World Cup heroes #3: Cruyff
The Netherlands came close to winning the 1974 World Cup with their “total football” system which had dazzled the competition. At the forefront of this extremely attractive style of play was the...
View ArticleWorld Cup heroes #4: Roger Milla
It was Toto Schillaci who scored the most goals at the World Cup in Italy in 1990. But he didn’t celebrate them in sheer style like Cameroon’s Roger Milla. Milla was 38-years-old during the tournament....
View ArticleWorld Cup heroes #5: Kempes
There’s no denying how brilliant Argentina were at the 1978 World Cup, and at the forefront was the frankly brilliant and easily recognizable Mario Kempes. ‘El Matador’ was the hero for the home fans...
View ArticleWorld Cup heroes #6: Rossi
The 1982 World Cup will be mostly remembered for two things: that celebration from former Republic of Ireland assistant manager Marco Tardelli, and the brilliance of goalscoring machine Paolo Rossi....
View ArticleWorld Cup heroes #7: Maradona
The Vatican has the Pope, Argentina has Diego Armando Maradona. There is nothing that can be said about el Diego that hasn’t been said before. I am not sure if I even have the words to correctly sum up...
View ArticleWorld Cup heroes #8: Pelé
I hope you enjoyed the profiles of World Cup heroes I have been blogging daily for the past week. With the day that’s in it, I finish up with a Brazilian and one of the greatest ever players of the...
View ArticleSo how is everyone enjoying the World Cup so far?
It hasn’t exactly gone to plan has it, this World Cup? It seems like nobody has read the script. But it sure is, at least in my view as a neutral, an incredible tournament. I mean, did Costa Rica...
View ArticleCould hosts Brazil fall at the next hurdle?
That’s a good question. They played fantastic tonight and Neymar, the superstar youngster and poster-boy of the Seleção, was in fine form with a double against Cameroon. They have an advantage with...
View ArticleSuarez four month ban the final straw for Liverpool?
Bad news for both Uruguay and Liverpool as FIFA have banned Uruguay’s Luis Suarez from all “football-related activities” for four months for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini, ruling the star...
View ArticleCristiano crashes out as the World Cup second round begins
That’s the group stages out of the way and players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Mario Mandžukić, Andrés Iniesta, Yaya Touré, Andrea Pirlo and Wayne Rooney all waved goodbye to Brazilian shores as they...
View ArticleAnd then there were eight…
I must say, and I know I’m not alone in saying this, but the standard of football and the entertainment value in the matches during this World Cup is, from my memory, the best one yet. I’ll start off...
View ArticleWorld Cup semi-finals: Then there were four…
Football fans’ mouths are watering worldwide as two very tasty World Cup semi-final fixtures are set to be played. The last four will see Brazil take on Germany tomorrow night at the Estádio Mineirão...
View ArticleWhat a World Cup: And then there were two
Now we are down to the very last of it – the final of the 2014 World Cup. And what a competition it has been: the sheer quality of football from certain players, the bravery from certain teams, the...
View ArticleThe good, bad and the ugly of the 2014 World Cup
I was gutted for Lionel Messi. I really was. I wanted the little genius to become a world champion, like the player he is so often compared to, Diego Maradona. But it wasn’t to be. The right team won...
View ArticleGiven’s return is unfortunately a step backwards
After a two year absence from the international scene, Shay Given is back in the Ireland set-up after he was named in Martin O’Neill’s 27-man squad. The Donegal man retired after an incredibly...
View ArticleWhy do people hate the international break?
I have a friend who is a massive Arsenal fan. He has never gone to an Ireland match home or away and watching the boys in green on television certainly isn’t a priority for him. The reason? He thinks...
View ArticleIreland avoid big names as World Cup qualifying group revealed
It could have been a lot worse. While Ireland avoided some of the big guns such as Spain, Germany or Italy, Group D for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers sees Wales, Austria, Serbia, Moldova and Georgia...
View ArticleJust another night in the life of Sepp Blatter
It’s Friday night. Some people are out painting the town red, some are working, some are at the Dublin derby between Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers. For Sepp Blatter of FIFA, he’s having a different...
View ArticleIrish fans did not like Lewandowski’s diving one bit
He did seem to go to ground very easily, didn’t he? Irish fans took to Twitter to discuss Lewandowski‘s theatrics (myself included). Here are some of them: Good player, Lewandowski, but he falls over...
View ArticleIs everybody in? Euro 2016 is about to begin.
It’s refreshing that The Boys In Green are in another major tournament – even if this one is an expanded edition of the Euros that we scraped in to via the play-offs. That doesn’t matter now. We are...
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