More so than the players themselves, this summer’s headlines seemed dominated by football’s “super agents” — the brokers of the multi-million dollar deals that have come to typify the transfer market. Rather than moving in the background of such transactions, these men have flocked to the fore. Their opinions, demands and claims have been quickly picked up by media outlets, giving them a false aura of footballing expertise.
The annual Bundesliga Playa Haters’ Ball has commenced within the Bundesliga’s official YouTube channel, and there’s one clear target: the Bundesliga’s newest arrival after promotion, RB Leipzig.
They came, they saw, they conquered. That’s the American plan for FC Barcelona and club president Josep Maria Bartomeu following the opening of a Barca office in New York on Tuesday.
The Empire State Building projected the Blaugrana colors, Ronaldinho completed the ribbon-cutting ceremony with a signature no-look pass into a mini-goal and the Barcelona flag was hoisted outside Barca’s new headquarters in Midtown Manhattan.
Zenit St. Petersburg received a remarkable offer from Burger King to change the team's name to "Zenit Burger King".
Really.
Zenit have received a €6.8-million offer from @BurgerKing to change team's name to "Zenit Burger King".
— Artur Petrosyan (@arturpetrosyan) September 2, 2016
Alright, who’s ready to feel sick and ill at the same time? You? Let’s go. FIFA is cleaning up its act. FIFA is getting its s*** together. That’s hard work — they were mired in metaphorical defecation up to the neck following the reign of corruption’s Sepp Blatter. It’s such a grind piecing together the fallen remnants of football’s global governing body that newly elected FIFA president Gianni Infantino will receive $1.52 million, a car, housing and a monthly expense limit of $2,025 for his troubles.
“I uh…I eat a lot of frozen stuff…It’s usually pretty bad, I mean the pictures are always so awesome, you know? It’s like ‘Hell yeah, I’m starved for this lasagna!’ and then you nuke it and the cheese gets all scabby on top and it’s like…it’s like you’re eating a scab…I mean, seriously, what’s that about? It’s like ‘Yo! What ever happened to truth in advertising?’ You know?” -Jesse Pinkman
This quote from Aaron Paul’s Breaking Bad character could effectively be applied to Paul’s own PokerStars Duel face-off against footballing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
The pot just got bigger for clubs in the UEFA Champions League — a lot bigger.
Sometimes a story comes along that just feels right. This is one of those. Mino Raiola, the super-agent who represents Manchester United new boys Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, has purchased a Miami beach house once owned by crime boss Al Capone.
Now that the United Kingdom has officially voted to leave the European Union, we can turn our attention to how the Brexit vote will affect the English Premier League.
You thought club football was over, didn't you? Nope! Adidas, Nike and Puma have begun their multi-million dollar ad campaigns that are hell-bent on flogging you the new kits for the 2016-17 season. "Wait, what? I just dropped $300 on my Peru vs. Haiti Copa America tickets!" you might contest. Too bad. Multinational corporations can't hear your screams.