Football can be a cruel, cruel mistress. Fans have learned this lesson the hard way very well over the years. For every glorious triumph, there is a heartbreaking defeat. In certain cases, it seems baffling that it's actually happened.
These five slip-ups, from players and teams, highlight how you can never say "never" in this sport. Just when you think it's over, you can have the rug pulled out from under your feet.
With 167 caps, Gianluigi Buffon has matched Spain’s Iker Casillas as Europe’s most capped international player of all time. This marks a major milestone for the Italian legend, but it isn’t necessarily unexpected.
Buffon, affectionately nicknamed Gigi, began his professional career with Parma in 1995 at the tender age of 17 and almost immediately became a household name. He was called up to the national team in 1997 and went to his first of many World Cups just a year later, in 1998 at the age of 20.
It’s almost as if Milan's young talent, 18year-old Manuel Locatelli and 17-year-old Donnarumma are constantly trying to one up each other.
In Milan’s stunning win over Juventus last week, Locatelli scored a goal of the season contender to put the Rossoneri in front and to deliver Milan a victory over Juventus for the first time since November of 2012.
Written a few days ago, this article would've been very different. In the cold light of Monday morning, many people were welcoming the revived glories of AC Milan. A young, exciting squad packed with home grown Italian talent, led by one of Serie A’s most promising and intriguing managers, had taken on the champions of the last five years and won. 'Milan beat Juventus — they’re back!' came the shouts. A new era was upon us.
Loaning players is a practice as common in soccer today as Jose Mourinho blaming the refs for losing a game.
Powerhouses all over the world make use of this practice to give their young players a chance to play regular soccer somewhere else if they currently don’t have space on the first team. Sometimes, even established players are sent out on loan for various reasons.
Regardless of why they are away, here are a few players who have been making the most of their opportunities to play regular soccer.
Joe Hart | Torino
There was a time during Patrice Evra’s heyday at Manchester United when he was considered the best left back in the word. At 35-years-old, the Frenchman is no longer undroppable — he’s only made two appearances for Juventus this season — but he has managed to lay claim to a new title: soccer’s best Instagrammer.
Evra’s profile isn’t even six months old yet, but it already has a cool one million followers.
M’Baye Niang’s young career has been plagued by controversies and inconsistent play, but his goal on Sunday not only proved his doubters wrong, it also showed a new maturity from the French international. Watch as he celebrates his goal with a memorable gesture to Riccardo Montolivo, Milan’s captain who is out for the season after suffering an ACL injury:
It's no secret that Serie A’s UEFA coefficient has been in decline for over 15 years. The UEFA coefficient, used to determine how many teams from each domestic league are entered into competitions such as the Champions League and Europa League, is based on the European success of a club within the last five years.
In an interview with Corriere dello Sport, Roma captain Francesco Totti shocked many by naming a somewhat controversial figure as his best teammate ever. The player Totti named was Antonio Cassano, the maverick who's appeared for seven different clubs in his career.
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