The Hollywood Pass
By all accounts, April Fools’ Day in Manchester this year was a quiet affair. But not at the Etihad stadium, where Manchester City hosted Liverpool in a crucial English Premier League match. Jurgen Klopp’s men were trying to rally their way to Champions League qualification following a desperately disappointing season during which they had been […]
“Some people think that if their opponent plays a beautiful game, it’s OK to lose,” Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen once said. “I don’t. You have to be merciless.” Carlo Ancelotti, one would think, would be inclined to agree. “We just think about winning matches, not thrashing teams,” the Real Madrid manager said in the […]
Florentino Pérez embraced Raúl González. The former Real Madrid captain said something in Pérez’s ear, which made Pérez playfully slap across Raúl’s face. The pair hugged again before Raúl walked away to let Pérez enjoy the presentation ceremony of the UEFA Champions League 2021/22 final at the Stade de France. As Real Madrid players came […]
Franck Ribéry looked peeved. The clock showed 75 minutes at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Stadium in the Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund. Ribéry had opened his team’s scoring, lashing home, on first touch, a cross from the right by Philip Lahm in the 4th minute. He had also made an assist. Now the fourth official was […]
When British driver Nigel Mansell clinched the 1992 Formula 1 World Championship at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Brazilian racing great Ayrton Senna joined him on the podium. While Senna had won the race, Mansell had managed to win the championship despite finishing second in Hungary. As Mansell was preparing to celebrate his maiden (and only) […]
Valentino Mazzola, captain of the legendary ‘Grande Torino’ team of the 1950s, famously rolled up his sleeves during matches when things were not going according to plan. This was a signal to teammates and opponents alike that it was time for the ‘quarto d’ora granata’ ( the maroon quarter-hour). What followed was 15 minutes in […]