The son of a single mother and migrant from Guadeloupe, Thuram was raised in Paris and became Les Bleus’ record cap holder and a legend in calcio
Tag: juventus
From humble beginnings and a career of doubters, Mario Mandžukić has risen to become one of the most underrated big-game players in football
Mauro Camoranesi remains something of an enigma. Shielded away from the appreciation he deserves, almost like a frustrated winger trying to obtain the ball from the protective possession of a determined full-back,…
As the next instalment of one of Italian football’s fiercest rivalries, this Sunday’s clash between AC Milan and Juventus is hardly in need of a talking point or two to grab the…
Despite failing to reach the heights many predicted, Diego has left a generation of fans with moments of genius to savour for years to come
“Look at this kid, number 7, on the training pitch. Come and watch him for a minute.” Rio Ferdinand reminisces about the occasion his manager Sir Alex Ferguson eagerly called him to…
There is nothing glamorous about him. His body, hunched and taut, is soaked in a different kind of perspiration, a dirty, greasy sweat, not the type Cristiano Ronaldo is wetted by, and uses…
For a country that’s linked so intrinsically with catenaccio, Italy has had its fair share of mavericks. From Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano to Ezio Vendrame and Paolo Rossi, calcio is rich with subversives and trendsetters.…
This feature is part of Duology The calm before the storm came at the San Siro with 27 minutes on the clock and the game scoreless. Alessandro Del Piero found himself faced…
This feature is part of Duology Zinedine Zidane was a one-off. With or without the ball under his spell, he would float around the pitch as though he were merely skimming its…
This feature is part of Duology The Italians prize their art. It is something that has become a part of their culture, a part of their history for centuries and it still…
The very mention of Paolo Rossi can conjure to mind just one image, and this is entirely understandable. It’s July 1982 in Barcelona at the Estadi de Sarrià. Wearing the Azzurri number…
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…
At the beginning of July, LeBron James’ representatives announced he had signed a four-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, after opting to leave Cleveland for a second time. The ink on…
Quiz time. How many players can you name that have played in consecutive World Cup finals? Ten? Come on now. Twenty? Now you’re trying. Any more? In fairness, to play in successive…
Rarely has a single photograph encapsulated the quintessence of one footballer and, by extension, his team, nation and culture, with such spontaneity and artistry in equal measure. The picture in question was captured…
THE COMMON ATTRACTION we often have with footballers derives from what these individuals accomplish with the boots laced up and between the lines. Whether it’s a timely back-heel that comes off with…
AFTER 73 MINUTES of an all-action display, the fans in the deafening Juventus Stadium stood on their feet to applaud their hero as he departed the pitch. Six months without any football…