Winning the World Cup is a matter of pride for many, but the individual glory…
Nine trophies in 342 games: the colossal legacy of Vicente del Bosque
FEW MANAGERS IN the history of football boast as impressive a CV as Vicente del…
The 2006 World Cup: a tournament better than many remember
THE WORLD CUP IS MAGICAL. For any fan of the sport, whether your country is…
Czech Republic: the dark horses who set Euro 2004 alight
INTERNATIONAL TEAMS’ greatest eras come along so sporadically, and that is what makes them so…
Why Claudio Marchisio is still the prince of Turin
AFTER 73 MINUTES of an all-action display, the fans in the deafening Juventus Stadium stood…
Rui Faria: brutalist, loyalist and José Mourinho’s indispensable assistant
JOSÉ MOURINHO HASNT HAD THE BEST RELATIONSHIP with the fine city of Barcelona after his…
Zinedine Zidane: the Juventus diaries
ZINEDINE ZIDANE AND EXCELLENCE have rarely been too far apart. A midfielder of supreme quality,…
Cafu: the born winner who became the most complete full-back of his time
JAMIE CARRAGHER’S LIGHT-HEARTED JIBE AT GARY NEVILLE over his career as a full-back on an…
Park Ji-sung: the first nuclear-powered South Korean
Illustration by Federico Manasse For a man who was once described by Andrea Pirlo as…
Juan Arango: the wizard of Venezuela
Illustration by Federico Manasse Hailing from a country not popularly renowned for its football culture,…
Zlatan Ibrahimović: Sweden’s unstoppable man of gold
Illustration by Federico Manasse From the ghettos of Rosengård to the brightest lights in Amsterdam,…
The making of Zlatan Ibrahimović at Ajax
IF EVER THERE WAS THE PERFECT WAY TO SCORE your last goal for a club,…
A beacon of loyalty and skill: the career of Darijo Srna
ISTANBUL, 2009. Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk are playing German giants Werder Bremen in the final…
Venezia FC and the journey back to relevance
ON 15 APRIL 2017, a packed Stadio Pierluigi Penzo celebrated an occasion now etched forever…
Redefining boundaries and Monday motivation: the career of Patrice Evra
MONDAY MOTIVATION carries with it a now-famous hashtag displayed across various social media feeds as…
José Mourinho and the dark triad at Real Madrid
IT IS HARD to find a man as polarising as José Mourinho in modern football.…
From poverty in Ecuador to Old Trafford: the battling career of Antonio Valencia
THE DATE IS 14 SEPTEMBER 2010 and Manchester United are squaring off against Scottish champions…
Diego Maradona: the disastrous Sevilla diaries
ASK ANY FOOTBALL FOLLOWER about the greatest players to play the sport and Diego Maradona…