waroffutbol

  Only a few Italian goalies have managed to shine abroad and play crucial roles in their club’s European campaign. Italy has been known as one of the best to produce world-class goalkeepers. Yet, most of them reach their stardom while playing for their native sides. They normally ply their trade abroad at the latter stage of their careers. This season, however, is different. Two Italian goalkeepers have become the key figures in their team’s progress to the last four in the continental campaign. The first one is surely Gli Azzurri’s current first choice, Gianluigi Donnarumma. The former AC Milan star has established himself as the number one at PSG. He has helped Le Parisien advance to the semifinal three times so far. He could be bringing them further after making at least two clinical saves in the first leg of the UCL semifinal as they thumped Arsenal 1-0 on the road. Another one is his understudy in the national team, Gugliemo Vicario. He has been instrumental in Totte...

  A number of English players have plied their trade in France, but only some of them deserve to be regarded as the best in Ligue 1. The French top flight is no stranger to English players. There have been plenty of them to sign for the Ligue 1 side to improve their career on the continent. The 1980s till early 1990s was one of the darkest eras in football, especially for English football. All English teams were banned from European competitions for five years due to the Heysel tragedy in the 1985 European Cup. That was the time when a number of Englishmen moved to other major leagues, including Ligue 1, and sought a chance to play in Europe. After barely any Englishmen switched sides to France for years following the rise of the Premier League, with the exception of very few EPL stars in the latter stage of their career such as Joe Cole, Joey Barton and David Beckham , this season one English forward manages to steal the spotlight. Mason Greenwood has been in the headlines a...

  The El Clásico duel has been contested a number of times in the Copa del Rey final, but some are more memorable than the others. El Clásico is set to be held again in the Copa del Rey final this weekend. It is the first one since 2014. This upcoming duel marks the new era of El Clásico. Blaugrana, as usual, counts on their own academy product with Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Pau Cubarsi, Alejandre Balde, Fermin Lopez, Ronald Araujo, plus several experienced global stars such as Raphinha, Frankie de Jong and the two-time Ballon D’Or winner, Robert Lewandowski. Their counterparts, Los Blancos, rely more on A-list global stars, from Kylian Mbappe, Thibaut Courtois, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, and Federico Valverde to the veteran Luka Modric. This classic clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona has always been filled with stars from both sides. From the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano and Co against Ladislav Kubala and Co in the 1950s and 1960s to Cristiano Ronaldo and his Galact...

  A number of serial top scorers seem to have had tough luck in winning a trophy despite being known as prolific goal scorers. Being a serial top scorer in various competitions, including the major ones, does not necessarily guarantee silverware. They may have an eye for goals, but lifting trophies can be an entirely different story from scoring. The failure of Bayern Munich to progress to the Champions League semifinal last week seems to justify another misfortune of Harry Kane, the current serial top scorer at the top level. Despite having been awarded top scorer accolades multiple times in almost all major competitions both at the club and international levels, the England skipper still lacks a trophy in his career. The former Spurs star has won EPL top scorers three times, followed by Bundesliga and UCL top scorer, plus the Golden Boot award in the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro championship. He was even awarded the European Golden Shoe last season. However, Lady luck se...

  Real Madrid has a history of making big comeback wins in European competitions, although they are not as memorable as Barcelona’s. Real Madrid’s continental campaign this season is currently in danger. Their unexpected 3-0 defeat at Emirates Stadium against Arsenal in the first leg of the UCL quarterfinals really stunned their fans around the world. They are surely all hoping that Vinicius Jr and Co. will make an incredible comeback despite having a three-goal deficit. Los Blancos too has a long history of comeback wins. Despite the fact that they were not as well-known as their archrivals, especially in the Champions League/European Cup, the reigning champion still has much potential to turn the table in the second leg. Santiago Bernabéu does often bring magic necessary, and such is what Real Madrid is expecting next week. Throughout history, Los Merengues have made several great comebacks since their first one in the European Cup in 1960. At that time, Alfredo Di Stefano ...