Erling Haaland has posted only once on X in the past two weeks. The message was unremarkable and safe but notable nevertheless for a player of the Manchester City striker’s profile using a platform that has become a no-go zone for many footballers. All together 🩵 pic.twitter.com/YozFL4EdKC — Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) January 29, 2025 Haaland’s … Read more
USWNT head coach Emma Hayes is ready to dismantle the men’s soccer blueprint on the women’s game. (Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF) Emma Hayes began with a powerpoint, but soon ditched it and spoke from the heart. She was outlining her paradigm-shifting vision for U.S. soccer. She’d been refining it for months, … Read more
Halfway line Here’s a sublime wallop from just inside his own half by Heracles’ Mario Engels against Ajax on 21 October. Unfortunately his side let their lead slip and lost 4-3. This long-range effort on 1 June was measured at 62 yards and scored by Real Salt Lake’s Chicho Arango in a 5-1 rout of … Read more
Damian Lewis may be an award-winning actor – but Zinedine Zidane showed him levels when it came to a performing masterclass. The Real Madrid legend encountered the Band of Brothers and Homeland star at Soccer Aid in 2010, where the Frenchman quickly found it wasn’t your usual charity match. 6 Zidane was on the wrong … Read more
A sharp, anxious intake of breath, followed by a round of applause that carries a mixture of quiet admiration and, more than anything, relief. On other occasions, it ends with supporters shaking their heads and asking why. We are talking about the crowd reaction to — and I’m borrowing this description from a colleague who … Read more
One of the worst things about seeing Rodri in agony on the pitch against Arsenal in September – and the subsequent news that he had ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament – was that in the buildup to the injury he had criticised the workload being put on players. It was as if he knew something … Read more
The 2024 calendar year has been one to remember in world soccer. There was heavy Spanish flair all year long with Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph, Real Madrid winning the Champions League, Rodri taking home the Ballon d’Or and Los Blancos not showing up for the ceremony. Stateside, a new era began for the U.S. women’s … Read more
Pep Guardiola’s list of symptoms is long and unsettling. He has trouble sleeping. He can only take light meals in the evening. On some days, he does not eat at all. He finds it difficult to read because his mind keeps wandering. He feels, at times, intensely lonely. Things can get so bad that they … Read more
Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerDec 18, 2024, 04:00 AM ET With temperatures dipping and the winter chill beginning to bite up in the terraces, many clubs in the Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga and beyond have released their official Christmas sweaters to keep their fans cosy throughout the festive period. Where once we were awash in … Read more
‘När Europeisk fotboll går mot ruinen brant, lever vi kvar i en tillvaro med Guldkant’ The message stretched across two vast banners, spanning the expanse of the Northern Stand of the Eleda Stadium. Malmo’s fans had something to say, and the visit of Rangers in September for the first game of the club’s Europa League … Read more