This feature is a part of RETEUROSPECTIVE “All I feel is pride, pride, pride.” Speaking to a Guardian journalist while Athens celebrated the most incredible, unlikely, astounding victory in recent times, Maria Kokkinou…
Tag: portugal
This feature is a part of RETEUROSPECTIVE London. Marseille. Brussels. Portugal had been in the last four of a major tournament before. Bobby Charlton, Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane had dumped them…
This feature is a part of RETEUROSPECTIVE Roger Lemerre’s France squad were somehow contriving to look even more impressive than Aimé Jacquet’s all-conquering crop of two years before, when the French won…
This feature is a part of RETEUROSPECTIVE In a sport that all too rarely rewards goalkeepers with the same headlines it so lavishes upon goalscorers, penalty shootouts go some of the way…
This feature is a part of RETEUROSPECTIVE Scoop, lob, chip, dink: no, not the fuzzy-costumed line-up of an early 2000s children’s television series, but some of the most visually pleasing sights in…
This feature is a part of RETEUROSPECTIVE As this tournament progresses, so the decision by the English broadcasting authorities looks ever more foolish. England may well be on a tour of South…
This feature is a part of RETEUROSPECTIVE Portugal kicked off their Euro 2000 campaign with a stunning comeback victory over England in a pulsating clash in Eindhoven. Kevin Keegan’s side appeared to…
There is something wonderful about a headed goal. It’s a very specific skill that, when executed to perfection, looks and feels so satisfyingly perfect. Whether it’s a thundering header that breaks the…
Deco’s doubters should look at the highlight reels of one of the great playmakers. He was, you can be assured, far better than many remember
That Éder, a man with an unremarkable record, gifted Portugal Euro 2016 glory should offer hope that others can place their names amongst the greats
There’s so much on Benfica’s badge that you need an afternoon of self-isolation to take it all in: an eagle, initials, Latin motto and bicycle wheel
It is for his silky skills, not his various deficiencies, that Quaresma will be remembered as time slowly wears the memories of his fleeting career away
To this day “Luís Figo pig head” is the first search suggested by Google when you type his name. It’s a shame. He was greater than that, far greater
Fábio Paim was more than just a Championship Manager star, winning praise as a talent better than Cristiano Ronaldo during his early years at Sporting
European football would never look the same again after a young José Mourinho took his talented Porto side to Champions League and domestic dominance
Long before the money rolled into Paris and Ibrahimović and Cavani broke records, an ageing Pauleta would become the Parc’s goalscoring champion
A historic club from one of Lisbon’s most fascinating neighbourhoods, when Os Belenenses lost everything, the fans had to choose between two new outfits
He’s been likened to a young Cristiano Ronaldo, but Benfica’s João Félix still faced the same challenges as any other from his YouTube generation