To talk about street football is to talk about the beautiful game at its core. It has connotations of getting back to basics, of the sort football fans, and stars, used to play as kids – being banished outside to kick a ball around with friends or of playing one-v-one against a neighbour on your…
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“Maradona would have been shit if he was from the North Pole.” Alongside genetics, the surrounding environment plays a pivotal role in the development of a young footballer according to Stefano Bonaccorso, head of one of Europe’s most prolific youth academies at Atalanta. I was at a trimonthly training day, held at the Centro Sportivo Bortolotti, where…
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The concept of aggregation by marginal gains was first championed by British cycling performance director Sir David Brailsford. In an interview with the BBC during the aftermath of the London 2012 Olympics, he remarked: “The whole principle came from the idea that if you broke down everything you could think of that goes into riding…
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Will West Ham ever return to the days where local lads played beautiful football among their peers, with many born close to the stadium itself? It’s highly unlikely, but that won’t stop a section of the support wondering what happened to the famed Academy of Football. In an era where many Premier League clubs sniff…
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The principle of Occam’s Razor states that “entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily” and is popularly interpreted as suggesting that among competing hypotheses the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected. It’s a problem-solving tool for scientists, enabling them to distinguish between different explanatory hypotheses. It has applications across a variety of fields, but…
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When Sheikh Mansour sanctioned the purchase of Manchester City back in September 2008, many neutral supporters believed that the Arabian Deputy Prime Minister would leave the club soon after. That, however, was wide of the mark and his claim that “we are building a structure for the future, not just a team of all-stars” is now…
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FC Barcelona’s La Masia academy has been amongst the most efficient of youth systems over the past 25 years. Following Johan Cruyff’s reconstruction that dates back to 1988 (his original idea was pitched to the club nine years prior) – where coaching and education guidelines were rebuilt completely – the Blaugrana have been responsible for rocketing…
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CALI IS OFTEN BILLED AS THE SALSA CITY OF THE WORLD and portrayed as a city beating to the rhythm of the dance clubs and music bars of La Sexta. Perhaps, though, it will soon feature as the next pit stop on the football pilgrim’s map. Cali is home to Colombia’s domestic football reigning champions Deportivo…
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This feature is part of The Academy Way IN THE AFTERMATH OF ARSENAL’S first Emirates Cup win since 2010, following a 1-0 win against VfL Wolfsburg, the spotlight was firmly focused on one player. Kevin De Bruyne, the hustling Belgian playmaker subject of admiring glances from around Europe, wasn’t the centre of attention, neither was Nicklas…
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As featured on Guardian Sport IN THE 14TH MINUTE of Barcelona’s game against Levante on November 25, 2012, Martin Montoya replaced Dani Alves completing a significant moment in the history of the club. For the first time in Barça’s history the entire first-team comprised of players who had graduated through the club’s historic La Masia academy.…
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This feature is part The Academy Way IN A WORLD FULL OF UNITEDS AND CITYS, there is only one Hotspur. Tottenham Hotspur is a club with a long and illustrious history; the first in the 20th century to achieve the FA Cup and League double in 1961. Spurs were also the first British club to win…
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This feature is part of The academy Way In the build-up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil there was a feverish excitement bubbling around Marc Wilmots’ Belgium squad, with many making a bold prediction that they would reach the latter stages of a tournament that had seen them impress only once; with a fourth-placed finish…
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This feature is part of The Academy Way Invading the pristine St Mary’s pitch in their thousands, Southampton fans swarmed with a feverish energy towards the visiting Burnley faithful. Smoke grenades, plastic bottles and insults were hurled between the two groups until the slim line of police managed to force the northerners back under the stands.…
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This feature is part of The Academy Way On the northern edge of Buenos Aires, on the banks of the Rio de la Plata, resides a giant of Argentine club football: Club Atlético River Plate. The history of the sporting club runs deeper than just football as the club accommodates a variety of sports, but its…
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This feature is part of The Academy Way Few academies in world football that can boast a history brimming with illustrious names quite like Sporting CP’s. The Academia Sporting, located in the Portuguese municipality of Alcochete, has produced a roll call of superstars throughout the ages. From Luís Figo to Cristiano Ronaldo, Sporting’s academy is responsible…
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