On the evening of 14 June this summer, at the palatial Luzhniki Stadium in central Moscow, a second or two either side of 6pm, the referee’s whistle will sound, kick-off will be initiated,…
Tag: world cup
WE ALL HAVE OUR FOOTBALL MEMORIES. As fans, we cherish them. We need them, whether they’re good or bad. They have shaped our journey. For those of a certain vintage, the apex…
At the sound of the final whistle, several players appeared as though they might collapse onto the pitch. One hundred and twenty minutes of frantic football could not separate Brazil and Chile,…
NEVER BEFORE HAD one of English football’s great homes resounded with such natural fervour to the praise not of local heroes, but of a foreign team. “Hungary, Hungary,” yelled the crowd through…
TUESDAY, 10 OCTOBER 2017 will go down as one of the greatest days in the history of Panama, not just Panamian football. That was the day the national team achieved something that…
Almost 3.5 million – that’s the total population of Uruguay, the second smallest nation on the South American continent. Formed as a buffer state between Brazil and Argentina in the 19th century, Uruguay…
This article was first published in the Brazil issue of These Football Times magazine. Support our journalism by ordering a copy for yourself, as a gift to someone, or for your workplace. …
Jamie Carragher’s light-hearted jibe at Gary Neville over his career as a full-back on an episode of Sky Sports Monday Night Football, where he claims that no young footballer aspires to grow…
The date is 13 June 2014. It is the 44th minute at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil, and the Netherlands are playing defending champions Spain in their first group stage match…
FOR A COUNTRY THAT COULD EASILY NAME A DOZEN PLAYERS in any all-time top 100 players list, Brazil would struggle to include a goalkeeper. Think of Brazilian football and many images come…
Despite living in the shadows of Pele, Garrincha and a host of other teammates, Gérson remains one of Brazil’s most intelligent footballers ever
In 1958, the beginning of the decline of La Nuestra – the skill-based, extravagant and truly unique brand of football which had characterised Argentine football – could be traced back to one…
Often laughed off as something of a comic figure, Jorge Campos, for all his wild jerseys, was, in fact, one of the world’s best goalkeepers
WHO IS THE ONLY SCOTSMAN TO SCORE IN A WORLD CUP SEMI-FINAL? It wasn’t Kenny Dalglish, who despite his God-given talent could never take his country past the group stages. Nor was it…
SUPPOSE YOU’RE IN AN AMSTERDAM COFFEE SHOP and you happen to be sharing a table with a Dutchman big on their football. You talk for a while and come upon the topic…
FRENCH CULTURE has always carried an enormous weight of respect. The very foundations of the country seem to be built on romance, cuisine, fashion and stunning architecture, and the sprawling City of…
Illustration by Federico Manasse There are certain footballers that transcend the beautiful game; mere mortals who watch football see them as ethereal beings. These are the players who elevate the game to…
Hristo Stoichkov was as good as any attacking player in the 90s, blending skill and vision with grit that helped Bulgaria shine at USA 94