As a player with Estudiantes de La Plata in the 1960s and as Argentina’s manager during the 1986 World Cup, Carlos Bilardo achieved worldwide renown. The team came close to reclaiming the title in 1990, reaching the final. During his time as Argentina’s manager, he was renowned for consistently using the 3–5–2 formation. The formation … Read more
When Tord Grip was appointed second-in-command to England’s national team boss Sven Göran Eriksson, it was not his first direct experience of English soccer. Some 40 years previously in 1961, while a promising young Swedish player, he had spent three months in England. During this period, the future England assistant manager appeared for both Aston … Read more
This pioneer of soccer Arthur Kinnaird was born at 35 Hyde Park Gardens on 16 February 1847 and baptized at St. James’s, Paddington, being educated at Cheam Preparatory School in the 1850s. His parents moved to Pall Mall East, and he was a fifth-former at Eton in 1862. But, unlike his family, he found a … Read more
Those early Dutch teams were likened to the ‘Clockwork Oranje,’ but Rinus Michels was the mastermind behind the machinery. He was a man of few words, but he was the guiding force behind Total Football’s brilliance. Aged 12 When He Joined Ajax The Amsterdam Olympic Stadium, venue for that year’s Olympics, was a few hundred … Read more
The professional footballing career of Frank Wignall includes Everton, Nottingham Forest, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Derby County, and Mansfield Town. The centre forward also represented England at the international level. For a club-record fee of around £20,000, he signed for Nottingham Forest from Everton in 1963. During his first two seasons at the City Ground, he was … Read more
Having spent his formative years in a religious home in Hull, Ebenezer Cobb Morley, seen as the founder of the modern game, inherited important qualities, beneficial qualities which no doubt helped him during his future organizational roles. Initially, Ebenezer Cobb Morley trained in Hull and may have worked for his father’s solicitors Messrs. Phillips & … Read more
Having failed to make an impression at Southport, Barrow, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Peter Withe spent 1975 with the USA soccer team Portland Timbers in a season that would revolutionize his career. When he got the call from America, Peter Withe was 23 years old and a reserve at Wolverhampton Wanderers. His career was not going … Read more
Marcelino Garcia Toral is a famous Spanish soccer manager/coach currently in charge of La Liga team Athletic Bilbao. Famously known as Marcelino, he has managed several top-tier sides in Spanish soccer. He was also a professional footballer and played as an attacking midfielder. However, he had to call quits on his playing career prematurely due … Read more
With 169 goals, Wu Lei owns the record for the Chinese football club Shanghai SIPG all-time top goalscorer. One hundred and two goals make him the second most prolific goal scorer in Chinese Super League history before moving to the Spanish club Espanyol in 2019. In addition, Wu holds the record for the youngest player … Read more
Sepp Herberger was one of the fascinating figures in German football. As the German national team coach, he formed a team that sensationally won the title against Hungary in Switzerland in 1954 in its first participation in the World Cup after World War II. The 3-2 win in the final, the “Miracle of Berne,” (Das … Read more