These ‘global icons’ are the type of players that everyone knows about! Like Zidane or Ronaldo. Heck, even my mum knows David Beckham!
You can usually look back at a player’s career and pinpoint some key areas of progression, and Euro 2004 clearly appears to be extremely important for the impending career of Wayne Rooney … The 2002 World Cup exit to Brazil was a tough pill to… Read More »How Euro 2004 was Essential for Wayne Rooney’s Development!
The World Cup and Serie A’s own Claudio Caniggia’s move to Dens Park at the turn of the millennium remains one of the most surprising and delightful transfers in Scottish football history! Back in the early 2000’s the Scottish football landscape was very different, with… Read More »Claudio Caniggia’s Magical Season with Dundee FC (2000/01)
Have you ever wanted to hear about the beauty of the game directly from one of it’s favourite contributors? Well, dig into this wonderful Sir Bobby Robson quote from later on in his illustrious managerial career … I’ve said this before and I’ll say it… Read More »The Ultimate Sir Bobby Robson Quote We All Need to Hear!
Despite his lack of consistent output for United, Diego Forlan was one of my favourite players growing up … and I was just devastated when he left Old Trafford in 2005. You can say whatever you want about that Manchester United squad from the early… Read More »The Transfer that Made Diego Forlan’s Career in 2005!
Key to all great teams is the role of the leader, an on-field general who ensures standards never drop, and Barca had arguably the best in the business in Carles Puyol! A one-club man, Puyol played 593 games for Barca (mainly at centre-half or right-back),… Read More »Carles Puyol: ‘El Capitan de Catalunya’ (1999-2014)
His name is Paul Gascoigne – one of England’s most naturally gifted footballers. And in a nation which homed workhorses suited to the physical game, our treasured ‘Gazza’ broke the mould … Paul Gascoigne was blessed with great technical ability, starting for Newcastle United at… Read More »The Modern Reincarnations of Paul Gascoigne (Part 1)
Every big footballing team needs a defence befitting its overall quality. And very few come close to being comparable with ‘The Wall’ of Manchester around 2008. In this series of articles we are going to take a walk down memory lane and admire the sheer… Read More »The Great Defence of the ’08 Manchester United Squad!
Kevin Keegan was always the sort of man who looked to blaze a trail that others wouldn’t dare to do. And his twilight move to Southampton proves it! Imagine the scene: Ralph Hassenhutl takes his seat in the Chapel Arms (the local pub for Southampton… Read More »When ‘King Kevin Keegan’ Became a ‘Secret Saint’ in 1980
Still the only defender to win the coveted Ballon D’Or award, it’s definitely gonna require a special one to take that title away from Fabio Cannavaro. Fabio Cannavaro is remembered for many things in world football. He was not one of the tallest centre-backs as… Read More »Fabio Cannavaro: The Ballon D’Or’s Favourite Defender!
It doesn’t help that there’s more than one ‘Juninho’ in the world … or that their second name begins with a ‘P’! Very confusing … Unfortunately for some I will not be chatting about the magical maestro who played for Middlesbrough during the mid-to-late nineties.… Read More »Juninho Pernambucano: Free-Kicks Personified!