The Statistical Game
When the analytical nerds get going, it’s best to smile and step out of the way. According to them,...
Category: World Cup History
Pele gets back at Don Diego
Remember how Maradona crowed he was chosen the best player over Pele in an internet poll. “What matters is...
Is Notts County a cog in Qatar’s larger football ambitions?
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Qatar’s Emir and football association president Saving the world’s oldest football club has an...
Simon Kuper’s new book: Why England Lose
“Just this one afternoon started the whole thing off – there was no prolonged courtship … In a desperate...
“Step into Messi’s Shoes”: We Have a Winner!
The winner of our adidas “Step into Messi’s Shoes” contest is:Romano Brecht from South Africa. Congratulations, Romano! Send us...
Remembering Sir Bobby Robson
Sir Alex Ferguson: “I was never too big or proud to ask him for advice which he gave freely...
Obama makes a plug for USA’s World Cup bid
Sepp Blatter was in town recently for the Gold Cup final and then flew down to DC, invited to...
In Florentino Perez’s era the days of Quinta del Buitre are but quaint memories
Emilio Butragueno and the legendary 80’s teams that relied on homegrown talent Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas might be...
Brazil compares this comeback to other historical ones
Any chance that this Confederations Cup victory was anything but business as usual for the Seleccao should be dispelled....
FIFA: Keep the Vuvuzela for South Africa 2010
Play it loud, South Africa! SoccerBlog.com goes on record in favor of the Vuvuzela. Brazil has the support of...
River asks whether Maradona is mentally stable
River Plate’s El Monumental has been Argentina’s World Cup venue Diego Maradona continues his divisive ways. He was said...
Bob Bradley gets a reality check
Bob Bradley, its been great coasting along in the CONCACAF on decaf but for the big leagues you need...
Confederations Cup: The USA gears up for Italy
The last time the USA met Italy was during the 2006 World Cup. Jorge Larrionda was one busy man....
SoccerBlog.com Offer: Step into Messi’s Shoes!
Maradona needs your help! Step into Messi’s shoes, and be the 12th man for Argentina. This exclusive SoccerBlog.com offer...
“Maradona, if Bolivia was torture, Quito will be your grave”
The knives are out for Maradona. What was a whisper campaign is now leading to high anxiety and open...
Soccer Wars: Two neighbours meet after 40 years
Honduras and El Salvador meet for a World Cup qualifier almost 40 years after the infamous Soccer Wars. The...
Terminator joins US World Cup bid
Ahnold might not be able to save California from bankruptcy but he might be able to sway Sepp Blatter...
Maldini bids farewell to the San Siro
Cesare and Paolo Maldini: Like father, like son Silvio Berlusconi offered a laconic “Shame” when asked what he thought...
Farewell Paolo: An icon of Milan’s golden era retires
Maldini retires. I would have never imagined those two words together. The Peter Pan of football seemed so indestructible....
World Cup 2018: The expenses scandal gives the BNP a boost
Richard Caborn maybe embarrassed that a BNP member was allowed to attend the opening of the World Cup bid....
What economic recession? FIFA sets record TV deal
FIFA’s TV rights will net R25 billion or $2.7 billion for the 2010 World Cup. This is more than...
Soccer fans: Eduardo Galeano is required reading
Eduardo Galeano became the talking point when Barack Obama and Hugo Chavez met up in a very anticipated encounter...
World Cup 2018: Kissinger’s selection is antithetical to Obama’s message
Barack Obama smarting from West Ham’s weekend loss against Spurs and a 75% failure rate in the Final Four,...
World Cup 2010: The Socceroos are on the brink of qualifiying
Australia could become the first country to join SA in World Cup 2010. Pim Verbeek’s team scored a 2-0...
Sven Goran makes off like a bandit
AIG has an image problem with executive bonuses that resemble the GDP of a small country (a very small...
Javier Aguirre: Will he be the antidote?
Javier Aguirre re-takes the reins of the Mexican coaching job. He was the coach of the 2002 World Cup...
Cristiano Ronaldo: International choker?
Cristiano Ronaldo is a great club player. He has garnered every accolade including FIFA world player of the year...
FIFA: Good on them
A minute silence was observed by teams before kickoff in all of the World Cup qualifying fixtures played today....
Capello ignores Lennon at his own peril
Yes, we have heard that English team is left brained in its success. They beat Ukraine today and Beckham...
USA vs T&T World Cup qualifier: Ince is having a heart attack
These are not the Soca Warriors of the 2006 World Cup. Not even close. Kenwyne Jones is having a...
Controversial choice: Henry Kissinger joins the US World Cup bid
Looks like US Soccer is putting together a pretty star studded cast to bring the 2018 World Cup stateside....
The Czechs need some Highway to Hell
Looks like the Czech players could use some AC/ DC to restore some mojo to their team. They lag...
What happened to Senegal?
On 5 September 2008, Senegal met Algeria at the Mustapha Tchaker Stadium in a World Cup qualifier. In the...
Little Zizou: Execrable movie
This movie could easily have been titled, Little Zizou: A Gratuitous Reference To or the Incredible Vanishing Zidane. Apart...
Can Barack Obama revive soccer diplomacy?
Most Americans now prefer diplomacy towards Iran rather than seek a knee jerk military solution. After virtually turning off...
So what should Terry Butcher do?
Terry Butcher has to now live with the fact that Maradona will be the topic du jour of the...
Maradona fires back at England
Maradona measures the miss in the 1966 final I had no idea that Argentina was playing England. A proxy...
Bayern to set up an academy in India
The overwhelming response to Bayern’s visit in May this year when 120,000 fans came to see Oliver Kahn play...
Terry Butcher unfiltered
Lots of Terry Butcher who would like nothing better than giving Maradona a black eye and jail Scottish blaggards...
Maradona: The telenovela: Hoopla
Diego Maradona landed in Scotland just before Wednesday’s game and with a curt “I don’t speak English” blew by...
Obama boosts US chances of hosting World Cup
The UK is probably going to get shafted if this is true. Obama’s election as president has so boosted...
Maradona the manager is not a good choice
If Maradona can take Boca out of their current neurosis and put them on top of the table, I...
Being a barcelona fan could land you in jail..
..in Morocco.An 18 year old fan – Yassine Belassal – is facing 12 months in jail because he altered...
Wenger meets Aragones amidst a past controversy
An Aragones statement caught on camera calling Thierry Henry a “black s**t” to Jose Antonio Reyes four years ago...
Walcott against Blackburn: Fireworks in the offing!
Theodorus Walcottus Awesomus Arsenal meets Blackburn this weekend, another team that believes in Josip Simunic style of tackling. Here...
Deep thought: FIFA’s presidency should be term limited
In its 104 year existence, FIFA has had 8 presidents. The last two, Joao Havelange and Sepp Blatter have...
How Blatter’s ISL scandal impacts England’s World Cup bid
Andrew Jennings explains. Many in the 24 member executive council responsible for awarding the World Cup have been tainted...
The enthusiasm for soccer in India rings hollow without national role models
Dileep Premachandran points out that cricket is not the only sport that captures the imagination of the Indian public....
England gains when its players go overseas
This Euro had England’s pundits a twitter with the perceived lack of quality players in their national squad. Who...
Deep thought: Domenech should have recalled Dhorasoo
Filed under snark
Euro 2008: Germany vs Austria: Prepare for the shocker
One team must have pricked up their ears hearing the Czech Republic’s elimination at the hands of Turkey. This...
Video: Baaba Maal: Music and soccer
The ageless Baaba Maal revels us with Hamady Boiro, part of the griot musical tradition of Western Africa. I...
Why Pim Verbeek is wrong for the Socceroos
Pim Verbeek assumes the mantle of the Socceroos coach in the wake of the disastrous Graham Arnold tenure which...
Maradona: The heart of a champion
” I have always wanted to play football, but I didn’t know where or how I wanted to play....