When I was told to write a profile of Dutch footballer Anouk Hoogendijk, a defender for Ajax’s women's team, that emphasized why people would like her, I thought: impossible.
She doesn’t know her place. She has won the Dutch women’s league twice with Saestum, the Dutch cup once with FC Utrecht, and the FA cup once with the Arsenal Ladies.
Before they were playing in front of thousands of adoring supporters, before they earned the multi-million dollar contracts and endorsements, world famous footballers were just awkward teens like anyone else at that stage in life.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Beckham are all world renowned for their skills on the pitch. As often as we like to delve into what made them footballing greats, their embarrassing pubescent years remained largely a mystery.
Until now. Check out the video and fun facts below.
37-year-old Eidur Gudjohnsen will be making his international swan song for Iceland at Euro 2016. The attacking player from Reykjavik is certainly the most famous footballer to have come from Iceland. He scored 54 goals over six illustrious seasons with Chelsea. He spent three seasons with Barcelona, capturing a La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble in 2008-09.
Minnesota United FC captain and defender Justin Davis has created one of the most enviable traditions in the world of soccer. Beginning in September of last year, Davis began the custom after scoring the go-ahead goal against Indy Eleven at Minnesota’s National Sports Center.
Sprinting towards the supporters in the Budweiser Beer Garden at the North End of the stadium, Davis began motioning towards revellers in the section and asking for a sip.
Justin Davis begins the chugging tradition (skip to 4:56 for the libation):
Rachel Daly announced herself as a new star to watch as the NWSL season kicked off this past weekend. Daly, who hails from Harrogate in England, scored one and assisted one in her debut for the Houston Dash as they trounced the Chicago Red Stars 3-1 in front of a vociferous home crowd.
It was the 74th minute and Suarez had struck again. This time it was a bullet header from the penalty spot. On camera it seemed as if he had hit the ball harder with his head than Dani Alves had with his cross. Whether or not that was true, the result was stunning: Luis Suarez had scored another golazo, and the whole world hated him for it.
Diego Maradona has always been forthcoming when talking about the addiction problems that plagued his life both during and after his playing days. A cocaine addict and alcoholic from the mid-1980s until 2004, Maradona was lucky to escape with his life following overdoses in 2000 and 2004.
Michelle Lomnicki is talking about her injured back. A lingering injury, notoriously fickle, and one that played a hand in her decision to retire.
“It’s something that had always kind of been there. You knew that there was going to be an end at some point.”
Nowadays Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominate every single individual trophy there is, so much so that any other player has a very hard time competing with them, and rarely robs them of praise.
Only outstanding performances by Luis Suarez and Neymar, Messi’s mates at Barcelona, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have managed to recently steal some limelight.
Chicharito is one of the most important names in the Mexican soccer realm. The former Guadalajara player has had an amazing career in which he has achieved milestones most players in the world can only dream about.
From winning a title in his home country, to playing in arguably two of the biggest teams in the history of soccer, Chicharito has almost done it all. That’s the reason why today we bring you his best moments, including the decisions and actions that have shaped the Mexican striker history.