4 days ago5 Most Iconic Players from the 1990 FIFA World CupI recently finished reading One Night in Turin by Pete Davies, which is considered one of the best books ever written on football. Originally published as All Played Out, Davies captures England’s journey at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. From hosting a mega-event to hooliganism to player-media relations and much…Football5 min read
Jun 5Transfer Records across Top 5 Leagues: a case study in financial disparityBefore getting to the details of today’s topic, I just wanted to clarify something. Transfer expenses are not the best way to judge a team’s financial capacity. It also doesn’t have a high correlation with a team’s success. On the other hand, wages are a much better indicator for both…Football5 min read
Apr 26Top 5 players left in UEL and UECLWe are approaching the business end of the European football calendar. Since Bayern Munich has been eliminated from the Champions League, my interest has slightly diverted towards the other two competitions. The Europa League sees RB Leipzig face Rangers FC while West Ham United takes on Eintracht Frankfurt. Frankfurt is…Uefa4 min read
Apr 10Revisiting Classics — 1982 FIFA WC ‘Brazil vs Italy’This is a series I am trying to build where I revisit some of the all-time football classics. I wrote one on the 1974 FIFA World Cup finals between Cryuff’s Netherlands and Beckenbauer’s West Germany too. But the mistake I made was of getting into too much detail and it…Football6 min read
Mar 12Bundesliga’s Blue-Eyed Boy — Florian WirtzEuro 2012 was the tournament that got me into football. I still have vivid memories of Balotelli’s overhead kick vs Ireland, Pirlo’s freekick vs Croatia, Lahm’s screamer vs Greece, Ronaldo’s header vs the Czech Republic, and much more. …Football4 min read
Feb 6The Copa America — World Cup ParadoxThe title might be a little misleading. But the best way to explain what I mean here is by giving some background and stats. 1916 was a monumental year for football in South America. To commemorate the 100 years of the Argentine Declaration of Independence from Spain, Argentina invited Brazil…Fifa World Cup9 min read
Dec 29, 20211954 FIFA World Cup — Football’s 83 moment?The inspiration behind this piece is, of course, the movie 83. It was the first Hindi movie I saw in the theatre since 2019, and I have to say I enjoyed it a lot. …India6 min read
Oct 11, 20215 Ballon d'Or nominees who should be replaced by their teammatesThe 30 men shortlist for Ballon d’Or 2021 is out. The list went through a lot of scrutiny from football fans, as is always the case. Since the sport has such a vast fanbase, it is impossible to satisfy each and every individual while handing out honors like these. On…Football4 min read
Sep 11, 2021Previewing German clubs in Europe this seasonThe draws are out for Europe’s premier club competitions and top teams from the continent will be contesting each other starting Tuesday, 14th September. We have had some major developments this season, starting with the newly created UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL). The Conference League promises an opportunity for more…Champions League9 min read
Aug 16, 20216 reasons why I am very excited about Serie A 21–22The new season of Serie A (or Serie A TIM if we show some thoughtfulness to their sponsor) starts on August 21. Back in the 80s and 90s, Serie A used to be the pinnacle of league football with the biggest names on the planet competing against each other on…Football4 min read
