Soccer players have a long and proud history of looking like they should be in boy bands, and the current best player in the world is carrying on the tradition like a champ. Look at what this dude Lionel Messi did to his hair.
This La Liga season promises to be a hugely entertaining one, as the Spanish first division boasts three of the best club teams in the world, and also possibly the smelliest. CD Leganes, recently promoted to the first division for the first time ever, will introduce themselves to the world's top teams with a kit that features a scratch 'n sniff badge. Really.
We promise we are not making this up. They made a video about it and everything.
Riyad Mahrez scored a brilliant goal for Leicester City during their preseason friendly against Celtic, but Arsenal are reportedly set to sign the 25-year-old Algerian in the upcoming days.
The International Champions Cup (ICC) is upon us! While the safe money is on Leicester City to win the competition which “revolutionized the international soccer landscape”, Australia’s Melbourne Victory and Italy’s Juventus took to the Melbourne Cricket Ground to stake their own claims on winning the competition’s historic fourth edition.
No one told Carlos Blanco that it was a meaningless preseason game — the guy apparently lives for the ICC.
Borussia Dortmund beat Manchester United 4-1 as the Red Devils kicked off their tour of China in Shanghai. Two goals from Gonzalo Castro, a goal from Ousmane Dembele and a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang penalty did the trick for Dortmund, while ex-Dortmund player Henrikh Mkhitaryan pulled one back for United against his old club.
To say that Marc Wilmots underperformed as Belgium manager at Euro 2016 is akin to saying the USA men’s basketball team was off the pace at the 2006 Olympics or that the Republican Party hasn’t put their best foot forward for the 2016 presidential election. Wilmots screwed the pooch.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son who abandoned his roots and wasted his inheritance only to later return is one of the oldest tropes used in books, movies, and television. Guess what, soccer has had more than its fair share of prodigal sons, and here are two of the best examples in the world’s game.
#1: Fernando Torres | Atletico Madrid
After announcing that Lionel Messi would no longer grace the cover of EA Sports’ FIFA franchise, a global vote was conducted to determine the FIFA 17 cover and the new face of the game.
3.1 million votes were cast to decide between Manchester United’s Anthony Martial, Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus.
In April of 2013, Mario Gotze became the most hated man in Dortmund after it was announced that Gotze, a product of Dortmund’s youth academy, would be transferring to fierce rivals Bayern Munich.
The timing of the announcement did little to help Gotze’s cause — it emerged on the eve of a momentous Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. Munich had met Gotze’s release clause of €37 million and the midfielder was keen to play under Pep Guardiola, much to the annoyance of then BVB manager Jurgen Klopp.
By January of 2004, Barcelona was a club in deep crisis. Since the 1999-00 season, they’d finished further and further down the LaLiga table — second in 2000, fourth in 2001, fourth in 2002 and a disastrous sixth in 2003.
The 2003-04 season looked to be even worse yet. Club president Joan Gaspart had been forced to resign because of the decline, and his young replacement, Joan Laporta, had begun his presidency in farce after promising Barcelona supporters David Beckham only to see him land at Real Madrid.