waroffutbol

  Only a few European managers have been quite successful during their stints with South American national teams. The news about Carlo Ancelotti’s rumour to leave Real Madrid and take charge of the Brazil national team has been in the headlines recently. The Italian boss has flirted with CBF for a while, and both sides have reportedly reached a verbal agreement, especially after their last meeting last week. The only thing left is the formal announcement, which might be laid out at the end of the season. Should that happen, which is very likely, Don Carlo could be lining up to make history again in the future. If Selecao manage to win their sixth title in the 2026 FIFA World Cup under his command, the former AC Milan, Chelsea and PSG boss will definitely be making a new record as the most successful European manager taking charge of a South American nation. Prior to his expected appointment with Brazil, there have been a few other European bosses with fairly successful stint...

  A few short goalkeepers did manage to make their mark at the top level, but not anymore today. A goalkeeper has been a crucial position in football, and height has become a more and more important requirement to be a shot stopper, especially at the top level. In addition, goalkeepers have been pushed to have ball control and reading the game ability as they tend to be integrated in attacking build-up in the modern game. Regarding the height, it is almost impossible to find a man between the sticks who is below 175 cm tall. The shortest goalkeeper in the European top five is still 180 cm tall. He is the current Real Valladolid man, Jordi Masip. Nevertheless, there have been such notable short goalies at the top level in football history. Two of them even got a nod to feature in two FIFA World Cup finals. Here are those distinguished shot stoppers without the height advantage but still managed to be the first choice in his club and earn international caps. Juan Botasso (Argen...

  Only a few games in the Copa America finals can be considered the most thrilling matches in history. Copa America 2024 has come to an end, with the final set to be staged this weekend. The reigning champions, Argentina and Colombia, are squaring off in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is bound to be an entertaining clash, although it would not be a classic match like Argentina vs. Brazil or Argentina vs. Uruguay. Throughout the tournament’s history, only a few games in the summit could be regarded as thrilling encounters, in which both sides scored but not in an equal match, not a one-sided clash. Copa America itself only has its format with the final game since the 1993 edition. The round-robin format was more preferable from the first edition in 1916 to 1991. Here are those notable and memorable finals. Argentina vs. Mexico (Copa America 1993 Final) The 1993 edition was the first Copa America, which invited non-CONMEBOL members to compete. Mexico and the USA were the first t...

  Only a very few notable star players were awarded Copa America’s MVP twice. Copa America 2024 is heading to the final. The reigning champions, Argentina, are set to take on Colombia at the summit. It is bound to be a tough match for both sides, and they might have to go through a shootout to decide the winner again, just like the last edition held in the USA, the Copa America Centenario. This clash would also be their first meeting in the final. In the tournament’s history, there have been a few names who have won the best player award twice. The last one is surely Lionel Messi. He was first awarded such an accolade officially in 2015. However, he refused it due to the heartbreaking defeat to the host Chile in the final. The second one was undoubtedly three years ago, when he was instrumental in breaking the spell of a series of cursed failures at the international level. This year, Messi could break another record should he win another MVP. However, such is rather unlikely,...

  A few notable figures in Copa America history were able to win the title as players and managers. Copa America 2024 has been underway. The reigning champions, Argentina, did not have much difficulty securing a win over Canada at the opener. Lionel Messi is aiming to lift the trophy for the second time, and so is his boss, Lionel Scaloni. Unfortunately, he never had a chance to do the same as a player. The former Lazio man never received a call-up for the regional tournament during his playing years. He is not as fortunate as these notable names who have won silverware as players and managers. One of them was even a World Cup winner while he was still actively playing in the 1990s. Lais (Brasil) The Brazilian midfielder was one of the few successful player-managers in South America. In Copa America 1922, he clinched the title with such a role. Brazil was the host and unbeaten throughout the championship. Lais’ men were held three times before finally dismantling Argentina ...

   Copa America has some unusual records in tournament history that may not exist in other international competitions. Copa America has been known for being a distinguished international tournament. It is one of the oldest in the world, with its irregularities and changes in format, editions, and participants.  Copa America 2024 is held in the USA, which is the second time it has been staged in the CONCACAF region. It is one of the most unusual editions in Copa America history, as the USA is not a member of CONMEBOL. They have not even always taken part in the competition. Their last participation was, in fact, in the Copa America Centenario 2016, where they served as hosts for the first time. The tournament is set to take place from June 20 to July 14, which is almost at the same time as EURO 2024. One of the favourites, Brazil, has announced their official final squad. Their new boss, Dorival Junior, surprisingly excluded a number of senior names, such as Neymar, ...

  A few USMNT games during their participation in Copa America history are worth remembering than the others. Copa America is back to United States again this summer as they were named to hold the 2024 edition. The last one on American soil was just eight years ago. This will be USMNT’s fifth performance in CONMEBOL’s competition and their second one as a host. The USMNT has played 18 games in the tournament's history, beginning with the 1993 edition. Their best performances came in the 1995 and 2016 editions, where they reached the semifinals. Nonetheless, they have only won five times and shared the spoils twice. A few of their matches deserve more credit to demonstrate how ‘US soccer’ has developed well. Here are those memorable matches. USA vs Brasil (Copa America 1995) The USMNT stunned the fans in their second appearance of Copa America. Eric Wynalda and Co managed to advance to semifinal and took on Brasil in the last four. The match was held in front of only 9,000 s...