Illustration by Federico Manasse Saturday 19 May 2012, the Allianz Arena in Munich – home of Bayern Munich. The Champions League final looked as if it was going to be a victory for…
Month: August 2017
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…
Erwin Sánchez was, at his best, as good as most other South American playmakers in the 1990s, however, his time at the top was masked from the limelight
Illustration by Federico Manasse If you didn’t know who he was, you would perhaps take one look at Nwankwo Kanu and think he was anything but a footballer. His appendicular skeleton looks…
Perhaps no man in football history has had as wide an impact on his nation’s game as Franz Beckenbauer, a man synonymous with leadership and success
Illustration by Federico Manasse Switzerland have never been an imposing football power. When the big tournaments have rolled around, Switzerland have proven themselves somewhat proficient, qualifying for their fair share, but never…
Illustration by Federico Manasse The football world remembers Greece for its stubbornness and industry in Euro 2004. The shrewd, workmanlike effort to shut the game down, preserve a lead, bleed the clock,…
Illustration by Federico Manasse Peter Schmeichel frantically back-peddled as Aljoša Asanović sent a wonderfully precise diagonal pass from his own half, a pass which Davor Šuker, situated on the far left, took…
Illustration by Federico Manasse There may never be another footballer as supreme as Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé. The argument of who truly deserves the title of ‘Greatest Footballer’…
Illustration by Federico Manasse The 1980s were arguably the greatest era for the fabled number 10 shirt, especially in South America. The digits are inextricably linked with the fantasista; the player who…
Illustration by Federico Manasse To be celebrated as the greatest and most successful footballer your home continent has ever produced would induce great pride in any individual. When that same individual places…
Watching Carlos Valderrama in slow motion provides quite the spectacle, for he is one of South America’s most silky midfielders of all-time
Illustration by Federico Manasse Iraq’s national football team, the Lions of Mesopotamia, have scored just one World Cup goal in their entire history. It was at Mexico 86, the only time they’ve…
Illustration by Federico Manasse The parameters for defining greatness are increasingly measured quantitatively. Players are judged by trophies won, goals scored and appearances amassed. But can such a mutable construct solely be…
Illustration by Federico Manasse It took Benni McCarthy some time to score his first-ever international goal, but when he eventually managed it, everyone at the Bobo Dioulasso stadium knew they were watching…
Illustration by Federico Manasse It’s a curiosity that while Egyptians Mohamed Salah, Mohamed Elneny, Mido, Amr Zaki and Ahmed Elmohamady are all readily familiar to fans across Europe, comparatively few would instantly…
Illustration by Federico Manasse Few sportsmen have been the subject of as many words or column inches as Cristiano Ronaldo, a footballer whose achievements are so vast, varied and staggering it is…
Illustration by Federico Manasse From the ghettos of Rosengård to the brightest lights in Amsterdam, Milan, Paris and beyond, Zlatan Ibrahimović has done it all in a career punctuated by continued excellence.…