After three consecutive major final losses, Argentina decided to rebuild their squad. Edgardo Bauza became their third coach in just over two years, and everybody is hoping for a fresh start after their heart breaking loss to Chile in the Copa America Centenario.
Mauro Zarate made an emotional return to Fiorentina on Thursday for their Europa League group stage encounter with Qarabag. Zarate had been given leave by the club to return to Argentina to be with his wife, Natalie Weber, through the beginning of the season.
Weber was diagnosed with breast cancer, a tragic development following the announcement of a miscarriage earlier this year. Zarate and Weber are a beloved high-profile, celebrity couple in Argentina.
Sometimes, selling your best player is the right move. Take, for example, Manchester United shipping out Ruud van Nistlerooy in 2006. In the aftermath of losing the prolific striker, a new set of players emerged to take up the burden. The side became less reliant on one focal point and spread the workload across an emerging generation of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Michael Carrick.
Francesco Totti is an icon, having played for Roma for the entirety of his lengthy and successful career. Totti is in his last season for Roma, and he turned 40 years old Tuesday. Lionel Messi, the current best player in the world, sent Totti a nice message.
Arriving into the weekend, Internazionale were perfectly poised to implode as only they can. One of Italy’s most consistently self-defeating clubs, the Nerazzurrri had spent mid-week losing (at home) to the third-best team from Israel. Far from being a freak result, the Milanese club had been thoroughly outplayed.
At the height of his powers, Brazilian striker Adriano was an unstoppable force. Combing strength, size and technique, Adriano was a regular for the Brazilian national team while dominating in Italy’s Serie A. However, his battle with weight, addiction and personal loss ultimately curtailed his short career.
There was a practice in Ancient Rome whereby a victorious general would be welcomed back into the city by throngs of celebrating citizens. As the triumph marched through the streets, with compliments and adoration showered upon the commander by the men and women of Rome, there was always a slave stationed beside his ear.
The list of great Italian goalkeepers surpasses that of any other nation on the planet. The likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Dino Zoff and Walter Zenga, to name just a few, have all represented the Azzurri with great ability and longevity. On Thursday, we got our first look at the next great Italian goalkeeper, AC Milan’s exceptional 17-year-old Gianluigi Donnarumma.