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Due to factors such as the rise of super agents and the huge growth of player wages, the transfer market has changed immensely in the last couple of decades. Fees for players have soared, with Premier League clubs  spending a staggering £2.36 billion during the 2023 summer transfer window, and even loan deals drawing in whopping sums in the transfer market. As the landscape has changed, the details of individual player contracts...
World football's governing body FIFA has made plenty of headlines in recent years. It is still marred by the legacy of the corruption scandal that saw multiple high-ranking officials banned from the sport for years in 2015. More recently, it has been at the centre of the scandal surrounding Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales following his actions at the final of the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, with FIFA deciding...
Packed with goals, drama, and raw emotion, and built against an intense underdog narrative that carried Argentina through to the final trophy-winning penalty from Gonzalo Montiel, the 2022 World Cup final was one of the most exciting matches in international football history. And it wasn't just the individual brilliance of Kylian Mbappé or the extreme dramatics of extra time and penalties that clinched that status; much of the...
The role of the goalkeeper in football has changed a lot in recent years. As recently as a decade ago, the primary skill needed for top level keepers was shot-stopping, followed by an ability to launch long kicks deep into the opposition half. However, these two aspects of the job, while still important, are no longer all that's required within the higher echelons of European football. The rise of intricate, patiently-built up...
Football is played by millions of people all over the world, in various different formats. There's the classic 11-a-side set-up favoured by the professional game, the 7v7 formations you often see being played at football centres on midweek evenings, as well as more informal kickabouts down a local park or playing field. However, there's one form of football that rarely gets the attention it deserves, despite being hugely popular amongst...
What would football be without great creative players? Messi, Modric, Xavi, Iniesta, De Bruyne — the list of players who have inspired fans across the world with their ability to create glorious chances is extremely illustrious. For such players, football can often be seen as an art form, measured in special moments rather than pure numbers. However, it's impossible to ignore the importance of data and statistics within the modern...
Spain's 1-0 victory over England in the final of the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand sent the iconic trophy to a European nation for the first time since Germany's win in 2007. However, that doesn't mean that Europe's top women's players haven't received any silverware in recent years; on top of their domestic campaigns and adventures in the Champions League, each season there are a number of individual awards available to...
Spain's triumph at the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand came against the odds; in the lead-up to the tournament, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) was embroiled in a fierce dispute regarding squad conditions and the professionalism of the coaching set-up. In September, it was reported that 15 members of the national team said they would resign if coach Jorge Vilda did not step down, and 12 of these players have...
In professional football, statistics play more of a role now than they ever have before. The growth of data and analytics in football has meant that most big soccer fans are well versed in some of the more technical terms and metrics banded about by pundits, coaches and journalists. However, assists are hardly a niche aspect of the football vocabulary; they've been a commonly-seen part of the game for a while now. But despite that, many...
The FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious prize in world football, the ultimate goal for most of the world's best players . As a result, the symbolism of the trophy in question is important. Winning the World Cup helps you achieve a place in history, and the award for those that do has a special status of its own. In this article, we'll be diving into that prize in detail, telling you everything you need to know about the famous...
Every four years, the FIFA World Cup offers the chance for the world's best footballers — from Lionel Messi to Kylian Mbappe — to strut their stuff on the biggest stage. And while every player's main goal will be to help their nation get their hands on the prized trophy, there's more than one accolade on the line at each tournament. Alongside the famous Jules Rimet trophy (renamed in 1946 to honour FIFA's former president),...
The astronomical figures that are floated around each time a talented footballer is linked with a move away are the result of multiple factors including bumper TV broadcasting deals,  huge commercial partnerships and the growing prevalence of state ownership in the game. However, another important factor that continues to affect how much every superstar football player gets paid is the role of football agents.  The public...