This feature is part of Virtuoso The feelings. They’re what I remember most when I remember Dennis Bergkamp. The feelings of wonder, with every billowing chip and defence-melting through ball. The feelings…
This feature is taken exclusively from the European Cup issue of These Football Times magazine. Support independent journalism by ordering a copy and enjoying 140 pages of award-winning writing. – After 42…
Undefeated. That was the word on the minds of River Plate fans as their team marched into La Bombonera on 11 December 1994. Not once in their 93-year history had Los Millonarios won a trophy without losing…
You can’t trust black goalkeepers. So said the prevailing wisdom for much of the last century. Black players, the story went, are untrustworthy – fine on the wing but lacking in fight.…
Señor Dávila blew the final whistle, sending the Balaídos stadium into raptures. Celta Vigo had just qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history, a 3-2 victory over Real…
For a country that’s linked so intrinsically with catenaccio, Italy has had its fair share of mavericks. From Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano to Ezio Vendrame and Paolo Rossi, calcio is rich with subversives and trendsetters.…
In 1532, Niccolò Machiavelli published a now-famous treatise on leadership and governance. ‘Il Principe’ advised that, in an imperfect world, man must do whatever it takes to succeed and thrive. Machiavelli argued that…
This feature is part of Duology I hated Manchester United growing up. I’m an Arsenal fan, so it was easy. They were always our biggest rivals; the only team in the country…
“I often tell people I have the best job in the world.” Justin McMinn has every reason to be boastful. In the course of an interview with These Football Times, however, the founder of Street…
“Cultural genocide.” Those were the words of Jean-Marie Tjibaou, leader of the Kanak Independence Movement, after the French Government introduced a controversial statute in the territory of New Caledonia in 1988. The law,…
Northern Cyprus will play Kárpátalja in the final of the CONIFA World Football Cup after a dramatic day in Carshalton. Two barnstorming matches were decided by brilliant individuals, with Billy Mehmet and…
In just over a week, 736 footballers will descend on Russia. Thousands of high-definition cameras will record their every move, with armies of pundits crowbarring analyses and veering to hare-brained conclusions. It might…
Two years ago, Barawa’s first competitive game ended in misery. Tamil Eelam were just too good at Gander Green Lane, romping to a 4-0 victory in the World Unity Cup. On Thursday evening,…
“Dad, your record’s gone.” Roy Makaay couldn’t believe it. For four years, his opportunistic strike against Real Madrid had been the quickest goal in Champions League history. Now, a text from his…
Few men in South African football have had impact of Jomo Sono. Fewer still had to endure the challenges that this gifted maverick did
FOR 24 HOURS, Ahmadreza Abedzadeh was the most important man on the planet. Lyon’s Stade Gerland is an unlikely stage for geopolitical drama, but it was here on 21 June 1998 that…
This article is taken from the Battle of the 10s issue of These Football Times Magazine, which you can order today. “Who’s that black guy that scored three goals in 20 minutes?…
Displaced people don’t make the headlines anymore. That’s the truth that allows human beings to rot in detention centres. That’s the reality that forces thousands to live in dangerous ghettos. The displacement of…