As James Milner completes pre-season number 20, players of his ilk are becoming rarer in football – and we’re all the worse for it
This feature is a part of RETEUROSPECTIVE The Euro 1984 semi-final between Denmark and Spain had it all, a nerve-wracking affair from the start. One the one side was Denmark, in an…
While the Gálacticos era will be remembered for the wondrous play of Zidane, Ronaldo, Figo and Roberto Carlos, there is a place at the table for McManaman
Football has never been more beautiful; it has never championed attacking play and theatrics more. And yet, it is missing the other side of the coin
There’s a reason people who’d seen him play would joke, “If Paolo Maldini was the Minister of Defense, no country would want to attack Italy.”
Postmen, mill workers and funeral directors made up the US team at the 1950 World Cup – and they’d go on to spring a surprise of epic proportions
The Christmas Truce match of 1914 between warring Allied and German soldiers on the Western Front is the stuff of legend. But did it really take place?
This feature is part of Virtuoso The sign of a good goalkeeper is they save the shots they’re supposed to save. The sign of a great goalkeeper, however, is when they save…
This feature is part of Virtuoso The year is 1994 and the late-August sun gleams down on the Anfield pitch as Liverpool lock horns with a powerfully-constructed Arsenal side. On the day,…
This feature is part of Duology Football is blessed with a most illustrious history of superb duos that have made their livings creating nothing short of magic on the pitch. One team…
Imagine a striker tall in stature but with lightning-quick feet, a velvety deft first touch, the explosiveness of a coiled spring, the flexibility and acrobatic ability of a gymnast, and the footballing IQ…
FOR THE AMERICAN GAME AT-LARGE – from every conceivable angle – nothing is what it seems. A diverse country with vast amounts of resources and a well-established sporting infrastructure has ensured these…
Illustration by Federico Manasse The word ‘brilliant’ is overused in talking about football’s greats. But if ever there were a player that encapsulated shades of Johan Cruyff’s technique, the journeyman status of…
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,…
WATCH ENOUGH HIGH-LEVEL MATCHES and one begins to appreciate the complexity of true player development – or at the very least, acknowledge it. The problem, however, is that many mistake appreciating the…
This feature is part of The Masterminds FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT IS A RUTHLESS PROFESSION. The prerequisites for managing a professional team in Germany, a country known for producing excellent football, players, coaches and…
Illustration by Akinyele Lexain Olalekan IT’S JANUARY 2004 and Bolton Wanderers are playing Aston Villa in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final. In the 80th minute, Bolton are awarded a free-kick…
It is often the players who seek the elusive who find the ‘what might have been’ in football. Some players are simply part of the wrong generation. This generation is one where club…