Since Jesse Marsch brought Wilfried Gnonto to Leeds United on deadline day in August, the young Italian has been a fan favorite. It wasn’t long after the young Italian made his debut in late October that the Elland Road faithful rewarded him with his own song. Unfortunately, the chant has quickly become a source of embarrassment for the club from West Yorkshire.
Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton’s League Cup quarterfinal, in terms of entertainment, exceeded expectations Wednesday night.
The match was a classic game of English soccer: cold and rainy but with a great atmosphere nonetheless. Wolves (with the goalscoring return of Raúl Jiménez) and Forest both managed to get on the scoreboard, but the game stood level at 1-1 after extra time so a winner had to be determined from the spot.
MANCHESTER - Manchester United were outclassed by Manchester City in the last local derby but the mood could not be more different as they prepare to host their city rivals in the Premier League on Saturday in the middle of a remarkable run of form.
League leaders Arsenal, meanwhile, face another test of their credentials in a derby of their own away to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday on a weekend where local rivalries could have a huge say in the title race.
Cristiano Ronaldo was not included in Al Nassr's squad for Friday's Saudi Professional League match against Al Tai, amid media reports that the Portugal forward was going to make his debut despite having a two-match suspension.
The 37-year-old will miss his first two domestic games for the Saudi Arabian club after being suspended by England's Football Association (FA) for knocking a phone out of a fan's hand after Manchester United's defeat at Everton in April.
After getting more than 74 million "hearts" and becoming the most-liked post in the history of Instagram, the iconic photo of Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup trophy is again in the news.
This time for a very different and weird reason: Two Argentina supporters claim the trophy Messi was holding is a fake.
RIYADH - Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo said his "work is done" in Europe, adding that he is relishing new challenges both on and off the pitch after being unveiled as a player of Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on Tuesday.
Ronaldo, who was a free agent following his acrimonious split with Manchester United in November, joined Al Nassr last week on a two-and-a-half-year deal estimated by media to be worth more than $210.94 million.
He was greeted by a sea of yellow and blue at Al Nassr's home ground Mrsool Park, where thousands of fans turned up to witness his unveiling.
SANTOS, Brazil - The Brazilian coastal city of Santos, which sporting giant Pelé turned into a byword for soccer brilliance during a glittering club career, prepared to bid goodbye to its hero on Monday with a 24-hour wake.
A memorial will be held for Pelé, who died on Thursday at the age of 82 after battling colon cancer, at the Vila Belmiro stadium, the home of Santos Football Club.
"The expectation is huge, the whole world will be here," said local fan Roberto Santos. "Pelé needs no presentation. Pelé for us is everything."
Soccer has a unique power. It brings people together and unites communities for the love of the game. It can be easy to forget about the humanity of a crowd when watching from afar. The match takes center stage and suddenly, the massive crowd in attendance is nothing more than a backdrop for the commentary crew to reference periodically.
Not in Sevilla. Not for the fans of Real Betis.
Euphoria levels are still high in Argentina after the World Cup title. People are not tired of celebrating and talking about Messi's masterstrokes, Dibu Martínez's antics in the penalty shootouts vs. the Netherlands and France, or Enzo Fernández's bright future.
Pelé.
The mere mention of the name conjures grainy, black-and-white footage of a bright-eyed young man announcing his arrival on the world stage in Sweden. Of a triumphant, shirtless star carried off the pitch at the Azteca. Of a smiling veteran bringing the beautiful game to a new audience. Of a septuagenarian snacking on a Subway sandwich with swimming stud Michael Phelps.
Of the greatest footballer to ever walk the earth.
Pelé.