Cometh the hour, cometh the man. In the centre of the field, shaded from the autumn sun, a lean young man in white stands, feet apart; a slight hunch to his shoulders,…
Month: July 2018
As featured on Guardian Sport Despite its obvious and very pragmatic function, the humble umbrella has proven itself more foe than friend to football managers. The modern game’s umbrella-related history is short and…
Awaking across Europe on the morning of 1 July, fans were left to reflect on what would supposedly be a relatively calm day of World Cup action. Following the eliminations of Cristiano Ronaldo…
Achieving something that the politicians couldn’t, Ayrton Senna and Brazil’s football team offered hopes and dreams to the masses in a beleaguered nation
With an astoundingly vast and vibrant portfolio that strides confidently through the various worlds of football — domestic, international and street — and with a clients list that features Nike, Esquire, Mr…
There were 95 minutes on the clock as Toni Kroos and Marco Reus stood menacingly, eyeing up a last-gasp free-kick for Germany after Jimmy Durmaz had clumsily brought down Timo Werner right…
In 1976, an energetic and exuberant 41-year-old Bosnian Croat named Miroslav Blažević was appointed as manager of the Switzerland national team. Back then, the ethnic composition of the central Europeans was largely…
Twenty minutes into France’s 4–3 victory over Argentina in the World Cup round of 16, Paul Pogba restarted play with a long ball from deep in his own half. He hit the…
When US border police found over half a million dollars’ worth of methamphetamine stashed inside Daniel Gómez’s car at 6am on 5 April 2017, the Tijuana reserve defender’s career came crashing down.…
In 1991, Japanese football was at its lowest point. Their top flight was played by amateurs and the football association knew something needed to be done. The birth of the J League soon…
When Neymar officially signed for Paris Saint-Germain in August 2017, the dominant narrative surrounding his decision to leave was that he did not want to be in Lionel Messi’s shadow. The Brazilian…