The soccer world sat captivated as the two biggest names in the sport received the axe in the Champions League Round of 16. When the dust settled both Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus and Lionel Messi’s Barcelona had been reduced to rubble at the hands of Porto and Paris Saint-Germain.
Real Madrid is a team that millions of players around the world want to be on. It's probably the most desired team to play for amongst youngsters. As the club with the most Champions League titles ever, they've always had very good players in the side, but talent isn't always given a long-term opportunity to perform at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Sometimes I wish that, through some glaring administrative error, I had been accidentally registered for the Ajax youth academy, even if it was just for one day. Then, in semi-good conscience, I could exploit that fact to have my own Wikipedia page, Transfermarkt profile and agent, allowing me to bounce around the world on one-year contracts — obviously being found out as total trash time after time — living my best life.
A couple months before USMNT manager Jurgen Klinsmann announced his final 23-man roster for the 2014 World Cup, I was at a wedding in California, at the bar with a member of the LA Galaxy technical staff. The conversation turned to Landon Donovan, who’d reestablished himself in the national team after being dropped at the start of the Hex.
Al Everton FC se le conoce como el equipo de los caramelos o “The Toffees.” La tienda de caramelos “Mother Noblett’s” estaba ubicada entre Everton Brow y Brow Side en el Everton Village, bastión del club de Mersyside.
Desde entonces, ya es tradición que una niña, conocida como la “Toffee Lady” arroje los “Everton Mints,” que fueron vendidos por la tienda a la multitud en Goodison Park antes que se jugaran los cotejos en casa del Everton.
For those of a certain vintage, this will be a wonderful trip down memory lane; for those whose fandom began in the 21st century, this should be an excellent introduction to the genius of one of Italy’s most celebrated footballers — on May 26, Baggio: The Divine Ponytail arrives on Netflix.
This biographical film from director Letizia Lamartire is billed as “a chronicle of the 22-year career of soccer star Roberto Baggio, including his difficult debut as a player and his deep rifts with some of his coaches.”
American sports can be tacky at times (see cheerleaders, singing the national anthem and extensive commercial breaks), but one positive that has arisen from the heartland of this fine country is the extensive use of trophies.
In soccer, rivalries are an important part because playing a “Derby” or “Clásico” is a privilege. However, a special flavor to these duels is tasted when remembering those players who, without any remorse, put on the shirt of the hated rival and played for both teams. These are the authentic "Judases" of soccer that will remain in history for their controversial passage from one team to another.
Here we bring you the biggest players who played for the hated rival.
The old cliche about veteran players is that they've seen everything during their career. For 43-year-old Dungannon Swifts goalkeeper Roy Carroll, that adage holds true — but it doesn't even begin to encompass the struggles of a shot-stopper that has played professionally in four different decades.
Now, a new club in 2021 could be the fitting final act for a player who is still competing well-beyond the prescribed shelf-life of a footballer.
Memories of the Premier League 10-15 years ago conjure up very specific visions, with the nostalgia usually centering around someone hitting the piss out of a classic Nike ball.
No 2000s soccer mixtape was complete without some random gangly defender hitting a 40-yard rocket to the top corner, Wayne Rooney burying a dipping half-volley or a center midfielder charging forward and doing unspeakable things to a one-touch shot from long range.