Just like you and me, Ronaldinho was born and raised somewhere. But that’s where the similarities end.
There’s no explaining how, from the point of birth until turning 18, our paths and Ronaldinho’s diverged so enormously. While we were just starting to recognize our weaker foot, Ronaldinho was terrorizing the Brasileirao with Gremio and ending the career of Brazilian World Cup-winning captain Dunga.
The end of the transfer window is a stressful time for everyone. Will business get done? Will business not get done? Will my club's glaring weaknesses be addressed? Who will sign the next hot young thing? When is it OK to start celebrating a signing? Which news outlets can I trust and not trust? It's all very maddening and it makes me want to throw up.
Thats why I've decided to ignore the transfer deadline, if only for just a few wondrous moments, and just watch dog videos. You should too! Here are some to get started:
Demetrio Albertini enjoys a legendary status amongst those who watched AC Milan and the Italian national team in the 90s, but the midfielder’s remarkable talent isn’t widely recognized outside of that sphere. As a ball-winning midfielder that orchestrated play from deep, Albertini doesn’t have a massive highlight reel with regards to goals, although he did score a number of long-range screamers and some gorgeous free kicks.
In the early days of football and throughout most of the 20th century, it wasn’t uncommon for players to stay at a club for their entire career. Legends such as Santiago Bernabeu, Giampero Boniperti, Lev Yashin and dozens of others all stayed with one team for decades. It was kind of the thing to do.
Here’s your football fact of the day: the England Blind team is a force to be reckoned with. The IBSA Blind Football European Championships kicked off last week in Berlin and the English side has made it known that they are the team to beat after 6-0 and 7-0 whoopings of Romania and France, respectively.
They’re just as much about quality as they are about quantity as Daniel English proved, however. Against Les Blues on Monday, the England player went on this brilliant solo run to score in just the first minute of the game.
Maybe you’ve heard already, but this Christian Pulisic guy is pretty good. At 18, the Borussia Dortmund and U.S. men’s national team star has proven himself to be one of the best Americans in the game today. He has an impeccable first touch, composure in the box beyond his years and makes impressive runs on and off the ball.
For those of us who threw our collegiate and professional aspirations out the window after high school, we have to search for glory in other ways. Whether it's by playing FIFA, arguing with other fans or ranting on Twitter, the game will always be in our blood. When ranting loses its appeal, you turn to dusting off your cleats and trying to remember where your shin guards are hiding.
It’s finally August, which means the 2017-18 season is upon us. Ligue 1 begins Friday, the German Super Cup is Saturday and England’s Community Shield is Sunday. But as a new campaign begins, another cycle is coming to a close. The inaugural FIFA Interactive Club World Cup will be held in London on Saturday followed by the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2017 Grand Final on Aug. 16-18 to crown the world champion for EA Sports’ FIFA 17.