: Morgan Rogers
Outside of Erling Haaland, is there a Premier League player producing better performances right now than Morgan Rogers? Certainly, the Aston Villa midfielder has catapulted himself into the Player of the Year conversation with a run of form that has seen him score six goals in his last six league games for Unai Emery's surprise title challengers.
His double to down Manchester United on Sunday was absolutely sublime, too. After scoring stunning knuckleball goals against both Leeds United and West Ham in recent weeks, Rogers showed he is also capable of spectacular curling efforts with the inside of his right foot with his fine finishes at Villa Park. His opening goal, netted from 25 yards out after he plucked a long ball out of the air and left Leny Yoro for dead, showcased the confidence the ex-Manchester City academy starlet is playing with right now.
"I’m so, so happy because he’s a fighter," Emery said of his match-winner. "He’s a good guy, very good guy. His commitment with Aston Villa is massive, and his attitude every day is really fantastic."
Rogers' latest showcase came less than 24 hours after Jude Bellingham had netted for Real Madrid in their win over Sevilla, and the debate regarding who should start as England's No.10 at the World Cup is going to intensify if both players continue to produce at their current levels. Right now, it's difficult to argue against Rogers getting the nod against Croatia in Dallas in the Three Lions' opener.
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LOSER: Alexander Isak
Saturday should have been a day of celebration for Alexander Isak. Summoned from the bench at half-time as Liverpool looked to break down 10-man Tottenham, the British-record signing needed just 11 minutes to open the scoring, firing in just his second Premier League goal since arriving at Anfield from Newcastle.
However, what should have been a springboard moment for Isak as he looks to establish himself on Merseyside while Mohamed Salah is away at the Africa Cup of Nations instead proved to be particularly bittersweet for the Sweden international as he was left in severe pain by Micky van de Ven's attempt to stop him from scoring.
Isak had to be helped from the pitch before being substituted following his impactful cameo, and reports have since suggested that he has suffered a leg fracture that threatens to sideline him for months. Given Hugo Ekitike went on to score the winner in Saturday's eventual 2-1 victory, the Frenchman will almost certainly now have a free runway to lock down the starting striker's role for the Reds while Isak recovers.
The ex-Borussia Dortmund man will only be able to watch on while ruing a moment of bad luck that could yet also rule him out of Sweden's crucial World Cup qualification play-offs in March.
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WINNER: Raphinha
Raphinha became a topic of discussion in Spain last week after the Barcelona forward was omitted from The Best FIFA Men's XI for 2025. The Brazil international contributed a combined 60 goals and assists to Barca's cause last season, but was beaten out by the likes of Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham when the team was announced at the ceremony in Doha.
Hansi Flick described the failure to reward Raphinha as "a joke" ahead of Sunday's meeting with high-flying Villarreal, but the winger has been keen to do his talking on the pitch rather than dwell on a lack of individual prizes, and he maintained his good form since returning from injury at Estadio de la Ceramica when he opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the Blaugrana's 2-0 win over the Yellow Submarine.
In his four La Liga starts since missing almost two months with a hamstring injury, Raphinha has now scored four goals and provided an assist to help Barca build and maintain their four-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the table. And while he is still not quite at the same levels he showed last term yet, all signs point to 2026 being another year of attacking success for the former Leeds man, regardless of whether he gets the recognition his output deserves.
- Getty Images Sport
LOSER: Vinicius Jr
Things aren't going so well for Raphinha's international team-mate Vinicius Jr, however. The Real Madrid forward promised a revenge tour for the ages when he missed out on the 2024 Ballon d'Or, but the past 12 months have not gone to plan for the Brazilian. He will end 2025 having scored just eight goals in 34 La Liga appearances over the course of the calendar year, and is currently enduring a 14-game goal drought that stretches back to the first week of October.
Amid claims of a breakdown in his relationship with manager Xabi Alonso that has put contract talks on hold, Vinicius hasn't looked himself at all in recent months, and things hit a new low on Saturday when he was booed off by the Bernabeu crowd when he was substituted in the second half against Sevilla.
"The fans are sovereign and free to express themselves, but it was a complicated match," said Alonso of the reaction to his No.7. "I value the team's moment, and with this time off, we are going to use the moment to rest and start with enthusiasm."
Vinicius is far from the first Madrid star to feel the wrath of his own supporters – just ask Gareth Bale – but there's arguably not a player in the Blancos' ranks who needs the winter break more than the 25-year-old as he looks to put this nightmare year behind him and begin looking forward to 2026.
