Emotional

If FIFA gave out an award each year for the least-hated player, then N’Golo Kanté would win every year. The Al-Ittihad midfielder simply has no haters due to how humble he is. With the man being so loved worldwide, it makes the Kanté birthday story even sadder.

Felipe Saad, one of Kanté’s former teammates on Ligue 2 side Caen, told Brazilian outlet Uol Sport a heart-tugging story about one of his interactions with the Frenchman.

It was a foggy Saturday morning soccer match and I was defending the goal spectating the action going on the field. I had stopped a few shots earlier in the match and my confidence was quickly rising. Thoughts raced through my head, realizing that I was about to officially record my first clean sheet of the season. Then as clear as day the ball was passed to me, and as I went to stop it with my foot it slowly but surely skipped right below my outstretched foot and into the awaiting net behind me.

Ajax Amsterdam have found an ingenious way to reward their fans for putting up with missing much of a title-winning season, melting down their Eredivisie trophy to give tiny silver stars to more than 42,000 season-ticket holders.

Each star will weigh 3.45g and contain 0.06g from the trophy, which was awarded to Ajax for their 35th league triumph, with the Royal Dutch Football Association giving the club a replica to display in their trophy cabinet.

After a year postponed and the swapping of high-profile matches at the home of the Colorado Rapids for individual training sessions in deserted local parks, GAM United’s Elijah Mwenebitu is looking at everything as an opportunity to be chased, which isn’t exactly a new way of operating for the 23-year-old midfield destroyer. 

In soccer, rivalries are an important part because playing a “Derby” or “Clásico” is a privilege. However, a special flavor to these duels is tasted when remembering those players who, without any remorse, put on the shirt of the hated rival and played for both teams. These are the authentic "Judases" of soccer that will remain in history for their controversial passage from one team to another. 

Here we bring you the biggest players who played for the hated rival.

It was nighttime at the Yokohama International Stadium in Japan, but early morning in this part of the world. The respectful and silent crowd that usually populates the stands of this Japanese stadium gave way to the warming chants of the Paulista torcida, who never stopped cheering on their team, creating an atmosphere worthy of a final.

The overwhelming majority of Brazilian fans carried Corinthians from the first minute onwards and, with the feeling of playing at home, they went out to play with no holds barred.