The World Cup is just around the corner, and excitement levels are at an all-time high. For the BBC, there will be plenty to talk about, and of course, when it’s World Cup time, you bring out the best analysts you can (unless you're Fox).
After calling time on his professional career back in December at the age of 37, Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky celebrated his 20-year professional career — which included stints with Sparta Prague, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal — by playing a testimonial match on Saturday featuring a Czech XI and World XI. The likes of Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Jens Lehmann and Mathieu Flamini were on show, but it was Rosicky’s young son, Tomas Jr, who stole the show.
Every football fan remembers where they were when Brazil suffered humiliation at the hands of Germany during the last World Cup on their home turf. The 7-1 loss in the semifinals was undoubtedly one of the darkest days in the nation’s sporting history.
Every World Cup, there seems to be the story of a nation that's given little to no chance of making any progress, but somehow ends up actually gaining fans along the way. For the 2018 tournament, we're here to tell you why Australia should be the team that you open your heart to.
The Socceroos are in Group C, alongside France, Denmark and Peru. A tough group, but the Aussies could shock plenty of people if they play with no fear.
Meet Leon the Chameleon. Throughout the World Cup he will be predicting matches doing the thing he does best: eating crickets. His first match is a crucial Group B match up between Spain and Portugal.
LEON LIKES: SPAIN
Spain
GK: David de Gea
LB: Jordi Alba | CB: Sergio Ramos | CB: Gerard Pique | RB: Daniel Carvajal
CDM: Sergio Busquets | CM: Andres Iniesta | CM: Thiago Alcantara
LW: David Silva | ST: Diego Costa | RW: Isco
Joachim Low is a very well respected and accomplished manager who has had a lot of success, with winning the 2014 World Cup as his crowning achievement. He has been the manager of the German national team for 12 years, and managers lasting longer than two years at the same place isn’t something you see often today.
Last week, Germany coach Joachim Low announced that his squad will be barred from having sex during the tournament. The ban, which also includes alcohol and social media, is a move toward minimizing distraction or anything else that could deter performance.
We here at The18 love great goals. We do our best to bring you, our dear readers, the best goals as they happen throughout the world. But we also know the appeal of watching some of the worst soccer goals in the world.
The beautiful game is at its best when the world’s finest athletes use skills honed over decades to score goals that make you leap out of your seat with glee (or sink into it in despair). But not every goal can be a Cristiano Ronaldo bicycle kick.
David Luiz isn’t going to the World Cup, the Chelsea defender left off Tite’s World Cup squad. But that isn’t stopping the Brazilian from enjoying his offseason this summer, making a few friends along the way.