This feature is part of The Football Italia Years Ronaldo was more force of nature than footballer. He was an irrepressible dribbler, a powerful runner and an unerringly precise finisher. In Italy,…
Tag: serie a
For a country that’s linked so intrinsically with catenaccio, Italy has had its fair share of mavericks. From Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano to Ezio Vendrame and Paolo Rossi, calcio is rich with subversives and trendsetters.…
Football fans support the team they do for various reasons, although most usually rely on family or geography to dictate the colours that will run through their blood for the rest of…
In 1532, Niccolò Machiavelli published a now-famous treatise on leadership and governance. ‘Il Principe’ advised that, in an imperfect world, man must do whatever it takes to succeed and thrive. Machiavelli argued that…
Football produces many stories. Some are sad, some are uplifting, and just a few are writ through with an impossible tale of devotion and romance that would test the credibility of any…
Gigi Meroni: the art-loving wing genius who hit the pinnacle of calcio before his tragic death at 24
Opera was born in Italy at the end of the 16th century and soon spread throughout most of Europe, an art form that has stood the test of time and still holds…
It has been a long road to recognition for Gian Piero Gasperini, now flourishing at Atalanta thanks to his trust in young players and attacking football
This feature is part of Duology At the heart of almost every successful team is a solid back line, usually built around the central defensive partnership. They are the bedrock of the…
This feature is part of Duology The calm before the storm came at the San Siro with 27 minutes on the clock and the game scoreless. Alessandro Del Piero found himself faced…
This feature is part of Duology Zinedine Zidane was a one-off. With or without the ball under his spell, he would float around the pitch as though he were merely skimming its…
This feature is part of Duology “Yorke, he’s skipped through, it’s Dwight Yorke! He’s brought down by Peruzzi … Cole will finish it off, full speed ahead Barcelona!” As Clive Tyldesley delivered…
This feature is part of Duology The Italians prize their art. It is something that has become a part of their culture, a part of their history for centuries and it still…
The very mention of Paolo Rossi can conjure to mind just one image, and this is entirely understandable. It’s July 1982 in Barcelona at the Estadi de Sarrià. Wearing the Azzurri number…
The Bohemian-Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke described childhood as man’s true homeland. The place where one wants to return, where one never left. For many Croatians, the summer of 1998 arouses such…
“I think it would be the best for Barcelona if Eto’o does leave. His sale is my decision. I think it’s time to change.” Though Pep Guardiola had held his position as…
Marcello Lippi is an undisputed legend in football. Not only was he the mastermind behind Italy’s 2006 World Cup success – at a time when the country needed sporting joy the most…
The healing process of a heartbreak can be a very long road to travel on. A deep, emotional wound, even when stitched up over time, can have a lasting effect on thoughts,…
The 71-year-old man wept. “Do not do this,” he said, his words barely audible through the tears. “Do not do it.” He stood at the locked gate of the Reggiana headquarters, a…