Inspiring

By the time most people hit the magic number of forty years of age, you wouldn’t expect them to be taking to the pitch at the highest level. But, for a number of players at the 2018 World Cup, they're looking to defy the social norms. They will be representing their nation in Russia for what could be the final time. 

We’ve come up with a starting eleven of the oldest players that are going to be at the World Cup, and we’ve gone with a classic 4-4-2 formation for this team. 

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt spent his Saturday watching a different kind of football than what he's typically used to at the scenic Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. The four-time NFL Pro Bowl selection was taking in an NWSL match between the Houston Dash and Utah Royals.

Issy “Hitman” Hamdaoui is a legend of street football. Hamdaoui is part of the Streetkings collective, founded by the godfather of Dutch street football, Edward van Gils (the two were featured as playable characters in FIFA Street 2). Hamdaoui has made countless contributions to the game, but he’s perhaps most famous for pioneering the AKKA 3000 move.

As we get older, the hustle and bustle of life can become overwhelming. Even the most simple of life’s pleasures, like having an engaging conversation with a friend or taking a long peaceful stroll outside, begin to become rarities. And as we get into our elder years, the bustling and noisy outside world can make our lives feel disjointed and isolated. In an effort to improve the quality of life for our seniors, a new form of soccer has emerged. It’s called "walking football."

Everton’s season has not been going as well as one would have hoped. Ronald Koeman struggled early in the season, and Sam Allardyce has not breathed much hope into the club either.

However, during their game against Newcastle United last weekend, Everton debuted the world’s first ever virtual match day mascot, and there was a heartwarming story behind it all.

Danny Gildea set a goal. He had seen others have success with soccer training videos online and didn’t see any reason why he couldn’t do just as well, if not better. So he set a target of 30-40,000 followers and created @gps_soccerassassins on Instagram.

He now has more than 450,000 followers and has worked with some of the biggest soccer companies in the world, including Adidas. For comparison, USMNT captain Michael Bradley has 97.5K followers on Instagram, Jozy Altidore 207K and Landon Donovan 165K. 

In the history of the FIFA World Cup, 24 different nations have achieved a top four finish. Can you name all of them? TIME'S UP.

It’s difficult, especially when factoring in sides like the United States (3rd place in 1930) and South Korea (4th in 2002). Another country that could certainly slip your memory in this category is Bulgaria.

Mohamed Salah is blazing hot and Liverpool’s boy wonder has more than just a few goals up his sleeves. After a “Say No To Drugs” campaign video, Egypt Today reported a 400 percent rise in phone calls to the ancient country’s drug abuse hotline. Take a look at the next Denzel Washington in this video: