Rarely has a single photograph encapsulated the quintessence of one footballer and, by extension, his team, nation and culture, with such spontaneity and artistry in equal measure. The picture in question was captured…
Tag: juventus
THE COMMON ATTRACTION we often have with footballers derives from what these individuals accomplish with the boots laced up and between the lines. Whether it’s a timely back-heel that comes off with…
AFTER 73 MINUTES of an all-action display, the fans in the deafening Juventus Stadium stood on their feet to applaud their hero as he departed the pitch. Six months without any football…
THE NUMBER 10 SHIRT IS SACRED IN FOOTBALL. It’s a number that carries much pressure and weight given its tradition and the players who have worn it in the past. That is…
In an era littered with pure athletes and raw physical specimens, it is the game’s artists that separate themselves from the rest. They’re the ones who dictate matches; the ones who make…
Moving to Juventus for a world-record £12 million, Gianluca Vialli has to overcome a poor start to reach modern hero status in calcio
There’s a song by Sud Sound System, a reggae group from the Italian region of Apulia, that begins like this: ‘If you never forget your roots, you’ll be able to respect those…
Two of the finest strikers of their generation took to the field for Inter Milan on the final day of the 2001/02 Serie A season, with their side needing to win at Lazio…
THE POWER OF ONE FOOTBALLER can often have an immeasurable impact on a club. Although the collective efforts of 11 players ultimately trump the effect of a single player, teams can easily…
Calcio in the 1990s was the golden age of modern football. From Franco Baresi and George Weah to Marco van Basten and Gabriel Batistuta, there were a good seven teams that could…
LAND OF MY FATHERS swept through the cold St David’s Day air, the Swansea Male Voice Choir sang for one of their own. The crowds outside the Leeds parish church were there…
Illustration by Federico Manasse The word ‘brilliant’ is overused in talking about football’s greats. But if ever there were a player that encapsulated shades of Johan Cruyff’s technique, the journeyman status of…
Illustration by Federico Manasse Football is seldom, if ever, free from political realities. Had it not been for the collapse of Communism in 1989, Pavel Nedvěd’s career would have likely followed the…
Illustration by Federico Manasse The 1982 World Cup may just have boasted more great teams, players and matches than any other since. Champions Italy, the brilliant France of Platini, Giresse and Tigana,…
Illustration by Federico Manasse When Alexis Sanchez gave Chile an early lead against Germany in a 2017 Confederations Cup group stage encounter, he brought an end to a 10-year record. It was…
Illustration by Federico Manasse “Zidane is a myth,” said former France coach Raymond Domenech. “A myth capable of setting off emotions in people, and not only positive ones.” Domenech’s assessment of a player…
The brutality was as effective as it was violent. The claustrophobia inflicted on his opponents was stifling to the point of suffocation. Reputations were swept away as easily as a standing leg…
After two consecutive seventh-place finishes, Juventus put plenty of faith in their veteran leadership to steer them back to the upper echelons of Italian football. Over the last six years, their old…