Football is one of the world’s most popular games and is played in over 200 countries.
FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) governs the sport with the World Cup the biggest sporting event for national sides.
The last men’s World Cup was won by France who beat Croatia in 2018 while the United State’s won the women’s edition in 2019 by defeating the Netherlands.
Brazil has won the most number of men’s World Cup with five to their name while the United States is the most successful women’s team having lifted the trophy four times.
Each continent has its own governing body which keeps an eye on the footballing activity in their respective zones.
CONCACAF, AFC, UEFA and CONMEBOL are some of the biggest continental footballing bodies and they plan club and international competitions for their respective members.
The Copa America and UEFA Euro competitions are huge for South America and Europe, respectively while the Copa Libertadores and the Champions League are the top club competitions for the countries.
Europe has the most competitive and richest leagues in the world with the Premier League (England), La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), Bundesliga (Germany) and Ligue 1 (France) considered as the top five.
Most of the best players in the world play in the five leagues, however, clubs outside these competitions have also lifted the Champions League in the past.
There are other competitions which feature clubs from other countries such as the Europa League or the AFC Champions League, however, they pale in comparison to the Libertadores and the UEFA Champions League.
The Dutch, Portuguese, Brazilian, Argentine and Mexican leagues are also extremely popular as they have seen several stars come through the ranks.
Football has been graced by incredible talent across the years with Pele, Maradona, Johan Cruyff, Gerd Muller and Alfredo di Stefano wowing fans for club and country.
Every decade seems to have had fantastic players that get people talking. From Ronaldo Nazario to Steven Gerrard, Paolo Maldini to Lothar Matthaus, George Best to Zinedine Zidane, there have been several stars that have left a mark in the game.
We have been witness to one of the greatest rivalries in football too with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi vying to be the top player in the world.
Pele and Maradona are considered as the two greatest players to have graced the game but Messi and Ronaldo are close to them.
Messi has played his entire career for Barcelona and Argentina while Portugal’s Ronaldo has featured for top clubs such as Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
The next batch of superstars are ready to stake their claim to the throne with Kylian Mbappe, Jadon Sancho and Joao Felix starring for their respective clubs and countries, and there will be more names cropping in the coming years.
We aim to provide stories and features related to football which go beyond the normal news that is shared daily.
Special stories, reports, analysis and features make for interesting reading as we look to cover every corner of the beautiful sport.
Why Josh Maja would be a shrewd capture for West Ham According to Sunderland Echo, Josh Maja has been linked with a move to West Ham. The former Sunderland striker has often been tipped to move back to England and this time, it is West Ham who have shown interest. David Moyes and Maja have […]
West Ham signing this 22-year-old African ace would be a smart long-term coup for Moyes Read More »
Why Celtic signing Tom Ince would be a shrewd piece of business Back in October, a report from TeamTalk (h/t Bristol Post) had mentioned Celtic among the potential suitors for out-of-favour Stoke City winger Tom Ince. Old Firm rivals Rangers, as well as West Brom in the Premier League, were also linked with the 28-year-old
Why Emile Smith Rowe deserves a new contract at Arsenal According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal are set to reward youngster Emile Smith Rowe with a new long-term contract after a series of impressive displays in the Premier League. Smith Rowe still has a lot of time remaining on the five-year deal that he signed
Why West Brom should sanction Cedric Kipre loan exit amid interest According to Lancashire Live, out-of-favour West Brom defender Cedric Kipre has attracted interest from Blackburn Rovers. It has been claimed that the Championship outfit have held talks with the Baggies over a potential loan deal for the 25-year-old. West Brom beat off competition from
West Brom sanctioning a loan exit for this underused 25-year-old star would make sense Read More »
Why Leicester City should sign Marseille star Florian Thauvin According to Calciomercato (h/t Leicestershire Live), Leicester City are leading the race to sign Florian Thauvin. The player has been told that he can leave the club. His contract runs out in less than six months and no progress has been made over an extension. He
Leicester would be quite smart to snap up this 27-year-old proven Ligue 1 star Read More »
Why Jack Simpson would be a real coup for Rangers on a free transfer According to The Scottish Sun, Rangers have set their sights on signing Bournemouth defender Jack Simpson on a pre-contract agreement. The centre-back, who is out of contract at the Vitality Stadium next summer, has also been linked with a move to
Rangers would be quite smart to steal the march for this 24-year-old Bournemouth star Read More »
Why West Ham signing Giovanni Simeone would be a real coup According to claims from respected journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, West Ham have a strong interest in Cagliari striker Giovanni Simeone as David Moyes looks to bolster his forward line. As per the report, Cagliari have made an enquiry over the availability of Torino’s Simone
Why Tottenham should avoid a move for Manchester United star Jesse Lingard According to talkSPORT (h/t Daily Mail), Tottenham have joined the race to sign Manchester United struggler Jesse Lingard. It definitely comes as a bit of a surprise that the Manchester United outcast has been linked with Spurs. But it could give him the
Why Alexandre Lacazette would be a terrific signing for Real Madrid According to The Sun, Real Madrid have joined the race to sign Alexandre Lacazette from Arsenal. Daily Mail reports that the striker shares a strained relationship with manager Mikel Arteta and that he could be allowed to leave as he does not feature in
Why Arsenal must grab the opportunity to secure Martin Odegaard loan According to David Ornstein of the Athletic, Martin Odegaard to Arsenal is 90% done and the Gunners are working on the finer details with Real Madrid. The 22-year-old has requested a loan move away from the Santiago Bernabeu this month after struggling for regular
Why Erling Haaland can be the blockbuster signing that Chelsea need According to The Athletic, Erling Haaland has emerged as a transfer target for Chelsea next summer. The club believe that he can help them push for the Premier League and Champions League. A number of other clubs such as Manchester United, City and Real
Chelsea signing this prolific 35-goal Bundesliga star could be a game-changing addition Read More »
Why Manchester United should try and win the race for youngster Gabriel Veron According to claims from Spanish outlet Sport (h/t Daily Star), Manchester United are working hard behind the scenes to get a deal over the line for highly-rated Brazilian wonderkid Gabriel Veron. The 18-year-old forward has caught the eye of several European clubs
