Going into the new season of European football in 1992-1993, the Serie A was undoubtedly the strongest league in the world. Full stadiums, fantastic math-ups, clubs dominating their rivals on the continent and squads full of most of the best players in the world. It was not just the traditional “Big 3” of Inter, Juve & Milan that…

It seems like every region in the U.K. has their own soap opera. London has Eastenders, Manchester has Coronation Street, Yorkshire has Emmerdale and Birmingham has Birmingham City Football Club. In the past 10 years, there has been more drama, shocks and surprises at the club than any TV producer could have wished for. From…

When hosts Chile were drawn against the Soviet Union, their quarter final opponents were seen as the favourites. They had several star players, starting with the legendary Lev Yashin in goal. Nicknamed the Black Spider for wearing black in matches, Yashin was a player with an excellent reputation, helping the Soviets win the 1960 European…

As Ajax players and fans were celebrating the double on 16th of May, they were also thinking about the same thing. “We could be in the Champions League final.” Ajax were counting down the seconds for the final whistle on 8th May but Lucas Moura’s last minute goal changed the buyer of the Champions League…

There was a sense of hope rather than expectation among Chileans when it came to the national team’s chances in the 1962 World Cup. La Roja had been managed by Fernando Riera since 1958 and the 42 year old was relatively new to management. He had been appointed manager of Portuguese club Belenenses shortly after…

The opportunity to host a World Cup is a prestigious achievement that elicits pride amongst its citizens. Understandably, countries routinely face obstacles when preparing to stage a World Cup, testing their resolve. Yet few countries faced such adversity as a World Cup host than Chile.    FROM DELIGHT TO DEATH    Chile’s preparations to host…

Diego, Diego, Diego surrounded the streets of Naples during 1984 to 1991. Known as a god-like figure, Diego Maradona brought the city together with filled hearts. Napoli, the biggest club in the south of Italy, secured the signature of Maradona from Spanish giants FC Barcelona, for what was then a world record fee £6.9m in…

As we get set for another couple of rounds of qualifying for the Euro 2020 finals, and Italy prepare to face Armenia and Finland, time to look back at the first, and so far, only time the Azzurri were European champions. The pre-cursor to what is now known as the European Championships, was the Central…