Tag: spotlight

Football, family and fate: the shaping of Granit Xhaka

THE YEAR WAS 1993. Across Britain, radio stations juggled the eclectic sounds of Meat Loaf, Haddaway, Pet Shop Boys, and UB40, cult comedy Groundhog Day arrived in cinemas, Irvine Welsh’s breakthrough novel…

Carlos Queiroz: the man for a nation

THE NAME Carlos Queiroz provokes disparate sentiments in the minds of supporters of the clubs and countries which he has coached or managed throughout the years. Portuguese fans, in general, view him…

The making of Kasper Schmeichel: 15 games at Falkirk

IN THE IMMEDIATE aftermath of a whirlwind 90 minutes at the King Power stadium, few could have blamed Craig Shakespeare for coming out with some overly-emotive comments. The past hour-and-a-half of his…

Thomas Müller: the first and possibly last Raumdeuter

FALSE NINE, REGISTA, LIBERO; these are all terms that will undoubtedly be familiar to the typical football enthusiast. As indeed will the players associated with them, the likes of Lionel Messi, Andrea…

The near-misses and future hope of Uzbekistan

ASK A FOOTBALL EXPERT about the powerhouses of Asian football and the answers would be familiar: Australia, South Korea, Iran and Japan. Uzbekistan may not be on that list, but its history…