Every now and then, with pretty routine frequency, we come across the latest exploits of Brazilian striker Hulk in Asia. Whether they’re in the Chinese Super League or the Asian Champions League, they’re always unreal goals, and I’m beginning to doubt their authenticity.
A little over a week ago, we checked in on Kazuyoshi “King Kazu” Mirua, who’d just broken Sir Stanley Matthews’ record as the oldest professional footballer at 50 years and seven days. While, since that day, he’s not only gone on to further that mark, but he’s also broken another of the legendary Englishman’s records by becoming the oldest recognized goalscorer in professional football history.
Kazu Miura has broken Sir Stanley Matthews’ record as the oldest professional footballer of all time* after playing 54 minutes in Yokohama FC’s 1-1 draw with V-Varen Nagasaki in the Japanese J2 League. The record now stands at 50 years and seven days with Miura, and, since he signed a one-year contract extension before the season, he’ll continue to build on that mark for some time to come.
Here’s a quick update for you: Hulk, the €55.8 million man, is still ripping shots in Asia for Shanghai SIPG. This latest goal came against FC Seoul in the Asian Champions League.
Hulk is very much like his superhero namesake in that he’s very strong and really only exists in edited movie clips following his move to Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2012.
In my mind, he does absolutely nothing other than pulverize the net from 25-30 yards out. Until next time, Mr. Hulk.
In Iran, women are banned from attending soccer games in a co-ed setting. Even though the sport is popular across both sexes and there is no official ban on women going to sporting events, soccer stadiums are a male-only affair. Women are regularly denied access at the door, making it impossible for them to attend any sporting event.
Iran argues that the ban against women in the same sporting stadiums as men is necessary because it protects them from fighting and rude language that might spread within the stands.
Mark Clattenburg, England's most famous referee, is leaving England to become the head of refereeing for the Saudi Arabian FA, where he will replace his countryman Howard Webb.
Clattenburg will be remembered for being a pretty good referee, England's go-to man for big matches and also UEFA's go-to man, possibly because no English teams seem to play in big European matches anymore (ha ha! I jest). Mostly, though, Clattenburg will be remembered for doing a weird tongue thing while an Atletico Madrid player was writhing on the ground in the 2016 Champions League final.
The 2017 W-League Grand Final took place Sunday afternoon with history on the line. Melbourne City were looking to become the league’s first ever repeat champions. Meanwhile, Perth Glory were seeking their first title after coming close in 2014.
Having the higher playoff seed, Perth hosted the match at the nib Stadium in front of a crowd of 4,591. The attendance broke a W-League record which had stood since the league debuted in 2008-09. Outside of Australia, the match was streamed live in the United States on ESPN3.
The FIFA rankings are a strange sort of beast, like Dr. Seuss’s Foo-Foo the Snoo. They don’t have any bearing on reality, and usually distort it, but they’re frequently referenced and even used as the framework to seed international competitions.
The latest FIFA World Rankings came out today and saw no changes in the top five.
1. Argentina
2. Brazil
3. Germany
4. Chile
5. Belgium
Oscar made his competitive debut for Shanghai SIPG in the Asian Champions League and did exactly what you’d expect from a man who cost £60 million and was up against Thailand’s seventh best team.
He scored a goal, and SIPG, managed by Andre Villas-Boas and with players like Ricardo Carvalho, Hulk and Elkeson, defeated Sukhothai FC 3-0 to advance to the group stage.