Opinion

Women’s soccer is rare in Europe and South America, the widely agreed-upon cradles of the game. It is not unheard of. It is rare. As an Italian, I like telling my American friends that women’s soccer is illegal where I come from. “Yes, the police come and take you away!” I tell them to get a laugh.

I finally got my chance to attend a women’s soccer match when the world-champion U.S. Women’s National Team took on Japan in a friendly last week at Dick’s Sporting Good’s Park in Commerce City, Colorado.

If you have only seen Eduardo Vargas play club football, well, I feel sorry for you. Vargas is a forward for TSG Hoffenheim, and a thoroughly below average one at that. He scored 2 goals in 25 appearances in the Bundesliga last year, and that wasn’t exactly an exceptionally bad haul for him.

Dare to Zlatan. Is there anyone more mercurial, more intense , or more of an egomaniac than Zlatan Ibrahimovic? His posturing and his infamous Zlatanisms flirt with satire so much, it's not even clear how serious he actually is. Zlatan is so quoteable that journalists around the globe froth at the mouth to get a flashy one-liner from the outspoken Swede, something which he derives great enjoyment from. 

Don’t you miss that guy? Almost two years have gone by since the 2014 Brazil World Cup, and James Rodriguez’s face is still on a missing person’s poster.

His string of amazing performances in Brazil earned Rodriguez not only world recognition but also a hefty £63 million move to Real Madrid. And yet, he’s still not performing at the level most expected him to.

The official deadline for international managers to submit their 23-man Euro 2016 rosters is May 31, but many have already been finalized, and we can begin to have an idea about what the teams will look like. Specifically, we can see the players who were left out entirely, perhaps unfairly. With that in mind, here are five of the biggest snubs from the Euro 2016 squads. 

England - Jermain Defoe

The Uruguay National Team have a successful relationship with the Copa America. Nobody has won the competition more than La Celeste, who have lifted the trophy on 15 occasions. That said, last year was desperately disappointing for them as Uruguay was knocked out in the quarterfinals by eventual champions Chile. Despite that, Uruguay has to be considered one of the favorites to win the Copa America Centenario this summer. 

The 135th FA Cup final will take place tomorrow, and the historical significance of the occasion will find its perfect match in the outdated, contrasting styles on the pitch. Manchester United have struggled to dazzle, or even go forward, all year. Crystal Palace have played their best while soaking up pressure and hitting on the counter.

When it comes to soccer, the words and opinions of Sir Alex Ferguson are nothing if not respected. The man guided Manchester United to a dynasty and developed numerous world-class talents along the way.

Arguably the best talent Ferguson ever managed was Cristiano Ronaldo. Ferguson took the young Portuguese from Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United at the age of 18 and turned him into a star. You could even go so far as to say Ferguson laid the foundation that allowed Ronaldo to become what he is today: one of the greatest players of all time.

With the La Liga season officially over, it’s time to consider the contributions of aruably the best collection of players on the planet and see who deserves to be known as the best player in La Liga this year, in The18’s esteemed eyes. 

This article only takes into account La Liga action. So, for instance, Antoine Griezmann’s ice cold goal against Bayern Munich counts for nothing here. Without any further ado, let’s get started. 

As the 2015-16 Premier League season draws to a close, it’s time to honor and award those whose performances have captivated us over the course of the last nine months. It’s also a great time to shame those whose performances call into question the morality behind million dollar contracts and the myth of the sporting superhuman. These are the players whose performances will stick with us for all the wrong reasons; the biggest underachievers and flops of the 2015-16 Premier League season.