Leeds United are judged as a team of great hyperbole. In one instance lauded for their high pressing attacking football and in the same breath remonstrated for their naivety. The reality is something closer to the latter. They are not a team blessed with the individual quirks of Jack Grealish but instead take confidence from…

Since joining from Barcelona at the age of 22, Thiago Alcântara proved to be an oasis of serenity and precision in the heart of Bayern Munich’s midfield, playing an integral role in the Bavarian side’s domestic hegemony and leading them to a historic treble last season. However, after seven years in Germany, he departed for…

It all started with a Merseyside derby curler.    It wasn’t Curtis Jones’ first appearance in a red shirt, nor was it particularly the moment where he truly broke into the first team. But it was the moment, if you ask any Reds’ supporter, that etched the local lad into the hearts and minds of…

At 23 years of age, Mikel Oyarzabal is quickly establishing himself as one of the biggest talents in La Liga. Born in Eibar, Gipuzkoa, Oyarzabal joined Real Sociedad’s academy in 2011, where he would spend the next few years apart from a brief loan spell at Eibar in 2013/14, before making his first-team debut under…

When Federico Bonazzoli emerged from the Inter youth academy, he was considered to be another Italian forward with a bright future.   The former Italy youth international has not established himself as a prolific striker but he has produced moments of quality that can convince coaches and football fans that he is a complete forward…

Modern football fans have been able to see some of the stars of recent play well into their ’30s. Players that launched themselves into stardom in the 2000’s are still playing a prominent part in Europe’s major leagues. Serie A in particular has a few veterans who are making an impact well into their 30s…

A drop of a shoulder and well-timed flicked passes around the corner; a trademark Mshishi move. It is simply hard to visualise a Mamelodi Sundowns performance without Themba Zwane’s silk movement and supreme relationship with the football.   The 2019/20 PSL Footballer of the Season, Player’s Player of the Season, and Midfielder of the PSL…

As John Stones and Rúben Dias high-fived and fist-bumped on the half-way line at Southampton on Saturday, there was an immense feeling of satisfaction throughout the Manchester City camp. Dias, a sturdy, rugged man, with adrenaline coursing through his veins, was celebrating a hard-fought victory, and yet another clean sheet, with his sensational centre back…

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa has been a standout player for Scott Parker’s Fulham, who are enjoying a mid-season revival following a difficult start. In short, Anguissa is a powerful operator; he is tenth in the league for dribbles completed and eight in the league for attacking duels won. His primary strengths include ball carrying and intelligence…

It was 2007. The coats were piled up on the touchline in the south-eastern outskirts of Utrecht as Mohamed Amine Ihattaren’s mother watched on, wearing a proud smile. Her son had started his footballing journey at SV Houten and would soon move to Eindhoven, 85 kilometres south. Just over 12 years later, he would make…