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 Transfers That Changed Everything

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cristiano Ronaldo: Looking Beyond the Surface

2016-07-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

There is a lot to dislike about Cristiano Ronaldo.

From his mugging for the cameras, to his ripping his shirt off after scoring the sixth goal in a 7-1 rout of some minnow like Getafe, or his sulking when things don't go his way it's easy to see why he rubs some people the wrong way.

In fairness, even if his detractors are loath to admit it, some of the disdain for which he's held in by some surely comes down to jealousy.

The Portuguese captain is a supremely gifted footballer, who is also good looking and as a result is one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet. He owns cars that most of us will only see on Top Gear, let alone drive, is incredibly wealthy and has dated some of the most beautiful women in the world.

So it isn't hard to hate him, particularly when he's gesticulating at teammates for not passing him the ball when he thinks he's in a good position or if he's making faces at the cameras.

When he's invariably compared to his great rival, the supposedly humble choirboy Lionel Messi, he doesn't come off looking good on the surface. But beyond the posturing is a man who had nothing handed to him and who worked his ass off to become one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

Growing up in poverty in Santo António, a neighborhood of Funchal, Madeira, the future Manchester United and Real Madrid star shared a small bedroom with his brother and sister. His father, a municipal gardener, and his mother who worked as a cook, did their best to provide for Cristiano and his three older siblings while encouraging him as he made first steps into youth football.

After going on a trial with Sporting CP at age 12, Ronaldo did enough to convince the club's coaches to sign him to a semi-professional contract while he continued on at school.

Despite quickly becoming a star with the Sporting youth side, Ronaldo at first struggled in Lisbon as he was teased and bullied in school because of his thick Madeira accent.

He would more than have the last laugh on his former peers who claimed that he didn't speak real Portuguese, when he broke into Sporting's first team at age 16.

After impressing during his debut season, he caught the eye of Manchester United after tearing them apart in a pre-season friendly and was quickly signed by the Reds legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Given the number seven jersey, a sacred number at Old Trafford that had previously been worn by the likes of George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham, Ronaldo did not feel the weight of the shirt as some have done since and gradually improved his game over his first three seasons in England.

When he initially landed in the red half of Manchester, the knock on Ronaldo was that although he was a talented dribbler he was often knocked off the ball quite easily and he didn't consistently deliver the end result befitting his obvious ability.

Besides his work on the training pitch, where he took in Ferguson's advice on how to improve his shooting and heading, Ronaldo spent an obsessive amount of time in the weight room and the pool, packing on the lean muscle that he's re known for now.

His final three seasons at Manchester United were nothing short of miraculous, as he fired in 91 goals across all competitions on his way to leading the club to three consecutive league titles, a League Cup win, a UEFA Champions League crown, and the club's first FIFA Club World Cup.

He departed to Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 as a hero to United fans everywhere, and yet has arguably gone on to become even better in the Spanish capital.

While scooping up one La Liga crown and two UEFA Champions League titles, Ronaldo has consistently been Real's top scorer and on pitch talisman.

Although his exploits on the pitch have marked him down as a player for the ages, perceptions of his arrogance continue to abound. Teammates though are quick to shoot down accusations of him being a prima donna though, and it came as a no surprise to some when a video of him encouraging a nervous João Moutinho to take a penalty during Portugal's shoot-out victory over Poland in their Euro 2016 Quarter-Final came to light.

Away from the bright lights of football, Ronaldo's quiet philanthropy has done much to help people throughout the years. Following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami he went to Indonesia to raise funds for the areas effected.

He has also donated hundreds of thousands of Euros to hospital's in Madeira, as well as helping to raise funds to support victims of the 2010 flood on his native island.

In addition to this, he donated €1.5 million to help build school's in Gaza in 2011 and has done much to raise awareness for steering children around the world away from drug addiction and obesity.

After helping Real Madrid to the 2016 UEFA Champions League crown, he donated his €600,000 bonus to children's charities.

So while I understand why people dislike him and question his attitude, I have a lot of respect for a man who has strove to become not just a better player, but a better person.

Missed Connections: Sides That Surprisingly Haven't Played Each Other More Often

2016-04-06T09:23:00.000-04:00

Some club and international sides just seem to be made to play one another as they dominate competitions such as the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA World Cup or other "inter-nations" title. Nonetheless, as unlikely as it may seem, this list is about sides that you would swear have played one another a lot more often than they actually have.

Liverpool v Manchester United (European Competition)

Until their recent Europa League meeting, Liverpool and Manchester United have never met in Europe before. The two English football rivals have made it to the same UEFA competitions on numerous ocassions, but 2016 would mark their first ever showdown, with Liverpool knocking The Red Devils out of the tournament over a two-leg battle.

Brazil v Germany (World Cup)

With 9 FIFA World Cup titles between them and at least one of them qualifying to the semi-finals of the tournament in each of the World Cup editions since 1934 (2nd World Cup), it's hard to believe that the two have not played each other even once until 2002 when Brazil beat the Germans in that year's World Cup final match. Brazil did play an East German side in 1974, but West Germany is considered as modern Germany when football statistics are tallied.

Benfica v Real Madrid

Despite both clubs being extremely successful in their domestic leagues, Spanish side Real Madrid and Portuguese club Benfica haven't played a competitive match against one another since 1965. A bit hard to believe as it seems we see the two compete in the Champions League every single season. The last time the two met, Benfica knocked Real Madrid out of the 1964-65 European Cup competition with a 6-3 aggregate win in the quarter-finals.

England v Scotland

In 1870, the first international football match in history was one played between Scotland and England. The two rivals have played each other many times since, but in recent years the two have not been able to "lock horns" in any competitive match. Aside from a couple friendlies, England and Sctoland haven't played against each other in a competitive match since 1999; that's 17 years for those that lost track of time. That is all about to change however, as the two were drawn into the same group in the qualifying stages for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Barcelona v Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (Champions League Final)

Real Madrid's first European Cup title came in 1952, FC Bayern's in 1974 and Barcelona's first Champions League trophy in 1992. But despite the incredible 20 titles and 11 runner-up achievements between the three clubs, they have never faced each other in the final. A little hard to believe, considering they seem like the only 3 sides we ever watch in the latter stages of the competition (at least in the last decade or so).

If you have more impressive missed connections you'd like to tell us about, comment below!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5 Interesting Manager Facts - Rafael Benítez

2016-03-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

With news of Spanish manager Rafael Benítez due to take over reigns at yet enother EPL club, this time relegation battling Newcastle United, here are a few interesting facts about "Rafa".

Real reserve

Benitez spent the first 7 years of his playing career with Real Madrid Castilla, which is essentially the reserve or 'B' side for Spanish giants Real Madrid. Although it is mostly for the benefit of developing young talent to become the future of the senior squad, Rafa managed to stay with the reserve squad from the age of 14 to 21 before leaving for AD Parla in the third division of Spanish football.

Rafa the champ

As a footballer Benitez did not enjoy a lot of glory and even split time between playing football and studying in University. But before he retired from professional playing at the age of 26, Rafa won one trophy in 1982, that the title for the Tercera División which is the fourth tier in Spain.

Last manager to...

Currently Rafa Benitez holds the recognition of being the last to win many different trophies with the various clubs he had coached. He is still the last manager to have club Extramadura promoted to LaLiga. He is the last to win the FA Cup, the UEFA SuperCup and the Champions League with Liverpool. Last to win the Italian SuperCopa with Inter Milan and the last manager to win LaLiga and UEFA Cup with Valencia.

Only Spaniard for Reds and Blues

Simple as that; Rafa Benitez has so far been the only Spanish coach to take charge of Liverpool or Chelsea. Neither club has hired a Spanish manager before or after Benitez.

Madrid in the blood

Born in Madrid, Rafa Benitez's father was a die-hard Real Madrid supporter. That is a bit surprising considering that Rafa's grandfather (the Father's father) was an Atletico Madrid fan.

5 Horrible Examples of Football Club Merchandise

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

Looking for a gift for that special football loving someone in your life?
Of course you are!

Well, you've come to the right place if you're looking for ideas on what not to buy.

Presenting five horrible examples of football club merchandise:

Bayern Munich - Snuff Box

Hoovering tobacco up your nose seems like a fad from a long ago period like the '80s. The 1880's that is. I can honestly say that I've never met anyone who is into snuff, yet apparently a marketing genius at Bayern Munich figured there are enough fans of the club out there that partake in this activity for the club to create a branded case for them. So for about €2.30 Euros you can have a Bayern box that's up to snuff.

Wolfsburg - Ketchup

Staying with German sides, Wolfsburg released their own brand of Ketchup a few years back which retailed for €2.49. They also sold a curry flavoured version as well, so you could create a poor man's plate of curry wurst at home presumably.

Real Madrid - Dog Tent

If you get in trouble with your significant other and find yourself sleeping in the dog house, for the cost of $32US, at least it'll be a Real Madrid branded one.

Aston Villa - Curtains

If Aston Villa were playing on my front lawn this season I'd want to draw the curtains, so perhaps with that in mind the club sell their own branded curtains for £30. Classy.

Manchester United - Fake Sleeve Tattoo

Ever looked enviously at someone with a sleeve tattoo but knew that due to a lack of cash and/or a low pain tolerance you were never going to get one? Well for only £2.50 you can stand out in the crowd with Manchester United fake sleeve tattoos!

Throwback Thursdays: Luis Figo Returns to the Camp Nou

2016-03-03T08:00:00.001-05:00

With Manchester City's Raheem Sterling returning to Anfield this week, following his acrimonious departure from Liverpool last summer, he was right to expect a hostile reaction from the Merseyside crowd.

Although Liverpool's followers left him in little doubt what they thought of his perceived treachery, his return still pales in comparison to one of the nastiest reunions in European club football.

In 2000, then Barcelona winger Luis Figo was considered one of the best players in the world after he followed up a terrific season for his club by leading Portugal to the European Championship's semi-final.

Later that year he would be awarded the Ballon d’Or for his efforts, but before being handed that prestigious honour his career would take a very decided turn.

After enjoying a wonderful five years with the Catalan side, Figo had become a hero to Barca's fans and was seen as a symbol of the club.

In the summer of 2000 though change was afoot at their great rivals Real Madrid. Despite winning the Champions League in 1998 and 2000, incumbent president Lorenzo Sanz surprisingly lost out to the charismatic Florentino Perez in the the club elections.

Perez won the election, in part, because of his bold claim that he would deliver Luis Figo and that a deal with his agent was already in place. Furthermore he promised to refund Madrid's 70,000 plus members for their season tickets if he didn't bring in the Portuguese maestro.

True to his word, Perez's first act as president was to pony up Figo's 10 billion peseta (£37.5 million) buyout clause which allowed him to join Madrid on a lucrative salary.

Barcelona were incensed and claimed that Figo had gone against his word and betrayed them, with Barcelona president Joan Gaspart calling the deal "immoral".

The fans and local press were also outraged at what they saw as a betrayal by their now former favourite son.

When Figo returned to Camp Nou for the first time with his new side in October 2000, he was showered with debris and vicious insults from many in the partisan 105,000 strong crowd. Many fans later claimed it was the most hostile atmosphere ever dished out at the famous old ground.

One banner famously said, "We hate you because we loved you so much", which is emblematic of the feeling of being stabbed in the heart that many of us feel when a former favourite defects to the enemy.

Other signs and banners directed towards Figo weren't quite as poetic.

Two years later it wasn't any better, as Figo had a pig's head chucked at him while attempting to take a corner at the Camp Nou.

Sterling can count himself lucky.

Throwback Thursdays: Real Madrid's Record Breaking Run

2016-02-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

They may currently be playing second fiddle in Spain to their hated rivals Barcelona, but there's no denying the incredible history of Real Madrid.

Nearly sixty years ago this week, Madrid went on an incredible 121-match unbeaten league run at home that will likely never be beaten.

On 17 February 1957, Real Madrid beat Deportivo de La Coruña 1-0, with a goal from Enrico Mateos to start their unparalleled run of home dominance.

Madrid wouldn't suffer defeat at home again until 7 March 1965, when they fell to local rivals Atletico 1-0.

This run of dominance at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium saw the club capture seven La Liga titles in eight years.

Of those 121-matches, they won an astounding 113 of them and drew only 8.

It'll take one heck of a run for any club in one of the world's bigger leagues to come anywhere near matching that. It might even be beyond this current Barcelona side.

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 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 Times a Trophy Got the Worst of It

2016-01-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

Nothing beats seeing your club clinch a trophy, a feeling that some fans know a lot better than others.

Occasionally in the middle of the celebrations, or in the celebratory days that follow, mishaps can befell the trophy though.

The following are five times something unexpected happened to a football cup or trophy:

1.) Stan Bowles Becomes Enemy Number One in Sunderland

In 1973, then Second Division side Sunderland pulled off what is perhaps the greatest FA Cup Final upset ever, when they defeated Don Revie's mighty Leeds United 1-0 at Wembley. Four days after their triumph, Sunderland hosted QPR at Roker Park and with the Cup on a pitch side display table, the London side's maverick striker Stan Bowles thought he'd have some fun:

"There were a couple of us who had a bet on who could knock it off the table with the ball first," he recalls. "With the ball at my feet I tear off straight across the park. Everyone on the pitch is just staring at me - and then, bang! The FA Cup goes shooting up in the air.
"The whole ground knew that I'd done it on purpose - then the Sunderland fans go ape. They want my balls in their sandwiches. I wound up their fans even more by scoring a couple of goals and in the end there was a pitch invasion. At least I got my tenner, and my picture on News at Ten. And all because I was just having a bit of a laugh."

2.) Aston Villa Lose the Cup With the Big Ears

After upsetting Bayern Munich 1-0 in the final of the 1982 European Cup, Aston Villa kept the most prestigious prize in European club football in England for a sixth straight season following three titles by Liverpool and two by Nottingham Forest. But the cup would almost slip from their grasp off the pitch.

"We used to go out and take the European Cup where we could to show it to the fans and let them have their pictures taken with it," said Colin Gibson, who was out for the night at the Fox Inn near Tamworth with his team-mate Gordon Cowans. "Gordon and I had had a few drinks, and we were playing a competitive darts match, when someone turned round and said: 'The cup's gone, it's been stolen.'

"At the time you didn't really realise what was happening. All I can remember is dread and trying to block it out as if it didn't really happen." The trophy would turn up 100 miles away in a police station in Sheffield, where a mysterious Mr Sykes handed it to police officers. The Sheffield police, before informing Villa that they had the missing trophy, staged an impromptu kickabout between a few officers to decide which of them could hoist the famous cup.

3.) Sergio Ramos Destroys the Copa Del Rey

After Real Madrid won the Copa Del Rey in 2011, the club went on their traditional parade through the Spanish capital with their triumphant players on top of a bus. An excited Sergio Ramos showed why it was a good decision for him to not consider a career in goal in his youth when his butter fingers let the trophy slip off the bus and crash to the road. The bus drove over the cup and pretty much destroyed it.

4.) Anying Sergio Ramos Can Do, Maarten Stekelenburg Can Do Better

2011 was a bad year for trophies as Ajax celebrated their first Eredivisie title in six years, Maarten Stekelenburg did a Ramos in that he chucked the Dutch league trophy off of the team bus with it smashing on the road and being run over. The fact that Stekelenburg actually is a goalkeeper though doesn't inspire much confidence in his handling.

5.) Jan Vertonghen's Big Toe

With Ajax repeating as champions in 2012, Jan Vertonghen continued the team tradition of dropping the silverware as he let it clank down on his foot, hurting his big toe. Ouch!

The Revolving Door of Real Madrid

2016-01-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

Few were surprised when Real Madrid announced on Monday that they have terminated the contract of manager Rafa Benitez with immediate effect and have appointed Zinedine Zidane to manage the first team squad for at least the rest of the season.

Given Real Madrid's history under President Florentino Perez this hardly qualifies as news, as he's shown little patience with managers during his time with the club and Benitez always seemed like a strange appointment to begin with.

Despite Benitez's fine record at Valencia in the early 2000's and his improbable UEFA Champions League title with Liverpool in 2005, Benitez has not managed a side to a league title in over ten years.

In fact over the past ten seasons, Benitez has only managed to guide a club as high as second place once (Liverpool, 2009), which is hardly the CV of someone taking on one of the most pressurized job's football.

After going through managers with the pedigree of Manuel Pellegrini, Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, it seemed as if Benitez was appointed because Madrid had run out of options.

With Benitez's ouster, Zidane becomes the 47th manager in Madrid's 114 year history, but their 19th in only 20 years.

Interestingly enough, across Perez's thirteen seasons across the club (2000 to 2006 and 2009 until the present), the colourful president has gone through eleven managers. Just falling short of one per season.

This absurd instability at the Bernabéu has seen what is one of the richest clubs in the world capture only one league title and one Champions League crown in the past eight seasons. For an institution like Madrid this can only be seen as a staggering underachievement.

Zidane, the first Frenchman to manage the club, was one of the greatest players of his generation and has been groomed for this role for some time. His most recent post has been that of managing the club's "B side".

Whether he can emulate the success of Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, who himself worked his way up from managing his club's second team, remains to be seen, but at some point Madrid are going to have to show a little more patience with one of their appointments.

Amateur Hour at Real Madrid

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

Getting knocked out of a cup for fielding an ineligible player is a mistake a pub league team would make, but it's been that sort of season for Real Madrid.

On Friday it was announced that the club had been expelled from the Copa del Rey for fielding the suspended Russian winger Denis Cheryshev against Cadiz on Wednesday night.

Cheryshev had even scored the opening goal in the 3-1 win.

Following the match, Cadiz filed a complaint with the Spanish footballing authorities stating that the player had three booking in the competition a year ago, while on loan at Villarreal, and should have therefore been suspended.

Although Real Madrid president Florentino Perez yesterday pledged to fight this case, claiming the sanction was "not applicable" because Cheryshev had "not been personally notified" that he was suspended, as of today Madrid are left with egg on their face.

So the next time you're playing in the chicken wing and beer invitational 7-a side league, be sure to check on the status of all of your players and not get punted out on an avoidable technicality like Real Madrid.

Throwback Thursdays: 20 Years Ago Jean-Marc Bosman Changed Football Forever

2015-12-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Twenty years ago this month a court ruling involving an unknown Belgian midfielder changed football as we know it.

Jean-Marc Bosman, a player for RC Liège, had seen his proposed transfer to French second-division side US Dunkerque in 1990 fall apart after the Belgian club had demanded a fee for the out of contract midfielder.

Although his deal with Liège had expired, the club still owned his playing rights and refused the transfer unless Dunkerque paid them a transfer fee of 1,200,000 Belgian francs. At the time there seemed nothing out of the ordinary with Liège's demands, but Bosman wasn't about to accept his fate.

After the French side refused to pay the transfer fee, Bosman initiated legal proceedings.

The concept of footballers being tied to a club even without a deal in place had long been a point of contention for players and their unions around the world. While these footballers cast an envious eye towards American sports leagues who had allowed Free Agency for out of contract players for several decades, they continued to have their own movement restricted.

Club owners on the other hand saw a situation where players could hold them to ransom for massive salaries, and there was a genuine fear that some clubs could go to the wall as a result of losing players without a transfer fee. Particularly for smaller sides, selling players on was how they stayed in business.

On 15 December 1995, the European Court of Justice issued its ruling that Liège's actions had constituted an illegal restraint of trade prohibited by Article 39(1) of the EC Treaty.

After five long years, Bosman had won his case as the ruling essentially meant that players who were out of contract could move between clubs in Europe without a transfer fee being paid out.

Within a year of the historic decision players began taking advantage of what became known as the "Bosman Ruling" and movement of players from club to club without a transfer fee involved became a reality.

The most significant move in the first few years after Bosman had gotten the go ahead from the courts, was that of Edgar Davids from Ajax to AC Milan in 1996. A year previous to that, Davids had been a major part of Louis van Gaal's Champions League winners and Ajax would have normally expected a sizeable fee for the ferocious midfielder.

A move involving Steve McManaman from Liverpool to Real Madrid in 1999 was another player moving clubs "on a Bosman" that had a major impact. It effectively ended the Anfield clubs "Spice Boy" era, for better or worse, and provided Madrid with a player who would help them win the Champions League in 2000 without having to pay a transfer fee for the shaggy haired midfielder.

In the years that followed it's arguable whether the Bosman ruling has directly contributed to the spiralling wages in professional football, but certainly the gap between Europe's elite clubs and everyone else increased as a result of the ruling.

One of the biggest impacts is that club's predictably wait now for players contracts to run down before making moves, either getting them at knockdown prices with only a year to run on their deals or landing them for free once they're out of contract.

As for Bosman himself, the ruling that has come to bare his name had little impact on him as he never got his career back on track again after the court battle. While millions of Pounds and Euros exchanged hands benefitting players thanks to his efforts, Bosman himself has suffered through financial hardships and legal troubles after retiring, spending a year in prison in 2013 for assaulting his girlfriend. A sad footnote for a man who changed the game.

5 Players Who Failed at Barcelona and/or Real Madrid

2015-11-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Sifting through the wreckage of Barcelona's thumping defeat of Real Madrid in this past weekend's Clasico, a player who came in for stinging criticism yet again was Gareth Bale.

Bale has netted 30 goals in 65 La Liga games since joining Madrid in 2013 in a record breaking £85m move from Tottenham, but has often been the subject of criticism in the Spanish capital.

But whether or not he falls within the list of high profile players who ultimately fail at either Real Madrid or Barcelona remains to be seen.

The following are players who never really made the mark their talent suggested they would at either one or both of Spain's two biggest clubs:

Robinho

When Neymar burst onto the scene a few years ago with Santos, the naysayers were grumbling about him being another Robinho, but while Neymar has proven his worth at Barcelona the same cannot be said for his compatriot's earlier career at Real Madrid. When Pele named Robinho as his heir apparent and the player led Santos to their first Campeonato Brasileiro in decades the world was seemingly at his feet. Signing for Real Madrid in 2005, much was expected of Brazilian football's latest prodigy. Although he managed to play 101 matches for Madrid over the course of three seasons and notch 25 goals, a combination of bad form and injury never saw him come anywhere near the hype which had surrounded him since he was in his teens. He eventually left Madrid for Manchester City in 2008.

Juan Roman Riquelme

The supremely talented Juan Roman Riquelme enjoyed seven fine seasons at Boca Juniors before joining Barcelona in 2002. The Argentine playmaker never fit in with then manager Louis van Gaal's system though and found himself out of the team more than in it. Struggling to find form, while often being played out of position on the wing, Riquelme was eventually shipped off to Villarreal where he re-captured his form and enjoyed great success.

Royston Drenthe

After helping the Netherlands to an U-21 European Championship, while also tearing it up at club level with Feyenoord, Royston Drenthe looked like another talented young player off the Dutch football production line upon joining Real Madrid in 2007. After a decent first season though, Drenthe was dropped from the side in favour of Marcelo and started to run into disciplinary problems. He was loaned out to Hercules and later Everton, before departing for Russian side FC Alania Vladikavkaz when his contract expired in 2012.

Robert Prosinečki

Croatian legend Robert Prosinečki was only 22 when he joined Real Madrid in 1991, having just helped a star studded Red Star Belgrade side to the European Cup. But a lack of fitness, questions about his lifestyle habits and poor form led to three disasterous years in the Spanish capitol before being offloaded in 1994. A decent season at Oviedo was then followed up by a forgettable year at Barcelona, after which he became a club jumping nomad.

Javier Saviola

For several seasons in the early 2000's Javier Saviola was touted constantly as the next big thing, but without any actual evidence on the pitch suggesting that he was. A disappointing spell from 2001 to 2007 at Barcelona was followed by a lucrative contract bizarrely being awarded to him at Real Madrid that he saw out with only five goals in 28 appearances over two seasons.

5 Top Stories of the Weekend

2015-11-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Jose Mourinho saw his side come back to winning ways, Real Madrid were smashed by Barcelona and Jamie Vardy scored in his tenth straight match. Just a few of the stories of the weekend.

Chelsea Ground Out a Result

It's been a tumultuous season for Jose Mourinho's side in these first few months of their Premier League title defence, but Diego Costa's 64th minute strike was enough to guide Chelsea to victory over Norwich.

The club are still in 15th spot, and 12 points behind the final Champions League qualifying place, but this win would have brought a bit of relief and renewed at least a small measure of hope from their supporters that they can turn this season around.

Real Madrid Smashed By Barcelona

While the biggest news in the sporting world last weekend was Holly Holm's destruction of Ronda Rousey, this Saturday saw a similarly ruthless annihilation in the form of Barcelona's 4-0 thumping of Real Madrid. An unusually quiet Cristiano Ronaldo, and a questionable team selection by Rafa Benitez, contributed to Sergi Roberto, Luis Suarez and Neymar ripping Madrid to pieces. After this humiliation, which leaves Madrid six points back of league leading Barca, Benitez might be on very thin ice.

Liverpool Blow the Title Race Wide Open

With Manchester United blowing hot and cold, Chelsea floundering and Arsenal being well... Arsenal, it looked like this season's title could be only be won by Manchester City. But after Manuel Pellegrini for some reason left Nicolas Otamendi and Fernandinho out against Liverpool, which was compounded by the absence of Vincent Kompany, the Anfield club tore City apart and the Premier League title race suddenly looks very open again.

Jamie Vardy Hits Ten Straight

He still has two matches to go before he equals the record for a top division player for scoring consecutive matches, set over 80 years ago by Jimmy Dunne, but this past weekend Leicester's Jamie Vardy equaled Ruud Van Nistelrooy's Premier League record and for a player who was toiling in non-league football only three years ago, Vardy's accomplishments have been inspiring.

Columbus Keeps On Rolling

The Columbus Crew took a massive step towards the MLS Cup Final after a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls in the MLS Eastern Conference finals first leg Sunday. Their first goal, scored by Iraqi international Justin Meram, came just nine second in and has been confirmed as the fastest goal in MLS Playoff history.

El Clásico (Quiz)

2015-11-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

Yet another edition of Spain's El Clásico is about to get underway and what better way to celebrate the infamous rivalry than a quick quiz to test your knowledge of the match-up.

Poll Maker

5 Whacky Things That Happened in Football This Week

2015-11-06T10:18:00.001-05:00

From the sublime to the ridiculous it was quite a week in the world of football. Besides Chelsea's struggles in the league, boring old Manchester United, a full slate of Champions League matches and Ronaldo telling us how great he is, some truly whacky thing happened over the past few days.

Here are a few things that caught our attention:

Sick Note

When the notoriously injury prone former Spurs winger Darren Anderton was forced to pull out of the crossbar challenge at half-time during Tottenham’s 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Monday evening, BBC commentator Conor McNamara tweeted about his latest misfortune and everyone had a good chuckle.

But not Anderton it would seem, who tweeted: "Pathetic. Well done you lying sack of shit. I went on to the pitch to hand out prizes."

Simmer down, Sick Note.

Snoozefest

With all the talk of Manchester United being boring this season, a Chinese commentator was sacked this week after falling asleep during Real Madrid's win over PSG and then snoring loudly on air.

I know the feeling mate, I've had few good snoozes during the Champions League group stages over the years. The knockout rounds are like a shot of Jäger and Redbull by caparison when they come around in the spring.

There's Only One Keano

Speaking of China, former Ireland captain Roy Keane threw out a bit of casual racism on ITV when he said this of Ashley Young's pathetic diving this week:

"I think the guy’s a disgrace. If he’s a Manchester United player then I’m a Chinaman.
Absolute disgrace. He’s done it [dived] far too many times."

Chinaman? What is this, 1957?

Sex, Lies and Videotapes?

In other news, Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has found himself dragged into the ongoing court case about an alleged plot to blackmail French midfielder Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape.
Benzema has been charged and placed under formal investigation, according to Spanish paper Sport, after admitting he had an involvement in the sordid affair. His lawyer though is claiming that it's just a mix-up and that Benzema only wants to clear his name.

I for one can't wait to see what this does to the harmony in the French dressing room at Euro 2016.

Tighty Whities

An Indian Super League clash between FC Goa and Chennaiyin was held up this week when an over zealous referee ordered a Goa player to change his underpants.

Before you ask it wasn't because the player had some offending Cadbury Squirts seeping out of his shorts, but that the ref thought his undies were too colourful and were showing through his white kit in a distracting manner.

Probably should have worn a thong.

Clásico Corruption Allegations Rock La Liga

2015-10-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

Spanish football could either be on the verge of one its most explosive match fixing scandals in years or it could be a story of hearsay, but regardless a story coming out of La Liga this week is sure to raise some eyebrows.

According to reports in the Guardian and the Independent, a linesman has allegedly been instructed to favour Real Madrid in next month’s clásico against Barcelona.

The linesman, who has not been identified as he fears reprisals, claims that he was contacted first by another official and later by a member of the Spanish Football Federation’s referees’ committee.

According to the Independent:

It is understood that one of the pre-designated linesmen had been contacted by the match referee, and informed that the refereeing committee are pressuring him in to favouring Real with his decisions in their clash with fierce rivals Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu on 21 November.

The linesman has also reported Jose Angel Jimenez Munoz de Morales, a member of the referees’ committee, for allegedly contacting him directly to put extra pressure on the official to rule in Real’s favour.

Besides the match in question, the linesman has also told his lawyer that he knows of several matches that have already been illegally influenced and that at least one other linesman has been put under similar pressure to influence results.

For their part the Spanish Football Federation’s referees’ committee are denying any knowledge of the incident.

While like several other major leagues around the world there have been rumours of improper conduct by referees over the years, a scandal like this would rock La Liga to its core.

For their part Barcelona have said that "they hope this isn't true", while Real Madrid are yet to comment.

Concepts: Real Madrid Redesign

2015-09-29T12:00:00.000-04:00

This week's Concepts feature is a redesign for one of the biggest clubs in world football, Spanish capital city giants Real Madrid. Designer Alejo Malia from the club's hometown didn't spare a detail, turning a classic look into a more minimal modern design.

Galácticos Illustrations by Jose Herrera (Gallery)

2015-09-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Ecuadorian illustration artist Jose Herrera has recently put together posters of the infamous Real Madrid Galácticos star players in his own style. You can follow Jose on Instagram.

Throwback Thursdays: The 1955-1956 European Cup

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The David De Gea Saga: Every Side is a Loser

2015-09-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

For months it has seemed certain that Manchester United keeper David De Gea would be returning to his native Spain to join up with Real Madrid, and although United held out for most of the summer window, with Madrid trying to lowball them, on Monday night the move seemed all but secured.

But then the deal, which involved sending Madrid keeper Keylor Navas to Old Trafford as part exchange fell apart when Real Madrid weren't able to file the transfer on time.

It's now become a case of "he said, she said" as the two clubs are arguing over who caused the deal to implode.

United maintain that they sent the transfer forms across in time, while Real have countered that they received the paperwork after the deadline.

The Red Devils have since stated that: "The club is delighted that its fan-favourite double player of the year, David De Gea, remains a Manchester United player."

The statement sounded like United were rubbing it in and indeed many Reds believe that their club pulled a fast one on Madrid.

While the cynical types, who I have to count myself amongst, think that United have bungled yet another piece of transfer business this summer.

Where the truth lies is anyone's guess, but one thing's for certain neither side emerges as a winner in this one.

Manchester United are less £30 million pounds and won't be getting a very capable keeper in the 28 year old Navas, while continuing to have De Gea on their books while he would rather be elsewhere.

On Madrid's part they didn't land their primary target of the transfer window and will have to stick with Navas, a man who now knows that his club was going to use him as a makeweight in the deal for De Gea. It will hardly do his attitude any good will it?

A year from now, unless something occurs in January, De Gea will leave United on a free transfer after his contract expires and Madrid will get their new number one. United now have to hope that his attitude will be such that he'll honour the last year of his contract as a good professional and have an eye on playing for Spain at Euro 2016.

Any way you look at it this is not an ideal situation for anyone involved.