People

Pat Nevin played nearly 750 games over a 20-year career in England and Scotland, making him one of the most familiar faces in British soccer. After scoring a hat-trick against Celtic Boys’ Club for his team, Blue Star, he signed for them as a 14-year-old in 1977. He then represented Glasgow Schoolboys and Scottish Schoolboys, … Read more

Paul Breitner played professional soccer for the German national team as a midfielder and left-back. In addition to being named in the World Cup All-Time Team, Breitner was also considered one of the best players of his generation. He formed a defense partnership with Franz Beckenbauer and Berti Vogts for his national team. When playing … Read more

For Santa Cruz, one of the big three soccer clubs in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, the deal struck back in early 1983 for Ricardo Rocha was just one of many done with smaller clubs from the interior. Yet even by today’s standards, the terms were very unusual. To secure the services of the then-20-year-old … Read more

Uwe Seeler is widely considered one of the greatest German soccer players of all time. Uwe was born on 5 November 1936 in Hamburg, where he subsequently joined his beloved local club Hamburger SV at just nine years of age. He was the son of Erwin, an influential soccer player from the port city. Early … Read more

Arrigo Sacchi came as a former shoe salesman, left as a legend, and rewrote calcio’s tactical rule book along the way. He coined some of the greatest quotes in managerial history, brought a number of the game’s most coveted winner’s medals back to his tiny hometown of Fusignano, and inspired a generation of coaches to … Read more

Fulham Football Club lost their most famous son with the death of the great Johnny Haynes. He was Fulham’s greatest-ever soccer player and probably the best soccer player in Britain during the late 1950s. There was a minute’s silence at the home match with Liverpool Football Club, and it was fitting that his great friend … Read more

Franz Beckenbauer is a German footballer who began his professional playing career as a forward and midfielder. In switching to defense, he changed soccer forever, becoming the greatest defender in history and inspiring countless players worldwide to follow in his footsteps. Who Was Franz Beckenbauer? On September 11, 1945, Franz Anton Beckenbauer was born in … Read more

Dunga is the nickname given to Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri. A former professional soccer player from Brazil, he played as a defensive midfielder. In 1994, Brazil won the World Cup under his captaincy. He and Spanish midfielder Xavi are the only two players to have participated in a World Cup final, an Olympic final, a … Read more

People watch and enjoy soccer for a multitude of reasons. There is a sense of identity and connection to a town, city, or even a family member. There is the primitive sense of tribalism that can come with belonging to a band, and indeed it is an emotion on which some of the most fraught … Read more

Former Argentine soccer player Daniel Bertoni played on either the left or right-wing. During his career in Argentina, he dominated the soccer field at Club Atlético Independiente, where he won three Copa Libertadores, one Intercontinental Cup, and three Copa Interamericana trophies. Daniel Bertoni Early Career The future World Cup winner was born on March 14, … Read more