The Future of the Five Time World Champions - Brazil

Brazil as a nation are known for, above all, it's football. From the beaches of Rio to the skyscrapers of Brasilia, football is seen as a matter of life and death and the success of their national team more then shows that fact. With five FIFA World Cups to their name, three in the space of four tournaments between 1958 and 1970 Brazil has staked their claim to being the best national team in the world! With two more titles following in 1994 and 2002 a second golden age for the Canariho (little canary) was born and unlike in the past, these stars came across to Europe and allowed us to truly understand how good the boys from Brazil where! With the likes of Cafu, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and many many more world class players joining Europe's elite club sides and making waves, this golden age of Brazilian football left a long lasting impact on the rest of the world. As this squad of players have slowly moved on to lives beyond football a new batch of youngsters have came from the shores of Brazil and made their mark in the biggest leagues in the world, spear headed by superstar Neymar. Other big names such as Coutinho, Thiago Silva, Oscar, Marcelo have continued the trend of exports from Brazil making a splash in Europe, however they have struggled to make the same impact and find the success on the international stage that their predecessors did before them. With a failed attempt to win the World Cup in their own backyard in 2014 and a quarter final exit from the 2015 Copa America the current Brazilian first team has struggled to set the world alight. But one thing the leagues of Brazil is never short of is potential, potential world beaters just waiting to show the rest of us how good they can be. With Brazil winning the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics, a tournament of an under 23 structure, the future looks bright and now is the time to focus on the next generation of talent coming from the most successful nation in football.

'The next Neymar'. That is what young striker Gabriel Barbosa was dubbed when he caught the public eye after breaking into the same Santos side as the Barcelona star at the ripe old age of 16, making his debut in Neymar's farewell to his boyhood club. After being part of the youth set up at Santos from the age of 8, and signing his first professional contract only a month after his 16th birthday with an incredible 50 million euro buyout clause attached, Barbosa has been tipped for greatness for a long time. He will forever go down in history of the Sao Paulo based club after scoring the clubs 12,000th goal, he finished his first full professional season at the club with a tally of 21 league goals which instantly saw the youngster handed a new five year deal as the strikers stock continued to grow. The following season saw Barbosa have to fight for his place as Brazilian international Robinho resigned for his former club, and although this reduced the number of first team opportunities Gabriel received, he continued to improve and after returning to a full time member of the first team he completed another very successful season, which included finishing as the top goalscorer in the Copa Do Brazil with 8 goals, which lead Santos to the final in a losing effort against Palmeiras. As the 2016 season started Gabriel was officially one of the top stars in the Brasileiro Seria A and with that status, the interest from Europe was inevitable and on the 27th August 2016 Barbosa signed a five year deal with Italian giants Inter Milan, the same European side where Ronaldo thrived from a young age, the deal was reportedly worth just south of 30 million euros. Since signing however Barbosa has only made one first team appearance as he tries to get a grip on the Italian style of football. But with the hype surrounding the striker from such a young age, and the attention on the youngster never wavering, Barbosa is 100% one to watch.

Scoring a brace in your International debut, now that's a way to make sure everybody watches out for you! Gabriel Jesus (Yes another Gabriel) has been regarded as one of the most promising young players on the planet since coming through the youth system at Brazilian side Palmeiras and has earned comparisons to 'el phenomenon' Ronaldo. Jesus signed his first development contact with the club at the age of 16 and featured for Palmeiras in the under 17s state championship but within 9 months, with 22 games played and an incredible 37 goals scored, the teenager was offered his first professional deal with the club. He finished the calendar year with 54 goals in 48 matches, making him the club's top goalscorer at any level, and the interest from abroad was already evident, with English side Arsenal reportedly monitoring the strikers development very closely. The striker from Sao Paulo was subject to a petition coming towards the end of the 2014 season. With Palmeiras struggling in the league and risking relegation, the fans where outraged that the young Brazilian wasn't getting a chance in the first team despite his major success in the youth system, and a petition was created to force the hand of the manager. Despite the fans best efforts Gabriel didn't get to make his first team debut until March 2015 and his first start came in April, just days before his 18th birthday, where his quick feet, speed and dribbling ability instantly attracted yet more attention from the world of football. His first professional goal for the club came in July, scoring the only goal in 1-0 Copa Do Brazil win against ASA, Jesus scored two more goals on route to Palmeiras winning the Copa Do Brazil, although he was forced off during the second leg of the final due to a shoulder injury. During his first full professional year Jesus has currently scored 21 league goals, and averaging a goal every other game in all competitions. He has also however earn his first red card of his career during the 2016 season, as he was involved in a fight with Damian Musto, Jesus apologised instantly after the game for the misconduct and it remains the only sending off of Jesus's career. Despite the red card the young striker continued to gather more and more momentum and the attention surrounding him grew until August 2016, when a pre contract was signed with Manchester City which totalled at 32 million euros which will see the youngster joining the English club in January 2017 once the Brazilian league season has finished.  After the deal was completed Jesus stared in the gold medal winning Brazilian side at the 2016 Rio Olympics, this was perhaps the first glimpse for most people of the future Manchester City player and he did not disappoint, scoring 3 goals on the road to Brazil's first ever football Olympic gold. Once Jesus officially becomes a Manchester City player all of Europe will find out what many people already know, that we have a future world beater on our hands! When Ronaldo officially agrees to mentor a young striker, you know we could be in for something special. Watch this space.


Unlike the previous two mentions, this Brazilian youngster is yet to agree a multi-million pound move to Europe, but that does not mean he hasn't been on the radar of the top clubs. Rodrigo Ciao has came through the ranks at Sao Paulo and from the very beginning he was tipped for greatest! First creating a buzz in 2012, Ciao was asked to play as a right back, despite playing the early stages of his career in the centre of defence. The reason for this was their opposition, Santos, and more notably, Neymar. His inexperience in this role didn't show and instead Rodrigo was able to hold off Neymar throughout the State Championship fixture and received rave reviews from the media for his performance. Noted by the people reporting on the match was Ciao's footwork, known in Brazil as movimento do escorpiao, it is a style used in indoor football to hold off attacking players, a style rarely seen in full size games. At the age of 19 Rodrigo Ciao was one of the first names on the team sheet at Sao Paulo playing at right back, but injuries lead to him returning to the centre of defence and much like he did before he impressed instantly with manager Paulo Autuori highlighting his quality of performances by promoting Ciao to become his sides number one central defender. Rodrigo continued to impress game in game out for the remainder of the year, and was beginning to force his way into the Brazilian national team picture where he played for both the U21 and U23 sides, once again impressing. Sadly for the Brazilian however, in August 2014 Ciao picked up an ACL injury, ruling him out of action for 7 months, returning in March 2015. A mere three months after returning to action Rodrigo was subject to a 16 million euro deal being agree between Sao Paulo and Spanish giants Valencia. Sadly for the returning defender, his knee injury caused him to fail two medicals and the deal fell through. In response to this his business relationship with 'super agent' Jorge Mendes was ended by the youngster due to frustration of the deal collapsing. Since his injury Ciao has continued to improve at Sao Paulo and due to club captain and legend Rogerio Ceni retiring in December 2015 it has been reported and seen that Ciao has taken on responsibility and now is the main voice and leader in the dressing room. A Brazilian centre back with the potential to be up there with the great defenders in the countries history, his horrible injury has prevented him from completing his move to Europe already, but don't be surprised if it happens very soon. This defender is mature beyond his years, incredibly versatile and just keeps getting better and better! A future Brazilian captain, mark my words.

Brazil has, is and will always produce top footballing talent! Whether they can translate that talent into success on the biggest stage is always another question, but the future of the five time world champions looks bright. The players mentioned are just a few of the men from the Liga Do Brazil that can take the European leagues by storm. Once again, watch this space.

Boca Juniors vs River Plate - The Superclásico

The South American's will always be synonymous with football, from Columbia to Argentina, the people of the continent eat, sleep and breathe the sport. With footballing greats such as Pele and Diego Maradona going down in history and current stars Lionel Messi and Neymar setting the world alight, South America has produced some of the worlds finest. Brazil vs Argentina is one of the oldest, and greatest rivalries in international football, with the first meeting of the giants taking place over one hundred years ago, in September 1914 in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires, with Argentina coming away with a 3-0 win. However within Buenos Aires, an even older and arguably greater match takes place. Making it's first appearance in 1913, the Superclásico is a football match which draws passion unlike any other. In 2004, The Observer ranked the derby between Boca Juniors and River Plate as number one in their list of '50 sporting things you must do before you die.' And was also quoted in saying that, 'Derby day in Buenos Aires makes the Old Firm game look like a primary school kick-about.' The people at the Guardian aren't alone with their valuation of the match, with FourFourTwo magazine considering it as the 'biggest sporting derby in the world' and also The Daily Telegraph refered to the Superclásico as the 'biggest club rivalry in world football.' The Superclásico doesn't get the attention is deserves, with the passion shown by each set of supporters as well as by the players privileged to take part, The Superclásico is simply a unique game of football and one which should achieve the same level of media attention as El Clasico in Spain.

After 362 meetings, 132 wins for Boca,116 for River and 115 draws, the match has become famous for an incredible intensity and atmosphere, one which no single game on the planet can equal. The foundations of the fixtures in the people of the Argentine capital, with Boca Juniors being seen as a club for the 'working class' whereas River Plate became known by the nickname 'Los Millionarios' with a fan base made up of supposedly upper class members of the city. With the fans being a major part of the rivalry right from it's beginnings, it is only right that in the current fixtures the fans also have a part to play. They really don't disappoint! A sea of colouful flowing banners, screams and roars, chanting, dancing and never ending fireworks. This is how the BBC described the fans interaction within The Superclásico, and it truly is a sight to behold. With chants being used as arsenal by both sets of fans, sang with intensity rarely seen on European soil, the stadiums hosting this historic fixture are known to bounce during the 90 minutes. Boca fans have labelled River 'las gallinas' (the chickens) for choking when it comes to the big game. River fans have subsequently labelled Boca 'los bosteros' (the pieces of sh*t). However a match which exudes such passion from the fans doesn't come without the ugly side of a derby. Both on and off the pitch, violence comes hand in hand with the The Superclásico, a factor of the derby which most would like forgotten, but will likely never subside.

Something pretty substantial must take place for a country to, quite simply, stop. And that is exactly what happens on the day of  River vs Boca, with an incredible 70% of Argentina supporting either River or Boca, a statistic which simply explains the enormity of derby day in Buenos Aires. The passion from the fans is easily translated onto the pitch and into the players, causing many incidents that have became infamous within the history of The Superclásico. Carlos Tevez, the former Manchester City and United man is never far from controversy. So when the life long Boca fan scored against River Plate, he took his chance to rub it in the nose of the opposing fans, by performing a chicken dance when celebrating his strike, infuriating the River supporters. Tevez was immediately awarded a red card for 'inciting violence between the fans' and in his post match interview the Argentinian admitted that the passion got the better of him. River aren't simply the victims of acts of stupidity from the players during The Superclásico. In 2011, Matias Almeyda was charged with assault and, like Tevez, inciting violence when he celebrated a win for River by kissing the club's badge in view of the furious Boca supports. These incidents will forever be a part of what makes this historic fixture great.

Sadly however tragedy has struck this fixture in the past, and in 1968, the tragedy of 'gate 12' struck a cord within the game that suddenly made the world loudest rivalry fall silent. Sunday 29th June 1968 was the 89th league meeting between the two biggest sides in Argentina, and as the clock ticked closer to a goalless draw which resulted in neither side being crowned champions the fans became increasingly anxious, Boca fans in particular. At full time the travelling fans made their way down to gate 12, which had been closed earlier in the day. Despite this the fans poured down the steep, narrow hallway which caused many fans to fall to the bottom. Unknowing to the fans who continued to make their way down, many supporters where crushed underneath the boots of their fellow fans which resulted in 71 deaths and another 150 injuries. The death count was already shocking, and then a later investigation showed the average age of the deaths was 19 years old and to this day, no one has been held accountable for this tragic event. Accounts of the event vary from person to person, starting with some suggesting Boca fans had thrown burning River Plate flags into a section of the home support which caused a stampede in the lower tiers. A separate account has stated that it was the River fans at fault, with a group of them entering the Boca Juniors section, creating violence and a rush to the exits by the fans which leads to the deaths. These accounts point the finger at the fans, with others stating that the closure of gate 12 by the stadium officials made exiting the over crowded stadium close to impossible. This tragedy has drawn contrasts to the Hillsborough disaster of 1989, and drew a similar media outcry for the truth, but to this day, the details of the event have never been confirmed.

The Superclásico. A fixture which never quite gets the attention it deserves. Truly unique, the passion and fire from the pitch to the stands during the 90 minutes is a sight to behold, and one I would push any true football fans to experience themselves if given the opportunity. August 23rd 1913, the first derby day in Buenos Aires, the debut of one of the greatest fixtures in club football, and one which will hopefully never meet its end.

Time Away:

Over the last 7 months, due to other parts of my life getting in the way, I have neglected this blog. With my A-Level exams and full time work taking over my life I have failed to find the time to do what I love, write about the beautiful game.

Now I have a better grasp of things and while I try to make some movements in the field of sports journalism I will be, once again, posting on this blog at every opportunity, starting with an article focusing on the Argentinian Superclasico between Boca Juniors and River Plate. Thank you for your patience. 

Liverpool vs Borussia Dortmund - What Just happened?

European nights at Anfield are some of the greatest moment in the history of Liverpool Football Club. The late Steven Gerrard strike against Olympiacos which kept the reds on the way to Istanbul, Luis Garcia's 'ghost goal' against Chelsea in the Semi - Finals of the same competition, Emile Heskey's bullet header against Roma in 2002 to secure the 2-0 needed to see his side through to the next round. Steven Gerrard keeping his cool to slot in a late penalty against Arsenal in the 2008 Champions League Quarter Finals, followed by a late Ryan Babel goal to seal the game, rolling over the most successful side in the elite European competition, Real Madrid, 4-0 in 2009. You can go as far back as 1977, where a win against Saint Etienne kept Liverpool on the road to their first European Cup, but last night another famous European night was written into the record books. 

In recent years the UEFA Europa league has been seen as a competition to avoid, it simply doesn't have the same attraction of its older brother, the UEFA Champions League. However, this season the Europa League has undergone a resurrection! With sides such as Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Seville and of course Liverpool in the knock out stages, the draw of the competition for the fans was par with the Champions league. The first competitive European meeting between two of footballs biggest clubs, in rivals Liverpool and Manchester United the tournament was creating history! A 3-1 aggregate win for the Merseyside club saw Liverpool progress, and another dream game was thrown up for the Quarter Finals with German side Borussia Dortmund, who had easily dispatched of Spurs in the round of 16, being drawn to face Liverpool. Not only was it a meeting of two of Europe's biggest sides, but the newest Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was set to take on the club he managed to consecutive Bundesliga titles and a Champions League final! 

Dortmund where seen as the favorites to win the competition, so inevitably they came into the first leg at the famous Signal Iduna Park as favorites. So when Belgian striker Divock Origi scored the opener, the under dogs had a unexpected advantage. Mats Hummels bullet header in the second half tied the first leg up and thats how it finished, 1-1, Liverpool would take an away goal advantage back to Anfield, but that is where things got... unbelievable! 

In Germany, Liverpool's center back pairing of Mamadou Sahko and Dejan Lovren had managed to keep Dortmund's attack under wraps, but within 10 minutes of last nights game they showed their class, with a fifth minute goal from Henrikh Mkhitaryan silencing the Kop, and a ninth minute goal from Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang wipping out all of the good work done in the first leg by Klopp's side. Liverpool tried to fight back but the attacking power of the German's was just too much, and Marco Reus was running rampant, nearly creating a third goal just past the half hour. As the half time whistle went, Dortmund looked like they could have gone on to score more in the second half, Jurgen Klopp had the task of his career to motivate his side at half time And he did just that. The German manager has confirmed he used perhaps the greatest night in Liverpool's history to motivate his team, reminding them about Istanbul and that Liverpool never give up! 

It appeared to have worked, when it took just two minutes of the second half for Divock Origi to continue his current vain of form and get Liverpool back into the game. But it appeared to all be in vain when Marco Reus again showed his class, scoring the away sides third goal just before the hour mark, seemingly ending the tie with Liverpool needing three goals in thirty minutes. But who do Liverpool turn to in times of need, well it was Steven Gerrard, but now its the new fans favorite, the 'little magician' as he has been dubbed by the fans, Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian hit a majestic curling effort which beat the keeper and flew into the bottom corner. There's one.

Dortmund still looked capable of scoring any time, but Liverpool looked revitalized and they started to pile on the pressure. Frustration grew around Anfield when two corners where wasted within a few minutes of each other and when another was won in the 77th minute the fans weren't happy when Coutinho's corner didn't beat the near post. But this time it didn't matter! Daniel Sturridge charged towards the ball, and despite failing to make contact the ball traveled into the middle of the box where French center back Mamadou Sahko was waiting to knock the ball in, 3-3 on the night, Dortmund where still going through on away goals, but Liverpool only needed one more! 

With 10 minutes plus added time left Liverpool where throwing everything they had into Dortmund's box, but the Germans managed to deal with it well. As the clock ticked on Liverpool became more desperate and passes where wasted. As the clock reached 90 minutes and 4 minutes added time where announced, Liverpool won a free kick just inside Dortmund's half. Liverpool unexpectedly played the ball to the edge of the box, where Sturridge collected the ball, he managed to hold it up and play a brilliant pass through the defenders legs to the overlapping James Milner who had continued his run from the free kick. Milner then went on to lift the ball to the back post, as the clock ticked on, this was the best chance the reds would have to score the decisive goal. And thats when, the man whos missed penalty saw Liverpool fall out of the Europa League last season, Dejan Lovren climed highest and with a bullet header, scored Liverpool's fourth and for the first time on the night, gave Liverpool the lead! 5-4 on aggregate, 3 minutes to go, Liverpool had done it! 

A late free kick flashed just past Liverpool's post and then the final whistle went, Liverpool had came back from the dead to pull off another European miracle, they where going through! 

With Dortmund out Liverpool are now the bookies favorites to win the competition and they have been drawn against Spanish side Villarreal for the semi finals, with the second leg once again being under the lights at Anfield. Once again this tournament has created history as these sides will meet in a competitive fixture for the first time in history. With the new rule being implemented recently stating that the Eurpoa League winners earning qualification to the Champions League for next season, we could see the five time European Cup winners in Europe's elite competition next season for only the second time in five years. Under Jurgen Klopp, could we be seeing the rebirth of a sleeping European giant! 

The World's Richest 'Guests' - Can Manchester City win England's first Champions League in 4 Years?

Thanks to Kevin de Bruyne's late strike against PSG in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter final, Manchester City have progressed to the semi finals for the first time in the history of the club. After a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Paris, the two away goals gave Manchester City a great opportunity to progress past the French champions. The Manchester club faithful had the England number one Joe Hart to thank for producing some incredible saves throughout the game, namely keeping out a thunderous Zlatan Ibrahimovic free kick. The luck appeared to be against City however when top goal scorer and one of the world's top strikers Sergio Aguero missed from the spot in the first half. But with fifthteen minute left on the clock, the Belgian de Bruyne scored the goal which would secure the progression to the last four, with Manchester City's only shot on target over the 90 minutes of football at the Etihad! Paris Saint Germain coach and former French center back Laurent Blanc came out after the game and congratulated Manchester City for becoming the 'guests in the semi final draw' alongside Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Now although the holders Barcelona and five time winners Bayern are yet to guarantee their progression to the semi final, with both teams playing their quarter final second legs tonight! The final four in Europe's elite competition has been subject to very little change in the last 5 years, with 2014 being the only year since 2011 where either Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Barcelona did not appear in the bracket for the semi final. In 2012 the eventual winners Chelsea joined the elite group, only to fall in the group stages in the next season. In 2013, Borussia Dortmund progressed all the way to the final, knocking out Real Madrid in the semi finals! However they fell to fellow Germans Bayern Munich in the final. During the 2014 season, Athletico Madird knocked out Barcelona on their road to the final, to be toppled by cross town rivals Real Madrid late on. And finally, Italian giants Juventus progressed to the final last year after knocking off Real Madrid in the semi Finals, however they couldn't handle the 'MSN' strike force of the Catalan giants and they lost 3-1 in Berlin. History is not on the side of Manchester City, with the big guns of European football dominating the champions league in recent years, but can Manuel Pellegrini's side bring the giant trophy back to England for the first time in four years?

Well when you look at the Manchester City side, in terms of star power, they aren't too out gunned by the sides they'll have to beat if they wish to win their first Champions League. With the likes of Yaya Toure, who can be unplayable on his day! Vincent Kompany, a man who's importance to the City team is so evident by defensive performances when he is absent costing his side. David Silva, a player who is no doubt one of the most gifted play makers on the planet. But with a very impressive record of 96 goals in only 127 league starts, the Argentine front man Sergio Aguero may be the key to City's victory! Despite missing a fair period of the last couple of seasons with injury, his goal scoring rate has not diminished, and despite missing a penalty in the win over PSG 'Kun' could go toe to toe with any player the other three semi finalists have to offer. Manchester City's number 10 has certainly got the pedigree to perform against the biggest sides, with a hat-trick against Bayern Munich last season for City and goals against Real Madrid and Barcelona in his Atletico Madrid days there is no doubt he is the man to watch out for.

Sergio Aguero will certainly have the chances to make an impact, especially playing along side club record signing Kevin de Bruyne. The Belgian has made a huge splash since returning to the Barclays Premier league and has been one of the stand out performers for City this season. Now while Aguero is Manchester City's top goal scorer, when it comes to having a hand in the goal, the £55million man is neck and neck with his Argentine team mate, with de Bruyne being involved in 27 goals this term in all competitions (15 goals and 12 assists) a figure level with that of 'Kun' Aguero. Now the Belgian has been the subject of plenty of ridicule during his career, and he was written off by many after his move to Werder Bremen was made official in 2014 but he proved himself to be every bit the player he was rumored to be and in just over a years time, he had returned to England and he hasn't looked back. The incredible talent of the young midfielder could have a big impact on Manchester City's dreams!

If the remaining fixtures in the Quarter finals go as expected it is no doubt that Manchester City will be the underdogs to reach the finals and then to win it. However their potential opponents aren't invincible! A Cristiano Ronalso inspired Real Madrid progressed past Wolfsberg last night, but a 2-0 defeat in the first leg shows if a team comes at Madird, they really can be made to look poor at the back! Despite eventually rolling over Juventus 4-2 in the second leg of their round of 16 tie, Bayern Munich appeared to be asleep at the start of the game, going 2-0 down to the Italian side, and if Juventus had shown some more 'Italian like' defending, they would have knocked the German's out! Those crazy minutes against Juventus show Manchester City that when Bayern Munich aren't at 100% they can be made to look vulnerable. Now the holders Barcelona are the closest you can get to a perfect side right now. At the start of April the Catalan giants where 39 games unbeaten! However, they have followed that historic run by losing two games in a row in the league. If there's ever a chance for Manchester City to turn over Barcelona and their unstoppable front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, this is that time!

But if i'm realistic for one moment, Manchester City would need a miracle to walk away from Milan in May with the famous trophy! No matter how many points I, or anyone else make about City's chances, you can make so many more saying their going to lose their semi-final 6-0 and get dumped out of Europe! Between Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich the most elite trophy in European football has been lifted 20 times, making them three of the four most successful teams in the competitions history (Only A.C Milan winning more then Bayern and Barcelona with 7). These sides have all the history and pedigree to back up either of them securing yet another title and in all likelihood one of them will win in Milan. However it's been done before and who's the say Manchester City wont upset the odds and turn over the biggest sides in Europe and, much like Chelsea in 2012, shock the world by winning their first Champions League title!

The Not So Special One - What Caused The Fall Of Portugal's Favourite Son?

"Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one." During his first interview with the English media, Jose Mourinho went from a newly established young Portuguese man looking to cement his legacy, to a must see commodity of the English game. When Jose, who still to this day is dubbed as the special one, won the Champions League with FC Porto, he caught the eye of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, which led to Mourinho being appointed by the Russian as the new manager of London club Chelsea in 2004. What followed was Chelsea’s first league title in fifty years, capped off with records for the least goal conceded in history for the English top flight and the most points ever recorded in a thirty eight game season. When you pair these records with a Carling Cup victory and an impressive run in the UEFA Champions League, the football fans of England and around the world, where instantly in awe of the special one. His tenure at Chelsea lasted until 2007 when he departed the club, under mutual consent with the owner. 

However this did not harm his stance as perhaps the best manager in the world and before long was the new boss of Italian giants Inter Milan. Here he continued his eye catching personality, in Italian! Speaking the language fluently in his first interview, claiming to have learnt it in less than three weeks. It was acts like this which kept the world media attracted, and it didn’t take long for the Italians to fall for Jose just as the English media had in the years prior. By the end of 2010 Jose had won all there was to with the Italians, securing a historic treble in his final game! His players had truly came to love their boss, with long standing Inter defender Marco Materazzi sobbing on camera when told of Mourinho’s departure to perhaps the biggest club side in the world. Real Madrid.

Real Madrid, Los Blancos, the galacticos, the team from the Spanish capital are perhaps the biggest in the world, but over the years there is one position where they have struggled to fill with a name deserving of the title, the manager of Real Madrid. During his first season at the Santiago Bernebeau (Real Madrid’s home stadium) Jose led his new side to a points record for the club, however despite this he could only manage his side to second place, with Catalan giants Barcelona winning the Spanish Premier Division title. For the first time in his career, the media did not instantly swoon to the special one upon his arrival in Spain, and instead they questioned his methods. However those methods next season led to Los Blancos secured the league title, finishing 9 points clear of last season’s winners Barcelona. This results led to the Madrid players actually bowing to Jose in the celebrations, showing just how strong Jose’s bond is with his players! Just as much as a group of his players adored him, the media in Spain came to hate the Portuguese manager. In the following season, the relationship between Jose and his captain Iker Casillas soured, which caused major backlash in the media.  "I am loved by some clubs, especially one. In Spain it is different; some people hate me, many of you in this (press) room." This quote was not long before Mourinho said how this season, which turned out to be his last with the club, was the worst of his career!

In the summer of 2013, Mourinho returned to Chelsea, the move the world of football had been expecting since his departure 6 years prior.  He returned to where he was adored by both the fans and the media, and all of the controversial language he had used in his first tenor came with him upon his return to the Premier League.  In his first season back in London, he moulded the current team into one which appeared to be as will to play for him as any before, and by the end of his second year back, his Chelsea team had effectively walked to the title, losing only three games all season and winning manager of the year in the process. Mourinho was as indestructible as ever, which is why what happened next makes no sense.

Just seven months after Chelsea secured the title in impressive fashion, they were placed 16^th and in the midst of a potential relegation battle! This incredible decline lead to Jose Mourinho being released from his contract, the question is what caused this?

Many miniature incidents during the beginning of their season could be the fault of Chelsea’s downfall, the poor form of star men Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas? The spine of José’s title winning team looked a shadow of their former selves. The Portuguese manager has always been controversial but the many derogatory comments made about FA representatives during his final season point to a man under pressure, and lacking support. This backlash from the English media can be pointed to something other than Chelsea’s form. The handling of Eva Carnerio, the former Chelsea physio who has since been fired.  Carnerio rushed onto the pitch during the first game of Jose’s final season at Chelsea to attend to an injury for Eden Hazard after twice being summoned by the referee. Mourinho slammed her actions as unprofessional and banned her from the dugout for the remainder of his tenor as manager.

The actions of the manager appeared to be the actions of a man trying to make an example, and this opinion of his actions where broadcast in the media, meaning for the first time since his first interview in England, Jose did not have the backing of the media.  The backlash was extraordinary and even the players, who has spent the last 24 months falling in love with their boss, had appeared to turn their back on his.  This lead to a side of Mourinho we haven’t seen before in England, a nervous, under pressure man trying to shift the attention from himself. This side of Mourinho drove his players further away from him and before long they players did not appear to want to play for the man. A combination of a barrage from the media and his own players turning a cold shoulder led to Mourinho losing his job in December of 2015.

 If you ask me, it wasn’t Chelsea’s form which led to the changing attitude of the special one. It was the changing attitude of Mourinho, the insistence on shifting the blame, the determination to make himself seem indestructible which eventually led to his destruction and to Chelsea’s incredible fall from grace. 

Chinese Super league - What Just Happened?

It's been threatening to for a while, but it appears the Chinese Super league is finally making its claim to become a new power house of world football. As another rather uneventful January transfer window in England has drawn to a close, the window in China is still open, and the incredible list of player who have taken the journey to China is continuing to grow. After Didier Drogba signed for Shanghai Shenhua in 2012, the Chinese league appeared to calm down for a period, with only a few top name players moving to the country, and much like the MLS, these players where heading towards the back end on their career, which makes this January's transfer spectacular even more incredible!

With still two weeks to go in their winter transfer window, the top tier of Chinese football has seen a staggering £105,445,598.18 spend on incoming players so far, comfortably topping the English Premier Leagues spending for this window and making it the highest spending league in the world for the winter window. As well as this, four of the top five spending individual clubs in this window have been Chinese, with only Norwich City bucking the trend. Now, we have seen obscure leagues spend incredible money on a lot of big name players in the past, the most recent examples being the MLS, bringing in the likes of Kaka, David Villa, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo all in a short space of time, the reason why this Chinese spending spree is so different and is making the whole football world take note is that, these players are not only big names, but still in the prime of their career and could force their way into some of the top teams in world football. Former Arsenal winger Gervinho made the jump this window, as did Colombian midfielder Fredy Guarin and the ever present, now former Chelsea deep lying midfielder Ramires. However, the two biggest deal of the window both broke the record transfer fee for Chinese football, and both 100% made the world of football stand back and watch, especially those in England!

The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil saw a lot of players showcase their talents on the biggest stage of them all, and one striker who certainly took advantage of this was Jackson Martinez, despite stiff competition from team mates restricting his time on the pitch, when he started the group game against Japan, Martinez scored a very impressive brace, and showed the world what he could do! Alongside an incredible goal scoring record of 67 goal in 89 games for FC Porto in Portugal, in the summer of 2015 Jackson made a 35 million Euro move to Atletico Madrid, turning down long term suitors Arsenal in the process. Martinez has been on the radar for the London based club for quite a while, so when things failed to click at Atletico for Jackson, it was widely rumored that Arsenal would make another attempt to sign the front man. However, almost out of no where, 3rd February 2016 saw a Asian transfer record fee of 42 Million Euros agreed to bring Jackson to Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao. This deal shook the world of football, seeing such a big name, coming from one of the worlds elite in Athletico, moving to China, however this wasn't the biggest deal of the window. 

Liverpool Football Club, the five time champions of Europe, 18 times champions of England, one of the world recognised super powers of the beautiful game, so who'd of thought they'd ever lose out in signing their number one target to a side from China? Well that's what happened. Brazilian attacking midfielder Alex Teixeria has spend the last few seasons letting the world of football know about his ability! With 46 goals in 62 games over the last two season for Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine, it appeared the Brazilian was to follow in the footsteps of fellow former Shakhtar stars such as Douglas Costa, Willian and Fernandiniho to make a big money move away from the club. When Liverpool approached the Donetsk based side about signing Teixeira in January of this year, they where turned down, and told they would have to offer upwards of 50 Million Euros to sign the Brazilian, despite trying to lower the price for most on the month, the English transfer window closed with the deal dead in the water. Alex Teixeira came out and said he wished for the deal to go threw to increase his chances of representing his national team. When the deal didn't happen, it appeared as if Teixeira was very disappointing with this decision and his comments hinted at a move to the club the following summer. However, no more then three days later, the 50 Million Euro price tag set on the Brazilian by Shakhtar had been met, not by Liverpool, but by Jiangsu Suning for a record Chinese transfer fee, meaning the record fee had been broken twice in two days! This deal ran riot in the English media, and made many people who has tried to ignore the Chinese Super League's spending stand up and take notice! A player with such high potential, has moved to the league, after failing to secure a deal to a traditional giant of the game! 

The back to back record transfers saw the Chinese Super League burst into the spot light, with many people questioning how and why this had happened! And then, days later it was revealed that Chelsea had declined a 60 Million Euro bid for Brazilian midfielder Oscar, which would have made him the third most expensive transfer in English football history (After Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, and Fernando Torres to Chelsea). When this offer came to light, you certainly have to wonder what has caused this sudden influx of talent and this, almost obsession with the game which hasn't been seen before from the Chinese league. Chinese president Xi Jinping announced a goal to create a domestic sport economy worth $850bn by 2025. At the heart of this goal and the accompanying plan is the aim of hosting and winning the World Cup. The influx of money being pumped into Chinese football is of course going to attract many players to get involved in this country wide push, as well as top players coming to China, former England and Manchester City boss Sven Goran-Eriksson, and World Cup winning manager Luiz Felipe Scolari have started managing in the top tier of Chinese football. The increase in both playing and managing staff will see the standard of the league grow drastically, now the overall goal of the Chinese national side winning the World Cup may be very, very, very far in the future but the increase in talent in their top flight can only lead to good things for Chinese football. 


Well the Leicester City owner said he would invest to ensure a top five finish for the foxes, and now they're six points clear at the top of the table, so you never know, in 2026 we may be seeing China win their first ever World Cup! 

The next generation - Which teenage stars will set the world alight.

Lionel Messi replaced Ronaldinho. Cristiano Ronaldo replaced Luis Figo. Garath Bale replaced Ryan Giggs. Neymar replaced Ronaldo. Paul Pogba replaced Patrick Viera. Manuel Neuer replaced Oliver Kahn. Over the last decade we have seen some of the world best players hang up their boots, and standing in wait was the next batch of players ready to set the world of football alight! Whether the batch of talent showed promise from a young age, or worked harder then everyone in the club day in day out, the current crop of world beaters could compete with any that has graced a football pitch. No one thought Barcelona could follow Ronaldinho's success, and then a young Argentine forward came and revolutionized modern football. No one though Portugal would ever produce a better player the Figo, and the Cristiano Ronaldo followed in his footsteps and because one of the greatest players of this generation, surpassing Figo and inheriting the captains armband and the iconic number seven shirt. Ryan Giggs looked to be a once in a lifetime player produced on the British Isles, then Garath Bale showed the world what he could do before a world record transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu. When a top player passes their prime there is always a young talent itching to call themselves the best, but the question is. Who's next?

One of the most talked about talents in world football now is Martin Ødegaard, so it only seems fitting to start with him. In January of 2015 the Norwegian international signed for Real Madrid, less than a month after his SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY! Yes, this wonder kid is 17, turning 17 on the 17th December last year. At the age of 15 Ødegaard made his international debut, becoming the youngest player to play for Norway at senior level, at 15 years and 253 days. This is just one of the incredible records the youngster set before his move to Madrid. Martin became both the youngest player ever to feature in the Tippeligaen, the Norwegian top tier, and then just over a month later became the youngest goal scorer in the leagues history. These remarkable accomplishments have lead to the young midfielder attracting the interest of some of Europe's top teams, which lead to Ødegaard training with Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Manchester United and the Norwegian also visited Arsenal, this was all before he eventually signed with Los Blancos. Upon arrival the 16 year old was moved into the second team, managed by Zinadine Zidane, to continue his development by gaining more game time. However Ødegaard trained with the first team, and top stars such as Ronaldo and Bale have commented on how impressed they are with the youngster! On 23 May, in the final fixture of the first teams season, he made his debut for Real Madrid, coming-on as a 58th-minute substitute for hat-trick scorer Cristiano Ronaldo in an eventual 7–3 home win over Getafe CF. He became the youngest debutant in the history of the club at 16 years and 157 days old. Martin Ødegaard has showed during his time at Madrid that he has what it takes to be a big star in the future, if he continue to sky rocket to the top at the speed he has so far, it’s almost inevitable that he will be seen as one of the best in the world in the coming years. 

The second player I back to be a future world beater is one who has came in and out of popular media in the last few years, due to some of the incredible goals he scored during youth teams games for AC Milan and Italy. Hachim Mastour. Much less is known about the 17 year old compared to Martin Ødegaard, but this could be a good thing, as it could avoid over confidence and arrogance developing which tends to be common in young super stars. Mastour signed for AC Milan for £400,000 at the young age of 14 after showing incredible potential. Hachim appeared for Italy under 16's 6 times, scoring one goal, making his debut in 2013 at the age of 15. He has since decided to play his full international football with Morrocco after being eligable for both nations. He made his full international debut in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group F match against Libya at the Stade Adrar in Agadir, replacing Nordin Amrabat for the final two minutes of the 1–0 victory. In doing so, he became Morocco's youngest ever senior international player, aged 16 years old and 363 days. Mastour has appeared for AC Milan's first team only in friendly matches, and is currently on loan to Spanish side Malaga, where he made his first team professional debut on the 7th November 2015 against Real Betis. Hachim's style of play has earned him early comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo, which is big praise for such a raw talent. Unlike Martin Ødegaard, not much is known of Mastour, which makes him a much more interesting prospect for the future. One thing that is certain is that Mastour has bags of potential and if handled correctly, we could be witnesses of the development of a future star in the making. 


The third and final player I will be looking at as the future of world football has caused a lot of debate recently, a player with obvious talent and potential, but the question is if he can handle it. Im talking about the Belgian, Adnan Januzaj. Adnan is the eldest out of the three players I have looked at today, after turning 20 last year, however the young winger has been performing to a very high standard in the Premier League since the age of 18. Januzaj made his competitive debut for Manchester United against Wigan Athletic on 11 August 2013 in the Community Shield, he then made his Premier League debut a month later, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute in a 2–0 home win over Crystal Palace on 14 September. On 5 October 2013, in what was his first start for the club, Januzaj scored twice as United came from behind to claim a 2–1 victory away to Sunderland. Despite showing signs of class in every performance up into this point, Adnan's brace against Sunderland really did shot the young Belgian into the spot light, particularly the technique shown in the volley he scored for his second. Januzaj continued to show class throughout the season but also started to receive some criticism regarding simulation, and he picked up several yellow cards throughout the rest of the campaign which hindered the growth he made that season in the eyes of the media and the footballing world. As well as diving, Adnan Januzaj has had his personal life questioned, with suggestions that he has been letting his success get to his head, something which has stopped the growth of so many top young players. In the following season at United the winger struggled under Van Gaal and despite several top performances, has been loaded out the German giants Borissia Dortmund where he has struggled for starts behind German star Marco Reus. Unlike Mastour and Odergaard, Januzaj has showed his class on the big stage and now has to prove to the world that he has the ability to get to the top and stay there! 

The currently generation of footballing giants will be a tough one to top, with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo ruling the football world you have to wonder if the newest bacth of young stars can ever reach those levels. Odergaard, Mastour and Januzaj may be the best chance football has to continue to level of quality at the top, and despite all three players having their weaknesses, they all have the potential to do it. 

England - When is the real 'golden generation' going to begin?

As qualifying for thist years European Championship draws to a close, England boast the only perfect record in qualifying, with 10 wins from 10. A strong qualifying campaign is, for most teams, a sign of intent for the major tournament, however for England, its been quite the opposite on more occasions then most. The best example of this in recent years is perhaps the 2010 World Cup in south Africa, despite a very strong qualifying campaign and a new manager in Fabio Capello who had appeared to rejuvenate the three lions. However, just one win in the tournament and a 4-1 humbling by the Germans showed how far behind we appear to be compared to the rest of the top sides and that our strong qualifying counted for nothing! This underachievement at major tournaments has because a far too common occurrence for the nation which invented the sport, and is even worse when you consider the players who have pulled on the famous white shirt in the last 20+ years!

Since the turn of the millennium, the national team haven't progressed past the quarter finals in a single major competition, with many of those eliminations coming against side which we Englishmen compare ourselves to, but seems to be years ahead of England in terms of ability and progression.  One other thing that happened at the start of the 2000's was perhaps the worst thing that could have happened to the current crop of talent, that certain English side was declared as the 'golden generation' this put much unneeded pressure on the players, and made the poor performances at major tournaments an even more bitter pill to swallow. Players such as Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, David Beckham, Michael Owen, John Terry and many many more players where tipped to lead the 1966 World Champions to glory, but under performed when it mattered most!

With countries such as Germany, Spain and France in the last 2 decades taking advantage of a generation of amazing talent to push themselves to the top of the footballing world, you have to wonder if the three lions are capable of achieving a similar task. When you consider the caliber of players to have played at Wembley and failed to deliver on the big stage in recent years, you have to wonder if our current crop of talent, who are seen as being not even half the side we had 10 years ago, have the slightest chance at competing next year in France or in future tournaments.

Lets not rule out the current squad without taking a look at the key members. Of course the highest goal scorer in the history of the national side is the current captain, Wayne Rooney, with 50 international goals. With Daniel Sturridge (when he's fit), Harry Kane and inform Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy adding more options to the England attack, the three lions certainly still have their bite! When you add in the attacking threat from the wings, with Raheem Sterling and Theo Walcott being the stand outs for those roles, England have got pace in abundance. The worry for this English side comes from the back, I would personally not put a single midfielder in the current England squad, into the side we fielded ten years ago, with the stand out player on form at the moment being Ross Barkley, who has been incredibly inconsistent in the past few seasons. With defenders such as Gary Cahill, Chris Smalling, Ryan Bertrand and Nathaniel Clyne, Roy Hodgson can field a strong back four, but one which pales in comparison to English defenses of the past! One final positive is the strength between the sticks, Joe Hart has been a stand our goal keeper in the Premier League for years, and number two Jack Butland looks destined for greatness.

Despite not losing a single competitive game in 2015, I can't see our current crop of talent getting anywhere near the top spots in world football. In the future, a new generation may come along and push England towards greater heights but right now... It looks like we might be waiting a while for the true 'Golden Generation'.