Gianluigi Buffon played his final match for Juventus on Saturday after 656 appearances with the Old Lady. The legendary goalkeeper, among the greatest to ever play the position, said farewell to the Bianconeri fans at Allianz Stadium in Turin, and the tears were flowing from fans, the players and, of course, Buffon himself.
When Bojan Krkic broke Lionel Messi's record in becoming the youngest Barcelona player to make his LaLiga debut, his soccer future seemed limitless. Krkic's talent was obvious to the casual fan, but hidden beneath his potential was a crippling struggle with anxiety.
I’m not ashamed to say I’m an Arsenal fan and I’m not ashamed to say Sunday involved a few tears. Arsene Wenger coached the Gunners for the final time after nearly 22 years at the helm, leaving the club after a 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town.
Immediately the clichéd 2008 Harvey Dent quote comes to mind: “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”
Indeed, Arsene Wenger was a hero for Arsenal.
Barcelona has already clinched the LaLiga title. Lionel Messi and his cohorts are unbeaten in league play and in the process of one of the greatest LaLiga campaigns ever. So it makes sense Barça opponents are paying homage to the Catalan club in the final matches of the season. The reverence shown in the Villarreal guard of honor on Wednesday was a fine example of sportsmanship at its best.
News of Sir Alex Ferguson’s emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage was met with sadness and support throughout the footballing community on Saturday as Ferguson’s former club, Manchester United, announced that the legendary manager had undergone a successful procedure and now required a period of recovery in intensive care.
The 21st edition of the World Cup kicks off in Moscow on June 14. It’s the most popular tournament for the world’s most popular game. But do you actually know how the World Cup works?
The World Cup has had dozens of different formats since its inception in 1930. Since the World Cup expanded from 24 to 32 teams ahead of the 1998 edition, the tournament has finally found a system it likes. FIFA has stuck with the same format of eight groups of four turning into a 16-team knockout playoff for six tournaments now, including Russia 2018.