Teachings of Packaged Drinking Water: How To Be A Footballing Fraud
There is a lot of mystery around mainstream products and the marketing campaigns around it, and there are enough examples in the football ecosystem who have taken a similar, dodgy path to…
The FIFA World Cup: A legacy tournament, but still a fan favourite?
The World Cup is not what Jules Rimet envisioned it as anymore: a picture of peace and togetherness. In the inflated club ecosystem, international tournaments have faded in importance too. For the…
Bas Dost – the minimalist misfit of Dutch Football
Is it right to ostracise someone simply because they don’t fit a preconceived mould? Does it make them any less successful? Bas Dost is one of Europe’s most prolific goal scorers, has…
Good, but not quite elite: The story of Edin Džeko – Part 2
When Željezničar sold Edin Džeko, one of their owners called the €25,000 fee a lottery. Twelve years and hundreds of goals later, the Bosnian forward has carved himself a remarkable niche in…
Edin Dzeko: From Yugoslav minefields to Champions’ League semis – Part 1
As a kid, Edin Dzeko used to play football in the fields of Sarajevo, unsure whether he’ll be able to play there the next day. This is Part One of his incredible…
Medellin Adventures – The shadow of Pablo Escobar over Colombian football
Atlético Nacional, once financially backed by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, is the biggest club in Colombia and a team steeped with both success and horrible tragedy. Santokie Nagulendran visited the club in…
Total Football Evolution – From Michael Jackson to The Weeknd
Is the relationship between football and the people of the Netherlands, love or lust? Total football’s evolution, from Cruijff to Depay, has been mirrored by popular music’s shift in themes, from Michael…
Oscar Heisserer: The Footballer Who Defied the Nazis
One of the most versatile players of his generation, Frenchman Oscar Heisserer was coveted by the Nazis in order to aid the German National team. Yet he defied them and created an…
The Magical Mystery Tour – Liverpool’s Road to Roma
The doors are locked, the belts buckled as Liverpool FC head for the Magical Mystery Tour of AS Roma – the tunes of The Beatles’ album epitomising the spirit of their city.…
An Ode to Andres Iniesta – A Kiss From Fuentealbilla
Andres Iniesta is among a dying breed of midfielders that can turn, nutmeg, run, pause, cut inside and shoot – all on a dime. He’s come a long long way from the…
Watching Arsène Wenger from the other side
As Arsène Wenger walks into the sunset after 22 years in charge, we look at his Arsenal career from the opposite corner, and get a glimpse of his immense contribution to the…
Identity Crisis of Modern Fullbacks – Football’s Most Underappreciated Role
There is a new theory of football being a weak-link sport. Which is to say, a fullback like Nélson Semedo is a more important purchase for Barcelona than Phil Coutinho, despite the…
The MLS Player You Should Philosophically Fall in Love With
Our favorite players may reveal subtle or obvious values and biases we have. In the 2018 edition of the MLS, there is a wealth of worthy candidates that could be our ideal…
Tomáš Řepka: The Man With An Unbreakable Character
Tomas Repka had a reputation as a fierce player known for being sent off, but he had a strong loyalty to West Ham Football Club which was reciprocated by the fans. Danny…
Iniesta, David Silva, Isco and The Biggest Show on the Planet
Joel Slagle has always been a skeptic when it comes to Spanish football, but even he cannot resist the magic of Iniesta, Silva, and Isco. The three magicians are set to bamboozle…
Football’s Finest Supervillain – Cristiano Ronaldo Hijacking Messi’s Glory
From being a thought crime in 2012 to a thought experiment in 2017, the idea of Cristiano Ronaldo as a football player on a par with Lionel Messi will be one of…
Arigato, Arsène Wenger – The Portrait of a Sensei
Arsene Wenger is known for many things – his Japanese philosophy, his then-revolutionary training methods, and The Invincibles – but he equally represents the idea of football as art, and its principled…
A Crossover Episode – MLS in the Premier League
“Infinity War is the most ambitious crossover event in history.” FP: “How would it be, if, in a not too distant future, we have an MLS team playing in the Premier League?”…
The political power of Diego Maradona through five World Cups – Part 2
Diego Maradona landed from a helicopter for his unveiling at Napoli. Playing the messiah came naturally. It was the beginning of a phase that would catapult him to the greatest heights reached…
A Love Letter to the Scissor Kick
If the answer is ”the scissor kick”, the question of course is, ”What do Chilean strawberries, a Spanish Spy, the Aztecs and Peter Crouch have in common?” Dear Chilena, I found your name…
Manchester City and NAC Breda: A long-distance relationship
NAC Breda have been average, reaching the highs and lows of Dutch football. However, a player-loan partnership with the Premier League champions, Manchester City could reshape the club’s destiny. On the black…
Hillsborough Doesn’t Leave You – A Liverpool Fan’s Postcard from Azores, Portugal
In 2014, Liverpool was pushing to win the league for the first time in 25 years. Globetrotting Liverpool fan Pete Martin found himself in the Portuguese islands of Azores watching a title-deciding…
The political power of Diego Maradona through five World Cups – Part 1
Diego Maradona is probably the biggest enigma football has known in its history. He was regaling local audiences by the age of 5, and became a subject for national news before he…
The Show Must Go On: An Alternative Match Report for Spurs vs Man City
The Spurs vs Man City match-up last weekend was far from the fast-paced spectacle we expected, but it gave us a glimpse into why Pep Guardiola’s men have wrapped up the title…
Dulwich Hamlet: The story of a fight to preserve grassroots football in the UK
Lower division football clubs around the UK are having to fight a steep battle for survival. We look at Dulwich Hamlet and Millwall, and how they are facing offshore corporations, private equity…
Punching the Glass Ceiling – Sergio Aguero, the Contender
Born into hardship, Sergio Aguero has been punching above his weight all his life. As Manchester City gain momentum, the Argentine is ready to go another round. The year is 1976. Rocky,…
Liverpool fans, You Are Allowed to Enjoy This – An Alternative Match Report
Read this carefully Liverpool fans, as not one match report will tell you this: Good things happen, and you are allowed to enjoy it. You are allowed to add the theme song from…
FC Barcelona, The Fox in a Wolf’s Den – An Alternative Match Report
AS Roma vs Barcelona played out like one of Aesop’s Fables. Barcelona, the wily fox stood philosophising triangles and combinations under the grapevine, while the wolf of AS Roma simply leapt at…
Mafia Madness and ‘The Miracle of Castel di Sangro’ – A Book Review
Joe McGinniss’s The Miracle of Castel di Sangro is everything a story should be. Tom Bogert tells you exactly why this maddening tale of mafia mischief and football is a book everyone…
A Barcelona Fan’s Exploration of Francisco Franco’s Fascist Real Madrid
This is a Barcelona fan’s exploration into the fascist history of Real Madrid and the indelible black mark left on the all-whites by Spanish military dictator Francisco Franco. The telling of this…