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…
Tag: serie a
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…
This feature is part of The Football Italia Years To succeed in Italian football, three qualities are said to be required: Fantasi: surprise, imagination and flair. Furbizia: cunning trickery and gamesmanship. Tecnica: technique, skill…
In the summer of 1992, Fabio Capello and AC Milan found themselves within the enviable situation of trying to improve upon perfection. The previous season, domestically at least, had been word-perfect for AC Milan.…
Rarely has a single photograph encapsulated the quintessence of one footballer and, by extension, his team, nation and culture, with such spontaneity and artistry in equal measure. The picture in question was captured…
THERE IS NO CITY quite like Florence. Quintessentially Italian in culture, its history is both artistically rich and intertwined with political upheaval. The architecture is breath-taking, food and wine exquisite, and day-to-day…
HE WAS A creative midfielder who never piled on the goals but was rather known for his ability to make his teammates look good. He was a wonderful dribbler in a pre-YouTube age…
IF HISTORY CROSSES its path, a good story can become a tragic one. This was the case for the story of Arpad Weisz. At the beginning of the 1937/38 season, this Hungarian…
Finding the back of the net in today’s era of plastic footballs and packed defences has become a tailored art and relies as much on speed of instinct as it does on outright…
THE COMMON ATTRACTION we often have with footballers derives from what these individuals accomplish with the boots laced up and between the lines. Whether it’s a timely back-heel that comes off with…
As featured on Guardian Sport As a football fan living in the United States, it blows my mind how many games are available on television these days. I’m 33 now and can…
A FOOTBALLER CAN ONLY JUSTIFY their transfer fee on the hallowed turf. The rationale behind their expenditure exceeds well beyond their remit, which in any case is a hollow argument. They can…