What if for a moment it were in our hands, in everyone's hands, to become professional football players? Let's imagine a society in which there are no innate abilities and we do not know luck. Everyone starting from the same starting point and each one choosing his or her more or less achievable goal. A …
Sun and clouds in Manchester
Last Saturday Manchester dawned sunny, at least half of the city. No, the news is not the weather. In fact, I don't know whether it was the sun or the clouds that accompanied the busy English city on an entertaining morning of football. The war to defend the city's name was implicit. However, the outcome …
The extinct art of closing a game
After the irruption of new and multiple competing options to football within the entertainment industry, I consider it attractive to bring up an unusual fact to date in the history of our beloved sport: the extinction of close scores and subsequent celebrations. Despite being somewhat related, a closed match is not the same as watching …
Is this the end, my only friend?
437 months or, in other words, 36 years. Are they a representation of time gone by or a vestige of a future yet to be written? Many of those who once kissed the ground he walked on, branded him a coward for leaving for Italy. A minor league, they said, a paradise for those with …
Covering newspaper headlines or needs?
Covering newspaper headlines or covering needs? One of the most extravagant transfer windows in history is in its final throes and that's the only question on my mind. After a considerable reduction in revenues due to the global pandemic we find ourselves immersed in, it seems appropriate to underline that attracting talent is never free, …
Money, money, money
As children we are told that money does not bring happiness, but we are encouraged to associate it as a synonym of success in life. As if this were not a remedy for all ills but an alternative. Even if we resign ourselves to the fact that our sport is extraordinarily long-lived and traditional, the …
Eden, where is your garden?
No matter what team you support, there are some clubs that are associated with greatness and success in the sport, both historically and consistently. One of them is Real Madrid. Let’s move then to the Spanish capital, where there is some concern over the latest of their galactic acquisitions. With his signing, the club intended …
How much does a Premier League title cost?
A good offense wins games but a good defense wins championships. That quote from Sir Alex Ferguson seems to be the guiding premise behind the sporting planning of his fellow countrymen Manchester City, and at last, it seems to be bearing results. 400 million euros later, a sum as staggering as it is demeaning, the …
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Football can save your life
This is the story of how a player went from wearing an electronic ankle bracelet and even serving a curfew to becoming his country's leading striker. He never had it easy. In fact, his first club, Sheffield Wednesday, chose to terminate his contract because of his poor physical presence. That setback dragged the irascible player …
Going Abroad
You arrive at an early age in a city, which is usually far from yours and hopefully in your country. You learn to live away from your own people and start living with those who will be your battle partners for years to come, both in the classroom and on the fields. They end up …