FOOTY FAIR

5 British Players Who Have Succeeded Abroad

2016-08-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

The Premier League is awash with money these days and so the incentive for British players in their prime to try their luck with a club in Europe doesn't really exist.

The exception to that of course is if a giant such as Barcelona, Real Madrid or perhaps Bayern Munich come along with wages matching what a player could get in England, and the promise of competing in the latter stages of the Champions League.

Although there haven't historically been a lot of British players who have gone overseas and made much of an impact, the following are five who enjoyed great success:

1.) John Charles - Juventus

The big Welshman John Charles joined Italy's Juventus in 1957 from Leeds United for a then British record £65,000. He went on to enjoy five brilliant seasons in Turin, scoring 108 goals in 155 matches and impressing all with his fast, powerful and yet sporting style of play. Christened Il Gigante Buono (The Gentle Giant) by Juve's adoring fans, his partnership with Omar Sívori and Giampiero Boniperti devastated defenses and led the club to three league championships and two Italian cups.

2.) Kevin Keegan - Hamburger SV

After winning virtually every major prize in club football with Liverpool, England international Kevin Keegan decided he needed a new challenge in 1977 and opted to ask the Merseysiders for a move to West German side Hamburger SV. A fee of £500,000 was agreed between the two clubs a few days before he helped Liverpool to victory in the 1977 European Cup Final. Despite a tough start to his time in Hamburg, he would go on to win back to back European Footballer of the year awards in 1978 and 1979. Keegan also helped the club to a Bundesliga title in 1978-1979 and to a place in the final of the 1980 European Cup where they would be lose to Nottingham Forest. He would leave for Southampton in the summer of 1980.

3.) Gary Lineker - Barcelona

Current BBC Match of the Day host Gary Lineker won the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico for England and after a terrific goal scoring record at first Leicester and then Everton he was highly coveted by the biggest clubs across Europe. Eventually joining Barcelona for £2.8 million and he did not disappoint. Lineker bagged 21 goals in his first season in Catalonia, including a brilliant hat-trick against archrivals Real Madrid. Despite a lack of silverware in his first season at the club, he would help Barcelona win the Copa del Rey in 1988 and the European Cup Winner's Cup in 1989 before leaving for Tottenham.

4.) Chris Waddle - Olympique de Marseille

The exciting England winger and terrifically mulleted Chris Waddle joined French club Olympique de Marseille from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £4.5 million in 1989. A Marseille legend to this day, Waddle helped the club win three consecutive league titles during his three years in France.

5.) Gareth Bale - Real Madrid

After five seasons at Tottenham, where he had progressively improved to the point where he could arguably be called the most lethal attacking player in the Premier League, Real Madrid scooped up Welsh international Gareth Bale for a world record fee of €100.8 million in the summer of 2013. Despite being plagued by injuries in his first few months in Madrid, Bale helped Real win the Copa del Rey with a sensational winning goal against Barcelona with five minutes to go. A month later he scored in extra time against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Final to put Los Blancos up 2-1 on their way to an eventual 4-1 victory. The following season he scored in yet another final as Madrid went on to beat San Lorenzo 2-0 in the FIFA Club World Cup Final, and then this past season he helped his club to yet another Champions League title.

The UEFA Champions League is Back

2016-08-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

Get ready to take a frosty tall can of Heineken from the fridge, throw some pretzels in a dish, crank up the surround sound, quickly explain to your bored significant other how Ludogorets qualified for Europe and then settle down onto your well worn couch.

That's right ladies and gentlemen, the UEFA Champions League is back.

All eyes were on Monaco on Thursday for the draw and after a lot of backslapping, weak as cat piss jokes, glamorous people looking glamorous and balls coming out of pots, here is how the draw worked out:

Group A: Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, FC Basel, Ludogorets.

Group B: Benfica, Napoli, Dynamo Kiev, Besiktas.

Group C: Barcelona, Manchester City, Borussia Monchengladbach, Celtic.

Group D: Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, PSV Eindhoven, Rostov.

Group E: CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen, Tottenham, Monaco.

Group F: Real Madrid, Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon, Legia Warsaw.

Group G: Leicester City, Porto, Club Brugge, Dinamo Zagreb.

Group H: Juventus, Sevilla, Lyon, Dinamo Zagreb.

At a glance it looks like the four English clubs did fairly well on Thursday with Arsenal and PSG, baring a shock, getting out of Group A. fairy tale domestic champions Leicester are in a pretty even Group G with Porto, Brugge and Dinamo Zagreb, but will fancy their chances after avoiding any of the big dogs.

Manchester City will have their hands full with Barcelona, and will likely have wanted to avoid a "Battle of Britain" with Celtic, but they should emerge from Group C.

Tottenham, in the meantime will be fairly happy with how their Group E has shaped up.

Elsewhere, Group H containing Juventus, Sevilla, Lyon, and Dinamo Zagreb looks like the most competitive group. Behind the Turin giants it'll be a real battle between Sevilla and Lyon for the second spot, but don't overlook Dinamo Zagreb. The Croatia side are decent outfit and aren't usually pushovers at home.

Group F, with 2014 and 2016 Champions League winners Real Madrid coming up against Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon, Legia Warsaw should be another interesting group. Madrid will of course be the favourites to win the group, but behind them it will be fascinating to see if Dortmund under Thomas Tuchel can replicate their impressive domestic results in Europe or if they'll come unglued against Sporting or Legia.

One thing we call all agree on though, unless you support either of these two teams, is that it'll be nice to see someone finally stop Real Madrid and Bayern Munich from reaching the last four.

For the past five seasons, both clubs have made the Semi-Finals every year. Time for a change.

5 European Champions Relegated The Very Next Season

2016-08-15T11:25:00.001-04:00

With the Premier League now under way and newly promoted side Hull City shocking reigning title holders Leicester City in the season opener, there is a lot of talk about the odds of the already unlikely champions' odds of battling relegation during a year the Foxes are tasked with defending their title. With that in mind we take a look at five European clubs that found themselves in this exact scenario in the past.

#5 - Juventus (Italy)

Not exactly the same as the rest on this list, Italy's 2006 champions were relegated right after winning the Serie A title without even having to play another season. The club was implicated in the Calciopoli scandal for rigging matches and as a result were relegated to the lower tier. Juve managed to get back up despite point reductions.

#4 - Herfolge Boldklub (Denmark)

Danish side Herfolge BK claimed the Danish title for the first time at the end of the 1999-2000 season. While attempting to defend their title, Herfolge lost 6-0 on aggregate in their only round of the 2000-01 UEFA Champions League to Scottish champions Rangers and finished in 11th of 12 places in the Danish domestic league which sent them down to the second tier.

#3 - Manchester City (England)

While all the talk is about current champions Leicester City, it is Manchester City FC that is still the only champions of England that managed to get relegated immediately after winning the title. In 1937 City claimed their first title after finishing 3 points ahead of Charlton Athletic, all while watching bitter rivals United get relegated. The following season however, while United was getting promoted back up, City joined West Brom as the two relegated sides.

#2 - FC Nurnberg (Germany)

After winning their 10th (and so far last) German title in 1968, FC Nurnberg manager Max Merkel decided to rebuild the team with younger players. As a result, Germany's defending champions would finish 17th in the table and would be relegated to the second tier.

#1 - AC Milan (Italy)

Another Italian champion and another one that involves a scandal. After winning their 10th Italian title in 1979, AC Milan would effectively finish in third place the following season. Their involvement in an underground betting ring scandal named Totonero however, cost the club precious points which meant relegation to Serie B.

Antonio Conte…Not Long for Chelsea’s World?

2016-06-29T10:57:00.001-04:00

From FootyFair Guest Contributor Jason Bramble:

This is my first blog-like entry, so please forgive me if it seems in anyway disjointed or rambling. I’ve been meaning to write for this site for a long time, however my low esteem to share written word left me unable to numerous times. This time however I feel compelled to share with you, dear FootyFair readers an opinion piece. So, let’s get started.

Antonio Conte… the man with the Midas touch apparently in this Euro competition. He took a rag tag Italian set-up, and turned them into at least for me one of the stories of the tourney thus far. Not expected to do anything, the Italian’s find themselves in a quarter-final match up against what looks to be the most structurally perfect German side that I’ve seen in a long, long time. Quite the change from two years ago in Brasil, I’d say, where they unceremoniously crashed out along with England in the group stage.

Conte’s genius is being praised not just because of that. But also because of his resurgence of the Old Lady of Italian football, Juventus. However, since their scandal had been little more than toothless kittens on the European stage and had to claw back from relegation as well. Just before tasting glory of a Champions League Final he resigned his post, and began his Italian National team career.

When Ceasare Prandelli resigned after what has to be called a disgusting World Cup campaign by the Azzuri, Conte took the job building up for the Euro qualifiers. As he did at Juve he took the best of what he could get, and seemingly made them into what we’ve seen at this Euro. Although some call it dumbed down or whatever, It has certainly been no cake walk for the Azzuri and they’ve been put to the test and have shown with style and passion that they are serious. Also that his management in my opinion is real.

After this Euro though he will begin a new chapter. Chelsea Football Club on April 4th 2016 confirmed that he would be joining the club after José Mourinho was sacked from the club mid-season amidst a variable poop storm of bad results and “unfortunate” headlines featuring one Eva Caneiro. This is where I want to offer my opinion on the future of Conte at Chelsea.

Will he be able to survive the “Player Power” ego movement among the C.F.C. stars? Not even the much revered José Mourinho was able to withstand the pressure from the top as time, time and time again Chelsea produced bad results. Seemingly led by the “Player Power” movement that has resulted in the C.F.C. revolving door for staff. He has quite a few cancers to deal with in the locker room.

Eden Hazard, if his performance at the Euros has proved anything, is that he SERIOUSLY under-performed for Mourinho, likely on purpose. I suspect if Conte puts a foot wrong against this Belgian Diva he will do the same again.

Diego Costa; I don’t actually have any proof he under-preformed or if he just sucks/sucked, but I'm leaning towards the former though. Also a player that began to believe his own hype.

(Viva) John Terry; at the core of the Chelsea locker room issues I always secretly suspected was JT. Again no proof but more speculation. The old racist captain of C.F.C seems like a big time sh*t disturber. Can’t say in good conscious he under preforms though. He is just old and past it at that level. However his “Mr Chelsea” ways may not mesh well with the new manager.

Thibaut Courtois; Belgian team mate of the aforementioned Eden Hazard, I can imagine he and Eden Hazard conspiring to get José Mourinho out at the bridge. I’ve heard reports from certain friends of mine who are Chelsea blue that he is becoming a real problem. I believe it as he seems like a right douchetap.

That’s all I really have for now. I should be forthcoming at this point. I am actually a United supporter, and I am well aware we have our own woes to deal with, with regards to cancers and “should he be a starter” team selections (Looking at you Wazza), but I leave that up to someone else to outline. With that said if those players start acting up or someone I haven’t mentioned and Conte doesn’t get immediate results he’ll be out the door faster than a dine and dasher at cheque time. Ah well I’d wish you all the best Conte, but I can’t soooooo I’ll just say hope you don’t get fired.

8 Clubs With the Most Footballers Participating in the 2016 Euros

2016-06-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

With all of the Euro 2016 squads having been confirmed on the 31st of May, it's time to take a look at the clubs that will feature the most footballers in the international tournament; all of which are unsurprisingly from the European continent. The likes of Real Madrid, AS Roma and Arsenal have just missed the cut, coming just short of the minimum 9 players it takes to get on this list. So which clubs will be represented by the most players in this summer's Euros?

Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) - 9 Players

Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk will have 9 of their footballers featured in this summer's tournament. Eight of the nine Shakhtar players at the Euros are Ukrainian, with first-choice goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov and the majority of the defensive line playing for the club, while the other is Croatian and club captain Darijo Srna.

Bayern Munich (Germany) - 9 Players

5 of Bayern's 9 players in the Euros will play for the German squad, most notably goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, forward Thomas Müller, defender Jérôme Boateng and midfielder Mario Götze. Otherwise, the German club will be represented in the Polish squad by Robert Lewandowski, Spain's side with Thiago, David Alaba for Austria and 19 year old Kingsley Coman for France.

Barcelona (Spain) - 9 Players

Usually, the Spanish national team is split with the majority of players coming in either from Barcelona or Real Madrid. But unlike Madrid's total of two, Barca will have five of their footballer's in Spain's squad this summer. Gerard Piqué, Jordi Alba, Marc Bartra, Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Busquets will all play for La Furia Roja, while Arda Turan will captain the Turkish side, Ivan Rakitić will dress for Croatia, Thomas Vermaelen for Belgium and Marc-André ter Stegen will play back-up in the German goalkeeper position.

Fenerbahçe (Turkey) - 9 Players

Six of Fenerbahçe's nine players at the 2016 Euros will play for the home nation Turkey, with 3 of Turkey's most capped defenders coming in from the Istanbul club and a 21 year old midfielder Ozan Tufan who had been capped over 20 times in his still very young age. Other than their own national side the Turkish club will be represented by Michal Kadlec for the Czech Republic and Portuguese duo Bruno Alves and Nani.

Manchester United (England) - 10 Players

The Red Devils are sending a total of 10 players to the Euros. United have three featuring for the English national team in Chris Smalling, captain Wayne Rooney and 18 year-old sensation Marcus Rashford. Anthony Martial and Morgan Schneiderlin were both called up for France, while Bastian Schweinsteiger will play for the Germans, Paddy McNair for Northern Ireland, David de Gea in goal for Spain and Belgium and Italy will benefit from United's Marouane Fellaini and Matteo Darmian respectively.

Tottenham Hotspur (England) - 11 Players

With Tottenham's young and successful squad, it is not surprising at all that the English team will be featuring 5 footballers from the Spurs. In the English defense we will see Danny Rose and Kyle Walker, Dele Alli and Eric Dier will represent the club in the English midfield, while Harry Kane will feature for The Three Lions upfront. Otherwise, the Spurs will see their own footballers represent four other nations with France, Austria, Wales and three Spurs footballers playing for Belgium. Tottenham's keeper Hugo Lloris will captain hosts France, while Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembélé will all be crucial to the success of the Belgian squad.

Juventus (Italy) - 12 Players

Italian champions Juventus will have 12 of their players representing their national sides this summer, half of which will be dressing for the home nation, Italy. Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Simone Zaza, Stefano Sturaro, Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci are all a part of the contingency of Juve players to be called up by the Azzurri. The other 6 footballers travelling from Turin to the 2016 Euro are France's Patrice Evra and Paul Pogba, Swiss Captain Stephan Lichtsteiner, Germany's Sami Khedira, Spain's Álvaro Morata and Crotia's prolific striker Mario Mandžukić.

Liverpool (England) - 12 Players

With the same total of players going to the 2016 Euros as Juventus, Liverpool's contribution to their own national team is just a tad smaller than that of The Old Lady to the Italian squad, with 5 LFC footballers set to feature for The Three Lions.James Milner, Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne, Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge are all hoping to contribute to England's cause this summer. Still within the United Kingdom Joe Allen and keeper Danny Ward will dress for Wales. The Belgian squad will feature a total of 3 Liverpool players with keeper Simon Mignolet, striker Christian Benteke and youngster Divock Origi. The other two making up a total of twelve Liverpool players at the 2016 UEFA Euros in France this summer are of course Germany's Emre Can and Slovakian captain Martin Škrtel.

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 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.

Throwback Thursdays: Zinedine Zidane Scored His First Goal 25 Years Ago This Month

2016-02-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

Twenty Five years ago this month, the Zinedine Zidane scored his first professional goal to help his then club Cannes beat Nantes.

Born on 23 June 1972 in the notoriously tough La Castellane neighbourhood in Marseille to Algerian parents who had fled their homeland during the bloody Algerian War, Zidane started playing football at age five.

Honing his skills on the concrete plaza in front of his housing complex, by age 14 the future World Footballer of the Year was invited to a training camp at the CREPS (Regional Centre for Sports and Physical Education) in Aix-en-Provence by the French Football Federation. It was there that he came to the attention to Cannes scouts.

At age 16, Zidane made his professional debut with Cannes on 18 May 1989 in a Ligue 1 match against Nantes, but it would take him over a year to lock down a place in their first team squad.

After scoring his first goal on 10 February 1991 against Nantes, club chairman Alain Pedretti made good on his promise to buy the talented young midfielder a car.

Transferring to Girondins de Bordeaux before the 1992–93 season, he went on to become the heart of a talented side which included Bixente Lizarazu and Christophe Dugarry, By 1994, Zidane had debuted for France scoring two goals in a 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic to erase a 2-0 deficit.

Following a successful spell with Bordeaux, the rest as they say is history. Zidane would enjoy five year spells at Juventus (1996-2001) and Real Madrid (2001-06) on the way to becoming recognized as one of the greatest players in the world.

On the international stage he would lead France to victory in the 1998 World Cup, before spurring them on to glory at Euro 2000.

From humble beginnings, the current manager of Real Madrid was the finest player of his generation and he'll be hoping to replicate some of that success in management.

5 Random Transfer Rumours Doing the Rounds

2015-12-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

After my weekly kickabout last Friday, talk at the pub afterwards turned to the possibility of Lionel Messi possibly leaving Barcelona for Manchester City.

That's just one of the transfer rumours doing the rounds this week.

1.) Lionel Messi to Manchester City

As unlikely as the sight of the Argentinian wizard Lionel Messi playing for anyone other than the Catalan giants seems, the fact is that City are an extremely wealthy club that could offer him a contract well in excess of anything Barcelona could.

So it'll come down to whether or not he wants one last gigantic paycheck, and to put some distance between himself and Spanish tax collectors (allegedly!), before riding off into the sunset of the MLS or if he prefers to stay loyal to the club he's been with since aged 12.

Verdict: It's not going to happen. City has the money, but I don't think Messi would be suited to the Premier League and I think he knows it. If he leaves Barca it'll be for PSG.

2.) Thomas Muller to Chelsea

Everyone who has paid the slightest bit of attention to the Premier League this season knows how disastrous the form of Diego Costa has been and the Spanish international is in anything but Jose Mourinho's good books right now.

Mourinho is rumoured to be shopping for a replacement, which is unsurprising really, and one of the men who have been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge is German international Thomas Muller.

Muller seems well suited for the Premier League and doesn't seem the sort to chuck bibs around.

Verdict: There's a very good chance this will happen, but not until next summer.

3.) Isco to Juventus

After spending the summer chasing Isco, it seems that Juventus may just be able to strike a deal with Real Madrid in January.

Arsenal have also been keen on landing the 23-year old who has apparently fallen out with manager Rafa Benitez, but the Turin club seem to be willing to match Real's evaluation price that's rumoured to be around £30 million.

Verdict: The talented playmaker definitely looks unsettled in the Spanish capitol and did himself no favours by getting sent off against Barcelona in his side's thumping 4-0 loss last week. If Juventus show Real the money, he'll be off to Serie A.

4.) Lars Bender to Arsenal

Speaking of Arsenal, it's rumoured that the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender could be coming to the Emirates.

With Arsenal beset by an injury crisis, again, manager Arsene Wenger has admitted he may need to spend in January.

The 26-year old defensive midfielder might be a great addition for the Gunners.

Verdict: Considering his age, and the fact that doing business in January is never cheap, I can't see Wenger going through with this one.

5.) Breel Embolo to Barcelona

Just when Manchester United looked to be the favourites to capture one of the most sought after young players in Europe, Barcelona stepped up their interest in the exciting 18-year old Basel attacker Breel Embolo.

The Cameroonian born Swiss international has only played a season and a half of top flight football but he already has scouts across Europe drooling at his skills and eye for goal.

Verdict: Don't Barcelona have a transfer ban in place in something? Well... not that rules ever stopped them.

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.

That Pogba is a Work of Art (Gallery)

2015-05-31T17:01:00.003-04:00

Frenchman Paul Pogba is a fan favorite both in Italy where he plays for champions Juventus and in his native France where the youngster has performed admirably with the national squad. Artists all over the world use Pogba as the subject of their work and we have some examples of that here at FootyFair.

The Funny Side of Juventus' Champions League Progress

2015-05-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Despite appearances, the picture above is not that of a touching romantic moment about to be shared between the referee of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League Semi-Final second leg and Gianluigi Buffon, but rather an argument between the two during Juventus' 1-1 draw with Real Madrid.

By virtue of their impressive result at the Bernabéu, Juventus head into the Champions League Final against Barcelona on June 6th where they will again be listed as the underdogs.

Considering the 32 time Italian champions, who recently claimed their fourth straight Serie A title, are the underdogs and have largely become the neutrals favourite tells you a bit about where the Champions League is at the moment.

It's been a competition largely dominated by the two Spanish giants in the past few seasons, with Bayern Munich providing the only consistent opposition.

Besides Juventus terrific result though, Wednesday night was not without a bit of comedy to go along with "The Old Lady's" resilient display.

First of all there was the sight of Iker Casilla taking perhaps the worst throw-in that's been seen outside of an Under 6 house league game. In fact, that's probably being a little unfair on the kids.

Saint Iker's stunning demonstration of what drunken shot putting would look like seemed to sum up his recent problems and sparked a flurry of memes on the 'Twitterverse' following the match, some funnier than others.

Besides his hilarious throw in, the man who was once considered the best keeper in the world also demonstrated how he's gradually morphed into a jittery, butter handed mess in the past two seasons as he could have done a lot better with Alvaro Morata's crucial equalizing goal.

The other Madrid player who had a difficult night was Gareth Bale. The struggling Welsh winger came in for a torrent of abuse from the home support, who whistled his perceived poor play and let their displeasure, over his five or six missed chances, known in the parking lot after the match as well.

With Bale, who some have sniped is becoming the "Welsh Walcott", as in a player who can run really fast but not do much else, it looks more and more likely that he'll be heading for the exit this summer.

Before his run in with fans on his way out of the ground, Bale remained positive though when he said to Sky Sports: “There have been some ups and downs but personally I think I’ve played well. I’ve maybe not scored as many important chances as I’d like but my general play has been good. My finishing is not as good and that’s something to work on for next year. What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger, and I’ll learn from this season and take it on.”

Bale and Casilla's struggles may have a direct impact on Manchester United as it would appear that Madrid will be going after their keeper David De Gea and may fund the move by sending Bale in the other direction. United fans feelings about that are mixed to say the least.

There's also a pretty good chance that Carlo Ancelotti will be axed at the end of the season, which is incredible considering the club are only a year removed from a Champions League win and currently second in the league table. They trust managers in Madrid about as much as most of us trust Brut 33 wearing used car salesmen.

Speaking of Manchester United again, at least they'll have the opportunity to cheer on their delightful former player Carlos Tevez in the final, along with their local rivals Manchester City. The man will never win any modelling contracts or popularity contests, but you have to grudgingly admit that he is a skillful and hardworking forward who always causes opponents fits.

Another former United player making an appearance in the final for Juventus will be Patrice Evra. Ironically enough he'll be coming up against his old rival Luis Suarez, which should be interesting to say the least.

What Now for Gareth Bale?

2015-05-09T12:00:00.001-04:00

Just under a year ago Welsh winger Gareth Bale was the toast of Madrid as he went someway to repaying his world record in breaking €100 million transfer with the winning goal, for Real, in the UEFA Champions League Final against Atletico Madrid.

This followed a storming performance from the former Tottenham man in the Copa del Rey Final.

But his form this season has been anything but consistent. As he's struggled on the pitch the boos have started to rain down from the Bernabeu stands each passing week and the media is starting to get on his back.

While the notoriously fickle Madrid based media has been hammering Bale for sometime, a member of the British media dove in with two feet this past week when Roy Keane said after his horror show against Juventus:

"It was difficult for Madrid to play with 10 men. Bale gave them nothing. There was a lack of confidence, he kept making the easy decision. His teammates can't be happy with him. He took the easy option every time."

That's just the thing with Bale now though. His confidence is shot to pieces and it seems as if he's frightened to do the things at Madrid that made him such a revelation at Tottenham.

In North London though he was the main man and there's already a certain Portuguese star in Cristiano Ronaldo filling that role in Madrid.

With Manchester United rumoured to be monitoring the situation closely and Bale coming under increasing pressure with a club that's not known for its patience, it'll be interesting to see whether he's still in La Liga this time next year.

5 Fun Champions League Semis Scenarios

2015-04-25T16:00:00.000-04:00

As is the case every single year, at every single stage, in every single sport, fun scenarios and previously noted situations take center stage before the matches discussed actually take place. Today we give you five interesting scenarios as related to the recent draw of the 2015 UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

Barcelona versus Pep

Of course the biggest scenario of this year's Champions League semis will be the one where Pep Guardiola takes on his former side Barcelona, or perhaps the other way around where the players of the Catalan club face their former boss. Whichever way you're looking at it, the meeting is mouthwatering. Pep was quoted saying that he is trying to figure out how to stop Messi, while some Barca players are understood to want a bit of revange against their former manager.

2014 World Cup final revisited

Barcelona's Argentine duo Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano will surely have a bit of a deja vu feeling when they look across the pitch at Bayern Munich's squad which is likely to include 6 German footballers that sent Argentina crashing out at the very final game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Bayern's line-up includes goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Germany and Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm and others such sd Thomas Müller, Jérôme Boateng, Bastian Schweinsteiger and the man who scored the winning goal against Argentina, Mario Götze.

When the final is played in Germany

The UEFA Champions League / European Cup finals will be played in Berlin for the very first time this year. In previous years however, when the finals were hosted in any city in Germany the winners were never clubs from Italy and Spain, and just on one ocassions the winner was a German club. From the seven times Germany hosted the finals there were two English winners in Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, two Portuguese clubs in Benfica and Porto, Dutch side Ajax, French side Marseille and the only German side to win the cup on home soil Borussia Dortmund. If history was to continue in this fashion it would effectively eliminate Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona from winning the cup this year, leaving just Bayern with a chance. But we all know damn well it just doesn't work that way.

When they play each other they win the title

Believe it or not, after the last two knock-out stage meetings between Bayern Munich and Barcelona the club who went on to win would go on to claim the competition title. In 2009 (with Pep Guardiola as their coach) Barcelona defeated Bayern over the two-legged affair in the quarter-finals by an aggregate score of 5-1, eventually defeating Chelsea in the semis and Manchester United in the final in Rome. In 2013 however, the roles were reversed when Bayern and Barca met in in the semi-finals. Bayern Munich would go on to win 4-0 at home and 3-0 in Camp Nou for the impressive 7-0 aggregate victory and eventually won against German rivals Borussia Dortmund in the finals. Will either of them win again this year?

Finals combinations

There are four variations of what the finals could look like this year. But out of the four possible combinations only once have two of this year's semi-finals have met in the final showdown. In 1998 Real Madrid took on Juventus in the Champions League final in the Amsterdam Arena in the Netherlands. A second half goal from Yugoslav striker Predrag Mijatović was enough to seal Real Madrid's 7th European club championship title at the time.

11 Unfortunate or Strange Football Facts

2015-03-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

There are football article after article out there that will tell you how many goals Lionel Messi has scored in the last two years, or how much money Zlatan Ibrahimović makes while he's sleeping, but if you're looking for unfortunate, strange, grimy or smelly facts about football you've come to the right place.

Presenting eleven facts you won't find on ESPN*.
(*Well, at least not without a lot of digging.)

#11

Despite only playing 9 matches for Juventus in 2012/2013, and scoring 0 goals, Arsenal reject Nicklas Bendtner has won the same number of Serie A titles as the legendary Francesco Totti (1 title).

#10

Former Colombian international defender Gerardo Bedoya holds the world record for most red cards in a career with 41. He earned the final one of his career with a flourish in 2012 while playing for Santa Fe, when he was sent off for elbowing Millonarios player Jhonny Ramirez and then subsequently kicking him in the head. Yikes.

#9

Three years after buying debt ridden Chelsea for £1 in 1982, cuddly Ken Bates put in a proposal to the English Football Association to install electrified fences around the front of the stands at football grounds to deter pitch invaders. Fortunately the FA shot down his plan.

#8

Portsmouth Sunday League footballer Levi Foster once got a yellow card for farting in the refs face. When having his cleats checked prior to kickoff, Foster unleashed a stink wind right in the official's face and went in the book. He later admitted to eating a curry the night before.

#7

Former Fiorentina striker Adrian Mutu was banned for playing for Romania in 2013 after posting an image on Facebook comparing national team boss Victor Pițurcă to Mr. Bean.

#6

Suffering with an upset stomach, during England's opening group match against Ireland at the 1990 World Cup, the Three Lions striker Gary Lineker went in for a tackle and shit himself. Fortunately the pitch was a bit wet, so he could wiggle around on the turf to clean himself up.

#5

Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, David Beckham and Nicky Butt, along with several other Manchester United then youngsters starred in a full blown Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs play at Christmas time in front of the first team squad as part of a hazing ritual. It hasn't been divulged who played Snow White or Dopey.

#4

The fastest recorded sending off in football history is two seconds. This dubious honour was achieved by an English player named Lee Todd. Todd had his back to the referee at the start of his side Cross Farm's Sunday league game against Taunton East Reach Wanderers, and was startled when the whistle was blown for kick-off. "Fuck me, that was loud," muttered Todd, and the referee promptly showed him a red card for foul language.

#3

Manchester United's 1977 FA Cup winning manager Tommy Docherty was sacked two months after his side lifted the cup at Wembley when it was revealed that he had been shagging the wife of United physiotherapist, Laurie Brown.

#2

More than 1 in 20 on-pitch injuries are caused by players celebrating goals. One of the more notable examples of this was when Ipswich's Roger Osborne, overcome with emotion while celebrating his goal in the 77th minute of the 1978 FA Cup win over Arsenal, fainted and had to be substituted.

#1

The highest number of recorded own goals in a match in the history of football is a staggering 149. This occurred in 2002 when Madagascar side Stade Olympique de L'Emyrne (SOE) staged a protest, at what they saw as poor refereeing against them in a previous fixture, by thundering the ball into their own net, over and over, in a league fixture against AS Adema. The Malagasy Football Federation (FMF) subsequently banned four of SOE's players and their coach for the remainder of the season, while warning the rest of the team about their future conduct.

How Europe's Top Dogs Last Season Are Doing

2015-03-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

With less than two months to go in most of the big leagues across Europe there are several of the usual suspects, namely Bayern Munich in Germany and Juventus in Italy, that seemingly have their leagues wrapped up already.

But what of the other sides that won their respective domestic titles last season? Will we see them repeat or have they been knocked off their perch?

England

At the time of writing, last season's Premier League champions Manchester City are six points behind Jose Mourinho's Chelsea after 29 matches played and the West London club also have a game in hand. Of Chelsea's ten matches left this season, they seemingly only have two difficult fixtures left: one against Manchester United and a match against a resurgent Liverpool side. Manchester City on the other hand in their remaining nine fixtures face local rivals Manchester United as well, and have potentially tricky fixtures against Southampton and Tottenham, who are both fighting for spots in Europe. Despite Chelsea's patchy form of late it's hard to see City overhauling them and it would appear to be their title to lose.

Spain

Last season's surprise winners Atlético Madrid are looking extremely unlikely to repeat as champions of La Liga as they are a full nine points behind Barcelona with only eleven matches to play. In fact, they also trail second place Real Madrid by eight points and Valencia by a single point. With El Clasico looming this weekend, the race for the title will be coming to a boil. But it'll almost certainly be Real and Barca that will be odds on to win La Liga. Unless Atlético can pretty much win out their last eleven fixtures, including a tilt with Barcelona, it's hard to see the championship coming back to the Calderon.

Italy

The 2013/2014 Serie A champions Juventus have built up a seemingly insurmountable fourteen point league at the top of Serie A over second place Roma and it would take a historic collapse in their last eleven matches to not claim the title. Juventus have two challenging fixtures left against Fiorentina and Lazio, but even if they were to suffer defeat in either or both of those matches they will still likely win the league.

Germany

Another league that will likely have a repeat champion is the German Bundesliga as Bayern Munich have amassed an eleven point lead over Wolfsburg with eleven matches to play. Bayern don't appear to be easing up during the title run in either as they have racked up big wins over Werder Bremen, 1. FC Köln and Paderborn recently, along with also smashing Shakhtar 7-0 in the Champions League. Wolfburg would have to continue their own recent good run of form, and hope for the unlikely prospect of Bayern slipping up to have any hope of overhauling the Bavarian giants.

France

Ligue 1 is where things could get extremely interesting during the final months of European league football. Last season's champions Paris Saint-Germain trail frontrunners Lyon by two points with nine matches left to play. Complicating matters is the fact that third place Olympique de Marseille is only four points behind Lyon and Monaco are only eight points behind themselves, despite losing top stars Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez last summer. The one big advantage Lyon seem to have is that they will not be playing any of these immediate chasing sides in the title run-in, while PSG still have to play Marseilles, who will also come up against Monaco.

Football's 5 Most Shocking Relegations

2015-03-16T16:00:00.000-04:00

In English football there's a popular saying that a particular side is "too big to go down". This is often uttered by fans or commentators when a club runs into a horrific run of form and is teetering on the edge of the dreaded 'drop zone'.

If football history has taught us anything though, even the mighty can fall. The following are five big clubs that for one reason or another plummeted into their country's second tier.

River Plate - 2010/2011

Anyone with a passing knowledge of club football could probably tell you that the two biggest clubs in Argentina are Boca Juniors and their bitter rivals River Plate. What a lot of people that don't follow the Primera División know though is that River Plate, after suffering through a financial crisis that left the Buenos Aires club over $75 million in debt, were dumped into the Primera B Nacional after finishing at the bottom of the top division and then losing a two-legged playoff against promotion hopefuls Belgrano de Córdoba at the end of the 2011 season. River bounced back from this catastrophe by winning the Primera B Nacional title the following season. They have since captured their record 36th Primera División title in 2014 to reestablish themselves as one of Argentina's top sides.

Juventus - 2005/2006

One of Italy's biggest sides, with a team packed with stars like Alessandro Del Piero, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Pavel Nedved, Juventus romped to their 20th league title in 2005/2006. However, before they could uncork the champagne, the club was sensationally embroiled in one of the biggest scandals in the history of Italian football. Found guilty of influencing refereeing appointments, as part of the Calciopoli scandal, the club was dumped into Serie B for the 2006/2007 season. They were also stripped of two Serie A titles. Juventus would return to the top division after one season and eventually reassert themselves as one of Italy's giants.

Manchester United - 1973/1974

Six years earlier Manchester United had won the biggest prize in European club football after defeating Benfica 4-1 on a marvelous night at Wembley Stadium, but following manager Sir Matt Busby's retirement in 1969 the club began to gradually slide down the table. However, a club the size of United would never have expected relegation. In 1973-1974, following the mercurial George Best exiting the club on New Year's Day, and an awful start to the season that they never recovered from, United were dumped out of the old First Division after 29 seasons. The fact that Manchester City, and former United hero Denis Law, drove the final nail into their coffin didn't help matters. United would rebound to win the Second Division in 1974/1975 and reestablish themselves in the top tier. It would take nearly another twenty years though before the Red Devils would win another league title.

Corinthians - 2006/2007

In an effort to bring in significant investment, Corinthians signed a lucrative deal with Media Sports Investments in 2005 that allowed them to splash the cash on players like Carlos Tevez. Within two years though the money had run out and they were forced to sell off many of their top players and were thrown into a relegation battle. Needing to beat Gremio on the last day of the 2006/2007 season, Corinthians could only draw and were dumped into the second tier for first time in their illustrious history. It took two seasons for Corinthians to return to the top flight, but by 2011 they had reasserted themselves as one of Brazil's best, by winning the Serie A title and then following it up with a win in the 2012 Copa Libertadores over Boca Juniors in the final.

Leeds United - 2003/2004

The phrase "living the dream" has often been attached to the chairmanship of Leeds United's Peter Ridsdale, whose financial ambition had helped build a side that made it all the way to the UEFA Champions League Semi-Final in 2000/2001. The club invested heavily, bringing in players such as Mark Viduka, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler and Robbie Keane as they pushed for honours, but after two successive failures to reach the Champions League the club struggled to pay the bills and the squad was eventually broken up. Relegation followed in 2004 and after a few seasons in the Championship, the club eventually sank into the third tier of English football. The former Yorkshire giants, now in the second tier again, are yet to return to the Premier League after eleven long years.

Copa90 - Juventus Ultras Talk Tattoos (video)

2015-03-07T20:00:00.000-05:00

Recently we featured a Copa90 documentary about the struggles of Romanian club Steaua Bucharest. Today we feature a video from the same group, only this time the topic is football and ultra tattoos, something we at FootyFair enjoy very much.

So without further ado, For the Rest of Your Life - Ultras Tattoos

10 Best Andrea Pirlo Quotes

2015-02-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

Andrea Pirlo is an icon of Italian football but also one of the greatest players in world football. His midfield play has been a topic of many discussions, his passing and free kicks are at a level that not many can even dream of reaching, but his prowess is not only on the field but also off the field.

The Chuck Norris of football has delighted fans with some unique takes on football and life, the latest has been the book that he released earlier in the year entitled “I think therefore I play”, a perfect title for a book that gives you a glimpse into the life, passions and career of the Italian maestro.

Here are 10 of the funniest and most outstanding quotes from Pirlo.

“After the wheel, the PlayStation is the best invention of all time. And ever since it’s existed, I’ve been Barcelona, apart from a brief spell way back at the start when I’d go Milan.” – His views on Playstation

“Take someone like (Parma striker) Antonio Cassano. He says he’s slept with 700 women but he doesn’t get picked for Italy any more. Can he really be happy? I wouldn’t be.” – Talking about Cassano

“I didn’t need to be asked twice. In I went. The room was furnished in sober fashion and there was some red wine on the table. “Always a good start,” I muttered to myself. Thankfully the most envied coach in the word didn’t hear me. His way of speaking is very similar to mine – not really tenor style, let’s say. “Make yourself comfortable, Andrea,” he began, his Italian absolutely perfect.” – When he met Guardiola

“I thought about quitting because, after Istanbul, nothing made sense any more. The 2005 Champions League final simply suffocated me.” – Instanbul 2005

“I pictured myself in that white jersey. Pristine, and at the same time aggressive; a mean streak running through its unusual purity. My thoughts often wandered to the Santiago Bernabeu, the Temple, a ground that struck terror into opponents. Bruised and battered slaves at the king’s banquet.” – His view on Real Madrid

“Even Sir Alex Ferguson, the purple-nosed manager who turned Manchester United into a fearsome battleship, couldn’t resist the temptation. He’s a man without blemish, but he ruined that purity just for a moment when it came to me. A fleeting shabbiness came over the legend that night.” – On Sir Alex ferguson

“He called me Pirla (a term used in Milan dialect roughly translated as dickhead), perhaps understanding my true nature more than the other managers. We went through four coaches that year (1999). I’d wake up in the morning and not remember who my coach was.” – On Roy Hodgson

“To most people’s minds, the reason we lost on penalties was Jerzy Dudek – that jackass of a dancer who took the mickey out of us by swaying about on his line and then rubbed salt into the wound by saving our spot kicks.” – On Jerzy Dudek

“You could see the red mist coming down and he just wasn’t able to hide it. We could tell what was coming and so we’d commandeer all the knives. Gattuso would grab a fork and try to stick it in us.” – On Gattuso

“It’s nothing but masturbation for conditioning coaches.” – His view on pre-match conditioning

The Best of Juventus Posters by Marija Marković (Gallery)

2015-02-12T16:00:00.000-05:00

Marija Marković is a designer from Belgrade, Serbia and she has recently created these incredible posters of some Juventus legends.

The Greatest Extract From Pirlo's Autobiography

2015-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

When I read this bit from Pirlo's recent autobiography I was literally laughing out loud. Talking about Pep Guardiola and Barcelona, It has become obvious that the Juventus and Italy midfielder is not just an amazing footballer and according to many sources is a great human being in general, he's also got quite the sense of humor. Here is Andrea Pirlo on PlayStastion, Barcelona and Pep Guardiola:

After the wheel, the PlayStation is the best invention of all time. And ever since it’s existed, I’ve been Barcelona, apart from a brief spell way back at the start when I’d go Milan.

I can’t say with any certainty how many virtual matches I’ve played over the last few years but, roughly speaking, it must be at least four times the number of real ones.

Pirlo v Nesta was a classic duel back in our Milanello days. We’d get in early, have breakfast at 9am and then shut ourselves in our room and hit the PlayStation until 11. Training would follow, then we’d be back on the computer games until four in the afternoon. Truly a life of sacrifice.

Our head-to-heads were pure adrenaline. I’d go Barcelona and so would Sandro. Barca v Barca. The first player I’d pick was the quickest one, Samuel Eto’o, but I’d still end up losing a lot of the time. I’d get pissed off and hurl away my controller before asking Sandro for a rematch. And then I’d lose again.

It’s not like I could use the excuse that his coach was better than mine: it was Pep Guardiola for him and Pep Guardiola for me. At least in terms of our manager we set out on a level footing.

One day we thought about kidnapping him. The flesh and bones, real-life version that is. It was August 25, 2010, and we were with Milan at the Nou Camp for the Gamper pre-season tournament. We thought better of our hostage-taking in the end. To avoid constantly falling out, we’d have needed to saw him in two when we got back to Italy, and that wouldn’t have been a good idea. How the poor thing would have suffered.

As it transpired, the notion of abduction had crossed Guardiola’s mind before ours. That very night at the Nou Camp, he whisked me away from my nearest and dearest. Looking back, perhaps those people weren’t actually as close to me as I thought but, anyway, on with the story.

At the end of the game, everyone was on the trail of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a ticking timebomb of a madman who had been wound up by his agent (the legendary Mino Raiola). The Swede was set on a collision course with Barcelona and on the verge of signing for Milan. A few of my team-mates sought him out to try to encourage him to make the switch, while some of his friends from Barcelona were also on his case, armed with the opposite recommendation. And then there were the journalists, looking to force a few words from him, which didn’t exactly take them long.

“I’d love to play at San Siro in the same team as Ronaldinho,” he said. “The coach here doesn’t even talk to me. In the last six months, he’s spoken to me twice.”

There was no mystery in that – Guardiola was saving his words for me. Taking advantage of the spotlight being momentarily trained not on him but Ibrahimovic, he invited me into his office.

As I came out of the dressing room, I’d noticed one of his childhood friends and trusted lieutenants waiting there for me. His task that night had turned him into a flip-flop wearing secret agent, but Manel Estiarte in a previous life had been the best water polo player of all time. Only the second man in history capable of walking on water.

“Andrea, come with me. The coach wants to meet you.”

I struggled to recognise him without his swimming cap. But then I looked at him again and got a whiff of chlorine.

“Okay then, vamos.” I didn’t need to be asked twice. In I went. The room was furnished in sober fashion, and there was some red wine on the table. “Always a good start,” I muttered to myself. Thankfully the most envied coach in the word didn’t hear me. His way of speaking is very similar to mine – not really tenor style, let’s say.

“Make yourself comfortable, Andrea,” he began, his Italian absolutely perfect.

I wasn’t really bothered about much else in that room besides the person who had summoned me. Guardiola was sitting in an armchair. He began to tell me about Barcelona, saying that it’s a world apart, a perfect machine that pretty much invented itself. He wore a white shirt and a pair of dark trousers whose colour matched that of his tie. He was elegant in the extreme, much like his conversation.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet me.”

“Thank you for inviting me.”

“We need you here, Andrea.”

You could tell he wasn’t a man to beat about the bush. After a couple of minutes, he’d cut straight to the chase. As a player, his job had been to conduct the play and as a manager he’d learned to attack, always with impeccable style.

“We’re already very strong, I really couldn’t ask for better, but you’d be the icing on the cake. We’re looking for a midfielder to alternate with Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets, and that midfielder is you. You’ve got all the attributes to play for Barcelona, and one in particular – you’re world class.”

During that half hour I largely kept quiet and let him speak. I listened and, at most, nodded my head. I was so taken aback by the summons that my reflexes had slowed. I was more dazed than excited: shaken by the situation, but in a really positive way.

“You know what, Andrea: we’ve made this approach because that’s how we do things round here. We don’t waste time. We want to buy you right now, and we’ve already spoken to Milan. They’ve said ‘no’, but we’ll not give up: we’re Barcelona. We’re used to hearing certain answers but, in the end, things pretty much always change. We’ll try again with Milan. In the meantime, start making a few moves with them as well.” Nobody had said a thing to me until then. Without even knowing, I was the object of some remarkable negotiations in the football luxury goods market.

“If you come here, you’ll find yourself in a unique place. La Masia, our youth academy, is our pride and joy – there’s nothing like it at any other club. It runs like clockwork; it’s a philharmonic orchestra where bum notes aren’t permitted. Every year, players arrive from there ready to wear our shirt.

“Our champions are home-made; apart from you, that is. What we do is all very wonderful, but all very demanding, too. Sometimes winning can be draining.” I would never have expected it. Perhaps I’d spent so much time on the PlayStation that I’d ended up inside it, sucked into a parallel universe by my favourite hobby and now at the mercy of a puppeteer with some kind of enchanted hand.

“You’ve got to come here, Andrea. I’ve always liked you as a player. I want to coach you.”

I immediately thought of Sandro(NESTA) – he’d die of jealousy when I told him. I was taking away the 50% of Guardiola that belonged to him.

“Even though Milan have said ‘no’ for the moment, we’re not giving up. Let’s see what happens.” As with Real Madrid (in fact, even more so than with Real Madrid), I’d have crawled to Barcelona on all fours. At that time, they were the best team in the world – what more needs to be said? Their brand of football hadn’t been seen in a long time; all little first-time passes and an almost insane ability to maintain possession.

Theirs was a basic philosophy – “the ball’s ours, and we’re going to keep it” – mixed with intuitive understanding and movement so impressive that it seemed orchestrated by God himself.

A Rolex with Swatch batteries. Utterly refined, extremely long lasting.

“Let’s talk again soon,” said Guardiola. “Have a safe journey back to Milan and let’s hope you’re not there for long.”

“Thanks again. It’s been a very interesting chat.”

I left his office in a daze. I was just about last onto the Milan team bus, but nobody took any notice. With their noses pressed up against the windows, lots of players were peering at the scene unfolding outside. Both curious and impressed, they watched Ibrahimovic walking his tightrope. At one end, Barcelona, and a fire that was dying out. At the other, Milan, and a spark turning into a flame.

We were heading in different directions, Ibrahimovic and I. The world knew all about his situation, but nothing about mine. If these initial advances became a full-blown love affair, I’d wind up part of a truly great club and be thrown into a new challenge. I’d have liked that, a lot.

The discussions went on for a while and, ultimately, Milan didn’t give in. I suppose it was always going to go like that. Back then, they still thought I had all my faculties and so they kept me, without ever getting involved in full-on negotiations. There were words, brief chats, a little bit of back and forth, but nothing more substantial.

I’d have considered myself fortunate to be coached by Guardiola, because he really puts his stamp on teams. He builds them, moulds them, guides them, berates them, nurtures them. He makes them great. He takes them to a higher level; a place beyond mere football. Ibrahimovic thought he was insulting him when he called him ‘The Philosopher’, but when you think about it, that’s actually a nice compliment.

Being a philosopher is to think, seek wisdom and have principles that guide and influence what you do. It’s to give meaning to things, find your way in the world, believe that in the end, in every instance, good will overcome evil even if there’s a bit of suffering along the way.

Guardiola has taken all that and applied it to football, an imperfect science. He racked his brains and dispersed the fog, more through hard work than mere thought. What he’s achieved hasn’t been about miracles, rather a gentle programming of his players. His style is crèma catalana – easily digestible. It’s virtual reality mixed with real life; a swim between the shores of fantasy and reality with Estiarte by his side.

In other words, we’re talking PlayStation.

Why Giovinco to Toronto is a Great Signing for Everyone

2015-01-19T16:00:00.000-05:00

Earlier today in a press conference Canadian Major League Soccer club Toronto FC announced the signing of Italian international Sebastian Giovinco from Serie A champions Juventus. But while Toronto has in previous years signed some very impressive marquee players such as Torsten Frings, Michael Bradley and Jermaine Defoe, the capture of 27 year old Giovinco may prove beneficial not only for the club, but for anyone that will now be associated with the player. Here is a list of everyone that will benefit from Sebastian Giovinco making the move to Canada.

Toronto FC

No doubt that first and foremost the club that signed formica atomica (atomic ant) as he is known in Italy will probably benefit most from this transaction. When Giovinco takes to the pitch in July he will be just 28 years old; an attacking Italian international midfielder in his prime would be considered a great signing for most clubs in the world, let alone an MLS side. Jersey sales with the name Giovinco are bound to be some of the most popular in the league and money is something Toronto's owners Major League Sports and Entertainment understand and appreciate a lot.

Major League Soccer

For the league this may possibly prove to be one of the biggest signing in its history. Sure, David Beckham's arrival at MLS proved to be the biggest capture in the league's history, but with Giovinco setting foot in North America a new chapter in the league's history will begin. That new chapter is one where a world-class footballer that is not nearing the end of his career makes the move to North America. While another TFC capture in Michael Bradley could be classified under this same category, unlike Bradley, Giovinco has no roots in America which could potentially set the MLS in a whole new category when skillful players from around the world will look for new clubs to call home.

Toronto FC supporters

TFC fans will have something great to look forward to when Giovinco runs out of the tunnel in his Toronto red kit for the first time. A skillful attacking footballer who may just provide exactly what the Jozy Altidore and Gilberto partnership will look for, and perhaps allow Michael Bradley to play in his natural (more defensive) role. The city of Toronto is also known for its big Italian community and many Juventus fans call the city their home, an added bonus for the Italian sitting at the BMO Field stands this summer.

Sebastian Giovinco

While there are already many football fans around the world asking the inevitable question, 'why the hell MLS?' this move may prove a very good one for Giovinco himself. Sure there's the money thing, although he could probably get paid very well having stayed in Europe. But perhaps for a player who was losing his place in the depth charts of Juventus' squad a constant place in the starting 11 in North America would be exactly what he needs in order to keep his place on the Italian national team.

Whichever way you look at it, the move is great for many reasons. Perhaps the only parties not gaining from this signings are the various European clubs that were eyeing a move for the young Italian.

Giovinco greets Toronto FC fans via video (below)

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)

5 Matches to Watch this Weekend

2014-12-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

With some Champions League and Europa League matches behind us we look forward to the weekend which brings us some very juicy matches from England, Portugal and Italy. Here are the 5 we will be keeping a close eye on.

Arsenal vs. Newcastle United (England - Saturday)

If last weekend's Newcastle versus Chelsea match was any indication, another meeting for The Magpies with a London club should be a cracker. Newcastle is facing an injury crisis with many of their regulars including two goalkeepers out due to various knocks and some due to suspension. Nonetheless, the club from the North East managed to hand Chelsea their first loss of the season last weekend and will look to recreate what Stoke City did to The Gunners last week, as Arsenal went 3-2 down to The Potters. Nonetheless, Arsenal is favorite to win and the fixture should produce an excellent match-up for the neutral viewer.

Juventus vs. Sampdoria (Italy - Sunday)

Juventus now find themselves 3 points at the summit of Serie A but the challang this weekend comes in the form of 4th placed Sampdoria who has had a very good start to the season so far. Sitting 10 points behind the league leaders Sampdoria will surely look to this match to cut the lead to 7. Juve has lost just once this season in 14 matches, so Sampdoria's task won't be easy.

Genoa vs. Roma (Italy - Sunday)

Another enticing fixture in Serie A comes via a meeting between 2nd placed Roma travelling to surprise 3rd place Genoa. The Griffins are sitting just 6 points behind the club from the capital with a great start to the year thanks in large to the performances of goalkeeper Mattia Perin and on loan AC Milan forward Alessandro Matri. Roma on the other hand are having a great season themselves, sitting just 3 points back of league leaders Juventus Having suffered just two losses all year, a feat shared with this weekend's rivals Genoa.

FC Porto vs. Benfica (Portugal - Sunday)

It's that time again; the biggest derby in Portugal is set to take place this Sunday and as the case is during many of their meetings the two clubs are occupying the first two places in the league. League leaders SL Benfica are three points ahead of Porto, but unlike the hosts have lost once this year. Porto on the other hand are still holding on to an undefeated record this season and will look to go even with the leaders this weekend.

Manchester United vs. Liverpool (England - Sunday)

It doesn't really matter what place the two are in; hell, it wouldn't even matter if the two clubs were playing in -non-league football. Meetings between Manchester United and Liverpool are always something to look forward to. After a slow start to the year Manchester United are well on their way into a nice winning run, while Liverpool has been struggling since the get go. Brendan Rodgers will surely look to this rivalry meeting to change his side's season around, while van Gaal will not be content with anything but a victory on home ground.

Carlos Tevez Shows Off His New Ink

2014-12-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Most footballers enjoy having some artwork done, anything from a regular saying to a more decorative piece, body art has become very common in football.

There are some incredible tattoos in world football, but perhaps the new work done by Carlos Tevez surpasses everybody and everything.

The Juventus forward did one incredible piece that covers his back and his left arm. He tweeted a pic showing the tattoo with the caption “Magnificent art”. The tattoo reminds me of the popular TV show, Prison Break, where the main character, Michael Scofield, had a similar size tattoo done with the map of the prison so he could escape.

Tevez art is somewhat different in content but similar in size. This is an incredible art piece that I am sure he had the artist working on it for some time now. After all something this size doesn't get done in one visit to the tattoo shop.