Wheeling away in celebration, Patrick Kluivert attempts to take his top off only to think better of it halfway through. It’s the 85th minute in the 1995 Champions League final and he’s just…
Tag: barcelona
ÉRIC SYLVAIN ABIDAL is one of the most decorated French footballers in recent history. A powerful left-back, he amassed over 400 club appearances, as well as 67 international caps, across a career…
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…
I’VE HEARD IT SAID that non-football fans are – to paraphrase Bart Simpson – the MTV Generation, knowing neither highs nor lows. Anyone not hooked up with a femme fatale of a…
IN THE LONG ANNALS OF FOOTBALL, two Ronaldos stand out. The first – the original to many – was O Fenômeno, the Brazilian striker capable of the most audacious burst of pace at his…
FC BARCELONA’S LA MASIA ACADEMY has been amongst the most efficient of youth systems over the past 25 years. Following Johan Cruyff’s reconstruction that dates back to 1988 (his original idea was…
“Those watching from afar may not appreciate everything Busquets does on the pitch, but those who play with him know he is unique”
THE CAMP NOU SIGHED IN UNISON as Samuel Umtiti hobbled off the pitch against Celta Vigo. With Argentine stalwart Javier Mascherano already out injured, the Blaugrana returned to worrying about centre-backs, as…
TREAD A PATH through every football-obsessed city on earth and seldom would you find the home of a retired professional footballer without the walls or spare rooms of their home habitually decorated…
THE 2002 WORLD CUP is well remembered for its underdog stories, with the likes of Senegal and South Korea defeating the established order of France, Italy and Spain. Another surprise story were…
In 2017, Real Betis unveiled a bust of former manager Patrick O’Connell at the Estadio Benito Villamarín to honour their only LaLiga title, won under the Irishman’s management in 1935. The bust…
This article was first published in the Brazil issue of These Football Times magazine. Support our journalism by ordering a copy for yourself, as a gift to someone, or for your workplace. …
BEFORE FORMER SPANISH NATIONAL TEAM COACH LUIS ARAGONÉS noticed that his team could pass the ball faster than any player could run with or without it, Spain were far from a source…
TO SOME, HE’S ONE OF THE BEST MANAGERS OF THE PAST TWO DECADES, willing to sacrifice style for substance and flair for formality. To others, he’s an unnerving disciplinarian, an expert at…
To a child falling in love with football right now, there’s a world of difference between FC Barcelona and Ajax Amsterdam. Barcelona play in a popular league with megastars in every position,…
FOOTBALL IS A FICKLE WORLD. When a club is doing well, all seems plain sailing, with everyone over the moon. But when the club starts to sink towards the precipice of decline,…
It is the sign of a true footballing great when they are revered long after they have departed this world. Their legacy transcends barriers, overcomes criticism, and ultimately manifests itself in every…
Illustration by Federico Manasse ON THE LAST OCCASION Barcelona announced the acquisition of an expensive Brazilian footballer, in the summer of 2013, it was the prodigiously talented and fresh-faced Neymar who had…