Valeriy Lobanovskyi sat on the bench, hands clasped tight. With frown lines permanently etched into his forehead, he occasionally rocked back and forth. Even as a proven, successful manager he was an image…
Tag: legend
David Beckham crouched low in front of the MLS Cup, a Cheshire grin etched across his bronzed face. His three young sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz chased after their dad as he posed…
Stylish, flamboyant and a free-kick master. A wonderful range of passing, a quick decision maker, creative, patient and composed. Such superlatives could be about any number of brilliant players throughout football’s history. Perhaps reading…
NIKITA PAVLOVICH SIMONYAN IS A NAME THAT, while relatively unknown to young people today, holds a special place in the hearts of those who were around to watch him play. Known for his…
Elegant, intelligent, incisive and a match-winner; terms that can be applied to the greats of the game, and terms that unequivocally apply to Dublin’s Liam Brady. A midfielder with touch and poise ahead…
There has always been a condescending stigma attached when a talented player leaves Europe for the eastern side of the world: Asamoah Gyan was disowned by football purists for turning down a career…
Deep in the Barranco Seco, a light-hearted game of tag broke the morning sun. Pre-season in Gran Canaria’s capital was officially underway, while the promotion celebrations of June were finally put to an…
Ten long years after Kenneth Wolstenholme’s oft-quoted words became forever etched in football’s annals, signalling the end of West Germany’s World Cup dream at a jam-packed Wembley Stadium on July 30, 1966, the…
Fabio Capello appeared to be on the brink. Two victories in his last 10 games in charge of the Russia national team prompted a crisis meeting with his bosses on Wednesday, talks that…
NOTHING LASTS FOREVER. If a footballer’s legacy to the game is to be summed up in their farewell match or testimonial, then they and the fans that try to imprint some lasting…
FROM TODAY’S STANDPOINT where the media is becoming over-sensationalised and saturated with flashy headlines, vines and stories, it can be hard to take the time to fully appreciate a feel-good story. Although…
THERE IS AN EVOCATIVE PHOTOGRAPH of Terry McDermott which was caught on camera in the aftermath of the 1974 FA Cup final. In this photograph McDermott is stood on the Wembley turf,…
Wolfgang-Felix Magath wasn’t always the sadistic, cheese-toting crank he’s now portrayed as being. A long time ago, before Fulham, Hangeland and the Quarkwickel, he was a footballer. And a very good one at…
As featured on Guardian Sport In today’s modern climate of highly paid footballers, fans outside of England are deprived of one of the game’s greatest pleasures, namely the wandering superstar. Gone are the…
As featured on Guardian Sport THE NUMBER 10 INSIDE LEFT for Cork Celtic that day zipped around the field with ease, leaving the Bohemians defence consistently baffled. He feinted one way and then…
As featured on Guardian Sport AS TV BECOMES increasingly saturated by football coverage, there is a chance that fans might take for the granted the mortality of footballers’ professional careers and the lifespans…