Facts

It’s safe to say American Football and Soccer are very different sports, with the two pitted as the opposites of each other. This idea starts at one sports dependence on hands, and the others dependence on feet. You’d never guess which one was which from the description alone. But one similarity that can anchor them … Read more

In a sport where late challenges and most physical contact are penalised, it’s hard to tell whether soccer is a true contact sport or not. “It’s a contact sport ref!” Whether you play at an amateur or professional level, you’ll have heard the above exclamation levied at referees after being penalised for a foul.  While … Read more

Football is an incredibly demanding, physical sport, requiring players to be at the absolute peak level of fitness possible. It’s always been this way, but in the modern fast-paced, high-pressing game, a huge emphasis is placed on stamina. Players play faster-tempo games than ever and face the Herculean effort of playing close to a hundred … Read more

Football is a fiercely competitive sport. Any little win a country or club can get over a compatriot is celebrated wildly, and these small victories can sometimes enter the truly pedantic. While for the most part fans take pride and celebrate club and nation’s performances over their rivals, in a world of constant coverage and … Read more

Blades or studs? It’s a modern conundrum featuring discourse full of opinion and personal preference.  For more than a century, studs ruled supreme, boasting a total monopoly over the underside of boots, but as of 2005 and the release of the iconic Addidas Predator boots, a war of the cleats broke out. When we buy … Read more

The influence of star athletes, especially soccer stars, on various areas of culture is undeniable. The casino industry caught on fairly quickly, too, and allied itself with some of the top-notch players in the game, using celebrity endorsements to get ahead. Meanwhile, smaller gambling sites aim to attract players through appealing offers and deals. It’s … Read more

When a successful footballer’s son manages to make it as a player at a high level, interest spikes in what that player’s whole family tree is up to. As a result, it’s no surprise that such an interest has been taken in Erling Haaland’s relatives. Following in father Alf Inge Haaland’s footsteps in playing for … Read more

There are a total of 34 games in a Ligue 1 season. Teams face each other twice during a campaign – once at home and the other away. After every side has played all 34 of their fixtures then the team which has amassed most points at the end of the season is named as … Read more

Igor Belanov’s 1986 Ballon d’Or win remains only the third time in which a player from the Soviet Union has claimed Europe’s most illustrious individual prize. His victory joined that of Dynamo Kyiv forward Oleg Blokhin in 1975 and legendary Dynamo Moscow goalkeeper Lev Yashin twelve years earlier. Belanov’s Ballon d’Or success was perhaps a … Read more

It was the year that Ruud Gullit finally gained ultimate recognition as Europe’s finest talent. He became only the second Dutchman to win the accolade following Johan Cruyff’s trio of prizes in 1971, 1973 and 1974. Gullit’s rise was initially slow and steady. But within the space of two years leading up to his award, … Read more