When Arturo Vidal was very small, his mother rescued him and his siblings from the family’s burning home. His father, who had been kicked out, was the one who started the fire. Like the uncle who died of hypothermia out on the street one night, his dad was an alcoholic. The family lived in a
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Shaka Hislop’s Power Rankings are back and while a few familiar faces are near the top, Premier League clubs may have fallen down the ranks. Paul Mariner takes a whirl at the latest transfer rater and takes on the rumours surrounding Gareth Bale, Mesut Ozil and Edinson Cavani all set to leave this summer. Are
Lazio’s Coppa Italia win against AC Milan was marred by racist chants. Milan police have given nationwide stadium bans to Lazio fans who unfurled a banner honouring Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini on the streets of the city prior to the Coppa Italia semifinal second leg at AC Milan. Eight members of the Irriducibili group
Gab Marcotti shares his thoughts on where David De Gea might end up if he decides to leave Manchester United this summer. After another David De Gea blunder against Chelsea, Craig Burley examines the Man United keeper’s struggles and ponders his frame of mind. MANCHESTER, England — David De Gea will start for Manchester United
Thorgan Hazard is expected to join Borussia Dortmund as a replacement for Christian Pulisic. Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Thorgan Hazard has said he has “an agreement” with Borussia Dortmund over a move and is waiting for the clubs to finalise the transfer. Hazard — younger brother of Chelsea forward Eden — has been linked as being
Man City captain Steph Houghton has helped lay the groundwork for young stars like Georgia Stanway to thrive. MANCHESTER, England — As April ticks over into May, attention in English football turns toward the trophies that are up for grabs at the end of the season. In recent years, no club has been as focused
Julien Laurens explains what sort of punishment Neymar faces for an alleged swipe at a spectator and whether it affects how PSG fans perceive him. Frank Leboeuf explains why PSG need to do everything they can to keep Kylian Mbappe around and why they’d be better off letting Neymar go. Kylian Mbappe has been banned
The next Liverpool manager to win the Premier League title will instantly earn legendary status at Anfield. Rafael Benitez almost did it 10 years ago, and Brendan Rodgers came within a Steven Gerrard slip of achieving it in 2014. Jurgen Klopp might be just over a week away from doing what Benitez and Rodgers were
W2W4 previews the penultimate weekend of Premier League action by highlighting its most compelling storylines … The pride of Rodgers could be Liverpool’s big hope It’s impossible not to find it delicious that this weekend Liverpool’s chances of winning their first Premier League title in 29 years is at least in part in the hands
Once upon a time, when a club found its superstar player linked with a move to a bigger club, they used to repeat the same refrain: “We are not a selling club.” It was always a particularly meaningless phrase; every club is a selling club at the right price, not least in this era of
With Atlanta and Houston among the most recent MLS clubs to be ousted from the CCL, the FC crew assess the root causes of their struggles. MONTERREY – CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani isn’t buying recent reports suggesting that MLS and Liga MX clubs could soon be competing in the Copa Libertadores. Montagliani is confident that
Steve Nicol, Craig Burley and Alejandro Moreno talk Coutinho’s struggles at Barcelona as the former Liverpool man was subjected to jeers by his own fans on Wednesday. Barcelona take a commanding 3-0 lead into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Liverpool after a dominant performance at home. The ESPN FC panel don’t
The FC’s crew agree that an off-the-pace midfield was a bigger worry for Tottenham than missing key players in their loss to Ajax. Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen did not suffer concussion during Tuesday’s Champions League semifinal first leg loss against Ajax Amsterdam, the north London club said on Thursday. The 32-year-old Belgium international collided
Despite winning their Europa League 1st leg match 3-1 over Valencia, Paul Mariner wasn’t impressed with Arsenal’s night at The Emirates. LONDON — With strikers this good, sometimes everything else just takes care of itself. Arsenal have one foot in the Europa League final, and that is in spite of the fact that nobody would
Xavi Hernandez spent the majority of his storied career at Barcelona. Barcelona and Spain legend Xavi Hernandez has officially announced that he will retire from football after 21 years. The Spanish national team veteran, who plays in Qatar for Al Sadd, confirmed in an open letter on Thursday that this will be his last season
Gab Marcotti shares his thoughts on where David De Gea might end up if he decides to leave Manchester United this summer. After another David De Gea blunder against Chelsea, Craig Burley examines the Man United keeper’s struggles and ponders his frame of mind. The transfer window for Europe’s biggest clubs is closed, but you
By Andrew Cesare Richardson, ESPN writer With Milan’s season spiraling toward disaster, Gab Marcotti examines Gennaro Gattuso’s future and whether Antonio Conte is waiting in the wings. A loss leaves free falling Milan two points off Roma for fourth and level with Torino, who announced themselves as top four contenders with the win. AC Milan’s
Barcelona take a commanding 3-0 lead into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Liverpool after a dominant performance at home. Lionel Messi produced the latest in his long line of incredible moments with a picture-perfect dead ball strike against Liverpool. The ESPN FC panel don’t have a bad word to say about
Atletico Madrid will face the MLS All-Stars this summer. Atletico Madrid have been confirmed as opponents for the MLS All-Star Game in Orlando on July 31, continuing the trend of an elite European team playing against the best in Major League Soccer. “The atmosphere in Orlando will be intense and memorable when Atletico Madrid takes
Eintracht Frankfurt hung on in the Bundesliga but have established themselves as a consistent developer of young talent and a team to be reckoned with. “Best football team in Germany,” read the Eintracht Frankfurt supporters’ banner and over the course of the game, it went from being vaguely funny to painfully ridiculous. Their side were