Jon ArnoldComment

LUIS SUÁREZ. ROBIN VAN PERSIE. DEON MCCAULAY

Luis Suarez. Robin van Persie. Deon McCaulay.  The three forwards each scored 11 goals during FIFA World Cup qualification, tying for the mythical qualification Golden Boot.

Jon ArnoldComment
LUIS SUÁREZ. ROBIN VAN PERSIE. DEON MCCAULAY
Matthew KyleComment

TACKLING INEQUALITY: HONDURAS AND EMPOWERMENT

Last weekend, England faced Honduras in their final friendly match before the start of this summer’s World Cup in Brazil.

Matthew KyleComment
TACKLING INEQUALITY: HONDURAS AND EMPOWERMENT

ANGEL WINGS, BRUISED AND RESTRAINED: HUNGARY, URUGUAY AND THE GREATEST DAY

In many regards the 1954 World Cup can be looked back on as the greatest ever. It was the first time that matches were shown live on television, it boasted more goals per game than any other edition in history, and it had a final that was truly memorable with a late twist in the tale.

ANGEL WINGS, BRUISED AND RESTRAINED: HUNGARY, URUGUAY AND THE GREATEST DAY
Tom FilerComment

BANK ROBBER, ASSASSIN, WAR CRIMINAL, FOOTBALL CLUB OWNER

Bank Robber. Asassin. War Criminal. Football club owner.

Tom FilerComment
BANK ROBBER, ASSASSIN, WAR CRIMINAL, FOOTBALL CLUB OWNER

THE UNCOMFORTABLE ALLIANCE: ARGENTINA'S INDIFFERENT RELATIONSHIP WITH LEO MESSI

In 2012, U.S. sportswriter Wright Thompson travelled to Rosario, Lionel Messi’s hometown, to learn more about the city’s most famous son since Che Guevara.

THE UNCOMFORTABLE ALLIANCE: ARGENTINA'S INDIFFERENT RELATIONSHIP WITH LEO MESSI

CHICKEN BREE AND THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD: THE STORY OF RENTON FC

If you were asked to name football’s first world champions, what would be your response? Uruguay? You would not be mistaken, of course, if you held that view; they won the first FIFA-organised tournament of nations in 1930 after all.

CHICKEN BREE AND THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD: THE STORY OF RENTON FC

BÉLA GUTTMANN: THE MAN WHO CURSED BENFICA

A man kneels by a gravestone, hands clasped together he implores the heavens. Tears roll down his face and into the Austrian soil where his great mentor now rests. But this visit is not a chance to pay respects to an old friend; it is a heartfelt plea for mercy. 

BÉLA GUTTMANN: THE MAN WHO CURSED BENFICA

JOSIP SKOBLAR: L'AIGLE DALMATE

Josip Skoblar, often remembered by Olympique Marseille fans simply as Monsieur Goal, played for L'OM in the 1960's and 70's.

JOSIP SKOBLAR: L'AIGLE DALMATE

FOOTBALL AND THE INTERNET

Hovering just above, using satellite view, on Google maps there appears to be little remarkable about the modest football ground on the Southern edge of Caen: a small clubhouse, a white rail around the perimeter and two dugouts.

FOOTBALL AND THE INTERNET

SOMBREROS, MASKS AND YELLOWHEADS: REMEMBERING TOROS NEZA

Nezahualcóyotl was the monarch of Tetzcuco before the Spanish conquest in 1492. Poet, architect, warrior and philosopher, he is one of the most notable rulers of Mexican history.

SOMBREROS, MASKS AND YELLOWHEADS: REMEMBERING TOROS NEZA
Adam DurackComment

BUENOS AIRES, ROME AND BIRMINGHAM

Fans of the Premier League, cast your minds back to April 12th, 2008. It was the day that Mauro Zárate truly caught the attention of English fans, following up goals in March against Reading and Manchester City, with a sumptuous free kick to equalise late on against Everton for relegation threatened Birmingham. Zárate’s brief cameo in England’s second city was just one of several unusual stops in what has been an intriguing, frustrating and often perplexing career. 

Adam DurackComment
BUENOS AIRES, ROME AND BIRMINGHAM
Daniel EdwardsComment

FROM PORTLAND TO BAHIA BLANCA: EL TRENCITO FINALLY ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Alongside afternoon tea and a vast quantity of incongruous place names (Hurlingham, Banfield, City Bell), perhaps the biggest legacy of Great Britain’s century-long economic intervention in Argentina was the rail network left behind by traders and industrialists.

Daniel EdwardsComment
FROM PORTLAND TO BAHIA BLANCA: EL TRENCITO FINALLY ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Niall McGloneComment

THE PELÉ OF FUTSAL

The progression from futsal to football is a well-trodden pathway. Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Andres Iniesta, Neymar and Lionel Messi are just handful of the players who have credited the small-sided game as a key part of their early development.

Niall McGloneComment
THE PELÉ OF FUTSAL
Luca Cetta1 Comment

THUNDER IN SARDINIA: RIVA, CAGLIARI AND THE MIRACLE OF 1970

Juventus President Giampiero Boniperti thought he finally had his man. “Every time he played in the north of Italy I would ring him up,” he would later say. Desperate to land Luigi Riva, it was said six Juventus players were to be exchanged for just one. But what a player. 

Luca Cetta1 Comment
THUNDER IN SARDINIA: RIVA, CAGLIARI AND THE MIRACLE OF 1970
Dariush KamyabComment

THE UNKNOWN PLEASURES OF ESFAHAN

2010 was shaping up to be a tough year for Iranian football. The national team had embarrassingly failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa under the tutelage of the legendary Ali Daei – sacked after an unthinkable 2-1 home defeat to perennial rivals Saudi Arabia.

Dariush KamyabComment
THE UNKNOWN PLEASURES OF ESFAHAN