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O Especial — The Tale Of The Special One
Few partnerships have such bond, glamour, bitterness, love, and duality such as the one with Jose Mourinho and Chelsea FC. Jose Mourinho has visited The Pensioners five teams. Each visit has been nothing short of fireworks and an English novela. Today I look at the hidden tales of O Especial’s first visit at Chelsea. Old…
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Experance Tunis, The Winning Strategy
Esperance Tunis finally won a third CAF Champions League title. It was long overdue. No other African club has been as consistent, at continental level, since 1997. This was the year that the group phase was introduced in the Champions League. This Tunis club has almost always finished top of the group. They say league…
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How does the current England Under-21 squad compare to the 2009 European Championship squad?
The word ‘Golden generation’ is brandished a lot in association with young Three Lions squads gone by. But when looking through the current squad that has been picked for the Under-21 European Championships in France, it’s hard to take your eyes away from the talent that is laced throughout the core of the team. Previously,…
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Paulinho Alcántara: The pioneer of FC Barcelona
Long before the likes of Lionel Messi, Johan Cruyff, László Kubala or even César Rodríguez, there was a diminutive Filipino who was the apple of every Culé’s eye. Paulino Alcántara was FC Barcelona’s top goalscorer with 395 goals in 399 games, before finally being overtaken by Messi. His characteristic deceptive appearance made him popular with…
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Peter Ndlovu – The first African player in the Premier League
Since launching 27 years ago, the Premier League has been home to a number of world class players from all around the world. Several players from Africa, such as George Weah, Didier Drogba, and Yaya Touré, have graced the pinnacle of English football, yet the first African player to play in the newly formed top…
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Andrew Watson – The lost legacy of the pioneer for black footballers
In the light of the recent racism storms involving Moise Kean and Raheem Sterling, the origin of black footballers inevitably seems like a familiar tale of breaking race barriers by facing racial slurs of unmentionable evil and overcoming professional prejudices. However, a complete absence of such experiences in recorded history makes the life and times…
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Bengaluru FC and the renaissance of Indian Football
In early 2013, in an attempt to punch its way up from the increasing footballing limbo, India applied for the hosting rights of the 2017 FIFA Under 17 World Cup. Around the same time, the All India Football Federation meeting it decided that they would accept bids from corporates for forming a club and directly…
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Luís Campos: The rise of football’s most underrated sporting director
Just under two years after he stepped down from his role as the technical director of AS Monaco, Luís Campos vowed to replicate his successes from his tenure at Stade Louis II. “I don’t want to appear arrogant, but I assure you I will create other ‘masterpieces’ like this in my career,” Campos said in…
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An Ode to Il Divino Codino
As we celebrate the 52nd birthday of Roberto Baggio this week, I took it upon myself to take a trip down memory lane and share my own personal experience with Il Divino Codino, or ‘The Divine Ponytail.’ Most fans’ favorite players either play for their national team or their club team. Roberto Baggio neither played for Malaysia,…
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Traditionalists vs. Modernists: The Fight For The Heart and Soul of a Post-Messi Barça
“He does not really seem human to me,” – Luis Enrique. Oh, but he is. For the generation of football fans that have watched the sport from 2005 onwards, there have only been two players who are worthy of being crowned the G.O.A.T. Their names are synonymous with talent, class, consistency, success and greatness, and…
