When the conversation topic turns to footballing legends, those that spring to mind are generally the quintessential one-club men – Francesco Totti, Ryan Giggs and Steven Gerrard, for example. None of these players had…
Tag: man utd
‘Brand Beckham’ is a phrase synonymous with a man who has built an empire on the back of a glittering sporting career. Its’ reputation is further enhanced through his partner in marriage…
While the story of Sir Alex Ferguson’s success at Manchester United is well-known, how he became the most consistent manager in British history is less so
GREAT PARTNERSHIPS, whether in attack or defence, are hard to come by in football. It’s either one of the two failing to adapt to conditions around them – through either a lack…
It is the end of the 2012/13 season and Juan Mata has just received the Chelsea Player of the Year Award for the second year in a row. “I just want to…
ON A WARM spring evening in May 1999, Alex Ferguson is standing on the touchline of the Camp Nou as his dream of a treble-winning trophy haul slowly dies before his eyes.…
I once heard a joke involving Owen Hargreaves when the midfielder was a Manchester United player. The joke went along the lines of ‘Hargreaves ruled out for a further four weeks after…
SOME VOICES intrinsically command respect, others obedience, but as the powerful, deep growl boomed out there was only one emotion flooding over the shaking 12-year-old boy: pure fear. “What do you want?”…
IT WAS 23 JANUARY 2004 and Manchester United had finally got their man. Over £12 million was the eventual fee United paid Fulham for Louis Saha – brought in to lessen the…
“There will be no past tense here,” Eamon Dunphy begins, as the mood turns sad and nostalgic. The date is 10 July 2016 and John Giles is appearing for the final time…
As featured on Guardian Sport HE SURELY COULDN’T FLUFF HIS LINES AGAIN, COULD HE? Diego Forlán’s Manchester United career was on the verge of frittering out as he stepped up in front…
The meaning of Zlatan – ‘the golden one’ – has always revealed a lot about him, at least to those that admire the striker. If football numbers are any sort of indicator…
And so, another one-nation final and yet another all-Madrid Champions League final awaits us. Beyond the obvious delight of the Spanish capital’s fan base and their decampment to Milan for 28 May,…
This feature is part of The Tsars of Football ANDREI KANCHELSKIS HAS NEVER BEEN AFRAID to take on a challenge in his career in football, and he has had a fair few…
This feature is part of The Masterminds SOME MANAGERS find it difficult to build one truly great team. Sir Matt Busby built three. At Old Trafford, the legendary Scot made Manchester United…
Dutch football and those that hail from its shores are known to have little cutting edge, an extra spice to flavour the beautiful game. Former Arsenal talisman Robin van Persie certainly falls into…
IT IS THE 1994 WORLD CUP QUARTER-FINAL and Sweden have 13 minutes to find an equaliser as they trail Romania 2-1. They turn to 22-year-old Feyenoord forward Henrik Larsson, a player who…
THERE IS AN old Norwegian proverb that goes something along the lines of ‘A friend is known in need, like gold is known in fire’, and it’s hard not to imagine that it…