Inspiring

The Premier League has earned its place as the most-watched domestic competition on the planet with a package of blood and thunder. In cauldron-like atmospheres up and down the country, clubs compete at exemplifying heavy metal football while engaged in tit-for-tat thrill rides for 90 frantic minutes.

But what sets the Premier League apart is that it’s also home to some of the game’s most sublime artists. These are the players who remind us that while force allows you to exert some form of control over proceedings, dominance can really only be achieved through understanding.

Becky Sauerbrunn is all-conquering. The 34-year-old is sitting on 174 caps and counting, she’s a two-time World Cup winner, an Olympic gold medalist and two-time NWSL champion. She’s been doing the damn thing for the USWNT for over a decade now, and she’s just joined forces with Christine Sinclair, Lindsey Horan and Tobin Heath on the Portland Thorns.

Do you ever wish that you could go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry except instead of magic and getting attacked by Lord Voldemort every year it's a school for elite athletes? I know I don’t because I’d probably be an outcast, fail every single class and tear my hamstring, but that’s essentially the idea behind Gatorade’s new GOAT Camp advertisement. 

It’d be difficult to identify a player that’s had a worse time with injuries over the last three years than Benjamin Mendy. He showed that he could be one of the world’s best left backs during his incredible 2016-17 campaign with Monaco, but after moving to Manchester City for a princely fee of $67.7 million, his personal nightmare began after suffering a devastating knee injury on only his fifth appearance for the Citizens.

No one did a personal redemption story out on the pitch quite like David Beckham. He did it during his final season at Real Madrid, when he went from being dropped by Fabio Capello to proving instrumental in the club’s dramatic LaLiga triumph. He did it with the LA Galaxy when shifting his reputation from disinterred Hollywood celebrity to two-time MLS Cup champion.

Foosball — or table soccer — was once the eighth-most popular sport in the United States. Professional footballers raked in huge winnings on a million-dollar tour with Porches given to champions. It was a glamorous time, with the sport appearing in major Hollywood films.

No player better represents the artistry and meritocracy of football than Andrés Iniesta. His nickname El Ilusionista (The Illusionist) encapsulates it all. He had an unmatched ability to confound the opposition from the midfield position, be it his miraculous power to effortlessly escape a pack of chasing defenders or his fantastic capacity to contort the ball to his every desire.

El Paso Locomotive has only been around for one season, but it’s clear the club has already become a huge part of the community.

The above mini documentary, released by the USL Championship YouTube channel on Tuesday, highlights the impact Locomotive has made on the West Texas town of El Paso. 

The crowning achievement of Lionel Messi’s international career remains the gold medal he captured as a 21-year-old at the 2008 Summer Olympics. It was a loaded Albiceleste squad with further attacking firepower provided by Sergio Agüero, Ángel Di María and Ezequiel Lavezzi, but Messi and Argentina were hugely reinforced by the over-age inclusions of Javier Mascherano and Juan Román Riquelme.