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January 2012
The Archives
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01.27.12The Kaiser: The Victor Lustig of footballMeet former Brazilian striker Carlos Henrique, nicknamed "The Kaiser". Henrique has quite a respectable footballing CV. Domestic clubs such as Vasco da Gama, Flamengo, Fluminense and Botafogo all feature, not to mention top French side Ajaccio (where goalkeeping talent Guillermo Ochoa now plies his trade), as well as Mexican side Puebla. What makes that all the more impressive is that Henrique was on all of these clubs' books without ever kicking a ball - even in training. Before you say anything, yes - Henrique was something of a conman. Certainly in footballing terms - his story is that of a man ...
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01.24.12Balotelli’s stamp? I’ve seen worse behaviour.When "Super" Mario Balotelli stamped on Scott Parker during Sunday's tie between City and Spurs, it sparked outrage (mainly on Twitter, as always). It was, by all accounts, clearly intentional and well out of order. But it is far from the worst thing I have ever witnessed on the pitch. Here are 5 gutwrenching moments in our beautiful game: 1. Brazilian youngster Kerlon rose to fame in 2007 for his famous seal-dribble of the ball during the match. This involves him repeatedly bouncing the ball on his head while running past and beating players. Then in 2007, Atletico Mineiro’s Coelho thought enough ...
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01.21.12So what next for Rivaldo?He scored the greatest hat-trick I have ever witnessed. He performed moments of magic at the highest level. He is the true meaning of the word "legend" in football. But when Rivaldo he left Greece to play his football in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 2008, it raised eyebrows. Come on - he was 36, he'd won a World Cup, Spanish League titles, a Champions League and was World Footballer of the Year in 1999. He didn't have to prove anything to anyone. Sure, the Uzbek move was mainly for financial reasons (he earned €5.1 million per season with the ambitious FC Bunyodkor) but his ...
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01.18.12The Xavi from the Welsh valleysAnyone that watches football, and more specifically watches La Liga, will tell you that the best passer in the game is hands-down Barcelona's Xavi. He is incredible to watch in Pep Guardiola's dream team. For three years on the bounce he has been in 3rd place in the Ballon d'Or (his team-mate Leo Messi coming in 1st). But is he actually the best passer in the planet? The answer, shockingly, is no. He's 2nd best. Statistics show that the best is - brace yourselves - Swansea City’s Leon Britton. [caption id="attachment_1576" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Britton: officially better than Xavi - and everyone else."][/caption] The ...
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01.13.12It’s all Jimmy Hill’s fault.It was just over fifty years ago when the age of the millionaire footballer began. "How?" you ask... Well, it was in fact January 1961 when the maximum wage for players was abolished. Who was behind that? None other than Jimmy Hill believe it or not. Yeah, it's true. The former-Fulham striker and media pundit became PFA chairman in 1957. He campaigned tirelessly to have the £20 per-week maximum wage scrapped and ultimately achieved this four years later. The generously-chinned one would later claim that his crusade to have the maximum wage scrapped began the moment Leeds centre-half John Charles signed ...
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01.10.12The King that wishes to be PresidentSo, you've thought you've heard everything, huh? You haven't. Eric "The King" Cantona wishes to be the next President of France. No, really...I'm not making this up. The former-Man United striker, who once called on people to empty their bank accounts in protest at the global financial crisis, has already written to mayors requesting that they nominate him for the contest to be held on 22 April. He needs 500 signatures. The French newspaper Libération published a copy of the letter Cantona sent to mayors around France on its website. In it he vows to fight against social inequality if he becomes France's next President. "I am ...
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01.09.12“China….do well!” and other football chantsFootball chants are a major part of the game. Always have been. From fans of the Italian national team screaming the bass riff of "Seven Nation Army" to fans of our own boys in green roaring Depeche Mode's classic "Just Can't Get Enough", at almost nearly every game you will hear the the public sing at the top of their lungs - not always in tune, but that doesn't matter. Clubs often try to include some memorable drama with their teams' enterances. One of the most famous being of course Liverpool, who walk out on each matchday to Gerry & The ...
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01.05.12Tim Howard: Not the first goalscoring ‘keeperOn Wednesday evening, I noticed on my twitter timeline that Everton 'keeper Tim Howard was trending. I wasn't watching the Everton v Bolton game as I was gearing up for Barcelona's Copa Del Rey match against Osasuna, but a quick search showed that the American 'keeper scored a goal. Nice! The wind and a freak bounce played a massive part in his goal, but it's still a feat worthy of an applause from me. However, as you may well know, he ain't the first 'keeper to score in the opposing goal. [jwplayer mediaid="1514"] Probably, the most famous goalscoring goalkeeper is Sao Paolo's ...
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01.03.12Another transfer window, another month of chaos, rumours and big money!It's that time again. The transfer window is open. Naturally, the last day of the window (Jan 30th) is always the busiest, but between then and now, we may see some interesting movement throughout the sport. First off, keep your eye on Paris Saint-Germain (who's city and club have been recently profiled on this blog). With their Qatari millions backing them, the club's owners are hungry to make the Parisians what Real Madrid were in the early 2000's. They've already tried to acquire the services of one David Beckham, who recently turned them down in favour of staying put in LA. But ...
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