Top 10 Football Journalists in the World (2025)

Football journalists have become some of the most powerful voices in the modern game. In 2025, their words shape transfer sagas, uncover hidden stories, and influence how millions of fans understand soccer beyond the pitch. From breaking exclusive news to crafting insightful tactical analysis, today’s best football journalists aren’t just reporting — they’re redefining how we experience the beautiful game.

The world of football journalism has evolved rapidly. What used to be dominated by print newspapers and post-match reports is now led by digital storytellers, investigative reporters, and multimedia creators with millions of loyal followers.

These are the voices trusted by fans, managers, and even players, the ones who set the agenda for soccer debates around the world.

In this article, we rank the top 10 football journalists in the world in 2025, based on their credibility, impact, storytelling, and influence in global soccer media. Be it you follow the game for transfer updates, tactical breakdowns, or human stories, these journalists represent the very best of modern sports reporting.

1. Fabrizio Romano (Italy)

The Global Transfer Wire

Fabrizio has become football’s universal signal of truth. Born in Naples in 1993, he began writing about transfers as a teenager, sharing reports for small Italian outlets long before he became the most recognized name in football media.

His first major scoop, Mauro Icardi’s move from Barcelona B to Sampdoria in 2011, set him on a path that would redefine how the world consumes transfer news.

Today, Romano’s phrase “Here we go” is football’s unofficial stamp of confirmation.

It carries a certainty that transcends language and geography. In an age of misinformation, Romano has built a brand entirely on trust. He spends countless hours each day verifying details, often juggling calls in multiple languages: Italian, English, Spanish, and Portuguese, to ensure that every report is cross-checked before it reaches his millions of followers.

Romano has elevated digital sports journalism into a global institution.

He blends the immediacy of social media with the rigor of traditional reporting. His presence across platforms like CBS Sports and The Guardian has bridged the gap between mainstream media and the online conversation. Named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, Romano is more than a reporter; he is a media ecosystem unto himself.

For fans in every corner of the world, his updates arrive faster than most clubs’ official announcements. In a sport that trades on secrets and speculation, Fabrizio has made truth a brand.

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2. David Ornstein (United Kingdom)

The Premier League Gold Standard

Ornstein represents the calm in the storm of football media. His work is methodical, deeply sourced, and grounded in traditional journalistic principles. After spending more than a decade at the BBC, he joined The Athletic as its senior football correspondent, where his weekly reports have become a must-read for serious fans of the Premier League.

Where others chase speed, Ornstein chases precision. His reports are carefully verified, often arriving later than rumors but carrying far more weight. His “Ornstein Exclusives” column each Monday gives readers not just the facts, but the reasoning behind the decisions, why a club pursued one player, why another deal collapsed, and how boardroom politics shape the game’s biggest moves.

In 2024, Ornstein was named the SJA Sportswriter of the Year at the British Sports Journalism Awards, a fitting recognition for a journalist who has never relied on theatrics or clickbait.

His coverage of Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United is particularly respected, but his network now stretches across every level of English football.

He is, above all, a trusted interpreter of the Premier League’s complex world. When Ornstein reports something, both fans and executives listen. In an age of noise, he remains the quiet voice that everyone trusts.

3. Gianluca Di Marzio (Italy)

The Authority on Serie A

Few journalists carry the weight in Italy that Gianluca Di Marzio does. The son of a football coach and steeped in the sport from childhood, Di Marzio turned his fascination with transfers into a lifelong vocation. Working with Sky Italia, he has become the face and voice of Italy’s transfer market, narrating the drama of Serie A’s summer and winter windows with unmatched flair.

Di Marzio’s approach reflects the emotion of Italian football itself: passionate, urgent, and filled with detail. His reports often describe not just the deal, but the negotiation rooms, the agents, and the final phone calls that make or break a signing.

Fans trust him because he seems to be everywhere at once, deeply embedded in the networks that connect Juventus, AC Milan, Inter, and beyond.

While many reporters now depend on social media, Di Marzio’s mix of television authority and digital presence gives him a rare kind of staying power. He remains a bridge between the old and new worlds of journalism. His website and Sky Italia updates have become essential reading for fans seeking substance and context amid the whirlwind of rumors.

In a football culture built on drama, Gianluca Di Marzio delivers it with integrity and experience, keeping Italy’s heartbeat alive every transfer window.

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4. Ben Jacobs (United Kingdom)

The Geopolitical Football Correspondent

Ben Jacobs approaches football as both a sport and a global enterprise. Based in London, his work for CBS Sports and talkSPORT has positioned him as one of the few journalists capable of navigating the complex relationship between football and geopolitics.

His detailed reporting on Middle Eastern investment in the game has provided clarity in a field where money and power often blur the lines.

Jacobs brings analytical depth to stories others treat as headlines. When Saudi Arabia’s Pro League began its high-profile recruitment of global stars, Jacobs went beyond listing names and transfer fees. He explored the motivations, the governmental strategies, and the broader economic vision behind the moves. His coverage has included deep dives into Qatari and Emirati interests in European clubs, helping fans understand how football’s financial landscape is evolving.

His interviews with executives and policymakers add a rare layer of transparency to football’s most complicated stories. Jacobs connects boardroom strategy with fan experience, showing how global forces shape the sport on the pitch.

In 2025, as football continues to expand beyond traditional power centers, he has become an essential voice. His work reminds readers that the modern game is no longer just about goals and glory; it’s also about the business that sustains them.

5. Gerard Romero (Spain)

The Fan-First Streamer

Gerard Romero has changed the way football journalism looks and sounds. Once a familiar voice on Catalan radio, he reinvented himself as a digital pioneer through his Twitch channel, Jijantes FC. His focus on FC Barcelona and La Liga has drawn millions of fans who crave immediacy and interaction rather than the distant tone of old-school media.

Romero’s live streams combine breaking news with fan emotion.

His broadcasts are filled with laughter, passion, and open conversation, an atmosphere that mirrors the energy of a match day. In this setting, news feels like a shared experience rather than a broadcast announcement.

He has become the go-to source for anything related to Barcelona’s internal affairs, from financial updates to transfer rumors and board decisions. What makes him unique is transparency. His audience sees his process unfold live, from taking calls to confirming leads in real time.

Romero’s success shows how the boundaries of journalism are expanding. In a world where fans want connection as much as information, he has built a model that blends both. His coverage feels human, unfiltered, and alive — a reflection of how new media is reshaping football storytelling.

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6. Christian Falk (Germany)

The Bayern Insider

In Germany, Christian Falk has spent more than two decades building a reputation as the ultimate insider on Bayern Munich, the country’s dominant club. As head of football at BILD, Germany’s largest newspaper, Falk’s words carry authority and influence across the Bundesliga.

He covers Bayern with the precision of someone who understands its inner workings completely. His contacts reach deep into the club’s leadership, including legendary figures like Uli Hoeneß, allowing him to uncover the dynamics that shape the decisions of Europe’s most successful teams.

Falk’s English-language podcast, FC Bayern Insider, has extended his reach far beyond Germany. Each week, he delivers not only exclusive updates but also cultural context: the politics, personalities, and expectations that define Bayern’s identity.

He is known for his direct, factual reporting style.

There is no embellishment or exaggeration, just clarity. When Bayern faces internal struggles or managerial changes, Falk’s insight provides structure to the chaos. His work captures the disciplined, methodical rhythm of German football itself, where details and precision define the story.

7. Florian Plettenberg (Germany)

The Bundesliga Transfer Machine

Florian Plettenberg has become the Bundesliga’s central voice for player movement. As a lead reporter for Sky Germany, his coverage is fast, informed, and relentless. Be it tracking contract talks or cross-border negotiations, Plettenberg’s feed is a constant stream of verified information.

His strength lies in accuracy and speed, a combination rarely maintained at scale. From the next generation of German talent to Premier League-bound stars, Plettenberg’s updates offer the kind of transparency that fans crave in a data-driven era.

He has an instinct for timing, often breaking news before clubs make it official, while ensuring every claim is supported by sources within the system. His reports on managerial appointments, loan deals, and big-money transfers carry authority across Europe.

He represents the evolution of football journalism in the digital age: fast-paced but responsible, social yet serious. His partnership with Christian Falk ensures that German football’s pulse is felt worldwide, with Sky Germany serving as both newsroom and hub for the global audience tracking Europe’s most competitive league.

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8. Guillem Balagué (Spain)

The Pundit, Author, and Historian

Guillem Balagué brings a sense of reflection to soccer journalism. A native of Barcelona, he has spent decades documenting the game’s most influential figures and moments. His roles across BBC Radio 5 Live, LaLiga TV, and CBS have made him a respected voice not only in Spain but across the English-speaking world.

Balagué is also one of football’s most accomplished biographers. His books on Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Pep Guardiola are not just biographies but cultural studies, exploring what makes these figures symbols of the modern era.

His latest work, Rise of the Villans, captures Unai Emery’s Aston Villa revival with the same depth and storytelling craft.

Beyond broadcasting, he serves as chairman of non-league Biggleswade FC, grounding his global perspective in local football reality. That duality between the world stage and the grassroots gives his analysis rare authenticity.

He writes and speaks with empathy, avoiding hype in favor of understanding. His voice is one of the few that connects the sport’s intellectual side with its emotional heart, making him one of football’s true chroniclers.

9. Duncan Castles (United Kingdom)

The Investigative Insider

Duncan Castles works in the shadows of soccer’s power structures, reporting on what others overlook. His journalism focuses on the intricate relationships between managers, owners, and agents, the machinery that keeps the sport’s billion-dollar ecosystem running.

As co-host of The Transfers Podcast, Castles provides long-form insights into deals that shape modern football. His reports go beyond who is moving where, examining how those decisions are made, who influences them, and what they mean for the future.

He has broken stories on ownership battles, contract politics, and agent negotiations, presenting a version of football that looks more like corporate strategy than sport. Castles’ work often challenges powerful figures, making him both respected and, at times, controversial.

In a world of instant tweets and surface-level coverage, he stands out for his investigative depth. His writing captures football as a business and a battleground, giving readers a clear look at the decision-making rooms that most never see.

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10. Henry Winter (United Kingdom)

The Voice of English Football

Few writers in any sport command the respect Henry Winter does. As the longtime Chief Football Writer for The Times, his career reflects a deep commitment to the spirit of the game. His writing combines sharp observation with warmth, bridging eras and generations of football fans.

Winter has covered eight World Cups and countless defining moments in English football, from Premier League triumphs to the national team’s heartbreaks. His match reports and columns carry a tone of reflection that feels both authoritative and human.

He is admired for his access, but more for his empathy, for seeing football as a story about people as much as tactics or results. Winter has always been vocal about player welfare, youth development, and the responsibilities of the sport’s governing bodies.

After being named Football Journalist of the Year at the 2024 British Sports Journalism Awards, he left The Times to pursue new media ventures, but his influence remains unchanged. His voice is part of football’s soundscape.

The Evolution of Football Journalism

The world of soccer journalism is no longer defined by newspaper deadlines or television studios. It lives in tweets, streams, newsletters, and podcasts. Yet at its heart, it still depends on trust, curiosity, and human connection.

The reporters who define 2025 each embody a different side of that evolution. Romano and Plettenberg represent speed and precision. Ornstein and Falk carry the torch of traditional reporting with digital grace. Balagué and Winter keep storytelling alive. Jacobs, Castles, and Romero explore new frontiers — whether in geopolitics, business, or digital community.

Soccer never stops, and neither do its storytellers.

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