Photo Stories

Whether it’s scenic selfies, adorable dog pics or extremely manicured photos of food, Instagram is the place for people to show off how much better their life is than everyone else’s. Soccer players are no different, with many of the world’s biggest stars using the social media platform to highlight the high life. But some soccer Instagram posts, unfortunately, are more boring than a 0-0 draw between West Brom-Stoke.

Who says attackers get to have all the fun in soccer? Defenders and goalkeepers are just as passionate about their craft, sometimes even more so. These 10 photos show a cool block or similar defensive thing can elicit just as much emotion as a Puskas-worthy goal.

As Lionel Messi has grown more adult, so has his hair. Except for that blonde thing a while back. We'll get to that. Anyway, Messi's hair and beard have gradually mutated from a clean-shaven, moppy-haired boyish look to a bearded, crew-cutted mannish look. Let's take a look at how this transformation came about:

The most wonderful thing about the World Cup is that it’s a carnival. Not in the modern “Oh, this is a great opportunity to get Instagram photos and pretend I’m a famous person” sense of the word, but more like the medieval “Let’s reverse all our social roles, suspend our norms about desired behavior, lose our everyday individuality and experience a heightened sense of social unity while pouring libations” understanding. 

There are eight teams left in the UEFA Champions League, and also eight of the most photogenic footballers in the world. Don't believe us? Take a look:

Landon Donovan receives a lot of abuse for his playing career, and if you forget World Cups, the fact that he signed for Bayer Leverkusen as a teenager, the well-deserved accolade of having the MLS MVP award named after him, his successful loan moves with Everton, his hugely influential 14-year spell with the national team and his joyfully direct play, then he totally deserves all the criticism that comes his way.

The dawning of the 21st century saw a massive shift with regards to FIFA World Cup stadia. For example, when West Germany hosted the 1974 World Cup, the majority of the matches were played in existing stadiums built for a variety of purposes. They all had running tracks and were built in the 30s and nobody cared. 

There’s always something fantastic about the last day of the season, when, having successfully avoided relegation or perhaps even won something, footballers are joined on the pitch by their families in the brilliant spring sunshine. Social media has given us a glimpse into the lives of professional athletes, but there’s something poignantly visceral about these pitchside moments. 

Perhaps it has to do with the famous Bobby Robson quote about what exactly a club is supposed to represent: