Europe

About a week ago, Zlatan Ibrahimovic named his dream team, consisting of all the players he’s played with. He, of course, put himself on the list starting alongside Leo Messi, but the Swedish great may have forgotten one player. 

David Luiz has now come out with his starting 11, and the Paris Saint Germain defender failed to put his teammate in his 11 as well. The two shared only three of the same players in their XIs: Lionel Messi, Thiago Silva and Maxwell. 

At The18, we have covered many stories about soccer hooliganism and match abandoments around the world - from the biggest rivalries in soccer, to the worst instances of fans rioting on the pitch, to street brawls outside stadiums (some of them very strange indeed).

Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino has fired 40 managers in 23 years, in addition to all the crimes he's committed in that span.

We at the18 encourage diversity in football watching, so here is a preview of what's on tap this weekend in Spain, Germany, and Italy

You don’t get to where Cristiano Ronaldo is by liking to lose. Just as Barcelona did, the Real Madrid first team participated in an Audi event which ended with the company gifting cars to the players. 

Looking for a gift to get your friends for the holidays? Well, Serie A giants Napoli may have just the thing for you. Every year Napoli releases a ridiculous calendar for fans in which the players dress up in costumes and pose for your monthly viewing pleasure.  

This year the players and coach Benitez are portrayed "in a mix of fashion, humor and sensuality.” Well… did they achieve their goal? 

Meet Kevin Walker: professional footballer and pop music sensation.

We are going to go out on a limb here and say that after watching that video, most of find yourself falling into one of three main groups: 1) People who wish they were Kevin Walker, 2) People who now hate Kevin Walker, and 3) People who want to spend the rest of their waking days with Kevin Walker. 

James Rodriguez is going to win the FIFA Puskas Goal of the Year because no one can help themselves. His goal, and moments like it, is what we watch sports for, and it commands so much of our attention because the circumstances surrounding it have considerably more weight than the act itself.  

Baltika Kaliningrad and Sakhalin Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk are over 10,000 kilometers away from each other.

Martin Tyler, Gary Neville, Ian Darke, Andy Gray, Jon Champion, Ray Hudson. Those are just a few of the world's great soccer commentators. Sure, all of these names belong to English personalities, but there are talented commentators all around the world able to capture - and often enhance - great moments with their words. When tensions are running high and we’re on the edge of our seats, these men act as our tour guides through the ups and downs of a football match.