Winning the World Cup is a matter of pride for many, but the individual glory is arguably the next best thing when heading out to the finals, and the Golden Boot award,…
How the Luzhniki Stadium became a monument through 60 years of triumph and tragedy
Russia’s epic World Cup victory against Spain in the round…
The freedom and fire of Croatia’s unique relationship with midfield generals
Croatia wrestled their independence from the iron grip of Yugoslavia…
Kevin De Bruyne and the journey to perfecting midfield simplicity
Leonardo Da Vinci once said: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Life…
A history of the best young players at the World Cup since 1990
The World Cup is a stage for players to perform.…
When heroes could’ve been legends: England, Sven and the disappointment of a tepid 2002 World Cup campaign
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. In the centre of…
The making of Luis Suárez: a year in Groningen
As featured on Guardian Sport Despite its obvious and very…
How the unflappable Igor Akinfeev cemented himself in Russian football folklore
Awaking across Europe on the morning of 1 July, fans were…
How Ayrton Senna and Brazil’s football team helped forge a proud national identity in the early 1990s
Everyone needs a hero at some point in their life. Brazil…
Uruguay, Eduardo Galeano and football sanctity in the land of the disappeared
“The veins of Latin America are bleeding.” In a leafy…
How Sweden defied the odds, and their form, to reach new levels in Russia
There were 95 minutes on the clock as Toni Kroos…
Vladimir Petković: the migrant who struggled his way to the top of Swiss football
In 1976, an energetic and exuberant 41-year-old Bosnian Croat named…
How Kylian Mbappé defined the striker of the future against Argentina
Twenty minutes into France’s 4–3 victory over Argentina in the…
Turning Mexico into a global football superpower through elite player development
When US border police found over half a million dollars’…
Japan and the 100-year vision
In 1991, Japanese football was at its lowest point. Their top…
Where does Edinson Cavani rank amongst his generation’s best strikers?
When Neymar officially signed for Paris Saint-Germain in August 2017,…
What happened to Yoann Gourcuff, the next Zidane?
It was a goal that was impossible to ignore, the…
Pablo Aimar: the elegant magician who inspired a generation
“You’re too young to be playing that much football and…
Watching Spain-Morocco in Melilla and Ceuta: Spain’s enclaves in North Africa
Nordin Amrabat spent last season living in Madrid and playing…
Wayne Rooney, Major League Soccer and supporting a team that doesn’t care about winning
It was obvious that Kobe Bryant had lost it in…
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Original Series
The 50
The Football Italia Years
A Tale of One City
The Masterminds
The Fleeting Fraternity
A World of Ultras
