In 1977, Yasuhiko Okudera made history when he signed for Cologne, thus becoming the first Japanese player to play professionally in Europe when the game was still amateur in Japan. We examine the soccer career of the first Asian to score in the European Cup, as well as his transition to life in Germany and … Read more
Let’s admit it. It takes a special kind of mentality like Pierluigi Collina to referee football at the highest level. Enforcing the soccer laws of the game and managing players’ tempers while keeping up with play for 90 nonstop minutes is an unenviable task. On the sidelines, soccer referees deal with harassment from rabid supporters … Read more
In 1978, the Football League lifted a 47-year ban on signing foreign players, and an influx of new talent flooded England’s shores. At the forefront of this revolution was Osvaldo Ardiles. He became to be known as ‘Ossie.’ Osvaldo Ardiles Is A Roaring Success In July of 1978, Tottenham Hotspur announced the signing of Argentine … Read more
Argentine soccer, recognized among the finest globally, owes its lofty standing in no small measure to Cesar Luis Menotti. The arrival of El Flaco (‘The Thin One’), as he was known from an early age, was a turning point in both the organization and planning of international football in Argentina. Under his expert tutelage, the … Read more
In addition to being an English footballer, Sir John Charles Clegg, popularly known as Charles Clegg served as the Football Association’s chairman and its president. He was also a respected referee and a famous administrator. Sheffield is where he was born and where Charles Clegg has lived all his life. In 1872, he played in … Read more
Paul Okon was one of the most gifted players to wear the Australian green-and-gold colors, even though he lacks the profile of today’s current crop of superstars. In the early 1990s, he was the first Australian captain to play regularly in Serie A, pioneering a rarely-trodden frontier for Australian players. During his club career, Paul … Read more
Djalma Santos is regarded by many as the best right-back ever in the history of soccer. He was a FIFA World Cup winner with Brazil in Sweden in 1958 and Chile in 1962. Twice a Rio-Sao Paulo Tournament winner with Portuguesa, Djalma Santos, would later shine in the great Palmeiras side of the 1960s. This … Read more
Pelé is widely recognized as the greatest soccer player the world has ever seen, yet he played in just a handful of games in England and never at the country’s home of football, Wembley Stadium. A total of six club games for Santos and two internationals for Brazil represents his English experience. Except for an … Read more
Craig Johnston deserves a special place in the history of world soccer. He was born to Australian parents, on 25 June 1960, in Johannesburg (South Africa). However, his parents soon moved back to Australia, and this is where Johnston spent his childhood. When he was six years old, Johnston suffered from osteomyelitis. He was close … Read more
Soccer supporters across the nation were fascinated by one man whose meteoric rise caught the country’s eye when South Korea emerged as a powerhouse of Asia in the mid-1980s. In 1984, Kim Joo-Sung scored his first international goal against Indonesia when he was just 19 years old. However, that would prove just the beginning of … Read more