FOOTY FAIR

Throwback Thursdays: Ajax Introduce the World to Total Football

2016-06-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

Exactly forty-five years ago today, Amsterdam powerhouse Ajax won the first of their eventual three straight European Cups by defeating Panathinaikos 2-0 at Wembley Stadium in London.

For Ajax it was their second trip to the final, following a 4-1 defeat to AC Milan in 1969.

Throughout much of their history Ajax had a tradition of playing exciting attacking football, but it would be after the appointment of former player Rinus Michels as manager in 1965 that the club would forge the identity that the Dutch giants are known for today.

Building upon Ajax's existing ethos for playing a passing game and adapting the ideas of Gusztáv Sebes, who had managed a flexible and exhilarating Hungarian national side in the 1950's, Michels implemented a system that would come to be coined "Total Football".

Although his side played in a basic 4-3-3 formation, the Ajax players were well drilled in picking up positions left vacated by a teammate making a run. The team shape and the spacing between players was never lost, as players rotated across the pitch.

In order to play this system, the player needed to be exceptionally fit and possess great spatial awareness, so they could easily pickup where they should move and where they should not in relation to their teammates and opponents.

Their opponents in the final were Athens side Panathinaikos, who are still the only Greek club to make it to the final of the European Cup.

Thanks to high scoring forward Antonis Antoniadis and under the watchful eye of manager Ferenc Puskás, the legendary former Hungarian striker, the Greek side had reached the final with impressive aggregate wins over Everton and Red Star Belgrade.

After taking a 5th-minute lead through Dick van Dijk it was Ajax's defense, rather than their much lauded attack, that came to the fore as they completely negated their opponents forwards.

Antoniadis struggled to get into the game, and the gig was up in the 87th minute when Arie Haan added a second for Ajax.

Despite Michels departure for Barcelona following this victory, over the next two seasons the Amsterdam club would go on to win two more European Cups, making it three in succession.

Football's Joy of Five (Quiz)

2016-05-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

With Juventus rather incredibly winning their fifth straight Serie A title this season, they joined a select group of club's that have topped their respective league tables at the end of a season on at least five straight occasions.

Those clubs, along with a few famous footballing nations and several free-scoring players, are the focus of today's Joy of Five quiz:

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Football's Greatest Sides - Part 5 of 5: Real Madrid (1955 to 1960)

2016-04-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

While the other famous club sides in this series, particularly the Milan side of Arrigo Sacchi and Pep Guardiola's Barcelona were defined in large part by the footballing philosophy of their respective managers, this certainly doesn't apply to the great Real Madrid squad of the late 1950s.

Rather than being influenced by a single manager during their record breaking run of five straight European Cups, Los Blancos went through the tenureship of José Villalonga, Luis Carniglia (twice), Manuel Fleitas, and Miguel Muñoz (twice).

But that's Real Madrid in a nutshell, a football institution that wins titles with colourful players and even more colourful presidents, but where the manager is as disposable as yesterday's daily newspaper.

The story of that wonderful Madrid side began to take shape when Santiago Bernabéu de Yeste was appointed president in 1945. He would become the first in a long line of powerful overseers of the club, but none have come anywhere near close to matching his influence or success.

But it wasn't an easy start for the man who Real's stadium is now named after. Bernabéu took over a club that was in ruins following the Spanish Civil War, with a decimated board room and a subpar playing staff.

He quickly got to work on a two pronged approach of building up the club's youth side and signing the best available talent in Spain and beyond.

Madrid's fortunes took a dramatic upward turn in 1953 when Bernabéu hijacked Barcelona's attempted capture of Argentinian attacker Alfredo Di Stéfano and instead brought "The Blonde Arrow" to the Spanish capital.

If you were to pop into a cafe in Madrid, even today, and engage in conversation with football fans of a certain age they will tell you to forget about Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Pele, because the greatest player of them all was Don Alfredo.

Although scant footage exists of the man his contemporaries refer to as football's most complete player ever, when considering the Argentine's influence on the game the old Madridistas may have a point.

Di Stéfano, with a talented supporting cast including Paco Gento and Hector Rial, helped Madrid storm to victory in the first ever European Cup Final in 1956 by virtue of a 4-3 win over Stade de Reims.

Madrid also helped themselves to the signing of Reims best player following the final, when they added Raymond Kopa to their glittering array of attacking talent.

The club would go on to win the European Cup again in 1957 with a 2-0 victory over Fiorentina, and would follow that up with a tense 3-2 extra time win over AC Milan in 1958.

Another win over Stade de Reims in 1959, this time by a score of 2-0, made it four straight cups for Madrid.

Their opus though would come with the last of their five straight European titles in 1960 when 127,621 stunned spectators at Hampden Park in Glasgow witnessed Madrid destroy West German champions Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3.

Scoring in his still record fifth straight final, Di Stéfano plundered a hat trick while Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas helped himself to four.

The following season saw Madrid finally ousted from the tournament, beaten at the semi-final stage, as age started to catch up to some of their leading stars.

Club football has seen a number of brilliant and innovative teams in the past fifty years, but it's impossible to imagine that anyone will match the five straight European titles by the side that Bernabéu built.

Football's Greatest Sides - Part 3 of 5: Liverpool FC (1977 to 1984)

2016-03-29T11:14:00.000-04:00

Despite not having won a domestic league title since 1990 and a European trophy since 2005, Liverpool Football Club was, at one point, one of the most feared club sides in all of Europe. The late 1970's and a good portion of the 80's solidified (at least for a long while) Liverpool's spot as the most successful club in England and a European club competition powerhouse.

The 1974 hiring of manager and former Liverpool footballer Bob Paisley would pave the way to 6 First Division titles (5 between 1977 and '84), 3 League Cup trophies, 3 European Cups, a UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.

In his first season in charge, Paisley's side managed to capture the FA Charity Shield, but it wouldn't be until the 1976-77 season when Liverpool would put themselves on the map as true contenders for every competition they participated in.

The signings of Kenny Dalglish in 1977 from Scottish side Celtic and one Graeme Souness the following year proved crucial to Liverpool's success in the coming seasons. With the likes of Kevin Keegan and Phil Neal already in the squad Liverpool's teamwas exciting and very hard to defeat on any given match-day.

In 1976 and '77 Liverpool captured the league title, both seasons coming in just 1 point ahead of the runner-ups. But 1977 also brought silver-wear to Merseyside that The Reds have never laid hands on before; for the first time in the club's history Liverpool would make it all the way to the European Cup final, capturing the coveted title with a 3-1 win over German side Borussia Mönchengladbach in the final match at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

The following year Liverpool missed out on the league title, coming second to Nottingham Forrest. But their European play did not suffer as a result, with the club capturing a second European Cup title in consecutive years. In the final against Belgian side Club Brugge played in front of a 92,000 strong crowd at Wembley Stadium in London, Kenny Dalglish's lone goal off of a pass from fellow Scotsman Graeme Souness was enough to crown Liverpool as Europe's best club once more.

The following two seasons The Reds were unable to capture the European Cup, as Forest surprised the footballing world by winning the cup two years in a row. But the impressive Liverpool side led by scoring leaders Kenny Dalglish and David Johnson would not let the first-round let downs in Europe discourage the side from other major achievement. The 1978-79 season saw Liverpool claim the league title once more, coming in an impressive 8 points ahead Nottingham Forest. The following year they successfully defended their place as England's best with a 2 point finish ahead of bitter rivals Manchester United.

Over the next three seasons, Paisley's last as the bench-boss for the side, Liverpool would go on to win an additional 2 league titles and their third European Cup, a tournament in which The Reds went undefeated and won the trophy with a 1-0 final win against Europe's most successful side, Spanish club Real Madrid.

It was immediately after Paisley's departure as manager however, that Liverpool would have their year to remember. Now under the management of Paisley's former assistant Joe Fagan, Liverpool could (almost) do no wrong during the 1983-84 football season. A fourth round defeat in the FA Cup would be the club's only blemish on the season, a tournament Liverpool could not win in the aforementioned years of glory.

But despite yet another FA Cup upset, Liverpool would complete the most successful season in the club's history. In March of 1984 Liverpool qualified to the League Cup Final and a date with city rivals Everton for the first trophy of the year. The initial final at Wembley finished with a 0-0 draw despite extra-time being played and the replay match was scheduled for three days later at Manchester City's former ground Maine Road. In Manchester extra-time would not be necessary as Graeme Souness' 21st minute goal would hand the League Cup to the red side of Merseyside.

As May of 1984 came around, Liverpool's history would change for ever. On May 12th, 1984, Liverpool would clinch their third consecutive First Division title with a match to spare, becoming only the 3rd club to accomplish this achievement. Eighteen days later The Reds would have to take on AS Roma in the European Cup final, at the Stadio Olimpico nonetheless. A win in Rome would engrave Liverpool FC's name as the first English club to win a "treble".

As was the case in the First Division, Liverpool's Welsh striker Ian Rush would also be the club's top scoring forward in this competition. Despite not scoring in Liverpool's first round of play against Danish side Odense Boldklub or in the final versus AS Roma, Rush would go on to score match-winning goals in all three rounds leading up to the final match. Brushing Athletic Bilbao, SL Benfica and Dinamo Bucharest aside, LFC were now one match away from recording English football history.

In Rome, where Liverpool have won the European Cup final once already in 1977, The Reds did not waste much time as fullback Phil Neal pounced on an odd bounce off of Roma's keeper Franco Tancredi's head to put the ball in the back of the net. Roma fought back however and were level just minutes before the half time as a header from Roberto Pruzzo was too much for Liverpool shot-stopper Bruce Grobbelaar to handle. Scoreless after the two initial goals, the match would be decided in the penalty-shootouts.

Liverpool's first shot from youngster Steve Nicol went over the bar and the "home" side had immediate advantage. But with Roma's legendary winger Bruno Conti and talented striker
Francesco Graziani both putting their shots over the goal as well, the calm and cool of Liverpool's stars Phil Neal, Graeme Souness, Ian Rush and Alan Kennedy would prove crucial as all four slotted their shot into the back of Franco Tancredi's net to become the first ever English side to win three major titles in one season and their 4th European Cup title in 7 years; success of proportions the club has yet to see since.

After the 1983-84 season Liverpool's success rate would plummet. The club would go on to win three more league titles, including their last to-date in 1990 and a UEFA Champions League title in 2005; with the side from the mid 1970's to mid 1980's still regarded not only as Liverpool's best, but also as one of the most impressive club eras in Europe.

Throwback Thursdays: George Best Sends Manchester United into Dreamland

2015-11-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

"I think I've found you a genius."
Those were the words contained within a simple telegram sent by Manchester United scout Bob Bishop in 1961 to manager Matt Busby regarding a 15 year old kid from Belfast by the name of George Best.

Best, who passed away ten years ago this week, made his debut for United on 14 September 1963 against West Bromwich Albion at age 17, and almost immediately his unique talent became apparent.

In a rough and tumble era of English football in the 1960's, Best was an artist who used a dazzling array of feints, tricks, creativity and raw pace to get around opponents much bigger than himself.

Despite his slender size though he wasn't lacking in toughness either, thanks in part to the bruising training sessions Busby had his sides go through and the hard edge he had picked up when playing football as a kid back home in Northern Ireland.

When watching clips of Best nowadays, besides his incredible dribbling and speed, it's his ability to ride bruising challenges that would almost certainly be deemed to be serious fouls in modern football that really stands out. He could withstand attempts by opponents to cut him down to size and just keep going, which is really in essence what made him so fantastic.

Best's finest moment for United, and indeed his career, came on 29 May 1968 at Wembley Stadium as his side took on Benfica in the final of the European Cup.

Ten years before that night at Wembley, an early foray into European competition had seen Matt Busby's supremely talented side "The Busby Babes" torn apart after their plane had crashed on the runway in Munich following a match in Yugoslavia against Red Star Belgrade. Eight players had lost their lives in that disaster and the cup had taken on a new meaning for the club and it's supporters as a result.

There was a real feeling around the club that they wanted to win the cup for the players lost in Munich. In their way though stood a terrific Benfica side who had already won the trophy twice in the 1960's.

Following a scoreless first half against the Portuguese giants, Bobby Charlton opened the scoring for United early in the second half with a rare headed goal.

With only eleven minutes to go though, Jaime Graça equalized for Benfica and it was only a terrific save from Alex Stepney on the legendary Eusebio minutes later that kept United in the match.

As extra time kicked off it was Best's moment to shine. Only two minutes into extra time, a long punt downfield from Stepney was picked up by Best about 25 yards from goal.

The first of United's famous number sevens, proceeded to burst into the box, dribble around José Henrique in the Benfica goal and slot in his side's second.

It was the moment that his career had been building towards and a dagger to the heart of the Portuguese side who would soon concede two further goals to Brian Kidd and Bobby Charlton to put the match outside of reach.

With United climbing Wembley's famous 39 steps to collect the European Cup, Matt Busby's dream had been realized and he had much to thank Best for.

Although he would leave United at age 26, and later drift between clubs in America, Ireland, Scotland, and again in England without ever settling anywhere for long, it was this moment and that goal against Benfica that defined him.

When thinking of Best, it's easy to get caught up in stories of his problems with alcohol, the sense that he didn't accomplish all that he could and then his sad premature demise, but beyond all of that it's better to remember him as a wonderful footballer who brought joy to countless fans, capped by that night at Wembley when he helped United become the first English club to win the European Cup.

The Mighty UEFA Champions League Mindbuster (Quiz)

2015-11-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

Before you sit down for today's installment of the UEFA Champions League, why not take a moment to see how well you know the story of this great competition?

Since the 1955-1956 season the European Cup/UEFA Champions League has provided a thrilling spectacle for fans, turned stars into legends, crowned champions and, in recent years, generated a pile of money for club's and sponsors.

Test your knowledge out on the competition's history with these ten skill testing questions.

Quiz Maker

Throwback Thursdays: The Death of Jock Stein

2015-09-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

Exactly thirty years ago today on 10 September 1985, Scottish football lost one of their greatest ever managers when John "Jock" Stein succumbed to a heart attack at the end of Scotland's 1-1 draw with Wales at Ninian Park in Cardiff.

The result guaranteed Scotland a place in the qualification playoff round for the 1986 World Cup, but this result and their subsequent 2-0 aggregate win over two legs against Australia would be largely overshadowed by the tragic loss of their legendary manager.

Hailing from the rugged mining town of Burnbank, South Lanarkshire, Jock Stein was born on 5 October 1922. Hoping to escape the harsh reality of a life spent in the coal pits, Stein like many boys his age dreamt of pursuing a career in football.

In Stein's case his talent as a skillful centre back shone through as he managed to impress scouts of Albion Rovers while playing for his local junior side and signed his first contract with the Cliftonhill club in 1942.

Working part time in the mines, an essential service for the war effort, he was excluded from serving in World War 2 and in the meantime able to continue his career for Rovers.

After eight years with the club, Stein played a single season for Llanelli Town in Wales before a surprise move came to the club he would become synonymous with, Celtic.

In 1953-1954 Stein captained Celtic to the League and Cup double, their first league title since 1938 and first double since 1915. Unfortunately a serious ankle injury put an end to his playing career in January 1957.

Moving into management, he first took on the reigns of Celtic's reserve side before jumping at the chance to become the first team manager of Dunfermline Athletic in 1960.

He would come back to haunt his old club when he led "The Pars" to victory in the Scottish Cup over Celtic in 1961, the first Scottish Cup Final win in the team's history.

After four successful seasons at the club, which featured runs to the latter stages of the UEFA Cup Winners Cup and Fairs Cup, Stein had a one season stop at Hibernian before coming back to Parkhead and taking over Celtic's hotseat.

Under his management Celtic would enjoy the most successful period in it's already storied history, winning ten Scottish league titles (including a record nine in a row), eight Scottish Cups, six Scottish League Cups, and most famously of all victory over heavy favourites Inter Milan in the 1967 European Cup Final.

Impressing with their attacking football against Internazionale's defensive-style "catenaccio", Stein's Celtic side was made up of nearly all Glasgow born players who would come to be dubbed "The Lisbon Lions" for their stunning 2-1 win at Benfica's Stadium of Light.

In 1978, after a slight dip in fortunes, Stein was unceremoniously forced out at Celtic. A short stint at Leeds United followed, before he took on the post of the Scottish national team manager.

Leading a talented Scottish squad to the 1982 World Cup, Stein's side were just edged out in the first round by the Soviet Union on goal difference.

For their 1986 World Cup qualifying campaign, Scotland found themselves in a tough group with Spain and a talented Welsh side, with Iceland making up the numbers.

While Spain won the group, Scotland went into Cardiff for their final fixture needing at least a draw to qualify for the playoffs at Wales expense.

Stein, who was not in good health and under intense pressure from the Scottish press, saw his side go down to an early goal by Mark Hughes. With only nine minutes to play Davie Cooper slammed in a penalty for the Scots to put them on course for the point they needed.

With two minutes to go in the match, wrongly mistaking the referee whistling for a foul as the final whistle, Stein got up to shake hands with his Welsh counterpart Mike England. He collapsed to his knees, before falling completely to the ground.

As Stein was carried into the dressing room his side held their nerve and closed out the match.

Not knowing the gravity of the situation, the Scottish players celebrated their qualification with 12,000 travelling fans before Stein's devastated assistant Alex Ferguson came over to tell them that Stein had suffered what was believed to have been a heart attack.

Shortly after Stein would slip into unconsciousness on the treatment table and never wake up.

After his death, Cardiff City would erect a plaque honouring him at Ninian Park and later move this plaque to their new ground, while Celtic would rename the west end of Celtic Park as the Jock Stein Stand. In 2011 a bronze statue of Stein was erected outside of Celtic Park holding the European Cup, a fitting tribute for the first British manager to capture the famous trophy.

Throwback Thursdays: The 1955-1956 European Cup

2015-09-03T12:00:00.000-04:00

This week marks the sixtieth year since the kick off of the European Cup, the greatest prize in European club football.

The competition, which was rebranded as the UEFA Champions League in 1992, started off on 4 September 1955, with a match between Portugal's Sporting CP and Yugoslavia's Partizan. The first goal in European Cup history was scored by João Baptista Martins of Sporting CP with the match eventually ending in a 3-3 draw.

The competition came about thanks to the tireless work of Gabriel Hanot, editor of L'Équipe, who lobbied UEFA to create a continental club competition after reading reports from his journalists on the success of the Campeonato Sudamericano de Campeones in 1948 and also being irked by Wolverhampton manager Stan Cullis' claims that his side were "Champions of the World" after victories in several high profile friendlies.

Eventually UEFA saw the potential in Hanot's proposal and in the fall of 1955 a club competition for European nations finally got off the ground.

Sixteen teams participated in the first year of the European Cup: Milan (Italy), AGF Aarhus (Denmark), Anderlecht (Belgium), Djurgården (Sweden), Gwardia Warszawa (Poland), Hibernian (Scotland), Partizan (Yugoslavia), PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), Rapid Wien (Austria), Real Madrid (Spain), Rot-Weiss Essen (West Germany), Saarbrücken (Saar), Servette (Switzerland), Sporting CP (Portugal), Stade de Reims (France), and Vörös Lobogó (Hungary).

Notably the English champions, Chelsea, were dissuaded from entering the competition by the Football Association who saw the European Cup as an unwanted distraction from league football.

The 1955-1956 final would be contested in Paris between Stade de Reims and Real Madrid. Madrid, led by the magnificent Alfredo Di Stefano came from behind to win their first of five straight titles by a final score of 4-3.

Throwback Thursdays: When Steaua Bucureşti Stunned Barcelona

2015-05-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

The European Cup, in it's current guise as the UEFA Champions League, in recent seasons has been dominated by the rich mega-clubs.

The fact that Italian giants Juventus have become the 'plucky underdogs' that many neutrals are backing in the final stages of this years competition tells you all you need to know about the tournament in it's current form.

Although big clubs like this years other semi-finalists Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have always done well in European competitions it was possible in days of yore for smaller sides to realistically dream of winning the biggest prizes in club football as well.

Whereas the UEFA Europa League, formerly known as the UEFA Cup and before that the Inter-Cities Cup, and the UEFA Cup Winner's Cup was won by smaller sides such as Dinamo Tbilisi, Mechelen, Aberdeen and Ipswich Town to name but a few, even the European Cup itself saw some unlikely names engraved upon it.

Clubs such as Nottingham Forest (twice), Feyenoord and Celtic had claimed the 'cup with the big ears' by the early 1980's, but even still the match up on May 7, 1986 between the Catalan giants Barcelona and Romania's Steaua Bucureşti looked on paper like a mismatch.

Although it hadn't all been smooth sailing for the reigning La Liga champions, it was widely expected that they're potent attack would prove too much for Steaua.

While Barcelona were more attack minded, a near impenetrable defense that had kept four clean sheets on the way to the final and had not conceded more than one goal in any match was what Steaua would rely on to defeat Terry Venable's side.

In front of 70,000 spectators at Seville's Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, the Romanian side kept Barcelona's stars, such as the mercurial Bernd Schuster at bay and kept the match scoreless through 120 minutes.

As the shootout progressed, spectators were left wondering if anyone would find the net that night as all of the first four shots - two apiece - were saved by the respective keepers. Finally Steaua forward Marius Lăcătuş found a breakthrough when he smashed his side's third kick under the bar.

With his side now in the lead, Steaua's Helmuth Duckadam saved yet another Barcelona effort before Gavril Balint put the Romanian champions up 2-0.

With Marcos Alonso Peña having to score to keep Barca's hopes alive, Duckadam, the later named 'Hero of Seville', saved to his left and landed his side a remarkable triumph on the back of his four penalty saves.

Football's Mavericks: George Best

2014-11-26T16:00:00.000-05:00

With yesterday marking the nine year anniversary of George Best's passing, Manchester United fans and Northern Ireland fans of a certain vintage likely paused for a brief moment this week to fondly reflect on the life of a true maverick genius.

Born in East Belfast, Northern Ireland on May 22, 1946, Best honed his skills on the streets of his estate and with his school sides. He was discovered at age 15 by United scout Bob Bishop who sent manager Matt Busby the simple telegram stating, "I think I've found you a genius."

Despite struggling with home sickness in his first few years in Manchester, Best excelled in the youth side and made his debut for the senior squad on 14 September 1963 against West Bromwich Albion.

Using a dazzling array of feints, tricks, creativity and raw pace the youngster quickly became a fan favourite at Old Trafford. Despite other sides attempting to stop him through rough tactics, Best was well prepared to deal with whatever was dished out thanks to his innate toughness and the bruising training sessions Busby had his side go through.

With Best in their ranks, Manchester United captured the 1964/1965 English First Division Championship, the club's first since the Munich Air Disaster in 1958, and would take their place in the European Cup for the next season.

It was there that George Best would take on legendary status, after he eviscerated Benfica in the European Cup Quarter Finals, scoring two goals at the Estádio da Luz as United won 5-1.

Following the match, Best was labeled 'O Quinto Beatle' (the Fifth Beatle) by the Portuguese media and suddenly at 19 became the arguably the first 'celebrity footballer' in England. He appeared on the TV show Top of the Pops and started to make appearances at all of the 'in' places around Manchester.

Fame, fortune and women followed and although an injury prevented Best from helping United to progress past the European Cup semi final in 1966, the media and fans had found a new darling.

Although his taste for the nightlife and the drinking problems that would mar much of his life began to manifest itself even then, his excellence on the pitch continued as he helped United to another League title in 1966/1967.

The following season Manchester United at long last reached the European Cup Final at Wembley, where they would again face Benfica. With the match level at 1-1 in extra time, Best ran onto a flicked on ball and scored an early goal to put United ahead in a match they would eventually win 4-1.

It was one of the greatest nights in the club's history, but unfortunately it would mark the end of an era as the side of Charlton and Law, and the rest of the side was already aging. That night at Wembley was the pinnacle of Sir Matt Busby's achievements with the club, and within a year he would retire from management.

As United began a period of decline, Best's off the pitch activities began to overshadow his on pitch accomplishments. He opened nightclubs, a clothing boutique and several restaurants, while his drinking problems increased.

Leaving United at age 26, he drifted between clubs in America, Ireland, Scotland, and again in England without ever settling anywhere for long.

Internationally he made 37 appearances for Northern Ireland, but despite his great talent never played in a major tournament.

After football his alcoholism led to numerous run ins with police over drunk driving charges, jail time, embarrassing television appearances, and financial problems. He once said that, "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds, and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."

As a direct result of his alcoholism, George Best died of lung failure and multiple organ failure on November 25, 2005 at the age of 59.

Despite his troubled private life he's still fondly remembered for the joy he brought to football fans who were lucky enough to see him in his prime. He's widely thought of as the greatest player to ever come out of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

As the saying goes: Pele Good, Maradona Better, George Best.

Germany's Ballon d'Or Winners

2014-10-28T16:00:00.000-04:00

Although the most prestigious of individual awards has been the shared property of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for six years, and the winner will likely be one of those two again, the Bundesliga has dominated the nominations for the FIFA Ballon d'Or this season.

A leading six nominations for German players clearly reflects the strength of the Bunesliga sides in domestic and European competition over the past twelve months, and not to mention Germany's successful World Cup campaign last summer in Brazil.

The FIFA Ballon d'Or in its current guise came into existence in 2009 after the merging of the former UEFA Ballon d'Or award, also known as the European Player of the Year, and the FIFA World Player of the Year.

Since this merger only Ronaldo and Messi have taken this award home, but prior to that Germany was tied with the Dutch for the most number of players that had won the Balon d'Or with seven apiece.

The following are the German players who took home this top honour and what they accomplished in the year in which they won it.

Gerd Müller - 1970

The Bayern Munich and West Germany striker supreme helped his country to a World Cup Semi-Final by scoring an incredible 10 goals in 6 matches at the tournament in Mexico, to go along with 42 goals in 38 matches for Bayern in 1969/1970.

Franz Beckenbauer - 1972 and 1976

While Müller was all about goals, Franz Beckenbauer was the elegant leader and organizer of the all conquering West German and Bayern Munich of the 1970's. The man who redefined the sweeper position led his country to the European Championship title in 1972, to go along with a league title for Bayern in 1971/1972 and became one of the few defenders to win the Ballon d'Or. In 1976 he led his club to the last of their three straight European Cup wins and followed that up by helping to guide West Germany to the final of the 1976 European Championship, where they would fall on penalty kicks to Czechoslovakia.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge - 1980 and 1981

Müller's heir apparent at Bayern Munich, Rummenigge led the Bunesliga in scoring in 1980 with 26 goals as his club romped to the title and he then led West Germany to a win that summer in the 1980 European Championships. In 1981, he again led the domestic league in scoring and picked up another Bundesliga crown in an era when Bayern was starting to become known as FC Breitnigge after the devastating striker and his midfielder creator in chief, Paul Breitner.

Lothar Matthäus - 1990

The occasionally combustible, and yet elegant, box to box midfielder led West Germany to their first World Cup title in sixteen years with his inspired play at Italia 90. Combined with his strong performances for Inter Milan, for whom he scored 13 goals from midfield in 1989/1990, Matthäus was a worthy winner of the Ballon d'Or.

Matthias Sammer - 1996

The inspirational Borussia Dortmund sweeper led, what critics were calling an "over the hill" German squad, to victory at Euro 96 after winning the second of back to back Bundesliga titles for the North Rhine-Westphalia based club. A great defensive midfielder who had been converted to a libero by then Dortmund coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, Sammer would cruelly have his career cut short by injury less than two years later.

Throwback Thursday - 1992/1993 - Marseilles

2014-10-02T15:00:00.000-04:00

For the 38th edition of the European Cup, the tournament was re-branded as the UEFA Champions League and the competition we know today began to take shape.

Although, Group Stage matches had been introduced the year before, they were fully embraced for the 1992/1993 season and would eventually be expanded in the coming years.

In the first year of the Champions League, the European Champions would come from France for the first, and so far only, time and would not come from Paris.

The Olympic Marseilles side that season, in which they would win the 'Cup with the big ears', contained players such as Didier Deschamps, Alen Bokšić, Rudi Völler, Abedi Pelé, Marcel Desailly and Fabien Barthez, and is undoubtedly one of the finest Ligue 1 sides that has ever graced European competition.

Under colourful owner Bernard Tapie, the club won five French League titles in a row and had reached the final of the 1991 European Cup before falling on penalties to a wonderful Red Star Belgrade side.

Two years later though, they would finally bring the trophy back to the country that had played such an important role in the formation of the European Cup though.

The Champions League in the 1992/1993 season consisted of 36 teams, a larger number than had been in the European Cup previously, in order to accommodate the new countries formed after the breakup of Yugoslavia and also first time entrants from Israel and the Faroe Islands.

After a Preliminary Round had reduced the number of sides to an even 32, the first round proper consisted of two legged home and away ties to determine which clubs would advance to the second round, which was also a two leg knockout affair.

One of the more memorable clashes in the knockout stages was the second round clash between English Champions Leeds United and the reigning Scottish Champions Glasgow Rangers, who were in the midst of a record equaling run of nine league titles in a row.

Over the course of two epic 'Battle of Britain' encounters, Rangers defeated Leeds 4-2 on aggregate after beating the Yorkshire club by a score of 2-1 in both legs. Interestingly enough, Leeds lone goal in the second leg was scored by the mercurial Frenchman, Eric Cantona, who would leave the club soon after and subsequently become a legend at rivals Manchester United.

After the conclusion of the second round, the remaining eight sides were drawn into two groups of four, with the group winners advancing to the final.

As expected the powerhouse AC Milan side, who were in the midst of a golden period of success, powered to a perfect record in their group with home and away wins over IFK Goteborg, Porto and PSV Eindhoven.

In the other group, Olympic Marseilles just edged out Rangers by a point and advanced to the final, as they topped a group also containing Club Brugge and CSKA Moscow.

Going into the final in Munich, the Italians were heavy favourites and were expected to add to their recent European Cup triumphs in 1989 and 1990.

Before the final, Marseilles had defeated Valenciennes to wrap up the French title in a match that would later have dire consequences for the club. They were well rested as they took on Fabio Capello's side and were quietly confident of victory.

Milan, with Marco van Basten and Paolo Maldini among their ranks, started well and had great chances to score through Van Basten and Daniele Massaro. Eventually though, they were undone by a 43rd minute header by Ivorian-born French international Basil Boli and despite a few threatening attacks in the second half, Milan were unable to score and fell 1-0.

This wonderful triumph over the biggest side in Europe at that time, was later overshadowed by allegations that Tapie had paid several Valenciennes players to take it easy against his side, in order for Marseilles to be well rested and ready for the final.

The club were subsequently banned from European competition for the following season, stripped of their 1992/1993 French League title and relegated to the second division.

They did however get to keep the European Cup, despite allegations over the years of wrong doing in a few of their Champions League matches leading up to the final. In particular, their 1-0 over Brugge came under investigation for potential match fixing and the 6-0 drubbing of CSKA has also come under suspicion.

No evidence of wrong doing on the part of Marseilles that year has ever been proven though and their name remains on the list of Champions League winners.

The Wit, Wisdom and Genius of Brian Clough

2014-09-20T18:00:00.000-04:00

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the passing of one of the finest managers English football has ever known, Brian Howard Clough.

Born in Middlesbrough on March 31, 1935 the man who would later be nicknamed "Old Big Head" as an all conquering manager, broke into professional football for his local side in 1955.

Clough, a high scoring striker for Middlesbrough and later Sunderland, hit an incredible 251 goals in 274 matches with a strike rate of 0.916 goals per match which is the highest ever in England for a player with more than 200 appearances.

Sadly his playing career was cruelly cut short at the age of 27 after tearing the medial and cruciate ligaments in his knee, after a sickening collision with Bury's keeper Chris Harker on an icy pitch in December of 1962.

After an aborted comeback at age 29, Clough shook off the anguish of a playing career that was to an extent unfulfilled and stepped into management at Hartlepool United.

His most important decision when taking up the reigns at Victoria Park was convincing Burton Albion's manager Peter Taylor to join him as his assistant. Together the two men would leave an unforgettable mark on English and indeed European football.

After moving to Derby County, a club rooted to the bottom of the old Second Division in 1967, Clough and Taylor went to work on building the side from the ground up.

It's been said about the two of them that Clough was the "shop window" and that Taylor was "the goods in the back" and there's something to that as Taylor had an incredible eye for spotting diamonds in the rough, and bringing them to Derby, while Clough was able to mould these players into a cohesive unit.

After winning promotion to the top flight in 1969, Derby stunned the football world by seeing off the challenges of the leading sides Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds United in capturing the 1971/1972 League Championship. It was an incredible achievement for the East Midlands club, who did it by playing positive attacking football under Clough and Taylor.

Despite a run to the 1972/1973 European Cup Semi-Final and eventual defeat over two legs to Juventus, the outspoken Clough fell out with the Derby County board and left the club in the fall of 1973. It was a parting of the ways that was later to be regretted to different extents by both parties.

After a brief spell at Brighton and Hove Albion, and a disastrous 44 day reign in charge of his old enemies Leeds United, Clough and Taylor reunited at Nottingham Forest where they would achieve their greatest glory.

Winning promotion to the old First Division in 1976/1977, Nottingham would then incredibly storm to the League Championship in 1977/1978, as they finished comfortably ahead of European Champions Liverpool.

Greater things were to come for Forest though, as they won not only win the 1979 European Cup by beating Malmo in Munich, but they would follow it up with a win over Hamburg in the 1980 final in Madrid. For a club of Forest's relative size this was an incredible achievement and one that will likely not be repeated.

Despite Clough's achievements he never got the job he truly craved, that of the England manager's chair after his various rows with chairmen and the media, it was little surprise that the English FA were fearful of giving him the "second most important job in the country".

Clough would even go on to fall out with his partner in so much success, Taylor, after his assistant briefly retired and then took up the manager's post at Derby. Unfortunately the two would never resolve their differences before Taylor's early death in 1990 at the age of only 62. The fact that they never made peace was something Clough regretted for the rest of his life and he in fact dedicated his autobiography to his old friend and assistant manager.

He opened his book with:
"To Peter. Still miss you badly. You once said: 'When you get shot of me there won't be as much laughter in your life'. You were right"

Clough would manage Nottingham up until 1993, with the club achieving further success in the League Cup and always playing attractive football. Unfortunately the end of his time at the club saw Forest relegated from the top division, however the mark he left on Forest will never be forgotten.

Losing his battle with stomach cancer on 20 September 2004, Clough was mourned equally by fans of both Derby County and Nottingham Forest, usually the bitterest of rivals, who deeply acknowledged the work he had done in putting them both on the map.

Besides his outstanding success in football, Clough was also known for his outspoken views. Here are some of his funnier quotes over the years:

“Rome wasn’t built in a day, but then again I wasn’t on that particular job.”

“David Seaman is a handsome young man but he spends too much time looking in his mirror rather than at the ball. You can’t keep goal with hair like that.”

“I’m sure the England selectors thought if they took me on and gave me the job, I’d want to run the show. They were shrewd because that’s exactly what I would have done”

“The River Trent is lovely, I know because I have walked on it for 18 years.”

“Beckham? His wife can’t sing and his barber can’t cut hair.”

When meeting Teddy Sheringham: “I’m calling you Edward because that’s what it says on your birth certificate.”

"Players lose you games, not tactics. There's so much crap talked about tactics by people who barely know how to win at dominoes."

"If God had wanted us to play football in the clouds, he'd have put grass up there."

“I wouldn’t say I was the best manager in the business…but I was in the top one.”

“When I go, God’s going to have to give up his favourite chair.”

A Brief History of Scottish Football

2014-09-18T21:00:00.000-04:00

Today marks an important moment in the history of Scotland as the country goes to the polls to choose whether or not they wish to separate from the United Kingdom.

Besides the vast contributions the Scottish people have made over the years to science, technology, the arts and sports, they have also played a key role in the history of Association Football.

On this historic day we look back at some of the more memorable moments, matches, clubs and personalities that have contributed to Scotland’s footballing history.

Queen’s Park F.C.

Founded in July of 1867, Queen’s Park F.C. the first Association Football club in Scotland, came together that summer and issued the following proclamation: "Tonight at half past eight o'clock a number of gentlemen met at No. 3 Eglinton Terrace for the purpose of forming a football club."

Taking the club name from the area in Glasgow in which the clubs founders played their first matches, the club continues to exist as the only amateur club in Scotland’s professional football leagues. Their club motto, "Ludere Causa Ludendi" – to play for the sake of playing, reflects the spirit of this great club.

Besides being the first club formed in Scotland, Queen’s Park also was the first Scottish side to be featured on television when they played a friendly against London side Walthamstow Avenue F.C. in 1951.

The First International

On November 30, 1872 at Hamilton Crescent a cricket field in Glasgow, Scotland took on England in the world’s first official international football match. In front of 4000 curious spectators on a rain soaked pitch, England lined up in a 1-1-8 formation while Scotland countered with a slightly more conservative 2-2-6.

Despite some positive play from a Scottish side made up of eleven players from Queens Park, the match ended in a 0-0 draw.

This match was not only the beginning of great rivalry with their neighbours down south, but would eventually lead to the formation of a competitive international tournament involving the two beginning play in 1883, that also included Wales and Ireland, called the British Home Championships.

This early era in the history of international football saw a period of Scottish dominance as they would only lose two of their first 43 international matches.

The Old Firm

After the founding of Glasgow Rangers in 1872, they quickly started a cross city rivalry with the existing Queen's Park club mentioned previously. However, with the founding of Celtic in 1887 the beginning of the far more fierce Old Firm rivalry, took root.

Right from the start the split between Rangers and Celtic mirrored the religious and political divide in Scotland. Rangers were typically supported by often Loyalist Protestants, while Celtic as their name suggests had Irish Catholic roots.

Trouble has often surrounded matches between the two sides, with the most notorious of which being a violent on-pitch battle between supporters at Hampden Park following Celtics 1-0 win in the 1980 Scottish Cup Final. This led to alcohol being banned from then on at Scottish grounds.

On the football side, Celtic and Rangers have been, for much of their history, the best sides in Scottish football with an incredible 99 League Championship titles shared between them.

The Wembley Wizards

With many of their big stars playing for the top clubs in England and with the benefit of Scottish coaches around the national setup being receptive to new ideas and tactics, the national side tore the Three Lions to pieces in a famous win in 1928. Despite the press writing off their chances, particularly due to their diminutive forward line that had no player over 5’7, the Tartan Army packed 11 trainloads of supporters for the trip down to Wembley Stadium for the final match in the British Home Championship that year.

With the English backline obsessed with covering the Scottish wingers, and in some cases doubling up on the wings, the forward trio of Hib’s James Dunn, Preston and later Arsenal star Alex James and the legendary Newcastle striker Hughie Gallacher ran absolute riot down the middle.

Meanwhile England’s record goalscorer from Everton, Dixie Dean, was largely anonymous as Scotland romped to a 5-1 win.

Cheered off the pitch for their brilliant play by both sets of supporters, the team would later be dubbed The Wembley Wizards.

The Lisbon Lions

With all but one of Celtic's 1966/1967 side born within ten miles of Celtic Park, the accomplishment of Jock Stein's side in winning the first European Cup for not only a Scottish, but a British side can't be undersold.

Taking on a powerful Inter Milan side, who had already won two European Cups earlier in the decade, no one gave Celtic much of a chance in the Portuguese capital. But against all the odds after going down 1-0 to the Italians, the Glasgow side stormed back to win 2-1 with goals from Tommy Gemmell and Stevie Chalmers.

Unlike most giant killings that are done through virtue of a "smash and grab", Celtic, in manager Jock Stein's words: "Did it by playing football. Pure, beautiful, inventive football."

Not only were Celtic successful in Europe, but they also won the three domestic trophies on offer on their way to a brilliant Quintuple.

Legendary Scottish Managers

Besides the domestic success of legends like Celtics’ Jock Stein, Rangers’ Jock Wallace, and Dundee’s Jim McLean, Scottish managers have had some outstanding success in England.

Liverpool likely wouldn't be the club they are today without Bill Shankly, who took a Second Division side in the doldrums and led them on the way to being one of the greatest sides in Europe. If nothing else, Shankly outlined the template for future success at Liverpool and brought an ethos to Anfield that still persists.

Likewise their great rivals Manchester United owe so much of their success to Scottish manager’s Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson. Busby took over a club after World War 2 with a ground in bombed out ruins, he then started a famous youth policy, overcame the tragedy of Munich and eventually triumphed in Europe, while Ferguson revived United after twenty years of underachievement. Before his retirement last summer, Fergie took the Red Devils to two decades of record breaking success.

Besides these obvious greats, there have been others like Arsenal’s George Graham, Tommy Docherty who spent time at both Chelsea and United, and Liverpool’s Kenny Daglish that have contributed a lot to their respective clubs over the years.

Great Players

Although Scotland is going through a tough period right now with their national side and aren't producing as many top draw players as they once did, for a country with a small population they have had a wealth of greats that have graced the world stage.

Players like Ally Mccoist, Billy Bremner, Dave Mackay, Kenny Daglish, Graeme Souness, Jimmy Johnstone, Dennis Law and Alan Hansen have starred for both club and country as they made their mark on the game.

5 Incredible European Cup/Champions League Records

2014-08-26T06:00:00.001-04:00

Champions League football is upon us, well the playoff round that gives clubs access to the group stage is upon us, but to me that is Champions League, and that is good enough to get my blood going for some midweek action of the highest quality.

As I started to look at the matches scheduled for this week, I started to wonder about records either held by teams or individuals that have been set during the past seasons of Champions League or European Cup as it was once known. As I dove into the history books I found some incredible records that perhaps will be around at a time when our grandkids will be watching games and calling us old timers.

Here are the five most incredible Champions League records that may never be broken.

Consecutive Finals – Real Madrid (5)

Real Madrid holds one of the most difficult records to surpass or even match the most consecutive final appearances. Between 1956 and 1960 they appeared in five straight finals. These were also the first five finals of the tournament, which at that point was known as European Cup. I don’t foresee in any distant or near future a team so dominant that they would be able to appear in five consecutive finals. There are many great sides, and the competition has become a very difficult one to win, never mind reach a final in five consecutive seasons. Two teams have come close to matching this record, during the modern era of Champions League. AC Milan reached three consecutive finals between 1993 and 1995 and Juventus also reached three consecutive finals between 1996 and 1998.

Biggest Two Leg Victory – Benfica (18-0)

Benfica holds the record for the biggest two leg victory by defeating Stade Dudelange 18-0 on aggregate during the preliminary round in 1965-66 campaign. The team from Luxembourg was defeated by the Lisbon giants by a score of 8-0 in the first game and 10-0 in the second game. That is another record that I am almost sure to say, will never be broken. The discrepancy between teams is not abysmal anymore, most sides match well and even the so called minnows can create problems too much larger and heavy favorite sides. Lop sided victories are a rarity in the competition, but some still do happen. In the modern era of Champions League two teams have come close to this record, Bayern Munich and Helsinki. Bayern Munich defeated Sporting CP 12-1 on aggregate during the round of 16 in 2008-09, while Helsinki defeated Bangor City 13-0 on aggregate during preliminary play in 2011-12.

Most Goals in a Match – Feyenoord vs Reykjavik (14)

The record for the most goals in a match is 14. Feyenoord defeated KR Reykjavik 12-2 during the first round of play in 1969-70. This record has stood until now as the game with most goals in European Cup/Champions League matches, and if it has lasted until now, it may last for many more years to come. I just can’t picture any game in the not so distant future ending with more than 14 goals scored. It is a very difficult task to achieve by any team. There have been a couple of games have come close to this record. In 2003-04 AS Monaco defeated Deportivo 8-3 during group stage, this is a record for the competition since it has been entitled Champions League. Real Madrid defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 during the 1960 final, which it is still a record for the most goals in a final since the competition was created until now.

Comebacks – Newcastle United

Newcastle United is the only team to have progressed passed the group stages after losing their first three matches. This happened during the 2002-03 campaign. During their last match of the group states against Feyenoord, Craig Bellamy scored in the 90+1 to secure a 3-2 win and a place in the next round. That is an incredible achievement by Newcastle United.

Youngest Player to Score a Hat-Trick – Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney holds the record of being the youngest player to have scored a hat-trick in this competition. Wayne Rooney was 18 years and 335 days when he scored his hat-trick in a 6-2 home victory against Fenerbahçe on September 28, 2004. This game was also his Champions League debut, which makes him one of only six players to have scored a hat-trick on his debut game. He joins the likes of Marco van Basten (Milan), Asprilla (Newcastle United), Yakubu (Maccabi Haifa), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Udinese) and Grafite (Wolfsburg). This is an incredible achievement for Wayne Rooney and Manchester United.

Real Madrid, James Rodriguez and the Return of the Galácticos

2014-07-22T15:00:00.000-04:00

With Colombia's James Rodriguez joining Real Madrid this week, the clubs obsession with Galácticos continues.

Madrid, a club that has historically sought to bring in the world's biggest stars, is only two months removed from their record tenth European title and is looking to make a huge splash in the transfer market. But fans of Los Blancos, who aren't dazzled by the signing of World Cup star Rodriguez, might find themselves drawing parallels between what's happening now and the summer of 2002.

Although Madrid had loaded up on international stars such as Ferenc Puskas, Raymond Kopa, and Alfredo Di Stefano as they powered their way to five straight European Cups in the late 1950's, the era of the Galáctico signings really began in 2000 under President Florentino Pérez.

Despite Madrid winning their eight European title in 2000, Pérez was able to defeat incumbent Club President Lorenzo Sanz by promising to not only improve Madrid's finances, but also land Barcelona star Luis Figo. Whether he achieved his first point is still open to debate, but Figo did indeed join the club from their bitter rivals and his signing started a revolution.

The following season saw the record signing of French World Cup hero Zinedine Zidane, and the capture of Madrid's ninth European Cup/Champions League title with a win over Leverkusen in Glasgow. These glamour signings continued with Brazilian ace Ronaldo joining the club in 2002, David Beckham in 2003, Michael Owen in 2004, and Robinho in 2005.

Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, David Beckham, Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane

This policy of Zidanes y Pavones, where superstars would play alongside home grown talent, was initially successful. However, Pérez made several key errors that fans will worry about him repeating. Failing to recognize and adequately remunerate defensive players, whilst pursuing attacking players the club probably didn't need, led to the departure of defensive stalwart Claude Makélélé in 2003. This also in turn contributed to Madrid's failure to lure top rank defenders to the club. Pérez flat out refused to pay defensive players the same as attackers, which led to not being able to sign adequate replacements for players like Fernando Hierro.

The sacking of Vicente Del Bosque in 2003 also opened up rifts at the club between the hired gun Galácticos and the true Madridistas. Without Del Bosque's steady hand in finding the right balance between attack and defense, along with keeping a difficult dressing room happy, Madrid spluttered on to three trophy-less seasons from 2003-2006. This was unprecedented in the club's modern history, and led to Pérez's departure in early 2006.

However with his return in 2009, Pérez embarked on another period of jaw dropping signings and in his first summer back at the club he splashed out a record £80 million on Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, along with £60 million on Kaka, £30 million on Xabi Alonso and £35 million on Karim Benzema.

Despite this, Madrid would only win one league title over the next four seasons and it would take another massive signing in the form of Gareth Bale for £75 million to finally help the club to their tenth European title this past May.

Real Madrid Lift their Tenth European Title

With the signing of James Rodriguez one has to wonder if the club is repeating the mistakes of ten years ago and buying a star player regardless of their needs and where he fits into their squad.

Questions have also been raised about where this signing, and the capture of Bale last year, fall under Financial Fair Play (FFP). Madrid, it should be understood, are one of the most profitable clubs in the world, with revenue in excess of €510 million. Under FFP transfer fees can be amortized over the length of a players contract, so keeping your wage structure in reasonable shape is actually more important for a club like Madrid than the money spent on transfers. That's why we have seen the departure of players like Mesut Özil and Gonzalo Higuaín last summer, with others like Isco and Angel Di Maria to likely follow in the coming months.

Now whether Pérez has learned the lessons from his first tenure at the club and that filling a team with stars doesn't guarantee success remains to be seen. From the outside looking in, the capture of Rodriguez seems like more of a statement of intent move from the club, rather than filling an actual need. This signing also follows on the heels of the £24 million transfer last week of Toni Kroos from Bayern Munich. A move that potentially puts the place of Luka Modrić in doubt. It feels like déjà vu for followers of the club, as Real continue to splash the cash.

That being said, how thrilling will it be to see Kroos, Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema, and Rodriguez tearing into opposition defenses this season?

It might work out gloriously or it could be an utter disaster.

Watch this space as they say.

Fiorentino Perez and Toni Kroos

15 Classic European Cup/Champions League Final Photos (Gallery)

2014-05-23T16:18:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow night, at the Estadio da Luz, Real Madrid will take on Atletico Madrid in the Champions League Final. On the eve of this all Spanish showdown, we've put together fifteen of our favourite photos from European Cup/UEFA Champions League Final's of the past. We hope that you enjoy them.

1960 - Ferenc Puskas scores Real Madrid's fifth goal against Eintracht Frankfurt en route to a famous 7-3 win.

1962 - Eusebio is held aloft following Benfica's 5-3 win over Real Madrid.

1968 - George Best puts Manchester United ahead in extra time as they go on to win 4-1 over Benfica.

1971 - Johan Cruyff in full flow against Panathinaikos during Ajax's 2-0 victory.

1975 - Gerd Muller celebrates Bayern Munich's 2-0 win over Leeds United.

1978 - Kenny Dalglish wakes up in bed with the Cup following Liverpool's 1-0 win the night before over Club Brugge.

1980 - Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest celebrate their unbelievable second European Cup win in a row, after beating Hamburg 1-0.

1986 - Helmuth Duckadam plucks the ball out of the air and goes onto save four penalty kicks in an incredible shootout, that was won 2-0 by Steaua București over Barcelona.

1989 - Dutch stars Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit lift the European Cup following AC Milan's 4-0 win over Steaua București.

1993 - Controversial French side Olympic Marseilles, who would later be found guilty of match fixing, celebrate their 1-0 win over AC Milan.

1996 - Gianluca Vialli lifts the Cup for Juventus following their 4-2 penalty shootout win over Ajax.

1999 - "And Solskjær has won it!" Ole Gunnar Solskjær scores the winner deep into injury time as Manchester United defeat Bayern Munich 2-1.

2004 - Jose Mourinho's Porto celebrate after beating fellow unlikely finalist Monaco 3-0.

2011 - Pep Guardiola gets tossed in the air following Barcelona's 3-1 win over Manchester United.

2012 - Didier Drogba ends his time at Chelsea in style, as he cancels out Muller's goal for Bayern Munich with only two minutes to go, and then scores the winning penalty kick in the shoot-out.

Four of the Greatest European Cup Sides in History

2014-05-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

This Saturday, Real Madrid takes on Atletico Madrid at the Estadio da Luz in an attempt to clinch their historic tenth European Cup/Champions League crown, "La Decima". Real Madrid have a rich history of success in European competition, and their supporters around the world are confident that they will see their club lift the trophy once again this weekend.

Since the great AC Milan side of the late '80s/early '90s, no club has repeated as champions though and that will continue this year. Last seasons winners, Bayern Munich, were knocked out in the Semi Finals by Real Madrid and it has now been 24 years since a club has retained the cup. Repeating in the Champions League appears to range from extremely difficult to impossible these days, with all of the massive clubs involved in the competition. But that wasn't always the case, as we look back at a few of the great sides who were able to retain "the cup with the big ears".

Real Madrid: 1955/1956 - 1959/1960

Led by the imperious Argentine, Alfredo Di Stefano, Los Blancos made the European Cup their own personal possession in the first five years of its existence. Seeing off Stade de Reims in the 1956 and 1959 finals, while defeating Italian sides Fiorentina in 1957 and AC Milan in 1958 respectively. Although the side contained talent all over the pitch, particularly in attack, everything went through Di Stefano. He was at the heart of nearly every attacking move, and often on the end of them as well. Heading into their fifth straight final at Hampden Park in Scotland, Madrid already containing stars like Luis Del Sol and Paco Gento, in addition to Di Stefano, had also added the Hungarian star Ferenc Puskas to their ranks. For the last of their run of five straight wins, in a match that every Glaswegian over the age of 60 claims to have been present at, Madrid hammered Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3. In that famous final, Di Stefano fired in a hat-trick, while Puskas found the net four times himself. The feats of this wonderful side will likely never be matched.

Ajax: 1970/1971 - 1972/1973

In a golden age for Dutch Football, the Amsterdam club, led by the sublime Johan Cruyff, realized coach Rinus Michels vision of a fluid passing and possession-based game. Ajax's system encouraged individuals to express their individual skills, but move to cover the spaces vacated by teammates when they didn't have the ball. Ajax then went on to add a pressing element to their defending after losing in the European Cup Final to Milan in 1969 and formed the basis for their later success. Beating Panathinaikos 2-0 in the 1971 final, Ajax survived the loss of Michels to Barcelona, and went on to beat Internazionale in 1972 and Juventus in 1973. Playing some brilliant, attacking football this side of Cruyff, along with Johnny Rep, Johan Neekens, and Ruud Krol formed the core of the Netherlands team that came so close to winning the 1974 World Cup.

Bayern Munich: 1973/1974-1975/1976

The three year reign of Bayern Munich in the European Cup came to within twenty seconds of not happening at all. Trailing 1-0 to Atletico Madrid in extra-time in Brussels, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck let fly from over 25 yards out and found the net, forcing a replay. In the replay, two goals each from Uli Hoeness and Gerd Muller dispatched the Spanish club 4-0. The side, that had provided the core of the World Cup winning West German side of 1974, was marshalled at the back by the brilliant Franz Beckenbauer, with Muller providing the goals and Hoeness the pace. Bayern benefited greatly from being allowed to develop together domestically and internationally over the course of several years. Although not as aesthetically pleasing as the Real Madrid side of the 1950's or the Ajax side that immediately preceded them as European Cup winners, Bayern instead were built on brute strength, quick breaks and defensive organization. Beating Leeds United, under controversial circumstances due to some terrible refereeing, 2-0 in Paris and then seeing off Saint-Etienne 1-0 in Glasgow, Bayern emulated Ajax in winning three straight European Cups.

AC Milan: 1988/1989-1989/1990

The last side to win back to back European Cups, the Milan side, bankrolled by media mogul Silvio Berlusconi, had complemented a terrific core of Italian players including Franco Baresi, Roberto Donadoni and Paolo Maldini with the Dutch trio of Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard to form one of the greatest sides Serie A has ever seen. Under the management of Arrigo Sacchi, MIlan played a very un-Italian style during this period. Emphasizing a high tempo, pressing style, Milan were modelled more off of the Ajax sides of the 1970's, than the traditionally defensive Catenaccio style Italian teams. Sacchi encouraged his teams to set the tempo and this was evidenced by their 4-0 thrashing of Steaua Bucharest in the 1989 European Cup Final. Van Basten and Gullit both scoring two goals against a good Romanian side that contained Gheorghe Hagi and Dan Petrescu who would shine for Romania at the 1994 World Cup. Milan then went on to retain the European Cup in 1989 with a 1-0 win over Benfica. Unfortunately, the relationship between the hard driving Sacchi and several of his star players broke down, leading to his sacking in 1991, but his Milan side are still the last club to successfully retain the greatest prize in European club football.

Throwback Thursdays - Wolves vs. Honved and the Birth of the European Cup

2014-05-22T12:00:00.000-04:00

On December 13, 1954, at a packed Molineux Stadium, the mighty Hungarian Champions, Honved, played a match against English Champions Wolverhampton Wanderers that many argue provided the final push towards the creation of a European Cup of Champions.

As the finalists Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid go through the final preparations for their 2014 Champions League Final clash on Saturday, this week in Throwback Thursday's we take a look back at the birth of the European Cup and a pivotal friendly that proceeded it.

The European Cup, the predecessor of the Champions League, was first contested in the 1955/1956 season and was won, incredibly, for the first five years by Real Madrid. Prior to the birth of this knockout tournament of champions, there had been no way to decisively determine the best side in Europe.

As early as 1897 though, a Challenge Cup had been contested by the top club sides from within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Following World War 1, and the resulting political shifts across Europe, a new cup competition was created called the Mitropa Cup that included clubs from Central and Eastern Europe. The main countries, whose clubs featured in this tournament, were Austria, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania and Italy. The Mitropa Cup was first contested in 1927 and did much to develop the level of play in the countries involved.

In Western Europe however, clubs had to be content with high profile friendlies in order to test themselves against sides from other countries. Although a Latin Cup between clubs from Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy had started after World War 2, a need for a Europe wide tournament was still there. The European Cup just needed a final push to get it off the ground.

The Magical Magyars

In the early 1950's the strongest National side in Europe, and perhaps the world, was Ferenc Puskas' Hungary. The Magical Magyars, won Olympic Gold in 1952 and then went on to smash England 6-3 at Wembley, becoming the first side from outside the British Isles to triumph on the Empire Stadium's hallowed turf.

Deploying a deep lying centre-forward in Nándor Hidegkuti, and playing with a fluid formation that would heavily influence the Dutch "Total Football" of the 1970's, Hungary made the England defense look "like a fire brigade rushing to put out the wrong fire."

Hungary went into the 1954 World Cup as firm favourites, and only an injury to Puskas and a questionable offside call kept them from glory, as they fell 3-2 to West Germany in the Final.

In December of 1954, the Hungarian club side Honved, which contained the future Real Madrid star Puskas, along with future Barcelona ace Sándor Kocsis and most of the Hungarian National side, came to Wolverhampton to play in a high profile flood-light friendly against Wolves. The English Champions, managed by Stan Cullis, were known for their direct wing play and were thought to be no match for the sophisticated Hungarians.

Although, Wolves enjoyed a golden period in the 1950's matching Manchester United with three league titles, and playing several other high profile matches against top European sides, many like my Grandmother who were privileged to be there that night, have said that there's never been a match like it at the Molineux. The ground was bursting beyond capacity, with many only seeing the ball when it went up the air, but the atmosphere was electric as the West Midlands crowd strained to see what their side could do against mighty Honved. The match was also carried live on the BBC, which was extremely rare in those days.

Predictably, Honved took a two goal lead in the first half with goals from Sándor Kocsis and Ferenc Macho. But after what was no doubt a stirring halftime team talk by the volatile Cullis, Wolves got back into it with a goal from Johnny Hancocks early in the second half. With fifteen minutes to go, Roy Swinbourne headed an equalizer and then within 100 seconds he had scored the winner, sending the 55,000 strong crowd into raptures on what is arguably the most famous night in the clubs history.

After the match, the British press raved about Wolves brave comeback and said that they drew on the "Spirit of Lord Nelson" in order to overcome the Hungarians. Some papers went as far as to call Wolves the "Champions of the World".

Over in Europe, the British reaction to Wolves victory did not go down so well. Gabriel Hanot, the editor of L'Equipe had this to say:

"Before we declare that Wolverhampton are invincible, let them go to Moscow and Budapest. And there are other internationally renowned clubs: AC Milan and Real Madrid to name but two. A club world championship, or at least a European one – larger, more meaningful and more prestigious than the Mitropa Cup and more original than a competition for national teams – should be launched. "

Impressed by the success of the Campeonato Sudamericano de Campeones (South American Championship of Champions) in Chile in 1948, Hanot had already put forward a proposal to UEFA for a tournament between European football's Champions. Spurred on by the reaction to Wolves victory, Hanot pressed the issue further until UEFA agreed during their congress in March of 1955 to the formation of a European Cup.

The tournament would begin play in the fall of that year, eventually morphing into the Champions League in 1992, and has arguably become the greatest prize in club football.

This Saturday, as Real Madrid seek their tenth "Cup With the Big Ears", supporters of Wolves and Honved can be proud of the part their clubs played in prompting a determined French editor to get this great tournament off the ground all those years ago.

Benfica and the Curse of Béla Guttmann

2014-05-15T09:04:00.000-04:00

As Benfica succumbed to Sevilla 4-2 on penalties in the Europa League Final on Wednesday night, immediately social media was abuzz about the continuing curse of Béla Guttmann. With their eighth straight loss in a European final, Benfica fans understandably feel that dark forces are against them and are left wondering when they'll be able to finally see their side lift a European title again.

Guttmann, a brilliant but erratic Hungarian coach who helped pioneer the 4-2-4 formation, had already managed clubs all over Hungry, Brazil and Italy before finding his way to Portugal. He never stayed in one place for too long as although he was a brilliant tactician, his temper, and unbending will, often led to problems. He was once sacked by AC Milan, despite leading them to the top of table through 19 matches, after a series of disputes with the board.

Guttmann joined As Águias (The Eagles) from rivals Porto in 1959 and immediately made his mark on the Lisbon club by sacking 20 senior players. He promoted youth team players such as José Augusto, Costa Pereira, António Simões, Germano, Mário Coluna, and the brilliant Eusébio into the first team squad, crafting a side that won the league in 1960 and 1961. His greatest achievements were on the European stage though, as Benfica captured the 1961 and 1962 European Cups.

After beating Real Madrid in 1962, Guttmann approached the Benfica board for a raise. After having his request for a higher salary turned down, he left the club in a rage and seemingly cursed them by saying, "Not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever be European champion".

Even if you are sceptical of such things, there are many who did believe him including the late Eusébio who prayed at Guttmann's grave in Vienna on the eve of the 1990 European Cup Final. It did not have the desired effect though as the club fell to AC Milan 1-0.

Below are the eight European finals that Benfica has come up short in since 1962: