Well, you know the traditional start of these articles by now. "Every couple of seasons a new striker emerges on the horizon, blablabla...". We had Geels, Cruyff, Koolhof, Kist, Kieft, van Basten, Bosman, Gilhaus, Van Loen, Mols, Houtman, Van Nistel, Kluivert, Haisselbaink, Makaay, Huntelaar, Van Persie, Luuk de Jong, [read more]

Who was it that said Fact is sometimes stranger than Fiction? In the case of Cruyff vs Ajax vs the Board of Directors vs Louis van Gaal there was another court case... I'm telling you, when you are an Ajax fan this is a nightmare!

When you are neutral you wonder [read more]

Lionel Messi has been named by FIFA as the best player of 2011 for the third straight year. Messi equals Platini, Cruyff and Van Basten, the only players to ever win three Ballon d'Or titles.

Messi took almost 48% of the vote, with Ronaldo second with less than 22% and Xavi was a distant third with just over 9%.

Lionel Messi has been named by FIFA as the best player of 2011 for the third straight year. Messi equals Platini, Cruyff and Van Basten, the only players to ever win three Ballon d'Or titles.

Messi took almost 48% of the vote, with Ronaldo second with less than 22% and Xavi was a distant third with just over 9%.

n this week's review of the footballing action, we take a look back at the first El Clásico of the season, wonder what has happened to Bolton and hear about a clash in the Ajax boardroom.

The story of Pelé life, in art - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

A sense of nostalgia sets in when thinking of Pelé, arguably the best footballer of all times, and the one that gave "Futebol bonito" to Brazil and to the rest of the world. Pelé's memorable moments include the bicycle kick, winning three world cups for Brazil out of their total of five, and being one of the best ambassadors football could ever want and need.

Retro Football Kits - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Throughout history, people have been kicking a ball but the earliest scientific evidence suggest that it was an exercise from a military manual in the second and third BC in China it was called Cuju. Modern football took years in the making after the Chinese forgot about cuju.

Well, I guess we were wrong and Ajax is going with nuclear option #3. In a move to end the bickering and feuding that has gone on at Ajax in recent years between Ajax board members and former player legends, Ajax's governing council has asked all 5 board members, including Cruyff, to resign. Any board member that refuses to resign will be voted out, most likely, by shareholders.

08.11.2011 - Antes y después del partidazo que protagonizaron el Athletic Bilbao (de Marcelo Bielsa) y el Barcelona (de Pep Guardiola) (2-2), no pocos medios tomaron la oportunidad para trazar (y publicar) semblanzas ideológicas y futbolísticas entre ambos entrenadores (de los más reputados en el ámbito internacional) e incluso volar a encontrar el mejor entrenador del mundo (1).

Chamakh, Cruyff, Riera, Quaresma, Rebrov and more Premier League misfits

Ten Premier League misfits including Cruyff, Brolin, Riera and Reyes

View the full story here: Talksport

A news article on 2011-11-06 10:00:00 from: Talksport

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

From Wenger, Mourinho & Capello to Ancelotti, Cruyff & Beckenbauer Sir Alex Ferguson sees off 144 managers across Europe's biggest clubs in...

Goal.com takes a look at the managerial changes that have taken place at the Red Devils' major rivals around Europe during the Scot's incredible 25-year tenure at Old Trafford

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-11-04 12:06:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

From Wenger, Mourinho & Capello to Ancelotti, Cruyff & Beckenbauer Sir Alex Ferguson sees off 144 managers across Europe's biggest clubs in...

Goal.com takes a look at the managerial changes that have taken place at the Red Devils' major rivals around Europe during the Scot's incredible 25-year tenure at Old Trafford

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-11-04 12:06:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

From Wenger, Mourinho & Capello to Ancelotti, Cruyff & Beckenbauer Sir Alex Ferguson sees off 144 managers across Europe's biggest clubs in...

Goal.com takes a look at the managerial changes that have taken place at the Red Devils' major rivals around Europe during the Scot's incredible 25-year tenure at Old Trafford

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-11-04 12:06:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

From Wenger, Mourinho & Capello to Ancelotti, Cruyff & Beckenbauer Sir Alex Ferguson sees off 144 managers across Europe's biggest clubs in...

Goal.com takes a look at the managerial changes that have taken place at the Red Devils' major rivals around Europe during the Scot's incredible 25-year tenure at Old Trafford

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-11-04 12:06:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

"Tócame, que soy realidad." (Reimond Manco)
"Nací para el fútbol como Beethoven para la música." (Pelé)
"En el puesto de los bobos, yo soy el más vivo." (Hugo Gatti)
"Dicen que me he acostado con siete Miss Mundo, pero sólo han sido tres.

(In)Famous Facial Hair in Football: Then and Now - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

It's something that's perhaps said almost as much in jest as it is in seriousness, but for some, the mark of a true manly man is all in the facial hair.

If you subscribe to that notion, then you may also be among the population that feels that football isn't what it used to be, with finesse, flair, and frailty pushing physicality in the past, or at best compressed into several three-to-five minute Youtube compilations.

Frank de Boer selected Keizer and Cruyff for this weekend's game...

Hi all, as you know by now, I will be watching weekend games till Monday night and won't comment too much on actual matches.

I did see Arsenal's win over Chelsea yesterday and highly enjoyed Van Persie's ongoing success (although Wenger [read more]

By Eric Beard

"He's been waiting for this moment his entire life. He's just minutes away from hoisting up the trophy of his dreams. Holland has stayed up all night to watch their beloved Dutch maestro make history. They said it was impossible. Hell, I said it was impossible.

Michel Platini hablaba este verano de la protección a los futbolistas que ocupan el olimpo europeo como el argentino Leo Messi. En la gala de la UEFA, el presidente del máximo organismo continental indicaba que "el 'Mejor Jugador de la UEFA en Europa', está más protegido por los árbitros que otros grandes de la historia".

Johann "Hans" Krankl en una de nuestras debilidades futbolísticas. Delantero centro austriaco, que vivió sus mejores años como futbolista en los años 70. Oportunista como pocos y un preciso definidor a un toque con la pierna izquierda. Krankl hizo muchos goles de disparos a pegados al palo desde el interior del área.

Salón de la Fama del Fútbol en Pachuca
Estructura de 37 metros de alto, en forma de balon de fútbol. Sede del Salón de la Fama del Fútbol. Alado de la sede del Mundo Futbol, en el Parque David Ben Gurion en Pachuca de Soto, Hidalgo, México. Foto por ruber2011 Ruben Hernandez.

Salón de la Fama del Fútbol en Pachuca
Estructura de 37 metros de alto, en forma de balon de fútbol. Sede del Salón de la Fama del Fútbol. Alado de la sede del Mundo Futbol, en el Parque David Ben Gurion en Pachuca de Soto, Hidalgo, México. Foto por ruber2011 Ruben Hernandez.

By Eric Beard, finally concluding my Ajax Experience series.

The Ajax vs AZ Alkmaar match at Amsterdam ArenA was on Sunday, which meant the flight from Amsterdam would have to be delayed until Monday evening. One more day. Well, classes could wait.

It was a weekday, not to mention our 5th day in the city, so no partying or anything of that nature was on the cards.

Oranje had qualified for the WC1974 finals. Cruyff and Neeskens beat Brazil and West Germany - not playing a very impressive tournament so far - was to be the next nudge on the ...eh...football shoe.

German tabloid Bild wanted to milk the situation.

They had a plan. They knew where the Dutch [read more]

Bosnian graphic designer Zoran Lucić realized "Sucker for Soccer", a series of portraits of football icons in a vintage and childish style

Top left clockwise: Wijnaldum, Ryo, Fer and Dost...

With all the shenanigans at Ajax ( Cruyff, Davids, Janssen) and the financial woes at PSV, Feyenoord is capable of prepping quietly for the new season. We won't find screaming headlines saying Feyenoord signed this or that player. Feyenoord will keep a low [read more]

As usual during any transfer window there is the constant mutterings from Spain about Cesc Fabregas, and today's offering is from the Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff, who still works for the European Champions. Many Arsenal fans are secretly hoping that, if their captain gets his wish to rejoin his boyhood club, that he will spend [.

The US national team has a lot to prove this summer. Fans don't feel good about the roster. There are questions in the defense. Disappointing results have become the norm. In fact, you can say it's all been downhill since losing to Mexico in the Gold Cup.
And there's a big tournament coming up soon, which the team pretty much needs to win.

I'm not a big fan of forced narratives in sport. Often they require material facts to be ignored and result in faulty conclusions. This is possibly an oddity for a Cule - after all, Barcelona have built their identity on a strong sense of narrative, casting themselves in the same role in every story.

Man Utd were the real caricatures in the final

In a nod to the Guardian one will attempt five things we learned from the Man Utd vs Barca Champions League final which will for obvious reasons not go down as a classic. It takes two teams to make one. And I will clench my fists a la Sir Alex and resist the urge for redundancies like, " Messi is a genius.

In The Stands have pulled out all the stops in an attempt to accurately predict the winner of Saturday's UEFA Champions League Final between Barcelona and Manchester United. Read on for more details...

So who is going to win tonight? Take your pick; Blaugrana or Red Devils?

Hoy recordamos en Retrofootball a un extremo izquierdo, goleador, holandés llamado Rob Rensenbrick.

Cómo jugaba:

Fue un grande del fútbol holandés. Era un jugador elegante, con muy buen regate, inteligente como pasador y con mucho olfato de gol.

Hay gente que le considera delantero, yo creo que era más jugador de banda, ahí demostraba todas sus condiciones, muchas veces tirado a la izquierda.

Perhaps it is because Romanticism eludes any attempt at a concise definition that it has become a term so freely tossed into the melting pot of football criticism and punditry.

Like all great modern ideas (some say all great modern ideas are Romantic, but it's probably best to ignore that debate for now), Romanticism's is an osmotic essence, or lack thereof; it affirms the boldest of concrete thoughts in the most wild and wildly paradoxical ways.

Sir Alex Ferguson admits the European Cup Winners' Cup unexpected victory against Barcelona 20 years ago was a major step in the club's development under his control. The famous night in Rotterdam in...
Continue to the full story

We've seen one player this year challenge for the title of best player in the world, Messi, so this week languagecaster takes a look at one of the past greats of the game Johan Cruyff. As always, on this week's free pod you can also:

• Listen only to the main report here complete with transcript and vocabulary
• Learners of English can review the footballing news from around the world in our good, the bad and the ugly section of the show
• Check out a new football expression in English for Football
• For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources page with:
• A page with all our Football vocabulary posts
• Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases)
• Worksheets and transcripts from previous podcasts

Automatically receive the podcast each week by clicking here

Continuing our series of the world's best footballers, languagecaster.com takes a look at a player who would be in most people's top five best players ever Hendrik Johannes Cruijff. Check out previous posts on great footballers here.

The 'Impossible Goal'

Recently, a debate has started as to whether or not Messi is the best player ever, better than Pele or Maradona, the traditional choices of most people for that accolade.

20.04.2011 - Se va la segunda... Real Madrid ahora enfrenta a Barcelona en Mestalla (Valencia) para definir, 21 años después, la Copa del Rey en su edición 108. Dice Cruyff que "Mou" "no es entrenador de fútbol, pero sí de títulos, porque es listo". Dice Menotti que "están los que apuestan a jugar bien siempre, como el Barça y los que juegan mal con tal de ganar, como el Madrid".

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it. | Subscribe: Main Listening Report | Complete List Here

This week languagecaster takes a look at the Clásico and suggests five things you need to know about Real Madrid and Barcelona. There is a transcript below, while explanations of key vocabulary (in bold) can be found at the foot of the post, while other key phrases (in blue) also have meanings explained.

Ajax chair Uri Coronel said: Dictator Cruyff is seen as a God here.

And he was off. The Board of Directors and the Advisory Board all resigned yesterday in the Ajax General Meeting. Johan Cruyff, the instigator of this soap opera wasn't even there to gloat. The former No. 14 arrived [read more]

Super Star title in the world of football should not be used a lot, and in my opinion, should be given very conservatively with players such as Platini, Cruyff, Zidane, Ronaldo1, Beckenbauer, Bobby Charlton .......
Messi at the age of 23, going to another country for the intention of playing against their team, but then missing the game because of light injury, and still ending up by a hero, with so many people asking for his autograph.