When it comes down to the raw material value of the most iconic trophies in sports, nothing comes close to the authentic FIFA World Cup Trophy. Standing at 14.5 inches, weighing 13.6 pounds and made up of 18-karat gold and semi-precious malachite, the one-of-a-kind World Cup Trophy has a value of $20,000,000.
Soccer superstars and their WAGS produce some pretty cute children. There isn't a more ideal time to flaunt these adorable offspring, decked out in some pretty awesome miniature kits, than in post-Champions League victory celebrations. Get ready for some "awww" overload.
We know what position they play, the teams they’ve played for and every detail in between. But before their faces became famous and their jerseys sold out, they were just little kids with big dreams. Take a look at the adorable faces of your favorite players.
Today, the Millennium Stadium in the Welsh capital of Cardiff will play host to the biggest game in club football, the Champions League final. You probably already know that. What you probably do not know is that the venue was once at the mercy of a hex which doomed one side whenever they played a major final at the stadium.
It doesn’t count on the scoresheet, but there’s something entirely satisfying about seeing an absolute crack smash off the woodwork. As humans, we like loud noises, and nothing makes us ooh and aah more than football’s own version of fireworks — the ball crashing into the crossbar from distance and flying into the heavens.
Apart from that spectacle, great goals can be denied for a myriad of other reasons: sometimes it’s the referee, sometimes it’s a curmudgeonly defender or goalkeeper and sometimes it’s that idiot Nani.
When it comes to the heart-stopping, heartfelt and hilarious moments we love about soccer, we tend to focus on what unfolds on the pitch. It follows logic that a substitution -- an activity occurring on the periphery -- would not warrant much more attention than the obligatory clap that comes with one player's exit, another's entrance and some extra time tacked on to the end of the match.
The UEFA Champions League, and its predecessor the European Cup, is the most prestigious competition in all of club football. It’s where players and managers make their names, and it’s where clubs and teams become immortalized through history.
Here are some of the greatest all-time records in the Champions League as recorded by either players, managers, clubs or in single matches.
Goalkeeper with the most clean sheets: Iker Casillas (57)
Every footballer will tell you that nutmegging an opponent is an amazing feeling. This kid seems to have mastered that talent at a very young age. Every person that passes by is a victim to his trickery. Holding an ice cream cone doesn't seem to stop him either — he casually puts one through the legs of a passerby between bites of his cone. That's cold.
Like a boss pic.twitter.com/s4VIx9DMWD
Let’s get one thing out of the way: these cats are young. They’re like kittens in that sense — feral, attack-minded, alley kittens. It’s easy to get hyped on talent at the FIFA U-20 World Cup because the game, at this age, so heavily favors attackers. The goals are beautiful, but they’re generally scored in acres of space and triggered by a breakdown in midfield or defense.