Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2022 i World Soccer

STAY INFORMED, STAY INSPIRED WITH A WorldSoccer SUBSCRIPTION RECEIVE A WORLD SOCCER T-SHIRT OF YOUR CHOICE WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE ON SALE NOW! You can also buy these T-shirts individually at shop.kelsey.co.uk/WS Spain ’82 Capture the imagination from Spain ’82 – Paolo Rossi’s goals and arguably the greatest side never to win the World Cup, Tele Santana’s iconic Brazil team. Mexico ’86 Maradona’s infamous Hand of God goal and the iconic spider shadow on the Azteca pitch will immediately spring to mind with this exclusive jersey. SAVE 20% Enter code SOCCER20 at the checkout when buying two or more Italia ’90 Memories of Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma, Toto Schillaci’s goals for hosts Italy and Gazza’s tears will all be evoked by this special retro T-shirt. • Continue to save 30% off our…

Clubs will be limited in how many players they can send out on loan under new FIFA rules designed to prevent clubs from hoarding players. From July, international loans between clubs will be capped at eight, going down to seven in 2023-24 and six the year after, with FIFA giving domestic associations three years to implement their own systems that fall “in line” with the new international rules. The notion of so-called “feeder clubs”, such as Chelsea’s previous relationship with Dutch side Vitesse, may also come to an end, with clubs limited to a maximum of three loans to a single club at one time. In addition, a written agreement defining the terms of the deal must be submitted to FIFA, outlining the financial conditions of the loan, as well…

“If I were Haaland and I wanted to win the Ballon d’Or, I wouldn’t go to the same team as Mbappe”Barcelona defender Gerard Pique dishes out some transfer advice for Borussia Dortmund’s in-demand striker * Loan move turned permanent ** Player will remain at current club on loan Dusan VLAHOVIC Perhaps the most wanted player in Serie A at the start of January, Vlahovic had a long list of suitors both in Italy and abroad (namely Arsenal), so signing him is a huge boost for Juventus. The Serbian joined Juve with the team lying in fifth place, nine points behind Serie A leaders Inter, with their attackers – Alvaro Morata, Moise Kean, Federico chiesa, Fernando Bernardeschi and Paolo dybala – having scored18 goals between them – just one more than…

The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon was not a riot of fun. Only 100 goals were scored in the 52 games of the tournament, an average of just1.92 per match. Only four tournaments in Africa Cup of Nations history have averaged fewer goals, all of which were much smaller tournaments. While that certainly gives lie to the lazy stereotypes of naive African defending, it also raises an important question: why? In part it’s the pitches. The surface at the Japoma Stadium in Douala was dreadful, cutting up from the very start. It was directly responsible for Sierra Leone’s bizarre, stoppage-time equaliser against Ivory Coast, as the goalkeeper Badra Ali Sangare, diving to try to prevent the ball going out for a corner, landed badly, his knee lodging in…

“One of only four men in the world it’s worth listening to when they talk about soccer”The late Johan Cruyff on former Dutch team-mate WimJansen Paco GENTO (1933-2022) In the history of the European Cup, only two teams (never mind players) have lifted the trophy on more occasions than Francisco “Paco” Gento. As the only man to take part in all of Real Madrid’s first six successes in the competition, he leaves an incredible legacy at the club where he spent all but one of his 19 years as a professional footballer. Beginning his career at Racing Santander, he was so impressive in a performance against Los Blancos that they signed him just three days later. During the1950s, he was the local Madridista in the international front-line starring Alfredo Di…

On Sunday January 23, Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne came on as a halftime substitute in Napoli’s easy 4-1 home win over bottom-of-the-table and seemingly relegation-bound Salernitana. Within two minutes of the restart, Napoli had put the lid on a predictably one-sided game, scoring their third goal through Kosovo national team captain, defender Amir Rrahmani. At this point, you might have expected Napoli to pull in their oars, stop rowing and just cruise. Insigne, however, had no such intentions. Within five minutes, he was off on a typical left-flank run into the penalty area, winning himself a penalty in the process. He promptly scored the penalty himself to take his Napoli goal tally to 115, thus joining the legendary Diego Armando Maradona in third place on the club’s record goalscorers’ ranking.…

When 18-year-old striker Ricardo Pepi swapped FC Dallas for Augsburg in January, he became the latest in a long line of American wonderkids making the German Bundesliga their first stop in Europe. The league has a reputation for developing American players, and a number of current USMNT stars began their European football journey there. These include Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic, formerly of Borussia Dortmund, and midfielder Weston McKennie of Juventus, once of Schalke, while others such as Dortmund’s Giovanni Reyna and Tyler Adams of RB Leipzig still play in the league. Though there is an increasing amount of talent throughout the United States’ squad, finding a first-choice striker has proven troublesome. This is why so much hope is being pinned on Pepi’s move to Germany, and there is optimism he…

“As a youngster you grew up in Galway in the West of Ireland, so how did you come to the attention of Arsenal as a youth player? I played Gaelic football when I was young and of course I also played soccer for my local club, Newcastle. We have an annual competition in Ireland called the Kennedy Cup where all the top schoolboy teams play. I must have impressed Arsenal’s Liam Brady, who was saw me play. How did you get on at Highbury? To be honest I didn’t make the grade. Patrick Cregg, who joined Arsenal around the same time and is now my assistant at Dundalk, made three League Cup appearances, but I never made the first team. [Shamrock Rovers manager] Stephen Bradley was also there at that…

The Women’s Asian Cup, which was hosted by India and dramatically won by China, highlighted the progress being made by the region’s middle powers and a re-ordering of the elite. China came from 2-0 down to beat South Korea 3-2 with a stoppage-time winner, the Steel Roses’ ninth success but their first since 2006. Their opponents, while World Cup regulars, were making their debut in the final. The last two finals had both been 1-0 victories for Japan over Australia, but the Nadeshiko lost to China in the semi-final while the Matildas failed to even make the last four for the first time since entering the event in 2006. The last two finals had both been 1-0 wins for Japan over Australia, but the Nadeshiko lost to China in the…

Jumeaux de M’zouazia’s run to the last 64 of the French Cup ended with a10-0 thrashing from Bordeaux, but the club’s run still represented progress for the Mayotte league. For the second season in a row, a club from the island in the Indian Ocean reached that stage of the Coupe de France following FC Mtsapere’s performance in 2020-21. Mayotte’s only affiliation is to the French federation, and the Coupe de France is the only regular outlet for the126 clubs, which play across four leagues. FC Mtsapere won the last league title and AS Twins won the cup, meaning the pair will be entered into the 2022-23 Coupe de France. FC Mtsapere, AS Jumeaux and AS Sada are the best-supported clubs but all players are amateurs. Mayotte does have a…

GROUP A When Gustavo Sangare scored to put Burkina Faso ahead after 24 minutes of the opening game of the tournament, the probability of a shock loss for the hosts looked real. Cameroon were clearly nervous and struggling under a burden of expectation at the new Olembe Stadium and were there for the taking. But the Burkinabe contrived to throw away the opportunity, giving away two needless penalties and allowing the Indomitable Lions to come back and win the game. Both spot-kicks were converted by captain Vincent Aboubakar for an unconvincing 2-1 triumph but it offered great relief to Cameroon, who were then able to put on a gala performance for their supporters in the next match as they beat Ethiopia 4-1 in Yaounde, with Aboubakar and Karl Toko Ekambi…

Major League Soccer continues to make its mark on the global game as it heads into its 27th season. The movement of players from MLS to other leagues around the world and vice versa has helped raise its profile in recent years, including a steady influx of young talent from South America, promising American and Canadian players leaving to ply their trade in Europe, and big-name arrivals. One of the biggest names will join midway through the 2022 season when Lorenzo Insigne moves to Toronto FC in July. In terms of quality plus profile, he will be one of the best players to ever arrive in MLS. Toronto also hired a new head coach in Bob Bradley and will be looking to reassert themselves after a poor showing in 2021,…

(All kick-off times, if stated, are BST) Friday February 18 ITALY: The Turin derby between Juventus and Torino takes place at Juve’s Allianz Stadium. AFRICA: The second matchday of the CAF Champions League begins, with holders Al Ahly among the sides in action. Saturday February 19 ENGLAND: Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte go head-to-head as Tottenham visit Manchester City. FRANCE: Lens take on Lyon and Nantes face PSG in Ligue 1. Sunday February 20 SPAIN: The Basque derby between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad takes place at the San Mames, with Valencia and Barca also in action. ENGLAND: Leeds United host old arch-rivals Manchester United. WOMEN: The Arnold Clark Cup continues, with England v Spain followed by Canada v Germany. Monday February 21 ITALY: Cagliari face Napoli and Bologna take…

AFCON 2021 GROUP STAGE GROUP A Jan 9 – Yaounde Cameroon 2 (Aboubakar 40 pen, 45+3 pen) Burkina faso1 (Sangare 24) Jan 9 – Yaounde Ethiopia 0 Cape Verde1 (J. Tavares 45+1) Jan13 – Yaounde Cameroon 4 (Toko Ekambi 8, 68, Aboubakar 53, 55) Ethiopia1 (Hotessa 4) Jan13 – Yaounde Cape Verde 0 Burkina faso1 (Bande 39) Jan17 – Yaounde Cape Verde1 (Rodrigues 53) Cameroon1 (Aboubakar 39) Jan17 – Bafoussam Burkina faso1 (Bayala 25) Ethiopia1 (Kebede 52 pen) Final standings Jan 17 – Bafoussam Burkina Faso1 (Bayala 25) Ethiopia1 (Kebede 52 pen) Group B Jan 10 – Bafoussam Senegal1 (Mane 90+7 pen) Zimbabwe 0 Jan 10 – Bafoussam Guinea1 (Sylla 35) Malawi 0 Jan 14 – Bafoussam Senegal 0 Guinea 0 Jan 14 – Bafoussam Malawi 2 (Mhango 43, 58)…

MAKING OF MESSI As Messi mania swept football, World Soccer was there every step of the way, and this special 100-page bookazine tracks Leo’s amazing journey with club and country. Price: £7.99 (print) or £6.99 (digital) shop.kelsey.co.uk/issue/list/publication/WSP GREATEST RIVALRIES From Rome to Cairo, Glasgow to Buenos Aires, Milan to Shanghai and Moscow to Rio de Janeiro, this edition showcases some of the biggest rivalries in football. Price: £7.99 (print) or £6.99 (digital) shop.kelsey.co.uk/issue/list/publication/WSP FACE TO FACE This issue features a collection of interviews with footballing icons, including Maradona, Kaka, Zidane, Xavi, Ronaldo, Cruyff, Sacchi, Pele, Klinsmann, Shearer and Wenger. Price: £7.99 (print) or £6.99 (digital) shop.kelsey.co.uk/issue/list/publication/WSP HISTORY OF THE EUROS Published specifically to coincide with the European Championship’s 60th anniversary, World Soccer chronicles the history of the Euros, from 1960…

The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations really did have everything. There was the drama of tournament debutants Gambia and Comoros progressing to the knockout rounds, while pre-tournament favourites Algeria finished rock bottom of their group; there were farcical scenes, from a referee blowing for full-time five minutes early to Comoros fielding an outfielder in goal; and tragedy, with the Olembe Stadium disaster that claimed the lives of at least eight people. At different times it was entertaining, despairing and heart breaking, but always it was eventful. Mark Gleeson and Jonathan Wilson were both in Cameroon, and attempt to unpack everything that happened in this issue. Elsewhere, the knockout stages of the Champions League, Europa League and inaugural Europa Conference League have rolled into view. As well as looking at the…

SALIMA MUKANSANGA The Rwandan referee made history at the AFCON finals by becoming the first woman to take charge of a match in the competition. After overseeing Zimbabwe’s 2-1 group-stage win over Guinea, Mukansanga told Sky Sports News: “I’m really proud of myself. I’m really happy because it is a big achievement and honour. It’s a privilege… once I got that chance and I got that opportunity I thought: ‘Let me show them, let me open the door for the rest of the women’.” JAMES RODRIGUEZ When Ousmane Coulibaly collapsed during a Qatar Stars League match in January, the quick thinking of opponent James Rodriguez helped save his life. After the former Mali international suffered a heart attack, Colombian midfielder James adjusted his head to make sure that he could…

Supporters whose eyes wander away from the direct action on the pitch may have been mystified by the electronic advertisements for a sponsor by the name of eToro. Was this a Chinese washing-machine manufacturer? A Korean smartphone? Or maybe a brand-new arrival in the sportswear market? None of the above. In fact the Israeli company is what used to be known as a stockbroker, a go-between trader in shares. The difference is that they trade in the new world of cryptocurrencies and their derivatives. A rash of crypto traders have pounced on high-value football clubs in western Europe as a promotional shortcut to the millions of fans who may be enticed to throw “real” money into the financial outer space of “electronic money”. According to sports business specialist SportCal, more…

Can Union Saint-Gilloise script a Leicester City fairy tale? In 2016, the Foxes shocked the world by lifting the Premier League title after barely being expected to achieve survival; now the Belgian underdogs are attempting to do something similar. Simply returning to the top flight after a 48-year absence was cause for celebration for Union, yet after 22 games of the season the club found themselves top of the league with 50 points. The team from the Dudenpark are something of a cult club with their pre-war record, art-deco stadium and deep roots in the capital Brussels. Their popularity was enhanced during the first half of the season, as the team coached by Felice Mazzu swept past the opposition. They played with bravado, applying a flamboyant, attacking style, spearheaded by…

When Achraf Hakimi was sent off against Marseille back in October, Angel Di Maria was the man sacrificed so that Thilo Kehrer could help Paris Saint-Germain see out a 0-0 draw. This seemed like an easy choice for head coach Mauricio Pochettino, as the alternative was to bring off one of PSG’s biggest names: Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi or Neymar. However, when Les Parisiens found themselves a goal down against Lille in the very next game, it was Di Maria who took charge. After Messi had been substituted at half-time, the winger drifted into the box before teeing up Marquinhos for the equaliser with a beautifully dinked cross. The 33-year-old wasn’t finished there, as he played a one-two with Neymar and masterfully placed the ball out of Ivo Grbic’s reach…

Fernando Fadeuille, the sporting director of Defensor Sporting, sighs. “It is impossible. It is not sustainable,” he says. “The majority of Uruguayan clubs have debts and need to sell players to pay those debts, but it is very difficult in a city of1.5 million inhabitants to have 23 professional clubs. In important cities, in Milan you have two clubs. You can’t sustain this.” He knows what he is talking about. After a playing career at Defensor and a slate of other local clubs, as well as brief spells with both Cyprus’ Limassol and Colombia’s Millonarios, Fadeuille enrolled in a sports management course to transition to an executive role at his former club. He understands the domestic scene, which defensor have been a part of since 1913, inside out. The club…

“ What was it like coming through the ranks at Chelsea? When you’re younger, you don’t really realise how privileged you are. It’s only now that I see it. It’s definitely one of the best academies. On the pitch, and off the pitch, you can see how much time and effort they put into looking after the academy. Who else was in your age group? Trevoh Chalobah, Mason Mount, Eddie Nketiah, who’s now at Arsenal. We grew up and went to school together at the academy full time. We just went through the ranks step by step. It’s nice to see that everyone’s taken different paths – maybe one day we’ll all play against each other. Who knows? You won the FA Youth Cup in 2016 and 2017 alongside the…

Senegal lived up to their pre-event billing as favourites and took a first Africa Cup of Nations title although it was by no means a convincing triumph for the continent’s top-ranked team. But the Lions of Teranga’s success will forever have the stain of the deadly stadium stampede that overshadowed the tournament and condemned Cameroon to one of the worst continental championships in decades. The deaths of eight people, with a further seven seriously injured, came as a result of poor organisation, lax security controls and general dereliction of duty. This was an event that came close to being cancelled less than a month before kick-off because of concerns over Cameroon’s hosting ability, which were then realised in horrific tragedy. Yaounde’s newly-built Olembe Stadium, where a surge of fans attempting…

The shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic hangs heavily over the Oceania region’s qualifiers for this year’s World Cup. None of the Oceania Football Confederation’s members were able to secure government permission to host international football, so the entire qualifying process will take place in Qatar – without American Samoa, Tonga or Samoa. Jess Ibrom, technical director at Football Federation Samoa, explains: “It’s impossible to participate. No one is flying into or out of Samoa. The OFC region is a big challenge due to the vaccination rates. I honestly think it will be a few years before there is inter-island football in the region again.” Those countries going can access FIFA’s Forward programme to help fund a trip that for the likes of Tahiti involves travelling 18,000 miles. Eight countries have…

A giant of Asian football, Iran should also be a major power in the world game. Yet one of the country’s problems was laid bare for all to see earlier this year. Persepolis and Esteghlal are the country’s two biggest clubs and two of the biggest in Asia. They’ve got plenty in common: they share the same city of Tehran, the same iconic home – the Azadi Stadium – and each have fans around the world. They were also both thrown out of the 2022 Asian Champions League in January. It had been expected for a while and was confirmed with a short statement from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), as the organisation finally lost patience with the Tehran titans. “The ECB (Entry Control Body) determined that the three clubs…

“This was a sickening collision…yet again, the desire to win is seen as being worth serious risks to players’ health…football simply must take action to enforce and strengthen its protocols”Luke Griggs, deputy chief executive of brain injury charity Headway, criticises the handling of Sadio Mane’s head injury at AFCON Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe said that “we have a duty to find out exactly what happened” after eight people were killed and dozens more injured outside the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. A report by The Guardian found that, ahead of the hosts’ 2-1 victory over Comoros in the last16, thousands of fans attempted to access the ground via one gate to the south, causing overcrowding and eventually a surge. According to…

“Am I playing a desperate card? No…over the next few days we’ll try different things and evaluate players that have not been called up for a while, like Mario, and others that are new”Italy coach Roberto Mancini defends his decision to recall Mario Balotelli (Adana Demirspor) An inspired reunion or an act of desperation? That was the debate in Italy at the end of January, as Mario Balotelli returned to the Azzurri set-up for a training camp ahead of March’s crucial World Cup play-offs. It is the latest chapter in the striker’s tempestuous relationship with manager Roberto Mancini, who has acted as a father figure on some occasions and a despairing disciplinarian at others. Yet with Ciro Immobile, Moise Kean and Andrea Belotti scoring just five goals between them in…

EUROPE’S NEXT POWERHOUSE? By Abdullah Abdullah (Pitch Publishing, £12.99) Chelsea have enjoyed unprecedented success in England and Europe since Roman Abramovich arrived in 2003. The men’s team has set a phenomenally high benchmark, which the Chelsea women’s team now aims to follow. From dissecting the tactical concepts of the team to in-depth player analysis, Chelsea FC Women: Europe’s Next Powerhouse? reveals the factors that have put the Blues on a path to be a force in England and Europe for years to come. LOSING MY SPURS By Anthony Potts (Pitch Publishing, £19.99) Anthony Potts was part of the Tottenham side that won the 1990 FA Youth Cup and earned a place in the England youth team. Later, he was a member of Spurs’ first Premier League squad alongside Paul Gascoigne…

“Sometimes it only takes one person from outside to destroy a beautiful love affair…what has happened and some things that were said about me in the last month have made me very sad”Lucas Digne appears to take a parting shot at former Everton manager Rafa Benitez after joining Aston Villa PEOPLE ON THE MOVE IN EUROPE DELE ALLI joined Everton from Tottenham Hotspur with the deal potentially rising to £40m depending on appearances. CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN returned to the Premier League with Brentford after leaving Internazionale due to his heart condition. Aston Villa paid a reported £2m to sign defender CALUM CHAMBERS from Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers snapped up CHIQUINHO from Estoril for £2.9m. Barcelona signed PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG on a free transfer from Arsenal and Celta Vigo signed ORBELIN PINEDA from…

Few players evoke such a strong response as Noa Lang: to most observers, you either love him or hate him. The 22-year-old Dutch winger of Belgian side Club Brugge doesn’t seem to mind though. Despite his provocations and often ill-considered statements and actions, he made his debut for the Netherlands in October. With Lang, controversy has never been far away. He was born in1999 in the Rotterdam suburb of Capelle aan den Ijssel, where talented players usually end up at Feyenoord. So was the case with Lang, son of a Surinamese father and a Dutch mother, who later married and divorced former Ajax winger and Moroccan international Nourdin Boukhari. It all started when Lang, an Ajax fan, switched to the Amsterdam side as a teenager. From that moment on he…

At just18 years old, Mohamed-Ali Cho is a superstar in the making. After becoming Angers’ youngest-ever Ligue1 goalscorer in a 2-0 victory over Rennes back in August 2021, Cho was called up to Sylvain Ripoll’s France Under-21 team a month later, despite having already represented England at U16 level. It has been a blistering start to his career for the young man from Stains in Seine-Saint-Denis close to Paris. His massive talent has been clear for all to see from the outset on both sides of the English Channel, as he flipped between the academies of West Ham United, Paris Saint-Germain and Everton. Cho was born in France on January19, 2004, but moved to London when he was barely a week old. Growing up, his parents frequently moved between England…

On Iceland’s west coast, huddled on the shores of Faxafloi Bay, can be found the fishing town of Akranes. With a population of a little under 7,500, it is a small settlement, but it is one with a large history thanks to its resident football club. Ithrottabandalag Akraness – more commonly referred to by the initials IA – possess a rich pedigree dating back over half a century to when they became the first club from outside of the capital to win the Icelandic league title. Since then, they have lifted the trophy a further 17 times, placing them as the country’s joint-third most successful club, and the most successful outside Reykjavik by far. But this is not the only aspect by which this provincial Icelandic town can claim to…

His accent is pure southeast English, but Nestor El Maestro is truly a citizen of the world. Born in Serbia and raised in West Sussex, he has coached teams across Europe, including in Germany, Austria, Bulgaria and Slovakia, plus a short-lived stint at Saudi Arabia’s Al Taawoun. His latest post is head coach at top Turkish club Goztepe, where he was appointed in September, succeeding Unal Karaman. “At my level, you don’t get to choose jobs as much as people may think,” the 38-year-old says. “You read about top coaches and how they plan their careers, but I’ve often taken the best available job. “I’d finished my stint in Saudi Arabia three days before the call from Goztepe came, so I jumped at the opportunity.” Based in the coastal city…

4 Portuguese League Cups won by Sporting after they defeated Lisbon arch-rivals Benfica in the final in January to lift the trophy for the second year in a row. 94:52 Minutes on the clock when Tottenham were losing to Leicester City – the latest that a team has been behind before going on to win a Premier League match. £20m Reported price paid by Turkish businessman Acun Ilicali for Championship club Hull City. 0.01 XG rating of Angel Correa’s phenomenal halfway-line goal for Atletico Madrid against Villarreal in January. 3 Games in a row that Fulham scored six or more goals – the first English second-tier side to do so since Everton way back in February 1954. 2 Red cards rescinded by VAR for Brazil goalkeeper Alisson during the World…

LAST 16 African football’s propensity to shoot itself in the foot was no better illustrated than in the last16 when Comoros were denied the use of a goalkeeper in their historic tie against hosts Cameroon, turning the clash into a farce. The debutants, looking to continue their fairy-tale run at the expense of the host nation, suffered a huge crisis before the game with two of their three goalkeepers in quarantine after positive COVID-19 tests and first-choice Salim Ben Boina out with a shoulder injury. This led to several training sessions to test which of their outfield players might be able to fill in but, on the eve of the clash in Yaounde, second-choice goalkeeper Ali Ahamada tested negative (three days after his positive test). A cloud of confusion then…

The 2022 J.League season kicks off on February 18 with Kawasaki Frontale again the team to beat after finishing 13 points clear at the top of the table last campaign and securing their fourth J.League title in five seasons. Kawasaki did this in spite of losing three national team players – Hidemasa Morita, Kaoru Mitoma and Ao Tanaka – to European clubs before and during last season, and still finished the year with seven players in the J.League’s Best XI. For 2022, the defending champions have signed another promising crop of youngsters out of high school and university, lost one of Japan’s most exciting Olympic players – the versatile Reo Hatate, to Celtic – and brought in a big name of Asian football, Thailand captain Chanathip Songkrasin, from Hokkaido Consadole…

The best thing to be said about the 2021 Chinese Super League season is that it was completed. Compared to five years ago, when top-tier clubs spent around £330 million on players in the winter transfer window – more than any other league in the world – there wasn’t much international interest as the 2021 season came to an end. It is even debatable as to how much attention local fans paid to the championship race. “Shandong Taishan savoured winning its fifth Chinese Super League title over the weekend,” said China Daily, the Chinese Communist Party’s newspaper. “However, the news barely caused a stir on social media amid dwindling interest in the financially stricken domestic game.” The financial issues in Chinese football have come to dominate everything. On February 28…

SEASON RANKINGS Cumulative votes through the season GOALKEEPERS Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) 15 Edouard Mendy (Chelsea) 12 Ederson (Manchester City) 7 Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) 5 David Ospina (Napoli) 4 Alisson (Liverpool) 3 David De Gea (Manchester United) 3 Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) 2 Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal) 2 Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim) 1 Walter Benitez (Nice) 1 Bono (Sevilla) 1 Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG) 1 Mark Flekken (Freiburg) 1 Alfred Gomis (Rennes) 1 Samir Handanovic (Internazionale) 1 Mike Maignan (Milan) 1 Juan Musso (Atalanta) 1 Maty Ryan (Real Sociedad) 1 Jose Sa (Wolves) 1 Yann Sommer (B. M’gladbach) 1 DEFENDERS Joao Cancelo (Manchester City) 27 Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) 20 Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli) 17 Ruben Dias (Manchester City) 16 Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) 12 Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea) 11 Achraf Hakimi (PSG) 10 Marquinhos…

Bulgaria 2 Germany1 1994 World Cup, USA In the history of Bulgarian football, few games are as famous as their quarter-final victory over Germany at the1994 World Cup. Bulgaria won 2-1, dethroning the reigning champions, with Hamburg attacker Yordan Letchkov scoring the most important goal of his football career to seal the win. This goal has a special place in my football life. Before the match I was sure that we would win. We had a great generation, with players like Hristo Stoichkov, Emil Kostadinov, Krasimir Balakov, Nasko Sirakov and Borislav Mihaylov, and most of them played for big European clubs. We had the confidence to fight against the biggest teams in the world. Most of us were between 26 and 28 – the perfect age to demonstrate our experience.…