England Junos: Future Stars in Making

The U-17 World Cup that was hosted in India has been nothing short of a spectacle. The event that has set a predominantly cricket-based nation on fire, with the crowds smashing all attendance records, this has surely been a tournament to remember. Right from the opening game to semi finals and ultimately the final, the event has seen football craziness on the highest level. The final of the U-17 World Cup has had more turnover than the final of the Cricket World Cup.

Young Brigade

Coming to the teams that took part in the competition, everyone has been nothing else but brilliant. Representing their countries at such a young age and playing riveting football right from the start of the tournament, it was brilliant. Each and every team managed to win the hearts of the fans and the brand of football displayed by these youngsters was superb. The tournament deserved a fitting end and it indeed got one with Spain and England making it to the finals of the tournament in Kolkata. The match saw a packed Yuvabharati Krirangan cheering both the sides equally and the noise level in the stadium was absolutely massive with an electric atmosphere and the stadium shaking to its core.

Final Countdown

The final saw England going down to Spain by 2 goals to nil and then making a comeback that has seldom been witnessed in the finals of the Football World Cup. The boys from Britain managed to ship in 5 goals and the match ended with England being the runaway winners. The comeback set up by England was absolutely mesmerizing and the brand of football that was displayed by both the teams in the final was majestic. Both the teams chose to play open football with pressing high up the pitch and staying attacks after attacks. This tempo of the game was massive and it has been a worthy final.

England – True Champion

The entire English team was applauded by the football fans for their performances and the brand of football that was out on display by them was fantastic. Rhian Brewster from England managed to win the golden boot after scoring the maximum number of goals in the tournament, which included two hat tricks in back to back matches and a goal in the final. However, the player, who won the hearts of every one with his brilliant footwork and skills with the ball, was Manchester City academy product, Phillip Foden. Donning the number 7 Jersey for the club and orchestrating the play for the team, the player was simply brilliant.

His agility and footwork kept teams on their toes throughout the tournament and the passes put forward by him, which turned into assists, was nothing else but brilliant. The player managed to score in the final as well after doing what he does best: Orchestrating the run of play. Players like Kirby and Gomes were rock solid in the centre of the pitch and dictated the terms of play, taking the game to the opposition. Young sensation Jadon Sancho, another Manchester City product now playing in Borussia Dortmund, had his tournament cut short due to club duties. The player was brilliant with the ball as well.

Players like Callum Hudson-Odoi and Morgan Gibbs-White gave their all and the performance of the former in the final from the left wing was breathtaking. The player has a lot of pace and agility that teared the Spanish defence. It was a massive team effort that resulted in England lifting of the trophy. 

10 Most Fashionable Footballers in the World

An individual’s fashion statement is a reflection of his/her lifestyle. Therefore, how can the football players stay immune to the changing scenario of fashion and style? In fact, many footballers are extremely fashionable and love to set a trend on and off the field as well.  There is a long list of footballers who are considered role models in the fashion world.

Football being the most popular sport in the world, celebrity footballers are just like next to God for their followers. Even a single change in their style does not go unnoticed by their fans all over the globe. These days, they are always on the radar of the paparazzi and football fanatics. Not surprisingly, their every look and style is a hot topic for discussion and followed by the fashionistas. 

Here are top 10 footballers mostly famous for their unique style and sense of fashion.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid star and Portugal national team captain Cristiano Ronaldo is the most stylish footballer of his era. The talisman has a good sense of fashion and always sports dresses from the top brands. He endorses several famous brands. After all, he is a fashion icon on field and off it!

Memphis Depay

Former Manchester United midfielder Memphis Depay is truly a fashion fiesta. During the French football awards ceremony, the Dutchman followed legendary pop star Michael Jackson’s footstep when he wore the same black jacket emblazoned with a garish gold material.

Gerard Pique

The Barcelona defender and Spain international has its own fashion statement, which is simple and straightforward. He was the face of the ‘H.E. by famous ‘Mango’ fashion campaign back in 2011. The famous Manchester United player is believed to have been highly influenced by his wife and Columbian pop star Shakira. 

Danny Welbeck

Dat Guy Welbz has failed to make the list of the first XI for Arsenal more than often. The England international seems to have got busy with online shopping in his free time. He loves switching between different suits and it could be a good fashion tip for anyone with earning worth million pounds/year.

Samuel Eto’o

The former Chelsea star launched his own brand of clothing. The Cameroon forward started a new line of shirts, shoes and caps under the brand name ‘Samuel Eto’o 9’. The striker is a hard-believer in fusion when it comes to clothing.

Xabi Alonso

The former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich star has hung up his boot. However, the handsome midfielder’s cool fashion statement continues grabbing the eyeballs of his hard-chore fans and fashion-crazy football lovers.

Andrea Pirlo

How can the coolest footballer be a fashionable man? The answer is the fashionable men don’t need to look hot always in order to turn head. The legendary Italian footballer believes in simplicity and the rest of the world knows it well that the most stylish thing about Andrea Pirlo is being Andrea Pirlo.

Alex Song

Believe it or not, the West Ham player is a hot fashion icon. He started his own brand Systeme TCHAKAP in 2014 and it earned fame within a quick timeframe. The celebrity players like Lionel Messi, Neymar and Dani Alves have been spotted wearing clothes from his brand.

Raul Meirelesfamous

The former Chelsea and Liverpool player looks extremely stylish in fluorescent green shoes. He always sports a beard and tattoos.

Didier Drogba

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba looks elegant in jeans and t-shirts. He launched his own brand of men “s underwear and beachwear with a French company.

An Insight into Chelsea’s Transfer Policy

London side Chelsea has been one of the forces to reckon with in the modern era of English Premier League. The club has been in the top tier for a long time now and one of the most successful clubs after Manchester United and Arsenal. Run by Russian business tycoon Roman Abramovich and currently being managed by Italian manager Antonio Comte, the club has been a massive threat to the other title challenging rivals for a long time now.

Italian boss Antonio Conte was appointed as manager of Chelsea only last season after the club endured a lacklustre season under Jose Mourinho. Mourinho, who also had spell at Real Madrid, guided them to win the Premier League in the 2014-15 season and backed it up with a lacklustre campaign in 2015-16 season as Chelsea finished outside top ten. This led to sacking of the Poutuguese manager who got replaced by Italian manager Conte who had successfully managed the Italian national team back then. Antonio Conte joined the club eventually and after a slow start in the Premier League with the first five matches panning out to be drab matches for the side, the club gained pace and turned out to be runaway champions. The Blues – the nickname of Chelsea, gained pace and outdid their rivals to win the English Premier League title last season.

From winning the Premier League and defending the league this season, Chelsea has been ensuring that they build a squad that is capable enough to compete in the cup games and the league and also the Champions League this campaign after coming back into the competition after a season. The club has been trying to make deals in order to ensure that all the bases are covered and there is adequate backup for players in each position in order to make sure that the players are refreshed and suitable players replace the ones who are injured during the season.

To be very honest, Chelsea’s transfer plans have not been that great this season and the club has made some bizarre sales during the summer transfer window, with the like of Nemanja Matic leaving the club. The Serbian midfielder was one of the mainstays for Chelsea last season as the club won the league. Having said that, they have looked to replace Diego Costa who has been having problems with Conte. The Blues have managed to secure service of Alvaro Morata. Assessing Chelsea’s transfer plans this season and given the formation they use, the club is likely to need more reinforcements as the squad looks too thin and that would be costing them dearly if players in vital positions get injured during the season with the numbers of games spiking up for the club competition this season.

TheBlues are not short in fund and can spend a lot to buy some high-profile players in the summer. However, this summer transfer window does not seem to be a happening one for them. It is now to be seen how the squad perform and whether they are able to endure the gruelling season that awaits them.

Was it only money to tempt Neymar away from Barcelona

With the dynamism that has flourished into the world football at the present moment, the sport which we fondly used to call a team game is no longer the same. The game of football is now more about individual superstars. The evolution of football from a team game to individuals’ stardom has given birth to monopoly of the well-capitalized clubs.

When it comes to money, a lot has changed since the days the business tycoons entered into the football market and started to own teams they like. With the influx of a lot of money, a massive change in the world football scenario is hard to ignore as the clubs have been on shopping spree in the transfer market. They are landing high-profile players to ensure success in both domestic and other prestigious competitions.. One such notable transfer that has recently shocked the world football involves Brazilian superstar Neymar.

From Santos to Barcelona

Neymar’s journey to stardom started when he joined Barcelona from Brazilian club Santos in summer of 2013. He took little time to be a true companion of another superstar Lionel Messi. They two created a fearsome attacking line for the Catalans. Neymar has flamboyance and skill that other players of the same age can hardly match. Neymar’s transfer to Barcelona created a lot of hoodoos and the Catalans suffered a transfer ban due to allegedly illegal tapping of a player and offering money under the table.

The player went on to be a world-class winger, arguably the best in the business after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The player’s popularity has been steadily on the rise. He is only 25 and has the best years still ahead of him.  The player formed one of the best trios in the world football after partnering with Messi and Suarez, which will be fondly remembered as MSN.

Departure from Nou Camp

The current summer transfer season has witnessed what no Barcelona fan would have ever imagined in his life. Their star forward Neymar decided to join Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record fee of 222 million pounds. The Neymar transfer has overshot the transfer of Paul Pogba last season when he was sold to Manchester United from Juventus for a massive fee of 120 million pounds plus add ons.

The Brazil international was also linked to a move to Manchester United last summer but nothing happened. Everyone wished him to stay in La Liga. Even Cristiano Ronaldo from Barcelona’s arch rivals Real Madrid urged him not to move away to PSG. However, everything fell on deaf years.

Conclusion

Was it only money or something else that convinced him to cut ties with Barcelona? The amount PSG offered is hard to resist but Neymar deserves more in future. The player has himself claimed that he was not lured by money. Was it his conscious yearning to come out of the shadow of Messi and create a niche on his own? Only Neymar knows the answers. But all La Liga fans will surely miss his footwork in the upcoming season.

Transfer News, rumors: PSG wants Neymar and Alexis Sanchez, Chelsea lands Morata

The rumors or news of transfers in club football has always been very exciting and fascinating. We at Golden Goals have always tried to keep you up to date on all accounts of football including football transfers too. In this blog let us speak about the latest big transfers on cards.

PSG wants Neymar and Alexis Sanchez

As you might be aware Paris Saint-Germain is aiming for a big-time splash in the transfer market this summer. This includes the Brazilian superstar Neymar and Alexis Sanchez the star Chilean footballer as the main targets, according to some reliable media reports. This is just a day after it was reported that Neymar had agreed to the deal with PSG, the French football club too confirmed that the “deal is possible”. According to the report this means that the transfer might trigger his release clause of over $200 million. 

In recent years Neymar, who was twice the South American Footballer of the Year in 2011 and 2012 has had a phenomenal run with Barcelona as well. He was a big part of Barca’s attacking trio with Argebtine Superstar Lionel Messi and Spaniard Luuis Saurez. He won the continental treble of La Liga, the Copa del and also the UEFA Champion’s League in the 2014-15 seasons. He   has also a great record for his country as well. Having scored 52 goals in 77 matches he played for Brazil since debuting just at the age of 18.

Apart from this the report also states that PSG has once again resumed their talks with the agent of Alexis Sanchez. In case the French football club manages to secure either, it would be a huge boost for a team. This is especially considering that it is looking to contend in the Champions League. In fact some experts feel that if somehow it can get both, with Edinson Cavani-Neymar-Alexis strike force, Les Parisiens would be one of the favorites to win the 2017-18 UCL.

Chelsea likely to sign Morata

In another major development in regard to football club transfers, Chelsea the premier English football club is all set to sign Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata after announcing a deal has been reached. You might be aware of the fact that Morata has scored 20 goals last season for Real Madrid. Thus this transfer is being seen as a major boost for Chelsea.

Morata is reputed to be a great finisher. He has the supreme ability to burn out defenders with his rapid pace with the ball. His game is more than just about scoring. Apart from this Morata is also great in the air. He is also hugely intelligent. His moves both on and off the ball, contributes greatly to the success of the team he plays for. Thus this transfer will indeed help Chelsea to perform much better in the upcoming season.

In conclusion we can say that all these are major transfers on cards, which will impact the upcoming season in a big way.

Ronaldo decides to stay with Real Madrid after change of heart over tax evasion allegations

In a major development recently, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo popularly known as CR7 underwent a change of heart over his future. He has decided to remain at Real Madrid, according to reports in Spain. According the Madrid president it is true that the CR7 was indeed hurt and offended when he had been charges of tax evasion by the Spanish authorities. They have alleged that football star had evaded taxes to the tune of £12.9million.

Ronaldo would leave if he is found guilty 

Ronaldo said that he would leave the football club if he was found guilty at the trial in regard to his tax evasion charges. There had been a lot of speculations last month in regard to what CR7 would do when the matter regarding charges of tax evasion came to light; in fact many were of the opinion that Ronaldo had already made an irreversible decision to quit Real Madrid following the charges. Some even linked with moves to PSG and Manchester United. But it seems that while playing the Confederation's Cup he kept his council and now appears to have had a change of heart.

In fact Florentino Perez has openly defended Ronaldo. He also was of the opinion that Ronaldo was indeed hurt and angry at the whole incident. But it is now great that Ronaldo has continued to stay with Real Madrid. 

Probable reasons why Ronaldo might have decided to stay 

The news of Ronaldo comes shortly after the news that Messi another superstar has extended his contract with Barcelona. Some experts say that the first reason why CR7 might have decided to stay could bet the fact that being with Madrid would give him a higher profile. This is particularly considering the fact that with Madrid he would be at a better chance of winning the Ballon d' Or. He would also probably be in a better shape for next year's world cup after a season in Spain. 

The fact is that Ronaldo has now won back to back Champion's league titles with Madrid. This is 3 in 4 years to put himself in a great position for winning the Ballon d' Or this season. This would make him go one behind his arch rival superstar Lionel Messi. 

Ronaldo undoubtedly one of the all time greats in the game

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the all-time greats of the game. He is a player who is destined to make history. It owes mainly to his immense natural talent. The Portuguese forward is a commanding leader for Real Madrid and his national team. After he arrived at Spain from Manchester United, his goal scoring figures have improved significantly. This has brought much delight of Madrid fans. He is now firmly established as one of the leading goal scorers in the history of the club. The fact that he will now continue with Real Madrid would surely make the fans and the club happy.

Pierre Emerick Aubameyang: The football star playing for Borussia Dortmund

He is 28 years old and a French born Gabonese footballer who plays for German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. His name is Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. Aubameyang is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs about 80 Kgs. He plays in the position of a centre forward as the striker for the teams he plays for. He is already having a market value of about € 70,0 Million and a football star by all standards.

His early days in football

Aubameyang had played for the French under 21. But he made his senior international debut for Gabon in the year 2009. Thereafter he also represented the same country in 3 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and in the 2012 Olympic Games. He began his international club football career at Milan. He joined Saint Eltienne permanently in the year 2011. After winning the Coupe de la league final in 2013 he joined Borussia Dortmund. In the year 2015 he became the winner of the CAFs African footballer of the year award. He became the first player to win the award. In the December of 2016, renowned British English Daily The Guardian named him the 8th best footballer in the world.

His record with Borrusia Dortmund

In 2013 Aubameyang entered with Dortmund for a 5 year contract. He made his debut against Bayern Munich. With this he also became the first Gabonese player to appear in Bundesliga. In the November of 2013 he scored his first goal group stage against Napoli where in the team won with a score of 3 is to 1. In the 2016-17 seasons with Dortmund, Aubemeyang had an excellent start. With a double score against FSV Mainz. He also had a great start to Dormund's Champion's League group stage game. He scored in each of the group stage matches owing to which his team was at the top of their group with Real Madrid. IN December this Gabonese football star scored his 100th goal for Borussia Dortmund. Thereafter he also scored a hat-trick against Benfica shortly after. 

In spite of having a great record with Dortmund it seems that not many clubs come in for Aubameyang. The star has as much as a whopping 27% of the total goal goals scored by Dortmund in the past 2 seasons. Reasons include that some team managers and football experts do not consider him as a true value for the money invested. 

According to some there is another quality lacking in him which is important. This is to hold-up play with back passes towards goal. Keeping hold of the ball while teammates run into dangerous spaces has become an important trait for any top striker. This is what some feel Aubameyang does not have and thus not many big clubs have considered hiring him.

To conclude we can say that in spite of the fact that not many big football clubs have shown interest in him, Aubameyang still is still one of the greats of the game.

Facts about FC Barcelona you would want to know

The legendary football club Barcelona was founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and Catalan footballers. Commonly known as Barcelona and more familiarly Barca is a professional football club based in Catalonia in Spain. We at Golden Goals place through this blog place before you some interesting facts about this historic football club you would love to know.

It is one of the richest football clubs in the world now

One very interesting thing to note about FC Barcelona is that unlike other professional football clubs, it is that the supporters own and operate the club. It happens to be the second highest valuable Sports team in the world. It is worth $ 3.6 billion and the second highest richest football club in the entire globe. This is in terms of an annual turnover of a whopping €560.8 million.

Some basic track records of the club

Domestically, Barcelona has won 24 La Liga championships It has also won 29 Copa del Rey, 12Supercopa de España and 3 Copa Eva Duarte. Apart from this it has also won 2 Copa de la Ligatrophies. Not only domestically but the club has a phenomenal international football record as well.

On the international scene, Barca has won 20 European and World titles. These include 4 UEFA Champions League titles. It also includes 1 European Cup. It has a record 4 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. The club also  a shared record 5 UEFA Super Cup. It has a record of 3 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and a record 3 FIFA Club World Cup.

The club was ranked first in the IFFHS Club World Ranking for 1997, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015.  

Arch rivals are Real Madrid

Real Madrid is the other most renowned football club which is its arch rivals. However in spite of its rivalry with Real Madrid, the club one of the most supported teams worldwide. It has one of the largest social media following in the world among st sports teams.

The Players who represent the football club

The club has always attracted the very top players of the world. At present there is Lionel Messi who has a long term relationship with the club. Apart they also have the top world cup players which includes Pique, Iniesta, Suarez, Neymar just to name a few. All of them have an incredible record with this club.

Lionel Messi and Barcelona a long and close relationship

Out of all the football stars that have played for this legendary football club, Lionel Messi has been there for a long time. This Argentine super star who also wears the coveted No. 10 jersey has had a phenomenal record with the club. Having scored over 500 goals it has really been an amazing run and an indeed enviable record which is difficult to match. The Argentine superstar had 37 ha tricks with the club.

In conclusion we can say that Barcelona is one of the greatest football clubs of all time.

Lionel Messi: Early life

It is true that he is a mega star today. He is considered by some football experts as one of the greatest football stars of all times. However did you know that for Lionel Messi one of the best footballers of all times the initial years were not as smooth? We at Golden Goals through this blog try to give you an idea about the early life of this great Argentine footballer and how his stardom came about over the years that he played football. Let us first however begin by giving you a synopsis of his football career. 

A brief synopsis of the great footballer 

He was born on the 24th of June, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. Messi then moved to Spain when he 13 years old. This was after when FC Barcelona club agreed to pay for hormone-deficiency treatments. Soon Messi became a star in his new country. He led his club to championships. Messi set a record for scoring maximum goals in the year 2012.In 2016, Messi was named Europe's Ballon d'Or winner for the fifth time.

How it all started? 

 As a young boy, he along with his two elder brothers played football with friends. Right from the beginning Messi was not intimidated by the bigger boys. At the very young age of 8, he was recruited to join the youth system of Newell's Old Boys, a Rosario-based club. He was comparatively smaller than most of the kids in his age group. The soccer superstar was eventually diagnosed by doctors as suffering from a hormone deficiency that restricted his growth.

His parents, decided on a regimen of nightly growth-hormone injections for their son. However it became d impossible to pay the huge amount of money involved for medication. So, at the age of 13, when Lionel Messi  was offered the chance to train at soccer powerhouse FC Barcelona's youth academy. This was called La Masia at the time. They also decided to pay for  his medical bills covered by . However his s family picked up and moved across the Atlantic. Thus Spain became a new home for them.

Football Superstar 

He often felt homesick in his new country. Messi moved quickly through the junior system ranks. By the age of 16, he had made his first appearance for Barcelona. He put himself in the record books on May 1, 2005.He was the youngest player to ever score a goal for the franchise. In 2005 itself year, he also led Argentina to the title in the under-20 World Cup. There he scored on a pair of penalty kicks to propel the team over Nigeria.

Messi eventually grew to 5 feet and 7 inches, and with his short stature, speed and relentless attacking style. Thus he drew comparisons to another famous Argentinean footballer: Diego Maradona. Messi thereafter steered Barcelona to many of successes. It was in  2009 though that he helped his  team capture the Champions League, La Liga, and Spanish Super Cup titles. In 2009 also  he took home his first FIFA "World Player of the Year" honor/Ballon d'Or award.

Author’s Bio: Goldengoals.com is an authentic website covering football related topics. Like Hindi news bulletins, the website covers ins and outs of major leagues and players as well.

The top 5 most valuable football players in the world currently

Football is all about the stars. This is what draws all the football crazy crowds from all across the world. They are the one that create all the media interests, the worldwide television telecasts. This is helps to pump in all huge funds in this amazing game. With the huge worldwide following of the big football stars, the game today is big business. This is what makes the top football clubs pay huge sums. We at Golden- Goals have always kept you up to date with all the latest news and updates in world of football. In this blog we will list for you the top 5 most valuable players in the world.

The list of the top 5 footballers in the world at present 

No.5 # Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) – €90 million 

Gareth Bale is known to be one of the fastest football players in the world today. He is renowned for his great pace with ball, his skill and agility. He has the unique ability to surpass the best defenders with sheer sudden acceleration he can generate. Footballing experts are of the opinion that this great star specialty lies in his ability to find rapid pace just with the next stride itself. The bumper new contract with Real Madrid will keep him with the club till 2022.

No.4# Luis Suarez (Barcelona) – €90 million

 Ever since his big money transfer to Barcelona, this No . 9 Barcelona star seemed to achieved greater height in his game. In fact Saurez happens to have outscored the likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in La Liga in 2015-16. He scored 40 goals from 35 games. He is extremely talented and tenacious. The star is known to give more than 100 % in all the games that he plays. He is famous for his direct running and extreme dribbling skills.

No.3 # Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – €100 million

He is known to be the 2 standout football stars of this generation along with Lionel Messi. This Portugese superstar is considered one of the greatest players ever to play this beautiful game. Following his move to Real Madrid Ronaldo's game has reached new heights. Experts of the game feel that this superstar has the ability to score any type of goal, be it long-rangers, free kicks or even powerful headers. It is indeed quite amazing to note that even at an age of 32 years he is valued at €100 million.

No.2  Neymar (Barcelona) – €102 million

At the age of just 25 years this Brazilian Superstar is considered by many as the future of Barcelona. He happens to be one of the best performers at the La Liga and across the world. His dribbling skills, play making and technical ability make him the master of the game. He has often been devastating for opponents in partnerships with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

No.1 # Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – €120 million

This Argentine super Star is an absolute phenomenon in world football today. He has now over a long time put up spell binding performance for his club Barcelona. These have especially come in the Champions League and La Liga. Barcelona has now over a long time been one of the best teams and Lionel Messi has been an integral part of their overall success. 

Author’s Bio: Goldengoals.com brings the readers hindi news about offside rules in the football game. The website covers football related articles in both English and Hindi. Keep reading both English and Hindi news to satisfy your queries regarding football related topics. 

Arsene Wenger Era at Emirates Stadium

Football has been the name of the most rousing game throughout the world. It has millions of fan followers along the length and breadth of the globe. With the passing days, the game has evolved a lot and football leagues have become popular in every soccer-playing country. Among the most popular leagues throughout the world, the English Premier League happens to be the most followed one. And why not? Given the statute of the teams and the glamour of the league, it is bound to draw attraction from the viewers across the world.

Arsenal – Living up to Its Name for Long

The Premier League has always boasted of teams which have made it big on the world stage, and one specific team that has been pulling the reigns of the league has always been Arsenal. Based in London, the traditional red and white clad team has always been an attraction for its fans worldwide. The Gunners have seen a lot throughout its time. Its meteoric rise under the able management and leadership of manager Arsene Wenger, Arsenal is surely one of the powerhouses of England and Europe as well. Talking about twenty years of the Frenchman since his taking charge of the club, it has been a whirlwind of a journey, from the extreme loss to the times when the team shot into the pinnacle of glory by winning the golden Premier League trophy.

Arsene Wenger has been a respected and loved figure at the club. Since his joining the English side from Monaco, he has been at the club for a long time. He is loved by the fans and the players alike, with some players considering him to be a fatherly figure to them at the club. Under his able management and coaching skills, the team remains one of the elite entities in Europe. His style of play is indeed a bit to watch and has been admired by the well-wishers and the rivals alike. The club has also been consistent in its performance at the European level. Multiple Hindi news articles and channels have already covered scintillating journey of the Frenchman.

Arsene Wenger – A Host in Himself

In addition to his football tactics, the manager has been a shrewd businessman as well. From building a stadium and selling of the star players to bringing the fresh talents from other leagues and clubs, Wenger has been a really good businessman. The manager, in spite of losing his star players, has always managed to secure a spot in The Champions League and is the only team in Europe to continuously reach the Champions League competition for a record eighteenth year. They have always managed to secure a spot in the top four of the Premier League. Over time, the club has nurtured really well under his management and his backroom staff.

Arsene Wenger still remains to be a top-class manager even at this age in the world football circuit and with a lot of clubs still chasing him to lure away from the club, he continues to be one of the best and successful managers in Europe.

Author’s Bio: Goldengoals.com is an authentic website covering football related topics. Like Hindi news bulletins, the website covers ins and outs of major leagues and players as well. 

An Own Goal Cost Player His Life

The game of football has always seen a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings running wild. For the winners, it ends up on a good note with all the celebration and pompous show that follows, while it is a bit different for the ones who settle for silver. The game has always seen emotions on the higher side, with occasional outburst of joy for some and sadness for others. Emotions do run wild for the players and fans alike in a game of football, and sometimes the outbursts of emotions result in unexpected and most unwanted consequences.

Sometimes, the consequences are so severe that it shakes the entire football world, and such incidences should never occur in the aftermath of a football game. One such instance that shocked the football fans throughout the world was the death of Colombian international Andres Escobar.

About the Player

Andres Escobar was a Colombian defender, plying his trade with Atletico Nacional and BSC Young Boys during his short club career. He had humble beginnings as a defender and was snapped up by Atletico Nacional where he fared well and quickly made his mark with the starting eleven of the club. The player continued to perform well for the club and was snapped up by Young Boys and then returned to his former club after a year. His meteoric rise continued and he performed well enough to earn a cap for the national team, featuring in the 1994 World Cup squad and playing almost every game for the national team.

Suicide Goal in World Cup

Things were looking good for him but there came in a sudden unexpected turn of events and what followed that was horrendous for the football world altogether. It was the World Cup of 1994. Colombia had drawn the first match in their group and had to win the second against United States of America in order to progress to the next stage of the competition. The team had shown up with a lot of fighting spirit and vigor. They were performing really well in the match. Both the teams had found the back of the net once and the match was heading for extra time.

The game was in the dying minutes when a bizarre incident happened. American midfielder John Harkes attempted to play a pass to his team mate in order to score the winning goal. Escobar attempted to cut out the pass, but the ball hit him and deflected back to his own net, resulting in an own goal. Colombia lost the match 2-1 and were knocked out of the tournament.

An Error Took Away His Life

Five days later, in the Colombian city of Medellin, Escobar went to a nightclub with his friends where they separated and he was alone well after midnight. Escobar was rounded up by a gang of men who appeared to be arguing with the player and the situation took an ugly turn when they opened fire and shot him six times. Escobar was taken to the city hospital where he died forty five minutes later. The incident shook the entire world as the Galon brothers, a part of the drug cartel which killed Pablo Escobar, were behind the murder of the Colombian defender. It is said that the murderers shouted ‘Gol’ as they shot him that night. Hindi news channels and media in India covered this incident for a long time.

Escobar is till today loved by the Colombians and has a statue built up in his memory. People are still seen to bring out his posters, remembering the player he was during his time.

Author’s Bio: Goldengoals.com is a renowned football website. It covers football news in two major languages Hindi and English. Hindi news on football articles is read by a good number of people across India. 

Changing Loyalty & Sugar-Daddies in Football World

Loyalty in football world is, nowadays, replaced by the handsome paychecks that the players get at the end of each week. The clubs are striving forward to make sure that they sign the best talent in the world, winning every trophy possible in the club circuit and establishing themselves as the big entities across the continents.

Loyalty Losing Its Place in Football World

From the days of loyalty to the days of transfer market haywire and mayhem with clubs opting to shell out millions of pounds for their targets, it is now clearly evident that money indeed speaks in the football world. The clubs with the bigger and richer owners own the market with their influences in transfer as they have their contacts with the super agents who generally manage the players and take control of their clients’ contracts.

The football transfer market is nowadays a place where a lot of money is spent and big names are recruited by the big clubs in order to bolster their squad and make sure that they pose a serious threat to the title challenges of their particular countries. These big clubs shell out any amount of money they want to, exploiting the smaller clubs who are generally short of cash. The elite clubs also make use of the business policies and brand valuation throughout the world to good effect. Clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona and the likes are always in the hunt for star players who could potentially improve the squad and pose a serious threat as a team in the respective leagues that they play in.

These clubs generally make full use of their money and the sugar daddy owners as they always seem to fund the side for the transfer wars and make sure that the chosen targets are signed at the best possible price. Since the smaller clubs are in need of cash, they are bound to let go of their players in order to make money and ensure that they get that from the bigger clubs. Hindis news in football websites and channels have covered such big-money rule in the transfer market and their impact on the small fishes in the football world.

Impact on Smaller Clubs

So, what impact does this leave on the smaller clubs? The smaller clubs are on the receiving end of all this as their scouted players, who would make it big in the world stage in the future, are snapped up by the big clubs who can lure the players as they have the financial backing. On top of that, the brand valuation and the exposure that the players would get in the elite entity they join would be more and that for a youngster is indeed a tempting move. The talented youngsters love to join a bigger club which has a superior position and stature as well.

The small clubs are lose out on their players and are not financially capable enough to challenge the clubs owned by sugar daddies in the transfer markets to bring in some high quality targets for themselves. Even though a bit of money injecting actually boost the club financially by putting them in a better position, still the excess use of money and flexing of power should be restricted in order to make sure that the interests of the smaller clubs with less stronger financial cushions are kept as well without exploiting them.

Author’s Bio: Goldengoals.com covers important topics both in English and Hindi news write-ups. Keep reading the website to be armed with the latest events in the football world. 

History of Real Madrid

Spanish club Real Madrid has been the best club of Europe for some time now. The team enjoys popularity throughout the length and breadth of the world and has been the leader of the clubs. They have been leading the pack, leaving behind arch rivals Manchester United and Barcelona in the process as well. The club has boasted of David Beckham, Ronaldo, Figo, Kaka and the likes who played. Fondly called as Los Blancos, they have always maintained the Galactico standard, comprising of world-class players being recruited from the top clubs across Europe.

They boast of having one of the richest boards in the entire club circuit. The Madrid side is one of the richest clubs in the world as well, earning revenues from shirt sales and merchandise goods and tickets. The club has always been one of the top clubs to draw the most number of sponsors and is a hot favorite with the sponsorship companies who intend to strike a deal with them.

Unearthing Club History

The history of Real Madrid dates back to the year of 1912 when a group of boys introduced football to Spain. The group of boys used to practice on local fields until 1920, King Alonso of Spain granted the side the title of ‘Real’ which means ‘Royal’ in Spain. Since then, the name was officially bestowed on the club and the team began to be known by the name of Real Madrid in the country and later throughout the world. The club started playing games across the country with different teams and since then, there has been no looking back for them. The team looked to build on to their reputation being the best team of the country and went from strength to strength.

The club suffered a major setback back in 1937 when all the activities of the club was suspended and  games were not being played as the country got engaged into a Civil War. The club elected its first president back in the year of 1945 when the Civil war was finally over and the elected president made sure that the club was rebuilt. The club got a proper board and a panel of experts was hired by the president as well.

Rise to Fame

RealMadrid has experienced a meteoric rise in their growth and popularity since they resumed playing following end of the civil war. Apart from success in the domestic field, the club gained a lot of respect from the international circuit as well as they were on their way to becoming one of the biggest clubs in Europe.  They have won the European competition for the most number of times till date and no other club has come closer to their achievement till date. The club has won the Champions League for a record number of eleven times so far and is still going strong in the current seasons.

They look set to lift the La Liga trophy this 2016-17 season. The club has also won the La Liga for a record number of times as well. The club still goes on to dominate in both the domestic and international circuit and maintain its stature of being the best club in the world.

Author’s Bio: Goldengoals.com introduces history and success of Real Madrid FC to the football fans and curious readers. Keep reading the football website to know more about different celebrity clubs and players across Europe. 

Neymar – Rise of Superstar

Brazil has been the king of football since the inception of the game. Known for their flamboyant skills and awesome movements with the ball, there is a reason why their playing style is fondly called Samba throughout the world. Brazil has been the most revered football playing country in the world and the leaders of the brand of football played by the Latin American nations. Over the years, the country has produced players like Pele, Garincha, Socrates, Zico, Romario, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho who had led the squad in their prime and displayed the skills that they possess. Brazil has won the prestigious FIFA World Cup – the mega event of football - for a record number of times. They are never short on talent and so it is no wonder that world football sensation also come from the land of Samba.  

A Star in Rising

Neymar’s story tracks back to the days when he used to feature for Santos as a young seventeen-year old winger. Even though he was a teenager, he showed promise to take the football world by storm in the coming years. The player had made his first senior appearance for Santos when he was 17 as the coaches and scouts saw immense potentials in him and consider the teenager worthy enough to feature for the starting eleven and running rings round the defences of the opposition teams. Neymar impressed one and all immensely as he gave a fitting replay to those who doubted his abilities. He proved what he could do with the ball. Since that day, there has been no looking back for the player in terms of his performance and his career as he experienced a mercurial rise in the process. He started to prove his mettle for the club and scored goals frequently. No wonder, his performance earned him alluring glances from the top clubs across Europe.

A Move to Barcelona – A Glorious Chapter in Career

The Brazilian was very consistent in his performance and has been producing good show till date. So, it hardly raise any eyebrow when the  top clubs like Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid got involved in a race to secure his service. The battle slowly turned into a tug of war between Real Madrid and Barcelona who were the forerunners for his signature. Barcelona defied all odds and secured the player. They had to part ways with a huge amount to lure him away from Santos to Nou Camp. The player gelled well with others in the team and took little time to reach his prime. His performance has been consistently spiking up with every passing day. The player has not even turned 25 but has won all the major trophies that he could win with Barcelona starting.

Neymar is a part of the vicious attack line which comprises of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez as well and is all set to be a contender for the Balon D’Or in the coming years as he continues to impress everyone throughout the world.

Kev Rob is a blind fan of Neymar. Since his move to Barcelona, he has never missed any match that the Brazilian played in. On behalf of goldengoals.com, he has covered a little biopic of the great player. 

Southampton FC Facts – Must-Read for Football Crazies

Southampton Football Club is more than a hundred and thirty years old and started out as the church football team. At that time, it was known as St. Mary’s Young Men’s Association. It had been in the Dell till 2001 and later shifted to St. Mary’s Stadium. But these are probably known by almost every Southampton football club fan. However, not every fan knows about other quirky yet interesting facts about the club. Here are a few fun Southampton FC facts for fans to adore the club a bit more.

·         The football club is popularly known as ‘The Saints’ because of their past of being the church football club.

·         Everyone knows the popular sports tune “When the Saints Go Marching In” and the Saints’ fan have made this tune the club’s anthem. Since Saints is the nickname of the club, the lyrics of the tune also go unchanged.

·         There is also an interesting fact when it comes to the club crest. For a long time, Southampton used the city’s crest as the club’s crest. In the 70’s, the club arranged for a competition and all the fans were asked to submit crest designs. The winner’s design has been used as the club’s crest from then on. However, a few changes were made due to copyright issues.

·         The Portsmouth FC is the arch rival of the Southampton Fc. Though this is known by all passionate fans of the South Coast Derby, what they might not know is that this rivalry has been continuing since time immemorial due to maritime affairs.

·         The Southampton football Club is one of the founders of the Premier League and helped in the League’s establishment in 1992-23. However, the club was found struggling in the league the next few seasons.

·         Southampton has been the runners up of The Football Association Cup, one of the most prestigious titles, thrice in the years 1900, 1902 and 1903 while they have successfully won the title in 1976.

·         Southampton FC has been the six times winner of the Southern League Football title.

·         The club’s home ground, the St. Mary’s Stadium, is one of the very few stadiums in Europe that fits in to the UEFA’s four star category.

·         Fans might not believe this but there was a time when the Saints were made to shift their home matches to the home ground of their arch rival Portsmouth FC during the World War 2 due to a bomb landing on the Dell.

·         All the fans will agree that in the UK Soccer community, Southampton FC is a club with huge potentials that is backed by a family and has traditional values.

·         The Southampton FC academy has a phenomenal record of producing excellent young talents and has a number of star players graduating from there like Chris Baird, Theo Walcott, Wayne Bridge etc.

These Southampton FC Facts show the roots of different strengths of the club. Everyone will agree that the club’s true strength still lies in the fact that they have a passionate fan base supporting them.

Golden goals promise to bring such interesting facts to the football lovers across the world so that they can always enrich their knowledge about the most popular game of the globe.