Manchester City striker and captain Carlos Tevez recently lashed out in a verbal confrontation with manager Roberto Mancini while being substituted in a game versus Bolton Wanderers. Within days of this event, he handed in his transfer request only to have it turned down by the club. This event was the culmination of a series of events surrounding the life of Carlos Tevez.
Remember this goal? It was the 1986 World Cup. Argentina met England in the quarter-finals. A play developed where Maradona found himself leaping for a header with the opposing goalie fast approaching. When Maradona realized he couldn’t reach the ball with his head, it happened…
Owners can spend too much money. Yes, that is correct, you can spend too much money. They end up buying problems and not building a base/foundation at the club. Think about it, when you go to a restaurant do you need to buy four plates of food? Perhaps one and then three appetizers. What ends up happening is players talent is wasted. As a result of this you have disgruntled players which creates for a bad atmosphere within the locker room and lack of performance on the pitch.
I am disappointed to announce that my favorite player, Zinedine Zidane, was a supporter of the 2022 Qatar bid. Not only did he support the bid but he campaigned for it…and was paid a hefty sum of money. The agreement was Zidane would receive 3 million dollars for allowing his name to support the Qatar bid. And if Qatar won the bid then he would receive 15 million. Not a bad pay cheque for doing relatively nothing.
Ukrainian striker and AC Milan legend Andriy Shevchenko is a player that is often forgotten when great strikers are discussed yet he is one we can learn much from. It was unfortunate to see him move to Chelsea in the prime of his career and not produce the same results he did while playing for Milan, however, no matter what, we can always learn from a talented player. Shevchenko’s talent and the number of goals he scored in his career (and counting) must be respected.
Declan Hill, Canadian journalist and author of the book The Fix could not have summed up the questions, concerns and emotions felt by millions of soccer fans across the world after the announcement that Russia and Qatar would be hosting the 2018 and 2022 world cups respectively.
Brazilian Ronaldo was nicknamed “the fenomeno” for his brilliance early in his career. However, unfortunately, many people remember him for his later years as a footballer. Those were the years when he let his body go in terms of conditioning. His lifestyle off the pitch had eventually caught up to him and his weight gain and poor conditioning shortened his career. Nevertheless, he is arguable still the best striker of all time. Despite two massive knee injuries in the prime of his career he was able to become world player of the year again and lead Brazil to world cup glory. In this blog we take a closer look at Ronaldo in his early days at FC Barcelona and what we can learn from the young fenomeno.
“Nice try”…”un-lucky”…”next time”…”don’t worry”…are statements all of us hear on the field during a soccer game, especially in North America. These words act as a support mechanism when things don’t work out how we would have liked. Rather than feel discouraged by a bad pass, you’re quickly consoled by coaches and fans alike: “it’s ok John, better luck next time buddy.” I’d like to be the first to say it’s not ok.
When two teams that have the calibre of Manchester United and Tottenham of the English Premier League meet, there is bound to be some controversy. This passed weekend (Oct 30, 2010), the two sides met in what proved to be a very good, but dramatic, game. While Manchester United was leading 1-0, this following incident occurred:
Each of us has our own ideas as to what a good captain is and how he should behave. The ideal captain for me is someone who can inspire his entire team. He puts everything out on the field and works for the greater goal rather than any individual accolades. He sticks up for any one of his teammates when necessary. He is a vocal leader but can also lead by example on the pitch. Not only that but he is a great player, plays consistently at a high level and can even win big games.
How many of us wish we were as good as Lionel Messi in soccer; Michael Jordan in basketball; or Wayne Gretzky in hockey? Why is it that we wish, and not act? Why do we make it seem as though these players simply grew up with supernatural skills and succeeded with ease, rather then understand that they devoted their lives to the sport? Why is it we tell ourselves we can’t be as good as Messi, Jordan or Gretzky?…because we make excuses.
The Brazilian national soccer team that won the 1970 World Cup in Mexico was a team that we can always learn from. They played some of the best possession and attacking football seen to this day.
Watch the build up and finally triumphant goal that Carlos Alberto scored off the Pele assist in the 1970 world cup versus Italy. The Brazilian players were calm and collective with the ball in their defense third all the way into the offensive third before the goal was scored. What an incredible play to witness. I can only imagine what it must have felt like to be in the stadium and witness this moment of history with my own eyes.