No manager on English shores did more to advance the game in the early part of the 20th century than Huddersfield and Arsenal legend Herbert Chapman
Rivaldo: the shameless showman from the favelas
Peter Schmeichel often produced not only brilliant reactions with his saves but brilliant reactions to goals he could not save. He was a great animator between the sticks for Manchester United, and perhaps…
How Mark Viduka hit his scoring peak with four memorable goals against Liverpool
This feature is part of Virtuoso Before becoming the poster club for cataclysmic financial mismanagement, Leeds United were good. Very good. Just after the turn of the millennium, David O’Leary’s band of…
What happened to Dmytro Chygrynskiy, Barcelona’s £20 million defender?
At the end of the sublime, cinematically perfect 2008/09 season, Barcelona stood apart from their rivals. LaLiga champions, Copa del Rey winners and Champions League conquerors, this was a team not often…
Remembering Manchester United and Barcelona’s epic 3-3 draw in September 1998
On a clear autumn’s evening in Manchester, a young midfielder trembles on the Old Trafford touchline. Hearing the rousing din of 50,000 supporters inside English club football’s biggest stadium was an immense…
What happened to Yoann Gourcuff, the next Zidane?
It was a goal that was impossible to ignore, the kind of high-level showboatery that’s worth the price of admission alone. On a misty January evening inside the Stade Chaban-Delmas in Bordeaux,…
Fulham: a journey to Europe
When Roy Hodgson took charge as manager of Fulham in December 2007, the outlook for the Cottagers was bleak. The west London side languished in 18th, two points from safety, having only managed…
Gabriel Batistuta: the textbook finisher whose goals made us dream
Sometimes, watching football leaves an indelible mark on a young boy’s imagination. In 1999, I was seven years old and my obsession with Manchester United was reaching new heights after watching them win…
Thierry Henry and the rise to become the modern striking blueprint
Growing up as a Manchester United fan in the era of the Arsenal Invincibles, I perhaps would have been excused for disliking Thierry Henry. The Frenchman was the archetypal player to strike fear…
How Wesley Sneijder fuelled a football awakening like few others
WE ALL HAVE OUR FOOTBALL MEMORIES. As fans, we cherish them. We need them, whether they’re good or bad. They have shaped our journey. For those of a certain vintage, the apex…
Michel Platini vs Paulo Roberto Falcão: a calcio rivalry for the ages
THE POWER OF ONE FOOTBALLER can often have an immeasurable impact on a club. Although the collective efforts of 11 players ultimately trump the effect of a single player, teams can easily…
Pelé: the Brazil legend yet to be toppled
Illustration by Federico Manasse There may never be another footballer as supreme as Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé. The argument of who truly deserves the title of ‘Greatest Footballer’…
Marco Reus and the inescapable void of his career
ON 6 JUNE 2014, Marco Reus’s professional life plunged into darkness. Darkness often touches professional footballers, but for this exceptionally blessed German playmaker, it was a darkness that would come to plague…
Sebastian Deisler and the pressures of elite sport
This feature is part of The Fleeting Fraternity Imagine being billed as the next superstar of German football. Imagine the sheer immensity of the pressure, the constant spotlight on your every move. Imagine…
Can Vincenzo Montella make AC Milan great again?
This feature is part of The Masterminds: 10 Under 45 Vincenzo Montella is not entirely dissimilar to Roberto Mancini. Like the former Inter and Manchester City manager, Montella exudes effortless charisma and…
Can Leonardo Jardim follow in the footsteps of José Mourinho and achieve glory?
This feature is part of The Masterminds: 10 Under 45 On 25 February 2015, Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim arrived at the Emirates Stadium with a plan. That plan – executed immaculately by…
The making of Antonio Conte: a journey from Lecce to Chelsea
As featured on Guardian Sport SOME FOOTBALLERS HAVE the privilege of working under gifted tacticians and thoroughbred winners during their careers, but it’s the intuitive ones who take it upon themselves to…
Why Eddie Howe is on course to become one of Europe’s best managers
This feature is part of The Masterminds: 10 Under 45 When Eddie Howe announced his retirement from football at the age of 29, he wasn’t certain what fate had in store for…