All About The Beautiful Game
In 2010, South Africa was on top of the world. They had just become the first African nation to host the World Cup, displaying an electrifying atmosphere. They scored the tournament’s first goal, a great strike from Siphiwe Tshabalala. They even beat France, although the Bafana Bafana didn’t make it to the knockouts — the … Read more
The Turkish Süper Lig certainly has no shortage of elite goalkeepers. Trabzonspor won the league last year largely because of the heroics of Turkish international Uğurcan Çakır, who allowed just 33 goals in 36 games. Galatasaray has long depended on Uruguay’s shot-stopper Fernando Muslera, who has played nearly 500 games for the club. Rivals Besiktas … Read more
The Mexican national team is in a state of rebuild. Mexico has long dominated North American soccer, a fact its fans regularly enjoy touting. Now, however, things are changing. The US has started to improve its player development, with Mexico not winning a match against the Americans since 2019. Additionally, many of Mexico’s long-term stars … Read more
In 2006, Legia Warsaw made one of the biggest mistakes in football history. Unconvinced by a virtually unknown reserve team prospect, the Polish giants shipped off a 17-year-old striker to the third tier of Poland for virtually nothing. That striker was Robert Lewandowski, who has gone on to become one of the best strikers in … Read more
Across Europe, there are dozens of leagues that are famous for their development of young players. Portugal is one of the best, with Porto, Sporting, and Benfica selling top prospects for high costs every year. The Netherlands are as well, thanks mainly to Ajax and PSV. In Belgium, it’s Club Brugge, Genk, and Anderlecht. In … Read more
Until recently, Sassuolo had, in terms of Serie A appeal, very little going for them. A small town in Italy, Sassuolo’s population is dwarfed by that of many of Italy’s top-flight clubs. Their spending paled in comparison, too. In fact, until the 2013-14 season, Sassuolo had never even been in the Serie A. So how … Read more
In recent years, Schalke have struggled to find a consistent striker. Last season aside, that is: Simon Terodde scored 30 times to finish as the top scorer of the Bundesliga 2 and help Schalke earn promotion back to the Bundesliga. Terodde is the leading scorer in Bundesliga 2 history, has led the league in goals … Read more
Few clubs are more well-known for their youth development than Ajax. Many of the best players in the Netherlands came through Ajax’s famous academy, widely regarded as one of the world’s finest. Ajax also recruits foreign players at young ages — including many from neighboring Belgium. Three of Belgium’s most capped defenders — Toby Alderweireld, … Read more
In 2015, Georgia was one of the worst teams in Europe. They sat at 122nd in the world, one of their worst finishes in history. At the worst point, Georgia was ranked 154th, with just three nations in Europe ranked lower. Above them in the rankings were Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and Kazakhstan, among others. Seven years … Read more
Although many may not notice, there’s something of a football revolution occurring in Malaysia right now. The Malaysian national team is historically unsuccessful — zero World Cup appearances, none in the Asian Cup since 2007 (even then, no knockout stage appearances), and rarely any trophies in regional tournaments. This is all starting to change, however, … Read more