Two momentous events were about to unfold, which would change the course of the Argentina National team. The first was marked in 1977 when a 16-year-old Diego Armando Maradona made his debut for the national team. The second one was the 1978 World Cup. Argentina had been awarded hosting rights and the FA had turned…

A third star on the jersey of its national team is something most nations dream of. The third star went to Argentina this time, France being bitterly disappointed as they failed to make up some ground on the likes of Brazil, Germany and Italy.   With the tournament still being more or less fresh in…

A new transitional period followed that saw the French national team fail to qualify for the 1988 Euros and the 1990 World Cup. This period, however, saw developments behind the scenes that would impact world football to this day. The Clairefontaine academy, which cost 104 million francs to produce, was inaugurated in 1988 and a…

With Newcastle United being taken over by a consortium that includes the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), it has transformed the spending power of the club, allowing them to dream of Champions League football after years of stagnation under the previous owner Mike Ashley.   These hopes of qualifying for the Champions League…

Say the letters PSG and immediately people think of the several superstars they, currently have in their squad – Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi and Sergio Ramos to name but a few. Under Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) since 2011, European glory has been the main objective of the owners irrespective of…

Belgian football clubs have enjoyed memorable European nights with Anderlecht and Standard Liege leading the way for Belgium. Yet it was an unfancied club just 25km south of Antwerp that would upset the odds in Europe during Belgium’s first golden generation of the 1980s.    Founded in 1904, KV Mechelen are one of Belgium’s oldest…

In recent years it has been Shakhtar Donetsk that has led the way for Ukraine in European club competitions when they won the UEFA Cup in 2009. But it was Dynamo Kiev that put Ukrainian football on the map throughout the 20th Century.    Dynamo’s memorable journey to the 1998 Champions League semi-final showcased Ukrainian…

The words East Germany throws up understandable connotations to people such as the Berlin Wall and the infamous Stasi. When it comes to sport in East Germany the main connotation is to do with underhand tactics like their doping program mainly targeting their Olympic athletes from the 1960s onwards to the fall of the Berlin…

This is part two of a series on Brazil’s 1998 FIFA World Cup. To read part one, “Brazil’s Summer of 1998: Defending Champions, Favourites and the Best Forward in the World,” click here.   Awaiting them were the hosts, France, who had gotten better as the tournament progressed. Inspired by the greatness of Zidane and…