As Edison Flores sprinted down the left flank, he had three options. He could either cut inside and shoot, lay it off in the middle and make a run, or pick out a…
Tag: bundesliga
In a culture that models itself on punctuality and efficiency, German football has been packed with teams that are organised, strong and physically fit. Following a complete shake-up, coaching methods and precedencies…
Dresden is not the clichéd city that some tourists associate Germany with, but it is by far one of their most culturally significant centres. It is tough to escape the influence of…
“Dad, your record’s gone.” Roy Makaay couldn’t believe it. For four years, his opportunistic strike against Real Madrid had been the quickest goal in Champions League history. Now, a text from his…
We begin in the French town of Le Havre. The town’s French character does not meet the eye obviously, with the city eschewing both Paris’ famous Haussmannian architecture and the sunshine endemic…
Horst-Gregorio Canellas was furious. His lips were trembling and his forehead was beginning to sweat. His brain was full of words needing to be spoken – words that could propel German football…
André Schürrle stormed down the left flank, his rapid pace always his most valuable asset. During this match – in this exact moment – he couldn’t have used it more effectively, propelling…
FOR 24 HOURS, Ahmadreza Abedzadeh was the most important man on the planet. Lyon’s Stade Gerland is an unlikely stage for geopolitical drama, but it was here on 21 June 1998 that…
It’s a troubling coincidence that Schalke’s greatest years occurred during Nazism. And while they weren’t active supporters, nor were they fervent opposers
NOWADAYS IT’S NORMAL to see fans complaining about the quality of international football. National team coaches have to wait for the infrequent international breaks to impose their philosophies upon players who spend…
When RB Leipzig were promoted to the Bundesliga in 2016 they were only the fifth club from the former East Germany to grace the Bundesliga, and the first since 2009. Of those…
I HAVE ALWAYS loved history. Experiencing the world through the eyes of the past has been an interest for as long as I can remember, and when I was to choose a…
Imagine a meeting of football fans from all over Germany. They would gather in the stuffy backroom of some dive bar, have a few pints and talk about football. Perhaps talking isn’t…
MY FAMILY HAS a history of storytelling. Both my father and I have, at least once in our lives, had serious ideas for a book. Where this stems from, I have no…
SC FREIBURG’S Schwarzwald Stadion is blessed with much more natural charm than most grounds. The rolling hills of the Black Forest tower out over the back of the modest North Stand, frequently…
This feature is part of A Tale of One City On 13 August 1961, the Berlin Wall was built. It stood for 10,316 days, until it was torn down on 9 November…
IT’S RARE THAT a football club is a perfect representation of the city they reside in. But Frankfurt meets the bill. For years they held an albatross around their neck, with a staid,…
Every good story needs a villain, and who would be a more appropriate subject of football fans’ wrath than a team that crushed its competition thanks to the state’s backing? Winning the…