During his 26-year reign at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson built various legendary teams that enjoyed success over the years, most notably the 1999 treble-winning side. However, his most successful period in terms of trophies was from 2007 to 2009, where he won three consecutive Premier League titles, one Champions League title, one FA Cup,…

When the inaugural season of the Bundesliga ended in May 1964 with FC Koln winning the league, there were high hopes within the German Football Federation (DFB) the second season would go without a hitch. But the 1964-65 season would be engulfed in scandal that would affect Berlin’s football clubs and lead to a change…

The magic of Roberto Baggio was his timeless nature. He transcended eras, starting in the rough and tumble of the 80s – a decade dominated by the blissful freedom of the number 10 – hallmarked by Diego Maradona, Michel Platini and Gheorghe Hagi amongst others. A period Baggio was all too happy to cut his…

On Monday of this week, a Ballantine’s harvested in 1954 was just opened in the city of Guadalajara, the second most populated city in Mexico, and certainly the cradle of all Mexican stereotypes – mariachi, tequila, food, women’s beauty and passion from football fans.   According to a study published jointly by the Pan American…

After seven years as president of Sampdoria, Massimo Ferrero has been forced to resign. The eccentric 70-year-old was arrested on December 6 for financial activities unrelated to the Blucerchiati, and the club released a statement later that day, confirming that he was stepping down.   His time at Sampdoria will be looked upon with disdain…

Early Years   The first National Championship was set up in Karachi in 1950 whereas Pakistan made their international debut on a tour in Iran and Iraq in October 1950. Pakistan’s next international outing came in the Colombo cup where they played a goalless draw against India for the first time.   During the 1950s,…

The arrival of spring 1915 heralded new levels of bloodshed in continental Europe as the Great War escalated among the belligerent nations. But amidst the suffering of men in the battlefields of continental Europe, the football season was still being played in England in the first year of the war.   Beginning in September 1914,…

For many clubs, falling from established Premier League status to the Championship bears resemblance to the infamous story of when rapper Coolio dived into the crowd at a gig in Stoke-on-Trent only to be robbed and injured by those in attendance.   One moment, everyone below you is watching on in envy, merely standing and…

The year is 1993, 17th of November. Bulgaria, in the face of Emil Kostadinov, have just managed an extraordinary goal in the dying seconds of stoppage time against France to go to the 1994 FIFA World Cup at the expense of their opposition.   Despite Bulgaria having a history of being a tricky side over…

On the third week of the 2015/16 Ligue 1 season, OGC Nice hosted SM Caen at the Allianz Riviera. The spectators had been starved of real quality for much of the match, with the two sides level at 0-0 and only a third of the game left to play. This all changed in the 67th…