Matt Gault

Senior Writer

Kevin Keegan: the Messiah of Newcastle

Few men have won the adulation and love of the Newcastle faithful quite like Kevin Keegan. This is the love-affair between a city and its Messiah

A Tale of One City: São Paulo

This feature is a part of A Tale of One City THE PALMEIRAS PLAYERS had had enough, and they snapped. Like blood trickling down the water in front of a ravenous shark, they…

The politicised history of Argentine football

FOOTBALL IS UNDOUBTEDLY the most feverishly followed sport in Argentina, much like its South American neighbours. However, Argentina is distinctive in that football and politics have remained inextricably linked throughout history and this…

Eric Cantona: the making of a legend

Part I: Eric Cantona: the early French years The making of Cantona the legend in England actually started with an ill-fated and short-lived spell at Sheffield Wednesday. Cantona didn’t feel right at Hillsborough and…

The Ajax utopia under Louis van Gaal

It was hopeless – Patrick Kluivert was too quick, too aggressive and too alert for AC Milan to nullify his threat. Fifteen minutes after emerging from the bench to replace Jari Litmanen, the…

A Tale of One City: Rio de Janeiro

This feature is part of A Tale of One City “When did Fla-Flu begin? I dare to say: Fla-Flu has no beginning. Fla-Flu has no end. Fla-Flu came into existence 40 minutes before…

A Tale of One City: Milan

This feature is part of A Tale of One City Italian football is missing something. Throughout the storied lifetime of Serie A, there have been many of the greatest players to grace the…

A Tale of One City: Glasgow

This feature is part of A Tale of One City There are football rivalries around the world that are intensified by issues of race, class, politics and religion. It’s what drives a football…

A Tale of One City: Istanbul

This feature is a part of A Tale of One City ISTANBUL IS A BREATHTAKING CITY. Locals call it ‘the city that is older than time itself’. The ancient town, formerly known as…

The incredible story of FK Qarabag

As featured on Guardian Sport FAR AWAY FROM the headline-dominating transfers of Luis Suárez to Barcelona and James Rodríguez to Real Madrid, the Azerbaijani capital of Baku has enjoyed its own back-page delight…

Football in Juárez, Mexico, the murder capital of the world

Héctor Gómez had just sent half the Estadio Leóninto into hysteria. His goal for Club Indios de Ciudad Juárez made it 2-2 against rival Léon and virtually ensured Indios’ passage into the highest tier…

The chaotic world of Al Ahly and their Ahlawy ultras

Al Ahly fans are used to success. In 2000, they received the highest honour from the Confederation of African Football by being named African Club of the Century, and who could argue with…

Football in the shadow of conflict

IN JUNE 1969, AROUND THE TIME WHEN THE USA’S CAMPAIGN IN VIETNAM RAGED to epic proportions and caught the nervous attention of the watching world, a different conflict much closer to home was…