In my latest weekly opinion piece for The Bubble, I predictably took a look at Lionel Messi, who won the Ballon d'Or for the World Player of the Year for the fifth time on Monday. Individual awards are a bit daft in a team sport though, in my opinion, so rather than the achievement of winning the... Continue Reading →
The World Cup starts today! So apropos of nothing, here’s the whole of the 1986 final
For no other reason than I found it on YouTube a couple of nights ago and thought it would be fun to share for those who want to fill some time whilst waiting for Thursday's opening ceremony and Brazil v Croatia, here's the final of the Mexico '86 World Cup, played between Argentina and West... Continue Reading →
Messi hat trick takes him past Maradona & into joint second in Argentina top scorers list
Argentina have had two recent draws in World Cup qualifying, 0-0 at home to Colombia and 1-1 away to Ecuador, and are now assured of at least a playoff place for Brazil 2014 - one win from their remaining three games is enough to secure their place. On Friday night, they celebrated with a friendly... Continue Reading →
In the thirty-fifth episode of Hand Of Pod Sam, Dan, Dan and Seba begin with a discussion of just how much of a massive idiot Carlos Tevez is, and conclude with a reflection on Cristian Fabbiani's suitability for the second division in Argentina. In between we discuss Wednesday night's Brazil v Argentina friendly second leg, Seba... Continue Reading →
As kick off edges closer, now only just over three hours away, there's another preview of the Copa América by me; this time focussing more on the Argentine national team and how they're likely to line up, as well as a few of the issues surrounding the side. It's over on the excellent In Bed... Continue Reading →
The Hand Of God turns 25
You've probably already seen elsewhere, but this is an Argentine football website, so I couldn't let it pass un-noticed. 25 years ago today, Argentina took on England in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup in the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, and Diego Maradona scored two goals that have come to encapsulate Argentine football:... Continue Reading →
The eighth episode of Hand Of Pod looks at the ongoing feud between Carlos Tevez and Argentina's national team coach Sergio Batista, as well as taking in our thoughts on the Racing vs Boca Juniors clásico last Saturday and much more besides. You can get it, as ever, on the HOP blog, or subscribe on... Continue Reading →
The year 51 A.D.
That's 'After Diego'. We're entering that year today, because Saturday, 30th October 2010 sees Diego Armando Maradona celebrate his 50th birthday. It's been a fittingly eventful year for him, during which he's become a grandfather, had numerous arguments with Pelé (okay, so there's nothing new there), irritated his own country's president, strengthened his friendship with... Continue Reading →
Maradona ‘impatient to return to the national side’
At 5pm on Friday, a pre-recorded interview with Diego Maradona was broadcast on Fox Sports, and true to form, the former manager of the Argentine national team came out firing on all verbal cylinders. He still believe he can retake charge of the national side, firmly believe Sergio Batista is the wrong man for the... Continue Reading →
When Saturday Comes October 2010
A very quick notice, to inform you that readers in the UK (and selected lucky ones who live in other countries) will find a piece by me on the Diego Maradona succession story in the new issue of When Saturday Comes. A digital subscription to the magazine is available online if you don't like anywhere... Continue Reading →
Hasta El Gol Siempre 