The penalty kick is the rawest distillation of psychology and repetitive practice in football – but what makes a player good or bad at them?
Why Owen Hargreaves never quite found the adulation he surely deserved in Canada, Germany or England
Owen Hargreaves could have had it all and, in some ways, he did – there’s just a niggling feeling that it could’ve been so much more
Despite his near-misses, when leading men, when redefining a role and offering hope where none was to be found, Michael Ballack was king
Cantona has become an icon for France and England: a legend and a man whose genius, as both footballer and public philosopher, remains unquestioned
Beyond his talents, which remains absurdly questioned to this day, David Beckham broke ground in English football – a footballer who transcended society
Superstitious, wealthy and ambitious: Jorge Hank Rhon, the owner of Liga MX’s Xolos, is on a mission to change the face of his city and football team
If we are to put a stop to, or positively alter, the direction football is taking, it will require out-of-the-box thinking similar to Jimmy Hill’s
At odds of 5000/1, Leicester, for most, needed a miracle to lift the 2016 Premier League title – but the stars aligned and the world rejoiced
Buoyed by a movement of unparalleled ferocity and size, Hands off Hibs would undertake one of Scottish football’s most remarkable feats
When Bob Marley was buried at the tragically young age of 36, he took with him his three favoured possession: his guitar, a Bible and a football
“Britain used sports, amongst other methods, in an attempt to control a country. But, with football, they instead succeeded in setting one free”
To some they’re destroying a game growing faster than ever, but the reality is that Indonesia’s violent ultras are the product of years of corruption
Some managers are certain of their ways, relying on either data or instinct. Few marry both. But perhaps the philosophy of Stoicism is the way forward
It’s tricky to explain why but through the likes of Boca Juniors, Napoli, Marseille and Hibs, football has gained so much through its port-side clubs
A master in the art of psychology, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United were often a goal up before they’d kicked a ball. Today, they need it again
This feature is part of Virtuoso The instructions from coach Jim Ryan were simple: the game’s buried, take it easy, we don’t need any more goals. That was in the 72nd minute,…
This feature is part of Virtuoso The thing about the emergence of greatness is that when you see it, you know. It will not initially manifest to the full order of magnitude…
Forgive this comparison if you were not born in the generation that will immediately relate, although I suspect that with the slight help of Google, your memory may be jogged. When I…