At 34, Salah gives Galatasaray's millionaires a football lesson

The people who retired him a season ago have gone quiet. Mohamed Salah put a hat-trick past Galatasaray in Trabzonspor's 4-0 win and added an assist for Noah Saviolo's goal. First goal in the fourth minute, second before half time after Davinson Sánchez lost the ball, third in the 80th. That is four goals he was involved in against the champions - something nobody has done in the Turkish league in more than ten seasons. Galatasaray took the field with Rafael Leão, Leroy Sané and İlkay Gündoğan, and a budget that could buy our entire league, and left space behind their defence in which Salah moved as if training alone. Six rounds, seven goals, two assists, top of the scoring charts. The question is not whether the Egyptian is finished, but what Liverpool were thinking when they let him go.

Kane refuses to campaign for the Ballon d'Or: "The 73 goals speak for themselves"

While some of his rivals run campaigns through podcasts and interviews, Harry Kane chose the opposite tactic. "I don't want to talk about myself - the 73 goals speak for themselves," said the Bayern striker, who over the past year collected 61 goals and seven assists in 51 matches plus a domestic treble, along with six more goals for England before the World Cup and six at the tournament itself, where England finished third. His total of 73 goals is higher than Kylian Mbappé's and Lamine Yamal's. The ceremony is on 26 October. There is something refreshing about a player who does not explain why he deserves it - especially in a sport where awards have long been handed out partly on volume, not just on numbers. Whether the jury listens to that, or simply watches who sells themselves better, we will know in a month.

Manchester United back in the same story: two wins in six matches

The Red Devils are rolling backwards again. Brighton came to Manchester, conceded two goals in the first ten minutes through Shea Lacey and Mason Mount, then hit back with three through Charalambos Kostoulas, Pascal Groß and Maxim De Cuyper to knock the hosts out of the League Cup 3-2. United's season so far: two wins in six matches across all competitions, and those two came against Ipswich and Sabah. Even the defeat to their city rivals was 0-1, with City playing a man down for over an hour. According to Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic, Michael Carrick's position is safe and the club is not preparing a replacement. Anyone who follows football knows what that sentence means in England - it is usually published right before the sacking. On Sunday they travel to Fulham.

Vardar beat Shkendija Arachinovo 2-0 and climbed to third

The champions are back to winning ways. In the third match of round 8 of the Macedonian First Football League, Vardar beat Shkendija Arachinovo 2-0 at home, with both goals coming after the break - Boban Nikolov in the 46th minute, Goran Zakarikj in the 69th. The visitors arrived in Skopje on a winning run that ended tonight. That takes Vardar to 14 points and third place in the table after eight matches. For a club with this history that is not a number to celebrate, but it is a number that means the season is not settled yet.

Shkendija pulling clear at the top, while second place is shared with a game in hand

The real story in our league is not in one result but in the table. Shkendija have 19 points after eight matches - five more than their nearest pursuer, in a league traditionally decided in the final rounds. Behind them Struga have 14 points from seven matches, Vardar the same from eight, Tikvesh and Shkendija Arachinovo 13 each. At the bottom, Skopje have three points from seven. The round is not complete: on 21 September Struga host Aresimi, and on 23 September Bregalnica play Skopje. With a game in hand and the same points as Vardar, Struga are the side that can realistically close on Shkendija - if they take that match. This is the part of the season where you see who has depth and who just had a good start.