The cliché suggests Cristiano Ronaldo is aging like a fine wine. But we might have to rethink that aphorism to say fine wines age like Cristiano Ronaldo. No matter how old he gets, he just seems to keep getting better. Before turning 30 he scored 0.64 goals per game; since turning 30 he’s scoring better than 0.92 goals per game.
The great grandson of former Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini is a member of Lazio’s U-19 team, it came to light this week. Romano Benito Floriani Mussolini is an 18-year-old right back for I Biancocelesti.
Benito Mussolini, Il Duce, ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943, and there’s something troubling about his kin playing for a club with a history of neo-Fascist fans.
There’s nothing quite like the madness of transfer Deadline Day. Top European clubs rushing to get last-minute deals done creates an exhilarating 24-hour news cycle. In the latest winter transfer window, European clubs invested their stock in USMNT transfers.
Here’s a list of every transfer, loan or signing in Europe from Deadline Day that involved a USMNT player.
Elif Elmas joined Napoli as a 19-year-old in 2019 after a strong season with Fenerbahce.
The North Macedonia international played 40 times for the Istanbul-based club in 2018-19, scoring four goals. His form and potential earned him a move to Serie A as Carlo Ancelotti and the Napoli board shelled out $17.7 million to secure his services after selling Amadou Diawara to rivals Roma.
AS Roma has today confirmed the return to the club of Italy international Stephan El Shaarawy.
El Shaarawy, who initially joined I Giallorossi on loan from AC Milan in January 2016, departed for China 18 months ago in a $17.6 million deal with Shanghai Shenhua. "Il faraone" enjoyed the most productive spell of his career in the capital, scoring 40 goals and assisting 26 in 139 appearances for Roma.
Napoli cruised into the Coppa Italia semifinals with a 4-2 win over Spezia on Thursday, taking a 4-0 lead into halftime. The Chucky Lozano goal vs Spezia pretty much summed up the first half for the Serie A newcomers.
Kalidou Koulibaly opened the scoring with a cheeky backheel in the fifth minute after Spezia’s defense simply gave up on the play.
It was merely a sign of things to come for the Little Eagles.
Less than a week after AC Milan were crowned Serie A winter champions, Stefano Pioli’s stuttering side are facing stern questions about their title-winning credentials.
On March 9, Inter Milan celebrates the 113-year anniversary of its founding. In an effort to give the club a modern global identity, Inter announced earlier this month that a branding change was on its way, including a new Inter Milan badge.
AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off before forgotten man Christian Eriksen fired a dramatic late winner to earn Inter Milan a 2-1 victory in a fiery Coppa Italia quarterfinal in the San Siro on Tuesday.
Ibrahimovic's match started in typically clinical fashion in front of goal after the evergreen Swede superbly fired home in the 31st minute to give Milan the lead — his eighth goal in seven appearances for Milan against Inter in all competitions.
Soccer is one of the very few sports that boasts competitions where small, local sides are able to face off against the best teams in the country. These matchups capture the imagination while providing a sense of hope and magic to a small group of supporters.
Domestic cups have long provided smaller clubs with the opportunity to prove their mettle by facing nationally recognized sides, and while major upsets are rare, just the slightest hope of an improbable win is enough to cause local pandemonium and stir significant interest among neutral supporters.