A hero to many of the game’s greats, a player who struck fear into Paolo Maldini, Cha Bum-kun came to Europe and conquered as it’s first great Asian import
Tag: long read
The penalty kick is the rawest distillation of psychology and repetitive practice in football – but what makes a player good or bad at them?
When Italy and Germany met in the semi-final at Mexico 70, they played out unquestionably the greatest 30 minutes in World Cup – perhaps football – history
When John Cordier, backed by his million made in the IT industry, bought KV Mechelen, few could’ve predicted their rapid rise at home and in Europe
Few clubs are as obsessed with continental competition as Galatasaray. To understand why, you need to delve into the very essence of the footballing goliath
Widely considered one of the greatest attacking talents in history, Raymond Kopa led Stade de Reims and Real Madrid to unprecedented heights
His style has always been grounded in realism, but Allardyce’s spell at Bolton produced one of the most intriguing stories in Premier League history
With similar backgrounds in Suriname, the families of Gullit and Rijkaard settled in the Netherlands and started a chain that would transform Dutch football
With Raymond Kopa leading the charge, Stade de Reims were a true force of football – but they’d fall agonisingly short in changing the course of history
Few defenders in the modern era of football have been more intelligent, widely-respected or consistent as AC Milan and Italy legend Franco Baresi
How John Beck’s derided Cambridge came within 90 minutes of gate-crashing the Premier League in 1992
Even now, 27 years after his departure from Cambridge, the mere mention of John Beck, their most successful manager, provokes an often negative reaction
The path was clear for Antoine Griezmann. Bayern Munich’s defence had opened up before him and, courtesy of a nicely weighted through ball from Fernando Torres, he was clean through on goal.…
“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…
In these days of expanded World Cups, bloated Champions League competitions and saturated television coverage, most football aficionados are used to seeing regular clashes between the world’s current top two footballers, Cristiano…
His talent is in no doubt, and it’s been quite the journey to showcase it to the world. But can Kylian Mbappé become the greatest player of his era?
It is the evening of 14 June 1992 at the Rasunda Stadium in Stockholm. England are playing their final Group A game of Euro 92 against the host nation Sweden, needing a…
As diverse a topic as any within the world of football is whether a player should be required to inspire both club and country to victory in order to earn legend status.…
Few partnerships in football history have been as devastating, consistent and uplifting to an entire nation as Zamorano and Salas for Chile