The world of football has expanded beyond imagination in the last century. It no longer exists as merely a sport, but as a culture. Football is different in every country across the…
Tag: barcelona
“I was nine or 10-years-old and my father was sacked on Christmas Day. He was a manager, the results had not been good, he lost a game on December 22 or 23. On…
In King Lear, when the hapless footman Oswald is tripped up by a duke and called a “base football player”, the audience is expected to sneer and snicker. Indeed, in the 16th…
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…
“Whites weep. Congratulate the champions.” Enthusiastically delivered words of a similar emphasis were expelled from Luís Figo’s mouth, from his vantage point on the balcony of the Palace of the Catalan Generality…
This feature is part of Duology Sometimes we aren’t gifted a logical ending to a story. Sometimes a tale is wrapped up in the most head-scratching of manners. Sometimes the final act…
This feature is part of Duology One was an unfathomably gifted prodigee, a PSV Eindhoven graduate turned timeless Barcelona hero; a Brazilian wonder and undisputed icon to a generation of admirers of…
This feature is part of Duology There exists a 15-second video clip, which does the rounds on the internet from time to time, that replays a moment from the Copa del Rey…
“I think it would be the best for Barcelona if Eto’o does leave. His sale is my decision. I think it’s time to change.” Though Pep Guardiola had held his position as…
Marcello Lippi is an undisputed legend in football. Not only was he the mastermind behind Italy’s 2006 World Cup success – at a time when the country needed sporting joy the most…
Now a 33-year-old winding down his career with Al Ahli, in 2010 Nigel de Jong was responsible for a moment that is as memorable as any associated with the World Cup final.…
Much has been written about the Dutch foundations upon which the modern Barcelona has been built. The presence of the great Johan Cruyff remains palpable around the Camp Nou and La Masia.…
Portuguese football has a rich history of sublime attacking talents. From the great striking exploits of Eusébio to Barcelona star turned Galáctico icon Luís Figo, Portugal is a nation that’s been blessed…
As featured on Guardian Sport Spanish football at the turn of the millennium is nostalgically looked upon in some quarters as the real heydey of the domestic scene in the country. It was…
Like him or not, Pep Guardiola is one of the most successful managers in the modern era. Over the years, he’s acquired several assistants and footballing experts who have helped him achieve…
The English media, fans of the Three Lions, and Premier League aficionados were aghast when Pep Guardiola arrived in England in 2016 to take over at Manchester City, almost instantaneously declaring then…
Oriol Tort was on the sidelines again. He was always there. Every weekend, without fail, without stopping to rest. He was not seen, just another old man amongst the spectators, but he…
If the National Football Museum were to open an exhibition entitled ‘Hat-Tricks’ then surely Geoff Hurst’s famous Wembley treble would be its showpiece; the combination of left foot, right foot, header representing perfection when…