Top clubs like Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are still fighting to become a strong force to be reckoned with in European football. But Valencia has reached seven major continental finals and won four of them. On the domestic…

If there is one god, She fancies herself a playwright.  The life she scripts for us is filled with comedy and drama. Two of the funniest jokes in the world are that Donald Trump declared himself a presidential candidate and David Cameron…

First, let me apologise to Erik ten Hag. I intended to write about the wonderful work he’s doing at Ajax today but Barcelona interfered. He’ll understand. Frenkie de Jong remains his player only until June and possibly Matthijs…

Playing a crucial role in winning two Premier League titles in three years usually places a squad member in high regard. Diego Costa is the exception to the rule. He left Chelsea prematurely in 2017, three years into his five-year deal…

In the beginning, there was a vast sporting void. Then the English created Football. They ventured out from their Albion Garden of Eden to spread the game to the world while taking everything else in return. When the rest of the world…

La Liga’s often perceived as this dystopian land fought over between two kings. Often a gritty warrior in Atletico Madrid comes along to rule the roost, yet are largely overpowered by Barcelona and Real Madrid. The interest level for…

Just yesterday I saw it again on TV; the clip showing Luis Suarez weeping like a baby following Liverpool's collapse in the match against Crystal Palace. Under Brendan Rodgers in 2014 the Anfield side came agonisingly close to winning a…

Imagine returning to work from maternity leave. You expect to ease back into the grind, maybe pass around selfies of you and the little bundle of joy on the first day, bask in the obligatory praise, tell a few horror stories about labour and…

To the victor goes the spoils, it’s said. The conqueror writes history. If the conquest is sufficiently supreme, he doesn’t even need to put pen to paper. The conquered will [mistakenly] remember that life was always as it was under…

Real Madrid attracts players like bridal magazines attract trophy wives. No matter how many clubs they’ve played for, everyone wants to wear white. Eden Hazard and Paul Pogba are the latest allegedly smitten by Los Blancos. Both players…

La Roja are still in transition mode. If not the FIFA World Cup disaster, then Luis Enrique’s team selection for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers served as proof. The selection announcement itself was a peculiar one he’s made a…

Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers blows his whistle reluctantly. He’s even more reticent about booking players. All that paperwork, I guess. Whatever his reasons, Kuiper’s forbearance makes for a fluid game. Juventus began their Champions…

The prodigal father returned to Real Madrid. After Los Blancos endured their biggest humiliation in many years, Florentino Perez grovelled to bring back Zinedine Zidane. This time, however, it’s on the Frenchman's terms.  That…

If Gareth Bale was debating whether it may be the time to leave Real Madrid, he’ll be sure of it now. The return of Zinedine Zidane is likely to be the final nail in his dying Los Blancos career. Bale and Zidane never had a fruitful working…

When a virus infects your computer, sometimes the only recourse is to reset the system to a point in time when the problem didn’t exist. Real Madrid lost their last four home games under Santiago Solari. Opponents outscored them 11-2…