In a career spanning 16 years, Mateja Kežman would score 238 goals in 485 games as a professional footballer travelling the world. Impressive undoubtedly...
Author - Gary Thacker
This quote was offered up by Michael Carrick but, in fairness, given the reputation of the teak-tough defender, who once declared to manager Sir Alex Ferguson...
Anyone knowingly comparing himself to the legendary Brazilian may initially be perceived as being somewhat ambitious in his self-appraisal. Not adverse to a...
Interviewed by ‘FourFourTwo’ in May 2018, Rafael van der Vaart remarked, “I shouldn’t have left Tottenham, but AVB wasn’t the right coach for me.”...
For players at clubs such as Real Madrid, breaking through from the academy ranks can be the sternest of challenges. To do so at a time when Los Blancos were...
On the last day of January 2006, with his club in danger of relegation from the Premier League, Harry Redknapp pulled off one of his last-minute transfer...
On 1 August 2007, Manchester City continued their rebuilding programme under the care of Sven-Göran Eriksson by signing Elano from Shakhtar Donetsk for a...
As with most football clubs honouring their outstanding players when the curtain is finally drawn down on a glittering career, atleticodemadrid.com, probably...
Modern football is a demanding business, with players required to be at peak physical fitness in order to deliver their best performances on the field...
Mark Viduka arrived at Leeds United from Celtic in exchange for £6 million as David O’Leary continued the spending spree that would eventually bring ruin to...
In the summer of 2005, just after José Mourinho had made Chelsea the champions of England for the first time in fifty years, Michael Essien signed for the club...
After being signed from Cannes, where he debuted for the club at 17 and was captain two years later, Patrick Vieira’s career seemed to be heading into the...
In November 2003, Olympique Lyonnais visited the Olympic Stadium in Bavaria to play Bayern Munich in a Champions League tie. The winning goal for the French...
When Graeme Souness went back to his old stamping ground of Ibrox in June 2000 to sign the Turkish midfielder Tugay Kerimoğlu for his newly-promoted club...
It was approaching half-time with Portugal and Iran locked in a goalless draw in their final Group B qualifying match. After a pulsating draw against Spain in...
Gabby Agbonlahor’s playing career with Aston Villa, ended with the completion of the 2017-18 season when the club declined to renew his contract, despite the...
“Mark Clattenburg is by far our best referee…” And, before you go reaching for your tablet or smartphone and jump onto social media to dispute that, it’s...
For reasons surpassing normal logic, former prime minister Tony Blair was invited onto the BBC’s Football Focus programme in 2005 to discuss his supposed love...
In purely footballing terms, Fabrizio Miccoli was a successful striker appearing for a number of Serie A clubs including Juventus and Fiorentina, scoring 211...
Back in the latter years of the 1990s, Leicester City fans had often chimed up with a chant of “Bruno, Bruno,” whenever Emile Heskey featured in a game. I used...
Whilst the names of Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani would, in all probability, be the initial responses to any request to name the top Uruguayan strikers...
If you’re the sort of player who travels the world kicking around various leagues having a decent, but hardly world-shattering career, with a hairstyle that...
You know that quiz question. “Who was the first million-pound footballer?” Hands shoot up and out comes the chorus, like clockwork, “Trevor Francis!” goes the...
On the first day of September 2001, England travelled to Munich to face old adversaries Germany in a World Cup qualifying game. Within six minutes of kick-off...
If you’re the manager of a Premier League club and your secretary wants to put a call through to you from “George Weah” odds are you’re at least going to take...
So, here’s a question for you? Who do you think has scored the most goals in international football? Pelé? Nope, not even close. Ronaldo? Closer, but no cigar...
The very mention of the name Ajax conjures up images of a conveyor belt of stellar talent pouring forth from the most celebrated club in Dutch football. It’s a...
Born in Istanbul on 23 November 1979, Nihat Kahveci began his playing career with the junior club Arabanspor. Identified as a possible talent at a much higher...
When Morten Gamst Pedersen arrived at Ewood Park, he was set to fill some big boots. In West London, José Mourinho was throwing around Roman Abramovich’s...
Was it simply the right time and the right place? Perhaps it was that iconic jerky intro music and visuals. “Campionato! Di Calcio! Italiano!” insisted the...
In January 2003, Birmingham City were back in the top tier of English football. After missing out on promotion via the play-offs on a couple of occasions...
Featuring the likes of Michael Laudrup and Preben Elkjær, the Danish team at the 1986 World Cup with jet-heeled strikers and elegant midfielders played such a...
In July 1997, the then Celtic manager, Wim Jansen pounced when Feyenoord fell into a contract dispute with their star striker. In four years with the Rotterdam...
“The best left-footed striker of a ball I have ever seen!” It’s a quote from Steven Gerrard and reflects the time when Berger was at the height of his powers...
It’s 24 April 1996 and Iceland are playing Estonia in Tallinn. Starring for the visitors is 34-year-old Arnór Guðjohnsen, one of the country’s top strikers who...
Sometimes achieving hero status at a club can take a while. You labour long and hard for a club, offering dedicated service, often playing through injury, and...
With his long flowing blond locks trailing behind him as he set off on one of his runs, Claudio Caniggia took on the image of a stallion in full flight. Power...
At almost every successful club there’s ‘that’ player. He’s the one often closest to the hearts of the fans. Not the best in any particular position...
The 1994-95 Premier League season saw Blackburn Rovers top the table and pick up the trophy as champions of England. Looking at the club’s current position in...
For a number of young players seeking that elusive breakthrough into first-team action with a top-level English club, a diversion onto the continent is...
On the first day of 2019, Billy Sharp scored the 220th goal of his professional career. It made him the top English goalscorer in the 21st century and helped...
At the age of 32, Giuseppe Rossi was back at Manchester United’s Carrington training ground. The forward who had left the Red Devils back in 2007, was back in...
Liverpool’s oh-so-near miss in pursuit of the Premier League title and their hectic journey in the Champions League has seen their front line lauded as they...
In the January 2018 transfer window, Portuguese midfielder Bebé signed a three-year deal with Spanish club Rayo Vallecano and may, at last, have found a home...
There are very few players who leave a club at the lower reaches of the Premier League, being considered broadly as a failure, but then go on to become a star...
Trying to make your way in football, despite being in the shadow of a famous father or brother can be hard enough, but when a player has both those things, the...
For an Italian footballer with a record of international honours reaching as far back as the Azzurri U16 team, passing through all of the age groups and...
In early March, MLS club LA Galaxy faced a conundrum with their squad of players. The somewhat convoluted rules governing the league state that each club can...
Legend has it that, back in the early months of 2003, when Roman Abramovich was searching for a place in the UK to deposit his stash of roubles, his early...
Ever since Roman Abramovich arrived at Stamford Bridge to rejuvenate the fortunes of Chelsea Football Club, so much of the power-brokering at boardroom level...