On January 25, 1995, one of the most astonishing moments in football history took place in a match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United at Selhurst Park. In the 47th minute, United’s star man Eric Cantona launched himself over an advertising board to kung-fu kick and punch a fan in the crowd. The incident landed
Steven Gerrard won the Champions League, UEFA Cup, FA Cup (x2) and League Cup (x3) during his 17 years in Liverpool’s first team. He also racked up 114 appearances for England in a 14-year international career, scoring 21 goals along the way. When a player retires, fans are sometimes guilty of hyping them up to
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, two footballers were widely considered to be the best in the world: Brazilian Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane. The latter was many neutrals’ favourite player, largely thanks to his 1998 World Cup performances for France and that Champions League final goal for Real Madrid against Bayer Leverkusen. Given his
Playing for your country is viewed by many as the highest accolade a footballer can receive. Almost every legend of the game represented their nation at senior level at least once, with a few notable exceptions. One of those exceptions, Paolo Di Canio, was among the Premier League’s most entertaining talents in the late 1990s
In 2012, Jose Mourinho brought an end to Barcelona’s dominance under Pep Guardiola by leading Real Madrid to La Liga glory. A year later, he left the Bernabeu and returned to Chelsea. Everything seemed to be going so well for the Portuguese coach after two seasons at Madrid, so why did he suddenly depart after
In 2008, Ronaldinho surprised the football world by choosing to wear the number 80 shirt at AC Milan after joining the Italian club from Barcelona. The Brazil legend was a marketing machine in those days, with his “R10” brand plastered all over kids’ football boots and various other merchandise. So why did someone so synonymous
