This feature is part of The Football Italia Years The history of Italy can be traced through that of its cities. Each has carved out its own social, cultural and political identity,…
Tag: serie a
With the dismissal of Frank de Boer after less than three months in the job, it came as little surprise that Internazionale were not suitably prepared to find and subsequently hire his…
What are the 1980s famous for? Perhaps the rise of Madonna and Michael Jackson in pop, or MTV bringing a new era into music. Maybe the arrival of Michael Jordan on the…
This feature of part of The Football Italia Years Rome is a hub of culture, commerce, beauty and history. What with the Colosseum, the Forum, The Vatican and the constant drone of…
Emiliano Mondonico, taking over a struggling Torino, found out about the club’s glory and seemingly eternal despair that seems to follow most Toro managers
As featured on Guardian Sport ON 15 SEPTEMBER 2016, the small town of Sassuolo in the north-west of Italy geared up for something special. With a population of 41,000, the Province of…
PRIOR TO THE 2002 WORLD CUP, Marcelo Bielsa found himself deciding who to play in the most advanced position of the field for Argentina. On one hand, an ageing Gabriel Batistuta had…
CLOSE YOUR EYES and imagine you’re in Genoa, the city in the north-west of Italy where Christopher Columbus was born. On one side of the street you’ll find the Lanterna, the famous…
CATANZARO IS A SMALL CITY located in the Calabria region of Italy. Known as the ‘City of Two Seas’, it is occasionally dampened by the sea and is subjected to snow-capped winters…
Founded in 1906, Torino Football Club are perhaps the most tragic team in the history of football. Many who have heard of Torino know them solely for the Superga disaster, but in truth,…
Social media has become something of a breeding ground for letting the average supporter know what former football greats (and not-so-greats) are currently up to. However, somewhere mixed in with the postmen,…
The story of the European Championship’s emergence to global prestige starts with humble beginnings and a dream. International football, in and of itself, had only been in existence for just under a…
IN THE LONG HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL, a total of just 20 men can boast lifting the game’s ultimate prize. It is a particularly selective group of illustrious players, but of all those…
It was a moment of pure beauty. As Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson awarded Slovakia a corner kick, the ball was quickly played out to Marek Hamšík. He took the ball towards the…
This feature is part of The Masterminds THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL has seen a litany of great managers come from the Italian peninsula since the earliest days. These strategic thinkers and innovators…
“I DON’T FEEL pressure … I don’t give a toss about it. I spent the afternoon of July 9 in Berlin sleeping and playing the PlayStation. In the evening, I went out…
This feature is part of The Masterminds THE PRESS CONFERENCE was an explosive three minutes, leaving a cluster of Germany’s top journalists stunned and bewildered. Bayern Munich coach Giovanni Trapattoni was addressing…
It’s 15 May 2016 at the Friuli stadium in Udine, and the final match for Antonio Di Natale after 438 outings and 226 goals for Udinese. The prince of calcio is leaving…