Category: Players
What a difference a year makes for Napoli’s Dries Mertens
Dries Mertens has had a remarkable year, but at the age of 30, just why has it taken him so long to make a name for himself?
When plucky Plymouth beat Brazilian giants Santos
Stephen Brandt, an American with a keen interest in matches from the past, recalls a famous scalp as the Pilgrims took down Pele’s Santos.
The curious case of Stirling Albion’s Chris Smith
“I’m extremely grateful for this award, but I really think it should have gone to the big man there,” Darren Smith mumbled awkwardly, gripping the Stirling Albion Supporters’ Player of the Year award.
Ndidi and Gray prove there’s life at Leicester post-Kante and Mahrez
Saturday marked five consecutive wins for the revitalised Foxes. With four of those victories coming in league action, the defending champions took yet another step to ensuring their Premier League status for next season.
The story of Gigi Meroni
When recalling the greatest Italian footballers of the 1960s, most would think of Gianni Rivera, Sandro Mazzola or Gigi Riva, possibly due to his relatively short professional playing career or perhaps because of the limited appearances he made for the Azzurri, but a life is full of intrigue, achievement and tragedy. You would be forgiven for forgetting poetry reading, art loving, Beatles fan: Gigi Meroni.
Johan Cruyff’s time at Levante
Johan Cruyff nearly retired in 1978 but after a series of bad investments, and without going too much into the details of how and why it all went wrong, he recalled: “I had lost millions in pig-farming and that was the reason I decided to become a footballer again.”
The Libero
The Libero, the sweeper, the original ball playing defender. The role required a player to be the last man behind the defensive line, adding both extra security as well as a having the ability to start attacking play from the back.