On Sunday evening Villarreal host Celta Vigo at El Madrigal as they go in search of their 8th consecutive home win in La Liga which will equal a record for the Yellow Submarine. Currently sitting sixth, 8 points off 4th-placed Valencia in the race for the Champions League qualification places, Villarreal are in devastating form
An extravagantly talented winger, Sporting Lisbon winger André Carrillo has at last added the missing piece to take his game to the next level – consistency. Carrillo arrived in the Portuguese capital still a teenager in the summer of 2011, and from the outset the Peruvian proved both an explosive and a mercurial performer. With
Roberto Firmino Barbosa de Oliveira was born on October 2, 1991. The Hoffenheim attacking midfielder has proven himself as one of the most talented players in the Bundesliga and in the world. He made his move to the Blues from Figueirense on December of 2010. Firmino is a genuine playmaker who also has an eye for
It’s been quite a year for João Mário. Just over twelve months ago, the then 20-year-old Sporting Lisbon prospect was sent on loan to fellow Portuguese top flight club Vítoria de Setúbal. It was felt he had outgrown the club’s B-team and a more advanced level was required to develop his precocious talent. The decision
George Puscas is an 18-year old Romanian forward, who plays for Internazionale Milano. He joined the club from Liberty Oradea in 2013, although he had also trained with Arsenal for a short period. He is a fairly versatile player as he can play as a center forward, second striker, or a left winger. He is
In 2010, a 15 year old Domenico Berardi travelled to Modena to visit his older brother Francesco at university, only to start a professional career out of a regular five-a-side game between the siblings and a group of friends. One of his brother’s friends was so startled at Domenico’s talent he made a phone call
With the departure of Gareth Bale, Tottenham Hotspur lacked a catalyst in their ambitious André Villas-Boas-inspired project. While Spurs are most definitely not “there” yet, they have seemingly picked up a player this past summer who will - I have no doubt about this - prove to be THE player to take their project forward,
In the month of August in 2008, the Abu Dhabi United Group took ownership of Manchester City Football Club, buying out then owner Thaksin Shinawatra. Though signing a Brazilian - Robinho - was their landmark moment, few people could’ve foreseen that the signing of a £34m-rated Brazilian midfielder who was born in Londrina, Paraná would
So far in this transfer window, we have witnessed Liverpool doing their business early to secure their targets. Mignolet, Aspas, Alberto and Kolo Toure have all arrived on Merseyside before the transfer window has officially opened. Another rumoured target is Shaktar Donetsk’s Armenian midfield man, Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Obviously, like many others, I knew little on
This summer has shown Spain’s dominance on the international stage has no sign of ending just yet as their under-21s strolled to victory in the European Championships out in Israel. One of the stand-out stars was the top-scoring Alvaro Morata who struck four goals and made UEFA’s team of the tournament. Finally gaining recognition as
Asked to think of an English football club signing an Argentine and names like Sergio Aguero & Carlos Tevez will, in all likelihood, come to you fairly quickly. Ask a West Bromwich Albion supporter that same question and chances are, he’ll instantly respond with 2 words, 1 name - “Claudio Yacob”. A central midfielder in
Brazil have created some of the most talented and gifted footballers over the years. The likes of Pele, Falcao, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo have all dazzled the world with their samba brilliance, yet their footballing history has possibly been too top heavy. Too many attackers, not enough defenders to be held in such wondrous regard. Even
After Blackburn’s hapless owners Venky’s finally lost patience with Steve Kean seven matches into this season, the decision was made to turn to Henning Berg, former centre-half at Rovers and fans’ favourite, charged with the unenviable task of guiding the Lancashire club back to the Premier League at the first time of asking by the
The tear-stained tissues still serve as a fresh reminder of the early retirement of a Spurs great. After Ledley King’s decision to hang-up his boots Tottenham needed a new defensive lynchpin; a new Tottenham boy to be excited about; and something to shout about in the coming season. The victory at Old Trafford against Man United, the
There was nothing unconventional about 19 year old Paul Pogba signing for Juventus, who had won the Scudetto in an unbeaten season.The former Le Harve youth player traded the red of Manchester United for the the black and white of Juventus (although formerly of Notts County since 1903). It seems to be a given that Paul Pogba
In a so far frustrating season both on and off the pitch, the emergence of Stephan El Shaarawy has been one of the few things Milan fans have had to get excited about. Now with the versatile 20 year old, who can play in central midfield as well as in attack, improving seemingly game by
Full Name: Sebastian Rode Age: 22 (11th October, 1990) Club: Eintracht Frankfurt Nationality: Germany Position: Central Midfield The Bundesliga has harboured many a footballing talent. It has done so for the past half a century. From the legendary Franz Beckenbauer to the recent emergence of teenage sensation Mario Götze, it’s a proven hotbed for annoyingly talented
Big game in the Italian Serie A on the cards this weekend as joint league leaders Juventus and Napoli square off in the battle to first. Many, including myself, are quite surprised with how strong Napoli have started off their Serie A campaign this season especially after losing one of their best players, Ezequiel Lavezzi,
The electrifying form of Tom Ince for Ian Holloway’s adventurous Blackpool is, as always seems to, attracting the interference of the British press in order to link the young Englishman to the higher echelons of the domestic game. It has become an expectation now that, after a promising individual displays good form for a team
It can be too easy to get entrenched in attributing plaudits to the Crewe Alexandra production line, an act everybody throughout the domestic football pyramid liked to get involved in over the summer as Nick Powell, the jewel in Crewe’s League Two promotion crown, completed his multi-million pound move to Manchester United and Ashley Westwood
Finding new world class talents in Russia has never been a serious problem, in fact looking back over the years, Russia has consistently produced players who are perfectly capable of playing at the highest level possible, and going on to star for the biggest clubs in Europe - just look at Andrey Arshavin for example.
As you can probably imagine, trying to write an article about a guy called Jesus is a task fraught with difficulties. Just as I start to type, all kinds of religious puns spring to mind and I become desperate to fill the article with hyperbole about how Juan Jesus is a gift from heaven to
You might well have heard of the name: Dejan Lovren. A gangly, elegantly composed, ball-playing Croatian defender currently plying his trade in France with Lyon. Having made his mark with the Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb’s youth team, Lovren was quickly attracting the attention of several top level European sides. And in 2010, he was off,
General Information- Age: 19 Nationality: English and Nigerian (Played for England youth levels, but still eligible for both senior teams) Height: 6 ft 3 Position: Central Midfielder Plays for: Crewe Alexandra (On loan from Arsenal) Aneke joined Arsenal in 2001 but has so far only managed to make 1 appearance for the Gunners,
Scottish football has very little to shout about at the moment. Poor performances from the national team, a mediocre Premier League, a shambolic governing body and one of world football’s most famous clubs languishing in the Irn-Bru Third Division wilderness all paint a bleak picture of the so-called beautiful game. However, promising performances from the