Tag: serie a

The coming of age of Paulo Dybala

WITH THE EYES OF THE WORLD ON HIM in Juventus’s first leg Champions League quarter-final clash against Barcelona, Paulo Dybala did not disappoint. La Joya (The Jewel) showed everyone exactly what he’s…

Can Vincenzo Montella make AC Milan great again?

This feature is part of The Masterminds: 10 Under 45 Vincenzo Montella is not entirely dissimilar to Roberto Mancini. Like the former Inter and Manchester City manager, Montella exudes effortless charisma and…

Rui Costa: the slick prince who became a king in Italy

RUI COSTA’S footballing life can be summed up by one goal and the few moments that followed it. In August 1996 in Lisbon’s Estádio da Luz, Benfica lined up against Fiorentina for…

The making of Antonio Conte: a journey from Lecce to Chelsea

As featured on Guardian Sport SOME FOOTBALLERS HAVE the privilege of working under gifted tacticians and thoroughbred winners during their careers, but it’s the intuitive ones who take it upon themselves to…

The puzzling genius of Álvaro Recoba

As enigmas go, Álvaro Recoba ranks as high as anyone, possessing a devastating left foot and an attitude that often saw it wasted at Inter

Gennaro Gattuso: football’s great dog of war

ARTISTS, EXPERT, INVENTORS, composers, producers and virtuosos; few exist in isolation. Creative license, by design or by necessity, can camouflage or gloss over the painstaking hours of practice and relentless hard work…