At the office of The18, we take our foosball pretty seriously. Although the incessant banging of ball against High Pressure Laminate walls isn’t conducive to maintaining a train of thought (don’t blame me for all the nonsense I write), the call of the 2-5-3 formation is too strong to ignore. For some, that call has turned into an obsession — these are the professional foosballers among us.
It’s not been the best week for Neymar. On Monday, the Brazilian missed out on the 30-player shortlist for the 2019 Ballon d’Or award. On Tuesday, he missed PSG’s 5-0 beatdown of Club Brugge due to a hamstring injury he picked up on international duty.
Hailed as one of the best defenders in the world right now, Virgil van Dijk is also one of the more likable figures in world soccer. Just don’t tell that to the poor 8-year-old Everton fan he teased in a recent sit-down with some Liverpool U-8 players.
LFC’s stellar social media department released a YouTube video of VVD taking questions from Liverpool youth players in a mostly adorable segment.
Van Dijk answered questions like “Do you pick your nose?” and “Who smells the most in the team?” in a delightful 6:46 video (embedded above).
You probably know by now, but the man in the above video is not LA Galaxy striker Zlatan Ibrahimović — it's Bayern Munich swingman Nihad Đedović. But Đedović is, without a doubt, Zlatan’s basketball-playing doppelgänger.
Đedović is one inch taller than Zlatan, but he’s got the same professional athlete physique, the same flowing lion’s mane turned man bun, the Zappa beard and the nose.
Jimmy Butler was never really in contention for the United States squad at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He played his part in helping Team USA to gold at the 2016 Olympics, and the 30-year-old must now adjust to life in Miami after being traded by Philadelphia. So you can’t really blame him for missing out on America’s shambolic seventh-place showing and going to Barcelona instead.
Yesterday, Dag & Red visited York Road, the home of Maidenhead United in the fifth tier of English football, and recorded a 1-0 victory over the home side. If Maidenhead is now looking for answers to shore up its defense, they could do worse than sign this guy from the crowd.
Harnessing his inner Virgil van Diijk, this siege tower of a lad outmuscled his marker (presumably his girlfriend), timed his jump to perfection and planted a remarkable headed clearance back towards the pitch — all while wearing a beanie.
Everton fans hate Liverpool. They’re too flashy, they think they have a monopoly on bad singing and they just win too damn much.
The Merseyside Derby, unlike many of the world’s great soccer rivalries, is different because of the proximity of the two clubs — Anfield and Goodison Park are a literal stone’s throw from each other. This intimacy engenders deep resentment between the two clubs — Everton fans jealous of Liverpool’s money and success and Liverpool fans jealous of actually attracting fans from Liverpool instead of abroad.
Real Madrid fans are unique. As supporters of the most successful club in the history of Europe — if not the world — they look down on all others, especially that pesky club from Catalonia.
The only club that can really challenge Los Blancos’ superiority in Spain is, of course, Barcelona, so the rivalry is understandable intense. No other team brings out the best (or worst) in Real.
In Felipe’s case, it was the worst.
Guadalajara vs. Club América, Chivas vs. Las Águilas, El Súper Clásico — because that tame El Clásico over in Spain isn’t super enough.
Two of Mexico’s biggest clubs are also two of Liga MX’s biggest rivals, not just because they’re constantly going head-to-head on the pitch but because they have two distinct styles of going about their business. One’s called the Millionaires, the other the Goat Gang.