FOOTY FAIR

The Players Arsene Wenger Could Have Signed Select XI

2016-08-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

As Paul Pogba completed his massive £89 million move to Manchester United this week, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was probably telling a disinterested Starbucks barista that the French international was yet another of the countless players he could have signed.

Yes, even the tracksuit battling Arsenal boss himself is quick to admit that he's missed out on a few stars over the years.

With that said, the following is an 'Arsene Wenger Could Signed Select XI':

Keeper: Petr Cech

Petr Cech may have made it to Arsenal eventually, but they had a chance to get him at 18 for next to nothing, when he was playing in the Czech Republic for Škoda Plzen. Unable to secure a work permit for the player, Cech slipped through Arsenal fingers. He would later move to Rennes before finding his way to Chelsea at age 21. There he would play a massive part in four Premier League title wins and a slew of other honours.

Defence: Gerard Pique

In the summer of 2003, Wenger pulled off a coup when he managed to pry Cesc Fàbregas away from Barcelona's youth team. He almost managed to bring another La Masia product by the name of Gerard Pique, as well as a certain Argentine we'll get to in a moment, over to North London as well. Wenger opted to sign Philippe Senderos instead of Pique and the rest is history. Not one of his better decisions.

Defence: Vincent Kompany

Looking to replace Sol Campbell in the summer of 2006, Wenger had the chance to sign 20-year old Anderlecht defender Vincent Kompany but passed on him as he believed that the £5 million fee the Belgian side had put on him was too high.

Defence: Raphael Varane

Wenger claims that he spotted Raphael Varane at Lens before his move to Real Madrid in 2011, but didn't put a bid in for the talented defender.

Midfield: Cristiano Ronaldo

Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was given a tour of Arsenal's London Colney training base in the summer of 2003 and seemed to be poised for a move to North London before Manchester United swept in.

Midfield: Yaya Toure

Like his brother Kolo, who did play for the Gunners for several seasons, Yaya Toure had been on the club's radar for a few years. Despite playing in a friendly for the club against Barnet in 2003 a work permit didn't materialize and Wenger lost patience, so the move fell apart.

Midfield: Paul Pogba

Manchester United's latest signing almost ended up at the Emirates after first leaving Old Trafford in 2012, according to Wenger. But Juventus moved in to fast and secured his signature.

Midfield: Claude Makele

Presented with a chance to sign a then 23-year-old Claude Makele from Nantes in 1996, Wenger chose to pass on the player who would go on to redefine the holding midfield role.

Forward: Lionel Messi

When scooping up Cesc Fàbregas from La Masia in 2003, besides Gerard Pique, Wenger also had the chance to bring in a 15-year-old named Lionel Messi. Apparently the Gunners offered him a contract, but the Argentine decided to stay at Barcelona.

Forward: Zlatan Ibrahimović

In 2000, a 19-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimović was on the verge of a £3 million move from Malmo, until Wenger asked him to play in a trial match. The Swedish striker responded with: "Zlatan doesn't do auditions", and the move broke down.

Forward: Didier Drogba

Didier Drogba, a man who had a knack for destroying Arsenal while playing for Chelsea, could have saved Wenger a lot of grief if the Gunners boss would have acted on his scout's advice and signed the Ivorian for next to nothing when he was playing for Le Mans.

Football's Greatest Sides - Part 4 of 5: Barcelona (2009 to 2011)

2016-03-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

Having watched his Manchester United side dismantled in the UEFA Champions League Final at Wembley Stadium by Barcelona in 2011, Sir Alex Ferguson later reflected that the Catalans were the best team he had ever faced. "No one," he said, "has ever given us a hiding like that."

Although the final score was only 3-1 for Pep Guardiola's side that day, it was never that close as United had spent most of the night chasing shadows. They had few answers for the incisive passing movement of Andres Iniesta and Xavi in the middle of the park, the clever runs of David Villa and never mind the mercurial little genius known as Lionel Messi upfront.

Having also beaten United 2-0 in the final in Rome two years earlier, Barcelona had made it two Champions Leagues out of three and cemented themselves as a side for the ages.

It's sometimes forgotten that a Ronaldinho-led Barcelona had won the Champions League in 2006 under Dutch manager Frank Rijkaard, a match that saw Messi out through injury, while Xavi and Iniesta looked on from the bench, but by 2008 in-fighting had destroyed that team and changes were desperately needed.

Ronaldinho made his exit, as did Rijkaard, and in came Pep Guardiola who had been a key part of Johan Cruyff's mythical "Dream Team" who had won the European Cup at Wembley in 1992.

Following in Cruyff's footsteps in that he was looking to emulate the Dutchman's ethos of Barcelona playing with a fluid passing style, Guardiola made Messi the focus of his attack, while Xavi and Iniesta were there to supply the ammunition.

Besides Barcelona's "carousel of passing", as described by Ferguson, the side worked incredibly hard to press back opponents all over the pitch, so in the rare instances they lost possession they worked doggedly to retrieve it.

Ringing in Guardiola's changes, the club won a treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the aforementioned Champions League title in 2008-2009 and they were just getting started.

They followed that up by winning the league again in 2009-2010, along with the Spanish and European Super Cups, and the FIFA World Club Cup. They would fall to Jose Mourinho's Inter in the Champions League semi-final after a two day bus trip to Milan necessitated by the grounding of all flights following an Icelandic volcanic eruption.

They would return in 2010-2011 with another league and Champions League double to return to the summit of domestic and European football.

Guardiola would depart the next season, but what he put in place at the club is still largely in place. Despite the exit of Xavi, the heart of Pep's side, Barcelona now have one of the scariest front three's ever seen in club football with Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar laying waste to defences throughout Europe.

Although it's easy to get annoyed by the irritating nouveau football fanboys and fashionistas that have attached themselves to Barcelona since Guardiola's time in charge, ignoring their brief steamy love affair with Borussia Dortmund in 2012 of course, this Barcelona side can rightly consider itself to be one of the greatest squads ever and even the most hardcore haters or Madridistas have to admit that.

The Spanish national side have much to thank Barca for as well, as it was their core of players and their approach that helped Spain to victories in Euro 2008 and 2012, along with victory at the 2010 World Cup.

There's Yet Another Record For Messi to Break at Barca

2016-03-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, but Lionel Messi has yet to break every possible record. That's right, he doesn't own the world of football just yet. Joking aside, there is one man that used to play for Barcelona that still holds one; a record that "La Pulga Atómica" can still claim as a part of his ever growing list of impressive achievements. Perhaps it's not a statistic that is in the forefront of Barcelona's record books, nonetheless, current Southampton manager and former Dutch international and Barcelona midfielder Ronald Koeman has recorded a record 25 goals from free-kick situations for the storied Catalan club, a tally Lionel Messi can equal with just 4 more goals from similar circumstances.

Some may argue that Koeman has achieved this impressive total in just 6 years with Barcelona, while Messi has been with the club double that time by now, but those that look deeper and are more familiar with Messi's tenure at Barça will quickly note that the Argentine forward joined the club at a very young age and was not one of the first choices for free-kicks until about 2008.

Nonetheless, a record of totals is such that is remembered for the tally and the record breaker; not so much the time span it took to achieve it. So, watch every Barcelona free-kick closely, as Messi is not only very likely to surpass Koeman's mark, but also very often provides us football fans with some incredible goals from dead-ball situations.

Messi Versus Ronaldo Debate is a Killer, Literally!

2016-03-07T13:38:00.001-05:00

There's a very small chance that two friends who love football never debated the biggest question in the game for the past 15 years or so; who is a better footballer, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? As a matter of fact myself and my partner in crime here at FootyFair (Iain) have discussed this very issue on a number of ocassions. That said, however far apart we ever were agreeing on the issue, the last thing I would ever expect Mr. Jones to do is take my life for not siding with his opinion.

Sadly, yesterday such an event was reality for 34 year old Nigerian Obinna Michael Durumchukwa, when his 22 year old friend Nwabu Chukwuma (also of Nigerian nationality) lost his control in a moment of rage and slashed Durumchukwa's throat with a shard of glass after the pair disagreed on the superiority debate between the Barcelona and Real Madrid footballers. The two lived in Mumbai, India and the incident occured in their apartment.

To make matters even worse, the victim was celebrating his birthday and police say the two were celebrating the ocassions with "beverages" since the very morning, which could have been another trigger for the violent outburst that caused Durumchukwa his life.

Chukwuma is scheduled to appear in court today as he faces a murder charge.

Perhaps next time I debate football with any of my "friends", I'll just nod politely and agree on whatever they think they know better than me.

5 Completely Random Football Facts by the Numbers

2016-02-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

It has been said that the only stat in football that matters is what's on the scoreboard at fulltime and although that's probably true there are a few stats, or numbers rather, that resonate with fans of the beautiful game.

Here are five numbers that hold a bit of meaning in the football world:

5 - The Number of Consecutive European Cups Won by Real Madrid

With the formation of the European Cup in the 1955-1956 season, a knockout competition pitting the champions of the continent against each other, Real Madrid went on a run of five straight titles culminating in a famous 7-3 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt at Hampden Park in Scotland in 1960. Every Scottish person over the age of 60 claims to have been at this famous match.

44 - The Number of Days Brian Clough Was in Charge of Leeds United

The famously outspoken Brian Clough turned English football on it's head in the early 1970's when he took the once lowly Derby County into the top flight and within three seasons had managed them to their first league title. His bitter rival during this period, and a team he had no hesitation in criticizing the methods of, was Don Revie's Leeds United. So it came as a great shock in the summer of 1974 when Clough replaced Revie, who had taken on the England manager's job, as the manager of Leeds. Clough immediately found himself at odds with the club's notoriously prickly dressing room, with suggestions that he tried to change too much too fast and the early results going against him, Clough was sacked after only 44 days in charge.

1283 - The Number of Goals Scored By Pele

Although the legitimacy of this total has been brought into question, with some claiming the Brazilian great was counting goals scored in kickabouts with his kids on the beach as part of this number, Pele is in the Guinness World Record books for driving 1283 bulges into the old onion bag over the course of his brilliant career.

20 - The Number of League Titles Won By Manchester United

When Sir Alex Ferguson strode into Old Trafford in 1986, Manchester United had only seven league titles in their trophy cabinet and had not been the kings of English football since 1967. To make matters worse, their bitter rivals Liverpool dominated the 1970's and 1980's on their way to what looked like a unbeatable record haul of 18 league titles. It's been said that records are meant to be broken though, and rather incredibly between 1992-1993 and 2012-2013 Ferguson's side would romp to 13 league titles and leave the Anfield club trailing in their wake.

91 - The Staggering Number of Goals Scored by Lionel Messi in 2012

Combining goals scored across all competitions for his club side Barcelona and the goals he hammered home for Argentina, Lionel Messi shattered West German and Bayern Munich ace Gerd Muller's 1972 record haul of 85 when he found the net 91 times in 2015. No matter what side you stand on the debate over whether or not Messi is the greatest player ever, this was a stunning achievement.

5 Reasons Why Messi is Brilliant, But Maradona is Still the Best in My Eyes

2016-01-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

So Lionel Messi has strolled off with yet another Ballon d'Or this week and you can't say that he's anything but deserving.

But inevitably people have begun to champion Messi as the greatest of all time yet again, and while he is a phenomenal player that has torn up the record books in recent years he still hasn't quite measured up to his brilliant countryman Diego Maradona in my opinion.

While opinions aren't facts, and like assholes we all have them, I do have a few reasons why I see El Diego as just that much better than Messi. Here are my top five reasons:

More than half of the tackles in Maradona's day would be fouls now, and many of them would draw cards. In fact it was only in the last few years of his career that the rule against tackling from behind came in.
Maradona wasn't protected by referees like Messi is. Tying into my first point, the rules against aggressive tackling are far less lenient now than they were in Diego's day and with FIFA trying to encourage attacking play, it's an open secret that players like Messi get special protection from referees.
While Messi has had the obvious benefit of playing for one of the best club sides ever in Barcelona, with many of his club teammates making up the Spanish national side that swept to two European crowns and a World Cup title, Maradona played for a decent Napoli side that he drove on to the only two Serie A titles in the club's history in 1987 and 1990.
Playing in a league that only has two giants in Real Madrid and his Barcelona side, with a resurgent Atletico only challenging them in recent seasons, Messi has had opportunities to collect trophies for fun. Maradona though played for Napoli at a time when Serie A was the undisputed best league in the world. The Italian league was dripping with quality in the 1980's and early 1990's with sides like AC Milan, Juventus and Inter providing stiff competition for his Napoli side. Despite the competition, Maradona was still able to help guide his team to glory.
Maradona carried a solid, but unspectacular Argentina side to a World Cup title in 1986 and took a terrible side to the final in 1990 where they would only narrowly lose to West Germany on a late penalty.

My Ultimate 5-a-Side Team

2015-09-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Once a week, throughout the fall and winter, I join up with a bunch of guys for a 5-a-side kickabout.

We try to mix the teams up fairly based on the quality of players in attendance and most weeks it's a fun way to kill two hours before going for a beer.

But what if I had access to a time machine, the late George Carlin, a case of whiskey, to go with the smooth negotiation skills of Jorge Mendes, and I could skip through time and space like Bill and Ted collecting the best players I've ever seen for the purposes of putting together a crack 5-a-side team?

OK, perhaps Carlin and the whisky aren't essential, but this is my day dream so humour me.

Besides the goalkeeper, I'd arrange my side in a one, two, one diamond formation and here are the players I would use:

Peter Schmeichel

It takes a special kind of maniac to agree to go in goal for a small pitch indoor match and The Great Dane certainly fits the bill. He would undoubtedly be up to facing the avalanche of shots you get in these matches and more importantly he'd do a fine job of berating his teammates who are too lazy to get their asses back down the pitch to defend.

Paolo Maldini

There are two reasons I would opt for Maldini in defence, the first being that you can't go wrong with an Italian international defender and he was perhaps the finest, but the second and most important reason is his looks. I mean, the man must be the most goddamn handsomest fellow who has ever stepped on a pitch. Imagine turning up at the pub after the match for beer and wings with Maldini. There's no way that you'd have trouble getting the waitresses attention with this guy. His piercing eyes would be crucial to your team getting their orders in quickly each week.

Roy Keane

You could be playing in an over 35 years old, co-ed friendly kickabout, with half of the people coming off of ACL injuries or back problems and yet without fail there will be some asshole who takes it all too seriously. If a numbnuts like this is going to stick a boot in at every opportunity, and scream his frustrations about every damn decision that goes against him, you'll need someone to straighten him out. Who better than the fierce Irishman, Roy "Stick it up Your Bollocks" Keane?

Lionel Messi

Not only would Messi score most of your team's goals, and lead you to victory, the little man has a slack jawed gullible look to him that leads me to believe that you could stiff him with your bar tab most weeks. Both of those attributes are essential to my team.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Every team has to have a guy that hogs the ball, tries to dribble past four players, shoots from everywhere and who thinks that his farts smell like Lacoste Essential. You'll bitch and gripe about him, but as much as he annoys you he'll make up for it with his goals and his work rate when your team is getting tired. But for god sakes don't ever compliment him on anything as his ego is big enough!

Where's Your Head At? Download the SoccerHeadz

2015-08-30T16:00:00.000-04:00

Created for WGS (wegotsoccer.com) "SoccerHeadz" are a fun way to have your own stand-up paper figurine of some of the most popular footballers on the planet. Currently SoccerHeadz are available in 3 varieties (Neymar, Messi and Ronaldo) and you can download them below and see the easy instruction video on how to put them together.

Messi Meets the President of Gabon and Dresses Like a Bum

2015-07-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

Widely considered, outside of Madrid at least, to be the finest footballer on the planet Lionel Messi is as useless at picking out what to wear as he is brilliant at picking apart opposition defenses.

As if his comically bad shiny maroon suit he wore to a recent FIFA Awards night, one of those annual events where they give him a prize simply for being Messi, wasn't bad enough he's now outraged a nation with his dress sense.

While in Gabon, the Barcelona star went on a VIP tour of the capital city, Libreville, organised by former teammate Samuel Eto’o, who is a close friend and advisor of Gabonese president Ali Bongo Ondimba.

The president also asked Messi to place the first stone for a new national stadium being built for the 2017 African Nations Cup.

For such a momentous occasion you figured that Messi would perhaps put on a suit, or even a nice pair of dress pants and a button up, but instead he opted for a pair of scummy looking shorts and a t-shirt. As if he was going to the beach or the zoo.

The Union du Peuple Gabonais (UPG) political party responded with the following statement:

“The messiah of football arrived in Gabon like he were going to a zoo: dirty, unshaven and his hands in his pockets, looking for peanuts to throw to them!

“When you’re called Lionel Messi and you’re a multi-billionaire, you don’t have the right to present yourself to officials of a republic, even a banana one, with your hands in the pockets of a ripped, tattered pair of shorts.

“Gabon isn’t a zoo. We don’t know what the Argentine came to Gabon for, but we at least have the right to denounce his negligence and his lack of respect for standards and principles.

“We are uneasy with Messi’s attitude and his attire. Only for these reasons, linked to respect for the host country, do we condemn the footballer’s indelicateness, to say the least!”

That Messi dirtbag was also accused by France Football magazine of being paid €3.5million for the visit, but the Argentine play maker strongly denies that.

Dan Leydon's 4 Years of Drawing Messi (Gallery)

2015-07-11T16:00:00.000-04:00

A week ago or so we featured artist Dan Leydon and his collection of Eric Cantona's Illustrations done by Dan over the past 4 years. Now Leydon has released his collection of Lionel Messi Illustrated over a similar span and the results are below.

The Best Football Caricatures You'll Ever See

2015-06-27T16:00:00.000-04:00

Italian illustrator Riccardo Rosanna is a talented guy. Recently he has created three football caricatures that simply put blew my mind. We've all seen various footballer caricatures over the years, but Riccardo's work is quite fantastic. His three subjects are Inter's Argentine striker Mauro Icardi and the two best footballers to currently play the game; Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

No Easy Road for Argentina at the Copa America

2015-06-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

As the 2015 Copa America moved into the knockout stages this week I couldn't help but be startled by the quality of opposition that Argentina will potentially come up against if they are to have any chance in lifting the trophy.

After Argentina finished off Jamaica 1-0 to top their group, a bemused Lionel Messi who won his 100th cap on the night was asked by opposition forward DeShorn Brown to pose for a selfie.

While some of us shook our head at the latest example of annoying trends seeping into modern football, the Argentine's were likely already looking ahead to a decidedly difficult knockout phase.

Despite winning their respective group, Argentina will first come up against a Colombia side in the Quarter-Finals, who were made it to the last eight in last summer's World Cup.

Should Argentina make it past Colombia, they will then likely come up against Brazil who face Paraguay in their Quarter Final.

Brazil though have been rocked by the loss of Neymar, who was red carded after his country's group stage loss to Colombia and then showered the referee with abuse.

Getting into the stretched hypothetical stage now, if Argentina gets past Brazil they would almost certainly face one of the two strongest sides on the other side of the bracket in Chile or Uruguay.

Breaking it down like this, and after watching an action packed group stage, it's apparent how strong this tournament is despite it not getting the coverage or fan fate of the European Championships.

The knockout rounds are certainly shaping up to be very interesting indeed and if you're Argentina there doesn't appear to be an easy route to the final.

5 Players to Watch in the 2015 Copa America

2015-06-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

Kicking off on June 11, Chile will play host to the 2015 Copa America and some of the finest players in the world will be hoping to lead their sides to glory.

The following are five players to watch for in Chile:

Lionel Messi

This one is a no-brainer. Lionel Messi is the undisputed greatest player on the planet at the moment and, incredibly, seemed to find his richest vein of form in the last few months of the Spanish season for Barcelona. Argentina are inevitably among the favourites to win this tournament and they will look to the "Magisterial" Messi to inspire them.

Neymar

One of Brazil's lone bright spots as they scraped through to the Semi-Final of the 2014 World Cup, Neymar missed his country's 7-1 humiliation at the hands of Germany and will hope to be a big part of a side looking to restore their dented pride. Neymar has been brilliant at times for Barcelona this season and should shine in Chile.

James Rodriguez

The Golden Boot winner in last summer's World Cup, James Rodriguez will again be key to Colombia's hopes. A good first season for Real Madrid confirmed that he was the real deal as he showcased his outstanding passing range to go along with his goals from midfield since his big money move last summer. For Colombia to win their first Copa America since 2001, James will have to be on form.

Alexis Sanchez

After a strong showing in last summer's World Cup, Chile's Alexis Sanchez will be counted on lead his side to the first Copa America win in their history. The 26-year old, who stars for Arsenal in the English Premier League, is Chile's creative fulcrum and if he's able to reduce his club form for his country the hosts could be in for a great tournament.

Edinson Cavani

With Luis Suarez suspended from the tournament thanks to sinking his teeth into Italian Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup, Edinson Cavani will be counted on more than ever to provide the inspiration and goals for Uruguay. After firing his club side PSG to a French domestic treble Cavani will be trying to help his country defend the title they won at the 2011 Copa America, but they're facing some stiff competition and won't be helped by the absence of Suarez.

10 Outrageous Quotes by Diego Maradona

2015-05-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

Argentinean legend Diego Maradona caused a minor stir this week after he dared to state that Real Madrid and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo strikes more fear into the hearts of goalkeepers than his country's current favourite son Lionel Messi.

Taken in context though it isn't really that controversial what the former Napoli midfielder said:

"Cristiano is a predator in front of goal. You can’t let Cristiano shoot from anywhere in the opposition half.

Goalkeepers are scared of him. You have to be honest, goalkeepers are scared of Cristiano. They are not so scared of Messi in those areas because he doesn’t have the same power as Cristiano.

Cristiano is an incredible professional. I think at this present time he is right up there at Messi’s level."

In fact this is all rather lighthearted material from the man who often appears before a camera or a microphone without a filter.

Here are ten of his real gems:

My mother thinks I am the best. And I was raised to always believe what my mother tells me.
There would be no debate about who was the best footballer the world had ever seen - me or Pele. Everyone would say me.
Pele should go back to the museum.
Usually, when you see (Pele) these days, it's only at award ceremonies next to the president of FIFA and looking like a doll that's being moved by remote control
We all know what the French are like and Platini as a Frenchman thinks he knows it all.
My legitimate kids are Dalma and Giannina. The rest are a product of my money and mistakes.
I think (George W.) Bush is a murderer. I'm going to head the march against him stepping foot on Argentine soil.
Maybe Neymar is the best player in the world, but only if you say that Messi is from a different planet.
I say this: the player who scores our winning goal in the final is free to enter me from behind
To those who did not believe: now suck my dick - I'm sorry ladies for my words - and keep on sucking it. I am either white or black. I will never be grey in my life. You treated me as you did. Now keep on sucking dicks. I am grateful to my players and to the Argentinian people. I thank no one but them. The rest, keep on sucking dicks.

Pele vs Messi vs Maradona (Infographic)

2015-04-21T16:00:00.000-04:00

Recently I came across this interesting info-graphic created by an unknown source comparing the careers of Pele, Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona. And while it's a bit odd that Cristiano Ronaldo was left out of the mix, the presentation is quite neat and informative.

'Back to Home' - a Photoshop Project (Gallery)

2015-04-19T20:00:00.000-04:00

'Back to Home' is a project created by Brazilian designer André Soares, in which he brings back established footballers currently playing in Europe back to the clubs that developed them originally, using the magic of Photoshop.

The Round Table: Neymar, Messi and Suarez

2015-04-19T16:00:00.000-04:00

Every weekend we go beyond the headlines and talk to real football fans about current topics or issues in the football world.

Today the group discussed Barcelona's scintillating attacking threesome of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

On the round table today we were joined by:

Bramble
Parmar
Jay
Iain (me)

Messi, Suarez and Neymar. Are they the greatest attacking threesome you've ever seen in football?

Parmar:
Now? Not yet, but the more they play together and the more I see the three of them play together they could very well be on the road to that label. The major thing is Messi seems to be keeping Hannibal Lector (Suarez) in check on the field.

Bramble:
I'd probably have to say so... In all my years of watching footy i haven't' seen a trio that was that deadly. I could argue the rotation of Cole, Yorke and Ole (Who put the ball in the German's net) and Teddy (Ohhhhhh Teddy! Teddy!) was the best pairing but they rarely, if ever, were on 3 at a time. But these three are amazingly deadly.... Right now they're still figuring it out but occasionally you see what's going to come in the future and the future is scary if you aren't a Barca supporter.

Iain:

Rivaldo, Fat Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho have to be in the conversation.

Parmar:

Different dynamic. That Brazilian threesom had defined roles, while these three on Barca are just scary, as they are all similar players and swap roles. The opposition doesn't know who will be pulling the strings as the playmakers and who is your goal scorer.

Jay:

Club football or just in general on any team ever? Currently, I don't think any team has the same deadly talent. Real Madrid would probably be the closest with Bale, CR7 and Benzema. Still miles off with the first and latter in that three though in my opinion. As for Brazil.... that lineup was insane together. Arguably better and more consistent in their day.

Iain:

International or club trios are fair game for this discussion. "Friends of FIFA" World XI vs "Zidane and Family" bullshit friendlies are out though.

Jay:

Costa and Hazard may be up for discussion, but I can't think of another player with the same calibre and constant impact to fill the other attacking role (I consider Cesc to be a MF). United misses out because RvP and Falcao can't figure out how to play together and stay fit. RvP, Falcao and Rooney would be immense with the right tactics, but we have yet to see that.

Parmar:

If Oscar would get his head out of his ass I would be with you on that, Jay.

Iain:

Louis van Gaal would never start those three together at United. Rooney could play off of either of those two, but neither RVP or Falcao are that flexible.

Bramble:

I saw first hand how deadly 'true' Ronaldo, who some of you call 'fat', Rivaldo and Ronaldinho were as they tore England's defense asunder in World Cup 2002. Schooling us with one of the greatest counter attacking goals I've seen, and just general trashing of our defense. Definitely they should be in the conversation.

In Conclusion:

At this present moment the Round Table agrees for the most part that there isn't an attacking line up in football quite like Barcelona's attacking three. However, when having any conversation about a great threesome (no pun intended) you have to consider the Brazilian attack of 2002.

Thanks for checking out this week's Round Table.

5 Bitter Player Rivalries

2015-04-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

In football when you mention the word rivalry, most people will automatically assume that you are referring to vicious club rivalries like Rangers and Celtic, or international enemies like Brazil and Argentina.

But over the years there have also been some particularly nasty rivalries between individual players as well, some of whom were even teammates, and the following are five of the more memorable:

Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane

The grandaddy of English Premier League rivalries, the two central midfielders personified the fierce rivalry and barely concealed hatred between Arsenal and Manchester United in the late 1990's until the mid-2000's. Besides the hostility on the pitch between The Gunners Vieira and United's volatile Keane, there was even a famous tussle in the tunnel prior to a match at Highbury between the two. Besides the physical battles, both could also really play football and the two were at the heart what is still been the best club rivalry of the Premier League era.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

The two best players in the last few decades have been Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi of Barcelona and the two have shattered record after record to cement their supremacy. Whereas they haven't had any real physical battles between each other, it's pretty clear that in Ronaldo's case in particular that he dislikes Messi and wants to be viewed as the greater of the two. Like the rivalry between the two famous clubs, lines have been drawn between football fans as to which of these two is the better player.

Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham

This particular rivalry between former teammates for both Manchester United and England was a strange one as they had seemed to strike up a good understanding on the pitch when Sheringham joined United in the summer of 1997. But their body language towards each other never looked quite right and Cole has since gone on record about how he hated Sheringham. It all stemmed from an incident in 1995 when Cole made his England debut by coming off the bench in a friendly against Uruguay, to replace Sheringham. The then Tottenham man refused to shake Cole's hand or offer any support, and a feud ensued that caused the two to never speak off of the pitch again.

Pele and Diego Maradona

An interesting rivalry in the fact that the two all time greats never played against or with each other, but that hasn't stopped a healthy animosity developing between the two over the years. It could be because of their own individual desire to be considered the greatest player ever, or it could come back to the classic Argentina and Brazil rivalry, but one the one thing for certain is that they aren't the best of buddies. Pele once said that "Maradona was a bad example for kids because of his drug taking", while Maradona said recently that "they need to change the medicine that crazy old man is on".

Zinedine Zidane and Marco Materazzi

The most infamous moment ever in a World Cup Final occurred in 2006 when France's Zinedine Zidane ended his illustrious career by driving a headbutt into the chest of Italy's Marco Materazzi. What Materazzi said to Zidane is the subject of debate, but time doesn't always heal all wounds as Zizou has since said of the incident that he'd "rather die than apologize" for the headbutt and Materazzi has said they've never reconciled.

The Incredible Football Illustrations of Sant Toscanni (Gallery)

2015-03-24T16:00:00.000-04:00

Illustrator Sant Toscanni from Bucaramanga, Colombia loves football. But its his unique style rather than the subject that steals the attention. This particular collection of illustrations is called the "Cracks of Football". You can follow Sant on his twitter @sanTOSCANNI and even purchase prints of this beautiful work by clicking here.

Football in Watercolors by Mollie Cox (Gallery)

2015-02-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

Mollie Cox (@molliecox) is a self proclaimed Maker of Film. Aficionado of Advertising. Lover of Candy. And apparently she loves football as well. Here is her watercolor posters of a few footballers.

Champions League Warriors by Oraby Brothers (Gallery)

2015-01-13T20:00:00.000-05:00

When Egyptian graphic designer Monzer Oraby contacted us recently with a link to he and his brother Mohanad's gallery of Champions League Warriors, we were more than happy to feature them here on FootyFair.

As you can see from the impressive images below, the Oraby brothers have done an exceptional job of capturing the essence of some of the finest players in the world that take part in the Champions League.

If you would like to see more of the Champions League Warriors, check out: https://www.behance.net/gallery/22612573/Champions-League-Warriors

In the meantime, we hope that you enjoy viewing the following samples of their fine work.

The Monday Meltdown - FIFA's World XI Stinks

2015-01-12T16:00:00.000-05:00

It’s Monday, January 12 in the year of our lord (Sepp Blatter) 2015 and everyone’s favourite football governing body has handed out a few awards.

Unable though to take a simple leak in a urinal without spraying piss all over the floor, FIFA have announced a World XI that is as laughable as their claims of integrity.

Although there are a few obvious names on the list like the bronzed Cristiano Ronaldo, noted tax dodger Lionel Messi and the 57 year old wing wizard Arjen Robben on the team, there are some inclusions that have prompted howls of derision on social media.

First of all FIFA, also known as the Swiss Mafia, hung on to the rule that there has to be a Barcelona midfielder on the World XI, despite the fact that Barcelona weren’t very good in the last calendar year and the player in question, Andres Iniesta, looked tired, sweaty and balding at the World Cup for Spain.

The defense is where things get really hilarious though. To start with we have Thiago Silva, who is a good defender that plays for the only decent team in France and had a decidedly average to poor World Cup, the excellent Phillip Lahm, who actually played most of last year for Bayern as a defensive midfielder and it’s really a defender in the true sense anymore, Sergio Ramos who is always a calamity waiting to happen for club and country, and then the funniest of all… David Luiz. They actually included the clown of World Cup 2014, who cried and capitulated as the German’s ran riot in the Semi Final. He was also decidedly average for Chelsea last season, before his ridiculously overpriced move to PSG.

David Luiz’s inclusion is almost as hilarious as the World Cup going to Qatar in 2022.

On a somewhat controversial note, some are arguing that Angel Di Maria shouldn’t be in the XI, after his injury plagued and somewhat spluttering start to life at Old Trafford, after his move to Manchester United from Real Madrid last summer. Di Maria was impressive for Madrid in 2014 and did play a prominent role in Argentina’s run to the World Cup Final, so I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt though.

In terms of exclusions, there was no place for 2014’s breakout star James Rodriguez, and despite him sinking his teeth into a bit of Italian in Brazil, it was a poor decision to exclude Luis Suarez, who nearly single headedly dragged Liverpool to their first title in 24 years. Likewise, Gareth Bale, Diego Godin, and Diego Costa will feel a bit hard done by.

It also seemed that despite Atletico Madrid’s heroic La Liga title and run to the Champions League Final, they still aren’t fashionable enough to warrant anyone in the World XI.

Apparently the team is made up of votes by players, but if that’s the case you have to wonder if the players put any thought into these selections at all?

Cubist Footballers By Robin Gundersen (Gallery)

2015-01-06T20:00:00.000-05:00

Talented Norwegian graphic artist Robin Gundersen is our latest featured artist on Footyfair with his cubist style images of some of the biggest stars in modern football.

To see more of his work, check out his portfolio site: https://www.behance.net/robingundersen

La Liga Stars on beIN Sports by Javier La Riva (Gallery)

2014-12-28T16:58:00.000-05:00

Javier La Riva put together a collection of illustrations of the best stars of 2013-14 La Liga season.

He added some of the player stats on the design, not that you needed proof that these players had great seasons. He also wants all of us to remember that beIN SPORTS is the only channel we can catch these guys in action.

Bionic Barca and Their Hounds?! (Gallery)

2014-12-19T20:00:00.000-05:00

We've featured examples of the art from talented graphic artist Sakiroo Choi (@sakirro) in a few of our Art of Football pieces here on FootyFair before, but his outstanding work deserves a page of it's own.

This week he posted up his unique take on a few of the stars of Barcelona, that fans of the club would certainly like to have on their walls. His use of vibrant colours, cartoon likenesses and abstract concepts in my humble opinion contributes greatly to him being one of the more interesting artists out there that does a lot of football related art.

If you'd like to see more of his work, check out: http://sakiroo.com/index_full.php