Marco van Basten, scorer of one of football’s greatest volleys and owner of one of the coolest Dutch names in football. A striker that never had an off-season, yet only played 281 games in his career. He was a two-club man, only playing for Ajax and AC Milan, and a rangy figure, standing 6 feet … Read more
Only one player in the history of The Ballon d’Or has won the award whilst playing in the French League. A prolific striker, though seldom uttered in the same sentences as Van Basten or Rivaldo, his career was spent almost entirely in France save for two seasons at Bayern Munich and AC Milan and a … Read more
If there was any doubt over Kevin Keegan being the right man for the 1978 Ballon d’Or, he’d leave any notions of being undeserving of the award dead and buried in 1979. Keegan would smash notions of his earlier victory being unwarranted, with an incredible follow-up year in Hamburg; building upon his Ballon d’Or winning … Read more
Kevin Keegan is the only British player to win the Ballon d’Or twice, winning in 1978 and 1979. Although HSV finished 10th in the Bundesliga, Keegan was playing some of his best football, bagging 12 goals en route to becoming the third English player to win the Ballon d’Or in 1978. One of the Ballon … Read more
Zinedine Zidane was always a player that oozed class. So composed and skillful on the ball, the player is, in my eyes, France’s best-ever footballer. But, despite his talent, his most memorable moment lies in a split second of madness and disgrace. Zidane’s legacy will always be tainted by a decision he took in the … Read more
Goalkeepers are the last line of defence. It’s accepted in today’s game that they need a little extra equipment, more padding, fluorescent jerseys, and state-of-the-art goalkeeper gloves. Their role has evolved over the years, much like their tools. With the most crucial evolution being the aforementioned gloves. Now integral to simply play the position properly, … Read more
We’ve all seen it – the referee moves his hand to his pocket after the first booking and you already know what’s coming. Or worse still, the curveball after a dodgy challenge that completely blindsides both the home and away sides. The Red Card, a small, bright red rectangle of dismissal, designed in such a … Read more
When we think of players with uncanny longevity, most would think of names such as Ibrahimovic, Gianluigi Buffon or of course Stanley Matthews. But none can compete with the playing career of Football’s oldest professional player. Most incredible of all, is he still plays professionally. If I were to tell you that a 56 year … Read more
In Cup finals, the general rule of thumb is to keep it tight, play smart and pick the right moment to create chances. But most importantly, don’t concede early on. It’s rare teams can overcome quick goals, with a fast strike a sucker punch to morale. It’s usually really hard to get going again, after … Read more
For Part one click Here! With the final day of the season poised to kick off, Deportivo needed favours in 2 games. A loss for Hercules was important but if Bilbao were to just scrape a point against Xerez then it would all be for nothing. The day hung in the balance with Deportivo staring … Read more