waroffutbol

  In memory of Diogo Jota, his rapid rise in the early career with Paços de Ferreira undeniably proved how his talent truly was. The departure of Diogo Jota recently has undoubtedly shocked the football world. The Portuguese international was still at the peak of his career when he lost his life in a car accident with his brother, Andre Silva, a Penafiel man. The Liverpool forward was still 28 years old and had just tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend and the mother of his three children. To pay tribute to the former Wolves frontman, the beginning of his career with the modest Portuguese side, Pacos de Ferreira, deserved more spotlight apart from his golden years with The Reds. It was where the world began to see the quick rise of the Massarelos-born striker on the pitch in his teens. He joined Pacos at the age of 16 after his talent was spotted by the team’s scouts when he was still 13 years old. At that time he was still playing for the local side, Gondomar SC. ...

  English top scorers outside the Premier League are still hard to spot on, especially at the top level. The 2024/25 season has just ended but left a remarkable note for English players abroad. Apart from Harry Kane’s success in lifting his first-ever silverware in his career, the English players also mark a new record by winning the top scorer award in not just one but two major leagues in Europe. While Mo Salah thrived in the Premier League , Harry Kane and Mason Greenwood managed to shine abroad. The former Spurs star was awarded the Bundesliga Golden Boot in two consecutive seasons, whereas Greenwood won the top scorer award in Ligue 1 by notching 21 goals with Olympique Marseille in his season debut. He shared his accolade with PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé. Such is a rare milestone carved in European football, as English strikers are not known to be prolific outside their home soil. Although Kane and Greenwood have had remarkable campaigns with such awards in hand, they are not...

  A few managers have been considered unlucky during their managerial careers at the top level, as they lost more in the finals. The 2024/25 season is finally completed with the unexpected humiliation to Inter Milan in the UCL final last weekend. Nerazzurri, who managed to edge out Barcelona in a goal galore win at the semifinal, were outclassed by PSG five goals to nil. The result was so devastating that Simone Inzaghi opted to leave Giuseppe Meazza. Such a heavy loss marks Simone Inzaghi’s second defeat in the UCL final. The first one was only a narrow one to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the 2023 edition. Interestingly, Inzaghi’s men’s defeat in Munich last weekend was also the third defeat in the summit for the ex-Lazio boss. Does it mean that he tends to have misfortune in the finals? It is still too early to assume, but such may lead to it, should Inzaghi fail to deliver more trophies. As a gaffer, he mainly has clinched the Coppa Italia three times plus the Serie A ...

  The best goalkeepers in the 2024/25 seasons in UEFA’s top five major leagues are surprisingly not from the big teams. The 2024/25 campaign is coming to an end with only two games left or fewer. Some leagues have found their champions, such as the Premier League, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1, whereas La Liga and the Italian Serie A have yet to see the winners. The former might be determined soon, as Barcelona is already leading seven points over their archrival, Real Madrid , on the table. However, the latter has a more thrilling title race, as it could be decided through a playoff, should Inter and Napoli share the same points. In each league, the top scorer award definitely has more exposure than the best goalkeeper. The former is often dominated by well-known names, whereas the latter is quite the opposite. This season, for example, the goalkeepers from the elite sides are barely named the best in the stats. In fact, most of them are probably beyond the fans’ expectations. The b...

  Only a few Norwegian goalkeepers can be considered the best in the European top five leagues, as they become the first choice in their clubs. Norway has already begun their campaign in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Erling Haaland and Co did not have much difficulty in securing their first wins after routing Moldova 5-0 and dismantling Israel 4-2. Such results definitely boost their confidence before taking on their toughest contender, Italy, in June. Gli Azzurri have been superior in their head-to-head record against Norway. They have clinched eight wins and only suffered three defeats in 15 meetings. In fact, Italy was the only team which beat them in both FIFA World Cup editions, USA 1994 and France 1998. Thus, Norwegian boss Ståle Solbakken would need all players to be in their top form to seal their spot in the final round automatically. Crushing Gianluigi Donnarumma and Co. would be a good start. Yet, such is definitely not going to be easy as they would strive to av...

  A few notable goalkeepers have had to become journeymen in the European top league in order to play regularly. Being a journeyman might have been considered a way to sense the adventure. Such is not entirely mistaken, as it does have its own advantage. Yet, not everyone becomes such due to their own will. Some have to be the journeyman because of the circumstance.  For a goalkeeper, it can be quite challenging due to the nature of this position. You can either cement your place in the team or move elsewhere if you do not fancy sharing the tasks as a second fiddle in the club. The latter often becomes their only choice to save their career. Otherwise, they would have gone unnoticed due to being on the sideline for too long. This season, Australian international Matthew Ryan has to deal with it again. He is unhappy with the minutes he has in AS Roma. Despite being more experienced than the first choice, Mile Svilar, he is overlooked by the new boss, Claudio Ranieri. Ryan event...