“What a day to be alive. F**k me,” slurred Mateusz Klich, just hours after Leeds United’s return to the big time had been confirmed.   Emile Smith Rowe’s excellently taken late goal saw Huddersfield Town do their nearest and dearest rivals a huge favour, as the Arsenal loanee’s winner was enough to seal promotion for…

Since winning the 2015 U-17 World Cup with Nigeria, Samuel Chukwueze has emerged into one of the brightest attacking talents in Spanish football, earning comparisons to legendary Dutch winger Arjen Robben. But just how good is the Nigerian prodigy and what does he need to improve upon in order to cement a starting spot in…

At the end of the 2017, Fluminese’s young Brazilian midfielder Marcus Wendel Valle da Silva, commonly known as Wendel was linked with a move to PSG. The Parisian club even sent a delegation to Rio de Janeiro to strike a deal with Fluminense.   Despite finding an agreement, PSG withdrew their interest in the player…

The purchase of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace for £49.50m in the summer of 2019 was seen as an important aspect of a defensive overhaul at Manchester United. The Red Devils had spent the past few seasons hanging by a thread defensively, leaning heavily on the shot-stopping heroics of David De Gea.    Following the…

On 10 March 2020, RB Leipzig, in their debut Champions League knockout game at the Red Bull Arena, took on Tottenham Hotspur with a 1-0 advantage. Within the first half of the game in Leipzig, the tie looked over – Marcel Sabitzer, the man with the armband, struck twice.   The first came from a…

In his four seasons at Lazio, Ciro Immobile has scored a breathtaking 118 goals in all competitions, marking him out as one of Europe’s most elite forwards and proving that he has lived up to legendary Juventus defender Ciro Ferrara’s early praise during his early years at the Old Lady.    However, before his move…

“Sometimes you could slap Kevin around the head because he didn’t listen. He was a stubborn boy,” KRC Genk technical director of youth Koen Daerden explains.   Considering his now cool and down-to-earth persona, it’s hard to imagine Kevin De Bruyne as being a handful in training, but it wasn’t bad behaviour that caused several…

On 12 February 2012, Zambia took to the pitch against Ivory Coast for that year’s final of the African Cup of Nations. Being the underdogs against a team that contained the likes of Didier Drogba, Wilfried Bony, Yaya Touré and more, the scenes that night in Libreville, Gabon, would inspire a generation.   After a…

Since leaving Celtic for Lyon in the summer of 2018, Moussa Dembélé has thrived at the Groupama Stadium, scoring 42 goals, contributing 13 assists, and validating the £19 million that Lyon paid for him just two years ago. His form has sparked interest from some of Europe’s best teams, showing that the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL)…

A mercurial talent, aged just 20, Kai Havertz has set the Bundesliga alight the last two seasons, scoring 20 goals in all competitions last term. He has followed that up this season, notching 15 so far.   With the skill, flair and tenacity of the talent frequently produced in South America, twinned with the typical…