Over the past decade, Red Bull Salzburg has produced a treasure trove of world-class talent, with Sadio Mané, Erling Haaland, Dayot Upamecano, Naby Keïta and Konrad Laimer finding themselves amongst a star-studded list of players who have emerged as some of the finest footballers in Europe. Today, Salzburg boasts the likes of Patson Daka (22),…

Benjamin Pavard began his career in 2002 at US Jeaumont at the age of 6. He did not stagnate there but continued to rise and gradually transformed into a seasoned player, and would go on to join Lille in April 2014 at the age of 14. Five years later, Pavard is now a defender at…

It has been quite the rapid rise for Pervis Estupiñán. Born in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, Estupiñán joined LDU Quito’s academy at the age of 13, and made his professional debut shortly after his 17th birthday. After a breakthrough season that saw him earn a spot in the Best XI of the 2015 Ecuadorian Serie A season…

When Dejan Kulusevski joined Parma on loan in the summer of 2019, he was a 19-year-old winger who had played just 102 minutes at the senior level. Fast forward 15 months, he is now a starter for Andrea Pirlo’s Juventus, having joined on a four-and-a-half year deal in January.   Born in Vällingby, a suburb…

During the 2018/19 campaign, Sébastien Haller, Luka Jović and Ante Rebić formed a ‘magic triangle’ which spearheaded Adi Hütter’s exciting Eintracht Frankfurt side, propelling them to a 7th place finish in the Bundesliga while they made an impression on the Europa League too, only missing out on a place in the Baku’s final after a…

At Fatih Terim Stadium, a gigantic orange shirt is hoisted above a group of excited figures on the pitch below. Emblazoned on the back is the name of Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.   The crowning of Istanbul Başakşehir as champions of Turkey this July was not your standard title celebration. The club has strong…

Since joining Inter Milan for a club-record €80 million on August 8, 2019, Romelu Lukaku has cemented his place as one of the best center forwards in Europe, shattering expectations with 34 goals in all competitions in the 2019/20 season and equalling Ronaldo’s record for most goals in his debut season at Inter.   The…

Chelsea have established a reputation for boasting one of the finest academies in Europe, with a collection of triumphant youth teams and a constantly expanding crop of young talent. But due to the demand for immediate success and the competition for first-team spots, many prospects have had to depart Cobham to get a chance at…

It is July 4th, 2020. Leicester City are competing in a home game against Crystal Palace in one of the final matches of the 2019-20 Premier League season. League games in England do not usually take place in the height of summer, but this campaign is an anomaly.    For this is no ordinary season.…

It’s been 3,433 days since Kyle Lafferty’s early brace led Rangers to a 5-1 victory over Kilmarnock, sealing the Glasgow club’s 45th league title and third consecutive league. In the nine seasons that have passed since that glorious conquest on the final day of the 2010/11 Scottish Premier League season, time, always based in immoral…