At their best they were some of the world’s finest players in their position – thanks to a brotherly rivalry. This is the story of Diego and Gabriel Milito
From These Football Times magazines comes an exclusive feature looking at the life and times of Argentina and Inter legend, Javier Zanetti
The opening goal set a hypnotically frantic tone. Captivatingly familiar for a derby game. Quality’s void filled with the excruciating knowledge that something is always about to happen. In clearing a David Unsworth…
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…
The thing with being an instantly likeable footballer is that it’s oddly linked with being consigned to relative obscurity. As a mercurially gifted playmaker, Gianfranco Zola dazzled fans wherever he played. He was a magician.…
SET TO THE BACKDROP of a harsh and heavy winter sky, a January evening spectating at the Johan Cruijff Arena can feel an unforgiving endeavour. The air’s damp chill – aided by…
TRADITIONALLY, ‘while Amsterdam dreams, Rotterdam works’ – or so the saying goes. Extending the stereotype, Ajax Amsterdam often appear to mirror their hedonistic city’s defiant confidence. It appears – wrongly – as…
BARRY HULSHOFF – beard unkempt, socks rolled down and a mullet with a life of its own – was something of a prototype. Looking something like the love child of Rod Stewart…
PREENING, POINTING, POSTURING AND PARADING; the managerial theatre played out in top-flight football’s technical areas is more often than not fascinating. Dugouts used to be quite literal – a sunken structure almost…
Often laughed off as something of a comic figure, Jorge Campos, for all his wild jerseys, was, in fact, one of the world’s best goalkeepers
NORTHAMPTON IS A perennial middle-of-the-road town. Located almost equidistantly between Birmingham and London, it represents an interestingly unmemorable stopover. Sitting staunchly somewhere between underwhelmingly attractive and downright ugly, Northampton is neither poor…
Illustration by Federico Manasse Kenny Dalglish is a man of contrasting qualities. He’s a deceptive five foot eight inches, yet immense in stature. He is often adorned with a seemingly prickly demeanour,…
Illustration by Federico Manasse The multifarious sphere of footballing history encompasses many greats. Some prove greatness via a trophy cabinet, some gain notoriety for a single goal or piece of skill, some…
Watching Carlos Valderrama in slow motion provides quite the spectacle, for he is one of South America’s most silky midfielders of all-time
THERE WAS A TIME, NOT LONG AGO, when footballers were permitted the luxury of vastly different physical forms and appearances. Today’s identikit toolbox of tattoos, ruggedly groomed facial hair, short back and…
Pareidolia – the perceiving of familiarity where none exists – is a more common psychological phenomenon than you might think. Frequently reported examples include; finding images in cloud formations, visualising a man…
Delving into the treasure troves of Dutch football’s history is an often emotive and enriching experience. Juxtaposed to the relative mediocrity of the present, the Netherlands’ footballing past showcases a talent pool…
Reporting for pre-season training in the summer of 1971, not many at Bayern Munich recognised Gerd Müller. To those even remotely familiar with the career of Der Bomber, this would seem perplexing.…