FOOTY FAIR

5 Transfers That Changed Everything

2016-07-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

With the Paul Pogba to Manchester United saga continuing to rumble on and a mooted £110 million fee being discussed, it's little wonder that people are questioning whether or not the French midfielder is worth it.

The following are five previous transfers, and their sizable fees at the time, that shook the football world:

5.) Alf Common - £1,000 - Sunderland to Middlesbrough (1905)

Hoping to avoid relegation from the top flight, Middlesbrough signed England international forward Alf Common from Sunderland in February 1905 for a record breaking £1,000. The first four figure transfer was considered a scandal in Britain, with questions even raised in the House of Commons about the deal. Boro were blasted for trying to buy their safety and one paper even likened a transfer of this type to the slave trade. Common though went about his work and scored the goals to keep Boro in the old First Division. He would stay with the club for five years before moving on to Woolwich Arsenal.

4.) David Jack - £10,890 - Bolton Wanderers to Arsenal (1928)

Legendary manager Herbert Chapman acquired the key piece for his all conquering Arsenal side of the 1930's when he brought in Bolton's high scoring inside forward David Jack for £10,890. Despite what was considered an obscene amount of money at the time, Bolton were actually asking £13,000 for Jack. Chapman though, rather craftily got their representatives drunk before getting them to agree to the lessor fee. Jack would score 113 goals in 181 appearances for the Gunners and help the club to three league titles and an FA Cup win.

3.) Luis Suárez Miramontes - £142,000 - Barcelona to Inter Milan (1961)

Considered to be one of Spanish football's greatest ever players, Luis Suárez Miramontes became the subject of football's first ever six figure transfer deal when he moved from Barcelona to Inter Milan for £142,000 in 1961. Inter would see it as money well spent as Suárez was an integral part of the side that won two European Cups and two Intercontinental Cups in the mid-1960's.

2.) Diego Maradona - £5,000,000 - Barcelona to Napoli (1984)

Napoli became the first football club to break the million pound mark when they signed forward Giuseppe Savoldi from Bologna for £1,200,000 in 1975. Although Savoldi did well enough with the club, leading them to a Coppa Italia win in his first season, he didn't help them land their first ever Serie A title. So nine years later, the Naples club shattered the transfer record again when they brought in the Argentine legend Diego Maradona for £5,000,000. Still a hero in the city to this day, Maradona led the club to two league titles, a Coppa Italia, and a UEFA Cup.

1.) Gareth Bale - £83,000,000 - Tottenham to Real Madrid (2013)

Since the summer of 2000, the transfer record has been broken five times by one club: Real Madrid. The Spanish giants latest record breaking move came when they swooped in for Spurs winger Gareth Bale in 2013. In his three seasons at the club, Bale has helped the club to two UEFA Champions League titles.

Football's Greatest Sides - Part 2 of 5: Ajax (1971 to 1973)

2016-03-27T09:25:00.000-04:00

As tributes were paid this week to Johan Cruyff, following his passing at age 68, reference was made to him being a 'total footballer' and the heart of a fantastic Ajax side, but perhaps few fans of the modern game know what he and that team have meant to the way football is now played.

Ajax of the early 1970's might not be the greatest team ever, but it's hard to argue that they aren't the most influential.

Prior to 1954, the Netherlands had been a minnow of European football with a national side that rarely won and a disorganized amateur league structure. But in 1954, professionalism came to Dutch football and with that came the impetus to improve the way the game was played by both clubs and country.

At the forefront of the Dutch football revolution was Ajax, who had a tradition for attractive passing football going all the way back to the First World War when they were under the helm of forward thinking English manager Jack Reynolds.

Reynolds set the club up so that all levels, from the first team all the way down to the youth sides. It's a tradition that Ajax has continued over a hundred years later. The revolutionary coach from Manchester would be associated with the Amsterdam club for 27 years and lead them to 8 League Championships.

Rinus Michels, a former pupil of Reynolds, had carved out a twelve year playing career for Ajax between 1946 and 1958 scoring 122 goals, but it was his appointment as manager in 1965 that would change the course of the club's history.

Bringing along youngsters such as Johan Neeskens and Johan Cruyff, Michels transformed a relegation threatened club into league champions within a year.

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.

This required players that were tactical adept and very flexible. Of course the physical demands on the players was also high as they moved around the pitch plugging gaps and making intelligent runs.

The role of Ajax's star forward Cruyff was also key to this system, as he would roam across the front line or back into midfield causing damage all over the pitch. Spaces he left open in his side's structure though were quickly filled by a teammate.

Spatial awareness, in terms of where players should move and where they should not in relation to their teammates and their opponents was critical to this system.

The impact of Michel's new system saw an Ajax reach the European Cup Final in 1969 where they would get turned over 4-1 by AC Milan, but the experience of playing in such a match would stand them in good stead.

In 1971, Ajax defeated Panathinaikos 2-0 at Wembley to capture their first European title and cap a run that even survived the departure of Michels to Barcelona following this victory.

Under the less demanding, but more even more attack minded, Stefan Kovacs, Ajax accumulated a staggering 46-0-0 record at home in domestic football during 1971-1972 and 1972-1973, while also scooping up two more European Cups in those seasons with a 2-0 victory over Inter in 1972 and a 1-0 win over Juventus the following year.

This era of Ajax dominance would come to an end in 1973 with the departure of Cruyff to Barcelona.

Cruyff and Michels, reunited at club and country level, were able to bring their Total Football style over to the Dutch national side, as they strode to the World Cup Final in 1974.

Although there have been modifications down through the years, this style of play was at the heart of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona, who some consider the best club side ever. What former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson called their "carousel of passing" was only possible by controlling space and always giving each other passing options.

Whenever this side lost the ball, which was rare to begin with, they were setup to quickly win it back. Modern day Barcelona, still owe much to Michels and Cruyff and the ideas they put into practice over four decades ago.

Zlatan & Maxwell: 24 Trophies at 4 Different Clubs Together

2016-03-14T09:15:00.000-04:00

With Paris Saint-Germain winning the French league title over the weekend with 8 games remaining on the schedule, a few things became clear. First, of course there is no one in the French game that can compete with PSG's deep pockets. And secondly, the fact that forward Zlatan Ibrahimović and full-back Maxwell may just be one of the most interesting partnerships ever created on the football pitch.

Brazilian left-back Maxwell and Swedish international football icon Zlatan Ibrahimović have enjoyed illustrious careers, most of which they spent with the same clubs. In 2001 the duo joined Dutch side Ajax, each coming from their first domestic professional side. Fifteen years later and the two have shared four clubs, all while picking up a whopping twenty four trophies together.

Zlatan would go on to leave Ajax two seasons before Maxwell made his move to Italy with Internazionale. Nonetheless, before they would meet again at Inter they had already celebrated the Dutch Eredivisie title twice and the KNVB cup as well.

After two seasons with Italian club Juventus, Zlatan joined Inter in 2006, as did his old buddy Maxwell from Ajax. Together, the two would go on to win the Italian league title in three consecutive years between 2006 and 2009, along with two wins of the Supercoppa Italiana.

Both Zlatan and Maxwell would go on to sign with Barcelona in 2009, and just like at their time with Ajax, it would be Zlatan who left first, signing with AC Milan first on-loan just a year later, then on a permanent transfer a year after that. But despite such a short stint for the Swede, the two managed to collect more trophies than they managed together at any of their previous clubs. A total of five trophies included a La Liga title, two Spanish supercups, a UEFA Supercup and a FIFA Club World Cup championship.

In 2012 the two would meet again, this time at their current club Paris Saint-Germain. Since arriving in France less than four years ago, the two have enjoyed 10 additional titles by winning the French league four times, the French supercup (Trophée des champions) three times, League cup twice and the French Cup once.

Both Zlatan and Maxwell are now 34 years old and are nearing the end of their footballing careers. But if they were to move on from their current French club, would they meet again?

Three Seasons and Out for Mourinho?

2015-08-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

Needless to say the English champions Chelsea are not off to a good start this season.

Taking only four points from their first four matches, the champions are reeling. Following today's disappointing 2-1 loss to an excellent Crystal Palace side, manager Jose Mourinho tore into his players.

“I cannot say I had 11 players at the same time performing,” Mourinho said. “Two or three of them, their individual performance were far from good. I blame myself for not changing one of them. I kept him in the game for 90 minutes and when I made the third change I realised I needed a fourth.

“I’m not happy because for me a performance is a collective performance, of 11 players at the same time. At this level, when opponents are good and well organised with nothing to lose, when you have this type of matches at this level you need people to perform.”

“If a player is not performing there are two ways to look at it. The first one is I trust so much the player that I will wait for the improvement. You wait, wait and wait and maybe it comes or doesn't come. Or even while you are trusting the players arrives a moment when you think I have to change. And I can go both ways.”

While ruling out any further transfer business things continue to take an ominous tone at Stamford Bridge, even though it is still very early in this young season.

With Mourinho though the magic number seems to be three seasons and then he appears to either peak, tail off or fall out with the powers that be at a club.

After leaving Porto in 2004, after two and a half seasons of unprecedented success domestically and in Europe, he led Chelsea to their first league championship in fifty years and followed it off with an even more dominant performance from his side the following season as they repeated as champions.

But in 2006/2007 things went awry at Chelsea as rumours of a rift between Mourinho and owner Roman Abramovich, and a power struggle with sporting director Frank Arnesen, emerged. The signing of Andriy Shevchenko was not made by Mourinho, but rather than owner himself and pressure that was put on the Portuguese boss to include the misfiring Ukrainian in the squad worsened things.

Manchester United would win the title that season and by the opening month of the following term, Mourinho was gone.

At his next posting in Italy with Inter Milan he fell out with the Italian media and feuded with seemingly half the opposition managers in the league.

Despite a rocky time in Serie A he led the club to two league titles and in 2009/2010 romped home with a treble of a league championship, Coppa Italia, and a UEFA Champions League crown.

This attracted the attention of Spanish giants Real Madrid who paid Inter to get Mourinho out of his contract with the club and bring him to the Spanish capital.

What followed were three rocky seasons that saw Mourinho battle the media, the Spanish football authorities, his own players and Real Madrid's hierarchy. He did manage to win a league title in his second season in Spain, but was never truly able to dethrone Barcelona as the top side in La Liga and, crucially, wasn't able to win the Champions League for Madrid.

Sacked in 2013 he returned to Chelsea after seemingly being snubbed for the Manchester United job that he had coveted and after a third place finish in his first year he led the club to another title last season.

But after only four matches he's already exiled the Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro for the sin of coming onto the pitch under the referee's orders to attend to Eden Hazard, blasted Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger again, just for something to do, and had more than a few choice words for his struggling players.

It all seems to be setting up for another exit from Mourinho.

Zlatan Ibrahimović to Play Against Boyhood Club Malmö FF in Champions League

2015-08-27T16:00:00.000-04:00

With the recent draw of the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League group stage, Sweden's star striker Zlatan Ibrahimović will face his first professional club Malmö FF with his French side Paris Saint-Germain (given of course he stays with the club through the transfer deadline).

Malmö will join a long list of clubs Zlatan has played both for and against in the Champions League. Last season with PSG Ibrahimović and his team were drawn into a group with two of Zlatan's previous clubs in Barcelona and AFC Ajax. Since leaving Dutch side Ajax Ibra has faced his former team in Champions League play with Juventus in 2004-05 and with Juventus in 2010-11.

Against former club Inter Ibra played both before and after joining the Italians. First, Zlatan faced Internazionale with Ajax in his first Champions League season in 2002-03, in the same CL season he would also face future club AC Milan in the quarterfinal of the tournament. Almost immediately after leaving Inter for Spanish side Barcelona the Swede would take on his former side both in the group stages and the semi-finals in the 2009-10 edition of the tournament, losing out to his former side who would eventually win the trophy.

Whether a side he would later join, or as his former club, in Champions League play Zlatan Ibrahimović has faced five of the seven clubs he had played for. Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain will (for now) remain the two clubs Zlatan hasn't tried to defeat with another club in the CL.

5 Most Incredible Derby Performances

2015-03-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

There is nothing better in football than derby day, not only for the fans of both teams but for anybody that enjoys the game of football and a high octane match.

These matches tend to always bring a certain level of anger, despair and emotions to the table and by most part are well played affairs with a low scoring result. That seems to be the norm and also the expected outcome when you have two bitter rivals facing each other in a game that has more on the line than just three points.

While most derby games have the low scoring as the norm, there are always those matches that break all rules and boundaries and become epic matches that will be remembered forever. These games tend to take a life of their own in the team’s folklore and for the losing side, time will not ever allow for that wound to heel.

To me, these are the five most incredible derby performances.

Inter Milan 0-6 AC Milan (2001)

This is a very special derby with both teams playing there home games at the San Siro. During this match, Inter Milan was the home side, but it didn’t mean much as far as the result is concerned. The game went into the history books as the biggest margin of victory in the Milan derby.

Before the match both teams had the same points in the standings, but AC Milan came in determined to break apart from their rivals and put an exclamation mark on their season. AC Milan dominated the match and completely destroyed Inter Milan, in a result that we will perhaps never see again.

Chelsea 6-0 Arsenal (2014)

The feud between Mourinho and Wenger is not new, and during this incredible derby Mourinho was able to spoil Wenger’s party in a way that nobody will ever forget.

Wenger was celebrating 1000th game in charge of Arsenal, and what went down on the field couldn’t have been a worst present.

After only seven minutes of play, Chelsea already had a two goal lead and they never looked back. Kieran Gibbs saw a red card for a foul that Chamberlain had committed in what will be one of the most bizarre moments in Premier League history.

Mourinho’s Chelsea had defeated Wenger in his 500th game in charge and 500 games more they would do it again. In 12 games that Mourinho has coached against Wenger he has never lost. This is an interesting stat to add to the developments that surrounded this great derby.

Arsenal 5-2 Spurs (2012)

More than the goals was the way in which Tottenham lost this game. The game started well for the Tottenham side that was looking at defeating their arch rivals in back-to-back league games.

Two early goals from Saha and Adebayor gave Spurs the early lead and everything look set for a confortable win away from home against their hated rivals, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Arsenal never quit and before halftime whistle the game was leveled at two’s. Rosicky gave Arsenal the lead and a quick brace from Theo Walcott put the game completely out of reach for Tottenham.

A Scott Parker sent off did very little to help a complete distort Tottenham side, and what seemed to be at their reach at the start of the game was nothing more than a memory. Arsenal had control of the game and nothing was holding them back.

The result could have been even more embarrassing for Tottenham, and that fact that it wasn’t is perhaps the only positive Tottenham fans will take from this match.

Liverpool 4-0 Everton (2014)

No other derby match in Premier League history has seen more red cards than the Merseyside Derby.

On the 21st minute of the match, Gerrard put his team ahead with a header. In a single play, Everton seems themselves go down one goal, and lose Lukaku due to injury. He collided with team mate Gareth Barry and had to be substituted.

Sturridge scored two goals and Suarez added a fourth to put the game to rest. The result could have been larger, but Sturridge missed the opportunity to expand the lead and get his hat trick when he missed from the penalty spot.

This was a game full of goals and emotion, what more to ask for from a derby.

Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City (2011)

Of all the derby matches I have seen, this is perhaps the one that will always be etched in my mind as one of the greatest of all time. Perhaps it was because of the incredible lop sided scoreline, or maybe the Balotelli t-shirt, whatever it was I am not sure, but the dramatics, the goals and all that went on during that game made for one of the most if not the most derby match in Premier League history.

I will never forget the scoreline, but the “Why Always Me” t-shirt will hold a special place in my mind when it comes to everything that the game symbolized to the viewers at home or at the stadium.

Balotelli, is who he is today, in large part for what he did on that day, and I don’t think any single player’s career has ever been so impacted by one derby match as Balotelli’s has.

This was United’s worst home defeat since 1955 when they also lost to City. This was also the first time United conceded six goals in a game since 1930 matches against Huddersfield and Newcastle United.

Inter Football Kit Ideas by Ben Reffie (Gallery)

2015-02-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

American designer Ben Reffie has come up with four new kits for Italian club Inter Milan. Here are his creations.

Sunday Trivia - 5 Faceless Players - Nerazzurri Edition

2015-01-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

This week on Sunday Trivia we feature F.C. Internazionale Milano. Can you guess all of these past and present Inter stars?

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5 Famous Footballing Fathers and Sons

2015-01-07T16:00:00.000-05:00

It's not easy to make it into professional football and although to the outsider it may appear to be an advantage to have had a father who played professionally it doesn't always work out that way, particularly if your father was a club or international legend.

The following are five examples of players who followed their famous fathers into professional football:

Valentino and Sandro Mazzola

Valentino Mazzola was the golden boy of Italian football in the 1940's. As captain of the famous 'Il Grande Torino' side that won a record five consecutive Serie A titles, the elder Mazzola was a brilliant all round midfielder who was intelligent, quick, strong, and a natural leader. Tragically his life, and that of his teammates, was cut short in the Superga Air Disaster as the Torino plane returning from a friendly against Benfica in Portugal crashed into the Basilica of Superga overlooking Turin in May of 1949. The entire squad was killed in the crash, including the 30 year old Valentino Mazzola.

After losing his father at age six, Sandro Mazzola grew up to be a key player for Internazionale and Italy in the 1960's and early 1970's. With Inter, the highly skilled Sandro won four Serie A titles and two Champions League crowns, while helping Italy to a place in the 1970 World Cup Final.

Johan and Jordi Cruyff

Johan Cruyff, the most famous Dutchman to ever step onto a football pitch and considered to be one of the finest players ever, is widely remembered for his terrific performances for the brilliant 'Total Football' Ajax sides that won three consecutive European Cups in the early 1970's and for helping his country to the final of the 1974 World Cup. He later moved on at club level to Barcelona, where he helped the Catalan side to a La Liga title in his first season in Spain.

His son Jordi started his career at Barcelona and after impressing at club level he was selected for the national team and is only the sixth player to have represented the Netherlands having never played in the Eredivisie. Jordi later joined Manchester United where he played a part in the club's Premier League title winning side in 1996/1997. Like his father, the younger Cruyff has entered the world of football administration after hanging up his boots and is currently enjoying a successful stint as the Sports Director of Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.

Frank Lampard Sr. and Frank Lampard Jr.

The elder Frank Lampard is one of the most respected players in West Ham's history, making over 650 appearances at Left Back for the East London side and helping them to two FA Cup win's during his time at Upton Park. He later became an assistant manager for the club under his brother-in-law Harry Rednapp.

Frank Jr., also started his career in the claret and blue, but as his family was so connected to the club he had to endure accusations of only playing through nepotism in his early years as a Hammer. Ignoring his critics, Frank Jr. eventually proved the doubters wrong by showing off his ability in midfield and becoming a key player for the club. He later joined Chelsea and after numerous league, cup and European titles for the Blues he has been described by some as the best player to ever grace Stamford Bridge.

Cesare and Paolo Maldini

As captain of AC Milan in the 1960's, Cesare Maldini led the club to four Serie A titles and their first European Cup win in 1963 at Wembley over Benfica. Along the way the classy defender also won 25 caps for Italy.

His son Paolo though might be the finest player to have ever pulled on the Milan shirt. One of the finest defenders of the modern era, Paolo played his first match for Milan at 17 and when he retired at age 41 he had won seven Serie A titles, an incredible five European Cups/Champions League titles, and two Intercontinental Cups. He also played for his country 126 times, helping them to the finals of the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000.

Juan Ramón Verón and Juan Sebastián Verón

Juan Ramon Veron, a high scoring winger, was a key part of Estudiantes de La Plata's all conquering side of the 1960's who dominated not only the Argentinian league, but also South American football on their way to winning three straight Copa Libertadores. He also scored a crucial goal against his sons future club, Manchester United, that helped to down the then European Cup holders in the Intercontinental Cup.

His son Juan Sebastian started his career with Estudiantes before moving on to great success in Europe. He won a Serie A title at Lazio and although his transfer to Manchester United has been dubbed an expensive flop, he did play some great football occasionally at Old Trafford as he helped the club win the 2002/2003 Premier League title. After subsequent moves to Chelsea and Inter, he returned to Estudiantes in 2006 where he helped his old club win their first title in 23 years.

An Old Lady, a Red Card and Teammate Drama - Podolski's Debut at Inter

2015-01-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

Debuting for his new club Inter Milan at the Juventus Stadium facing Serie A leaders Juve, German international Lukas Podolski must have prepared himself for a tough fought first game, but what he got to witness instead was a lot more than just good football.

Starting the match on the bench, Podolski hardly managed to warm his bench-seat up before the hosts went 1-0 ahead in just the fifth minute thanks to a goal from Argentine striker Carlos Tevez. After a decent first half however the score remained the same at the referee's whistle, with the Bianconeri leading by one.

Just 9 minutes after the restart Inter manager Roberto Mancini decided to utilize his new World Cup winning footballer, slotting Podolski in as a replacement for Serbian international Zdravko Kuzmanovic. The German seemed to adjust well to the pace of the Italian game, controlling the ball on many occasions.

In the 64th minute the German witnessed exactly what he most likely wished for since the first five minutes, a great pass towards Mauro Icardi inside the Juventus box and the Argentine made no mistake slotting the ball past Buffon for the equalizer. Podolski and his teammates would go on to scare the hosts on a number of occasions after that, coming close to scoring a winner, although in a number of instances they could have also conceded.

Then, a bit of chaos. Scenes that perhaps were as welcoming as Lukas would have hoped for in his very first match with Inter. In the 86th minute a two footed challenge from Mateo Kovacic saw Podolski's side go down to ten men.

But less than a minute after the sending off, the real treat of the match. As Mauro Icardi and teammate Dani Osvaldo break, Icardi carries the ball and instead of slotting it to the open Osvaldo on his right hand side Icardi decides to shoot at Buffon's goal, missing it completely. Osvaldo goes nuts, running towards Icardi looking to fight his teammate. What makes this moment so much fun is the look on Podolski's face as this is happening. His expression says it all! (see video below)

Fergie: It's Unfair Really. Mourinho is So Good Looking

2014-12-24T16:00:00.000-05:00

Both Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho have had a few feuds with rival managers during their respective careers, but despite often coming up against each other in the battle for honours before Ferguson's retirement the two men continue to enjoy a warm relationship.

When Mourinho's Porto side knocked Ferguson's Manchester United out of the Champions League with a last minute goal at Old Trafford in 2004, and the Portuguese manager danced down the sidelines most observers would have expected him to end up in the Glaswegian legends cross-hairs, but Sir Alex has been nothing but respectful towards the man who later came to England and led Chelsea to great success.

Mourinho, who gives the appearance of being able to start an argument in an empty house, has also shown nothing but admiration for Ferguson as well and in fact it was expected that he would follow him into the United hot seat when Sir Alex stepped decided to retire in 2013.

Although his club decided to go in a different direction, Ferguson again praised Mourinho this week during the filming of a BT Sport documentary.

"It is unfair really,

"He’s good looking, he’s got that sort of George Clooney bit in his hair now. But I think he is a great example, he can speak five languages or whatever he can.

"He goes and becomes an interpreter for Bobby Robson, follows him to Barcelona, works under Louis Van Gaal; he is learning all the time.

"He [Mourinho] has got a determination, he wants to be a coach.

"He never played the game, by the way – you tell me how many presidents would give a manager a job who has never played the game? None. But he has done it.

"Then he goes and manages a small team in Portugal, then goes to Porto and wins the league, wins the Uefa Cup, wins the European Cup, goes to Chelsea and wins the league. Goes to Inter Milan.

"That is an example to anyone who wants to do well, you shouldn’t let the barriers get in your way if you want to get there."

This is well put by Ferguson, as Mourinho's achievements have been even more impressive considering he didn't take a traditional route into football management. He also looks on course to add another league title to his CV this season as well.

Mourinho for his part recalled this week that when their sides first met at Stamford Bridge, shortly after he took over at Chelsea, that the wine he was expected to share with Ferguson wasn't up to scratch.

"It was Chelsea Football Club catering that bought the wine, and obviously the wine was not the top quality that the boss deserves. It was quite funny but disappointing.

"So the next time we play against each other, I called a friend and I told him, the best I want the best.

"And from that moment always the same bottle when I play against the boss."

When asked what made Ferguson so special, Mourinho replied:

"Everything, his talent, the time he put his talent at the service of Manchester United and football in general.

The passion that he has put in to everything, and after that in private moments, obviously, a good friend, a good person, a fantastic sense of humour. I like him very, very much.

Now and again I've had questions to put to him and the way he has answered to me was always magnificent and a great support."

5 Interesting Manager Facts - Roberto Mancini

2014-12-13T16:00:00.000-05:00

We all know that the current Inter manager is in his second stint with the Italian club and of course most football fans know that Roberto Mancini is popular around the football world for wearing scarfs that match the colors of the clubs he manages. Here are 5 interesting facts however that are a bit less known to the average fan.

Time with Leicester City

At the end of his professional playing career at the age of 36 Roberto Mancini was loaned out from his Italian club Lazio to English outfit Leicester City FC. The Italian forward managed to appear just 5 times for the Foxes and quit the club during a leave of absence, by phone.

A devout footballer

Raised a devout catholic, Mancini was an alter boy in his young age. But while having to miss a youth match for communion, the priest having realized that the local team Mancini played for was down 2-0 at half-time helped Mancini sneak out of church to go play.

A trophy with every team

Mancini has won silverware with every single team he has managed. Racking up a total of 13 trophies in 13 years as a manager to date.

The Mancini scarf song

If you've never seen this little number, well then, enjoy.

Hard to understand

In his time with Manchester City there were a few instances which displayed Mancini's tough time learning English. Not many however were funnier than this post match interview after a tough 3-2 loss to city rivals United.

5 Matches to Watch this Weekend

2014-11-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend we will be watching some MLS Playoff semi-final action, one very intriguing match-up from La Liga, an EPL classic fixture and one of the biggest derbies in the world taking place in Italy.

New York Red Bulls vs. New England Revolution

The New England Revolution surprised many by finishing 2nd in the Eastern conference and making it this far in the playoffs. And it doesn't get any easier when they face the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull arena this weekend. The New York club has already eliminated last year's champions Sporting Kansas City in the wild-card match and defeated the overall season leaders DC United over their two-leg quarter final meetings. Englishman Bradley Wright-Phillips had scored three times for the Red Bulls in the past three matches, continuing his goal scoring dominance. But New England also looked very good in their quarter final competition with the Columbus Crew, defeating the club from Ohio 7-3 on aggregate.

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders

It's first versus second of the Western Conference when Landon Donovan's Galaxy take on Clint Dempsey's Sounders in LA this weekend. Seattle got to the semis on the back of an away goal victory against Dallas, drawing both the home and away matches. The Galaxy on the other hand made their home fixture count. After drawing 0-0 with Real Salt Lake in Utah, the Galaxy won 5-0 at home with Robbie Keane getting on the score-sheet and Donovan putting 3 of his own on the board.

Barcelona vs. Sevilla

Only two points separate fifth place Sevilla and second place Barcelona before their meeting this weekend at Camp Nou. If Barcelona is to keep pace with league leading Real Madrid home wins are a must. But Sevilla who had won 7 of their first 11 matches presents a tough hurdle.

Arsenal vs. Manchester United

The fact that these usual top 4 finishers are sitting in sixth and seventh place does not make this fixture any less intriguing that any other year. Both are stacked with talent as always and need a big win to perhaps kick-start a winning run both clubs desire very much. For Arsenal the big question will be whether or not any of the other players will be able to keep up with the impressive form of the one member that seems to be the only one making any kind of effort, Chilean Alexis Sanchez. For United on the other hand the big issue since the start of the year has been their defense, and now it seems that goalkeeper David de Gea will also be sidelined for a few weeks. Whatever the outcome, this match is always an entertaining one.

AC Milan vs. Inter Milan

One of the biggest derbies in not only European but football around the world, the Derby della Madonnina goes this weekend at the San Siro. Neither Milan club is doing spectacularly well this season, but this won't stop the city from lighting up in what is usually a very bitter rivalry. Inter's bright spot this year has been Argentine striker Mauro Icardi who is sitting just 1 goal shy of the joint league leaders Carlos Tevez and Jose Callejon. For the hosts most eyes will be on Japanese midfielder Keisuke Honda who had enjoyed a good spell since joining the Italian club from CSKA Moscow in the January transfer window earlier this year.

5 Interesting Manager Facts - José Mourinho

2014-11-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

José Mourinho is a colorful character in the world of football so pin-pointing 5 specific interesting facts about the current Chelsea bench-boss is quite hard. Nonetheless, here are the 5 facts we put together for what may be just the first part of many in the 5 Interesting Manager Facts - José Mourinho series.

9 years without a home loss

The title is not wrong, José Mourinho went 9 years as manager having not lost a single home match with any of his clubs during that time in league play. In February of 2002 Mourinho's FC Porto side lost a home league meeting to Beira-Mar by a final score of 3-2. The Portuguese manager would be on his third job since being in charge at Porto, when his Real Madrid side suffered a 1-0 home league loss to Sporting Gijon in April of 2011.

A day in business school

When Mourinho was 23 years old his playing career came to end due to lack of skill more than anything else. Mourinho's mother wished for her son to become a businessman and she signed him up for business classes. José Mourinho spent exactly a single day in the course before quitting and deciding to concentrate on sports instead.

Quote of the day

José Mourinho is well known in the football world for his sometimes outragous comments and interview replies. But of the endless amount of incredible Mourinho quotes, one of his earliest is also one of the most arrogant and funny ones of all time:

(José Mourinho talks about coach Jesualdo Ferreira who was most recently the manager of Braga)

"One is a coach with a 30-year career, the other with a three-year one. The one with 30 years has never won anything; the one with three years has won a lot. The one with a 30-year career will be forgotten when he ends it; the one with three could end it right now and he could never be erased from history. This could be the story of a donkey who worked for 30 years but never became a horse."

In his father's footsteps

José Mourinho's father Felix was also a footballer and football manager later in his career. His time as a professional player was spent between Vitória Setúbal and Belenenses, while picking up a single cap for Portugal's national team. José Mourinho also played for Belenenses (while his father coached there) although the two have never managed the same club, with José's list a much more impressive one.

Once below par

To date José Mourinho has managed 7 clubs, including his current second stint with Chelsea. Only with one of those clubs the 'Special One' managed to have a competitive record in which his squad had not won more matches than they drew and lost combined. With União de Leiria (Mourinho's 2nd club in charge) the bench-boss' record was 9 wins, 7 draws and 4 losses. So while still considered a winning record because he had more wins than losses, with every other club he had managed the amount of wins for his club surpasses that of their losses and draws when added up.

That Mario is a Work of Art (Gallery)

2014-10-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

Italian striker Mario Balotelli is no rookie to controversies. This particular bad-boy trait is perhaps a big reason why artist all over the world love to draw, illustrate and paint images of this otherwise very talented footballer.

You Try Being Jesus If You Think It's Easy

2014-10-14T18:00:00.000-04:00

Back in the day, footballers in the big leagues across Europe, didn't make that much more than the average working man or woman, and would regularly be seen in shops, pubs, or even on trains with the rest of the normal folks.

Somewhere along the line though salaries went into the stratosphere and footballers became part of 'the bubble' occupied by celebrities and cut off from the rest of us.

They bought big houses in exclusive gated communities, went on ridiculously expensive seven star holidays in Dubai, picked up super cars for extortionate prices and hired nannies to look after their kids, and occasionally have affairs with.

Yes, the life of the footballer at the elite level certainly became grand, but they lost their connection to the fans as a result.

In recent years the emergence of Twitter has given players a chance to reconnect with supporters though and it was in this spirit that Inter Milan defender Juan Jesus reached out to his 122,000 followers this week.

Ciao a tutti, solo per farvi un saluto. Comunque vada stiamo sempre insieme. Un abbraccio a voi #jj5 #forzainter
— Juan 5 Jesus (@juan5jesus) October 13, 2014

“Whatever happens we are always together. A hug to you,” the Brazilian centre-half Tweeted, rather innocently.

Unfortunately, with Inter sitting in tenth place in Serie A and playing some dreadful football so far this season, his tweet met with a bit of a backlash from some of the club's frustrated supporters.

One particularly annoyed fan of the Nerazzurri replied to Jesus' tweet with, “Whatever happens you always take your salary!! Wake up!! You need to win.”

The Brazilian international then adopted the typical, 'let's see you do better defense' when he countered with: “You’ve always got money on your mind. It’s easy for you to say, I’d like to see you on the field.”

To which the fan shot back that Jesus needs to "adopt a different mentality."

Jesus was not amused and fired back with the following:

“How about we swap places? I’ll give you my wages and you live my life (training, travel, games). According to you we do things for a laugh,” Jesus tweeted.

“You don’t know how much I suffer to lose even if it’s to half a goal.

“So do this: ensure that you do everything you can as a supporter and we’ll do our part on the pitch.”

I hope for Juan Jesus' sake that Inter's form improves and he himself plays a role in their better form, as he surely hasn't endeared himself to the Nerazzurri faithful with this little hissy fit.

Football Rivalries - 10 Traitors Who Joined Rival Clubs

2014-10-13T15:00:00.000-04:00

This week on Football Rivalries we have a special edition of one of our earliest weekly features, this week on Football Rivalries we take a look at some footballers who chose poorly by switching rival clubs like it meant nothing.

Carlos Tevez (Manchester United, Manchester City)

Argentine striker Tevez's first appearance in the Premier League came when he joined West Ham United. After impressing with The Hammers, he was purchased by Manchester United where his career really took-off and he became a world-class footballer.But in the summer of 2009 Carlos Tevez would lose his status of Red Devil favorite for eternity as he joined cross-town rivals Manchester City on a five year deal.

Bernd Schuster (Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid)

Talk about riding the chain of rival clubs. German midfielder Bernhard Schuster switched to a rival club in Spain on two occasions while playing in La Liga. Joining Catalan side Barca in 1980 Schuster was an integral part of the club through the 80's. But in 1988 Schuster made the very controversial move to arch rivals Real Madrid where he spent two years. In 1990 the German made another peculiar move, this time to Real's cross-town rivals Atletico.

William Gallas (Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham)

Frenchman center-back William Gallas was somewhat of a journeyman, but he never really traveled too far. Staying in the city of London Gallas managed to play for three city rivals. Joining Chelsea from French side Marseille in 2001, Gallas stayed with The Blues for 5 years before joining The Gunners in 2006. After having spent another 4 years with Arsenal, Gallas made another controversial move, this time to arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, signing for the Spurs in 2010.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan, AC Milan)

The Milan derby is one of the biggest rivalries in the entire world, so when Sweden's Ibrahimovic decided to join the Red and Black AC Milan squad after his stint in Barcelona, the decision did not come without controversy. Just two years prior to joining AC Milan from Barcelona Zlatan was a star at city rivals Intenazionale Milano.

Ronaldo (Barcelona, Real Madrid & Inter, AC Milan)

Brazilian star striker Ronaldo seemed to absolutely love the attention of switching between rival clubs as he did this exact thing in both Italy and Spain. In 1996 Ronaldo joined Spanish club Barcelona and after a fairly short stint in which he had averaged almost a goal per game, Ronaldo was purchased by Italian side Inter Milan. After 5 years with Inter Ronaldo would come back to Spain, only this time with his former club's rivals Real Madrid. After 5 years at the Spanish capital the Brazilian once again chose to join a rival of his previous side, signing with AC Milan in Italy.

Kenny Miller (Rangers, Celtic)

Scottish striker Miller is one of only 5 post-war player to have played for both Scottish rivals Celtic and Rangers. Miller spent time with the Rangers on three different occasions, 2000-01, 2008-11 and again right now after signing with the club earlier this year. But between 2006 and 2007 Miller was a part of the Glasgow rival club Celtic.

Luis Figo (Barcelona, Real Madrid)

After spenign five years and becoming an icon in Barcelona, Portuguese midfielder Luis Figo moved to Real Madrid in what was the beginning of the "Galáctico era". The Barcelona supporters could not get over the betrayal and Figo would be forever known as one of the worst traitors in club history. On his second match back at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, Figo was nearly covered in debris thrown at him from the stands. One of the items thrown was a head of a pig, an image of the head would become infamous and the icon of the Barcelona versus Real Madrid rivalry.

Ashley Cole (Arsenal, Chelsea)

In his eight years with his first professional club Arsenal Cole was a star. In 2006 however, the fan-favorite chose London rivals Chelsea after The Blues were able to offer the full-back more money. With financial gain the main reason for betraying the Arsenal faithful, Cole became a nemesis of The Gunners supporters.

Sol Campbell (Tottenham, Arsenal)

An even bigger rivalry in London than that of Arsenal and Chelsea is the one between Arsenal and Tottenham. Sol Campbell is still known as the biggest traitor in English football after making a move to The Gunners from Tottenham, a club he had spent the first nine years of his professional career. Labeled 'Judas' by the Spurs faithful, Campbell was never able to shake the title even after he was no longer a part of either club.

Mo Johnston (Celtic, Rangers)

By far the most controversial move in the world of football was that of Scotland's striker Mo Johnston. Raised a Catholic, Johnston was a star at Glasgow club Celtic in the mid to late 1980's. After leaving the club to play in France for Nantes, Johnston decided to return to his native Scotland two years later. But on his return, Johnston did not elect to sign back with his previous club Celtic, but rather chose the more financially beneficial move, that to the Glasgow Rangers. Johnston move to the cross-town rivals was not only met with fury from the Celtic faithful, but was also not a welcome move from the Rangers supporters, as Johnston was the first "major catholic signing" in the club's history, something that was seen inappropriate given that the Old-Firm Derby is mostly based on religious beliefs.

5 Medicals That Went Badly Wrong

2014-10-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

When a player signs for a new club, the deal is typically finalized with a medical and nine times out of ten it's just a formality as the player is put through his paces and checked over by a medical team.

Occasionally though, a player is found to have an issue that throws the deal into question, typically it's a knee or back problem and the signing falls through. Once in a while though, something strange pops up at the medical and the following are a few of the crazier examples of failed medicals.

Frank Worthington

Legendary 1970's ladies man and maverick forward Frank Worthington, who would later become an idol at Leicester had a chance to go to a much bigger club earlier in his career when Liverpool attempted to sign him from Huddersfield in 1972. Unfortunately for Worthington he failed his initial medical due to high blood pressure, apparently caused by having too much sex. Liverpool boss Bill Shankly suggested he go to Majorca for a short holiday to calm down and that upon his return they would run him through another medical. Like a kid in a candy store, a sexually rampant Worthington in Majorca was not a good idea however. While on the Spanish island, he ended up shagging a Miss Great Britain, a Belgian beauty, and a Swedish mother and daughter. Predictably he failed his second medical on account of having even higher blood pressure than the first time around and the move was off.

Samassi Abou

In 1998, then West Ham manager Harry Redknapp was keen to offload Ivorian striker Samassi Abou to Bradford City, only for the player to fail his medical due to an upset stomach. This caused Redknapp to crack, with what some would construe as a bit of casual racism, “The lad went home to the Ivory Coast and got a bit of food poisoning. He must have eaten a dodgy missionary or something." It turned out that Abou had malaria and the move was aborted.

Ravel Morrison

The talented, but troubled former Manchester United youth team player was on the verge of joining Birmingham City, on loan from West Ham United for the 2012/2013 season, when he failed a medical due to a problem with his teeth. It turned out that he needed to virtually have all of his nashers capped, which set West Ham back to the tune of £28,000 before Morrison could eventually complete the loan switch.

Loïc Rémy

In the summer of 2014, QPR striker Loïc Rémy was on the verge of joining Liverpool, but after terms were agreed the French striker failed his medical. It was heavily rumoured that the deal fell through as a result of Liverpool's medical team finding a small hole in Rémy's heart. This was angrily denied by the players representatives and they in turn alleged that the deal only fell apart after Fabio Borini's move to Sunderland from Liverpool broke down. Later in the summer the player did get his move away from QPR, but this time to Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.

John Carew

Norwegian striker John Carew had a solid career with clubs such as Rosenborg, Valencia and Aston Villa, but it came as a surprise when the then 33 year old, who was in virtual retirement, was put on trial for Inter Milan and nearly signed. Unfortunately for the big man, he failed his medical over fitness issues with the club saying, “His present physical condition however would require him to undergo a rather lengthy period of specific individual fitness work which is not compatible with the needs of the club." I don't know about you, but I think they were calling him fat.

Beatles’ Football Stickers by Alberto Melloni (Gallery)

2014-10-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

Alberto Melloni created a small but incredible collection that illustrates stickers of the famous Beatles if they played for a Serie A side.

It is a small collection of four stickers; after all there were only four Beatles but one worth checking out. This is a must see for not only Beatles fans but also Serie A fans.

A big thank you to Alberto for the wonderful work he has done.

UEFA FFP Investigation Targets Monaco & Liverpool

2014-09-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

UEFA has launched an investigation into Liverpool and Monaco for alleged violation of the Financial Fair Play.

News articles coming out of England and Portugal are reporting that the two clubs are part of an ongoing investigation that has been launched into several European clubs for violation of the Financial Fair Play. Two other clubs that are involved in this investigation is Inter Milan and Roma.

UEFA will expect the clubs being investigated to provide information in regards to their finances to show that they have indeed follow the rules and guidelines put forward by UEFA, but in case of violation the clubs could be fined or even prevented from registering new players.

The major surprise to me is that there are only four clubs mentioned and none of them is Real Madrid. The Spanish giants have accumulated a debt of over 600 million this past season and have continue to spend well above their means this season, and are nowhere to found in any list regarding investigations launched under the umbrella of financial fair play.

If UEFA is going to be serious about this program and initiative, which I believe they should, they will have to look at all teams, and not just at those that seem convenient and easy to make an example off. The game needs this initiative, the domestic leagues need it, or we will soon have an upper class and a low class in European football, if we are not there already. I have absolutely nothing against a team spending money on players, as long as they don’t spend more than what they are earning, but that is not the case with many teams around Europe.

The clock is ticking and Platini has the right watch to be able to tell that it is time to put to action the plan that he had put forward. Financial fair play can’t be just a scare tactic or a lightning rod used to keep the “new rich” in line. It needs to be used across the board and implemented without pride or prejudice.

5 Weirdest Jersey Numbers in Football

2014-08-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

Player’s numbers are normally an extension of their personality, and many players are very close to their number.

Players tend to stick to a number for their careers and never really changed it, even when they change teams. Sometimes players moving to a new team end up paying a team mate for the right to wear their number if it has already been taken by someone on the squad.

The numbers below are the top 5 oddest number choices, and I doubt these players would have anyone willing to pay them for their number.

Hicham Zerouali

The Moroccan forward was known as Zero, since the first four letters of his last name spelt the number. Perhaps due to that he ended up picking the number zero for his jersey while playing for Aberdeen in Scotland. He was the first player in Scotland to have the number 0 on his jersey. The Scottish League would eventually outlaw the number zero the following season.

Mathieu Flamini

When Flamini arrived at AC Milan in the summer of 2008 he decided to wear the number 84, which represents his year of birth, 1984. Most of the numbers he wanted were already taken by the squad when he arrived, so he was forced to think outside the box and pick a number that is not normally seen on the back of football players. Shevchenko (76) and Ronaldinho (80) before him had been faced with similar dilemmas and went down a similar road.

Ivan Zamorano

In his first season at Inter Milan, Zamorano wore number 9, but when Ronaldo arrived he gave his number to him and changed his number to 18. He loved the number 9 so much that he added a plus sign between the 1 and 8 to signify 9 was indeed his number. His creativity is remarkable.

Victor Perales

The Mexican international was given jersey number 143 during his first season at Club Deportivo Guadalajara. He would change numbers during the following season and would wear number 15 going forward. His stay at the club was short lived so perhaps the fact he wore a three digit number will be his greatest memory from his stay at Guadalajara.

Bixente Lizarazu

The French international and World Cup winner had perhaps one of the most incredible jersey numbers during his second spell at Bayern Munich. His choice to wear number 69 was believe to be a lewd choice, but Lizarazu explained his choice by saying that he was born in 1969, weighted 69 kg and was 1.69 cm in height, therefore his choice of number 69.

The Loyal - 15 Footballers That Only Played For 1 Club

2014-07-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

Stars must align in order for a footballer to spend their entire careers with just one club. Now more than ever it is becoming the norm for players to move from club to club in search of the big pay-day or an outfit that will provide them with more chances of trophies or medals. And while it is not always up to the players whether they can stay at the same club for the duration of their career, footballers that have managed to accomplish this have a special place in the hearts of the supporters.

We take a look at 15 incredible footballers who spent their entire professional careers wearing just one badge.

Tony Adams - Arsenal FC

In 1980 Tony Adams joined the Arsenal youth system, a stint that would turn into 22 years at the London club, 19 of which were in a professional playing capacity. In his time at Highbury the English international and London native had won 4 league titles and 3 FA Cup championships with the Gunners.

Jimmy Armfield - Blackpool FC

A Blackpool FC legend, Armfield played for the Tangerines for 17 years. Although the full-back did not manage to win any trophies with his club, Armfield was in the England squad that won the World Cup title in 1966. He retired from professional football in 1971.

Franco Baresi - AC Milan

Franco Baresi spent a total of 25 years with AC Milan. His first five were as a youth player, with an additional twenty as a professional, in which he recorded over 500 appearances, winning the Serie A title 6 times and the Champions League / European Cup on 3 occasions. In 1997, the Brescia native retired from professional football.

Giuseppe Bergomi - Inter Milan

Born in Milano, Bergomi would go on to play for his hometown club for 20 years starting in 1977. In his two decades with Inter, Bergomi won the Italian title just once during the 1988-89 season and was also a part of the Italian squad that went on to win the World Cup in 1982.

Jamie Carragher - Liverpool FC

Born in the tiny town of Bootle in Merseyside, Carraagher had switched between Liverpool's and Everton's youth system twice. Once he made his professional debut with the Reds however, he would never leave for another club again. In his 17 year career at Anfield, the English international defender would go on to win the FA Cup twice and the Champions League once with his club, before retiring as a "red" in 2013.

Jack Charlton - Leeds United

Surely his brother Sir Bobby Charlton would also make this list if he didn't spend a season with Preston North End and Irish club Waterford United late in his career. Jack Charlton however was dedicated to just one club throughout his playing years, that with Leeds United. Picking up his professional debut, Jack would go on to play at Elland Road for 21 years, appearing for his club in over 600 matches. Before his retirement in 1973, Jack helped his club to its first league title in 1969 and an FA Cup win in 1972.

Ryan Giggs - Manchester United

At the age of 15, the Cardiff native Giggs swapped the Manchester City youth system to that of their city rivals United. Fast-forward an astonishing 27 years, and Giggs retired from a storied playing career a "Red-Devil" having never left the club. In his 24 years as a professional at Old-Trafford, Giggs have won the English league title an astonishing 13 times, that on top of his 4 FA Cup and 2 Champion League wins. Although Giggs has retired from playing football he never really left United, picking up various coaching roles with the club.

Ledley King - Tottenham Hotspur

Considering a career plagued by chronic knee problems, Ledley King managed to stay with the Spurs for 13 years before his retirement from football in 2012 at the age of 31. King was an outstanding defender who is said to have gone even longer in his playing career than expected considering his constant injuries. Although he only managed to surpass the 200 match mark in his time with the club, the East London native is still considered by many as one of the better defenders in the club's history.

Paolo Maldini - AC Milan

Paolo Maldini was born in Milano in 1968. 10 years later he was already a part of the AC Milan youth system, making his professional debut with the club just seven years after that at the age of 17. Maldini's time with the club totals an incredible 32 years, 25 of which he spent as a professional. In his time with Milan <aldini helped his club to 7 Serie A titles, 5 Champion League / European Club wins and an equal amount of UEFA Super Cup titles as well. After Maldini's retirement at the age of 41 in 2009, his legendary #3 shirt was retired, with nobody able to wear it in the club's future. Maldini did however give consent to the club that either one of his two sons would be able to wear the number if they so choose if they ever play for AC Milan.

Billy McNeill - Celtic

Born in the tiny town of Bellshill (about 12 miles outside of Glasgow), McNeill would go on to record nearly 500 appearances for Celtic in his 18 years at the club. While with the Bhoys, McNeill helped his side to 9 domestic championships, seven Scottish Cup wins and a European Cup title in 1967, before retiring from professional football in 1975. McNeill would go on to manage the only club he had played with on two separate occasions for a total of 9 years. As a manager he managed to provide Celtic supporters with more joy, helping the club to 4 more league titles and 3 cup victories.

Gary Neville - Manchester United

Born in Greater Manchester, Gary Neville spent his entire 19 year professional career with United. In his time with his club the full-back managed to win the Premier League title 8 times, while picking up 3 FA Cup and 2 Champions League wins. Neville retired from football in 2011 for a career in sports television.

Thomas Schaaf - Werder Bremen

Born over 500 kilometers away from the city of Bremen (in Mannheim), Schaaf arrived at the Werder Bremen youth academy at the age of 11 in 1972. Six years later he made his professional debut, although for the first two years as a pro Schaaf would rotate between the main squad and the reserve squad "Werder Bremen II". When he retired from playing in 1995, Schaaf had already been at the club for a total of 23 years, in which he had won the league title and cup twice. But even after his retirement from playing football, Schaaf went on to stay with the club in various coaching roles for an additional 18 years, eventually becoming the senior squad manager. As the coach of the senior squad Schaaf brought his beloved club another 3 cup wins and a league title during the 2003-04 season. This year Thomas Schaaf left Werder Bremen for the first time after he was appointed the head coach of another German club Eintracht Frankfurt.

Paul Scholes - Manchester United

Another Manchester United great, Paul Scholes spent 22 years with the Red Devils, two of which were with the youth system, and twenty years divided between one very long and one short stint. Born in Salford (about 10 minute drive to Manchester city center), Scholes originally retired from football in 2011 after 18 years at the club. In January of 2012 however, Scholes became the hometown hero once more as he returned to the club due to an injury crisis at Old-Trafford, and eventually decided to stay with the club for one more season after that. In his time with the club Scholes enjoyed 11 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cup wins and 2 Champions League wins with the club.

Billy Wright - Wolverhampton Wanderers

Native of Ironbridge which is about 20 miles outside of Wolverhampton, Billy Wright would become an English football legend being the first to have 100 matches for the English national team to his name and having played in nearly 500 matches for Wolverhapton, a club which he would never leave to play elsewhere, kind of. During World War II Wright did play some matches as a part of the Leicester City squad. This was due to the fact that Wolverhampton have suspended competitive play due to the war, but Wrights participation with Leicester was recorded as "guest player" and therefore was never official. Wright retired in 1959 at the age of 35 and would go on to manage Arsenal for 4 years. Billy Wright passed away in 1994 at the age of 70.

Lev Yashin - Dinamo Moscow

Lev Yashin was so dedicated to his hometown club Dinamo that not only did he play for the football club, he also stood between the pipes for their hockey outfit and even managed to win the USSR Hockey Cup in 1953. With the football club however Yashin spent spent 20 years, the goalkeeper that is still referred to by many as the best ever helped his club to 5 USSR championships and 3 domestic cup wins. Yashin retired both from international and club football in 1970 at the age of 41. To learn more about Lev Yashin's career you can read our World Cup Heroes - Lev Yashin

5 Matches to Watch This Weekend

2014-07-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

As always we bring you the 5 matches we think are worth watching this weekend from around the world. This weekend our focus shifts mostly to the 2014 International Champions Cup, a tournament consisting of 8 high-profile European clubs competing in a preseason tournament hosted in North America. We will be keeping an eye on all four matches from that competition, plus one really juicy international friendly.

#5 - Benfica vs. Ajax (International Club Friendly - Saturday, July 26)

Although playing in different leagues, Benfica and Ajax have some history between the two clubs, having met in European competition previously. Obviously this will not be a heated affair as it is only a friendly, nonetheless, it would be great to catch a first glimpse of the two clubs that will be defending their domestic championship title this coming season.

2014 International Champions Cup:

#4 - AC Milan vs. Manchester City

AC Milan has already played their first match in this competition in a 3-0 loss to Greek side Olympiacos. It will be interesting however to see how Mario Balotelli does against his former team from Manchester. This match will be hosted in the American football venue Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

#3 - Liverpool vs. Olympiacos

As mentioned above, Olympiacos won their first match in this tournament against AC Milan by a score of 3-0. A win against a revamped Liverpool squad would go a long way in the Greeks' attempt to secure top spot in their group, as it is the only place that advances to the final of this competition. This match will be played at Soldier Field in Chicago.

#2 - Manchester United vs. AS Roma

New Roma defender Ashley Cole knows English opposition very well, having spent his entire career in his native England before leaving Chelsea for the Italian capital this summer. With a new manager in Louis van Gaal, United will look to continue their already solid pre-season after a 7-0 win against the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. This match will be played at the 76,000 capacity Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver.

#1 - Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan

Playing at the California Memorial Stadium, Real Madrid have made a number of high-profile signings already this summer and will be preparing for yet another tough season in La Liga, one they will surely look to finish as champions of Spain. Inter Milan has fallen from domestic title contention in their domestic league in recent years, but the profile of the club is still very big all around the world.

Serie A Released & Leaked Football Kits 2014-15 Season (Gallery)

2014-07-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

These are some of the released and leaked Seria A kits that will be used by clubs during the 2014-15 season.

Napoli Goalkeeper Jersey

Napoli Away Jersey

Napoli Home Jersey

Sassuolo Kits

Torino Kits

Parma Kits

AC Milan 3rd Jersey

AC Milan Away Jersey

AS Roma Away Jersey

Lazio Away & 3rd Kit

Juventus Away Jersey

Juventus Home Jersey

Fiorentina Away Jersey

AS Roma Home Jersey

Atalanta Home, Away & 3rd Kit

Fiorentina Goalkeeper Jersey

Fiorentina Home Jersey

AC Milan Goalkeeper Home Jersey

Hellas Verona Away Jersey

Hellas Verona Home Jersey

Inter Milan Away Jersey

Inter Milan Home Jersey

Inter Milan Away Jersey

Inter Milan Home Jersey

Inter Milan 3rd Jersey

Lazio Home Jersey

AC Milan Home Jersey

AC Milan 3rd Jersey

Sampdoria Home, Away & 3rd Jersey

Napoli Home Jersey

Udinese Home Jersey

Udinese 3rd Jersey

Chievo Away Jersey

Chievo Home Jersey

Chievo 3rd Jersey

Palermo Away Jersey

Palermo Home Jersey

Palermo 3rd Kit

Udinese Away Jersey

Ryan Giggs and Javier Zanetti - A Legendary Bromance

2014-07-11T17:00:00.000-04:00

Manchester United Legend Ryan Giggs and former Inter Milan star Javier Zanetti got together today on Twitter to discuss their careers.

It's rare these days when players spend the entirety, or at least the bulk of their careers at one club. Players in the modern era change clubs more times than Jennifer Lopez swaps husbands, and yet like a rich socialite they're always batting their eyelids at the next suitor waving a pile of cash, who is also whispering sweet nothings about Champions League football.

Loyalty is a word that most players have no use for, but Giggs and Zanetti were no ordinary players. A chapter in football history closed in 2014 with the retirement of these two legends.

The former Welsh winger, Giggs, is the most decorated player in English football history. Spending his entire 24 year career at Old Trafford, Giggs amassed a record 13 League Titles to go along with his two Champions League wins and various domestic cups.

Zanetti, meanwhile, played 19 seasons for Italian giants Inter Milan after starting his career in Argentina. One of the few non-Italian captains in Serie A, Zanetti captained Internazionale from 1999 until the end of his career this past spring. The Argentine right back won 5 Serie A titles, and a Champions League crown in 2009/2010 as part of a historic treble.

With Giggs moving into an assistant coaching role at United under Louis van Gaal and Zanetti being appointed as a Vice-President with Inter, the two took part in a Twitter exchange today and here are a few of the highlights:

RG: As you know, we both retired this summer. How difficult was your decision? I thought long and hard about it… #GiggsZanetti
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 11, 2014

JZ: I knew it would happen sooner or later. I was lucky to play until I was 40, so I have no regrets #GiggsZanetti pic.twitter.com/yNHQE7kDy4
— F.C. Internazionale (@Inter) July 11, 2014

RG: The reaction I’ve had from fans since I retired has been incredible. You must have had the same at Inter… #GiggsZanetti
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 11, 2014

JZ: The Inter fans showed me love throughout my career. I can't thank them enough for the support #GiggsZanetti
— F.C. Internazionale (@Inter) July 11, 2014

JZ: People always ask me for my best moment but it’s so hard to pick one. Have you got a favourite? #GiggsZanetti
— F.C. Internazionale (@Inter) July 11, 2014

RG: So many! But it has to be lifting the Champions League trophy in Barcelona, back in 1999. You? #GiggsZanetti pic.twitter.com/EWe6atwvlJ
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 11, 2014

JZ: It's hard for me to choose but, like you, it was when we won the Champions League in Madrid #GiggsZanetti pic.twitter.com/Mi5ERsW7qO
— F.C. Internazionale (@Inter) July 11, 2014

RG: If there’s one game you could relive what would it be? #GiggsZanetti
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 11, 2014

JZ: The cup final vs Lazio in Paris in 1998, just to be able to feel all those emotions one more time #giggszanetti pic.twitter.com/tcJa137RbS
— F.C. Internazionale (@Inter) July 11, 2014

JZ: If I ask you the same, I bet you'll say that final against Bayern Munich in 1999... #GiggsZanetti
— F.C. Internazionale (@Inter) July 11, 2014

RG: Definitely… although I only want to relive the last five minutes! #GiggsZanetti
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 11, 2014

Click the following link to view the entire conversation between these two greats on Twitter.