Sheffield FC: Over 165 Years Of History

English soccer supporters will proudly boast of having the most senior football league in the world. A glance at the birthdates of the country’s current top-flight clubs certainly supports their unrivaled ancestry. Arsenal came into existence in 1886, while Manchester United was founded in 1878. However, these heavyweight pairs have been significantly outlasted by Sheffield … Read more

Pierluigi Collina And His Golden Whistle

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

Pelés First Game In England

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

Paul Okon: Australian Captain That Lead The Way

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

Cristiano Ronaldo: The Emergence of the Megastar

The trajectory of a young player’s career is often a result of potential and determination, and sometimes it is at the mercy of pure luck. For example, when Cristiano Ronaldo was part of Sporting’s youth system, it was evident that he had talent. Still, nobody, not even his coach, could have foreseen him developing into … Read more