All About The Beautiful Game
Charles Erb As club football winds to a close across Europe, it’s a great time to look back and see how the big-name and big-money transfers fared. Some have flourished — Jude Bellingham, for instance, has played a crucial role in Real Madrid’s season, helping Los Blancos reach the Champions League Final — and getting some Ballon … Read more
After a hectic final matchday, the Bundesliga season is over — and the stay in the Bundesliga for some sides, as well. FC Köln joined Darmstadt in relegation, while Bochum will play a relegation playoff against 2. Bundesliga side Fortuna Düsseldorf. Going into the final day, many teams still had all to play for. SV Darmstadt … Read more
When Bayern Munich signed Armindo Sieb on a free transfer in 2020, it looked like the Bavarian giants had pulled off a massive coup. The 17-year-old was coming off a strong year with Hoffenheim’s u17s, scoring ten goals and assisting five in fifteen matches. He had scored six more for Germany’s u17s, recording hattricks against … Read more
Last week, Real Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona, better known simply as RCD Espanyol, welcomed representatives from MLS side Philadelphia Union. Steve Graham, the brother of Richie Graham, who is one of the biggest investors in the Union, met with the Segúnda Division side’s CEO, Mao Ye Wu. As Espanyol’s official statement put it, the … Read more
Looking back, it’s easy to say that Bayern Munich’s decision to loan out Josip Stanišić was a mistake. The Croatian has played 30 matches for Leverkusen, scoring two crucial goals — including one against Bayern — and assisting four more. He’s been a solid defensive presence and has filled in for many different positions, strengthening … Read more
In August 2023, Ajax paid €16 million to sign FC Metz forward Georges Mikautadze. In doing so, Mikautadze became the most expensive Georgian player of all time, more expensive than the likes of Kakhaber Kaladze, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Giorgi Kinkladze. He became the third-most expensive Metz sale of all time, too, earning the club more … Read more
Florian Wirtz needed just seven seconds to give Germany the lead, and from then on, die Mannschaft rolled to a surprisingly easy victory. Kai Havertz doubled their lead three minutes after the game restarted, and despite both sides having some good chances, the match ended 2-0. This breaks Germany’s winless streak, which went back to … Read more
Heidenheim’s first-ever Bundesliga season can only be described as remarkable. The German minnows were not expecting promotion last year, but finished ahead of giants like Hamburg SV and Fortuna Düsseldorf, winning the 2. Bundesliga. Life in the Bundesliga was always going to be too difficult for the small club from Baden-Württemberg — except that it isn’t. … Read more
The Euros are just months away, and Germany has some big roster issues to solve. The Bundesliga has been completely flipped upside down, with Leverkusen and Stuttgart having strong seasons while Bayern—and particularly some of their German veterans—have struggled. In the Premier League, some Germans who have made big moves have struggled, while others are … Read more
The verdict is in, and it is brutal: Paul Pogba has received a four-year ban for a doping offense. The Frenchman was suspended in September after failing a drug test, leading to reports that his stay in Turin would be cut short. Now, his career might be over. Everything Pogba has done has made headlines. … Read more