La Máquina allowed footballers to explore depths of their flair, establish what it meant to be Argentine, and to do it all in their own way
Across almost 20 years, the unmistakable, but equally mistakable, Berezutski twins formed the heart of CSKA Moscow and Russia’s defence
The only Ukrainian footballer to ever win the Ballon d’Or, Oleg Blokhin’s records stand him out as perhaps the greatest Eastern European footballer of all
This feature is a part of RETEUROSPECTIVE While Marco van Basten lit up the final of Euro 88 with his stupendous volley to seal the Netherlands’ win over the Soviet Union, few…
Few individuals crossed the divide between the Falklands and Argentina in the 1990s. Martyn Clarke – a former trialist at Boca Juniors – was one of those
This feature is part of Virtuoso “Genius is digging yourself out of the hole in which you sometimes find yourself. It’s learning from your failures that makes you succeed.” Eric Cantona’s words…
One look at the psychedelic maelstrom of noise and colour was enough to convince me to turn back at once. As our train pulled into Zürich Hauptbahnhof, the sight of thousands of techno-house enthusiasts crowding…
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.…
ALPACAS ARE INTRIGUING ANIMALS. Their thick, tough fur has been used for millennia to produce high-quality clothes, rugs and textiles, and while they trace their roots back to the wild Andes of…
RECEIVING THE BALL in acres of space on the plush Hampden Park pitch, Andrei Kanchelskis looked up to assess his options. With Rangers already 3-0 up against a wasteful Ayr United and…
Illustration by Federico Manasse “Get out of the way, I’m going to whack it!” With the pent-up intensity of a solid six foot two inch frame sporting a snarling bulldog behind those words,…
Illustration by Federico Manasse Very few players have united a whole country quite like Hugo Sánchez, but then there have been few players like the Real Madrid legend. When Mexico’s hottest property…
Illustration by Federico Manasse How do you measure greatness? Statistics, trophies and personal accolades are often touted as the benchmarks, but for Lev Yashin, the best indication is through the reputation he…
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
It was hard to tell what was more disconcerting – the abrupt sign warning that firearms were banned or the eerie emptiness that enveloped the ground. Although piercing sunshine blazed all around,…
At the very last second, the ball whipped inside the whitewashed wooden stanchion, pinging across the goal into the far side netting with a satisfying ripple. It was a stunning strike from…
This feature is part of The Masterminds: 10 Under 45 Joseph Bonaparte was a calm, unassuming man, but not really cut out to be king. Originally persuaded by his parents to train…
How many rebirths can one man have? So much of football is a matter of perspective, but Viktor Goncharenko must be pondering that very question as he stages his latest renaissance. At…