At the beginning of July, LeBron James’ representatives announced he had signed a four-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, after opting to leave Cleveland for a second time. The ink on…
Tag: serie a
The free-kick is always a thrill to witness. They can be a piece of fine craftsmanship, curved around the defensive wall; a big dipper struck over the line of defenders; the falling…
Provincial sides rarely achieve glory in Serie A, and though Perugia fell agonisingly short of the title in 1979, their names are atched into history
Last season saw Juventus win the Scudetto for a seventh consecutive season, setting a new record in the process. As the Milan clubs continued to underwhelm and Roma failed to challenge domestically,…
In 2016, Maurizio Sarri memorably said: “If I saw my team defending and counter-attacking after 30 minutes, I would get up and return to the bank because I would not be having…
Imagine a striker tall in stature but with lightning-quick feet, a velvety deft first touch, the explosiveness of a coiled spring, the flexibility and acrobatic ability of a gymnast, and the footballing IQ…
As the clock inside Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion ticked towards 11:15pm in the July night, the watchful eyes of some 65,000 people are witnessing a frantic World Cup semi-final. The 0-0 draw between the…
It is the evening of 14 June 1992 at the Rasunda Stadium in Stockholm. England are playing their final Group A game of Euro 92 against the host nation Sweden, needing a…
For a sport that’s infatuated with the cult of personality, it’s befuddling to think that there’s a paucity of authentic, daring voices out there. Such is the dearth of controversial opinions from…
The thing with being an instantly likeable footballer is that it’s oddly linked with being consigned to relative obscurity. As a mercurially gifted playmaker, Gianfranco Zola dazzled fans wherever he played. He was a magician.…
The summer of 2000 produced two transfer fees that broke and re-broke the world record within the space of a month. Hernán Crespo’s £35.5m move from Parma to Lazio and Luís Figo’s infamous…
Before Gigi Buffon there was Lorenzo. The latter’s career, inclusive of legend at Milan, was also notable for a bitter personal and professional rivalry
Ajax Amsterdam are one of the most successful football clubs in the world and the most famous of the Netherlands’ club sides. Famed for their highly successful youth academy, the early to…
Quiz time. How many players can you name that have played in consecutive World Cup finals? Ten? Come on now. Twenty? Now you’re trying. Any more? In fairness, to play in successive…
WHEN THE UNHERALDED MAURIZIO SARRI was appointed as Napoli coach to replace Rafa Benítez ahead of the 2015/16 season, it was met largely with indifference. “We won’t have a winning Napoli with…
THERE IS SOMETHING about Brescia Calcio. Founded in 1911 in the quaint but industrial city that is situated in the Lombardy region of Italy, they are oft described as a yo-yo team, yet…
Sometimes, watching football leaves an indelible mark on a young boy’s imagination. In 1999, I was seven years old and my obsession with Manchester United was reaching new heights after watching them win…
“WHAT DISTINGUISHES NAPLES from other large cities is something it has in common with the African kraal: each private attitude or act is permeated by streams of communal life. To exist, for…